## Chapter 21: Shariel
The Platinum-haired Dragon Maiden stood frozen, her deep purple eyes filled with unwillingness and pain.
Enesyin’s lips parted slightly, and after a long pause, she spoke, “I… I was too afraid to even move. In front of the Fiend, I couldn’t even muster the will to resist…”
The Dragonborn maiden dug her fingernails into her palms, the extreme humiliation burning in her chest. *It’s like this again! It’s like this again! Trembling before the Fiend, offering my neck for slaughter!*
She had resolved not to fail the contract! She had sworn to share life and death!
“Oh, there was that?” Yonglan hadn’t been paying attention to Enesyin due to his excitement earlier and was unaware of her situation.
“The pressure from that guy was indeed something, but was it that exaggerated?” Yonglan tilted his head. He had also felt the pressure from the Celestial God, but being too afraid to move… it wasn’t to that extent. That bit of pressure only made Yonglan more excited.
Enesyin merely lowered her head and trembled, her shoulders shaking at the man’s words.
Yonglan stood up and said, “Our next target is to slay Mad Hunt Heaven. Don’t worry, I’ve already tried it. That was just an illusion of the Fiend, not even close to its true strength. We have a chance to win.”
The Platinum-haired Dragon Maiden’s beautiful eyes widened. “But I couldn’t even…”
“Then overcome it.” Yonglan said without hesitation. “You are my companion, so I won’t hog this Godslayer’s glory alone.”
“If I cannot overcome it…”
Yonglan interrupted, “Aren’t you lacking confidence? Ain, have confidence!”
The man stretched, “…..But let’s call it a night for now.”
Enesyin’s state was not suitable for continuing, so Yonglan decided to end their exploration here, giving her time to adjust her mindset.
“Okay.” The Platinum-haired Dragon Maiden let out a soft hum. Her figure faded in the candlelight, and she left this Echo Realm.
Yonglan did not leave with her but rested for a while before continuing his advance. Don’t misunderstand; he wasn’t the type to send his companions away and then secretly work harder. He just planned to find a nearby Sanctuary Point. The Zombies on the outskirts of the jungle had been cleared. If he had to run this far every time he resurrected, it would be unbearable.
Wandering through the almost completely cleared battlefield, Yonglan felt a silence he hadn’t experienced before in Sams. Just as Yonglan couldn’t help but close his eyes, he suddenly heard a soft humming sound. *A song?* Yonglan was stunned. After confirming it wasn’t his imagination, he immediately followed the singing.
Then, he finally saw candlelight. One by one, the candle flames lined the forest path, leading all the way to the riverbank. And by the river, surrounded by candlesticks, a young girl in a white dress knelt. She knelt on the ground, gently placing the candlestick she held by the river, forming the Sanctuary that Yonglan was familiar with.
【You followed your intuition and arrived at the riverbank, discovering the creator of the Sanctuary】
Huh? No, this bonfire wasn’t naturally formed? And a naturally formed candlestick was a bit strange. If Sams’ settings were more realistic, there would indeed be someone setting up the Sanctuary.
Yonglan took a few steps closer and got a clear look at the white-dressed maiden. The most striking features were the sharp, black horns extending from her temples and the floating, fragmented black ring above her forehead. The profound darkness seemed to absorb all surrounding light, tinged with a faint crimson. *Demonkin?!* These features were too familiar, the most classic image of a demon.
No, why would a Demonkin be here? The maiden, filled with a sense of gentleness, continued to hum softly while placing the candlestick, creating a sense of broken beauty that was out of place with her surroundings. If this were a scene from a fairy tale, it would be an extraordinary treasure.
Sensing Yonglan’s approach, she stopped singing and turned to face him. A delicate face, as exquisite as a doll’s, with a small, jade-like nose and lips; an enduring and serene temperament like a painted scroll; and cherry-white hair cascading from her ears down her back. Her eyes resembled the sedimentation of deep crimson, filled with an inorganic softness and tranquility.
