With everything prepared, Levi had Yalina drive the alchemy carriage into the Moonshadow Forest.
The roads within the Moonshadow Forest were even worse than those in the forest where the Robber Bridegroom's lair had been located.
If those forest trails could even be called roads.
They were full of potholes!
And from time to time, the path would simply disappear altogether.
At that point, Yalina would have to climb down from the alchemy carriage, moving things around, clearing obstacles—and sometimes Levi himself had to step in, using spells to carve out a passable route so the carriage could barely make its way through.
Half a day passed.
Levi's group had not advanced very far, but Yalina was already exhausted to the point of near collapse, her entire body a mess.
She took a fierce gulp of the low-quality ale in her hand—this wasn't from the Robber Bridegroom's lair, but something she had bought in the adventurer town.
Because ale didn't keep very long.
After all, it was just ale—not beer.
Limited by the era's brewing techniques, ale tasted best in the first few days after it was made—slightly sweet, with a strong grain aroma.
But by the third or fourth day, it would start to turn sour, developing lactic notes, becoming more turbid, and possibly forming a thin white film on the surface.
After the fifth day, it would take on a strong vinegar-like taste, even a moldy or rotten smell—at which point it was no longer drinkable.
The alcohol they had looted from the Robber Bridegroom's lair had long since been consumed by Levi and Yalina.
This current ale had cost Yalina a hefty sum at Jeff's adventurer town—she had agonized over the purchase for quite a while, which was why she drank it in such large gulps.
The faint sweetness of the ale eased some of her fatigue.
Looking at the pitch-black forest ahead, where sunlight could barely penetrate, she couldn't help but ask, "Levi, where exactly are we going? Why aren't we taking the outer roads? Why not go check out other cities?"
After spending some time together, the two had grown more familiar with each other.
Although Levi was a heartless boss who didn't pay them wages, he was still fairly easygoing.
So Yalina's original form of address—"Lord Levi"—had gradually become simply "Levi," and he didn't mind.
Inside the carriage, Levi was casting spells to gain experience.
Hearing the hint of resentment in Yalina's voice, he paused for a moment before replying, "Because the place we're heading to… lies deep within the Moonshadow Forest."
"What place?" Yalina pressed.
Even Odelle, the nightingale who often stayed up late and looked half-asleep, became interested and tilted her head to listen.
Levi didn't hide it.
"A place called the Candy House."
"The Candy House? What kind of place is that?" Yalina blinked in confusion, curiosity filling her voice. "Can candy really be made into a house? Wouldn't that attract ants and bugs?"
Levi gave a mysterious smile, his voice drifting out from inside the carriage.
"This is no ordinary Candy House."
"It's the secluded dwelling of a witch."
"Wow! A witch? Do you know her?" Yalina showed no fear at the mention of a witch—unlike most people, she seemed excited instead.
Meanwhile, Odelle's eyes flickered with a trace of complexity—she had been turned into what she was by a witch, so deep down, she harbored a lingering fear of them.
"No," Levi said.
"Uh… then if we go there like this, will she welcome us?" Yalina asked.
"Probably not," Levi thought for a moment before answering.
"Then why are we going?" Odelle interjected.
"Because…" Levi paused briefly, "she has something I need very much."
"What is it?" Odelle asked.
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized she had asked too much—far beyond the restraint expected of a noble. She quickly added, "My apologies."
Levi didn't mind.
He spoke plainly, "I came here to obtain a high-level meditation method from the witch."
This was the key to rapidly increasing his Spiritual Power.
With a high-level meditation method, his path toward becoming a Second-Ring Wizard would be much closer.
His sense of security would increase.
And his road to survival would become far more stable.
It was extremely important to him.
Yalina could hear the weight in Levi's tone. She asked, "Will she be willing to give it?"
That was indeed a problem.
Especially since Levi knew that the Magic Mirror Queen of the Kingdom of Francis had delivered an order to the Candy House witch—to kill him.
Under such circumstances, would she be willing?
Levi had no answer either. After a brief silence, he said, "Whether something succeeds depends on what people do."
