Chapter 130: System Notification 1

Lyriana laughed softly.

"She was going to warn the others."

Adam stared at her.

"And you stopped her."

"Yes."

"So you really were following me from the beginning."

"Yes."

"And you let me think I was alone."

"Yes."

Adam looked at Elaria.

She looked away ever so slightly.

"You knew?"

"Yes."

Adam rolled his eyes.

"I’m traveling with two traitors."

Lyriana smiled.

"You were more cautious because you thought you were alone."

Adam couldn’t even argue.

It was true.

Then Lyriana added, far too innocently:

"I think I could start training you seriously in infiltration when we get back."

Adam froze.

A chill ran down his spine again.

"So that shiver in the cave..."

Lyriana smiled wider.

Adam pointed at her.

"I knew it wasn’t my imagination."

Elaria replied:

"Your instincts are working well."

Adam sighed.

"Beautiful. Selene for weapons, Vespera for magic, you for infiltration, Elaria for crafting..."

He counted in his head.

"I’m going to run out of free time soon."

Elaria thought for a moment.

"The Bridal Chamber can solve part of that problem."

Adam looked at her.

"Whatever you do, don’t give the others that idea."

Lyriana burst out laughing.

They headed back to the Steeds.

Adam took one last look at the cave.

"The bodies?"

Lyriana shrugged slightly.

"We can leave them."

Elaria nodded.

"The scavengers and other mountain creatures will eventually take care of them."

Adam looked around.

The mine had been abandoned for a long time.

No village in the immediate vicinity.

No trade route passing directly in front of the entrance.

Nature would simply reclaim its place.

"The cycle continues."

They gathered their belongings.

Lyriana checked the Steeds one last time.

Elaria collected herself.

Adam mounted his own mount.

He looked ahead.

The mountains stretched on for dozens of kilometers.

And somewhere beyond...

Sylvaris.

He sighed.

"Can we resume our normal journey now?"

Lyriana mounted.

"Probably."

Adam looked at her.

"Don’t say ’probably.’"

Elaria mounted as well.

"This part of the road is usually quiet."

Adam closed his eyes.

"You’re doing this on purpose."

The two elves smiled.

Then Lyriana took the lead again.

Adam followed.

Elaria brought up the rear.

And the three Windriders gradually moved away from the old mine.

Behind them...

A settlement that could have become a major threat had just vanished before it even had time to extend its influence.

Ahead of them...

The road to Sylvaris continued.

They resumed their journey without wasting any more time.

The encounter with the goblin colony had already cost them several hours, and even though Adam felt almost no physical fatigue thanks to his abnormally high Stamina, the Wind Riders also had their limits.

Fortunately, the rest of the mountain crossing proceeded without major incident.

A few monster tracks.

Sounds coming from distant caverns.

Twice, Elaria reported presences in the highlands, but none descended to the road.

Adam, for his part, didn’t complain.

After fifteen hundred goblins...

A quiet day suited him perfectly.

The hours passed.

The steep paths gradually gave way to gentler slopes.

The most imposing peaks remained behind them.

Then, as the sun began to sink toward the horizon, Lyriana suddenly raised a hand.

"We’re nearing the end."

Adam raised his head slightly.

"Of the range?"

"Yes."

Before them, the landscape flattened rapidly.

Beyond the last rocky hills...

A vast expanse of green appeared.

Adam narrowed his eyes.

"Is this Sylvaris?"

Lyriana smiled.

"Yes."

After several days of travel...

They were almost there.

Adam immediately sensed a difference.

Even at this distance, the forest was nothing like the Red Forest.

There, the trees had a wild, almost oppressive feel.

Sylvaris...

Seemed different.

Older.

Deeper.

And above all...

More alive.

Adam didn’t know exactly how to explain it.

But even his Mana Body reacted slightly.

The air seemed richer.

The concentration of mana gradually increased as they approached.

Elaria noticed.

"Can you feel it?"

Adam nodded.

"Mana."

"Sylvaris has a lot of it."

She looked at the forest.

"And the closer we get to the World Tree, the greater the difference will be."

Adam looked at the horizon.

Somewhere in the middle of this gigantic forest stood the World Tree.

And Astraea.

They accelerated slightly.

Not enough to tire the Steeds.

Just enough to reach the border before nightfall.

The sun was setting quickly.

Orange.

Then red.

But before it disappeared completely...

Lyriana pointed at something.

"There."

Adam followed her gaze.

A cluster of structures appeared near the forest entrance.

A relatively low wall.

Several towers.

Houses.

A large gate.

Military buildings.

And numerous figures.

"An outpost?"

"Yes."

Elaria nodded.

"One of the main observation posts on this border."

As they drew closer, Adam made out more details.

