I'm really not a Sanctuary Warlock.

Her mind went blank.

So that's how it is...?

How could that kind and gentle old woman with such a warm smile have put poison in the soup?

She initially refused, but only because of a clear understanding of her own situation and a sense of guilt for not wanting to implicate Lynn.

But she never expected that behind that kind and benevolent face lay such sinister intentions.

"It seems that even kind-looking people harbor darkness in their hearts," Alice murmured to herself, her voice filled with disappointment and confusion.

“That’s just how the world is,” Lynn said.

"Then... what do we do now?" Alice asked softly after a long while.

“It’s obvious.” Lynn took the map out of his spatial ring again.

"Continue to the royal city."

His finger traced a straight line on the map, skipping over all the rest stops that followed.

"We can't go to any of these supply points along the way."

"From now on, we will not trust maps, we will not trust anyone, we will go by instinct."

……

The two abandoned the seemingly safe route and headed north, venturing into even more remote and desolate mountains and forests.

Without post stations and cabins, they had no choice but to live a life of hardship and exposure to the elements.

During the day, they would trek arduously along rugged mountain paths, and at night they would find a sheltered cave or rock face, light a campfire, eat some simple dry rations, and then take turns keeping watch.

These days are tough and exhausting.

But for Alice, it was a great comfort.

Because she knew that the seemingly aloof man beside her was someone she could trust and rely on.

She is also growing at an astonishing pace during this difficult journey.

She learned how to navigate in the snow, how to build a warm campfire with minimal firewood, and even how to use the small dagger Lynn gave her to process simple prey.

She spoke less and less, but her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Lynn noticed all the changes in her and was quite surprised.

That's really great.

This pampered young lady, raised in a greenhouse, actually possesses such a resilient side deep down.

That evening, as they crossed a steep ridge, the sight before them made both of them rein in their horses.

Below the mountain ridge lies a vast plain.

On the plain, countless simple and dilapidated tents were densely packed together.

Most of those tents were hastily erected using a few wooden sticks and some rags and animal hides, swaying precariously in the biting cold wind.

That was a... refugee camp.

Countless people, like ants, huddled together on this cold land.

Most of them were dressed in rags, emaciated, and had empty, numb eyes.

Some children, dressed in thin, tattered clothes, shivered in the cold wind, too weak even to cry.

Occasionally, a few weak coughs could be heard from one of the tents, but they were quickly drowned out by the howling wind.

Alice stared blankly at the scene before her, completely frozen in place.

She had never seen such barrenness and despair.

In her world, even the poorest commoners in Holy Song City at least had a roof over their heads and a bowl of hot soup to fill their stomachs.

But these people in front of me... they seem to live in hell.

She subconsciously reached for the spatial ring on her waist.

There were warm blankets, delicious jerky, and enough gold coins to buy an entire estate.

but……

Looking down at the thousands of refugees, she suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.

Her food might be enough to feed a few people.

But her gold coins couldn't buy her a single loaf of bread in this desolate land.

She wanted to help them, to stop the children from going hungry, and to stop the elderly from freezing.

But she found that she couldn't do anything about it.

"How could... how could there be such a place?" Alice's voice trembled.

Lynn's expression was also very serious. Originally, the route arranged by Marquis Laurent was not supposed to include this kind of camp.

The villages and towns along that road are generally considered to be relatively prosperous, so a refugee camp of this scale is extremely rare.

Clearly, some kind of disaster has occurred here that they are unaware of.

Perhaps it's war, perhaps it's a plague, or perhaps... both.

Alice's lips moved as she looked at Lynn, her emerald green eyes filled with pleading and struggle.

"Can't we...can't we help them?"

Linn was silent.

Looking down at the despairing land and the lives struggling on the brink of death, he felt equally distressed.

But he knew even more clearly that they couldn't stop.

There's nothing we can do about it.

"We can't save everyone."

"Our food supply is limited, and even if we distribute it all, it will be just a drop in the ocean."

