After nightfall, the entire camp fell into silence.

Those who had been busy all day were now fast asleep, witches included.

But Lightning could not feel sleepy at all.

These days had lasted for almost half a month—or rather, from the moment she left the Misty Forest, she had felt an inexplicable unease in her heart. The wound pecked by Maisie also began to ache faintly, as if reminding her of that day's encounter.

Lightning couldn't even tell if the throbbing pain was her illusion. She tried many ways to distract herself, but all ended in failure. However, to the naked eye, the wound had not changed in any way, neither disappearing nor expanding, like a scarlet spot, stubbornly staying on her chest.

This sense of disorientation made her mentally exhausted, and she couldn't fall asleep until three or four in the morning. Even then, her short sleep would be filled with one nightmare after another, and she would wake up at the slightest noise.

Looking at Maisie, who was lying on her back, her head buried in her hair, sleeping soundly, Lightning sighed silently.

She re-covered the quilt that Maisie had kicked off, and quietly got off the bedding, heading out of the house.

The witches' camp was located in the center of the camp, with God's Punishment Witches responsible for guarding the perimeter. With the thought of not disturbing the guards, she flew directly into the air and finally landed on the constructed track.

The bright moonlight covered the road under her feet, and the rails on both sides looked like they were lined with silver; the night wind blew across the fields shrouded in darkness, bringing not only the rustling of bushes, but also the chirping of birds and insects, sometimes near and sometimes far. In the past, such a night scene would have allowed Lightning to appreciate it for a long time, but now she had no mind for admiration at all.

She didn't even dare to look towards Taqila—the monster hidden in the dark land seemed to be staring at her all the time. As long as her gaze swept over it, the scar on her chest would remind her of this fact.

Lightning looked at the sleepers retreating one by one under her feet, and a bitter taste rose in her mouth.

In more than a month of recovery training, she had finally overcome her psychological fear and crossed the low border wall of Neverwinter City. She thought that as long as she persisted, even if she couldn't face the high-level demons of Taqila again, she could at least return to her normal state.

But the result ruthlessly shattered this idea—not only could she not use her awakened ability freely, but she always felt constrained when flying, and she had lost even the slightest courage she had in the past when encountering ordinary demons.

Otherwise, no matter what the enemy was planning, she and Maisie could have made the four Berserk Demons come and go without return.

But now, she only dared to follow the enemy from afar, waiting for them to retreat on their own.

It could be said that she was holding everyone back.

Thinking of this, Lightning couldn't help but feel a soreness in her eyes.

No matter how much she tried to hide it, she couldn't hide it from everyone forever.

Even Maisie, as slow as she was, had recently sensed a hint of something wrong with her.

Perhaps one day, she would leave behind the timid self and fly to a higher place alone.

What should she do then?

"I'm really useless," Lightning squatted down and buried her head between her knees, "A person who is frightened by demons, what qualifications do I have to be the head of the Exploration Team? They will definitely laugh at me if they know... Usually I always boast that I am the greatest explorer, but in the end, I am the most cowardly."

Yes, it seemed like a voice was answering in her heart, they will laugh at you sooner or later.

"But I don't want to see that day..." Her voice was a little choked.

Who told you to always boast and be self-righteous? If you don't want to see their laughter, there is no way to avoid it except to leave here and go to a place where no one knows you.

"Only leave... here?"

"That won't do." Suddenly someone said.

"Eh?" Lightning was stunned, and suddenly raised her head. She saw a familiar figure standing not far away. In the pale moonlight, the other party's long ears and tail looked particularly conspicuous. "...Luo Jia?"

"Cough, cough—" The wolf girl coughed twice, "Let me state in advance that I didn't intentionally eavesdrop on your monologue."

Only then did she notice that Luo Jia was covered in sweat, reflecting the moonlight, making the Mojave's unique wheat-colored skin look like shining gems covered in morning dew, crystal clear.

"Could it be that you were... training just now?"

"Yeah, unlike transcendents who are born with great power, even if I transform into a Desert Wolf, I need to practice to strengthen myself. Otherwise, don't even mention fighting, I'll be struggling to run a few steps." Luo Jia spread her hands, "Recently, the demons are not actively attacking, and I promised the Grand Chief not to leave the position without authorization, so I can't even guarantee the basic amount of activity, so I can only make up for it at night."

"Is that so..." Lightning suddenly came back to her senses. She quickly took a deep breath and covered her face with her hands, "You heard, heard everything?"

There was no need to answer this question. Wolf ears are always exceptionally sensitive.

She immediately felt her face becoming burning hot.

"That..." Luo Jia paused, "I have never comforted anyone, so I won't comfort you now—I just want to tell you a story about my father."

"Although he was born in the Wildflame clan and inherited the name of Burning Fire, no one at that time thought he would become the head of the clan. Because among all the heirs, he had a very obvious shortcoming: he was shy and dared not go out alone to participate in joint hunts. And this is also a major activity that Mojave sand people regard as a selection of clan leader—after all, the clan leader is not only an internal ruler, but also needs to show influence to the outside world. Each clan will send out the most outstanding younger generation to prove their strength."

Lightning couldn't help but be stunned... she didn't hear it wrong, right? The shy person in the other party's mouth had just made a big splash at the Neverwinter City Games not long ago, and even attracted the attention of His Majesty Roland. Could it be that Luo Jia's father was actually someone else?

"In fact, when he told me these things, I didn't believe it at all, and I even asked my grandfather to confirm it," Luo Jia smiled, walked over slowly and squatted beside her, "But the result is that these are all true. When I asked my grandfather why he wanted to pass on the position of clan leader to my father, he replied that Guruz may not be able to do anything alone, but as long as there are clansmen with him, he is the strongest warrior in the clan. In that case, it's better not to let him be alone. And the clan is closely united, which is the normal state most of the time. Compared to this, what can a hunt prove?"

Lightning felt a tremor in her heart.

"Actually, I am quite happy about what my father and brother did in Neverwinter City," Luo Jia drooped her ears, "Because my father did something for me that he would never have been able to do alone... although it's a bit embarrassing."

Uh, is... that so? You clearly left them in the castle hall at that time and ran back to the witches' building alone, and said you never wanted to see them again—although meeting in that dress did feel a little inappropriate.

"I think my grandfather probably wanted to tell me that courage comes from one's own heart, but it can also be drawn from others." Luo Jia said slowly, "In that case, why bother about individual courage? Similarly, if the partners of the Exploration Team are in danger, would you abandon them and run away alone?"

Lightning was silent for a moment, "...Thank you."

"I told you, this is not comfort, just a story." The wolf girl turned her head, "So you don't need to thank me. Also, the Exploration Team sounds quite interesting... since you brought me in, you have to be responsible to the end."

She felt her eyes getting sore again, pretending that the wind was too strong and rubbed them twice, smoothing her breath and preparing to answer, when the other party suddenly turned around and covered her mouth.

"Shh—"

"What's wrong?" Lightning asked in a low voice after Luo Jia let go.

"Did you hear anything?"

Sound? She raised her head and listened carefully—there was nothing but the gentle night breeze.

Wait... Where are the calls of the night owls and insects?

"Something is coming from that direction," Luo Jia pricked up her ears and looked towards the eastern night sky, "This wailing sound is—be careful!"

She grabbed Lightning and rolled off the roadbed!

Almost at the same time, a piercing roar exploded overhead!