"Is that a little cabin by the lake? Should we go and check it out?" Gill was excited to see a house in the distance, thinking it was possibly a human's secluded cabin. If that was the case, they could ask for information and understand where they had ended up in this land filled with magical beasts.

"There seems to be a barrier nearby..." Rody frowned slightly. He didn't have the soul sensitivity of Gill, but he was keenly aware of magic.

"It's a forest barrier, full of the essence of nature," Gill nodded, joyfully saying, "I've sensed this kind of barrier at Sister Sherry's place. The person living here shouldn't be a bad person."

"Is it really a forest barrier?" Rody asked again, to be sure.

"Yes." Seeing Gill's affirmation, he relaxed slightly.

The little cabin near the lake was backed by an extremely tall ancient tree, with a crown spanning a hundred meters, towering high. Its trunk seemed so wide that it would take many adults to encircle it. Rody had never seen such a gigantic ancient tree before.

This tree stood much taller than the surrounding trees, with countless branches and leaves, thriving vigorously.

Rody always felt something indescribable about this ancient tree but couldn't put his finger on it. He approached with Gill and knocked on the door. After a while, they heard footsteps, and someone gently opened the old wooden door. The appearance of the owner startled Rody. The person's age was indeterminable, his face covered in dense, layered wrinkles.

His hair and beard were as twisted as his wrinkles, and his hands were like old tree bark. Only a pair of slightly green eyes showed any sign of life.

"Do we have guests? Welcome!" The old man's voice was old and hoarse, slow and obscure, but his eyes revealed warmth.

"Sorry to disturb you," Gill said respectfully.

"No, I'm happy..." The old man cracked what seemed like a smile, causing Rody to fill with doubts. Who was this person? How old was he? Why would he seclude himself in such a dangerous place? Why wasn't he surprised by the arrival of him and Gill, two strangers? He didn't have the aura of a normal human; what race was he?

In the damp forest, the chubby Tommy and skinny Terry were making their way in a somewhat disheveled manner.

Both were covered in mud and water, their clothes torn and hair messy like a bird's nest. Surprisingly, neither of them was injured. It was unclear if they were just lucky to avoid magical beasts or had a method of escape.

"Being with a thief who gets lost is the biggest misfortune of my life," Tommy complained for the umpteenth time.

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"How many times have I said it? This is not the Soulbreak Slope. I'd bet a copper coin that there was something wrong with the teleportation array," Terry, the thief, was also quite frustrated. He was familiar with most of the terrain of the Soulbreak Slope, but after teleporting, they couldn't find the planned rendezvous point. For a scout thief, getting lost was indeed embarrassing.

"Hey, I see a little cabin! Finally, we can ask someone for directions," Tommy exclaimed happily.

"Keep it down. The magical beasts are napping. If we wake them up, we'll be their afternoon snack. Especially with your laugh sounding like a lioness in heat, don't attract a male lion," Terry quickly shushed Tommy's loud voice.

"How could there be lions in the forest, you natural-born idiot!" Tommy retorted angrily, "My laugh might sound like a lioness in heat, but it's better than your laugh that sounds like a cat's cry!"

"Alright, let's not argue. Let's go and see if there's a hospitable host," Terry said with boundless hope.

The two cautiously knocked on the door. After no response for a long time, they opened a crack and peered in with four eyes. To their surprise, the interior of the little cabin was unexpectedly large and luxuriously furnished, similar to the house of the noble Fellick family. There was a crimson carpet, hand-embroidered wall hangings, lavish decorations, and a huge fireplace. The dining table was laid with steaming food, soup with roast goose beside it, and crispy cookies next to the grape wine. In the center of the tablecloth was a bowl of fruit, with apples that were red and large and grapes that looked fresh and juicy.

Tommy, the chubby boy, immediately drooled like a waterfall at the sight.

The thief Terry also swallowed his saliva vigorously, his throat busy moving up and down... But surprisingly, although both were drooling with desire, neither rushed to grab a chicken leg. If this had been in the dormitory of Fellick Academy, the two would have fought over a chicken rump, but now, they were being polite to each other.

"Please go ahead, Terry, look how hungry you are. Compared to you, a monkey would look plump," Tommy graciously said.

"No, no, dear Tommy, I've always been like this, getting used to hunger. It's you, Tommy, I remember you haven't eaten for three days and nights. What was the last thing you ate? A frog, right, a frog. But I ate one more grasshopper than you. So, what are you waiting for? All the delicious food in front of you belongs to you. If you agree, I am willing to eat the bones you leave behind, if there are any left," Thief Terry humbly bowed and invited Tommy to dine inside. To an outsider, he might have looked like Tommy's servant.

"I always snatched the chicken rumps from you, and I feel very guilty about it. So, this time, I must let you have a full meal no matter what," Tommy's face was filled with remorse, as sincere as a sinner's repentance before death, surely enough to go to heaven.

"Tommy, Terry, come and save us!" A voice suddenly rang out, startling both Tommy and Terry.

In the innermost part of the cabin, four people were hiding in the dark, two of whom seemed to be Elizabeth and Shira. They were naked, covering their chests with their hands, hiding in the darkness, and calling out to Tommy and Terry for help.

Tommy and Terry, upon hearing this, peered through the door crack, swallowing saliva loudly, their eyeballs nearly falling out.

"Come quickly and save us, we've been enchanted..." The two women begged Tommy and Terry in surprise, their bodies shrinking in the corner, but the darkness couldn't hide the wonderful curves of their bodies.

"Knight Terry, what are you waiting for? Your moment to be a hero and save the damsels is now!" Tommy encouraged Terry, patting his shoulder.

"No, dear Prince Tommy, such brave acts of rescue should belong to someone as noble as you! As your loyal follower, I am willing to guard outside the door to prevent any disturbance from strangers. This is what a thief like me should do," Thief Terry humbly asked Tommy to go in and save them.

"You first, please..."

"No, no, no, it should be you, you're tall and strong..."

"You are agile and clever, this task of rescue is definitely meant for you..."

"I dare say, if there's anyone in this world who can save them, it's definitely you, the strong and heroic Tommy. I am only worthy of recording your heroic deeds..."

"Terry, how about we go to the forest and duel? The final victor can then come and rescue them. What do you think?" Tommy suggested.

"Tommy, I want to shake your hand! The most constructive proposal of your life is this one!" Thief Terry happily shook hands with Tommy, embraced him, and both joyfully prepared to go to the forest for a duel.

"Stop! How did you figure it out? Is there any flaw in the house?" Suddenly, a sinister voice asked from inside the cabin.

"To answer your question, master of exceptional magic, your magic has no flaws and the illusion could deceive everyone in the world," Tommy laughed and said, "But I want to tell you something, we two are cowards, natural-born cowards."

"Yes, our combined courage is smaller than the tip of a needle," Thief Terry nodded in agreement.