When Chang Long switched her outfit mode, her body emitted a brief flash of black light, and her attire transford. The flowing cape and crown disappeared, revealing a glossy sleek black outfit adorned with shiny silver skull-shaped buttons. Siegfried stared at her in shock. For a mont, he thought soone else had taken her place. But upon closer inspection, it was unmistakably the sa Chang Long—only the air around her had changed. Her posture and deanor (from the mode-change pose) radiated a calm, warrior-like confidence.
"You've leveled up so much since I last saw you. Looks like I'll have to work harder to keep up,"
Siegfried muttered, his expression unreadable as he watched her approach.
"How about this? No more tripping over a cape or stumbling on my outfit. Let's keep moving."
Chang Long said cheerfully. Siegfried smiled and nodded, and the two resud their journey.
Ti passed, and the path they followed grew increasingly overgrown with dense trees. There were no signs of the park's main pathways. The fading sunlight barely reached them, blocked by the teeming canopy overhead. Chang Long glanced at Siegfried with growing concern. She wondered if Dunne Royal Conservatory at night would bring more oddities like the frog princes. The thick vegetation, combined with the encroaching darkness, made it all too easy to imagine them losing each other.
"We should really stop and rest this ti,"
Siegfried said, exhaling heavily as he assessed their situation.
"But what if the swans start singing right now?"
Chang Long asked, causing Siegfried to furrow his brow in thought.
"If that happens, we'll continue right away. For now, though, we need to stay close to avoid getting separated,"
Siegfried replied seriously. Chang Long nodded in agreent, and they began searching for a suitable spot to rest.
Chang Long pulled the Horn of Abundance from her bag, along with a dining set, and conjured a few dishes to share. They ate quietly, but Chang Long found the atmosphere increasingly awkward. Her heart raced unpredictably again, making her restless. She could not bring herself to et Siegfried's gaze, as he sat beside her.
"Chang Long, are you uncomfortable? You've moved so far away,"
Siegfried asked in a somber tone, noticing how she seed to distance herself and avoid looking at him.
"No, it's not that. I just, just…"
Chang Long stamred, unable to find the right words to explain.
"Just what?"
Siegfried pressed gently, his curiosity mixed with concern as he watched her struggle to respond.
"Just… if your girlfriend saw this, it wouldn't look good. Girls are jealous creatures, you know,"
Chang Long finally blurted, her tone uncertain. She felt foolish for saying sothing so trivial, but the idea that Siegfried might already have a girlfriend nagged at her. He was handso, tall, and model-like, with a warm and gentle personality.
"A girlfriend? You don't need to worry about that, Chang Long. I don't have one. I'm waiting for soone,"
Siegfried replied with a soft smile, his gaze sincere but steady, making Chang Long even more flustered.
"Oh, I see. No girlfriend. That's good. No complications…"
Chang Long muttered awkwardly, avoiding his gaze despite not wanting to. Yet, when she t his eyes—those eyes that seed to hold an unspoken aning—she could not look for long without feeling overwheld.
"It's not that simple. When soone makes you happy just by being near, when you want to protect them, see them smile, comfort them when they're down, be a pillow for them to rest on, or a safe space when they're upset. Soone who does little things, like blush until their cheeks turn bright red…"
Unconsciously, Chang Long raised both hands to her cheeks. Siegfried chuckled softly, unable to resist.
"Adorable… it's almost impossible to hold back."
"Huh?"
Chang Long exclaid in shock, her face growing hot and her heart pounding uncontrollably. Thankfully, the sun had already set; otherwise, she would not know where to hide her face. She felt utterly flustered by Siegfried's words, which left her wondering who he was talking about.
While Chang Long was still grappling with her own turmoil, a haunting lody began to echo through the park. One voice was soft and tremulous, while the other was hoarse and desperate. Both Siegfried and Chang Long exchanged glances, realizing the white and black swans were singing their love song, calling out to each other in hopes of reuniting. Yet, if separated once, it was nearly impossible for them to return to each other without a guide. Separation could beco eternal.
Two guiding lights floated amidst the darkness of Dunne Royal Conservatory, illuminating the way. Even so, Siegfried noticed that Chang Long kept falling behind, forcing him to turn back and find her multiple tis. Despite the lights, they seed to be caught in a web of forces intent on separating them.
"What should we do? At this rate, we'll never find those swans,"
Chang Long finally asked, pausing to listen for the source of the song.
"Chang Long, forgive ,"
Siegfried said suddenly, reaching out to take her hand.
"What, w... why are you holding my hand?"
Chang Long stamred with a start.
"If I hold your hand like this, we won't get separated again. There's no way you'll disappear from my sight if I hold your hand this tight,"
Siegfried replied earnestly. Chang Long said nothing, allowing him to hold her hand. Once they determined the direction of the closest song, the two began walking hand in hand.
As they ventured deeper into the park, the air grew increasingly stifling. Their clasped hands were slick with sweat, and the uneven, rugged terrain made walking difficult. Several tis, their grip nearly slipped. So trees had sharp thorns that scratched their skin as they passed. Eventually, they reached a small clearing and stopped to rest.
"This quest is tougher than I expected,"
Chang Long said, slightly out of breath from the arduous journey to find the swan.
"I didn't think finding just two swans could be this brutal either. I thought it would be an easy quest. I'm sorry, Chang Long," Siegfried apologized, nodding as he reached into his pocket for a handkerchief. He gently wiped the sweat from her face.
"Why are you apologizing? You've been taking such good care of . Besides, it's not like I'm doing this quest for a stranger,"
Chang Long replied, glancing around. Not far ahead, she noticed a large pile of rocks blocking their path. From that direction ca the faint cries of the swan they were searching for.
The swan's song was beginning to falter, probably growing weaker after calling out for so long. Chang Long and Siegfried exchanged another glance. This was not the ti to rest. If they missed their chance to locate at least one swan tonight, they would have to endure the park's harsh conditions for another two days—or possibly longer—until they found both swans.
When they reached the pile of rocks, Siegfried and Chang Long had to let go of each other's hands temporarily to climb over. The climb was arduous, with the rocks shifting precariously as if threatening to tumble at any mont. By the ti they managed to cross, the swans' singing had stopped.
"Darn it. The singing stopped. Did we miss our chance today?"
Chang Long exclaid in frustration and disappointnt. She felt they had been so close to one of the swans. If it had just forced itself to sing a bit longer, she was sure they would have found it.
"It looks like we did, but we've been at it all night. Let's call it a day and rest. We can pick up the search tomorrow. I believe we're close to one of them, and even without the singing to lead our ways tomorrow, I think we'll find it soon,"
Siegfried said, trying to comfort her. Chang Long sighed regretfully but nodded in agreent. She, too, was exhausted and ready for a proper rest. She resigned herself to the fact that the day's search had to end here and decided they could try again tomorrow.
Splash!
"Huh?"
Chang Long turned quickly toward the sound through the darkness.
"That sounded like water, didn't it?"
Siegfried asked, equally intrigued.
"I think so. Should we check it out?" Chang Long asked, and Siegfried agreed. They ventured through the dark, guided by the two floating lights.
Not far from where they had planned to rest—less than ten ters ahead—was a small marsh. The water was shallow, barely reaching knee height, and sothing was moving within it. It had pristine white feathers, a long, graceful neck swaying gently. Its webbed feet paddling softly in the water.
.....
In Heaven City
With the guild leader missing for two days, the responsibilities fell heavily on Rafael and Draco, the deputy leaders of Pendragon Guild. Aside from coordinating guild mbers and monitoring the construction and layout of the city—an area they could sowhat rely on thanks to assistance from bank officials—they also had to manage the mine. Pendragon controlled only 40% of the mine, while the rest was under the Doom Star Guild. Frequent clashes occurred between the two guilds as they sent players to manage and begin mining operations.
Pricing the refined ore also beca a major point of contention. Pendragon insisted on fair, market-driven prices, while Doom Star hiked up their prices exorbitantly, arguing that refined ore was rare and in high demand. No other guilds that conquered a special territory had yet discovered a mine.
anwhile, Narada, the most beautiful woman, had frantically fled from Mount Agaz and was now waiting for Siegfried in Heaven City. Her presence caused quite the stir among the male guild mbers, particularly as she clashed with Peach Blossom, the guild leader's fiery younger sister. Anyone who showed too much interest in Narada would find themselves doggedly harassed by Peach Blossom for hours.
"How long is she planning to stay? Nobody even wants her here!"
Peach Blossom fud angrily, seeing that Narada showed no sign of leaving.
"She's waiting to et Siegfried. If you don't like her, you could just avoid her, you know,"
Kimhant suggested as he glanced up from the architectural blueprint for the professional reporter's association's office.
"Why would she wait for my brother? They don't even know each other. She's not even on his close friends list,"
Peach Blossom retorted irritably. Not only did Narada act like a queen, but she also treated all the won and lower-level n with disdain.
In Heaven City, there were only a few people Narada interacted with: Rafael, Draco, and Destiny. anwhile, Phiros, Feather, and Deputy Guild Leader of Caesar had already returned to Troy City. They were concerned that if they stayed away too long, their guild might be attacked by rivals aiming to seize control of the city. As a result, they had not had any conversations with Narada.
"Hey, Kimhant, want to take a walk outside the city? I'm sick of seeing her face,"
Peach Blossom invited. However, Kimhant was too engrossed in the blueprint of a building he was determined to construct for his own guild. Peach Blossom turned her attention to Felon, Kimhant's pet, which was lazily napping on the table not far from his owner.
Out of spite, Peach Blossom picked up a nearby twig and prodded Felon with it. The creature, as indifferent as ever, only cared about eating and sleeping. Annoyed by its obliviousness, Peach Blossom poked it, causing Felon to swipe at the twig like an annoyed cat. Laughing in amusent, she began waving the twig around, making Felon paw at it repeatedly. Kimhant glanced up and could not help but chuckle at her antics with his pet.
"You know, Miss Peach Blossom, you should get a pet of your own. With your brother so busy, it must be lonely."
"Hmph! I don't care. Let them be busy for all I care."
Peach Blossom replied dismissively, but her expression betrayed her true feelings. Kimhant smiled knowingly and shook his head as he rolled up his blueprint and tucked it into his bag before standing.
"Where are you going? Finished staring at that blueprint already?"
Peach Blossom asked as she noticed him packing up.
"How about we go find you a pet? I think you need sothing cool to boost your presence,"
Kimhant said with an understanding smile.
"What about my own appearance, then?"
Peach Blossom asked, feigning annoyance, though she was secretly happy that Kimhant was willing to spend ti with her.
"Stunningly gorgeous!"
Kimhant replied in an overly serious tone, causing Peach Blossom to burst out laughing. He seed startled to see her laugh so freely—it was the first ti he had seen her genuinely cheerful. It suited her sixteen-year-old self, a young girl who should have bright smiles and lively laughter, not the forced chuckles she often put on.
"Are you mocking !"
Peach Blossom said with a laugh, tugging the twig out of Felon's paw.
"Yes,"
Kimhant replied brightly. However, when he t Peach Blossom's murderous glare, he quickly said that he was just kidding.
-----
Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at sjinovel/en
User Comments
0 comments from readers