"A Ya! Time to Tidal Coral Grass!" A Mu shouted towards the stern. A Ya immediately grabbed the Tidal Coral Grass seeds and followed the island girl into the shallow water. The girl skillfully used coral branches to dig shallow trenches beside the rocks and sprinkled some ground pearl powder into them. "The chieftain said that pearl powder can attract Tidal Coral Grass to take root and enhance the grass's Purification Power, making the coral grow faster." A Ya then followed the " Ocean Symbiosis Method " taught by Liya, sprinkling Tidal Coral Grass seeds on the pearl powder and watering them with diluted Soul-Purifying Water ( Loran had already prepared it into a "seawater-compatible solution")—as soon as the seeds touched the water, tiny green shoots sprouted, roots quickly penetrated the crevices of the coral reef, and when the leaves unfolded, they shone with a similar emerald green light to the Tidal Tree. The black threads in the seawater seemed to be attracted by a magnet, slowly gathering towards the grass leaves.
A Shi squatted by the boat, his notebook filled with rapid notes. "At 1:15 AM, the Ice and Fire Purification was activated, and the concentration of the evil fog in the shallow sea decreased by 20%; at 3:45 AM, the symbiotic zone of Tidal Coral Grass and pearl powder took shape, and the rate of coral bleaching slowed down; at 1:15 PM, some pearl oysters began to open their shells, and the pearls they spat out were pale white!" He also asked the island girl to help measure the opening and closing frequency of the Tidal Tree leaves, and drew a distribution map of coral reefs and Tidal Tree on the notebook, marking "The evil fog is most concentrated under the Tidal Tree, which needs to be purified" -- that's what the girl said, every time the tide recedes, the black threads are most obvious in the seawater under the Tidal Tree.
Just as A Mu was purifying near the old Tidal Tree, a sudden undercurrent arose on the sea surface—the evil mist from the deep sea was swept up, the coral that had just regained some color began to turn white again, and several pearl oysters that had just opened their shells were so frightened that they immediately closed their shells tightly! A Mu hurriedly gripped the hilt of his sword, and suddenly remembered the "power of the Tidal Tree " that the island girl had mentioned. He immediately adjusted the frequency of the Tidal Talisman, so that the Ice-Fire Entwining Pattern the New Sprout Sword resonated with the leaves of the old Tidal Tree —the old Tidal Tree seemed to be awakened, and the speed at which its leaves opened and closed increased, forming a green " Tidal Barrier " on the sea surface, temporarily blocking the evil mist in the undercurrent.
"Use the ' Pearl Root ' of the Old Tidal Tree as a catalyst!" The island chieftain's voice came from the shore, holding a piece of shimmering root in his hands. "This is the aerial root of the Old Tidal Tree, which has absorbed the power of the tides for a hundred years. It can neutralize the stubbornness of the evil mist. Mix its power with the power of ice and fire, and inject it into the seawater along with the tidal resonance, and you will be able to purify the deep-seated evil mist."
A Mu immediately took the Pearl Root and fused its power with the power of ice and fire—the power of fire was tinged with a pale green tide color, while the power of ice mist shimmered with a pale blue pearly light. The two powers intertwined to form a stream of light that originated from the ocean currents, which, guided by the Tidal Talisman, slowly flowed into the seawater beneath the old Tidal Tree. Ripples suddenly appeared on the sea surface, and the gray mist in the deep seawater seemed to be drawn to the surface by the stream of light, slowly rising to the surface and being firmly absorbed by the leaves of the Tidal Coral Grass; the whitish coral, upon contact with the purified seawater, surprisingly regained a faint pink hue, and the pearl oysters began to open their shells one after another. Although the pearls they produced were not yet completely white, they were no longer covered in gray spots.
"Look at the roots of the old Tidal Tree!" The island girl suddenly pointed to the seawater at the tree's roots. Everyone looked down and saw a crystal core glowing with a bright green light hidden among the aerial roots of the old Tidal Tree —half of the crystal core was submerged in seawater, its surface wrapped with very faint black threads; it was indeed a " Tidal Crystal "! The light from the crystal core echoed the bright green light of the Tidal Tree, clearly indicating that it was the life core of the archipelago, only that it was bound by the Mist-Turbid Evil Trace, preventing it from playing its role in stabilizing the marine ecosystem.
"This is the ' Heart of the Sea Vein ' of the archipelago!" Loran squatted by the ship, his fingertips glowing with a purifying light. "Activating it will completely stabilize the evil mist in the ocean currents, allowing the corals and pearl oysters to regain their former vitality— A Mu, would you like to give it a try?"
