After her neck fully regenerated, Mithra breathed a sigh of relief, touching her lip, which often became cut during fights. She examined the scene.
The fleshy remains of the Slime, even separated from their host, retained their activity for a short time, but quickly became like normal flesh.
Mithra poked at the pile of flesh with a stick. Night Eyes didn't provide any further information, so she gave up searching.
Her clothes were repaired.
She had wanted to test Matsuri's skills using the newly acquired clothes, but had decided against it upon seeing Matsuri's slightly unsettling smile.
It would have been quite rude to rip the new clothes right after getting them, even if it was a test of their regeneration abilities.
Shifting her focus, Mithra looked towards the tall wall in the distance.
It looked like a city wall. Even from a distance, the sheer scale of the structure was imposing.
Despite having arrived here due to a dimensional pouch malfunction, Mithra wasn't in a hurry to teleport back.
Putting aside the possibility of another teleportation error, she was more interested in the wall in front of her. She was confident she was near Sun City. She had given the resettlement center plenty of notice, so she could relax.
Walking along the wall, Mithra heard a commotion.
Following the sound, her eyes widened.
Before her, a bright, open space stretched out, bathed in sunlight. The sky was clear blue.
The sunlight was able to penetrate because a large section of the tall wall was missing.
From her position at the base of the wall, Mithra could see the buildings of the city. Distinctive rooftops extended into the distance. Beyond the city walls, vast fields stretched out, and people could be seen moving along the roads.
It was vastly different from the oppressive atmosphere of Gross Town and its small, nearby city.
Perhaps this was her first true glimpse of Dreamland.
But after appreciating the view, Mithra became curious about why a section of the wall had collapsed.
The collapsed section had undergone some temporary repairs. Simple structures had been built directly using the hole in the wall as a foundation.
Although it clashed with the grandeur of the wall, it added a different layer to the overall impression.
The small villages along the wall extended to the outskirts of Sun City, covering a large area.
Mithra strolled through the area. She didn't see any obvious Planet Blue citizens. Her clothes were simple, and Matsuri's clothes were in the Dreamland style, so she wasn't conspicuous.
Standing before a stall selling dried meat, Mithra fell silent.
She and Nie Hong had collected quite a bit of money in Gross Town, and the Sanctuary had also provided her with some funds.
Dreamland currency had been unified after the era of the Forty-Four Pillars and during the "Dual Kings" era. Although the Dual Kings' reign was short, the currency survived the various changes and wasn't fractured again. Most areas accepted it.
As for why Mithra was staring at the dried meat, it was simple: she was hungry.
This was one of the lingering effects of her transformation. She felt an irresistible urge to eat meat, regardless of whether she was actually hungry. Fresh meat was preferable, but dried or cured meat would also do.
She had almost given in to that urge while fighting the Slime. She needed to feed her beastly nature.
"You don't look like a local. Are you from out of town?" The stall owner, sitting on a crate, asked Mithra as she considered buying some meat.
Mithra looked at him and nodded. "Yes. I just arrived. I intended to go straight to Sun City but didn't expect to find this hole in the wall."
"It's not surprising. No one would expect such a grand city to have a hole like this. It's from a war long ago, supposedly caused by a Wandering God," the stall owner said calmly.
"A Wandering God?" Mithra noted the keyword.
"Not necessarily. Besides Wandering Gods, what else would cause such destruction? The brief reign of the Dual Kings ended because of Wandering Gods. They say that era was known as the 'Wandering God Era',"
Mithra nodded.
She had seen this information in the Planet Blue archives.
After the era of the Forty-Four Pillars, the great miracles became the foundation for the reign of two great human kings. But their reign was short-lived. The proliferation of miracles led to the rise of Wandering Gods, and their destruction triggered a chain reaction that led to the collapse of that unified kingdom.
The Dual Kings' era ended with a peak in Wandering God activity.
That was a period even darker and more chaotic than the era of the Forty-Four Pillars. All living beings lived under the shadow of the Wandering Gods.
In the accounts of the survivors, that cruel era was called the "Wandering God Era."
It was only when humanity united, strengthened their forces, regulated the use of miracles, and targeted the Wandering Gods that they ended that dark period, concluding the Wandering God Era.
Even the great Sun City couldn't escape unscathed. A section of its wall was destroyed.
"The city tried to rebuild the wall, but the project was abandoned. Those who couldn't stay in the city, as well as outsiders seeking refuge, settled in this area," the stall owner said nostalgically. "The city folk turned a blind eye to us. We even called it 'Sunshine Village.' Everyone here is friendly. You can relax; there are no strict rules."
Mithra quietly thanked him. She was always interested in such stories.
As a thank you, she bought two large pieces of dried meat and thanked the owner before leaving.
After walking along the base of the wall, she decided to climb it.
Unlike the ancient and elaborate sections of the wall, the newer sections were simpler, but they had withstood the test of time and were sturdy.
However, Mithra always felt that these paths weren't very safe. Many people must have fallen to their deaths over the years.
The small rooms along the top of the wall weren't much larger than the old-style brick houses she had expected, and given the limited space, they were more like the cardboard boxes used by homeless people.
Climbing the uneven path, Mithra's vision expanded.
She finally reached the top of the wall. With nothing obstructing her view, the cold wind blew against her clothes and hair. She felt a thrill.
The view was impressive.
Then...
Boom!
An explosion erupted from a cluster of buildings below the wall.