Sea of Flowers

After dealing with the Displacer Beast, Du Ke continued onward.

He soon passed through the thicket and arrived near South Lake. There were hardly any shrubs here, only a few scattered dwarf trees. The rest was covered in blue reed-like plants as tall as half a person. When the breeze blew, the blue reeds swayed in the wind, each topped with a flower bud ready to bloom.

"The scenery's pretty nice, full of... exotic charm." Du Ke struggled to describe it.

What did a blue forest and blue grassland feel like? Accustomed to Earth's green, he found the blue here soothing, yet somehow slightly strange. He passed through the blue reeds and reached South Lake. Reflecting the blue reeds, its waters appeared brilliantly azure. Du Ke did not go in; he had no idea what monsters might be lurking underwater.

By then, evening had arrived, and the sky gradually darkened.

"Why not set up camp here?" Night was always filled with fear and danger. Du Ke had no intention of recklessly moving through this unfamiliar Fantasy World, so he chose a large tree amid the blue reeds. Using Mind Armor manifestation from the tree, he quickly built a dwelling resembling a large bird's nest, laid out bedding, turned on the air conditioner, and settled down comfortably.

He watched as the sky grew darker and darker.

Suddenly.

He saw a crescent moon rise in the western sky. It resembled Earth's moon, though it seemed a little smaller. He immediately manifested an astronomical telescope, intending to get a good look at the crescent overhead. Yet before he could adjust the focus, specks of starlight suddenly lit up outside. Turning his head, he froze—the blue reeds had become a glowing sea of flowers.

"What's going on?"

He no longer had any interest in looking at the moon. His eyes were fixed on the blooming flowers, all different in color yet faintly luminous. Their myriad hues formed a beautiful sight. Most astonishingly, he saw tiny creatures hidden among the flowers. In the white flower nearest his dwelling, a little thing that had been curled up seemed to wake and stretch.

The next moment.

Du Ke was stunned, because that little thing was unmistakably a humanoid hundreds of times smaller than a person.

It had a pair of transparent wings and wore clothes woven from petals and leaves, exquisite as a figurine. The little creature seemed to notice Du Ke's bird's-nest house and curiously flew over to the window.

This allowed Du Ke to observe it closely.

"It's seventy percent like a human. There's a small white flower on its head, pointed ears, very fair skin, and faint floral patterns on its face. It seems female... Hmm, no breasts, so it's hard to say whether it's female or male, but it definitely looks feminine." Without showing it, Du Ke frantically recorded videos and took photos of the little creature. "It woke up from a flower... Could it be a Flower Fairy?"

As Du Ke observed it, the little creature tilted its head and observed him as well.

Seemingly deciding that Du Ke was harmless, the little creature that resembled a Flower Fairy suddenly began chirping. Its voice was light, crisp, and very pleasant. At its call, several more Flower Fairies soon flew over. They were all palm-sized and had transparent wings, though their appearances differed somewhat: the flowers on their heads varied, as did the patterns on their faces.

They gathered around the window of Du Ke's dwelling and began chirping to one another, occasionally pointing at him.

"Hi." Du Ke also felt these Flower Fairies were harmless, so he gave what he believed was a handsome smile and tried to communicate with them. But the instant he spoke, he scared them off.

In the blink of an eye, they had flown more than ten meters away.

By then, more and more Flower Fairies had noticed Du Ke's dwelling and flocked around it, their endless chirping filling the air. The scene was dreamlike: a glowing sea of flowers all around him, and dancing Flower Fairies outside the window. Yet there were rather too many of them. Du Ke's initial ease gradually turned into slight nervousness, because he had no idea what species he had encountered.

At that moment, the flying Flower Fairies suddenly parted in midair. Then a Flower Fairy as large as two palms emerged from the crowd and came before the window, facing Du Ke directly.

She also looked feminine, but instead of one pair of transparent wings, she had two.

Her hands were no longer empty. She held a tiny wand topped with a glowing ruby. The large Flower Fairy suddenly raised her ruby wand and said to Du Ke, "Chirpy gugu chirp gugu buru gugu..." The syllables were incomprehensible, as was the language. Other than sounding pleasant, Du Ke had no idea what she was saying.

Du Ke pointed to his ear, then waved his hand and indicated, "I don't understand."

A vivid red flower, somewhat like a peony, bloomed atop the large Flower Fairy's head. She stared wide-eyed at Du Ke. Only after he gestured three times did she seem to understand. She said something incomprehensible and began gesturing as well. She circled through the air, pointed at the surrounding Flower Fairies, then herself, and pressed her hand downward.

At once, all the Flower Fairies bent at the waist and bowed to her.

"You mean you're their leader?" Du Ke guessed.

The large Flower Fairy continued gesturing. She pointed at the surrounding Flower Fairies and herself, then pointed outside and made a sleeping gesture. Next, she pointed at Du Ke and kept shaking her head. The other Flower Fairies shook their heads along with her.

Du Ke continued guessing. "You've always lived here, and you've never seen someone like me, right?"

The large Flower Fairy could not understand Du Ke's words, nor did Du Ke know whether he had understood hers. In short, communication between them had reached an impasse. Then Du Ke suddenly pointed at himself and said, "Du Ke!"

The large Flower Fairy stared at him blankly, not understanding. She was truly beautiful, with a graceful figure—just no breasts.

"Du Ke!"

"I'm Du Ke!"

"Du Ke!" Du Ke repeated it several times.

Then the large Flower Fairy suddenly uttered something vague. "Du Ke?"

"Yes, I'm Du Ke!" Du Ke laughed and pointed at himself again. "Du Ke!"

"Du Ke!" The large Flower Fairy said it more clearly this time. Then the surrounding Flower Fairies also began repeating "Du Ke" in a chaotic chorus. Their pronunciation was poor; some said "Du Le," some said "Chu Ge," and some even said "Bu La," wildly off the mark. But as the large Flower Fairy repeatedly said "Du Ke," all the Flower Fairies soon learned to say it.

"My name is Du Ke. What about you?" Du Ke asked, pointing at the large Flower Fairy.

The large Flower Fairy pondered for a while before seemingly understanding that Du Ke was asking her name. Tilting her head, she slowly said, "Abrulia Savasa Milia."

"Abrulia what?"

"Abrulia Savasa Milia," the large Flower Fairy repeated.

Then the other Flower Fairies also began calling out, "Shawa Shawa," while repeating their earlier bowing gesture. Clearly, this was the name they called their leader. Of course, it might also have been a title, like king or lord.

This time, Du Ke heard her clearly. He repeated, "Abrulia Savasa Milia."

The large Flower Fairy nodded, then suddenly smiled. If she had not been so tiny, scarcely larger than a figurine, that smile truly could have toppled kingdoms. It was not that she particularly conformed to human standards of beauty; rather, her smile carried the breath of nature, like a hundred flowers blooming and smiling at him. Du Ke could not describe the strange feeling at all. It simply felt wonderful.

"Shawa Shawa!" He smiled along with her.