After saying that, he closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.
Yalina and Miss Nightingale Odelle turned his words over in their minds again and again, their expressions gradually growing complicated.
They exchanged a glance, fell silent for a moment, and then Yalina flicked the whip, driving the carriage deeper into the forest.
...
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
Levi and the others had already entered the deeper regions of the Moonshadow Forest, yet they still had not seen the so-called Candy House.
This place was devoid of human traces.
Yalina had been driving the carriage the entire way, and it had been extremely exhausting.
However, she did not look disheveled.
Because her black-hearted boss, Levi—a First-Ring Wizard—after catching the smell of her unwashed body after several days, finally couldn't take it anymore and took the initiative to cast Gathering Technique, extracting the dust and grime from her body, clothes included, leaving her fresh and clean.
Only then could Yalina maintain her goddess-like demeanor along the way.
Well, no matter how much of a "goddess" she was, she was still Levi's coachwoman.
But that wasn't the point.
The deeper they went into the dense forest, the worse the road became—and the more dangerous it grew. Troubles appeared one after another without end.
For example, right now—
Beside a massive tree that would take ten people to encircle, Levi and his group were being attacked by a tribe of goblins.
Goblins!
A type of low-level monster—small and wretched, usually 3 to 4 feet tall (about 0.9 to 1.2 meters), gaunt or hunched, with disproportionate limbs.
They survived within the areas of human activity through their astonishing reproductive rate.
Their skin was gray-green, dark yellow, or earthy brown, rough like tree bark, often covered in sores, scars, or patches of mold.
Their hair was sparse and messy, usually black, brown, or dirty red, often matted and caked with filth.
Their noses were either flat or hooked; their ears long and pointed like bats, full of folds; their eyes ranged from blood-red to yellow-green to cloudy white, glowing at night with darkvision.
Their mouths were wide, revealing sharp yellow teeth, and their breath reeked.
They were intelligent creatures, so they wore clothing—but lacking any means of production, they wore whatever they could find.
Typically, they dressed in stolen scraps of leather armor, patchwork metal pieces, and adorned themselves with "trophies" like bones, teeth, and copper coins.
They lived in tribes, numbering anywhere from dozens to thousands.
The goblin tribe Levi's group had encountered was considered small—fewer than fifty.
They produced nothing, surviving through plunder, ambush, and enslavement. They loved setting traps—indeed, they had tried to trap Levi's group, but Levi's Detection had discovered them in advance.
Although these creatures were natural-born bandits, their individual combat ability was very low—even weaker than a human woman—and they were extremely cowardly.
But once goblins gathered in groups, things changed.
They became ferocious.
That said, if they realized their target was stronger than expected, they would immediately collapse and scatter in all directions.
As an old mercenary saying went:
"One goblin is a joke, ten are trouble, a hundred is a disaster."
That was exactly the situation now.
Around fifty goblins were surrounding Levi's group.
Levi couldn't even be bothered to act. He directly let Yalina—already at knight level—deal with them.
After her breakthrough, Yalina's average physical ability was about three times that of an ordinary person. Against these goblins, she cut them down as easily as slicing vegetables.
These goblins were all ordinary ones—there were no goblin warriors, hobgoblins, wolf-riding goblins, or goblin shamans among them.
Against Yalina, they were simply doomed.
In no time at all, Yalina had already killed seven or eight of them.
The remaining forty-odd goblins saw this and fled into the dense forest in terror, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
This left Yalina, who had just warmed up, feeling rather disappointed.
She even considered diving into the forest to see if she could drag out a few more goblins to kill.
But Levi stopped her.
He stepped out from the carriage, his gaze sharp and focused, landing on a small, beautiful snow-white bird.
The little bird stood atop the massive tree, singing.
Its song was extraordinarily pleasant, drawing both Yalina and Miss Nightingale Odelle into involuntary attention as they listened.
Only Levi remained unaffected.
With a cast of Detection thrown onto it, its information appeared before his eyes.
[Messenger of the Candy House!]
[Possesses the ability to discern whether others have a wizard constitution.]