A Mu nodded, gently placing the New Sprout Sword on the aerial roots of the old Tidal Tree. He didn't rush to inject power, but first allowed the power of ice and fire to resonate with the Tidal Tree and the ocean currents simultaneously. Then, he slowly injected the light stream mixed with the power of the Pearl Root into the Tidal Crystal. The emerald green light of the crystal core instantly surged, and the black threads on the surface quickly faded away like grains of sand washed away by the sea. The emerald green light spread along the ocean currents, covering the entire sea area of Mist Archipelago.
"The coral has turned pink! The pearl oysters are spitting out white pearls!" The islanders suddenly cheered. Everyone looked up and saw that the whitish coral had regained its vibrant colors, red like fire, pink like the sunset, and purple like jade, swaying gently in the seawater; the leaves of the old Tidal Tree shimmered with a lustrous emerald green light, and as they opened and closed, they scattered tiny particles of light that fell into the seawater, as if coating the coral reef with a halo; the pearl oysters opened their shells one after another, and the pearls they spat out were as white as jade, gleaming softly in the sunlight.
The islanders emerged from their coral houses, carrying fragrant roasted oysters and sweet coconut milk. The chieftain handed the boys a bowl of warm "tidal porridge," smiling as he said, "This is made with the fruit of the Tidal Tree and dried shrimp; it's good for replenishing strength. Thank you for bringing the archipelago back to life!"
A Ya took out her paintbrush and began sketching by the side of the boat—she had deliberately included scenes of colorful mist swirling around the coral, the shimmering green of the Tidal Tree, and the islanders harvesting pearls in her drawing. She even labeled the Tidal Crystal "The life-giving core of the Mist Archipelago; monthly monitoring of coral color and pearl oyster condition is required." The Icefield Wolf approached and gently touched the surface of the sea with its paw. The emerald green light of the Tidal Crystal condensed into a small wave-shaped pattern in its paw, causing the island girls and boys to laugh.
As the sun sets, the Mist Archipelago are tinged with gold and red, the coral reefs shimmer with iridescent light, and the leaves of the Tidal Tree slowly close with the receding tide, while the gentle opening and closing of pearl oysters echoes in the sea. A Mu compiles today's patrol records into the "Island Guardian Log," with a symbiotic diagram of the Tidal Crystal and the old Tidal Tree drawn on the title page; A Shi, on the other hand, summarizes the coral recovery data and pearl oyster survival rates into a table, saying he will take it back to the Holy Land to compare with the extreme environmental data of the Ice Plains, and study the differences in the dissipation of Evil Energy between the ocean and land.
On the return journey, the Tidal Crystal suddenly emitted a turquoise light, extending towards the " Sunset Volcano " on the north side of the archipelago. Loran touched the crystal core (he had temporarily protected it with ice mist for easy research back at the archipelago) and smiled at the boys, saying, "It seems it sensed the life force fluctuations of the volcano. Next time we patrol, we can go and take a look at Sunset Volcano."
A Mu gripped the New Sprout Sword tightly, the Ice-Fire Entwining Pattern on the scabbard echoing the emerald light of the Tidal Crystal: "Whether it's a volcano or anywhere else, we can find a way to protect ourselves in harmony with nature!" The laughter of the boys echoed over the sea, and the golden figure of the Icefield Wolf crouched by the ship's side, a small, shimmering white pearl in its mouth, as if collecting a souvenir for the next protective journey.
As night deepened, A Mu placed the Archipelago Logs into the "Guardian Bookshelf"—ten logs already filled the shelf. From the water veins of the Clear Creek River and the flowers and plants at the edge of the abyss, to the Ironleaf Flower and the Fluorescent Butterfly of the Elven Woods, to the wind Windwhisper Stone of the grasslands, the Tidal Crystal Core of the bays, the Marshheart Crystal of the marshes, the Fallen Star Crystal of the woodlands, the Icefield Crystal of the ice plains, and the Tidal Crystal of the archipelago, each log was filled with the growth and protection of the young people. Moonlight shone through the gaps in the tent onto the logs, reflecting off the ice and fire warning crystals and the specimens of Tidal Coral Grass beside the bookshelf, as if telling a story: the path of protection has no end. Those small, beautiful things hidden in the ocean, the ice plains, and the woodlands, that warmth of cooperating with all things in nature, will eventually nurture a more complete and harmonious picture of the continent's vitality over time.
The story of " The Qilin of Falling Maple " continues to unfold amidst the colorful mists of the archipelago, the light of the crystal cores, and the laughter of the young boy. There are no thrilling battles, only the Tidal Coral Grass planted by hand, the ocean records written with pen, and the tidal resonance transmitted across the sea—these ordinary acts of protection, like the waters of the Mist Archipelago, are gentle yet steadfast, slowly converging into a protective river that illuminates the continent, flowing gently towards the distant Sunset Volcano and the more vibrant ecological lands.