The Returning Bird

Zijin suddenly felt a weight on her back, and the blue light in her eyes lit up as she realized that Su Ming had fallen asleep leaning against her.

She slowed down the broom.

Before long, the village came into view. The glow of the campfire was visible to the naked eye, and the sounds of music and laughter could be faintly heard on the wind. As you got closer, you could even smell the aroma of roasting food.

****

When Su Ming woke up, he found himself sitting on a log, with Zijin leaning against him. In front of the girl was a plate with many unidentified foods on it. Upon seeing Su Ming wake up, she immediately put something into her pocket.

Su Ming looked up and around, finding that the two of them were sitting near the center of the village, where a huge bonfire was burning. There were quite a few people around, including many children playing happily.

"Sorry." Su Ming shook his head. "How long did I sleep?"

"About an hour." Zijin handed over the plate. "Want something to eat?"

Su Ming took the plate and checked again to make sure he didn't recognize any of the food on it. He cautiously tasted one of the items; the flavor was so-so, but it was very rough.

After trying a few more, Su Ming found they all contained too much coarse grain, and gave up with some regret, saying, "I can't handle it."

Zijin covered her mouth and chuckled. The living standards of ordinary villagers in the Northern Lands lands were indeed unattainable. She herself hadn't eaten much either.

The two got up. This village was one of the larger ones in the area, with nearly two hundred households. Many people were gathered around the campfire, drinking homemade wine and roasting simple food by the fire.

Aside from that, there's nothing special. In such a harsh and cold region, being able to eat and drink freely is already the most grand and festive treatment one can receive.

Su Ming found a farmer and bought some meat that was frozen into ice blocks, then he and Zijin roasted it over a campfire.

A clanging sound rang out, and Su Ming looked in the direction of the sound to find a person dressed as a priest standing on a pile of wood. He held up a wooden priest's staff and preached to the crowd, reciting prayers.

The tinkling sound came from the bells hanging on his priest's staff.

Many villagers gathered around, and quite a few performed the Light Ritual to the priest, clearly having become formal believers in the Light.

The priest looked tired, clearly having traveled a long way to get here, but he still earnestly conducted the prayer meeting.

May your frost extinguish the cowardice in my blood; may your flame burn away the bewilderment of my soul!

The priest's prayers ceased, and several people suffering from spotted fever, supported by their families, approached him for help. He began to perform healing spells, helping them to alleviate their pain.

Considering he couldn't stay long and the patient needed continued treatment, the priest took out a holy water bottle from his bag, filled it with warm water, and prepared to make some holy water to distribute to everyone. He gathered his Magic Power, but failed just before finishing.

"Is it because he's not skilled enough, or is he just too tired?" Su Ming asked Zijin, as he didn't know much about these things.

"Both," Zijin replied.

The stray saintess from the Temple of Light suddenly stood up, stepped forward, and pressed one hand on the holy water bottle in the priest's hand, making it light up effortlessly.

The people around exclaimed in amazement, praising the priest's hard work and the blessing of the God of Light.

The priest, holding a gleaming bottle of holy water, bowed in return to the crowd and then began distributing the holy water.

Zijin walked back to Su Ming's side and sat down again. From beginning to end, no one looked at her once, even though Zijin was right in front of them, they all selectively ignored her.

"How did you do that?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

Zijin did not use any magical power; in fact, she was wearing a cloak that forbade the use of magic.

"It's nothing too complicated," Zijin said. "Including that priest, everyone here is just an ordinary person. When you appear at a level they can't understand, they will subconsciously ignore you and revise what they see to their own comprehension."

For the first time, Su Ming gained a completely new understanding of the extraordinary. It was not simply the application and accumulation of destructive power, but the exploration and manipulation of various rules. Just like the complex branches of the technology side, the other world was also building all sorts of systems in its exploration of power.

"Can I do that too?" Su Ming asked.

Zijin gently shook her head, "I still need to advance a bit more."

"Have I fallen too far behind you?" Su Ming asked. "These things you've shown me are completely beyond my reach."

"How could that be!" Zijin rolled her eyes at him. "You've only been studying for three months, and I already think you're catching up way too fast."

Is this considered a compliment?

"It's just a statement."

Zijin raised the earthenware cup in her hand, which contained a cup of holy water she had just swiped. She handed the cup to Su Ming with both hands, "Drink this, holy water from the Frostflame Festival, consider it a prayer for blessings."

