Chapter Thirteen: Home

Following the lady’s advice, the news of Lord Ordos’s death was concealed to maintain stability in the estate and the town.

Zohan did not return to the camp at the foot of the mountain; instead, he stayed at the manor. Lady Ordos also arranged for people to gather many river clams for his magical experiments.

Regarding the magic experiments, Lady Ordos did not inquire further and continued to display a certain “cleverness.”

Observing her series of behaviors, Zohan felt a slight sense of reflection.

Women always manage to blend labels such as “cunning, shrewd, cautious, foolish, shortsighted, crafty, and stubborn” into one, and Lady Ordos was a typical example.

At the same time, she was rational to the point of ruthlessness. The moment Lord Ordos died, she likely weighed the pros and cons and knew exactly what to do next.

But what kind of person she was didn’t matter much to Zohan.

As long as she cooperated and provided what he needed while he stayed in Red Hazel Town waiting for news of his teacher, that was enough.

He would offer her some help, but after that, he would quietly leave without any lingering attachment, responsibility, or unnecessary care.

His chief concern was Yeye.

Yeye’s full name was “Yemengjade,” and she resembled his teacher quite closely. That alone made him deeply attentive to her.

He somewhat suspected that Yeye’s mother, as a mage, had a natural reverence for his teacher. Perhaps, in honor of the great mage who had helped establish the new dynasty alongside the founding father of the Sakura Orchid Empire, she gave her daughter that name.

Before the teacher and her companions built the empire, she was already a world-renowned great mage, having left countless vivid chapters in history.

“Yeye—”

Zohan entered Sylad’s room and crouched beside the cabinet opposite the bed, calling softly.

Yeye had been hiding inside all along; without Zohan’s voice, no one in the Ordos manor could have found her.

The cabinet door opened just a crack, and Zohan saw Yeye’s bright, shining eyes.

She was still curled up inside but reached out two pale, delicate fingers to push the door wider, looking at Zohan obediently and quietly.

Zohan felt as if his heart was melting. Yeye was like a newborn little creature, fluffy and soft, irresistibly endearing.

She clearly was comfortable hiding in the cabinet.

“It’s so cozy here, not cold at all,” Yeye said, resting one hand beneath her cheek while the other retracted. She fixed her gaze on the plate in Zohan’s hand.

He had brought her food—a piece of fully cooked roast meat, carefully cut into small pieces.

Yeye would eat by spearing the pieces with the skewer Zohan provided.

“Eat up,” Zohan smiled.

Only then did Yeye sit up straight, holding the plate and eating without haste or greed, still possessing a pure and graceful beauty.

While she ate, Zohan sat at the desk, recalling the schematic map of the underground tomb passage Yeye had drawn that day.

After a while, he sketched it out and showed it to Yeye.

Yeye ate slowly; only meat juices and sauce remained on the plate. She stuck out her small pink tongue, licking the center of the plate, then looked at Zohan with a shy expression.

Zohan smiled slightly and wiped her nose, causing her to close her eyes comfortably and obediently.

“Look, is this the place where your mother is?” Zohan asked, showing Yeye the map.

Yeye tilted her head, studied it for a while, then clumsily made a few strokes on the paper. Soon, she seemed to grasp some drawing skills and began to add to the outer edges of Zohan’s sketch.

Zohan was astonished.

According to Yeye’s description, she had grown up in such an environment and presumably never touched writing before, yet she quickly mastered the ability to draw.

Though still lacking technique and aesthetic sense, she could accurately depict and clearly convey the information she intended!

Yeye concentrated on her drawing, filling an entire sheet of paper nearly half a meter in length and width in no time.

Only then did Zohan realize that the schematic map she had drawn in the snow with her foot that day represented just a core section. Compared to the entire underground structure of the tomb, it was merely the tip of the iceberg!

“Wait… it’s not finished yet? There are many ripples here—is that an underground river? This area leads to a much larger space?” Zohan gasped, watching Yeye stop after filling the entire paper, clearly leaving room for further extension.

Yeye nodded, handed the pen and paper back to Zohan, then resumed holding the plate, sticking out her little tongue to lick the mingled meat juice and sauce that had spilled due to the plate’s tilt.

“I’ll get you a bigger piece of meat later,” Zohan comforted her, his eyes fixed on the drawing.

This scale was nothing short of a miracle.

If built by relying on individual wealth and power, that person would be richer than a kingdom—a figure of legend.

If it were a royal tomb, it would belong to an emperor who had expanded territories, left epic military achievements, or diligently strengthened the nation’s power to its peak.

Neither of these kinds of people would be obscure, and there would be many records; with sufficient historical data, a likely candidate could be found.

But could Yeye’s mother be the tomb’s owner? Or was she merely a sacrificial or accompanying burial?

If she were the tomb’s owner, it would be easier to identify her.

Even on Roland Continent, renowned female mages like Teacher Yemengjade were far fewer than males.

“Give me another sheet of paper; this should be enough to finish,” Yeye said, pursing her lips and showing a slight longing for a bigger piece of meat. She gestured with her hand and looked at Zohan expectantly. “Are you coming home with me?”

Home?

Zohan looked at Yeye, who seemed to lack a sense of morality yet was innocent and naive, and suddenly realized they were doing the same thing.

She called that tomb “home.”

To ordinary people, how could such a place be called home?

Dark and sunless, cold and black; once you left, you would never want to return.

Even if Yeye was used to the environment, she probably didn’t like it much.

But it was still her home.

Because her mother was still there, she only wanted to get the blood pig and then return home to resurrect her mother.

Where was Zohan’s home?

Of course, it was on Ye Lantis Island.

Over the years, he had grown accustomed to life there.

Most importantly, it was where he lived with Teacher Yemengjade.

Now, even if he returned, he would be living alone there. Could it still be called home?

Therefore, no matter what, he had to find the teacher.

Perhaps his travels across the Roland Continent were simply the way back home.

He patted Yeye’s head and smiled, “Yes, I’ll take you home.”