On the other side, Uncle Ronin finally found the herbs he needed on the mountain. However, when he returned, he found that the person who should have been resting in the house was missing. This made him furious, so he immediately threw the bamboo basket on his back aside and started searching the house.
After searching everywhere without finding anyone, he started to feel nervous. “Strange, where is she? Could Kiara’s people have taken her away?” If that were the case, it would be terrible.
Fortunately, at that moment, Nora returned on her own, respectfully calling out to him. “Uncle Ronin.” Seeing her safely back, Uncle Ronin felt relieved.
“Where have you been?” Nora returned this time to ask for the remedy, and time was of the essence; every second counted. Without beating around the bush, she directly asked, “Uncle Ronin, I plan to escape from here with Howard. Do you have the antidote to the Lost Magic?”
“What?” Uncle Ronin was greatly surprised by her words, his expression showing some hesitation. “How did you know about the Lost Magic?” But he quickly found the answer to his question. “Was it Howard who told you?”
Instead of answering his question directly, Nora asked again, “Uncle Ronin, this is a matter of great importance. Please tell me the truth.” As she spoke, she knelt down straight on both knees.
“This… can you please get up first before we talk?” He wasn’t so old that he needed a young girl to kneel and kowtow to him.
However, Nora was persistent, seeming like she wouldn’t get up until he agreed. Seeing no other option, Uncle Ronin reluctantly nodded. “Alright, alright, please get up. You guessed right; I do have the antidote to the Lost Magic.”
He then explained that he and the village chief had cultivated the Lost Magic together. They had grown up together, being the best of brothers, and even the creatures they bred had developed a certain tacit understanding. The Lost Magic was cultivated during those times.
Later, the village chief seemed to have changed entirely, becoming a stranger to him. Subsequently, Mountmend, which was once quiet and beautiful, turned into the hellish landscape it was today. He agreed to give Howard and Nora the antidote in hopes that they could survive. After all, he owed Howard’s father a favor.
“Thank you, Uncle Ronin, I’ll remember your great kindness.” Nora got up from the ground slowly. Since Uncle Ronin agreed to her request, she was now extremely happy.
When she stood there waiting for him to bring the antidote, Ronin said, “Wait for me; I don’t even know where I’ve put the antidote for the Lost Magic. Besides, my pharmacy is too cluttered; it’ll take some time to find it.”
“In that case, let me help you.” Uncle Ronin’s pharmacy was off-limits to everyone except himself. When Nora offered to help, he naturally refused.
“No need. If you accidentally touch some of the other treasures in my pharmacy, it will be troublesome.” His words reminded Nora of some strange things, so she shook her head immediately.
“Alright then.” She obediently stayed where she was, fearing she might develop a psychological shadow if she saw those “treasures.”
As time passed, just as Nora was becoming impatient, Uncle Ronin emerged from the pharmacy. In his hand, there was a small bottle of bright blue liquid.
Handing the bottle to Nora, he said, “This is the antidote to the Lost Magic. Take it. Once I rescue Howard, you and he should leave together and never come back here again.”
Nora, who had just received the bottle, was momentarily stunned by his words, and she involuntarily tightened her grip on the bottle.
“Uncle Ronin, aren’t you coming with us?”
The old man sighed deeply, gently stroking his beard as he said, “I’m not going anywhere. I was born here, so naturally, I’ll die here. This is where the fallen leaves return.”
“Uncle Ronin…” Nora wanted to persuade him to go with her.
She knew Uncle Ronin was a good person. He would often give medicine to the villagers for free. If the village chief found out he had given the antidote to himself, he would surely be punished by the chief. Continuing to stay here was unwise. However, Uncle Ronin also had his own firm beliefs, and… something he wanted to protect.
“Don’t worry about me, dear. I’ve lived my whole life without children or grandchildren, and my only love passed away more than twenty years ago.”
“After she died, I swore to the heavens that I wouldn’t go anywhere in this lifetime, just to watch over her.”
“So I won’t leave.”
Nora understood. She realized Uncle Ronin was also a person with a story. She just didn’t know what kind of person the woman he loved was, to make him willingly stay in this purgatory to protect a peaceful place.
“Yes, so how do we rescue Howard now?”
That was currently the most difficult problem.
“He’s locked in the punishment chamber right now, his life is in danger. We mustn’t delay any longer, let’s go now.”
“Okay.”
When Uriel woke up again, all he saw was pitch darkness.
It felt like the world was in a primordial chaos, with nothing but endless darkness, not even a trace of wind.
At first, he thought he was still in a dream, but when he struggled to open his heavy eyelids, he realized-
Blackness!
Still pitch black!
Was this still his dream?
Uriel pinched himself hard.
The pain in his thigh confirmed that this was not a dream.
“Where am I?”
“Is anyone there? Please answer me!”
He staggered to his feet, attempting to walk a few steps in the darkness, but he soon bumped into something hard and cold.
Reaching out, he touched a wall.
And this wall didn’t seem like an ordinary one. The coldness he felt from his fingertips seemed to penetrate to his bones.
“So cold, where on earth is this place? Why is it so eerie?”
Just as Uriel curiously sought for an exit, a long-lost glimmer of light seemed to appear in the darkness.
To his due north.
He walked towards the direction of the light, and he could clearly hear voices.
“It’s here, let’s go in.”
“The village chief ordered them to be detained for two hours. No one is allowed to visit.”
“Understood.”
Soon, that glimmer of light grew smaller and disappeared.
Uriel hurried after it, grabbing hold of the arm of someone in the crowd.
“Who are you? Why am I detained here? Let me out.”
Unfortunately, the person he caught was Howard.