Chapter 184: Significant Intelligence
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hao Ren did not expect to receive such important information. He was just here to help these black wolves cure their broken teeth. It appeared that being a good man and keeping his promise had rewarded him. He hastened to call the alpha wolf, who was ready to leave. "Wait a minute, tell us more details about this person."
"Are you interested in her?" The alpha wolf squatted down to think, then it said, "Well, she was a very thin woman, probably the size of that woman with long hair over there (Vivian) but, a little taller. She was wearing a hooded outfit, looked like a hunter. She came from the north but, no one's supposed to be living in the north. Unless, she came to this place from the human state far north. The woman looked worried. She said that she came from another world and something had gone wrong during some sort of experiment. I didn’t understand her words. Anyway, she said she wanted to go home, and proceeded to ask about the most unstable space in this world. "
The information that the alpha wolf could provide was not much. Hao Ren later confirmed again and again the features of the woman who claimed to be from the Otherworld. However, a wolf’s ability to describe the features of a human was limited. In the end, Hao Ren could only deduce that it was a blonde woman, taller than Vivian, slim, and she was dressed in a white, hooded outfit. However, based on the alpha wolf's the description, Hao Ren had a hunch that she did not come from Earth.
If she was not from Earth then, where did she come from?
Hao Ren had been to outer space and seen other forms of life so, his way of thinking was much wider, and more open than before. He thought of scenarios where intelligent creatures that existed on other planets in the Superficial World could have possibly entered The Plane of Dreams by accident. Since humans from Earth could enter The Plane of Dreams by chance, intelligent creatures of other planets could have also done it.
It just seemed like the woman’s situation was a little more complicated: In normal circumstances, a person who entered The Plane of Dreams by accident would automatically exit it after waking up. However, this woman happened to be completely trapped in this world. This was a situation that Hao Ren had never heard of.
"What else did she say?" Hao Ren squatted on the ground levelling his eyes with that of the alpha wolf. "Like, where does she stay and how did she come to this place."
"How can I possibly understand so much." The alpha wolf dug the ground with its paw. "Please, I’m just a wolf. She said a bunch of strange nouns but, I remember her mentioning that her homeland's suffering... You don’t know that woman, do you?"
Hao Ren shook his head and stood up. "No, I don’t know her. I just find it weird... Do you know which way she went?"
"There is a mountain village in the west, and I know she had to have passed through there. I can’t tell you where she's heading beyond that. I don’t know how humans plan their journey. I just roughly pointed her to the Beinz Blood Lake. I assume she'll ask the locals later on."
After the alpha wolf finished talking, it stared into the sky, trying to recall its memory. It suddenly brought something up. "Oh, I thought of something. When I was talking to that woman, it was very strange. The speed of the conversation was very fast. It felt like she knew what I was about to say just as I started to speak. I don’t know if it’s just the illusion of human speech."
Hao Ren paused for a moment. He did not quite understand what this meant. After the alpha wolf roughly explained again, he had a faint feeling about it being some kind of communication beyond language. It seemed a bit similar to his mental connection with the MDT but, less efficient. It could have been the workings of some kind of technology or magic however, the alpha wolf was obviously not familiar with these things.
"I see." Hao Ren nodded. He then waved goodbye to the alpha wolf and said, "Thank you for the information. Well, off we go."
"Okay, till we meet again." The alpha wolf bowed its head with its front paws pushing the field of grass. It seemed to be offering friendship. "You are a very special human. I've decided to allow my pack to be friends with you. Next time, if you face any trouble in the South Prairie, just come to us."
Hao Ren laughed: He had really formed an incredible friendship, and if he got lost out on the prairies again, he did not have to worry about food…
The alpha wolf led his pack across the grassy knoll and disappeared from their sight. Hao Ren turned around and saw four pairs of very serious eyes: Even Lily, the silly girl also realised that they had a special harvest in this trip. It was clear that the woman who claimed to be from the Otherworld was of great significance.
Becky did not know why hao Ren and the rest of them were so interested in this matter. She leaned over curiously and asked, "From the Otherworld? Does it really exist?"
"Err, probably..." Hao Ren replied perfunctorily. Becky did not give up and kept on asking, "You seem to be very concerned about this matter. Is the woman an acquaintance of yours?"
Hao Ren hurriedly shook his head and denied it. "No, I totally don’t know her. But you see, we are studying Space Magic. So, of course we’re interested in this kind of thing…"
Hao Ren very much admired his ability to improvise!
Becky looked suspiciously at the mysterious people before her. It increasingly affirmed her suspiscions that these guys were quite dubious from head to toe, and she began to seriously consider that it was not wise of her to mix with these mysterious people so quickly. But, when she touched the "music box" in her pocket, she made up her mind: Who cares? She could decide later, at least until they get back from the Beinz Blood Lake. If she still felt suspicious, then they would just split up.
Vivian also noticed a change in the look on Becky’s face. To prevent the mercenary from changing her mind, she clapped her hands to divert attention and said, "Let’s keep going. We’ve had a long delay."
Now, there was another reason to go to the Beinz Blood Lake. They were going to try to find the mysterious woman who claimed to be from the Otherworld. If they could, they wanted to bring her back to the real world and hand her to Raven 12345. Maybe Raven could figure out what was going on in The Plane of Dreams. Hao Ren found the this trip to be fruitful. Everything was moving forward very smoothly. They even received such an important clue along the way.
They continued to embark on their journey to the western village. Y’zaks continued to run behind the team; Lily "tied" herself to the horse in her silly way as usual; Hao Ren, as always carried the kettle in one hand and grabbed the reins as though he was performing acrobatics. He followed Vivian. Becky actually found it weird early on. She could not help it any longer and asked, "What's that you’ve been carrying? Looks like a kettle."
Hao Ren was quite embarrassed to admit that it was actually a kettle (on Earth). He only gave a cursory explanation. "Err, it’s for alchemy."
"You didn’t even remember to bring any credentials when you teleported but you remembered to carry this thing?" Becky was particularly surprised but suddenly came to a realisation and said, "Oh, of course, your brain must be—"
Hao Ren almost jumped down from his horse. "—Try saying that again!"
Becky did not care and laughed. "Your brain must have been ruined during the experiment. Anyway, you guys aren't very normal."
Hao Ren was speechless. He could only quietly keep a distance from Becky silently. He carefully maintained his balance, held the kettle agaist his chest and opened the lid a little bit. The little mermaid immediately clung to the little opening and watched the scenery outside curiously. A pair of small eyes gleamed with amazement under the lid. Hao Ren heard splashing sounds coming from the kettle. Without looking at it, he knew that it was the little fellow who was swishing her tail happily. She would beat her tail when she was happy, surprised or hungry. The tail was her second communication organ. Hao Ren had almost mastered his knack for distinguishing the meanings of the little one's various expressions with her tail. It was easier than teaching her to speak.
Hao Ren was careful not to open the lid too wide to prevent the overly excited Lil Pea from jumping out. However, oddly enough, the little mermaid behaved the same as she did in town. Although she was amazed by the wide world outside, she had no intention of jumping out, as if the vast expanse of the prairie also made the little one bewildered.
Anyway, the journey was an eye-opener for Lil Pea so, she was probably felt really happy for quite a while.
They rode for a long time. When the sun gradually set, it left a gilt luster on the prairie, and in the distance, a small village finally appeared before them. Smoke was curling up from the village, and it was visible from far away.
The only village of the mountain people on the Kingdom of Holletta's border was in sight.