Since they were flying in a straight line toward the highest peak on the land of the Wotam Church Country, they inevitably passed through some settlements along the way.

It was just a traditional religious festival, and apart from places like the Sky Port which served as an external entrance, the Defender Knights Order wouldn't deploy people everywhere to guard it.

Most of the land was inhabited by devout believers, and the Defender Knights Order didn't need to oversee their fasting and chanting.

Those Flying Airships patrolling the skies to prevent outsiders from intruding from above were avoided smoothly by Elaphia, who was skilled in aerial combat and adept at avoiding the observation range of the Flying Airships by maintaining an appropriate altitude.

However, as they got closer to Thunder Peak, everyone noticed the Defender Knights increasing in numbers.

They were stationed in an orderly manner, like executing a military operation, and intercepting at main roads and highways, setting up checkpoints even when the roads were completely void of travelers.

Hearing Zoe's question, Li Ang turned his head to look at the capital, Divine Throne City, of the Theocracy. They were in the air, and the towering white walls could easily be seen, with the spire of the Divine Throne Cathedral in the city center clearly visible.

If not for this sight, Li Ang would have suspected they had flown in the wrong direction and were heading toward Divine Throne City.

"Lulu, do you know what's going on here?"

Xiaoniu shook his head: "I always stayed indoors before, usually not leaving Thunder Mountain Church, and never saw the Defender Knights Order moving out in formation."

Could it be that Thunder Mountain Church is actually a very large church?

Li Ang shook his head, immediately dismissing this speculation.

He didn't think Xiaoniu would be unable to distinguish between the size of churches and bustling versus remote areas.

But how else could it be explained?

"Maybe we just happened to run into the Defender Knights Order conducting some operation," Elaphia suggested.

Having often commanded and coordinated an entire Knight Order, she thought it possible they were conducting collective training or taking advantage of a gap in public conduct for certain actions, as many official organizations might do.

However, as Elaphia controlled the Flying Blade over the earth, the number of Defender Knights along the way increased, forcing her to spend more effort adjusting the flight path to avoid being seen by them.

By noon, Thunder Peak's detailed landscape was already visible from the air.

Lunch was hastily resolved; aside from the travel pouch's dry rations, everyone was also given sweet bread produced by Alulu's Ring of Bread. Since the ring produced bread based on the holder's bread-making skill, everyone was pleasantly surprised by Xiaoniu's craftsmanship.

Li Ang also looked forward to having her try her hand in the ship's kitchen once it was built.

After the meal, the group proceeded forward, arriving at the foot of Thunder Mountain.

Several mountains connected together shared a common name, but the tallest one was called Thunder Peak.

Familiar with the place, Alulu looked down from above and quickly recognized the landscapes she knew.

"Ah, that valley, I once fetched water from the stream there, and the walnut meat on the trees beside it is very tender and tasty."

The pink-haired young girl finished speaking, and Zoe immediately looked at Li Ang with anticipation.

She wasn't very familiar with Elaphia, and despite her fearless nature, it wasn't out of fear, but rather a sense of unfamiliarity she always had around her.

Li Ang said to the Blondie Douding: "Let's briefly head down there."

Elaphia looked at him and sighed softly: "You're spoiling them too much."

"Isn't it the small experiences like these that fill our memories as we explore the entire world?" Li Ang smiled. "After reaching the peak and returning to the origin, sometimes I think the joy in the process might be the true meaning of adventure."

"Filling memories with these little things?"

She controlled the Flying Blade to descend through the clouds, placing the girls on the ground, and said to Li Ang: "I fill mine by constantly honing my racial talent and engaging in professional pursuits.

"At least do something bigger, those are the memories that matter."

Just as Li Ang was about to say something to her, Zoe called out to him from not far away.

"Li Ang, come quickly! This is really good!"

"Coming."

He smiled and walked toward the young girl waving her arms, and Elaphia, seeing the scene, seemed a bit dazed.

Xiaoniu sat on a large rock by the stream, with several fresh walnuts picked up beside him.

There was a walnut tree with flourishing roots right there, growing smoothly and bearing so much fruit that they didn't need to be intentionally picked; even those falling to the ground would be too many to gather completely.

With divine power, Alulu effortlessly polished off the walnut's fruit meat using a creek stone and cracked the shell. The broken walnut was handed to the girl beside her for them to peel and taste.

She bent over, and as she moved, the large, soft bags pressed tightly together swung broadly, the deep crevice in the middle seemed to create a gravitational pull, strongly capturing attention.

A tap on the shoulder, Dorothy leaned over, smiling as she opened her palm.

She had peeled the walnut kernel, her palms and fingertips stained yellow from the leftover surface fruit meat. Li Ang thought that if she were her former self, she might have complained loudly about her dirty hands.

"Open your mouth, ah—"

The lady pinched a piece of snow-white kernel and fed it to Li Ang.

Li Ang opened his mouth to take it, but she kept extending her fingers into his mouth, which he accidentally bit lightly.

"..."

He glanced sideways at the half-elf whose vibrant face blushed deeply yet did not retreat; she stirred her finger around in his mouth, her fingertip gliding over the tongue's surface, causing an indescribable tingling.

He caught her hand and forcibly pulled it away, unable to think of anything to say, even forgetting to chew the walnut kernel.

If she wasn't reprimanded soon, it would only become more excessive.

"You'll be in for it later."

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