Lightning pulled out his 'exploration gear' again and checked it thoroughly.
A firebrand, flint, bandage, dagger, map, and a bag of dry rations stuffed with beef jerky.
"Your bag?" she asked, glancing at Maxie. "Check it too." "Mmm!" Maxie reached into her shoulder bag—this cloth pouch was usually hidden beneath her voluminous hair, making it hard to gauge its contents. After transforming into a bird, her clothes and bag seemed to vanish into thin air. Unlike her own flight, which was strictly limited by weight, Maxie appeared largely unaffected by this change, as evidenced by the fact that she carried far more than she could realistically carry.
In front of the lightning, there were piles of food—dried meat, meat floss, chicken legs, fish fillets, and eggs.
"Good grief," she said, rubbing her forehead. "We're on an expedition, not a barbecue in the wild. You should at least bring a weapon." "Goo-goo!" Maxie rubbed her mouth.
"You mean your beak is a weapon?" Lightning sighed. "If you run into an Inquisition Army dressed like a can, you'd be the one pecking through their armor! Oh well... it's only a day, so no danger. Let's go." "Oh! Cluck!" The creature instantly transformed into a pigeon, sprinted a few steps, glided low for a while, then slowly ascended.
Well, maybe weight does have an effect on her.
Lightning snapped off her windproof glasses, and with a light leap, it flew right in front of her.
I remember the first time I encountered Maxie, I had engaged in an aerial chase in the southern woodland. Although the plump pigeon couldn't escape my grasp at that time, it took considerable effort to bring her down. Now, judging by the situation, I could likely catch her in the blink of an eye.
This can't go on. It's rare to have a flying partner, and she'll have to rely on her to carry the expedition gear in the future. The young girl thought to herself, she really needs to train her properly.
"Gu, gu?" Lightning slowed his pace and walked beside Maxie. "Speak up!" "I just want to ask, where are we going to explore, gu?" the pigeon said, its beak opening and closing.
"Where the forest ends at the western edge—I want to see just how vast this forest really is," Lightning said, pulling out the map and pointing to the uncharted western area. "I might even spot the source of the Chishui River while filling in this section." After returning from the fjord, Maixi immediately began preparing for the expedition. After all, during their free practice sessions, Your Highness wouldn't mind where they flew. And the girl had a secret she hadn't told him—she was no longer brave enough to explore the forest alone.
This is a disgrace to an explorer.
Yet she couldn't deceive herself—the stone tower visit had instilled fear in her toward this vast, shadowy forest. The mere thought of those terrifying creatures lurking somewhere within it made her desperately want to flee.
Fortunately, she is still the daughter of the greatest explorer.
Thunder once told her a way to conquer fear: approach it step by step, observe and understand it, and eventually you'll realize that' fear 'isn't as terrifying as it seems.
Because it comes from the barriers in the heart.
This expedition was Lightning's first attempt. With Maxi by her side, she felt at least a little more confident. The chosen route was also very safe—heading west along the Chishui River without venturing deep into the forest—making it unlikely to encounter Devil. Once she had flown this route, she would try it alone next time. She believed that one day, she would map the entire Western Territory on her own and step into the Stone Tower again to uncover the truth of the sacred city of Tchilala.
...
The Lightning kept her speed around sixty kilometers per hour throughout the journey. Now she could precisely adjust her speed by releasing Magic Power, and with her current energy consumption, she could fly nonstop for a full day.
Flying along the river and forest edges felt far more manageable now. Unlike the last time searching for the stone tower, the entire view was a deep green, making it impossible to discern direction or altitude—creating a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere. With a shimmering silver ribbon now visible and Maxie's constant chatter in her ear, Lightning felt the fear gradually fading away.
"Look! There's a mountain ahead!" Lightning caught sight of the peerless peak—its gray silhouette, though distant, spoke volumes of its majesty. Meanwhile, the riverbanks' hillsides dwindled sharply, the sea-facing peaks seeming to draw inland, growing ever closer to the Chishui River until they merged seamlessly with the Silver Belt.
"This mountain is a bit too grand," she couldn't help but remark. As the distance narrowed, the peak's silhouette grew increasingly distinct. Its summit, snow-white and piercing the clouds, stood taller than three or four Desolate Mountains combined. Though not as undulating as the Desolate Mountains stretching for thousands of miles, it dominated the landscape. The southern hills were but a branch of this majestic peak, and the source of the Chishui River originated from this towering mountain.
"The forest hide-and-seek is over!" Maxie exclaimed excitedly.
The emerald-green patches before us finally faded into the horizon, revealing the earth's return to a pale green—likely a vast grassland. Yet beyond this, the view abruptly plunged into a pitch-black expanse that stretched all the way to the foothills of the towering mountains.
"We'll go down and check." Lightning made a gesture and plunged toward the pitch-black ground. She soon realized it was a surface of black stones.
"What is this?" Maxi pecked twice after landing. "It doesn't seem edible!" "Of course not," Lightning said, picking up a black stone and examining it closely. The stone had sharp edges and a glossy metallic sheen under sunlight, though its surface was pitch-black. Such stones were everywhere, mingled with scattered soil, giving the impression that the earth had been soaked in ink. "This might be some kind of mineral. Bring two back for Your Highness to see." Then came the mapping work. She returned to the air and began recording the nearby terrain in detail.
The journey from Border Town to the base of the towering mountain consumed nearly half the morning. Located about 240 kilometers from the town—far beyond the reach of Changge Fortress—this majestic peak... A sudden thought struck me: What must lie beyond such a colossal mountain? Would it be a boundless jungle, or undulating hills and ridges?
Once the fear subsides, this thought becomes hard to suppress.
Climbing over the mountain is clearly challenging, with the sheer snow-capped peak alone enough to deter most climbers. Yet there exists an alternative route: circling around the mountain from the sea. Without even reaching the mountain's back, one can simply fly diagonally toward the center of the ocean, allowing the mountain's silhouette to come into view.
The lightning summoned Maxie, sternly warning her not to move. She swiftly donned her windproof goggles and accelerated to the limit—Magic Power erupted violently, sending the gale sweeping her short hair back. The land receded, and the blue ocean engulfed the entire view.
After approximately half an hour of flight, she could faintly discern the landscape beyond the towering mountains. Behind her, a continuous range of peaks seemed to separate the sea from the land, but then Lightning witnessed a scene that froze her blood.
At the horizon, a thick layer of reddish-brown fog blanketed the mountains, so dense it resembled solidified blood. The mist stretched westward, its edge barely discernible.