Stakeout

As the golden sparks behind her faded, Gwen stood on unfamiliar ground, curiously surveying her surroundings.

Beneath her feet lay rocks of all sizes and sparse, nameless weeds. As far as the eye could see stretched a Gobi landscape of grayish-brown stone and yellow earth, with a desert of golden sand farther beyond.

The place was empty and desolate. Apart from a few tenacious weeds and the occasional bird flying past, there was almost no sign of life.

Gwen blinked, a puzzled look appearing on her face. From what Lin Hai had said earlier, she had thought he had come to Afghanistan either for sightseeing or to explore something related to the magical side of things.

But no matter how she looked at it, the scene before her had nothing to do with either possibility. There was nothing here to attract tourists, nor could she sense the slightest trace or fluctuation of magic.

Seeing Gwen's confused expression, Lin Hai raised his right index finger to his lips and made a soft "Shh~~."

"We talked about this earlier. Even if I don't tell you, you'll know eventually. And I guarantee that 'eventually' won't be more than a year away—probably only about six months. How about it?"

Watching Lin Hai act so mysteriously, Gwen could not help pursing her lips. "Fine~ You said it. But if you make me wait too long, I won't let you off!"

As she spoke, she held out her hand and made a motion as though she were pinching something and twisting it.

The instant Lin Hai saw that gesture, his waist seemed to start aching faintly again. He hurriedly smiled ingratiatingly. "How could that happen? I, Lin Hai, always keep my word. If I say around half a year, then there definitely won't be a problem.