Ch. 47 Heading South

How big do you all think The Lands Between actually is?

In my imagination, it’s roughly Central and Western Europe, with Italy, Scandinavia, and Britain shaved off, stood upright.

And then twisted a bit.

Doesn’t it look quite similar?

Riding the spirit steed, Mia walked out of the forest.

When Kalé and Wilden saw Mia again, they were both surprised because she was riding Torrent.

“What is this?”

“This is Torrent.” Mia leaned over and stroked Torrent’s neck: “It’s a child Melina gave to me.”

Lappland circled around the spirit steed.

Torrent half-knelt, letting Mia get off its back.

“She gave you this…” Kalé looked around: “So, where is that person?”

He did not see any trace of Melina.

He didn’t know what she had talked about with Mia in the woods, but to leave after appearing and delivering a strange horse was really suspicious.

Just as he was thinking this.

“I am here.”

Melina suddenly appeared behind Kalé.

Scaring the merchant so much that he zipped far away.

Melina calmly bowed slightly.

“My name is Melina, and from now on, I will travel with everyone.”

“Travel together?” Kalé frowned, and together with the silent Wilden, cast an inquiring look at Mia.

“Ahem.”

Next, it would depend on whether her lying skills were good enough.

“Well, you see, I am a Tarnished. A Tarnished usually has a Finger Maiden by their side, and the Finger Maiden will guide the Tarnished to become the Elden Lord.”

Mia explained unhurriedly: “Melina is my Finger Maiden.”

“In that case, traveling together is a very reasonable request.” Kalé nodded: “Well, though, I still listen to you, after all, this group was pulled together by you.”

Not to mention Wilden; Kalé had never asked what exactly had happened between Wilden and Mia.

Take himself for instance, if he hadn’t traveled with Mia, he wouldn’t have had the idea to head south to look for other members of his tribe.

It could be said that Mia was the center of the three.

“Hehe.” Mia gave a simple, honest smile.

“However,” Kalé swallowed, then continued, “while it might be a bit… um, arrogant, I have a suggestion.”

“What is it?”

“If we are going to travel together… please stop appearing and disappearing so suddenly.”

Kalé said to Melina with great sincerity.

He had already been scared twice!

“I understand.” Melina nodded.

Then, she added, “However, I have no complaints about my own behavior, so please try to adapt to it,” she said coldly, without a hint of pity.

“Huh?” Kalé was stunned.

“Although our journey has not yet begun, as Lady Mia’s Finger Maiden, I will certainly tolerate any shortcomings of her companions, so please adapt to my way of doing things.”

“Ah, this…” So infuriating!

“I would like to remind you once again that I exist as a spirit attached to Lady Mia. If you show excessive hostility, I have the right to disappear before you.”

But looking at that expressionless face—the kind that says ‘even if you hit me, you won’t gain anything’—and hearing the completely emotionless voice, Kalé felt as uncomfortable as if he had eaten excrement.

“Ahaha…” Mia laughed, feeling a bit awkward.

It was an unexpected, yet reasonable, conversation.

Mia suddenly discovered a blind spot in Melina’s previous words…

“Melina, you said you exist as a spirit attached to me. Since when?” Mia felt a bit guilty.

If Melina had been attached to her ever since she transmigrated… wouldn’t everything she did have been under her watchful eye all this time?! A sudden sense of alarm rose in Mia’s heart. Her privacy!

Besides, everything she had done since transmigrating… Ah, it seemed she hadn’t done anything too unspeakable. But who knew if she would in the future!

According to Murphy’s Law, when you suspect something bad might happen, it usually does.

Therefore, Mia felt that she would definitely do some very private things in the future! Like that kind of… cough, better not think about it in detail. The more she thought, the more wary she became of Melina’s presence…

“When I am not attached to you, I can also move along the Erdtree’s roots beneath The Lands Between,” Melina explained unhurriedly.

Then, as if she had seen through Mia’s thoughts, she added, “Please rest assured, Lady Mia. My level of cognition is sufficient to discern certain sensitive scenarios… If they truly happen in the future, I will avoid them, unless you want me to see.”

“Wait, wait, stop!” What do you mean by ‘certain sensitive scenarios’!? And what do you mean by ‘unless you want me to see’!? I think the topic we’re discussing right now is already very sensitive! Wilden and Kalé are still watching from the side!

“Ah, very well then.” Melina nodded. “I look forward to you becoming the Elden Lord.” Having said that, Melina disappeared again.

‘At least show some look of anticipation…’ Mia could only suppress her retort in her heart.

Turning around, she found that Wilden and Kalé were both looking at her.

“Ah…” Mia scratched the back of her head. “In short, we have another travel companion… that’s all there is to it.”

“She is a special Soldier.” Wilden nodded.

“Sigh—” Kalé let out a long sigh. Group status – 1.

“Let’s just rest.”

After that night, nothing else happened. Apart from Melina’s visit, the only other episode was when Mia and Kalé were awakened by the howling of wolves just before dawn.

Red discovered that danger was approaching. It was the sound of hooves.

The three of them quickly hid behind a rocky hill.

As the sound of hooves went from distant to near, and then gradually away, Mia cautiously poked half her head out from behind the cover and saw three cavalrymen carrying large machetes galloping along the dirt road leading to the forest. A moment later, they entered the forest and disappeared from sight.

“Kaiden mercenaries.” Wilden also poked his head out from behind Mia. “I didn’t expect their contract to last this long.”

“This place is quite suitable for the Kaiden people to raise horses.”

This grassland below Stormhill looked like a land with lush water and grass.

“We should set off.” The Soldier walked out from behind the shelter of the rocks.

“If we are heading south, we will follow the edge of the forest to avoid the main road.”

“Okay.” Mia nodded.

It was best not to linger too long in a place so close to the Royal Army’s encampment.

Because they hadn’t lit a fire at all last night, the preparations before setting off today were very quick. Before the sky was fully bright, the group had set off on their journey again.

To their left was a vast expanse of grassland, and to their right was a dense forest. They walked along the boundary between the grassland and the forest, immersed in the wondrous natural scenery.

Mia had seen grassland in the summer before; that was one summer vacation during her student days before she transmigrated, when she was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of that green ocean.

Admittedly, no matter where the grassland is, it always makes one feel their own insignificance.

From before dawn until noon, Stormhill was still in sight behind them, but the Stormgate and the ruins in front of it had long since disappeared from view.

Mia’s stomach started to growl; she had only eaten some Rowa Fruit in the morning.

If that thing were in her previous life, it could have been hyped up as the ‘King of Fruits,’ and then a bunch of slogans like: lowering blood sugar, protecting cardiovascular health, beautifying the skin, and improving constipation would have flooded Bilibili. It would have become the next generation representative of high-end light meals for young women.

But in Mia’s view… that thing wasn’t filling at all. After all, it was just fruit.