Mira understood the theory behind Hana's explanation, but that didn't mean she could do it. Even someone like Mira, who is sensitive to others' gazes, couldn't feel the trees 'looking' at her.
She wanted to begin practicing this technique immediately but now wasn't the time.
Right now, she's in an unknown environment with a mysterious little girl who's being hunted.
Dangers lurk about everywhere in this mountain range, and if her encounters with Hana and the chimeras told Mira anything, it's that her senses aren't as reliable as she thought they were.
So, before she proceeded any further, Mira decided to have a general understanding of where she was.
With a leap, Mira flew up in the air and began scouting out the area, trying to find anything that might look familiar.
However, once Mira began looking around, she sighed.
"Sigh… I figured it'd be like this. I have literally no idea where I am or how I can get back to the Battle Maiden Sect. Luckily, I had gained quite a few Merit Points, so I shouldn't be kicked out of the Sect even if I'm gone for the next year." Mira thought out loud as she flew around to observe her surroundings.
After about 15 minutes, Mira returned next to Hana and thought about her current situation.
After understanding that she's lost, Mira's first instinct is to look for a way out of the Ancient Beast Mountain Range. If she can do that, she should be able to find a human city, and from there, it shouldn't be much of a problem for her to return to the Battle Maiden Sect.
Unfortunately, even after flying around, Mira couldn't tell which way would lead her out of the Mountain Range.
She knew that as long as she traveled West, she would eventually leave the mountain range, but it seemed her bad luck wasn't done messing with her as thick clouds blotted out the sky, preventing her from knowing which direction was west.
Fortunately, she knew that she was no more than 10,000 kilometers away from where she used the Mystic-Grade Teleportation Talisman. Although she didn't know the grade Number Two's talisman was, she figured it probably wasn't above Mystic-Grade. More than likely, it was a Heaven-Grade Talisman that could teleport him up to 5,000 kilometers.
So, Mira guessed she was at most 15,000 kilometers away from the Battle Maiden Sect. As long as she knows which way to go, she should be able to return in just a few months if she travels at full speed.
When Mira landed, she looked at Hana and asked, "Do you know where we are? Or how we can leave this mountain range?"
Hana thought for a moment before shaking her head.
"Sorry, Big Sis, I don't know where we are or how to leave."
Mira was actually quite surprised by this and grew skeptical.
If Hana didn't know the area well, then how did she end up hiding in a place with no beasts nearby? Was it just a coincidence?
This mountain range is filled with countless dangers, even for someone of Mira's strength. A little girl with no cultivation traversing a mountain where the weakest beasts start at Rank 6…
The more Mira thought about it, the more skeptical she grew.
'This girl… She's lying… but why?' Mira wondered, but she didn't call Hana out on it yet.
Although unlikely, it could be that Hana is just lucky, and her hiding skills are too good.
However, she is just a kid, and one mistake could cause her death, so Mira felt luck wasn't the only factor at play for Hana's survivability.
"Okay, then, which direction do you think we should go in? My luck is quite bad, you see, so I have a feeling that whichever direction I choose might lead us to our death!" Mira said seriously, but she wasn't lying.
Hearing the seriousness in Mira's voice, Hana felt a chill run down her spine, but just like Mira, she too felt skeptical.
'Is Mira just saying that to scare me, or is her luck really that bad? Well, regardless, it seems like we're not going to move unless I choose a direction. Although I don't know where Mira wants to go, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to help her out a bit.' Hana thought to herself before pointing in a direction.
"How about we go that way, Big Sis? I feel like we might find something interesting if we go over there!" Hana exclaimed.
Mira looked in the direction Hana pointed in and nodded. Although they'd have to walk up the mountain they're currently on, it's not all that tall, so they shouldn't come across any beasts that Mira can't handle.
"Alright, let's do as you say." Mira nodded, picked up Hana and coated her in Qi, then began running in that direction.
"AHHH! WAIT!! SLOW DOWN!!" Hana screamed in surprise, but Mira ignored her and kept running.
She had no intention of walking at Hana's speed.
***
A few days later, Mira and Hana appeared in front of a massive lake in a valley surrounded by mountains.
Just like Mira suspected, they hadn't run into anything more powerful than a Low-Stage Rank 7 beast on their way here.
During this time, Mira was also able to heal most of the injuries she sustained from her encounter with the Rank 8 chimera.
Her core was still a bit shaken, but as long as she didn't overuse her Qi, there shouldn't be any problems.
Arriving in front of the lake, Mira felt a cooling sensation run through her body, soothing her exhaustion and invigorating her. She didn't know what it was, but from this, she knew that there was something special about this lake.
She wanted to bend down and take a sip of the water as she felt it was extraordinary, but her instincts warned her of danger before she could touch it.
Mira quickly brought her hand away from the water and stared at the lake, but she didn't notice any ripples or anything that looked like it might be dangerous.
"You shouldn't do that, Big Sis! Despite how they look, Nexus Lakes are actually quite dangerous! If you aren't strong enough, attempting to drink that water is suicide!" Hana spoke up but quickly covered her mouth, realizing she had made a mistake.
"Oh? So, you do know where we are. Well, care to explain?" Mira turned around and said without a change in her expression.
Hana laughed uncomfortably and said, "Ahahaha~ Big Sis, when you asked me a few days ago if I knew where we were or how to get out of the mountains, I really didn't know. However, I never said that I didn't know how we could find out. That's why I brought us here!"
Mira's eyes narrowed, and seeing that Hana instinctively covered her butt.
She didn't want to get spanked again, after all!
"H-Hold on, Big Sis! There's no need to spank me, right? I wasn't lying, after all. You just failed to ask the right questions! If anything, this is your fault for getting-!"
*Spank!*
"Ouch! Why?!" Hana yelled in displeasure as Mira gave her another spanking.
"Enough about that. I knew you were lying-
"Wrong! I was just withholding information, not-"
*Spank!*
"-Oww!"
"As I was saying, I already knew you were lying. So, why don't you start telling me what a Nexus Lake is and why it's so important?" Mira asked.
"Ugh! Fine! A Nexus Lake is a special place in the mountain range that helps wandering beasts or travelers traverse the mountains. For example, do you see that mountain over there?" Hana pointed at one of the surrounding mountains.
Mira nodded, so Hana continued, "Do you see the arrow near the top of the mountain?"
Mira focused near the top of the mountain and noticed a large arrow pointing upwards, then nodded at Hana's question.
"That arrow is pointing North. Also, those blue flowers you see all over the mountain release a peculiar scent that lets some of the less intelligent beasts know that that direction is North." Hana briefly explained.
"How interesting. So, how did you know a Nexus Lake was here?" Mira asked.
"I came from this Nexus Lake! Before I met you, I had run across this Nexus Lake. How could I not remember where it was at?"
Mira squinted her eyes at this response as she didn't fully believe Hana, but she didn't outright deny it since this was entirely possible.
After a few seconds, Mira stopped caring whether Hana was lying or not as she began feeling uncomfortable. This was a feeling she was all too familiar with.
"Alright, it's time to go! We're heading West so we can leave this godforsaken mountain range!" Mira grabbed Hana like a sack of potatoes and began running West.
She sensed trouble coming and wanted to leave as soon as possible…
"There she is!! Everyone, head west!" A booming voice behind Mira yelled.
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