CHAPTER 201: CHAPTER 185: TRIBAL SECRETS_4

She was only awakened at dawn by the crows gleefully feasting on the corpses of her tribespeople.

The noise of her waking startled the crows, and they scattered.

They perched on nearby branches, eyeing the person who should have died.

Their scrutinizing gazes were unbearable, and she fled back to the tribe like a madwoman.

She had survived, but her presence only reminded the others of their kin who had not. She had escaped death, but her cowardly behavior would inevitably be condemned.

She apologized to the families of the deceased, seeking forgiveness, but was met only with scorn and disdain. The relatives cursed at her and threw stones.

Eventually, the people of the tribe drove her out, into exile...

She became an outcast—unwelcome, unsung.

Alone, she wandered the wilderness. The guilt and shame grew stronger over time, threatening to drive her mad.

She set out for the Empire, determined to seek revenge on those soldiers.

On her journey, she challenged wild beasts and attacked the Slave Catchers prowling the mountain boundaries. Having completely lost her reason, she sought only death.

She longed for a second chance to prove her bravery, but even death seemed to reject her cowardice.

"Adrift in a foreign land, alone and desolate, endless shame..."

At that moment, Boudica sat collapsed on the bed, hugging herself tightly, her legs unconsciously curled up. Her whole body trembled slightly; that inescapable cold forever trapped her in that moment.

Lance could tell she was lonely. A façade of fearlessness masked her true state, making her appear careless and indifferent to everything. But a disguise is always just a disguise. Its emptiness and solitude were eroding her mind.

Finally, Lance stood up from the floor, sat on the bed, and gently held her, consoling her, "It’s okay. It’s all in the past now."

Warmth. An inexplicable warmth appeared amidst that bone-chilling cold, enveloping her. Even the touch of his skin against hers felt somewhat hot. She thought she could hear his heart throb, the blood coursing through his veins. The tension in her muscles began to ease, and the screams and scenes of bloodshed echoing in her mind started to dissolve. At the same time, her façade crumbled.

"WAH!"

A loud cry, followed by unrestrained tears, spilled forth like a broken dam. In that moment, the vulnerability appropriate for her age was finally revealed.

"Cry. It’ll feel better to let it out."

Lance himself had experienced the carnage of battle. Such a scene was an immense burden for anyone, let alone a one-sided massacre—a pressure few could withstand.

Boudica couldn’t remember the last time she had cried. But that outpouring of emotion cleared her mind. Instinctively seeking support, she reached back and hugged Lance, crying so deeply that she unconsciously squeezed him tight.

Luckily, his constitution was strong. Any ordinary person’s ribs might have been crushed by her embrace. Even so, her grip left him somewhat breathless.

Lance couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer strength of these people who grew up consuming the Flesh of Extraordinary beings!

Spiritual Essence indeed has a subtle, pervasive influence on the human body.

If consuming the Flesh of Extraordinary beings could enhance one’s abilities, then human Transcendents would also count as such. Wouldn’t that mean... Wasn’t this precisely the behavior of the Ascension Sect, that evil cult? So, it was indeed feasible. In their eyes, wouldn’t his bloodline of high inspiration be as coveted as the flesh of the Tang Monk?

At this thought, Lance furrowed his brows. He was certain that if he could think of it, many others had too. It was obvious that the Old Ancestor had already begun to act on it.

Lance wondered whether those children of high inspiration taken away by the Church were truly destroyed, or if...

His mind was in a whirl. He had intended to comfort Boudica and ease her burden, yet somehow he had ended up adding to his own.

As time passed, Boudica gradually calmed. The pressure eased with her tears, and she no longer wore that earlier expression of deep-seated bitterness. Yet Lance could see that she still hadn’t forgiven herself.

"Don’t take it too hard. Everyone makes mistakes; regrets are a fundamental part of life. That’s precisely why you need to keep moving forward—to achieve, to make up for those regrets," Lance said, gently pulling away from her.

In a deep voice, he continued, "At least you’ve taken the first step now: daring to face your past. And I will fulfill my promise to you. Your enemies will be more formidable than you can imagine. Are you willing to face them with me and conquer them?"

With that, he extended his hand to her.

"I’m willing!"

Boudica grabbed his hand without hesitation, feeling its warmth. The bone-chilling cold no longer seemed so terrifying.

With Lance there, she had someone to rely on. She knew she was no longer alone.