Lin En was woken up by Ronava before dawn.
It was still dark outside the window; only a few nightlights were on in the hotel corridor, their dim yellow light seeping in from under the door.
Lin En groggily got up, fumbled for her clothes and put them on, her eyes still not fully open.
Ronava had already packed her bundle and was standing at the door waiting for him. Her silver hair was neatly tied up, and she looked like she had been awake for a while.
"The ship waits for no one."
She said.
"My mom likes to say that too."
Lin En complained as she brushed her teeth.
Lin En stuffed the Kamera and photo album into her bag, checked the bedside table one last time to make sure nothing was left behind, and then followed Ronava downstairs.
The hotel receptionist had been replaced by an old man on the night shift. He was dozing off behind the counter. The two of them left the room key on the counter and went out.
The early morning ferry terminal in Fontaine was deserted, with only a few early-morning vendors squatting beside cargo containers eating bread.
Ronava bought two tickets to the Vourukasha Oasis. The two boarded the boat and found a seat near the stern. The boat was small and there weren't many passengers; besides them, there were only a few merchants transporting goods.
"We're too early; the boat doesn't leave for another two hours."
Lin En yawned and stretched, guessing it was only 5 a. m.
Ronava, seemed quite energetic, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever, she said calmly.
Better safe than sorry.
Two hours later, as the boat slowly pulled away from the shore, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
Lin En leaned against the ship's railing, watching the white walls of Court of Fontaine recede from view, the golden dome of the opera house gleaming faintly in the morning light, and the streetlights still on along the canal.
"They're gone."
He said.
"Um."
Ronava sat down next to him, placed her bundle on her lap, and glanced sideways at Court of Fontaine was gradually disappearing into the distance.
The boat sailed south along the river, and the scenery on both banks gradually changed from white stone buildings to green hills. The sun slowly rose, turning the river surface golden, and the wind blew across the water, carrying the coolness of the morning.
Lin En dozed off against the ship's railing, and when she opened her eyes again, the ship was already docked at the Vourukasha Oasis pier.
He glanced at the sky; the sun had just risen halfway up the sky. It would indeed only take about four hours to get from Fontaine to Vourukasha Oasis.
The two disembarked and walked back along the same path they had taken.
The sea of flowers is still the same sea of flowers, with pink, white and purple wildflowers densely covering the valley, and a stream flowing through the middle, its waters gurgling.
Lin En squatted by the stream and washed her face; the water was still sweet and cool.
"It feels like ages since I last came here."
He stood up and shook the water off his hands.
Ronava stood beside the flowerbed, her gaze sweeping across the sea of flowers.
Continuing south through the Vourukasha Oasis, the terrain gradually rises, the shrubs turn into rocks, and the soil underfoot turns into gravel.
After walking for most of the day, the dark yellow rock walls of Mount Damavand appeared at the end of the horizon.
The crack in the mountain is still there, surrounded by scattered rubble and weathered rocks, and the traces of the previous fight have been mostly buried by sand.
Lin En stood at the foot of the mountain, looked up at the crack, then looked towards Natlan to the west, and sighed.
"What's wrong?"
Ronava asked.
"I was thinking, if we had gone directly from Fontaine to Natlan, would we have avoided this detour?"
He counted on his fingers,
"Look, we went from Sumeru to Fontaine, explored Fontaine, and now we're going back to Sumeru, and then from Sumeru to Natlan. It's like we've gone all the way back."
Fontainebleau is a better vacation spot than Nata.
Ronava responded that there is nothing in Natlan except for some scenery and food, and that tourism resources are very scarce. They could even enclose the Captain as a separate attraction.
"I know, I was just making a comment."
Lin En smiled.
"But it's all good, at least it left me with an unforgettable vacation."
Heading southwest from Mount Damavand, the terrain gradually flattens out, the rocks turn into dry sand, and the shrubs are replaced by drought-resistant plants with thick leaves, unique to Natlan. The air temperature does drop somewhat.
After walking for about half a day, the ground ahead suddenly became wet, the sand turned into mud, and further ahead, a shallow pool of water appeared in sight.
The water wasn't deep, just ankle-deep, but it was very large, stretching from our feet all the way to the distant hills. Water lilies and unidentified aquatic plants floated on the surface, and occasionally small fish would swim under the lily leaves.
"The border waters of Natlan; cross these waters and you're inside Natlan's territory."
Ronava said.
How do we get there?
Lin En asked a question, Ronava opened her arms to indicate that carrying him would be much faster.
"OK."
He can't fly yet, but if the system ever grants him the ability to fly, he'll have to carry Ronava and fly once.
After crossing the water, the ground turned back into solid sand, and the outlines of some buildings could be vaguely seen behind the distant hills—low stone houses scattered on the gentle slopes.
The air was filled with a smoky and spice-like aroma, along with faint human voices and animal calls.
Lin En followed Ronava up the gentle slope, and after rounding a low rock wall, the view suddenly opened up.
Before us lay a small settlement, with dozens of domed stone houses perched on both sides of a cliff, connected by several wooden bridges.
Red patterns are carved on the stone wall, resembling flames or some kind of ancient totem.
The settlement was surrounded by several low stone walls, on which colorful cloths and dried meat strips were hung to dry. The air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and flatbread, mixed with the scent of tobacco and unknown spices.
This should be the Children of Echoes, Natlan's first stop.
Lin En opened his arms and took a deep breath.
"After two days of walking, we've finally arrived."
Ronava stood beside him, her gaze sweeping across the layout of the settlement, pausing briefly on a few high platforms as if checking for sentries or guards.
"Let's go inside and find a place to rest first."
Lin En retied his bundle and followed Ronava into the settlement.
Several residents from the settlement looked up at them, their eyes scrutinizing but not hostile.
A woman who was drying meat strips nodded to them and said something that Lin En didn't understand, but judging from her expression, it was a greeting.
What is she saying?
He asked Ronava in a low voice.
They asked if we were there to participate in the recently held ' Trillion Trinket Trawl ' event.
Ronava translated it for him.
"Activity?"
Lin En remembered seeing this event during the 7.1 preview; it was gambling.
He imagined what would happen if he bet everything he had, only to be tricked, and a few Slime defeated the Consecrated Beast, leaving him penniless and stranded on the Celestial Serpent Ship...
Thinking of this, he quickly shook his head, determined not to participate even if it meant dying.
" Natlan also has tribal activities; every year at this time, various tribes send representatives to participate."
Ronava added.
We arrived just in time.
Before Lin En could ask any more questions, a commotion suddenly erupted in the open space in the center of the settlement. Several young people were competing in something in the open space, and a crowd had gathered around to watch, some clapping and others jeering.
A row of wooden stakes formed a fence in the open space. A young woman with a red headscarf knocked down a man several times her size with swift movements, drawing cheers from the onlookers.