Thinking of the scene encountered during the day, Gregory Lawrence couldn’t help but shiver, "Could all those mutant beast corpses have been the work of the guilds?"

Before the breeding season arrived, both major guilds would hold a hunting event to store food.

Arnold Simmons shook his head, "No, those corpses were obviously created by tearing and biting, it must have been a fight among their own kind."

Gregory Lawrence inhaled sharply, "Even their own kind aren’t spared, if we encounter them..."

He didn’t dare to imagine.

Hannah finished the thought for him, "It would eat you up in one bite."

Gregory Lawrence: "..."

He looked at Arnold Simmons beside him, "Why does she always scare me?"

With a tilted posture, Hannah blocked Gregory Lawrence’s line of sight to Arnold Simmons and answered for him: "Of course, because you are timid."

Her eyes and brows curved, smiling happily.

She was clearly teasing Gregory Lawrence on purpose.

Gregory Lawrence felt wronged.

Arnold Simmons stretched out his hand to gently rub Hannah’s head and softly said, "Although mutant beasts become abnormally aggressive during the breeding season, their nature is still that of a beast; their inherent weaknesses remain, so there’s no need to worry too much, unless we encounter a large number of mutant beasts."

Gregory Lawrence was curious, "How large a number?"

This time, it was Hannah who answered Gregory Lawrence, "Mutant beasts are mostly social animals, with territories typically comprising groups of sixty to eighty."

Normally, mutant beasts tended to roam in groups of three to five, perhaps ten at most.

But during the breeding season, they became extremely irritable and sensitive; accidentally stepping into their territory would cause them to swarm out.

Gregory Lawrence had some understanding of these matters beforehand.

But understanding was one thing, and experiencing it firsthand was quite another.

Now, he just hoped that they’d be lucky enough to avoid the territories of mutant beasts on their journey.

He wanted to see what truly lay at the heart of the Blackwood Forest.

Some said there lived a Jiao close to transforming into a dragon, but whether that was true remained to be seen.

*

The night passed without incident.

The Blackwood Forest in the early morning was unusually serene, the lush tree leaves blocking the glaring sunlight, only allowing shafts of creamy light through the gaps.

The campfire from the previous night had died, leaving only a few charred logs still emitting the occasional spark; gusts of wind carried wisps of white smoke.

Gregory Lawrence, who had been on watch for the latter half of the night, was now sleeping soundly, hugging Gold Lotus in his embrace.

Big White hadn’t slept, probably due to its nature; its vigilance was high.

They hadn’t brought tents, only laying several waterproof cloths on the ground.

Arnold Simmons was the first to wake up.

The first thing he saw upon awakening was Hannah sleeping beside him.

She was just lying in the sunlight, her body faintly haloed with light, like a cat napping in the glow, her eyelashes trembling, casting delicate fractured light.

The next second, she opened her eyes.

There was still a trace of sleepiness in her eyes, a slight layer that quickly cleared up, "What time is it now?"

Hannah’s alertness was always high when not on Blue Star.

Arnold Simmons said, "Just past six."

The day’s weather was good, no clouds, no rain, and the Blackwood Forest was peaceful.

Hannah got up to wash up.

Arnold Simmons, not wanting her to go alone, followed her, and on the way out, he woke Gregory Lawrence.

Blearily waking up, Gregory Lawrence sat dumbly on the ground, Gold Lotus next to him looking just as dazed.

Their gazes were vacant.

After a quick tidy up, they continued on their way.

Today was their second day in the Blackwood Forest.