Chapter 3929: Pointed Further

The woman gently rubbed her daughter’s head, but she struggled to answer. Because even she had forgotten. Forgotten that cloth could naturally possess such a pure color. The bark fibers they wove always carried dull brown shades.

Even the spider silk from the beasts in the forest varied between gray and pale silver. Beast hides remained black, brown or dark red. Nothing inside the Mad Demon Depths resembled the spotless white cotton before them.

Another child quietly spoke. "It looks like a cloud."

Several adults smiled softly upon hearing that comparison.

’Clouds.’ Many of the children had never seen them.

Their understanding came entirely from stories told by older generations. To them clouds represented little more than imagination. One older woman finally stepped forward and she hesitated before speaking.

"My lord..." She unconsciously became respectful to Lin Mu.

Lin Mu looked toward her.

"May..." She lowered her gaze. "May I touch it?"

Lin Mu immediately extended the bolt toward her. "Go ahead."

The woman approached carefully, and almost reverently her weathered fingers slowly rested upon the fabric. The instant they made contact she froze. She gently rubbed the surface a few times and her breathing gradually became uneven.

The cloth felt unimaginably soft, smooth, light and utterly comfortable.

Even after four centuries, her hands immediately remembered. The sensation carried her back through time. Back before imprisonment, back before endless forests and crude beast hides and back when wearing ordinary robes never seemed worthy of appreciation.

A tear slowly rolled down her wrinkled cheek.

"To think..." She whispered. "...I’d feel this again after four centuries."

Nobody laughed as several older prisoners quietly lowered their heads. They understood exactly how she felt. Countless comforts once taken completely for granted had become priceless treasures inside these caverns.

Lin Mu waited patiently until the woman reluctantly withdrew her hand.

He then looked toward the broad shouldered hunter. "Will this serve as payment?"

The hunter barely needed a moment.

"It will." His answer came immediately.

Several others nodded enthusiastically.

"This is more than enough."

"We accept."

Lin Mu actually looked somewhat surprised. He had expected negotiations but instead the prisoners accepted almost instantly. The bolt passed into the settlement as several women immediately gathered around it.

One carefully estimated its length. "We can make clothes for five people."

Another gently shook her head. "No. That would waste it."

The others looked toward her.

She thoughtfully continued. "We should cut it into long strips and wrap our arms, legs and necks."

Several hunters immediately understood and their eyes brightened.

"You’re right. The insects."

Another hunter picked up the cloth and gently stretched it.

"It’ll stop most stings and the blood gnats won’t pierce this."

"The flesh mosquitoes won’t either." A short man with a lot of bite marks on his skin added.

One elderly woman added, "We’ll still wear our beast hides, so this can go underneath. The hides protect against claws and the cloth protects against insects."

Another nodded enthusiastically. "And cuts. I doubt stone blades would slice through this easily."

The conversation quickly shifted toward planning.

How much each person required, how best to divide it and who needed protection most. The transaction had already concluded in everyone’s mind. The broad shouldered hunter turned back toward Lin Mu.

"We have a deal. What information do you seek?"

Lin Mu immediately reached into his storage ring once more and this time the familiar scroll appeared. He carefully opened it before the gathered prisoners. The crest depicting the faceted gemstone and curved horns became visible once again.

"I wish to know whether any of you recognize this." His finger pointed toward the emblem.

"Or perhaps..." He specifically indicated the curved horns. "...an effigy carrying horns shaped like these."

The prisoners immediately leaned closer.

And unlike the previous settlement many here possessed greater experience interacting with neighboring communities. Several hunters immediately began discussing among themselves.

"I’ve seen horns before."

"The Split Fang settlement?"

"No."

"Their skull curves backward."

"What about the Stone Jaw people?"

"Their horns are thicker."

"The Red Marsh tribe?"

"They don’t even worship horned skulls."

One after another different settlements received mention and every group apparently possessed its own distinctive effigy with each skull carrying unique features. The discussions continued for several minutes.

Every suggestion eventually received rejection while Lin Mu quietly listened.

Although no answer had emerged yet the conversation itself already confirmed something important. The horned skull truly existed somewhere and it simply remained difficult to identify.

Just as another hunter prepared to suggest a different settlement a small voice suddenly interrupted.

"I’ve seen it." The clearing instantly became quiet as everyone turned.

Standing near one of the huts remained a young boy. He was perhaps eleven years old and he held a bundle of gathered firewood against his chest.

The child nervously pointed toward the scroll. "The horns. I’ve seen them."

Lin Mu immediately crouched slightly so his eyes rested level with the child. "Where?"

The boy thought carefully.

"About..." He counted upon his fingers. "...half a nail ago."

Several adults nodded and that placed the event roughly three months earlier.

"There was a hunting party and they came through the river. They traded dried meat with us in exchange for some Diza Herb." The child narrated.

"I remember..." The child narrowed his eyes while recalling the details. "One of them had a tattoo."

He pointed toward the curved horns once again. "It looked like that. The horns curled the same way."

"My mother told me not to stare. So..." He scratched his head. "I only remember the horns."

The adults looked toward one another and one woman suddenly nodded.

"I remember them too, the boy’s right. They passed through during the last exchange."

Another hunter frowned thoughtfully. "They came from farther east, I never asked which settlement. But one of them definitely carried a horned tattoo."

Lin Mu slowly rolled the scroll back together.

And for the first time since entering the Mad Demon Depths he felt genuine certainty that this wasn’t coincidence. The trail had grown clearer as one settlement had pointed him toward the forest.

And this settlement had confirmed the existence of people bearing the very horns depicted upon the crest. Someone inside this subterranean world knew its meaning. Lin Mu felt completely certain that he was finally walking the correct path.