The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne) novel Chapter 1110

Carly scribbled away with a pen on a piece of paper, and in just a few minutes, a basic map emerged from her doodles.

Vivienne was somewhat taken aback by Carly's drawing skills. To think someone from such a humble village had such talent, it seemed like fate had its favorites.

Logan, looking at the lifelike sketch on the paper, was equally surprised. In just ten minutes, Carly had managed to create something so detailed. Given more time, she could probably map out the entire Oakwood Hamlet.

Ignoring Logan's astonished look, Carly lifted the map and pointed to a fork in the road, "Just follow the village road straight until you hit the fork. Take the path less traveled, and you'll find their mechanism. Trigger it, and a new path will reveal itself."

Carly had seen those people walking on the barren, grassless land. She watched as they squatted down, and after manipulating something, a staircase rose from the ground.

Following in their footsteps, she found herself in front of a woodland. Pointing towards it, she said, "There are many paths through the woods, and you'll need to cross a rapid stream to get to the other side. The current's strong, and if you don't figure out the trick, you'll end up like me." Carly laughed helplessly, recalling her own mishap for not paying attention.

Just as Carly was about to continue, she noticed Logan's gaze on her and felt compelled to explain, "The stream's noise is loud. Even when I fell, no one noticed."

"Go on," Vivienne tapped on the table, urging her to continue.

Gathering her thoughts, Carly proceeded, "The woods are home to numerous wild animals, all kept by them. Seems they play a significant role, so be cautious to avoid any encounters."

"Once in the woods, you're getting closer to where they're holding the captives. I couldn't make it a few steps without being discovered. The first time, a rabbit luckily distracted their attention, but I've never dared to enter the woods again after that." Carly's voice trailed off, sounding utterly drained.

She slumped over the table, the roar of a black bear echoing in her mind. Even now, she could sometimes hear various roars near the woods, startling her awake and causing her body to tremble uncontrollably.

Noticing Carly's distress, Vivienne glanced over to see sweat beads on her forehead and her increasingly labored breathing.

"Ms. Vivienne, something's off with Carly," Logan remarked, frowning at Vivienne, clearly seeing Carly wasn't okay.

"Just let her lie down here, a few stitches and a pill should do the trick," Vivienne replied, too preoccupied to give Carly a thorough check-up.

She instructed Logan and then turned her attention back to the map, analyzing the terrain based on Carly's narrative. Given Carly's movements these past days, it was odd they hadn't detected her. Animals are highly sensitive to scents; it was improbable they'd overlook an intruder for a rabbit.

Was Carly lying, or was Mayor Thompson playing a game?

Meanwhile, Mayor Thompson was on the phone.

"Sir, all is well here, just awaiting your orders."

"Didn't the village experience water poisoning recently? Has that been resolved?"

"The Thousand-Hands Healer and his apprentice are still detoxifying the villagers, but it should all be cleared up by tomorrow."

"Oh? Since when did the Thousand-Hands Healer have an apprentice?"

Caught off guard by the question, Mayor Thompson realized he had forgotten to mention this development to his boss, given the sudden nature of the events and Vivienne's seemingly minimal threat.