Yanling Summoning? Fantasy Manifestation? Or just a pure coincidence?
If it was a coincidence, why did Xiaomi look so drained, as if she had just unleashed a powerful move?
“I believe you. You don’t need to go out of your way to summon it to prove anything,” Bai Xiaozhi said, filled with guilt.
Me, summon it? That would be incredible…
“Unfortunately, I don’t have that ability,” Niao Xiaomi’s voice was extremely weak. She had to do her best to disguise her condition with an illusion, making herself appear full of energy.
Her recovery speed was so fast that Bai Xiaozhi was left speechless.
“I don’t know why it came; it was strange just now,” Niao Xiaomi panted. “I felt like I was connected to something, and it forced me to say those words… then, this mountain just appeared.”
Everyone looked towards the distance, where a shadow was rapidly approaching the coast.
Sure enough, seven days wasn’t an easy threshold to cross.
“If this mountain insists on passing through Feisi City, the entire city will be flattened. Besides, you just said—the Chicken-footed Bear’s combat power is terrifying. It can smash through the bay’s dam, and it runs faster than the Enforcers.”
“Yes.” Niao Xiaomi rubbed her temples in pain.
Describing such a terrifying creature was never her intention. At that time, she had completely lost control over her speech.
“We have to stop it. Before it reaches Feisi City, we must force it to change direction.”
Nurse An had also learned the situation by now, and in this critical moment, she began to take command.
“We need to launch a landing operation to cut off its power source!”
“Right,” Miss Nuo looked at Niao Xiaomi. “Since you’ve been inside the Asklei Mountains before, why don’t you lead this landing operation?”
I haven’t exactly been inside.
Maybe this is all just something I blurted out…
Wu Xiaomi closed her eyes. She knew she had never actually been to that mountain, but now, recalling carefully, she had a complete mental model of the mountain range.
It was as if, at some point, she truly had been here adventuring.
She really had traveled from one end to the other, carefully surveying every ridge, and had stayed within the mountain, memorizing the traits and habits of every creature there.
So strange…
Thinking more carefully, Wu Xiaomi felt even weirder.
“I know how to make it stop,” she said. “At the center of the Asklei Mountains, there’s a small pond. It’s the energy core of the entire mountain.”
“Impressive, for an explorer,” Miss Nuo said.
Originally, she had been skeptical of Wu Xiaomi’s identity, but now, she truly began to respect the boy before her.
She had always admired the spirit of seeking knowledge, believing it to be the starting point of all progress.
“Let’s move quickly. That thing is getting closer.”
This vanguard squad responding to the Asklei Mountains consisted of six people in total.
Wu Xiaomi, Bai Xiaozhi, Miss Nuo, Han Nuo, Ah Lei, and the Enforcer.
Wu Xiaomi was in charge of leading the way; Miss Nuo handled exploration and medical duties; Bai Xiaozhi, Han Nuo, Ah Lei, and the Enforcer were responsible for combat.
“Watch the waves.”
The vanguard squad used Han Nuo’s Fast Boat, engine roaring, charging towards the mountain range.
Wu Xiaomi was curious about what had just happened to her. Clearly, it was the key to this operation.
But before landing, she faced a huge problem.
Waves.
Her illusions were most vulnerable to getting soaked, yet before her was a towering ten-meter-high wave.
The Fast Boat was naturally open, so Wu Xiaomi had to duck low and hide at the very back of the group.
No other choice.
She could only pray Han Nuo’s boat skills were up to the task.
Unfortunately, no matter how skilled the pilot, such a towering wave was impossible to avoid.
“Hold your breath!”
Han Nuo barely had time to shout before the whole boat plunged straight into the watery wall.
In a moment of crisis, Niao Xiaomi didn’t hesitate. She immediately began performing the opening move of the King’s Dance of Sai.
Although this opening move wasn’t enough to cut water into blades, it granted her brief water control.
Shield the seawater!
Create a protective bubble!
Vroom—
It was like being suddenly submerged deep in the ocean; her eardrums bulged. Fortunately, at this critical moment, she had created a water-avoidance bubble.
Bai Xiaozhi had instinctively wanted to close her eyes but, worried about Niao Xiaomi’s situation, she kept them open and looked over.
—A bubble?
Just getting a bit wet—was all this trouble really necessary? Such a waste of spiritual energy?
Or perhaps…
She’s afraid of water!
Her deduction engine started turning again.
Why would she fear water? Under what circumstances would a person avoid even a drop of seawater touching them?
Interesting.
“We’ve arrived.”
After crossing that tallest wave, the Fast Boat crashed onto the shore of the Asklei Mountains.
“I remember this place, follow me.”
Wu Xiaomi began fulfilling her navigation duties, relying on the memories that had appeared out of nowhere.
“Don’t touch the Purple Pods. If you do, they’ll explode and attract all the Chicken-footed Bears on the island, putting them into a berserk state.”
“Nervous system? Are the Chicken-footed Bears like its immune cells?” Miss Nuo asked curiously.
“Something like that.”
Wu Xiaomi had an inexplicable sense of familiarity with this land.
Because of that feeling, standing here made her more confident.
“See the Asklei Firewing Birds in the sky? Don’t be afraid. They’re not aggressive.”
Wu Xiaomi walked calmly at the front, explaining her research as she went.
“These Firewing Birds are explorers, just like us. They chose to settle on this land thousands of years ago. Their droppings have unique properties, which caused this land to begin moving.”
Bai Xiaozhi listened attentively.
She enjoyed hearing Wu Xiaomi’s stories—whether tall tales or serious ones, she always liked them.
Moreover, the appearance of the Asklei Mountains seemed to confirm his claims weren’t baseless. After all, he couldn’t have just conjured up such a complex, massive entity out of thin air, right?
If he could, that would make him a god of creation.
Watching Wu Xiaomi so absorbed in storytelling, Bai Xiaozhi began to believe—her brother had truly fallen in love with adventuring, and that was why he hadn’t come looking for her these past days.
Good.
It made her feel a lot better.
Still, she couldn’t forget all of Wu Xiaomi’s odd behaviors.
Avoiding close contact, unwilling to let even a drop of water touch him.
As if… he might dissolve.
“Follow the river. The terrain here is low in the center and rises around the edges, forming a ring shape. So all rivers flow into the Center Lake.”
Wu Xiaomi strode forward confidently.
The group behind her was filled with admiration.
“I like men like this. I like his passionate thirst for knowledge. Only someone like that won’t drive me crazy,” Miss Nuo said brightly, leaning close to Bai Xiaozhi’s ear and whispering, “Does your brother have a girlfriend?”
The meaning was crystal clear.
Bai Xiaozhi suddenly felt awkward.
Of course, he didn’t have a girlfriend, but seeing another girl interested in him made Bai Xiaozhi inexplicably uncomfortable……
It wasn’t anything else, just that the siblings were both single, and now Wu Xiaomi was about to find someone else and leave her behind.
Ungrateful.
Still, she answered truthfully, “He doesn’t.”
“Then he’s mine?”
“No way!”
Bai Xiaozhi blurted out, her cheeks quickly flushing.
Miss Nuo giggled.
“I’m just teasing.”
Xiaozhi rolled her eyes.
“Although it’s a pity he knows this place so well… you’d better be mentally prepared.”
Hmm?
“I’ve been observing him,” Miss Nuo lowered her voice. “He’s too abnormal.”
Indeed.
Miss Nuo continued, “I’ve memorized all the rumors about Sequences. His state resembles one in particular—Have you heard of Shaman Sequence 72: Mirror Shadow?”