The afternoon sun was extremely hot. Deep within the Forbidden Mountains, a group of people was resting in the shade of the trees.
"We're running low on supplies," Jones stated, her voice deep and serious.
Three days had passed since they sent Roman back with a letter. The group had ventured much deeper into the mountains, but their provisions were dwindling. If they went any further, they likely wouldn't have enough for the return trip.
"This is getting a bit tricky," Freya wiped the sweat from her forehead, picked up a canteen, and took a swig of water.
"Logically speaking, Roman should be getting back soon," Jones said coldly.
Sending Roman back wasn't just to deliver a letter; more importantly, it was to see what Lucas's next arrangements were and if he had any new instructions.
"He should be close," Freya carefully pulled a pocket watch from her breast, clicked open the cover, and checked the time.
Based on the schedule, he should be arriving right about now.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Speak of the devil. As soon as he was mentioned, he arrived.
A black speck appeared on the horizon. As it grew larger, the unmistakable silhouette of a birdkin came into view.
"He's here," Jones looked up at the sky.
Whoosh, whoosh…
Immediately, a birdkin from their camp took to the air to guide Roman in.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
As Roman neared the ground, he slowly folded his wings, touching down gracefully on his toes. He took a few steps carried by his momentum before coming to a stop in front of Jones and Freya.
"This is the letter from Lord Lucas," Roman exhaled deeply.
The journey had utterly exhausted him, especially flying under the scorching sun—he had nearly gotten heatstroke. He'd been forced to land and rest at regular intervals; catching heatstroke would have been a disaster and delayed him even further.
"Good work," Freya took the letter.
"It is my duty," Roman replied seriously, then stepped aside to rest.
"It seems that next time we come back, we'll need to requisition two medics to accompany us," Freya glanced at the resting soldiers. A few were already lying flat on their backs; the stifling heat of the forest made it incredibly easy to get dehydrated.
They hadn't brought dedicated medics on this scouting mission, only soldiers who knew basic first aid.
"Read the letter first," Jones said evenly.
"Alright," Freya opened the letter, read it, and then passed it to Jones.
"..." Jones read it over and gave a detached nod.
"So that ore really is useful to Lord Lucas," Freya muttered to herself. She took the letter back, struck a match she'd brought along, and burned the paper to ashes.
She pondered for a moment, then turned to Jones. "I'll leave half the soldiers and special operatives here. Roman will also stay and follow your orders. The rest will return with me to Sedona City."
The letter had instructed them to investigate the location where the Kryptonite ore was found to see if there were more stones like it, and included methods for identifying them. That was why Freya destroyed the letter immediately after reading it—Kryptonite ore was now classified as a top secret.
After locating the site and verifying whether the Kryptonite ore was part of a larger vein, she was to return to Sedona City to report, requisition more supplies and personnel, and then push even deeper into the Forbidden Mountains.
"Understood," Jones gave a cool nod.
She didn't plan on going back with them. She intended to use the remaining personnel to establish a temporary outpost here, serving as a transit station in preparation for their next deep dive into the mountains.
"I'm off," Freya acted with swift decisiveness, leading a squad of people back the way they came.
Since they were retracing their steps, their marching speed was several times faster than their inbound journey. With markers left along the entire route and two birdkin scouting from the air, there was no fear of getting lost. The group made a beeline straight for Sedona City.
"We camp here for the day. Scout the perimeter for any threats," Jones watched Freya leave before issuing her orders. They would be spending the foreseeable future right here.
The remaining supplies, supplemented by wild fruits and game from the surroundings, would be enough to hold them over until Freya returned from the city with fresh provisions.
"Yes, ma'am." The remaining special operatives acknowledged the order and fanned out to clear the area of potential dangers—a mandatory field survival skill they had learned previously.
*
Meanwhile, in Sedona City, inside the castle, in Lucy's room.
Lucy was furiously writing, working on her latest novel.
"Sedona City is a magical place. It is filled with delicious foods—pizza, noodles, popsicles, and more. It is no exaggeration to say that the most delicious food in the world can be found in Sedona City..." Lucy muttered as she wrote down the words.
She was currently writing a dialogue scene where the protagonist was introducing Sedona City to another character.
Beside Lucy sat a small, thick stack of paper. Lately, she had been cooped up in her room working on this new piece. Whenever she hit a writer's block, she would take a stroll around Sedona City, and inspiration would strike immediately.
This was because the novel she was writing was entirely based on Sedona City—it was about her own experiences and everything related to the city.
Naturally, she wouldn't include any classified secrets about Sedona City. For certain details, she had even sought out Lucas for advice, using rhetorical tricks and embellishments to alter them before writing them into the story. She didn't want to bring any trouble to Sedona City because of her novel.
"This novel is definitely going to be a hit," Lucy muttered confidently to herself, a look of pride in her eyes.
Just the premise alone—using Sedona City as the backdrop—made it impossible not to be captivating.
"Hehe... When the time comes, Sedona City will definitely become famous. Lucas is going to have to thank me," Lucy chuckled softly. She picked up a glass of walnut milk beside her and took a satisfying sip.
This walnut milk was delivered daily by the maids on Lucas's orders. It was said to nourish the brain. Thinking of this made Princess Lucy smile involuntarily.
The walnut milk was, of course, brought over by Lucas from Earth, made by brewing walnut powder with milk. The sole purpose was to give Lucy a brain boost, lest she burn out too many brain cells and start losing her hair—that would be a disaster.
Whether it actually worked, Lucas had no idea. But back on Earth, advertisements about walnuts boosting brainpower played non-stop.
"Alright, that's a good place to end Volume One. If it sells well, I'll consider writing Volume Two," Lucy put down her pen and looked at the stack of paper with a smile.
"But what should I call it?" Lucy frowned in thought.
Thinking back to the titles she had come up with before made her feel a bit embarrassed now; some of them were just too... cringeworthy.
"Oh, right, I can ask Lucas." Lucy thought for a long time without a clue, until Lucas's figure popped into her mind.
She gathered the papers on her desk, immediately stood up, and left her room, heading straight for the study.
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You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
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