519: Chapter 318: Follow Me, Little Prince 519: Chapter 318: Follow Me, Little Prince Hill greeted Oriana and the others, saying he probably wouldn’t be back for a while.
He didn’t need to worry that his departure would cause the three little bears to stir up trouble or run out of the camp.
For one, they adored the camp’s lawn, and their honey supply had started.
No bear would surrender the allure of honey just to venture outside.
The sweet life was their ideal paradise.
When the three little bears chatted, they never avoided Hill.
In their eyes, Hill, who was not yet a demigod, was one of them.
Hill had long known from them that Nils had extracted the truth from his own mother.
He knew that what they did would reach the big bear because the redwood trees outside the camp could pass on the message.
They really didn’t want another thrashing.
They had calmed down quite a bit in the past month, feeling both pain and joy.
Although many big bears were willing to play with them, they often got played as well.
The bears slightly older than Aurelio were quite mischievous.
Although they didn’t dare to mess with Hill, they didn’t spare their youngest siblings.
They teased the little bears mercilessly, taking advantage of Aurelio’s absence!
Especially that Audriano, who spent all his free time disciplining the mischievous Oriana.
Hill suspected that he was the eldest son Grace had once complained about.
They avoided Hill not because he was the clan leader’s child but because they thought Hill was too skinny.
They wanted to mess with their siblings but not seriously harm any of them.
Even though Hill was much stronger than Oriana, they still avoided him, whispering about whether his small claws were real.
The first time Hill heard this, his forehead veins nearly burst.
But he could only pretend not to hear, as he couldn’t win against any of them.
Hill acted like he knew nothing, hiding in the warehouse to work anyway.
Even if Audriano and the others sought him, seeing him busy organizing the warehouse and carving nameplates made them back off.
Few Earth Bears liked studying, including Oriana, who had once wanted to learn alchemy but had already forgotten her words.
But now, Hill could leave the camp feeling relieved.
For the three little bears, if they still wanted to cause trouble after Hill provided enough cedar saplings and while the older bears were busy, the ones who’d come back to discipline them would be the youngest ones.
After their first hunt, any further mistakes would be managed directly by the clan leader, not their own parents giving loving slaps.
Given Haiweirsen’s personality, the most likely bear to be sent would be Audriano.
Though Hill felt confident, he stayed nearby for a few days, secretly observing them every day.
He even left traces, letting the sensitive Nils notice him a few times.
After confirming they could behave for at least a month, Hill finally set off.
Hill took step after step toward the North, eager to see if he could reach the world’s end.
As long as he could endure ten minutes at the world’s end, his Nature’s Blessing would prove useful.
Past that point, there were no storms to avoid.
Hill had to dodge the most violent hurricanes, enduring the rest.
The elemental winds tore at his mithril-woven robe, keeping it intact for only a few days.
Although the robe was tattered and his body covered in cuts and blood, Hill felt satisfied as long as he had some fabric left.
He didn’t aim to break any endurance records; he just wanted to keep going despite the injuries.
Using water spells for healing caused small storms, but the injuries weren’t significant.
As long as he could heal them, it was fine.
Touching his scarred face, Hill felt dazed, realizing that if seen now, no one would call him handsome.
Hill didn’t know how long he’d been traveling.
He’d left the cedar forest but didn’t feel it was too difficult.
Though the wounds hurt, he’d gotten used to the pain over time.
Broken ribs were okay as long as they weren’t the lower ones, which made walking painfully unbearable, forcing him to heal somewhere en route.
Initially fearing that Haiweirsen might suddenly appear to beat him and throw him back into Ring Mountain, Hill saw no such signs.
Hill searched the area warily but found no glimmering light.
Hill felt this meant he could continue.
Aurelio had ventured this far before, and Hill accepted that reaching the world’s end only to be kicked back was worth it.
The path the Earth Bears took was clear and wide.
Hill persisted through the sporadic storms without stopping.
When tired, he dug a hole, covered his head with a thick mithril plate, and ate and drank inside.
He dared not enter his pendant, fearing it might destroy the small space within.
Hill was lucky to have strengthened the pendant to near half-plane status.
He doubted he could succeed again.
Unbeknownst to him, his dear daughter Agleya had started to extend her divine power into the wilderness at sea.
Receiving unnecessary faith power, Agleya chose to send it into the wilderness.
She set up her statue on the wilderness’s outskirts, letting the Sea God’s power gradually merge with the wilderness’s seawater.
Unable to contact Hill’s Dad for so long, Agleya grew restless.
She always knew that if the world returned to normal, Hill’s Dad might leave, like Fran, to worlds beyond the starry sky.
Her time with Hill’s Dad was already limited, and Agleya didn’t want to waste it.
She didn’t know if this would work, but a cat secretly coming to her temple outside the Abyssal Gate told her this could help the wilderness.
Although she had to place a white cat statue next to her own, Agleya reluctantly agreed.
Alice, no matter what, would never harm their shared father.
She didn’t know Alice’s intentions, but it wasn’t surprising that a Spirit of Nature aspired to be a god.
Agleya suspected that Alice had a strange allure for all magical beasts, whether on land or sea.
Regardless, they saw Alice as a friend, never considering her a threat.
But Agleya’s statue was too imposing, scaring magical beasts away.
On the first day, Alice’s full-body statue attracted a herd of deer from the land.
Agleya suspected that the tall leader amongst them was also a Spirit of Nature.
Otherwise, how could deer come to see the statue on an island before the fish?
They even seemed to settle there.
Despite the lack of magical plants, only some grass, and clear water at Agleya’s statue base, they stayed.
She furrowed her brow, covering the small offshore island in mist.
The dumb deer were planting grass, confirming her suspicions of a Spirit of Nature.
Sighing, Agleya accepted it as a good deed.
Now, apart from Sea God worshippers or kind-hearted people, no one could reach the island.
Agleya withdrew her gaze, intently watching the wilderness again.
It annoyed her that, although the wilderness had Water Law, everything was unclear.
The higher from the ground and nearer to the rift, the more chaotic the law felt, preventing Agleya from seeing Hill’s location.
If Hill knew her frustration, he’d feel lucky.
His current state was not fit for the fiery Little Sea God to see.
Disheveled, wounded, and munching on a sandwich in a pit, the first sight might rile Agleya.
In her mind, Hill had always been the epitome of elegance, kindness, and grace.
Sitting in his hole, Hill calculated the recent storms, noting fewer safe passages.
Only the paths of small hurricanes remained walkable; he must be near the world’s end.
The most dangerous areas had been planted with cedars by the Earth Bears, and he was near the mountain where Aurelio had been pushed.
Hill’s goal was the mountain’s southern side, rushing there to release Nature’s Blessing before retreating.
He felt confident.
He could use various defensive potions, not just rely on his body.
Since they weren’t yet necessary, his stock should last years.
Deep in thought, Hill suddenly looked up.
The thick mithril plate covering his hole had been lifted.
A huge head poked down: “Little Hill!
I’ve come to get you.
The clan leader said you wouldn’t give up unless you tried.
It’s better to bring you here directly.
But no one thought you could get this far on your own!
Though you look a bit rough.”
As Audriano rambled, Hill felt ecstatic.
He had succeeded!
“Considering your condition, you shouldn’t go further.” Audriano continued to mumble, “Aurelio was in better shape.
But the clan leader said you had potions to increase defensive power, which you haven’t used yet.
True, you wouldn’t use potions during training!”
His bear paw reached into the hole, grabbing Hill and placing him on his back.
“Let’s go, Little Prince!”