Chapter 239: Soul maidens in Twigs Blue Crossing!

"Etania! Oh my God, Etania, is that really you?!" Tessi’s voice bounced directly inside her head, practically sobbing with relief. "You’re alive! The others are they_"

"We’re alive! All of us!" Etania beamed, a huge wave of joy washing over her. "Listen, the plane_ it completely crashed but somehow, by some absolute miracle, we made it out!"

"Thank the heavens," Tessi breathed, letting out a long, shuddering sigh. But then her tone shifted abruptly, dropping the mushy reunion vibe and switching straight to frantic panic. "Okay, joy later. Where on earth are you guys right now?"

Etania paused, squinting at a wooden sign nearby that looked like it had been chewed on by a goat. "Uh, we are in the Wild lands. We just stumbled into some trading town that seems to be having it rough. It says, ’Twigs Blue Crossing.’"

"Twigs Blue Crossing?" Tessi practically squeaked. "Listen to me very carefully, Etania. Do NOT move! Do not walk away from there, do not wander off to buy snacks, do not take three steps to the left! Stay right where you are!"

"Wait, why?" Etania frowned, feeling a little insulted. "Are you coming here?"

"No! It’s the Divine Maiden! She’s already deep inside the Wild Lands jungle looking for you!"

Etania’s heart stopped. She almost forgot how to breathe. "What?! The Divine Maiden? Wait, Trinity is out here hunting for us?!"

"No, you silly girl, not Trinity!" Tessi yelled through the soul link, so loud Etania’s ear throbbed. "Trinity is a fake! Zyra Scorpion is the true Divine Maiden! She’s the one out there searching for you! And by the way, she happens to be the true owner of that luxurious Paradise sanctuary you guys were heading to!"

Etania’s jaw practically hit the dusty ground. "Zyra_ Scorpion? The Soul maiden who didn’t awaken?!"

"Yes, her. So I am telling you, stay put! Don’t move an inch!" Tessi emphasized, sounding like a desperate mother nagging a toddler.

Etania glanced back at the exhausted maidens, then down at her own dusty boots. "Yeah, okay, we’ll wait. Honestly, Tessi, it’s not like we have a VIP plane waiting for us anyway. We’re broke and tired."

"Good. Keep your messaging link open no matter how draining it is. I’ll keep checking on you. Please don’t die!" And with a sudden pop, Tessi cut the connection.

Thousands of miles away, the moment the link severed, Tessi didn’t waste a single second. She reached for her link band and dialed Zyra’s frequency.

"Zyra! I got through!" Tessi shouted the second the line connected. "I spoke to Etania! She and the maidens are safe, and they’re in a place called Twigs Blue Crossing, here in the Wild lands!"

Zyra let out a breath she felt like she’d been holding for days. A bright, dazzling smile broke across her face. "Twigs Blue Crossing? Excellent! That narrows down this huge green nightmare of a forest."

Tessi’s voice squeaked with desperation. "Please, Zyra, hurry! Tessi sounded so exhausted. They are all alone and they’re completely helpless!"

"We’re on it!" Zyra turned on her heel and snapped her fingers. "Beauty! Scan the area! Look for any towns, settlements, or even a clump of suspicious huts nearby!"

Beauty nodded, her glowing eyes narrowing as she activated her long-range scan. A red light swept across the canopy of the Wild Lands.

A second later, Beauty blinked. [Found it. There’s a town or what looks like the remains of a town. It’s just fifteen meters away from our current location.]

Zyra stared at Beauty, then slowly looked up at a clump of bushes just a few paces to their left. "_Fifteen meters? As in_ right over that big hill?"

[Yes host] Beauty said, entirely deadpan. [If you had walked for 2 more hours seconds instead of dramatic talking, we would be standing in the town square already.]

Ignoring the tone of the system, Zyra relayed this to Hunter, releasing Drake from the beast pocket.

Hunter rubbed his temples, letting out a heavy groan. "Unbelievable. Let us not waste any more time."

"Right!" Zyra laughed off the awkwardness as she jumped onto the back of the duck.

Hunter did the same with Tyrant. With a fierce roar that shook the trees, the beasts flapped their powerful wings, soaring straight over the treetops to claim their long-lost maidens!

*****

Etania and the maidens did not stay right where they were. They marched into the town, trying their best to look like the brave, majestic Soul maidens that they were. However, as soon as they crossed the border into Twigs Blue Crossing, the entire settlement fell dead silent.

People paused in their tracks. A butcher holding a meat cleaver froze mid-chop. An old woman holding a basket of soggy buns stared open-mouthed.

It wasn’t just because they were total strangers. It was the glowing, intricate marks shimmering on their faces_ the unmistakable, undeniable sign of Soul Maidens.

"Great heavens," someone whispered from a doorway. "Are those real Soul maidens?"

Before the murmurs could turn into a full-blown crowd, a tall, middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard and a sharp blue robe stepped forward. He held out his hands in a welcoming gesture, though his eyes twitched slightly as he took in their dusty, bedraggled appearance.

"Greetings, travelers. I am Lucian, one of the town administrators," he announced, bowing politely. "Welcome to Twigs Blue Crossing."

Etania stepped in front of the group, returning the bow with as much grace as her aching knees could muster. "Greetings, Mr. Lucian. I am Etania. We are in desperate need of a temporary refuge."

Lucian looked them up and down. Their clothes were torn, their hair was filled with twigs, and black mud smudged their cheeks. They looked less like revered soul maidens and more like they had just been thrown through a mountain.

"A refuge?" Lucian asked, tilting his head with deep curiosity. "Forgive my bluntness, Miss Etania, but did you ladies get lost in a mud slide?"

"Worse," Etania sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Our plane crashed a few miles from here"

Lucian blinked. "A plane?" So young Cain was not mistaken! He thought to himself, Zoo and the hunting team were not back yet but they soon would be. To think the people on the plane had come to them directly, and they were all Soul maidens! What a wonder!

Before Etania could explain the harrowing physics of a crashing plane, a sound interrupted their conversation.

Lucian instantly reached for the sword at his waist. "What was that sound?" Anything that was not a human voice, was considered dangerous in this situation.

"Uhm," a tiny voice squeaked from behind Etania.

Everyone slowly turned to look at Little Mai. The small girl was clutching her tummy, which gave off another growl that put local wildlife to shame. She flushed bright red, burying her face in Etania’s skirt.

"Sorry," Little Mai whimpered softly. "My belly is complaining too loud."

The adults chuckled. Etania gave Lucian an awkward, apologetic smile. "As you can see sir, we’ve been walking for a very long time, and we are starving. If you have any food, we would be eternally grateful, and we will pay for it."