After Edrick agreed to the plan, it was only a matter of waiting. It would only be the two of them on this venture, with Xiao leading the way.

In truth, Xiao had rarely ever been alone with Edrick. They mostly interacted together in public, and during the time in Paradiso, Shu had been here as well... All three of them busy rearranging Sugar’s insides…

Thinking about it, the trip had been quite the bizarre experience. For some reason, the noble scion’s idea of bonding together was for everyone to get naked and have their way with the same woman at the same time.

So, as he should have expected, Edrick’s idea of having a conversation was similarly bizarre.

“We could get ourselves a nice Underwood Elf on the way back. I heard that their women were quite the lookers- Well, from what I know, pretty much all elven species have gorgeous females. I really should look into that... They are also a somewhat compatible species with humans… Half-elves tend to be rather viable” he said after a few minutes of walking through the woods.

“Huh… Not that I disagree on the fact that elves tend to be beautiful or anything… But aren’t Underwood Elves… Like, you know? Not a sapient species or something?” Xiao could already feel the stress creeping up from having to engage Anoteros in discussion.

“I don’t believe in that notion. They are humanoid, they have villages, and they can cultivate--That sounds like the activities of an intelligent species to me. Besides, even if they are as you say, what’s the problem?”

“Huh?”

Xiao stopped and turned to Edrick, finding the young noble’s purple gaze looking perfectly serious.

‘Dear lord, he isn’t messing with me right now?’ Xiao cleared his throat.

“W-Well, that would basically be the same as mating with any random beast or monster. Sure, the Underwood Elves are humanoid, but…”

“And where is the problem about mating with any random beast or monster? If someone wants to do that, they have every right to do so. Also, I heard that doing exactly that is a rather common practice for certain beastfolk or monsterfolk tribes. It is all about ‘getting closer’ to the bestial ancestors, or something like that”

Hearing Edrick’s reply, Xiao raised his index finger and wanted to say something in rebuttal, but gave up before doing so.

‘I should just say something to show agreement, but not too much. I wouldn't want anyone to think that I am into that sort of activity…’

“I suppose it is fine as long as the beast or monster is intelligent”

‘Yeah, that’s a good answer’

“Intelligent or not, as long as I find something attractive, I’ll go for it regardless. If my instincts are telling me to stick it somewhere, then I’ll trust them”

Edrick chuckled a bit there. Whether it was because he was messing around or because he thought of something funny, Xiao did not wish to know, lest he prompted Anoteros to tell a story that would scar his psyche for the years to come.

‘Don’t you have four wives and several ‘maids’ all over your residence? What sort of infernal libido could push a man to such depths?!’

‘Master Chengzhe, you are an expert in that domain. Could you lend me a hand?’ he spoke to the emerald spectre in his mind, and soon enough, the ghost popped out of the emerald pendant, both hands raised in the air.

“Sorry, my dear disciple, but I have to bow. This youth has me beaten in terms of lust and depravity. Even I struggle with non-humanoids, and I never even considered the ones that weren’t on the same level of intelligence as me” the ancient man shook his head as he spoke.

“I thought that I had met my match with that Edrick, but it seems like I was no rival to him to begin with…” he crossed his arms with a smile, wiping away a nonexistent tear “...I am so proud of the younger generation!”

‘...’

“Don’t look at me like that, Xiao. Sometimes, even your great master cannot compete- But hey, why don’t you ask him if he practises a dual cultivation technique? I have heard of people going to such lengths in the past, but rather than being genuinely because they were into that sort of stuff, it was because of the techniques they practised. They were apparently so good that their users didn’t hesitate to step over their boundaries to gain power”

‘Oh, that would make more sense indeed. Still awful to think about, but at least sensical’

“Hey Edrick, are you perhaps a dual cultivator?” asked Xiao.

“I guess you could say that”

The vague answer unnerved the crimson-eyed youth. Was it an actual confirmation, or was he just saying that because he understood what the question was really about?

“Mmh…” the translucent elder stroked his beard in thought.

They continued to walk for several days, having to stop and rest often as the forest ground became more and more overgrown and bumpy. There were no roads in this realm. One could only cut through the wilderness to get anywhere. At least the ground had been mostly flat previously, and the forests tended to be rather spacious, allowing one to traverse them without much problem.

But the deeper they went, the less this was true.

Xiao had to use his sword to cut through the vegetation on many occasions, and the sound of that got them into trouble with Earth-Carrying Boars several times... Though the other beasts, hearing the unfamiliar sounds, kept their distance instead.

So they ate boar flesh in droves.

They had to make a detour at some point, as they ran into a suspicious area that was free of vegetation, where the grass was crushed flat on the ground. The bumps in the soil appeared to have also been flattened.

Although they didn’t see the dangers themselves, both Xiao and Edrick agreed to make a detour as this was a sign that at least one Paraceratherium Magus had been in the area. Those mighty beasts--Which were capable of ravaging them both--Lived in small herds most of the time, so getting anywhere close to them was an incredibly stupid idea.

Though they weren’t aggressive on sight. Even if one spotted them moving about, as long as they were making a detour out of where it was staying, then all would be alright.

In truth, Edrick was personally more worried about Laughing Foxes. They might not have the means to easily wipe him out like a Paraceratherium Magus did, but these foxes were creatures with a genuine appreciation for killing.

In his eyes, that made them far more dangerous compared to powerful but predictable beings.

A mere human could intimidate an elephant, but that only worked because the elephant was not a killer who enjoyed crushing people.

To scare off a Laughing Fox, one would need to somehow demonstrate that they were above it in terms of murderous attitude, and even then, that might merely intrigue it.

Fortunately, they did not run into any significant obstacle, eventually arriving at a mountain range.

Traversing it would mean stepping into regions that only a handful of people had ever had the occasion to witness…