"I am not a bandit, I have no interest in these things, put them away."
The voice of the silver-haired girl resounded like a melodious valley, yet Tyler couldn't discern any emotional undertones from it.
"Th-thank you, my lord!"
Tyler nervously packed the meat into his bag, clumsily dropping it on the ground twice along the way.
Under his masterful performance, the two slender silver swords floating on either side of him eased their proximity slightly.
"Hunter, have you ever heard of a crimson gem or a box engraved with the insignia of our 'Scarlet Family,' or perhaps seen something similar?"
The girl seemed to understand why Tyler had fled earlier. The faint hint of killing intent had dissipated, but since they had encountered each other, she took the opportunity to gather some information.
Upon hearing the description of a "crimson gem" and a "box with an emblem," Tyler's heart raced. That "Pigeon Blood Ruby - Phylia" was indeed an unfortunate stone that brought calamity!
"My-my lord, I am just a hunter. I have never heard of the treasures you mentioned."
Tyler continued to lie prostrate, avoiding eye contact with the girl.
"Oh... Are there any other people in this forest?"
"N-no, my lord . Everyone in Luca Village has fled."
"...Very well."
The girl cast a final glance at the hunter still lying on the ground, then turned and left. Simultaneously, the slender silver swords hovering beside Tyler dissipated into specks of light.
Tyler lay on the ground, listening to the fading sound of the girl's footsteps, not daring to be careless or even raise his head. He would wait until the girl had truly departed before getting up. Remaining prone allowed him to focus his thoughts.
During their conversation, Tyler stole a few glances into the girl's inner thoughts. He was quite certain that his acting had deceived her, making her believe that he was just a timid hunter afraid of banditry.
However, even so, it didn't mean Tyler was safe.
This girl had come specifically for the "Pigeon Blood Ruby - Phylia" that Tyler had hidden two days ago. The power disparity between them was like night and day, and Tyler couldn't afford to make a single wrong move, as it would undoubtedly lead to his demise.
(Fortunately, I hid that cursed stone two days ago. Otherwise, I might already be dead now.)
Tyler didn't forget that in the "future death scene," the unknown man still killed him with a single sword strike after obtaining the "Pigeon Blood Ruby - Phylia." This girl, bearing the same emblem as that man, could potentially do the same.
(Silly Nissen: Oh my? So pessimistic, huh? Aren't-o you the romantic Prince Charming, Tyler~? Won't you consider pursuing this 'Viviana Scarlet' a little?)
After two days of gloominess, the stupid loli finally found a topic to unleash her teasing, immediately seizing the opportunity to mock Tyler.
(Tyler: Is it possible for a mouse to fall in love with a cat? If you have any bright ideas, then speak up, Silly Nissen.)
Having just experienced a life-and-death situation, Tyler was feeling frustrated and promptly retorted against the stupid loli.
However, although it was dangerous just now, Tyler did not bear the risk in vain. In the brief conversation a few minutes ago, he had already acquired a substantial amount of information.
Firstly, there was the flaming emblem and the blazing stallion. Tyler now finally knew that it was the pattern of the "Scarlet Family." The Scarlet Family was said to be one of the five major families of the Wester Kingdom, alongside the Azure Lizard Family.
The members of the Scarlet Family traveled a long distance to the territory of the Lord Azure Lizard. It can be inferred that the "Pigeon Blood Ruby - Phylia" must be of great importance.
Next was the basic information about the silver-haired girl. The first thing Tyler noticed was her name. Unlike the villagers of Ira Village and even the soldiers of the Gudetown Cavalry, she had a surname. This confirmed Tyler's previous conjecture that surnames were indeed related to one's identity.
Furthermore, there was the identity of the "Sole Divine Heir." What exactly was a "Divine Heir?" Was it related to religion? However, Tyler could not detect any elements related to religion from the girl.
Then, the most important aspect was her combat occupation. This young girl, at the tender age of 16, was already a level 51 Magic Swordsman. Tyler was astonished.
He recalled the middle-aged men of the Crimson Cloud Bandits. None of them had reached level 10. Then he thought of the elderly men of the Gudetown Cavalry. The strongest cavalry captain, Laidell, at 36 years old, was only level 24... If the young girl just faced them, wouldn't it be child's play for her?
Undoubtedly, no matter which world, "information" was truly the most valuable treasure.
With "information," Tyler could disregard the fundamentals of a listed company and directly buy stocks to gain enormous profits.
With "information," a 16-year-old girl could achieve in one-tenth or even one-hundredth of the time what others would take half their lives to accomplish through cultivation.
(The village chief mentioned that the Wester Kingdom is located in the rear, where demons are extremely rare. If she wants to quickly raise her combat occupation level, does it mean she has to kill a large number of people...?)
Tyler shook his head, negating his own thoughts. The medieval population had not reached a point where it could be abused like that. Moreover, this Prison Star world was still in a state of war.
(War...?)
An idea surfaced in Tyler's mind, but he found it difficult to connect this 16-year-old girl with the battlefield. If he had to consider conspiracies, he would rather believe that the nobles were secretly raising demons and using them as experience points for the nobles' offspring to level up.
·
After the girl had completely left, Tyler finally breathed a sigh of relief and got up.
He glanced at the large tree that had been cleanly severed behind him. The tree trunk was over a meter thick, and it had been cut with extreme precision. Moreover, Tyler hadn't heard the sound of the tree being cut at all.
If such an attack were used on Tyler, he estimated that he wouldn't even know he was dead after being cut.
(Was it done with that silver-white slender sword that resembled a floating cannon...?)
(If only I could see the specific information about her skills.)
Tyler still felt lingering fear as he packed up his belongings and continued on his journey.
·
On the western side of Luca Forest, a young lady rode a horse to a place formerly known as Luca Village.
— (Alas... there really is no one here.)
The young lady's name is Viviana Scarle. Today, she first visited Ira Village and inquired about the Crimson Ruby and the gem box, but returned empty-handed. Then, on her way to Luca Village, she asked a suspicious hunter, but also obtained no information. Now, with a last-ditch effort, she arrived at Luca Village, only to find it deserted.
However, Viviana did not think her intuition was wrong. She had indeed sensed the presence of the "Pigeon Blood Ruby - Phylia" in this area, which meant that "Phylia" had at least appeared here at some point.
— (Time is running short, so I should hurry back to Gudetown. The divination rabbit's prophecy never fails.)
Viviana turned her horse around, ready to set off, but she suddenly remembered the hunter she encountered earlier.
— (Carrying a hunting bow and arrow in the forest... smelling of soil... the hunter was not mistaken, but...)
— (Luca Village is no longer inhabited, and Luca Forest is more than a day's journey from Ira Village. Why would this hunter leave his hometown to hunt?)
Viviana felt that her suspicion was not very convincing, but her instincts had always been accurate. Since it was on her way, she decided to capture the hunter once again and interrogate him thoroughly.
This time, she would use a rather "special" method.