The sea wind pressed the black fog against the beach, producing a faint, granular rustling.
Accompanied by a series of light, jaunty chirps, a little runt tottered out of the black fog.
It was a round, chubby baby, barefoot, with a small, curved horn sticking up from its head.
With every step it took, a cluster of pure white mycelium sprouted beneath its feet, followed by several round, thumb-sized mushrooms.
As though it had mouths, the mycelium sucked hard whenever it touched the black fog, instantly clearing a patch of the rolling darkness to reveal clean, fine sand beneath.
"Ah..."
Shuto recoiled half a step, his single hand gripping Knuckle, who was kneeling on the ground, and forcibly dragging his companion behind him.
Beside him, Gela Jiang still wore a vacant grin. Seeing the white mushrooms on the ground, he even craned his neck and tried to reach for them.
Morel instinctively raised his pipe, and the thick gray-purple smoke was about to twist into defensive ropes.
Bai Zhu raised a hand and pressed it against Morel's solid forearm.
"One of us... about half of one, anyway."
Bai Zhu let out a quiet breath.
Morel's brows knotted tightly, but he finally lowered his pipe.
Milluki, sprawled on Bai Zhu's back, had been trembling all over, his eyes somewhat glazed. When his wandering gaze passed over the object in the chubby baby's arms, his pupils suddenly contracted.
"Uh... ngh..."
A strange sound squeezed out of Milluki's throat.
Gao Mao paid Milluki no attention at all. Its short legs carried it across the safety line Bai Zhu had drawn with the Soul King's Pen, straight to the very edge of the light barrier.
The Silver-White Owl rested there, its body reduced to less than half its former size.
Gao Mao lifted a