After a few twists and turns in the underground maze, the exit leading to the Rowan Tribe's Ancestral Land was finally within view.
"This is your Ancestral Land?" Lux asked Cai, who was standing beside him and holding his hand.
"Yes," Cai replied with a smile.
Lux had been to the Necromancer's Ancestral Lands, so he was expecting something similar to it.
However, the environment around him was very different from what he imagined.
The sun shone brightly above his head, and the blizzard from outside was nowhere to be found.
Although there was snow on the ground, it wasn't freezing. The temperature was refreshingly cold, similar to a cold breeze on a hot summer's day.
Standing a few meters away from them was a young lady with a sweet smile on her face.
She was none other than Cai's little sister, Rose.
"Welcome to the Rowan Tribe's Ancestral Lands," Rose said in a calm manner. "Grandpa, I'm glad to see that you're well and healthy."
Maximilian chuckled before giving his granddaughter a hug and a pat on the head.
"Where are the others?" Maximilian asked.
"At home, waiting for your arrival," Rose replied.
Maximilian nodded his head in understanding. "Let's not keep them waiting then."
If the Rowan Tribe's Ancestral Lands could be described in two words, then it would be none other than…
Winter Wonderland.
The houses were built from ice and snow, and it was very different from the igloos back on Earth.
They looked exactly like the houses that could be seen in Elysium. The only difference was the material used to build them, which was ice and snow.
Several people bowed toward Maximilian as he headed to the biggest house in the area.
The Patriarch of the Rowan Tribe smiled and waved his hands in greeting. He was very happy to see that the people, who were once infected by the Purple Plague, were finally able to walk around like normal.
Back then, he had no choice but to leave their Ancestral Lands in order to protect his people from being infected by the Plague.
Those who were infected remained inside the Ancestral Lands, where the remnant power of their God froze them all in a block of ice, preventing the plague from spreading to their entire body.
The only people who had remained in the Ancestral Lands were Cai's parents, as well as her sister, Rose.
Rose had to stay because a Priestess was needed to regularly empower the seal that was placed on the infected people's bodies, keeping them in a state of suspended animation.
Cai accompanied her Grandpa as he led the other members of the Rowan Tribe to wander across the Six Kingdoms, following the changes of the season.
Now that the people in the Ancestral Lands were starting to heal, it wouldn't take long before they went to Elysium and helped the rest of their people build a city in the Fynn Kingdom, along with the Barbatos Academy.
"I'm home!" Maximilian said as soon as he opened the door of his house.
"Welcome back," an old lady, with beautiful blue eyes, said as she looked at her husband with an affectionate gaze.
Maximilian didn't hesitate to hug his wife, Quiana, and kiss her cheek. A myriad of emotions could be seen in the old man's eyes, but among them was relief and happiness.
After giving her the cure that he had concocted several months ago, Quiana showed signs of recovery.
However, since Maximilian couldn't stay away from the Rowan Tribe for long, he reluctantly left, leaving his wife in the care of his family that remained in the Ancestral Lands.
This was the first time that he was seeing Quiana so healthy after a long time, and it made his heart overflow with happiness.
He even teared up a bit, not caring what other people would say.
"Look at you," Quiana said helplessly as she patted her husband's back. "Already this old, and still can't hold back your tears in front of guests? Shame on you."
Although Quiana was reprimanding her husband, tears could also be seen streaming down the side of her face.
"Grandma, Grandpa, why don't you catch up a bit?" Rose asked. "I know that the two of you have a lot to say to each other. Don't worry, I will take care of our guests."
Maximilian nodded and carried Quiana like a princess in his arms, making the old lady thump his chest with her fist, making the old man chuckle.
The Patriarch of the Rowan Tribe climbed the stairs and took his wife to their room. There were things that they needed to talk about, especially about the current changes in Elysium and Solais.
At that moment, the door of the kitchen opened, and two individuals walked out with smiles on their faces.
"Mother, Father," Cai called out to her parents as she practically ran in their direction with arms spread wide to give them a hug.
"Cai," Cai's mother, Dahlia, hugged her daughter tightly. "Welcome back."
The man standing beside her hugged his wife and daughter.
His name was Liam, and he was Cai's and Rose's father.
Lux looked at his in-laws with a calm expression on his face. He didn't know if Maximilian had already informed Cai's parents that their daughter was engaged to him.
He was a bit worried that Cai's father would react violently once he knew that his daughter already had a fiance.
As if reading his thoughts, Rose moved close to him and whispered something in his ears.
"They already know," Rose whispered. "Father and Mother have been wanting to meet you for a long time."
After saying those words, the young lady walked toward Keane and hugged him.
Naturally, the swordsman hugged her back as he gave Rose the "do they already know?" gaze.
Rose nodded, which confirmed Keane's assumption.
Although Keane had a calm expression on his face, deep inside, he was feeling very anxious. He didn't know if Rose's parents would approve of him, but he had already decided to do his best to ask her hand for marriage.
A few minutes later, Cai's parents finally regained their composure and looked at their guests apologetically.
"Please, come to the dining room," Dahlia said, while still hugging her daughter. "We prepared a feast for all of you. I hope that it will be to your liking."
Liam's gaze landed on Lux's and Keane's faces, and a hint of killing intent oozed out of his body.
The two young men didn't know whether Liam purposely did this to make his displeasure known to the two of them.
However, since he was Cai's and Rose's father, the two boys only smiled back at him like proper sons-in-law who were asking for a good beating.