The buildings were primarily constructed of light wood and stone.

Some trees even seemed to have been integrated directly into the structures.

Wooden bridges connected several elevated platforms.

And unlike human cities...

There was virtually no abrupt alteration of the terrain.

Everything seemed to have been built around the forest rather than against it.

Adam watched intently.

"It’s already very different from Valoria."

Lyriana smiled.

"Wait until you get deeper into Sylvaris."

They slowed as they approached the entrance.

Several elven guards had already come to meet them.

Light armor.

Longbows.

Thin swords.

The captain of the outpost stepped forward.

Her gaze first fell upon the three Windriders.

Then upon Adam.

Then...

Upon Elaria.

She froze.

Her gaze then shifted to Lyriana.

Her expression changed immediately.

She placed a fist against her chest and bowed deeply.

The other guards followed suit almost simultaneously.

"High Priestess."

Her gaze shifted to Lyriana.

"Princess."

She bowed again.

"Welcome back."

Adam slowly turned his head toward the two elves.

High Priestess.

Princess.

He already knew their positions were high.

But hearing soldiers formally salute them made a different impression.

Elaria replied calmly:

"Thank you."

Then her expression became slightly more serious.

"Has anything unusual happened recently in this region?"

The captain looked up.

"No, High Priestess."

She thought for a moment.

"A few usual monster groups. Two predator attacks on convoys several weeks ago, but nothing particularly alarming."

Elaria and Lyriana exchanged a glance.

The captain noticed.

"Why?"

Lyriana replied:

"We encountered a Goblin Queen in the mountains."

The captain’s expression changed immediately.

"A queen?"

Several guards exchanged glances.

"Yes."

"That’s unusual."

The captain frowned.

"Our last patrol in this part of the chain didn’t report any settlements of this size."

Adam understood immediately.

So the settlement was indeed recent.

Very recent.

Lyriana confirmed:

"It probably just emerged."

Elaria added:

"Around fifteen hundred goblins had already gathered around it."

The captain opened her eyes slightly.

"Fifteen hundred?"

"Yes."

"And the settlement?"

Adam remained silent.

Lyriana glanced briefly in his direction.

Then replied:

"Eliminated."

The captain looked at the three travelers.

Then at Adam.

Then the two elves again.

She seemed about to ask something.

But changed her mind.

"I understand."

Elaria continued:

"Still, reinforce the mountain patrols for a while."

"Yes, High Priestess."

"If a Queen has appeared, other tribes may still be active in the nearby caves."

The captain nodded.

"I’ll send a report and an additional patrol first thing tomorrow morning."

"Good."

Then Elaria looked at the sky.

The sun was almost set.

She turned to Adam.

"We’ll spend the night here."

Then she looked at Lyriana.

"Tomorrow, we’ll head straight for the World Tree."

Adam nodded.

"Okay."

They finally stepped through the outpost gate.

Several elves immediately turned to look at them as they passed.

Adam was particularly struck by the reactions when the women recognized Lyriana and Elaria.

Greetings.

Bows.

Whispers.

Some even seemed to find it hard to believe they had actually returned.

Adam moved slightly closer to Lyriana.

"Princess?"

She looked straight ahead.

"Not now."

Adam smiled.

"So I still have questions to ask."

"Many, probably."

"Perfect."

She sighed.

They started with the stables.

The three Windsteeds were entrusted to the caretakers at the outpost.

Lyriana gave several instructions regarding their food and rest.

After several days of travel...

The mounts certainly deserved a full night’s rest.

Then, a guard directed them to a vacant house reserved for important visitors.

Adam had expected a small dwelling.

He discovered something much more comfortable.

Three bedrooms.

A common room.

A small kitchen.

A bathroom.

And even a terrace overlooking the first trees of Sylvaris.

Adam put down his things.

"Not bad for an outpost."

Lyriana replied:

"Foreign delegations sometimes pass through here."

"I understand better now."

Elaria sat down at the table.

"I’ll write a quick report about the goblin colony."

Adam looked at her.

"Work?"

"We’re not in the bedroom."

"Oh, right."

He’d almost forgotten.

So Adam went into the kitchen.

This time, he had no desire to prepare anything complicated.

They’d already wasted enough time today.

He took out a few ingredients.

Chicken.

Mushrooms.

Onions.

Garlic.

A little cream.

Broth.

Herbs.

Bread.

"Chicken and mushroom soup."

Simple.

Hot.

Perfect after several days on the road.

Adam started by lightly browning the chopped chicken.

Then the onions.

The mushrooms.

The garlic.

He then added the broth and some herbs.

All that was left was to simmer gently.

While the soup was simmering...

Adam noticed something.

His system.

Notifications.

Lots of notifications.