Alice swayed; she knew Lynn was right.

but……

But are we just going to stand by and watch them die?

"Every day in this world, people are suffering and people are dying."

“We are not gods, Alice.”

"We cannot save everyone from suffering."

Chapter 179 A Long-Awaited Smile (Part 2)

With that, Lynn gently spurred the horse, and the Holy Spirit Unicorn strode off, rounding the heartbreaking ridge, preparing to descend from the other side.

Alice sat on horseback, the cold wind ruffling her hair and making her thin body shiver.

She knew Lynn was right.

Reason told her that they were in dire need of their own lives, and any excessive sympathy could drag them into an abyss of no return.

Their food supply is limited, and even if it were all distributed, it would be a drop in the ocean for thousands of refugees, and the unequal distribution of food could even trigger a new riot.

There's nothing she can do.

After walking a dozen meters, Lynn noticed there was no movement behind him, so he reined in his horse and looked back.

The girl's profile appeared exceptionally pale in the dim light of the day, and her eyes, which were always as clear as a fawn's, were now filled with struggle and pain.

Lynn sighed inwardly.

He knew that this was a huge shock to a noblewoman who had grown up in an ivory tower.

“Let’s go,” he urged. “We must get over this mountain before dark.”

Alice's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing.

She silently turned her horse around and followed Lynn's footsteps.

The two walked down the other side of the ridge in silence, neither of them speaking again.

The scene she had just witnessed kept replaying in Alice's mind.

Those figures huddled under tattered rags, those numb and empty eyes, and that child frozen purple in the cold wind, too weak even to cry…

Her heart ached terribly.

Just as they were about to leave the ridge completely and their view was about to be blocked by the mountain, Alice suddenly reined in her horse.

"Mr. Lynn."

Her voice trembled slightly.

Lynn stopped, turned around and looked at her, her eyes questioning.

“I…can I…go back for a bit?” Alice looked at him, her emerald green eyes filled with pleading. “I promise, it won’t take long.”

Lynn frowned.

He knew what she wanted to do.

"But it doesn't make sense."

“I know.” Alice bit her lower lip. “I know it’s pointless, I know I can’t save them… but… but if I do nothing, I…”

She couldn't continue speaking, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

She just wanted... peace of mind.

Even if it's just self-deception.

Lynn looked at her, who was on the verge of tears, and remained silent for a long time.

He thought of Anna.

That woman, even though she herself was in the abyss, was still willing to offer a bowl of milk and bread to a complete stranger like herself.

He finally nodded: "Hurry up."

Once given permission, Alice immediately dismounted and carefully took out a biscuit wrapped in oil paper from a small leather bag hanging beside the saddle.

She lifted her skirt and ran toward the edge of the refugee camp below the ridge.

Lynn didn't follow; he just sat on the unicorn's back and watched.

His spiritual power had already silently spread out, covering the area below, and no movement could escape his perception.

Alice didn't go any deeper; she only came to the outermost edge of the refugee camp.

There was a small figure sitting next to a snow-covered rock.

It was a little girl, who looked to be only five or six years old. She was only wrapped in a tattered burlap sack whose original color was no longer discernible. Her face was blue from the cold, her lips were chapped, and her big eyes stared blankly into the distance, as if she had lost her soul.

Alice slowly walked up to her and squatted down.

The little girl seemed unaware of her approach and remained motionless.

Alice's heart clenched.

She reached out and gently handed the biscuit wrapped in parchment paper to the little girl.

"Here you go." Her voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing this fragile life.

The little girl's eyes seemed to move slightly.

Her gaze slowly fell on the cookie.

A few seconds later, she slowly raised her small, withered hand and took the cookie.

She didn't say thank you.

She glanced at Alice with her empty eyes, then lowered her head, tore open the parchment paper, and slowly stuffed the cookie, which was so precious to her, into her mouth.

Seeing this, Alice finally couldn't hold back her tears, which slid down her cheeks.

She didn't linger. She stood up, turned around, and ran quickly back up the ridge.