“Huh?” Zinnia blinked in surprise, not expecting Cassian to react so strongly.
“…I-is this ore dangerous? Or poisonous?” Zinnia asked nervously; she could feel her hands trembling.
It wasn’t until he heard her question that Cassian realized his mistake.
He shouldn’t have reacted so strongly; he’d just… was worried when he saw Zinnia about to touch the rock.
Slowly, Cassian cleared his throat softly and calmed himself down; his expression had returned to normal.
“We don’t know how dangerous that ore is, so it’s better not to touch it for now,” Cassian replied, glancing occasionally in Zinnia’s direction.
Zinnia remained silent, watching Cassian closely.
She sensed something was off, as if Cassian knew something she didn’t.
“You’re lying to me, aren’t you? You know something about that ugly black rock, don’t you?” Zinnia began bombarding Cassian with questions, even taking a step toward him.
“That’s just your imagination; I’m just being cautious. Aren’t you afraid if it turns out that rock really is poisonous?” Cassian faced Zinnia’s pressure calmly; in fact, he was now pressing her back.
“Y-you!” Zinnia clenched her fists tightly, annoyed by Cassian’s words, but she couldn’t retort.
Zinnia pulled her hand away from Cassian’s grip, then walked quickly ahead of him.
As she passed him, she made sure to bump his shoulder hard on purpose.
Cassian chuckled softly, then resumed walking.
Though for a moment, he glanced back and stared at the mysterious rock with an expression that was hard to read.
“Remember, don’t touch anything here!” Cassian said loudly enough for Zinnia to hear.
“Shut up, you jerk!” Zinnia turned and shot Cassian a deadly glare.
Their journey toward the mountain stream continued.
It was then that Zinnia realized the conditions along their path were actually worse than those along the Lume River.
The higher they climbed, the more Zinnia realized that the state of the vegetation around them was even more dire.
“Not only is there no wild vegetation in sight, but the soil here is so barren that it’s cracked like this,” Zinnia said without thinking; she could feel goosebumps rising as she took in the scene. Read this novel at NovelPing for the best experience.
“It seems you know quite a bit about the environment,” Cassian replied.
“I had no choice but to learn about it if I wanted to clear my own plot of land!
That’s not the point, you idiot!
“The conditions here are absolutely dreadful!” Zinnia shook her head as Cassian steered the conversation off topic.
“My gut tells me it’s even worse up there. I hope you’re prepared,” Cassian replied softly in his cold, indifferent tone.
Zinnia’s heart skipped a beat when she heard that, sensing that Cassian was being serious this time.
They continued to follow the stream, and Zinnia looked around, noticing that the trees in the area looked parched, with only a few leaves clinging to their frail branches.
Finally, their keen ears picked up the sound of flowing water in the distance.
Without wasting any time, they quickened their pace.
When Zinnia set foot at their destination, her nose began to twitch uncomfortably.
“Arrghh!” Zinnia screamed hysterically while covering her nose.
As if she truly couldn’t stand the pungent smell there, Zinnia hurriedly turned around to run away.
“Hey!” Just as Cassian was about to chase after her…
He saw Zinnia immediately vomit the contents of her stomach not far from there, as if she couldn’t hold back the nausea churning in her stomach.
It wasn’t just Zinnia; Cassian, too, frowned uncomfortably as his nose caught the foul odor wafting from the stream high up in the mountains.
“Damn it! What kind of place is this?” Cassian, who usually remained calm no matter the situation, began to curse.
Cassian smelled a strong chemical odor mixed with mud, along with a foul stench like that of a long-dead animal.
Zinnia didn’t respond to the man’s words at all; she was too busy looking for the cloth Cassian had given her before and quickly tied it around her nose.
Only after she made sure her nose was protected did Zinnia walk back toward Cassian.
“This cloth of yours is truly magical; this damn smell doesn’t bother my nose as much after I put it on,” Zinnia said, raising an eyebrow at Cassian.
“I don’t care; that’s your problem,” Zinnia replied, sticking out her tongue in mockery of Cassian.
Slowly, they approached the area around the tributary; Cassian chose to keep an eye on their surroundings, letting Zinnia take a closer look at the tributary.
“The water here is murkier than in the Lume River. These bubbles make me suspicious; even the moss has changed color.” Zinnia shook her head, sensing that the creek was dangerous.
She had no intention of touching anything in the creek; Zinnia felt that if she did, her hands would be contaminated immediately.
Zinnia shuddered, her skin prickling with goosebumps, and quickly moved away from the stream.
Just then, Zinnia saw Cassian crouching down and touching the strangely damp ground around the stream.
“Did you find something?” Zinnia asked once she was near Cassian.
“Look at this,” Cassian replied, pointing to the tracks on the ground.
“Tire tracks? You mean someone else comes here often?” Zinnia was startled by Cassian’s discovery.
Cassian nodded slowly; he wasn’t sure, but it was possible that someone else did indeed visit this area of the creek frequently.
“Do you think they have anything to do with the pollution in this tributary?” Zinnia grew even more uneasy as she considered the possibilities.
“I don’t know; we can’t jump to conclusions just yet,” Cassian replied hesitantly.
Although Cassian had his own suspicions, he thought it would be too dangerous to tell Zinnia right now.
“What kind of bastard would dare mess with my territory!” Zinnia began to get angry, and she started searching for any traces left behind.
The area around the tributary was indeed quite suspicious, with damp soil unlike the ground along the path leading here.
There were many split branches, and Zinnia also noticed footprints that didn’t belong to either of them.
Silently, Zinnia followed the footprints she saw, and before she knew it, she had walked quite far from the creek.
Zinnia stopped in her tracks when she saw what looked like a cave; it took her a while to realize it was a cave because its entrance was covered by yellowing vines.
Slowly, Zinnia reached out to part the vines, and at that very moment, a voice rang out in her head.
Cassian’s warning echoed in her mind, and Zinnia quickly pulled her hand back.
“Damn it, I can’t stop thinking about his voice!” Zinnia muttered softly, then turned around to call out to Cassian.