Behind him, the gnolls' howls rose and fell in waves, a mournful, shrill chorus that struck dread into the heart.
Mantou sped along a secluded mountain path, putting distance between himself and his pursuers. When he finally broke out into an open area, he caught his breath, relieved to have escaped with his life.
"Phew... phew..."
"What a weird situation. Where did so many gnolls come from? And all mutants, too."
Mantou looked up. Halfway up the snowy peak stood an exquisite wooden cabin that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Its log-built roof was blanketed in thick snow, and gentle firelight glowed from within the windows.
"Where is this?"
Intrigued, Mantou approached it.
He knew encountering a cabin like this deep in the desolate mountains meant something was bound to be fishy. But to a player, leaving an unexplored spot untouched was out of the question.
"Screw it! I'm going in!"
Mantou gritted his teeth and made up his mind.
With a soft creak, Mantou gently pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside.
The interior was quite cozy—a plush fur sofa, an exquisite woven rug, and firewood crackling in the hearth.
The table was laid with treats like milk, bread, and fruit, alongside silver spoons and delicate ornaments—a stark contrast to the barren, snowy mountains outside.
"How can a place like this exist out here in the mountains...?"
Mantou muttered to himself as he looked around, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
"Guest from afar, it isn't very polite to enter uninvited—"
A clear, sweet female voice called out.
Mantou whirled around. A girl of seventeen or eighteen pushed open an inner door and stepped into the main room.
Her hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, and her slender hands held a steaming cup of tea. A playful look danced across her delicate, kindly face.
She placed the hot tea on the table and gave Mantou a mischievous wink.
"It's cold outside. Please, have a cup of hot tea first to warm yourself up."
"By the way, my name is Valena. I'm the daughter of the cabin's owner."
Flattered and taken aback, Mantou stared blankly into the girl's lovely large eyes. Nodding repeatedly, he picked up the hot tea and began drinking. Luckily, his red dragon bloodline made him completely immune to scalding heat.
"Ah, thank you."
"I... my name is Mantou."
Only after clumsily setting the tea back on the table did he answer.
"Your name really is... quite unusual."
Valena beamed at Mantou until his already reddish, draconic cheeks flushed crimson, even venting puffs of white steam from his skin.
After multiple failed online romances, Mantou thought his heart had turned to stone; it had been ages since he had felt this kind of flutter. *Mom, I'm in love!* Who would have thought he would be left completely flustered by a pretty NPC in Elezerg?
Mantou scolded himself inwardly: *Mantou, oh Mantou, that's just a virtual character! How can you be so utterly captivated by fake beauty? She's just an NPC!*
Valena put on an intentionally puzzled expression.
"Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?"
"Ah, no, not at all..."
Mantou stammered, looking embarrassed.
Valena let out a soft giggle.
"Don't be so nervous."
Her big eyes remained fixed on him.
"If anyone should be nervous, it's me. This place is so desolate, and guests rarely visit. You're the only one in recent years. I've been looking forward to meeting someone like you for a long time."
An apologetic look appeared on Valena's delicate face.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, but I grew up in this cabin and have never left. I can only learn about the outside world from passing travelers."
"So... could you tell me about what it's like out there? Just for a little while, please?"
Her earnest tone made it impossible for Mantou to refuse. He couldn't help rubbing the tip of his nose.
"Ah... of course."
Mantou had still been nervous and stuttering, but as the tea settled in his belly, his speech grew smoother and an infatuated, entranced look spread across his face.
"This area is what we call the Khalkha Mountains. To the south is Storm Heights, a scenic place inhabited by ogres, goblins, kobolds, and others. Further south lies the realm of the Northlands, where humans just like you built beautiful cities and work hard..."
"Huh? Cities?"
"Yes, cities. They're wonderful places where lots and lots of people live..."
The fire crackled quietly in the hearth as Mantou and the girl sat on the soft fur sofa, talking through the night.
As they talked, the girl nestled dependently against his chest, her eyes filled with admiration and longing.
"The world you describe sounds truly wonderful..."
Mantou's cheeks burned hot. Not knowing what to do, he sat stiff as a board and changed the subject.
"Valena, why... why have you always lived here?"
The girl looked up, gazing unabashedly into his eyes. "My... my father is here. I have to stay by his side forever."
"Staying here all the time... you must be very lonely, Valena..."
Filled with sympathy, Mantou stroked the girl's head, and Valena nestled compliantly against his chest.
"Have another sip of tea, Brother Mantou. Finish it, and you can tell me the next story."
The girl in his arms murmured softly.
Acting on reflex, Mantou complied, picking up the cup to down the rest of the tea in one gulp.
"Mantou! You're under a fucking illusion!"
"Open your damn eyes and look!"
A familiar voice rang out. It was Singo, shattering the rare moment of tenderness.
As if jolted from a dream, Mantou snapped awake. The glass cup slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground, splashing the remaining liquid everywhere.
*Crash!*
"Ah!"
Paralyzed with terror, Mantou collapsed to the floor and scrambled backward on all fours.
He looked around. This wasn't some cozy wooden cabin at all; it was a cold, metallic chamber, stained with mottled patches of dried blood.
He indeed held a humanoid "girl" in his arms, but she was merely a component of a monster, stitched onto a writhing mass of twisted flesh.
The creature's massive, distorted body looked like a botched creation glued together from random bits of flesh. Sparse white scales covered parts of its surface, leaving large swathes of raw meat exposed. Thick mats of hair hung down from its crown, making it look sickening and grotesque.
Bat-like wing bones protruded from its back, but the membranes were tattered and ruined, like corroded rags.
And what had spilled across the floor was no steaming tea, but an unidentified vaporous fluid.
"Valena" seemed unaware that her true nature had been exposed. Her multi-lobed mouth, resembling split fissures of raw flesh, writhed with rows of sharp teeth as her lips parted faintly:
"Big brother, drink it up..."
"Then you can... keep telling me stories..."
Chapter 191