Chapter 1429 - Vivian’s Place of Hibernation (2/2)

“Smell… I smell something.” Lily pointed at the valley. “It wafted out from that place.”

“Let’s check it out! Maybe that’s the place we’re looking for.”

Lily’s sense of smell did not let him down. They had found a clue. Hao Ren moved in the direction that Lily pointed to and saw a recessed entrance in the valley wall; the scent was leaking out from there.

Hao Ren looked around and found that the hollowed space in front was a naturally-formed cave. It was inconspicuous. Not only was it hidden under the huge rocks, but it was also covered by the mountain wall’s shadow. Had it not been for Lily, Hao Ren would have needed to scale the entire mountain before he could find the hole.

He stood at the entrance and took a peek inside. The cave was dark, and a faint stream of air blew out from the inside. It was a little colder than the snow and ice on the outside, and Hao Ren could not help but shiver.

“Is your friend sleeping in this place?” Lily asked as she poked her head inside. “Whoa, this place is hell. Why didn’t she find a better place? Even the kennels in our village are better than this.”

“She’s been in a tough situation all this while.” It was also the first time Hao Ren had come to see Vivian’s place of hibernation. He was just as curious as the husky was, so he entered the cave. Lily hesitated for three seconds before her curiosity overcame her nervousness, and she tailed Hao Ren.

The front section of the cave was extremely narrow. Hao Ren had to squeeze himself through. But after those initial few meters of tight passage, the cave opened up before him. It eventually became a cave of over 10 m across. But that was it; they came to a dead end.

Hao Ren blinked, and his eyes quickly adapted to the dark. The cave was spacious, and the ground was flat, but he could not see any traces of excavation. There were icicles, which had taken many years to form, hanging from the roof. The incoming snowflakes had coated the front half of the cave with slippery ice. Other than that, there was no other way in or out. It was all clear at a glance.

“Hello, is anybody here?”

Lily called out while Hao Ren carefully observed their surroundings. The savage husky continued, “Wake up! Wake up! Your friend is here! Don’t sleep anymore. Oh, by the way, what is your friend’s name, Hao Ren?”

Hao Ren was startled by the sudden noise that the husky created. He quickly signaled at Lily with his hand. “Her name is Vivian. Please stop calling her. The ‘sleep’ that I mean isn’t the kind that you understand. You won’t be able to wake her up this way!”

“Oh, then how did she sleep?” Lily asked as she snuffled. “Where is she sleeping? I’ve clearly detected her scent, but I can’t find her.”

“Perhaps this is the way she keeps herself from being disturbed.” Hao Ren frowned while he looked around. His mind was working quickly.

It seemed that Vivian was still not awake. Nevertheless, Lily had been able to smell her scent. This only meant one thing: the seal on the place had begun to lose its effectiveness. Perhaps Vivian’s hibernation was coming to an end. He had two options; either find Vivian and wake her up or sit and wait for Vivian to rise from her hibernation naturally. The second option may have sounded like a more straightforward method, but it was not a good idea. He had no clue how long Vivian was going to sleep. Vivian waking up “soon” could take a few years relative to her half-a-century-long hibernation.

Suddenly, something strange in the corner of the cave attracted Hao Ren’s eyes.

It was a dark red mark.

“What is that?” Lily had also noticed the imprints.

“Letta runes, symbols with magic.” Hao Ren was completely convinced this time that he was truly looking at Vivian’s seal. He even recognized the handwriting and became excited. “She left this behind… She left this behind!”

“Magic? Cool!” Lily exclaimed. “What are these symbols for?”

“If I’m not wrong, Vivian’s using these symbols to protect herself during her hibernation. It might be a fool-proof seal from the Countess of the Crimson Moon, but I can crack it with a snap of my fingers.”

Hao Ren’s immunity to magic was a perfect antidote to Vivian’s blood magic.

He then placed his hand directly on the blood runes, which contained powerful magic.