Su Ming, having been near the fire while grilling meat, was also thirsty. He reached for the cup, but Zijin stepped aside, saying, "Use both hands!"

"Sorry." Su Ming quickly put down the kebabs, took the water glass with both hands, and drank it all in one gulp.

He wiped his mouth with his hand and noticed a faint red stain on the back of his hand. "What's this?"

"The holy water that a necromancer touches will only turn red, that's all," Zijin glanced at it. "Besides, your color is much lighter than a normal necromancer's."

"... So, should I generally stay away from holy water?"

"If you're strong enough, the holy water will stay away from you."

Once the meat skewers were grilled, Su Ming handed them to Zijin. As the girl reached out to take them, Su Ming suddenly grabbed her wrist with his left hand and pulled her towards himself.

Zijin was pulled to the side, only to see Su Ming's right arm already around her waist. Her eyebrows twitched immediately. "What are you doing?"

Su Ming withdrew his right hand, revealing a raw potato with teeth marks on it. It was the potato that Zijin had hidden in his pocket when he first woke up. "Caught red-handed, what do you have to say?"

"..." Zijin looked at Wuyan, then turned her head and snorted.

****

Although it was only seasoned with simple spices, it was still meat, and it smelled delicious when roasted. Su Ming and Zijin finally had dinner. A villager gave them some raw radishes, which Su Ming peeled and chopped into small pieces. Although they were a bit bitter, they were perfect for cutting through the richness of the meat, and their cool and crunchy texture was quite flavorful.

He also threw that potato into the fire to roast, which made Zijin very resentful.

Seeing the cage at Su Ming's feet, a kind villager struck up a conversation, "Your snow eagle is almost dead from overfeeding!"

Su Ming then remembered this, "Is there any way to do this?"

The villager who dared to speak up was clearly quite capable. He leaned closer for a closer look, but the more he examined it, the more he frowned. "This is a tamed creature of the Feather Race, isn't it?"

Su Ming thought of Castor, the Feather Race still standing beside Jimite; it seemed this was his snow eagle.

"What's the difference between those tamed by the Feather Race and ordinary ones?" Su Ming asked.

"Feather Race that have been domesticated will not accept food from ordinary humans," the villager said. "But it's alright, there happens to be a Feather Race in our village; you can ask him, he'll definitely have a solution."

Following the directions given by the kind villager, Su Ming and Zijin quickly found the old man called Claw in another corner of the village. He had just received a cup of holy water and was taking it home to preserve it carefully.

Knowing the purpose of their visit, Old Claw quickly picked up the cage to examine it. The Snowhawk immediately responded and opened its eyes.

"This breed is quite rare," Old Claw said. "Its diet isn't complicated; it just needs a mixture of meat and some grains, dried."

Old Claw rummaged through the house for some grains, cut up some meat that Su Ming had brought, tanned it, and sure enough, Snow Eagle started eating.

Su Ming sized up the old man and judged that he was probably no more than fifty years old. However, the harsh climate of the Northern Lands caused commoners to age very quickly. This time, he paid close attention to the old man's shoes, which were indeed different from those of humans, extending both front and back.

"Thanks," Su Ming said, taking out a few copper coins.

"It's nothing, no need," Old Claw declined. "But this won't solve the problem. This snow eagle is domesticated by our Feather Race; it won't eat the food you offer."

"Ah, is there any way?" Su Ming asked. "We found it nearby."

"Found it, injured?" Old Claw immediately examined it more closely and found signs of restraint on the snow eagle. "But this injury shouldn't prevent it from flying." He wondered, "There might be some problem I can't see. It would be best to find the owner of this snow eagle."

"Is there a way?" Su Ming's ears perked up.

Old Claw chuckled, "These intelligent birds can sense their Feather Race masters, but not from too far away. But since you found them nearby—"

He went back into the house, took out some herbs, and ground them into powder. Then Old Claw bit his finger, mixed the powder with the herbs, and fed it to the snow eagle.

After a while, the snow eagle's eyes suddenly became alert. Then, it actually spread its wings in one direction and cried out.

Su Ming and Zijin exchanged a glance; this was truly a windfall!

