There are no fierce winds Milky Way here, nor is there any need for elaborate rituals. Here, there is only a calm lake and a light morning mist that drifts with the wind.
Qingmu and Situ finally joined forces and gathered the savages together. However, this move initially aroused great resistance among the savages. Although they had the mental control of the scepter to prevent them from going out of control, the two groups always kept a distance from each other, each forming their own faction and refusing to merge into one tribe.
The first Sun had just risen in the east when the second Sun followed closely behind. But this time, it seemed the smaller Sun was in front, while the larger Sun lagged behind, like an old father chasing his mischievous youngest son. The youngest son ran fast, and the old father couldn't catch up, running until he was panting and his face turned red.
In yesterday's battle, although the two sides joined forces, the other group of savages did not show any obvious signs of defeat. However, they quietly retreated early this morning.
Everyone was puzzled by this and speculated about the reasons.
Boris said, "That's easy. If you can't beat them, just run away. It was supposed to be a three-way brawl, but you two secretly teamed up to bully them. Anyone who saw through your trick and stood there getting beaten up is a fool!"
Ivan said, "Then they should have retreated in an orderly fashion during yesterday's battle."
Anderson said, "No, were you all asleep last night? The chanting was so powerful and moving, it even got my blood pumping! The fact that the three tribes prayed to the gods in such unison shows that they were originally one family. Maybe last night's chanting awakened the dormant kinship cells in their ancient blood!"
Petru chimed in, "That's right, it's all thanks to Mrs. Larry." He gave her a thumbs-up, "Madam, you're truly remarkable!"
Boris retorted sarcastically, "Alright, you poor pirate, stop flattering me! Ask our savages if any dormant kinship memories have been awakened. If so, why aren't they showing any signs? How could Mr. Stone not know that!"
Petru curled his lip. "Even if Anderson is wrong, your reasoning is even less tenable. Anyone who has fought a war can see that they were not at a disadvantage in yesterday's battle. If it came down to a fight to the death, the outcome would be uncertain!"
"Maybe they went to get reinforcements," Boris said. "This is a big island—if this is an island at all—" He looked around. "There can't be just them, fewer than the people who fled here."
Qingmu thought this made sense, so he asked Situ, "What do you think?"
Situ stood by the lake, looking at the distant water, and said, "I think it might get foggy."
Qingmu was taken aback. Following his gaze, he saw that there was indeed some light mist floating on the lake. The Sun had already risen, and the morning mist should have dissipated long ago.
"You mean, they knew fog was coming, so they retreated in advance?"
"That's probably true."
"But the Sun hadn't fully risen when they retreated, how did they know it was going to fog up?"
Situ shook the scepter in his hand and said, "Have you sensed any movement in the mental space?"
Qingmu gripped his ebony staff and sensed that the Mental Power Field on the distant lake surface seemed to have been cut apart by something. This sense of separation was not obvious and did not affect the use of Mental Power; if one did not consciously sense it, one would not even notice it.
"Our control over Mental Power is far less sophisticated than their wizards'. My acquisition of this scepter was purely accidental." Situ finished speaking and looked at Qingmu, as if asking, "And you?"
Qingmu didn't know how to respond, so he changed the subject. "If it gets foggy, should we leave the island?"
Situ gazed silently at the lake for a long time before speaking, "Every time fog rises, it's our chance to return to Earth, and also their—" He pointed to the savages behind him, "A chance to go home."
Everyone heard his words, including the savages. He conveyed this message through his scepter, and although they couldn't understand his language, they understood his meaning.
No one spoke, and the riverbank where the operation had been taking place fell into silence instantly, so quiet that the sound of bubbles bursting on the lake's surface could be heard.
Boris opened his mouth, but the usually carefree man seemed somewhat wary of Situ, and swallowed back what he wanted to say.
Qingmu wanted to go home.
The old willow tree in Liuying Lane must be sprouting new buds again! Ruhua Bar must be even more popular than before! Did Hou Biao keep his instructions and ensure the bar's safety? And what has Bi Shenghua been busy with this past year?
Thinking about all this, he felt an urge to hurry back, but when he saw the ebony staff in his hand and recalled everything he had experienced on the island, he felt that the answer he had been seeking was very close to him. Although he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
He felt that Situ must also want to go home. How many years had it been since Meimei had seen her father? Was she still in that little wooden house on the island in her dreams, secretly meeting with the father she had created? Where was Xia Xiaoxiao hiding right now, or was she searching the world for Situ's whereabouts?
However, he also knew that Situ wouldn't give up what he was pursuing for these reasons, even though he didn't know exactly what he was relentlessly pursuing.
The long silence was finally broken by the Crow's cry, "Caw--I want to eat braised pork knuckle! I want to go home! I miss Ruhua! Guagua!"
Hanran meowed twice, firmly expressing her support for the Crow's decision.
The Crow's caw finally made Qingmu make up his mind. " Situ, let's go back."
Situ didn't speak, but silently watched the light mist on the lake.
"Think of Meimei, think of Xiaoxiao!" Qingmu said again.
The resolute features on Situ's face finally softened, and he sighed, saying, "But we might not be able to go back!"
"Give it a try if you have the chance."
There will be risks.
What risks?
"Unknown risks."
After finishing his sentence, Situ turned to the ground and said, "We are at least a thousand light-years away from Earth now. Think about it, according to our understanding of the universe, what kind of situation could allow you to reach a thousand light-years away so quickly, and feel like only a few days have passed?"
"Light speed travel, quack!" the Crow cawed, then immediately contradicted itself, "Oh no, no, no, Guagua, light speed isn't that fast, it must be—faster than light speed, Guagua! Yes, it must be warp drive!"
Situ glanced at the Crow perched atop the Qingmu roof and chuckled, "You really know a lot!"
The Crow, Guagua with the praise, cawed twice. "Thank you for the compliment!"
Petru complained, "Oh, these days, even Crow go to college?!"
Boris laughed heartily, "Haha, now you feel like you're living worse than a bird!" as if making Petru look bad would bring him immense benefits.
Petru said, "If you can tell me what warp drive is, I'll admit you're better than a bird!"
Boris stopped laughing, glared at him defiantly, but remained silent.
Su Huilan, standing nearby, helped explain, "The essence of curvature is spatial folding, using the difference in spatial curvature or tension before and after the warp bubble to move forward. You can think of it as surfing. We are sitting on a surfboard, and the universe is the ocean. Our speed does not depend on the speed of the surfboard itself, but on the speed of the waves."
Boris understood now and asked, "But where did the waves come from?"
Petru also said, "Where did the surfboards come from? We're clearly on Earth, who put us on the surfboards?"
The two men exchanged a glance, nodded to each other, and finally united in their hatred of the enemy, looking at Situ.