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Upon hearing Mengdie's decision to leave her behind, Nia became anxious. She grabbed onto Mengdie's clothes, insisting on not staying alone. Caught up in her excitement, Mengdie didn’t consider the danger of the place they were heading to and, with a wave of her hand, decided to let Nia come along.
After hurriedly getting the address of the village from Sasa, Mengdie quickly thanked her and rushed out of the royal garden with Nia, heading to the flower shed to gather her companions.
The vast royal garden once again fell into its former solitude. Sasa watched Mengdie's departing figure and the garden growing cold and quiet, her lips curving into a slight smile.
"Princess, what's wrong?"
Lena noticed Sasa's smile was a bit unusual and asked.
"No, it's nothing."
Sasa leisurely shifted her gaze, a faint smile in her silver eyes. She elegantly picked up the cup of red tea that Coco had freshly brewed, stirred it with a spoon, and took a gentle sip.
"I just find that little girl really interesting."
※※※
Mengdie returned to the flower shed, and after briefly explaining the situation to Edward and Xiu, they all showed varying reactions of excitement and readiness. Without delay, the four of them bid farewell to Rand, hired a carriage, and set off towards the small village to the southwest that Sasa had mentioned.
After ten days of non-stop travel, Mengdie and her companions were nearing their destination. The village was surrounded by winding mountain ranges. Not only was it inconveniently located, but some of the mountain roads were perilously dangerous. The closer they got to the village, the more desolate and barren the surrounding scenery appeared. Black birds circled the sky over the small village nestled in the mountain hollow, which at a distance, looked utterly lifeless and abandoned.
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As they approached the village, the carriage driver refused to go any further, citing the danger of wolf attacks. With no other choice, Mengdie and her group got out of the carriage, paid the driver, and walked into the desolate village.
"Ah, this is terrible."
The sight that greeted them upon entering the village was deeply shocking. Even under the bright noon sun, the small village seemed eerily quiet. The houses were dilapidated, leaning this way and that. Wild animal claw marks covered the walls, and along the main dirt road of the village, bloodstains not yet covered by dirt were clearly visible. Upon closer inspection, one could even see human teeth, fragments of bones, and remnants of human organs not yet picked clean by the black birds in the bloodstains.
"This is hell..."
Edward described the village with a gasp. He was right. Just from the mottled bloodstains and chaotic claw marks on the walls, one could imagine the village under the moonlight, transformed into a hellish place.
Nia clung to Mengdie, too scared to look at the bloodstains. The young girl was starting to feel nauseous. She might have regretted not staying in the royal garden to study magic, now finding herself in this hellish place.
Mengdie surveyed the surroundings, the fresh blood making a deep impression on her. The entire village was silent, with no sounds of domestic animals. People seemed to be hiding inside the collapsed houses, but they were extremely fearful. When Xiu and Edward approached to knock on the doors, everyone hid, and no further sound came from inside.
Death... enveloped this place.
Despair and panic... imprisoned the village.
Rotting, lifeless limbs lay exposed to the sun.
The blackened, mottled bloodstains deeply embedded into the farmlands.
As these lifeless, death-filled scenes entered the young girl's eyes, tears suddenly flowed from her eyes...
In the center of the village, the girl knelt on the ground, her hands slowly brought together, her tearful eyes slowly closing. After a moment of silence, a sorrowful voice flowed slowly from her small, pink lips...
"(Sanskrit) Om Amideva Hrih, dota gadoya, do di yata, Ami ridu pobahi, Ami ridu, siddan pobahi, Ami ridu, bigalanti, Ami ridu, bigalaro, gamini, gaganana, ji doka jili, sapahe..."
Tears wet Mengdie's clothes. The crystal-clear tears gathered at her chin and dropped, splashing onto the dry ground. Although Xiu, Edward, and Nia didn't understand the Rebirth Mantra Mengdie was chanting, her voice, filled with grief and compassion, seemed to transcend beliefs and languages, reaching everyone's heart...
The sutra was recited over and over again. After a long while, Mengdie's lips closed, leaving only the tears that continued to flow.
...
...
...
After a long time, the girl opened her eyes. She wiped away the tears and stood up, her steps a bit unsteady, perhaps due to kneeling for too long. Edward hurriedly stepped forward to support her.
"Are you... are you okay?"
Mengdie didn't smile but shook her head lightly, "I'm fine. Sorry to worry you."
Mengdie gently freed herself from Edward's hold and once again looked at the mottled bloodstains. Just then, one of the doors of the houses, which had refused to open until now, was gently pushed open.
"Who are you?"
The person who came out was an old lady, about sixty years old, leaning on a cane, her face covered with sorrowful wrinkles and her white hair revealing the vicissitudes of time.
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