Su Ming immediately thanked him, picked up the bird, and prepared to catch the person, only to find that the old man was pointing in the opposite direction from where the snow eagle was shouting.

"Hey, this bird's been trained; it's heading this way," Old Claw told Su Ming. "It might be tens of kilometers away, I can't say for sure. With all this snow, do you really want to go back and return the bird?"

"Of course!" Su Ming picked up the birdcage and tossed the old man a silver coin. "I'm a kind-hearted person personally certified by the unicorn!"

Castor, the Snow Eagle's master, is not important, but he may know Jimite's location.

This must not be let go!

Su Ming snapped his fingers, casting Trance Spell on Old Claw, causing him to freeze for several seconds. He then picked up the birdcage, sat on the staff with Zijin, and flew straight in the opposite direction indicated by Snow Eagle.

****

The top-floor office of the small chapel in the Silent Dawn Church.

Katharine sent a message to Yise, but received no response.

Yise was clearly deeply affected, even skipping tonight's high-level prayer meeting. The girl sealed herself off, refusing any communication spells, and was hiding somewhere.

Katharine sighed. It was rare for her daughter to become so upset that she became withdrawn.

She took out a magic crystal, and a magic circle unfolded around her. As the crystal burned away and shattered into powder, a ripple suddenly spread outwards.

"Eternal Echo!"

Unlike traditional communication techniques, "Eternal Echo" releases information indiscriminately in all directions, reflecting and spreading throughout nature until it reaches a target that matches the soul's qualities. It cannot be blocked or rejected.

After a while, a reply finally came.

[Mom... I'm okay.]

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I had Jielusi bring some snacks to your room," said Katharine.

[... good.]

Compared to ordinary communication spells, Eternal Echo has a significant delay depending on the distance. Since it's clear her daughter hasn't gone far, Katharine breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, and there's a new outfit too," Katharine continued, but this time she received no response.

"[It's not the kind we had before.]" Katharine could only add helplessly, "[It's just a regular, warm one.]"

[... good.]

Katharine's second-in-command, Ge'enda'er, rushed in. "My lord, the cause of the assassination attempt has been determined."

He handed her a folded piece of paper.

Katharine unfolded it and was shocked by what she saw. "The Green Bridge Hanging River... it's such a deadly scheme!"

"My lord," said Ge'enda'er, "How should this matter be handled?"

"Summon Princess Dafulin immediately." Katharine stood up, her face serious. "This matter cannot be ignored; confront her directly!"

****

Even after ending his communication with his mother, Yise remained troubled.

She knew she shouldn't be willful or lose her temper, but she was still very angry about this!

But reason told her that she had no one to blame but herself for being less skilled.

Yise was sitting in the shadows of an attic in a building, below him, amidst a lively crowd celebrating a festival.

Suddenly, she saw a girl with a unique temperament, especially her green hair, which stood out in the crowd.

And it's familiar!

Yise leaped from the attic, stomped on the walls in mid-air, landed, and sprinted, quickly arriving behind his opponent.

Qiluo's ears perked up, and she took off running.

The street was crowded, but Qiluo, with her weight advantage, carved a path through it. Yise, who had reached out to greet her, paused.

"Lady Yise!" Several priests on duty approached, and even High Rank guards from Bubing City instantly appeared beside her. "Do you need any help?"

"Oh, no need, no need!" Yise said, "It's just saying hello to someone I know!"

Qiluo quickly ran a few blocks away and turned into an alley. She looked back and, seeing that no one was chasing her, leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

Snap!

A figure descended from the sky and pinned her against the wall.

"I didn't draw it! I didn't do anything!" Qiluo quickly said.

"A painting? What painting?" Yise looked puzzled.

Qiluo finally recognized the person in front of her. "Oh, it's Miss Watcher!" She breathed a sigh of relief, pushed Yise away, and resumed her haughty demeanor. "Don't get so close. The Children of the Moon don't like your smell."

Yise wasn't surprised at all by her lack of cooperation. She held out three invitations to the prayer meeting of the Temple of Light, which she had just "pulled" from Qiluo's pocket. "Children of the Moon, actually attending the prayer meeting of the God of Light?"

"Give it back to me!" Qiluo lunged forward, but Yise nimbly dodged her. She lunged again, but couldn't keep up with Yise's pace at all.

Seeing the other party's aggressive and furious appearance, Yise's mood inexplicably improved.