In Desert City, inside the shop called Ancient Map, Hai Bodong was drawing maps at the counter as usual. His cold disposition had always kept the shop from attracting much business, and after Xiao Yan had smashed the place up three months earlier, forcing him to close for repairs, it had become even quieter. Aside from the occasional customer coming in to buy a map, Hai Bodong spent most of his time alone in the shop.
Yet Hai Bodong, who had lived in seclusion in this remote place for decades, had been unusually restless lately. Even the maps he excelled at drawing had ended in one failure after another. After waiting so many years, he had finally met an Alchemist who could help him escape his predicament, only for the young man to leave without another word. How could he not be anxious?
If he had not still held half of that map fragment, Hai Bodong might truly have believed Xiao Yan had made a fool of him. Even so, he could not help worrying that the boy had died somewhere along the way...
His jumbled thoughts caused Hai Bodong to make another mistake on the map in his hands. He sighed and tossed the ruined map aside. Just as he was about to close up for the day, he noticed a rather pretty little girl timidly stepping through the doorway.
"Are you here to buy a map?" Hai Bodong was somewhat surprised to see such a pitiful-looking little girl. This was the first time he had seen a young girl come to buy a map in Desert City.
The little girl shook her head and said softly, "My young master sent me to find you. He said... he wants you to go see him."
"Your young master?" Hai Bodong