yready Chapter 440 - 404: Membership Selection (4)
Chapter 440 - 404: Membership Selection (4)
The two men from Southeland seemed to be sizing them up but didn’t make a move.
Aside from Aurora Sinclair, both Alvin Morgan and the woman from Esteros raised their weapons.
Fortunately, the men from Southeland didn’t attack in the end. They just picked up their loot and walked away.
Once the two had left, the tense atmosphere finally eased a little.
The woman from Esteros seemed to let out a sigh of relief, sheathing her dual blades and walking over to the man from the Western Continent.
"You’re coming with me."
Following that, the Amerian man and the man from the Western Continent seemed to tacitly agree to form a group with the woman from Esteros, and followed her in a different direction.
Aurora Sinclair was a bit confused. After they had all left, she asked Alvin Morgan, "Why didn’t she come with us?"
"Because she knows her own limits."
"Hm?"
"In a place this desolate, it’s safer to stick with two people of similar strength than to rely on someone much stronger."
"Why?"
"To avoid becoming cannon fodder, just like a moment ago."
"..."
***
Because they had Ditto, the two of them didn’t immediately start looking for a way out. Instead, they found a relatively safe place to set up camp and rest.
The nights on the Continent of Southeland were bone-chilling.
Alvin Morgan seized the opportunity to share a blanket with Aurora Sinclair, holding her close for warmth.
"Morgan, I’m not that cold." The tips of Aurora’s ears turned slightly red, her heart beating a little fast.
But Alvin Morgan nuzzled his head against hers and said, "I’m cold."
"You’ll be even colder like this."
"I won’t. Aurora is very warm."
"..."
Aurora looked at Alvin Morgan, who was sitting on Ditto and cradling her like a child. She poked his arm in resignation.
But he just said, "Aurora, don’t squirm right now."
Aurora’s body stiffened. Alvin Morgan’s breath on the nape of her neck tickled.
A tingly, numbing sensation spread through her chest, like tiny ants crawling over her skin.
"Marry me when we get back!" Alvin Morgan suddenly said.
Aurora froze, looking up at him.
Alvin Morgan’s eyes were shining, filled with a familiar fervor.
Flustered, Aurora watched as he slowly lowered his head, kissing her eyes, her nose, her lips...
His kisses were light, tinged with restraint.
"Aurora, I’m sorry. I’m being selfish. I know I can’t spend a lifetime with you—that in the future, you’ll have to face the pain of my death—but I truly want to be with you, even if it’s just for a fleeting hundred years..."
On The Holy Mountain, Alaric Winslow had told him that Martial Artists defy the very heavens, living by drawing upon the Vitality of all things.
The greater their strength, the longer their lifespan. There was no telling how long Martial God Winslow had already lived.
’If Aurora inherits the Martial God’s legacy, she’ll likely be the same. An ordinary person like me could never stay with her forever.’
’The Great Dao is ruthless, and the years are even more so.’
’He shouldn’t have gotten entangled with her again...’
Suddenly, a pair of cool hands cupped his cheeks.
There was something new in her cool gaze.
"Morgan, I will stay with you for your whole life."
The air seemed to stand still.
At some unknown moment, a sliver of moonlight broke through the pitch-black sky.
The frosty light illuminated her features.
It felt unreal.
The cold night seemed to have grown a little warmer.
It felt as if Alvin Morgan’s heart had stopped. His eyes flew wide open.
Slowly, a smile filled his handsome, almond-shaped eyes. His long fingers caressed her face as he leaned in to kiss her again.
This time, the kiss was deep, as if he were pouring all his strength into it.
"Aurora, I will spend the rest of my life loving you..."
***
The night was long.
The cold was no longer bone-chilling.
As the sun cast its first rays, the two, still wrapped in an embrace, opened their eyes simultaneously.
"Good morning, Aurora."
Aurora’s cheeks were rosy, perhaps from the glow of the morning sun.
She reached out and pinched him. Just as she started to move, Alvin Morgan’s handsome brow furrowed. "Don’t move..."
"What’s wrong?"
"My leg’s asleep."
"..."
Aurora quickly got up and pressed the pressure points on his leg, seemingly blaming herself. "Don’t hold me next time."
To her surprise, Alvin Morgan leaned close to her ear and whispered back, "I can never hold my wife long enough."
Aurora was at a loss for words. Her fingers suddenly pressed down hard, and Alvin Morgan’s face went pale. He couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath from the pain.
"There..."
Aurora stood up, her face a blank mask, and dusted off her hands.
’That heartless little act. I wonder who she learned it from.’
Alvin Morgan shook his head in resignation.
***
After a quick bite to eat, the two began to survey the terrain.
Ditto linked up with Alvin Morgan’s watch, using a satellite to capture a crystal-clear image of the topography.
They were still in the Ertolier Mountains, but on a tundra plateau surrounded by mountains on three sides.
"The shout last night had a surround-sound effect. Based on acoustics and the geography here, he must have been standing to the northeast and shouting toward us."
Alvin Morgan pointed to a red dot on Ditto’s screen.
"But he won’t stay in one place for long."
"Right. The temperature here can drop to around negative twenty degrees at night. It’s hard to survive without protective suits or heating devices. Even a Great Martial King wouldn’t dare stay exposed to the wind for that long, so he must have gone in one of these two directions..."
Based on Alvin Morgan’s analysis, although they were the last to set out, they were the fastest to find the judge from the International Martial Alliance.
Judge Hall hadn’t expected to be found so quickly. He had just been about to hide when a powerful aura locked onto his position.
"Don’t move!"
In the next instant, a figure as swift as a ghost appeared before him.
Aurora looked at the man’s facial features in surprise. ’He’s an Amerian?’
Judge Hall stared at Aurora in alarm for a moment, his brow furrowing involuntarily.
’When did Arcadia produce such a powerful Martial Artist?’
’Why wasn’t she at the freestyle fighting tournament?’
"Have we passed this trial?"
Aurora’s voice interrupted Judge Hall’s thoughts. He nodded slightly. "Congratulations on passing the second trial. You can take your supplies."
At his feet was a large bag containing seven small packets of food.
Aurora walked over, took two small packets, and stuffed them into her own bag. "Where’s the next trial?" she asked.
Judge Hall glanced at the remaining food on the ground and suddenly said, "There won’t be any more supplies ahead."
Aurora paused, her gaze sweeping calmly over the food on the ground before she repeated, "Where is the next trial?"
Judge Hall pulled a neatly folded piece of red paper from his pocket. "Return to The Ghost Village with this red paper. That’s the next trial."
"Thanks."
Aurora gave a slight bow, shouldered her pack, and went to find Alvin Morgan.
Judge Hall watched her back as she walked away and suddenly laughed.
***
Aurora and Alvin Morgan prepared to head back.
This time, instead of climbing the mountain, they took the path Ditto had found and went around it.
The route was long, and it took them a good four or five days to circle back to The Ghost Village.
By then, smoke from cooking fires was already rising from the village.
They quickened their pace toward the village, only to find that the person inside wasn’t one of the judges, but the very man from the Western Continent who had been robbed.
He didn’t seem surprised to see them and even joked with a smile, "Looks like I came in first this time."
Aurora sized him up for a moment before asking cautiously, "What about the other two?"
The man from the Western Continent shrugged. "No idea. They thought I was a burden. Guess I got lucky—I bumped into Judge Hall by pure chance and came right back."
Aurora glanced at Alvin Morgan. A strange look flickered in both their eyes.
"Come warm yourselves by the fire! Judge Hector Lennox will be here soon."