[Its song can attract others and lull them into a trance.]
Levi recalled the fairy tale Candy House, where Hansel and Gretel had both seen this white bird.
It was precisely this white bird that had led Hansel and Gretel to the witch's Candy House.
Now it seemed that all of this had been intentional. Levi's thoughts stirred.
After a short while, the white bird finished its song, flapped its wings, and flew down in front of Levi.
Levi immediately understood its meaning—it was signaling for him to follow it forward.
The corner of Levi's mouth twitched slightly. Interesting.
The old witch of the Candy House had already learned of his arrival and sent her messenger to guide him over?
Levi fell silent for a moment, then made his decision—to follow the white bird.
He got back into the alchemy carriage and signaled for Yalina to drive forward, following the bird.
Yalina froze for a moment, then came back to her senses. A trace of strangeness flashed in her eyes, but under Levi's urging, she could only grit her teeth and follow the bird onward.
As for Miss Nightingale Odelle—who was also a bird—she remained silent in her cage.
Interestingly, the deeper parts of the dense forest should have been nearly impassable, let alone for a carriage.
Yet along the path that followed, they moved with remarkable ease.
The road was not wide, but it was enough for the carriage to pass through. While not perfectly smooth, it was at least free of the usual pits and holes.
Just like that, Levi and the others arrived at the edge of a river.
In the river swam a massive white duck.
Levi leaned out from the carriage and immediately recognized it as a magical beast—one that likely had deep ties to the Candy House.
Because he recalled that in the fairy tale, after Hansel and Gretel killed the witch of the Candy House, they had crossed the river riding on a white duck.
How large was that white duck?
Large enough to carry a half-grown child!
It could even carry two children.
Only, its strength might not be enough to ferry both of them safely across.
Now, with a river blocking their path, just as Levi wondered how the old witch of the Candy House would bring them across—
A rainbow-like bridge extended from the opposite bank, reaching all the way to where Levi and the others stood.
A Rainbow Bridge!
Yalina and Miss Nightingale Odelle were filled with amazement, their eyes shining with wonder—this was the first time they had seen something so dreamlike.
Levi, however, remained calm.
He felt that this was the old witch giving him a show of power.
His gaze shifted to the far end of the Rainbow Bridge. Under his Detection, it appeared as a place covered by a barrier.
Only then did he understand.
No wonder the Candy House had remained hidden within the Moonshadow Forest for so long, yet almost no one had discovered it.
It was because a barrier covered the area outside the Candy House!
Unless invited by the Candy House, who could possibly enter?
Levi's thoughts stirred. He then had Yalina drive the carriage onto the Rainbow Bridge, crossing the entire river and finally reaching the other side.
It was a dreamlike land.
What came into view for Yalina, Levi, and Miss Nightingale Odelle was a wondrous house.
The cottage was made of bread, its roof layered with cake, and its windows formed from bright sugar panes.
The white bird landed atop the roof, leisurely preening its feathers.
At that moment, the door of the Candy House opened, and two figures walked out.
Both were female—one old, one young.
The younger one looked to be around twelve years old. Her golden braid hung loosely down her back, the ends faintly shimmering with silver light. Her back was held perfectly straight, like a licorice stick that refused to bend. Though she was supporting the old woman beside her, there was a trace of resentment hidden deep within her eyes.
The older woman leaned on a cane. She looked extremely old—her eyes were red and unfocused, yet her nose was hooked like an eagle's beak.
She seemed unable to see, but her sense of smell was sharp.
The white bird flew down onto her cane, chirping a few times.
The old woman listened, then, in a hoarse voice, turned toward Levi and said, "Alia tells me that my Candy House has welcomed another magical guest."
Alia was the white bird.
"If I'm not mistaken, your name should be Levi."
Levi feigned ignorance and asked, "You know me?"
"There is a powerful existence that wishes for me to kill you," the old woman said.
"A powerful existence? How powerful?" Levi asked with curiosity.
"It is an existence that neither you nor I can afford to provoke," the old woman replied, her expression grave.
. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar