By the time the flying carpet arrived at Forward Camp.
The sky had already grown dark.
The last smear of pale-yellow glow on the western horizon was slowly sinking below the skyline, like a strip of silk being drawn away bit by bit. The grayish-white vault of the sky once again took over, but compared with the deathly pallor of ten years ago, it now had an added layer of warm and smooth texture. Hermione had heard people say this was the "Tai Guang" unique to the eve of World Ascension. She didn't know whether it was true, but every time she saw this sight, a trace of subtle emotion always rose in her heart.
"What a shame."
Poseidon's mutter came from beside her ear. "If we'd been half a bell later, we could've seen whole forests of Golden Crow Wood lighting up together—super pretty!"
Hermione turned her head and glanced at her. In the Ragdoll Fox's one green and one black button eyes, the last light at the edge of the sky was reflected, glittering bright.
She couldn't help smiling. With a slight movement of her thoughts, she directed the magic carpet to descend slowly toward the open space in the camp.
As they descended, she asked curiously, "What's so pretty about the light from the Golden Crow Wood forest? Haven't you flown over it with Yan Hua several times already?"
"It's different!"
Poseidon looked solemn, every strand of fluff on her little face seeming to bloom with an unusual luster. "It's different every time you look, different from every angle, and different at different times too—just like now. Looking at it at dusk, at night, and late at night, the Golden Crow Woods' influence on the world belongs to three completely different levels. At night, Golden Crow Wood