The long carriage ride

Pale blue light illuminated the stone walls, revealing every pebble in the corners. It rippled and flowed like water, lively and fluid, and felt cool yet warm against the skin, like seawater that had soaked up the sunlight wrapping around them.

The sensation was so relaxing that Bright stood dazed for more than ten seconds before coming to his senses. He stared fixedly at the stone basin. "What's going on? Why did Little Blue suddenly get so bright? I remember it always being just like it was a moment ago. For decades, it only gave off a candle-like blue glow. Now it's as bright as a lantern?"

"You really want to know?" Ma Linya reached out and stroked Little Blue as it flicked its tail happily in the water.

Bright failed to notice anything in her changed tone. He nodded. "Of course I do. Hurry up and tell me."

"Better not. I'm afraid you couldn't handle it if I told you now."

"Just get a good night's sleep. Don't worry. I'll take care of everything~"

With that, Ma Linya casually waved her hand. In Bright's eyes, however, her turning palm moved with all the grace and unpredictable beauty of a dancer. Like a key opening a secret lock, it activated the dizziness-inducing powder that had long been lying ready inside his nostrils.

Ma Linya's face began to blur, and her figure swayed back and forth. With one feeble call, Bright fell backward onto the bed and drifted off.

"Time to come out. Do you really want to play hide-and-seek with me?" she said, glancing sideways out the window.

Two dark silhouettes grew larger against the crescent moon. With a rush of wind, the window shutters trembled, and two figures landed as lightly as cats. They were Zeng Mu and Kanni, who had been watching for some time.

At the sight of Bright, knocked unconscious by Ma Linya's medicinal fragrance, Kanni's eyes first lit up, then his expression turned puzzled. He turned his head toward the little glowing fish she was stroking and asked, "Lingya, don't tell us you went to all this trouble just for a fairly pretty little fish?"

"A fairly pretty little fish? You really have no taste~"

"Nameless, explain it to him."

Kanni turned to Zeng Mu. "Nameless, do you know what this thing is?"

Zeng Mu shook his head. "I don't, but~ I can sense a little elemental energy inside this little fellow."

"Elemental energy? Are you sure you aren't mistaken?" An Elementalist's ability to detect elemental energy was beyond question, but Kanni truly had no idea what this little fish was. He could not even recall anything like it in the complete illustrated guide to fish-type Elemental Beasts he had seen.

After a moment's hesitation, Zeng Mu said with certainty, "Yes, there really is elemental energy inside it, but it's extremely weak. Just a faint trace, not even a drop. And it has the flavor of water." Having tasted a Water Demon Scorpion before, he remembered that flavor well.

Once he finished, Ma Linya stopped stroking the fish and explained to them, "That's right. This is a very, very weak water Elemental Beast called a Blue Starfish. It can live for fifty years, and the blue light emitted by its markings can affect people's minds. It's a very special creature."

"Affect people's minds? What do you mean?" Kanni could not wrap his head around it. He had never heard of an Elemental Beast whose light had such an effect.

Ma Linya glanced at Bright, who was snoring away on the bed. "Weren't you puzzled when you first met this fellow? Why would a bandit leader be like this on the inside? And why did the others look like bad sorts, yet not seem so bad once you got to know them?"

"Because environment shapes personality. No matter how kind and innocent a baby is at birth, if his parents are constantly bitter, complaining and arguing every day, he'll be different two and a half years later. Even the age at which he would naturally begin speaking will be delayed. After that, he'll become quiet, increasingly withdrawn, increasingly accustomed to being alone, and expect less and less..."

"This Blue Starfish has precisely the opposite effect. People around it are influenced by its aura. Although it can't stop someone from becoming a bad person, it can stop someone from slowly turning into one."

"Bright stays closest to it, so he's affected the most. That's why he makes people feel comfortable and at ease."

After listening to her explanation, the two studied the Blue Starfish in the stone basin. Kanni asked again, "It certainly is amazing. It's a little like those feng shui fish the people from the Seven Kingdoms talk about. But I still don't understand what use this fish is to us."

"Blue Starfish are the natural enemies of Red Night Ants," Ma Linya said.

Only then did the two understand. She had gone to all this trouble to solve Sand City's water problem.

Even if they successfully brought water back, it would not sustain everyone in Sand City for long. Yetos could use elemental energy to vaporize the Red Night Ants, but that would also release all the toxins in their abdomens into the water. Besides, some of the Red Night Ants in the well might already have traveled upstream into the underground river. They could not be wiped out quickly. Unless this problem was resolved soon, Sand City would fall sooner or later.

Now that they had a Blue Starfish capable of purifying the Red Night Ants' toxins, the situation was entirely different.

"No wonder. No wonder you suddenly started acting like that~" Kanni said, finally relieved.

Then he thought for a moment and asked in confusion, "If that's the case, why didn't you tell us sooner? We could've just taken it by force. Why go to all this trouble?"

Ma Linya rolled her eyes at him. "If only everything were as simple as you think. Blue Starfish recognize their owners. Unless its current owner verbally entrusts it to someone else, stealing it won't do any good. It'll die of depression within a day."

Kanni clapped his hands. "Interesting. So that's the real reason you got close to Bright~"

Zeng Mu turned to her and asked, "Lingya, does that mean that for the past half day, you've been..."

