Hao Xuan carefully stepped out of the yurt, looking left and right for any wandering figures but there was no one in sight.

It was still dark out and a chilly wind was blowing throughout the camp. It looked like everyone else was resting inside just like the princess so as silent as he possibly could be, Hao Xuan slowly walked out of the camp which wasn't that big to begin with.

He looked towards the nearest watchtower that was manned by two barbarians. They were looking towards the exterior of the camp, keeping an eye on the rolling grass fields that seemed to stretch for miles in all directions.

Hao Xuan changed directions and went around in a circle until he came upon the grazing pens at the back of the camp. Large six-legged Ox-like creatures roamed within this fenced area. They were 4-5 times larger than the Ox's on earth and most of them gave off copious amounts of spiritual Qi, indicating that they were not just any old beasts.

Thankfully they didn't seem to be aggressive. Most of them didn't even notice him and those that did ignored him completely after realizing he wasn't there for them. Hao Xuan cautiously walked in between the animals that resembled small hills in the darkness, keeping a watchful eye for any barbarians.

But even when he had completely crossed the area he couldn't find any trace of one. This entire site was left unguarded. There was not a single barbarian anywhere in sight.

Hao Xuan frowned, thinking that the security really was too lax here. Did they think nobody would dare to attack them here or was there another reason?

If he didn't know any better he would think this was all a trap. But even if it was, he still had to spring it himself.

After sprinting for a few minutes Hao Xuan slowly came to stop when he couldn't see the camp anymore. He was standing in a red grass field surrounded by hundreds of white and yellow fireflies that were coming out of the grass in frequent waves.

He looked around for any landmarks, trying to remember which side they came from and in which direction he had to go in until he realized the biggest clue was right in front of his eyes.

"Woah...."

In the backdrop of the beautiful rolling pastures was a stupendously tall wall erecting straight up into the sky. It was of course just one side of the volcano that Hao Xuan had seen from the air before jumping. The only difference being that from down here he couldn't even see it curve so it looked like a flat surface.

An entire side of the sky was covered just by the volcano, giving Hao Xuan goosebumps as he gazed at it in all its glory. He only now realized how staggeringly enormous this place was.

If he actually wanted to cross to the other side like normal then it could easily take him months if not years. He would have to find a shortcut or an extremely speedy mode of transportation to cover such a vast distance.

But right now Hao Xuan had bigger things to worry about so he put such thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. He turned to face the volcano and started running in a straight line towards it.

After about fifteen minutes of continuous running, Hao Xuan finally saw the tree line just over a small hill in front of him. It was only a couple of hundred meters away now, close enough for him to be able to already listen to the cacophony of beastly noises coming from beyond.

Elated, he picked up the pace. Even though he was already exhausted Hao Xuan did not stop until he was less than ten meters away from the tree line. He was smiling ear to ear, cursing at the Princess that thought he couldn't make it.

The last laugh was going to be indeed his, or so Hao Xuan thought as he entered the shadows of the Endless Forest.

***

Back in the village, the Demihuman tribes had just received a small caravan from the Capital City. Since the village was in their territory it only took them a few hours to get there.

The Princesses were sitting on the floor down on their knees. In front of them was an old lady dressed in a worn-out gown. In her right hand was a long smoking pipe. From a first glance she looked like an old fortune-teller that you would find in a shady place.

Her wrists and neck were covered in beads of various sizes. The smallest bead was two centimeters in diameter and all of them were made of different colored glass materials. Inside each one was a different item, floating in a colorless liquid.

The fingers of her left hand were casually tapping away on the armrest of the creaking chair she was sitting in.

*Tap*Tap*Tick*

*Tick*Tap*Tick*

*Tock*Tap*Tick*

Each time the rhythm changed but it was always in threes.. The Princesses were looking down on the floor, flinching every time the tapping got too loud.

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