"No problem, I originally said I would help you..."
Anna gently nodded, her voice carrying a sowhat soft nuance, yet the determination in her tone was unmistakable.
A peaceful night passed.
The next morning arrived, and as planned, the team started climbing the mountain, pushing the cart laden with gems up the slope. This was intended as Ishtar Goddess's deposit—if she refused to agree, we wouldn't let the at in our mouth escape, then the loss would still be acceptable.
Another crucial reason was that the gemstones were exceptionally heavy. It was already challenging with one cart, and if all the gems from the Treasure Vault ant to bribe the Goddess were transported up the mountain, just this task alone would exhaust many people.
Just as it is now, the Uruk soldiers were arduously pushing the cart, with so pulling ropes at the front, straining with each step forward. The ropes dug deep into their shoulders, and the muscles of those pushing bulged with sweat streaming down.
They hadn't gone far before they were already out of breath; the cart was too large, the gemstones too heavy, and coupled with the treacherous mountain paths, it was truly demanding for them.
In the end, they were helpless but to have the soldiers escort around, with Anna herself pushing the wooden cart swiftly and steadily up the mountain. Though she appeared as a fragile and gentle young girl, barely reaching a height of 140 cm, she was a Servant.
Even if not known for strength, her Muscle Strength was beyond that of ordinary people.
Yet the soldiers blushed, even though they knew these heroes couldn't be judged by common sense; people are always deceived by appearances. Witnessing such a petite girl calmly pushing the uncontrollable wooden cart up the mountain, they couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
It took them another day to reach the mountaintop by dusk as the sun set. The Goddess's majestic Divine Hall stood ahead, intimidating at first glance, but the fortune cats on either side of it seed quite gaudy. Their presence seed to trigger a defense chanism, and two puppets appeared and began to attack without explanation.
After dealing with the puppets, there was no sign of the Lord God; perhaps she wasn't ho.
This left the team in a bit of a quandary.
But they quickly discovered a path beside the Divine Hall, and not far along, they encountered a Barrier—it wasn't defensive but concealing, so they easily passed through and arrived at a small valley.
"This is the residence of the previous Immortal..."
"We ca here through rlin's dream before..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash imdiately recognized the place, feeling invigorated. The red-haired, orange-eyed girl instinctively glanced at the pavilion; she had taken a cup from the dream realm, completely puzzled by the circumstances.
"But it seems he's not here either... Where did he go?"
The valley was tranquil, with only a trickling stream flowing through the dicinal fields. Faced with such a peaceful environnt, the soldiers took little ti to shift from vigilance to relaxation.
The group wandered around but hesitated to check inside the wooden house. However, they quickly discovered sothing unusual.
"Huh, is this a Box Garden?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka was curious as she approached the square object not far away, the others gathered around too. It seed to be a Box Garden, with beautiful landscapes akin to a miniature live scene, albeit at a reduced scale.
"It's so beautiful and exquisite; who would've thought that senior had such interests... Oh, are those ants inside?"
Mash couldn't help but express her admiration, noticing the tiny moving black dots in the miniature towns, roads, and fields—ants, perhaps? She was intrigued, leaning in for a better look as everything in her field of view began to expand rapidly.
It felt as if clouds were parting from her vision, the weightless sensation of falling and the rushing wind causing the shield-wielding girl to pause.
The next mont, accompanied by screams, several individuals plumted from mid-air.
And then...
They crashed heavily onto the ground!
Strangely, there wasn't any harm; Fujimaru Ritsuka sat shocked, feeling her heart pounding due to the sudden overstimulation. She instinctively surveyed her surroundings, her heart skipping a beat.
In the distance, smoke rose from the village chimneys; farrs carried their burdens along the fields. The wide river surface was calm, while farther off, fog enveloped towering peaks, steep and unyielding—a silhouette on the horizon.
Tranquil, beautiful, and serene...
It seed like a paradise untouched by ti.
Isn't this the Box Garden we observed just now?
The girl turned to see Mash and Anna nearby; perhaps because the three stood close together earlier, they were directly absorbed inside? She was montarily dazed, then heard further cries from the sky as one by one, Uruk soldiers fell like dumplings.
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