Chapter 104: The Withering Disease
Across the boundless wilderness lay a blanket of pristine white snow, rolling endlessly.
A griffon extended its wings, gliding high in the sky.
Its keen gaze scanned the earth, desperately seeking prey to fill its belly.
At this time of year, satisfying hunger was always challenging.
Yet within its underdeveloped mind, it still remembered that not too far ahead lay a modest-sized foresta potential haven for food.
So it flew and flew, traversing the seemingly endless expanse of pristine white until an unsightly blotch disrupted the landscape.
A desolate, lifeless forest lay before it.
Every plant had withered away; trees resembled charred remains, their blackened branches twisting into the air.
This forest was dead.
A withered forest sustains no life, driving away any creatures that once called it home.
Those unable to escape perished here, their decaying bodies long having turned fetid.
The griffon hunted only the living, never feeding on rotting corpses.
It circled high above, scanning for potential targets, but found none.
No matter, its undeveloped mind recalled another forest not too far ahead, a larger one at that.
The griffon prepared to move towards its next destination.
Suddenly, something near the forest's edge captured its attentionan indication of life.
A young human boy knelt beneath a dead tree, tears streaming down his face.
"Sob... sob..."
The boy's cries reached the griffon's ears, sparking its predatory instincts.
The griffon circled in the air, adjusting its posture, then dove sharply towards its target.
Hearing movement behind him, the boy trembled and turned.
His tear-stained face twisted in fear.
"Gaah!"
The griffon emitted a sharp cry, attempting to intimidate the boy, rendering his legs weak and unable to flee.
It worked.
The boy stood frozen, as if petrified.
The prey was within reach.
Just then
Swoosh
An arrow tore through the air, aimed at the griffon.
Swiftly, the griffon dodged the attack.
Adjusting its flight, it glared angrily in the direction of the arrow's origin.
Human?
An archer riding a horse?
No.
The griffon noticed that a human body was fused with the horse's bodyhalf human, half horse!
A centaur!
Tall and sturdy, the upper body, bare and painted with black symbols denoting strength, contrasted with the horse's armored lower half.
A top-tier wilderness hunter.
The griffon's natural foe.
Its prey snatched away, the griffon, consumed by rage, paid no heed to the disparity in their strengths, screeching as it swooped down toward the centaur.
However, the centaur, unperturbed, stowed away the bow and arrow, wielding a spear instead, charging at the incoming griffon!
Clattering hoofbeats
In a matter of breaths, the running speed reached a terrifying level. A glint illuminated the tip of the spear, radiating outward into a dome-shaped screen of light.
Swift
The spear emitted a dazzling beam of energy, aiming directly at the griffon's vital spot.
"Gaah!"
The griffon, a skyborne tyrant, twisted its body in crisis, avoiding a lethal strike but getting hit in the hind leg by the energy beam.
With a wretched howl, the griffon snapped out of its furious state, flapping its wings to ascend into the sky, fleeing without looking back.
The centaur lifted his head, his profound gaze following the griffon's departure until it became a speck, vanishing from sight.
Only then did the centaur relax his offensive stance, sheathing the spear behind him, and gradually approached the young boy.
The boy had fallen silent but tears continued to flow incessantly.
He cradled a pseudo-flower spirit, barely clinging to life.
It was almost impossible to relate this frail creature in his hands to the mischievous and lively pseudo-flower spirit from before.
Her form had shriveled, nearly shapeless, with hues resembling dried leavesyellowed, a clear sign of her imminent demise.
The pseudo-flower spirit originated in this forest, her existence deeply intertwined with its vitality.
In theory, as long as the forest thrived, so would she.
Yet now, with the forest dead, she would fade away in turn.
"Don't cry. This isn't a sorrowful event..." The pseudo-flower spirit emitted a faint, silken voice, comforting the boy. "Death is the most natural occurrence. I've lived in this world for a long time. This is merely returning to nature... You won't be alone. I'll accompany you in a different way..."
The boy choked on his words, nodding, vigorously wiping away his tears, yet they continued to stream down.
The centaur approached, halting beside him.
The boy lifted his gaze, meeting the centaur's melancholic eyes. "Mister Centaur, please save her. I'll pay you any price, as long as you can revive her. I'll do anything for you..."
The centaur remained silent, shaking his head slightly, indicating his powerlessness.
"There must be a way! If we can revive the plants in the forest, she'll recover... There must be a magic potion that can cure the withering of plants, right? There has to be!"
"It's useless." The centaur bent his forelimbs, half-kneeling, then reached out his robust arm, plucked a dried grass from the ground, and inspected it closely, crushing it into powder with his fingers.
"This isn't an illness; it's a curse."
At that moment, the pseudo-flower spirit in the boy's hands finally exhaled her last breath. Her body disintegrated entirely, turning to a pile of ashes that scattered in the wind, disappearing from the world without a trace, as though she had never existed.
The centaur stood up, speaking in a not-quite-fluent common human language, asking, "The nearest forest from herewhere is it?"
His voice was deep, slow, magnetic, seemingly delving into one's innermost being, naturally evoking trust.
But the boy, currently crestfallen, couldn't hear him; he simply sat there dejectedly.
"Tell me, child." The centaur softened his tone, repeating gently, "Unless you want this curse to spread, endangering other places."
Only then did the boy snap out of his daze, wiping his tears with his sleeve, frowning as he pondered for a while.
"I remember, the closest one should be the Black Forest, the Woods of the Dark Enchantress... It's in that direction."
"Thank you." The centaur paused for a moment, leaving him with a parting sentence: "Stay brave and keep moving forward."
"Mister Centaur!"
The boy took a few steps after him.
The centaur halted upon hearing the voice, turning to face him.
"Will you be able to solve this withering disease curse?"
"I'll do my best."
The centaur's melancholic gaze gazed into the distance, carrying a multitude of thoughts.
...
"I've come up with a genius idea!"
Xiao Zi suddenly flew to Hua Mi's side, hands on hips, exuding an air of smugness, practically aiming her nostrils at the sky.
What genius idea could you possibly have?
But Hua Mi played along and asked, "What's the idea?"
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