A person should always keep kindness in their heart. For Serena, giving the combat uniform to the Lizardman Smith was just a simple gesture. Sticking to her principle of honoring promises, once he led them out safely, Serena did her utmost to fulfill her word—never expecting gratitude, but the reward she received far surpassed what she gave.
To Serena, it was a trivial matter with no personal benefit, but for the Lizardman Smith, it changed his fate—he could finally die without regret. Naturally, he felt immense gratitude toward Serena.
With the combat suit, the Lizardman Smith took a tentative step forward. The sun was setting, its rays gentle and non-burning. Driven by hope, he walked forward, and as sunlight touched him without blood or scales peeling, he collapsed to his knees, silently weeping.
He was free. At last, he no longer had to be trapped there. He could finally step out of the cage that had imprisoned him for most of his life.
“Ahhh…” The Lizardman Smith wanted to shout, to voice his joy, but when he opened his mouth, only the simplest sounds came out.
Serena and Prince Nolan stood behind him, sharing a smile. Serena’s eyes held a gentle warmth, like a doctor announcing to a patient’s worried family: “Don’t worry, the patient is out of danger.”
In that moment, as a doctor, she felt deeply fulfilled—just like now.
The Lizardman Smith lay on the ground, laughing and crying… The Snow Wolf glanced over, then turned away in disdain, busying itself with the surroundings, searching for water to wash the moss from its fur.
As a wolf who liked cleanliness and often stayed close to Prince Nolan, it couldn’t stand being covered in stinky, sticky moss.
Stepping out of the narrow fissure, a new scene unfolded—lush grass everywhere, and rows of green feng-tail bamboo, each about as tall as Serena. Though not densely planted, the bamboo was arranged in neat rows, creating a sense of order without seeming sparse.
Though the bamboo wasn’t dense or tall, it should not have blocked the view. Yet, when Serena and Prince Nolan stood at the exit, they could only see a few rows ahead—nothing beyond.
“This bamboo grove is just like the fissure we passed through,” Serena observed. “It looks straight, but inside it twists and turns, blocking our sight.” She checked the area, found nothing unusual, then used a twig to sketch a diagram on the ground.
“These bamboo stalks must have been deliberately planted,” Serena said, drawing countless small circles on the ground to represent their positions. Connecting the dots, she found that every five stalks made a Z-shape, and the pattern linked in all directions.
“Impressive,” Serena murmured. She didn’t understand formal array techniques, but she knew someone had used visual trickery to make the bamboo seem like a continuous forest, hiding everything else.
“Let’s go in and take a look,” Prince Nolan suggested, sensing nothing dangerous but finding the planting method familiar, as if he’d seen it somewhere before.
Meanwhile, the Snow Wolf found a large lake, excitedly barking and leaping in—only to let out a terrible howl the next second.
The Snow Wolf’s howl sounded just like someone had stepped on its tail. Serena and Prince Nolan rushed over, worried, with the Lizardman Smith following.
Uh…
Serena almost laughed as she watched the Snow Wolf’s scorched tail.
Last time in Westlyn, the Snow Wolf’s fur was nearly burned off. Now, after finally regrowing, its tail was scorched again.
The Snow Wolf was about to cry, hugging its head and rolling on the ground: it felt too embarrassed to face anyone.
Prince Nolan, always considerate, coughed lightly and asked, “What happened?”
The Snow Wolf had just leapt out of the water, but the lake looked perfectly clear and calm. Prince Nolan tossed in a stone; ripples spread and then the surface returned to stillness.
The Snow Wolf stood up, looking aggrieved, and pointed at the lake: something inside had burned its tail.
“There’s fire in the water?” Serena was skeptical, and Prince Nolan was just as unconvinced. He wanted to test it himself, but Prince Nolan stopped him.
Jokingly, the Snow Wolf’s fur was almost burned off. If the water really splashed out and burned Serena, what would they do?
Prince Nolan stepped back, broke off a bamboo leaf, and dipped it into the water.
The bamboo leaf was still green, with water droplets on it. Prince Nolan touched the lake water and found it icy—no heat at all.
“Huh?” What was going on?
The Snow Wolf’s eyes flashed with confusion. Determined to prove it wasn’t lying, it bravely reached out a paw to touch the water—only to find the lake water felt completely different.
I didn’t trick you all!
The Snow Wolf was about to cry, hugging its head and banging it on the ground. It was confused—its tail was clearly burned by the water, but the water didn’t seem hot at all.
“Don’t bang your head. No one doubts you. Maybe something at the bottom of the lake burned your tail.” Serena comforted the Snow Wolf, reminding it that, as a creature from the coldest Northlyn, it feared heat more than anything.
The Lizardman Smith, arriving late, nodded in agreement when he heard Serena’s words. Seeing the Snow Wolf reach out to touch the lake again, he quickly stopped it: “No… no.”
Making rough noises, the Lizardman Smith saw Serena and Prince Nolan watching him. He drew a block of iron on the ground, then flames on top.
“Ah…” The Lizardman Smith gestured, explaining that this lake was used for quenching red-hot iron; the water was dangerous and shouldn’t be touched.
Once Serena understood, she quickly pulled the Snow Wolf away. The wolf, pitifully clutching its head, circled behind her. The Lizardman Smith pointed ahead, signaling for Serena and Prince Nolan to follow him to find the best sword in the Myriad Blades Grove.
“Wait a moment.” Serena gestured for the Snow Wolf to lift its tail, then applied ointment. The Lizardman Smith, squatting nearby, hesitated, longing for help but shrinking back in shame at his own scaled hand.
He was a monster—someone like him, even if covered in blood, would never have anyone gently apply medicine.