Chapter 45: The Cleric’s Coffin and a Fond Farewell

Ever since a coffin had appeared with Eve, people occasionally noticed her speaking to it.

Some of the more discerning individuals had already begun to suspect that it likely contained someone incredibly important to Luosha.

They even imagined she was conversing with the coffin, lost in thoughts of a loved one.

Considering Luosha’s profession as a powerful cleric, it begged the question: why was she not affiliated with the Church, choosing instead to travel independently?

Many initially struggled to understand why Luosha chose not to align herself with the Church.

However, once the coffin was seen strapped to her back, the reason became remarkably clear.

Indeed, even the mightiest cleric could, at best, restore vitality to the gravely wounded and dying, but none could resurrect the deceased.

Bringing the dead back to life was a feat beyond even the legendary Saintess.

Luosha, of course, was no exception.

Therefore, this sorrowful cleric must have chosen to leave the Church, carrying her coffin as she wandered the continent alone, desperately searching for a method to revive the dead.

As these thoughts took root, many gazed at Eve with eyes full of pity and helplessness.

If Eve, the subject of their elaborate romantic drama, were to learn of the script they’d concocted, she would likely applaud and exclaim, “Six, six, six!” before adding a sarcastic remark:

“Here, take the pen and write it yourself. Just remember to split the copyright fees with me fifty-fifty.”

Of course, even without mind-reading abilities, Eve had largely pieced together their suspicions from the peculiar glances she’d received over the past few days.

This was well within her expectations. After all, if she herself saw someone carrying a coffin down a busy street without knowing the context, she too would let her imagination run wild.

Eve chose to ignore their stares. ‘Guess all you want,’ she thought, ‘these people will never imagine there’s a cheerful, adorable little maid tucked inside.’

Wasn’t conversing with Wennya, the little maid, far more engaging than chatting with those adventurers?

Beyond mere entertainment, Eve worried that Wennya might feel stifled.

A coffin was a sealed environment, and who knew what mental toll prolonged confinement might take?

As for the Hall of Heroic Spirits where Wennya had resided previously…

Through their conversations, Eve finally learned that it truly was a magnificent temple!

According to Wennya’s descriptions, the entire Hall, viewed from its exterior, dwarfed any royal castle Eve had ever seen.

Before her departure, Wennya had spent her time freely exploring inside.

Yet, despite her extensive wanderings, she never reached its end, leaving Wennya unsure if the Hall truly had a limit.

Wennya’s account was so captivating that Eve herself yearned to see it.

Alas, her inquiry was swiftly met with a sobering reality check from the system: [The Hall of Heroic Spirits is a player talent, accessible only to specific units. The player themselves cannot enter the Hall of Heroic Spirits.]

Ultimately, this desire had to be regrettably abandoned.

****

The Xigelili Great Grassland was, above all, vast. So immense, in fact, that only half of it lay within the Kingdom’s borders, while the other half stretched into the neighboring Elf Forest and the Burman Empire.

It took the caravan Eve was with a full five days to finally traverse the grassland.

This was the quickest route to Greendunburg, and also the most economical. Taking a detour would have meant passing through other cities and incurring various fees.

Thankfully, they encountered only common slimes along the way, never crossing paths with the legendary Slime King.

As they exited the grassland, everyone but Eve breathed a collective sigh of relief.

After all, they struggled even with common slimes; confronting the far more formidable Slime King would have been utterly impossible.

In their eyes, no matter how skilled Luosha was, she couldn’t possibly defeat such a powerful monster in a solo fight.

Moreover, a solo encounter was merely an ideal scenario. As the most powerful monster in the slime species, the Slime King would undoubtedly be accompanied by numerous slime minions, ensuring their demise if they ever met.

Now that they had left the Xigelili Great Grassland, their days of constant apprehension were finally over.

Of course, this also signified that a significant figure from their journey was about to depart the group.

Eve hoisted the coffin onto her back and gracefully leaped down from the carriage.

Joyce followed closely behind her.

“Miss Luosha, should you encounter any financial difficulties during your travels, please do not hesitate to seek me out at the Brown Merchant Guild in Greendunburg. I will offer you my full assistance. Furthermore, if you choose to return in October this year, perhaps we could journey back together.”

The man’s voice drifted from behind, and Eve turned to glance at him.

Could Eve truly not discern Joyce’s subtle intentions?

He simply knew that the Xigelili Great Grassland was truly infested with monstrous slimes and feared he wouldn’t find adventurers capable of contending with them, which was why he hoped she would continue to act as their guardian.

However, Joyce had left a rather good impression on her, so helping him out once more wouldn’t be a problem.

With that thought, Eve smiled. “Very well. If our timings align, I will certainly seek you out.”

Joyce’s face instantly lit up with joy. “Excellent! I eagerly anticipate our next journey together!”

A familiar hand extended towards Eve. This time, she didn’t hesitate, clasping his hand firmly.

No sooner had she parted from Joyce than Odell, the leader of the Wolf Fang Adventurer Group, approached.

“Miss Luosha, thank you for your guidance throughout this journey. You have given me a new direction. I will make you my goal and strive relentlessly until I become stronger!”

Eve blinked, a little unsure of what he was saying, but she extended her hand to shake his nonetheless, offering encouragement. “Yes, yes, a leader should possess such drive! As long as you don’t stop, the road will continue to extend! Keep going, Commander Olga!”

“Uh… Miss Luosha, my name is Odell.”

“Oh, oh, it just slipped out! Anyway, that’s the gist of it! Just remember what I said!”

Eve stood on her tiptoes and patted the shoulders of the tall, somewhat clumsy man in front of her.

Odell, meanwhile, fell into a brief contemplation. What he had said earlier was merely polite pleasantry, but as he replayed Eve’s words, he found himself unconsciously murmuring, ‘As long as you don’t stop, the road will continue to extend.’

With each repetition, Odell’s eyes grew brighter, as if a voice from the depths of his being told him this was his destiny.

Odell understood. He bowed deeply to Eve in gratitude. “Thank you for your wisdom!”

“The next time we meet, I will be strong enough to truly astound you!”

“Yes, yes, I have high hopes for you.”

After delivering her final words of encouragement, Eve stepped back two paces, waving to the crowd in a simple farewell.

“Right then, it’s time to say goodbye.”

“Farewell, everyone. May we meet again.”

Then, with the coffin on her back, Eve turned and walked away, step by step, in a direction entirely opposite to that of the caravan.

Watching Luosha’s figure gradually recede and shrink, Joyce nodded and returned to his carriage.

Before that distant figure vanished completely, Odell cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted, “Goodbye, Miss Luosha! I wish you may also achieve your heart’s desire soon!”

Seeing a small dot at the distant black speck wave back, Odell smiled before returning to his carriage, continuing with the caravan towards Greendunburg.