This little boat was like a tiny home.
Though they spent most of their time in class, the two elders always found something to chat about each day to pass the time.
Tian Huhaoqi's thoughtfulness went without saying. She always made sure the apprentice was never left out of the conversation.
Perhaps because they had plenty of time, Zhuri had become a little more patient as well. She could patiently listen to the apprentice ask questions that adults might consider silly.
It always reminded Yu Xunge of that stretch of road from Thief Bug Tavern to Garbage Street—the stretch she had once secretly wished could be a little longer. It felt as though that journey had been moved onto the River of Time.
She thought she would probably never forget this time.
The things she said to Zhuri and Tian Huhaoqi probably added up to more than everything she had said to her father, mother, younger brother, and grandmother over the past few years.
But the closer Astralana's Winter Solstice Festival drew, the more anxious Yu Xunge became.
She asked almost every day, "Will we make it in time?"
She could hardly be blamed for being so anxious. There was no end in sight to this river. If not for the ever-changing scenery overhead and the strange little docks they occasionally passed, she would have suspected they were going in circles.
Yu Xunge was also worried about finding teammates for the team competition. Even though both teachers said she would not have trouble forming a team, shouldn't she at least check them out first?
Tian Huhaoqi, who had been frowning at the distant end of the River of Time, immediately relaxed when she heard that. She smiled. "You really are like Zhuri."
Zhuri, who had somehow caught a stray bullet