“Stranger, why have you come?” A faint question came from the maiden’s lips, like a flowing spring, with a gentleness that soothed the soul. *This… shouldn’t be an enemy, right?* Yonglan hesitated, gazing at the beautiful maiden before him, who seemed to have stepped out of a painting, and pondered.
Yonglan had thought Sams’ tone was purely an apocalyptic combat satisfaction setting, where one just killed and killed. However, since there were characters to interact with, Yonglan was naturally very interested. He was, in fact, half a lore seeker – provided the lore wasn’t too idiotic, otherwise his skip button would be worn out, even if it meant skipping his own life. Thus, Yonglan gripped his long sword and replied, “I’m lost. May I ask where this is?”
“This is the border of the Chevaliers Kingdom of Burefawa.” The cherry-white-haired girl shifted her posture and knelt facing Yonglan. “Mad Hunt Heaven’s curse domain is not a place where living people should be.” Her tone was neither hurried nor slow, her pleasant, slightly hoarse voice sounding like she was reciting poetry.
Yonglan nodded in agreement. “It certainly isn’t a place for people. But it’s just right for me.”
The cherry-white-haired girl carefully observed Yonglan and then asked, “May I ask who you are?”
This stumped Yonglan. He didn’t even know his own identity, nor if he had any background setting in Sams. *I must preach!*
【You do not know how to answer. Who are you? Where did you come from? You have forgotten all of this. Your past is no longer important. What matters is the present, and the future.】
Heeding the narration’s prompt, Yonglan gave a quality response: “I am a Traveler from Afar who passed by chance.”
The maiden’s elegantly gentle furrowed brows slightly lifted. “A Traveler from Afar?”
“To this land, beings from beyond the heavens often represent misfortune and disaster. But you call yourself a traveler, does that mean you bear no ill intentions?”
Yonglan spoke frankly: “I’m not sure what ‘ill intentions’ means either. I came to this world to satisfy my desires. As long as there are challenges that can satisfy me, that’s enough.”
“A warlike Traveler from Afar…” The cherry-white-haired woman, who was possibly a demon, shook her head. A period of silence ensued before she introduced herself, “You can call me Shariel, the unforgivable.”
“Unforgivable?” Yonglan was curious about why she would say that, so he asked, “What is the reason? I thought you were building a Sanctuary?”
“A Sanctuary? Is that what you call it? In a sense, yes.” Shariel gave a wry smile and stroked the grass by the river with her slender, fair fingers, slowly saying, “This is merely my atonement. If the Celestial God’s curse domain were to spread further, the last vestiges of survival for Mortals would be annihilated. And what I’ve done is far from enough to compensate for the mistakes I’ve made.”
Her crimson-like eyes clouded with sorrow. After a long moment, Shariel shook her head and said to Yonglan, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told you this… I haven’t spoken to anyone in so long.”
*She has a story.* Yonglan nodded and then asked, “Do you know what’s going on with the guy in the center of the jungle?”
“Mad Hunt Heaven?” Shariel pondered for a moment, then replied in a calm and gentle voice, “【Mad Hunt Heaven】 is a Celestial God who failed in battle. After descending to the mortal realm, He was transformed by hatred and unwillingness into a Fiend that plagues the world. His Citizens were corrupted by a curse, becoming monstrous beings that began attacking all surrounding Kingdoms. Kingdom after Kingdom fell. Three years ago, the Chevaliers Kingdom of Burefawa decided to mobilize its entire national strength to stop 【Mad Hunt Heaven】. That was the first time Mortals attempted to confront a Fiend openly.”
Shariel’s eyes showed clear admiration. “Courage is the praise of Mortals.”
“But courage alone cannot defeat a Fiend. The entire fighting force of the Chevaliers Kingdom of Burefawa did not inflict a single scratch on 【Mad Hunt Heaven】. The Fiend merely arrived, surveyed them with disdain, and cast its curse.”
