By the time Bastian and Maxim left and set off, the sun had already set. Even though moonlight illuminated the path, the wooded areas on either side of the road were completely dominated by darkness.
For a long time neither of them said a word. Bastian still had not recovered from the intense stress he had experienced; a slight tremor he could not control had taken over his entire body.
"Do you know how the Ifnerites actually came into being?" Bastian asked the question that broke the silence.
At this question, Maxim gave him a strange look.
Bastian continued, "I've heard dozens of conjectures about the Ifnerites since I was little. Everyone says different things about their emergence."
"Most legends say that they were mutated by the poison of the Primordial Curse…" Maxim paused for a moment, then continued, "However, no one knows what stages the Primordial Curse went through to mutate them; at least I haven't seen or heard of anyone who does."
"Primitive Curse...Do you believe that?" Bastian muttered almost inaudibly.
"I haven't seen anything with my own eyes; I don't know what the truth is. However, I believe the Ifnerites are the product of an ancient and rotten evil." Maxim momentarily glanced at the moon above, "Some consider the Primordial Curse to be a concept; others a malignant god with a certain physical form."
"Old Aller once told me that some sages thought the Primordial Curse was a form of dark magic." Bastian said.
"It's possible." Maxim shrugged, "Everyone can reflect their own opinion as real.Everything about such an ancient being is just a guess."
After that last sentence, there was a deep silence that lasted for hours. Except for the occasional sound of the wind blowing and the rustling of the leaves of the trees, there were only the sounds of the carriage.
After traveling for hours on the small path through wooded areas, they both felt a little relief when they reached a wide plain. The moonlight was enough to illuminate most of the vast plain.
"Maxim, can I ask you something?" Bastian broke the silence.
Maxim remained silent.
"There must be very powerful Ifnerites in the world, right? If they attack a city en masse, shouldn't they be able to destroy everything?" Bastian didn't mind her silence.
"There are some very powerful people in the world, kid. And if you think things like this never happen, you're wrong." Maxim replied.
"No human being is capable of killing a huge creature alone, no matter how strong they are." Bastian said.
Maxim smiled faintly, "You've heard a lot of stories about heroes from Daylight Union before, right? You think they're just warriors who know how to swing swords well?
Bastian looked at Maxim in surprise.
"What would you think if I told you it was possible for a skinny man to smash a large rock into pieces with one punch?" Maxim cast a sideways glance at the young boy beside him.
"I thought you were ridiculous." Bastian replied.
Maxim sighed lightly, "Did old Aller tell you boys about Nouten before?"
"Nouten? Bastian frowned, "I don't remember hearing anything like that."
"Nouten is the name given to the power that allows a skinny man to smash a huge boulder with one punch." A look of disappointment appeared on Maxim's face, "Of course, that's a very general and simplistic example."
"You're not messing with me, are you?" Bastian wasn't sure.
"Why would I want to get high with a brat?" Maxim shrugged.
"If such power exists, why didn't old Aller ever tell me about it?" Bastian muttered to himself.
"I don't think he wanted you boys to have any silly delusions. You'd probably think you could get that power and leave town and soon be killed by a bandit or a wandering Ifnerite." Maxim slightly shook his head.
"What about Harald? He must know, right?" Bastian asked.
"Of course he knows." Maximal said, "People living in cities know what this power is because they have access to many sources of information. People like Harald, who spent a certain part of their life fighting in the outside world, also have general information about Nouten. However, people living in towns or villages are naturally unaware of it. "
"Can you use the power called Nouten?" Bastian asked.
"Do you think I'd be here if I could?" Maxim replied gruffly. "About twenty billion people live in the world, but only thirty million of them can use Nouten."
Bastian thought for a few seconds without saying anything and asked, "How do you know that?"
"I had the opportunity to have a little chat with a trader I met in the wild." Maxim shrugged.
After these conversations, there was a deep silence between the two of them again and the sun did not break until it rose again. As the sun was rising, they had reached Greydorm Town.