"Just acting," she answered casually. She glanced at the moonlight outside the window and added, "It's getting late. Hurry up and pack everything. Let's leave this place and get moving. The Blue Starfish can eat Red Night Ants, but it won't solve the problem in two or three days. If we delay too long, Sand City might already have changed hands by the time we return."

The two hurried into action. Using the Emerald Bead Wood Elemental Artifact Yetos had given him, Zeng Mu stored Bright and the other four inside, along with most of their supplies.

"Will there be any problems? Is there still enough room?" Kanni asked beside Zeng Mu once they had finished.

"Don't worry. The Knight Commander said the Wood Elemental Artifact can contain anything, living or dead. You can divide its space into separate areas with your mind. More than half of it is still empty, enough to hold an entire lake."

Kanni relaxed. "Whew, good. We can set off now. Oh, right. We forgot that old fellow Cobert."

"Get him up. He drank quite a lot, so he probably won't be easy to wake," Ma Linya said from a stone stool in the courtyard.

"Give me a moment." Kanni turned and went into the house.

For the next two minutes, the two heard heavy thuds mixed with Cobert's cries. It was a dreary racket that grew more unnerving the longer they listened. Ma Linya finally covered both ears, blocking out most of the chaotic din.

Another half minute later, the door opened wider, and Kanni helped a swaying Cobert over the threshold.

Kanni wore a faint smile. Cobert, on the other hand, had bruises all over his face and a walnut-sized lump in the middle of his forehead, adding a touch of absurdity to his miserable appearance.

Seeing him like this, Zeng Mu was just about to speak when Kanni cut in. "Don't blame me for hitting too hard. Who told this old fellow to drink so much? If I hadn't put some force into it, he probably would've slept until tomorrow afternoon. But look at him now. He can stagger along on his own. See how lively he is? And don't worry too much about his body. The Fulin Taiyou People can really take a beating. If an ordinary person tried hitting him, they might shatter the bones in their hand."

Zeng Mu shook his head helplessly and asked Cobert, "Uncle Bert, how are you feeling now?"

With aching eyes, Cobert glanced at the starry sky and said weakly, "I'm still a little sleepy. A couple more punches might help~"

Deep in the rift at night, the wind brought hoarse whistles and metallic, gong-like echoes. Long notes overlapped, their lingering reverberations desolate and ghostly, like the wails and cries of those who had suffered here years ago. The sound sent chills down their spines.

Accompanied by the bleak wind, the group set off again.

Going downhill was easy; going uphill was hard. With more than a thousand meters between the rift and the ground above, there was no way both carriages could make it up. They had to abandon one carriage and hitch both horses to the other, while two of them got down to push. Only after half an hour did they slowly reach the top of the slope and leave the rift.

After finding their bearings by the Big Dipper, they continued toward Creek Valley.

Thanks to Ma Linya's Recovery Potion, Cobert's body hurt less and his mind felt much clearer. Yet some of his resentment still showed on his face. Especially when he heard Kanni whistling carefree on horseback, the thought of getting out and teaching that little brat a severe lesson ran through his mind hundreds of times.

But every time he was about to move, the aching pain in his face immediately deflated him. After several attempts, he had no choice but to abandon the fantasy. In the end, he sighed inwardly. It's all timing and fate~ Why get worked up over a youngster?

Once he had soothed himself, Cobert felt much more relaxed. The tightness in his chest eased, and he closed his eyes, drifting off before he knew it.

He fell asleep within seconds and immediately began snoring, catching the attention of Kanni on horseback.

"Nameless, give that old fellow a slap and wake him up. His snoring is practically disturbing every bird and bug within half a kilometer. At this rate, we'll attract the Viking Tribes' scouts before we even reach Hidden Lake."

Squeezed between Cobert and Ma Linya, Zeng Mu called outside, "Don't worry. He'll be quiet." He reached out and gently pressed his palm against Cobert's forehead. With a thought, Elemental Power surged from his body into his palm and flowed through Cobert's forehead.

The snoring stopped at once. Cobert sank into a deep sleep, his body relaxing completely. As the carriage jolted along, he tilted sideways and leaned against Zeng Mu's shoulder.

The carriage had only one crosswise bench and little room to begin with. With three people sitting together, it was even more cramped. Although Cobert was not tall, he was solidly built and weighed nearly as much as Zeng Mu and Ma Linya combined.

Between Cobert pressing against him and the jolting carriage, Zeng Mu leaned sideways too. Little by little, he came into contact with Ma Linya.

At this distance, he could smell pine resin and nectar amid the odor of alcohol.

Her arm was so soft, and the side of her hip was so supple. Even though it was only ordinary skin contact, Zeng Mu's heartbeat still quickened rapidly, and his earlobes reddened.

"I'll get out and walk for a while."

He withdrew his palm and was about to rise when Ma Linya said softly, "What are you getting out for? You don't need to push the carriage. Just stay here. I don't want Uncle Bert squeezing against me."

Zeng Mu nodded and settled back into his previous position, but Cobert leaned against him even more heavily.

Beneath the starry sky, inside the jolting carriage, time seemed to stretch endlessly...