Oasis
Feng Ling had seen many mazes, and labyrinth creatures came in all manner of bizarre forms, but she had never seen a monster that looked exactly like a human.
The people in this caravan not only shared humans' physical features, but also their behavior. They had language, understood etiquette, and every gesture revealed traces of civilized society. Could they really be products of the maze?
But if they were not, how could she explain the food in her hands?
Feng Ling lowered her head in thought and saw her scale-covered hands—she had been too eager to save people earlier to notice her own appearance.
If ordinary humans saw her body covered in scales, they would be frightened to some extent, wouldn't they? Yet when these people saw her, there was no surprise in their eyes, not even confusion. They had naturally accepted her appearance.
...Were they really not human?
Feng Ling rode atop the camel, feeling creeped out and deeply uncomfortable.
It was hard to describe the feeling. It was not fear, worry, disgust, or hatred. If she had to put it into words, it was closer to nausea and revulsion.
Within the limits of her understanding of the world, these human-like yet inhuman beings left her unsure how to classify them.
But then again, since the food had special effects, perhaps the clothes in the other Wooden Box had special effects too?
Thinking so, she opened the Wooden Box and took out the traditional outfit and the Crimson Gold Curved Saber.
The outfit came in three pieces: an embroidered vest, silk harem pants, and a silk headscarf. The scarf was both broad and light, capable of covering a person from head to toe and blocking out the sunlight.
The moment Feng Ling put on the outfit, the burning