Bastian hadn't been able to close his eyes for even a few seconds all day. He always thought of the possibility of meeting another Ifnerite again under the moonlight.
Morning activity was just beginning in the town of Greydorm. The townspeople, who wanted to sell their products from all over the town, were preparing for their travel to the center.
Bastian felt peace rise for the first time in many hours as he observed the people and houses around him. It was good for him to see the rising sun and the townspeople.
"How long will your work take?" Bastian asked.
"My work? I didn't bring you here to watch, and you're going to help me." Maxim glance at Bastian beside him.
"Uh, of course of course…" Bastian immediately waved his hands.
The young boy was inwardly complaining of lack of sleep, but there was nothing he could do. He certainly couldn't avoid whats coming.
When Maxim and Bastian reached the center of the town, they first stopped by a blacksmith. The sharp smell of metal and sweat pervaded the entire shop.
When a bald man, carrying a large sack of coal in his lap, saw them, he placed the sack on the ground and wiped the sweat from his face.
"Is it ready?" Maxim went up to the man and asked.
"Wait a little." The bald man nodded and went down the stairs inside the shop.
A few minutes later, he came back with a few of his apprentices carrying some rather heavy-looking thick iron plates in his lap.
Maxim and Bastian's strength was enough to carry only one plate. That's why it took them a long time to transport these plates to the carriage.
"Tenn Alor could have given you one of these same plates." Bastian was out of breath when all the plates had been moved.
Maxim said, "Hmph! I don't intend to get ripped off! Besides, I got these plates for a job I did."
Bastian sighed, "What are you doing with these plates anyway?"
"You don't have to be a blacksmith to work on these plates, kid. A mischief like you might not know, but some people can work on more than one workmanship." Maxim gave the boy a cold look.
Maxim and Bastian stopped by a few more shops after the blacksmith and loaded a few more goods. It was almost noon when they finished all their work and left town.
For Bastian, their travel was normal until the sun went down. After the sun went down, the troubled hours began for him. His mind was playing tricks on him and turning the dark shadows into strange shapes.
Maxim noticed the strange looks of the boy next to him and immediately understood the reason behind it.
"There's nothing where you look. Your subconscious mind makes you see things that aren't there to keep you alert to dangers."
Bastian shifted uneasily, "How can I get out of this?"
"If you knew how to listen to your feelings, you would know that there is nothing in those shadows. However, the best advice I can give you for now is to visualize an object in your mind and focus your attention on it."
As an experienced hunter, Maxim wasn't fooled, of course, by the tricks his mind was playing on him. But Bastian had not yet taken control of his feelings and mind as an inexperienced boy.
Bastian did not see any effect at first when he followed Maxim's advice and started doing what he said. But over time he managed to gather his thoughts on the object in his mind.
The boy, who was already very tired and sleepless, had fallen asleep restlessly as he was freed from his disturbing thoughts.
As their journey continued, Maxim was drowned in thoughts. He was still thinking in the back of his mind what kind of Ifnerite could have penetrated into the interior.
The Ifnerite he encountered was a baby Zenith snake, which might explain its ability to sneak up on the inland settlements.
However, it would not explain why he had come!
"Maybe there's something attract it off?"
The more Maxim thought, the more he sank into the swamp of thought. If something was attracting him, it would mean other Ifnerites like him were approaching the interior.
Hours flew by.
They were almost at the end of their travel. They were getting closer and closer to the borders of Lightleaf Town.
However, Maxim abruptly stopped the carriage. This sudden stopping motion caused the vehicle to shake violently, and Bastian was awakened.
"What's going on?" When Bastian opened his eyes, he had to close them again immediately because of the light hitting his eyes.
"Is the sun up?"
Bastian thought this was the case at first, but when he squinted his eyes again, he realized that wasn't the truth.
These lights, which he thought were sunlight, were actually fire roaring fiercely. The landscape was reminiscent of a forest fire; however, there was no sound except for crackles.