“Wuer Tiya, what did you see?”
“The Star of Prophecy passed over the Western Plateau and entered the root of the world. Daylight in the entire world will shorten by one-twelfth. But when night falls, the Yellow Star will rise from the peak of the Holy Mountain in the north.”
Tiya spoke softly, almost whispering.
“In six hundred years, this alignnt has appeared only three tis. The Yellow Star is the star of chaos and war... Teacher, will the god Kulkan still protect humanity from the punishnt of war?”
“You ask —who should I ask? Even if I question the god Kulkan, do you think He will answer ?”
“But... Teacher, you are the high priest who has served every Great Chief of the Western Plateau!”
“I have sat in this position for fifty-nine years—served three Great Chiefs. Yet never once has the god Kulkan spoken a single word to . Perhaps He has already forgotten our tribe... or perhaps He is simply asleep.”
The old priest’s [N O V E L I G H T] voice trembled as he continued,
“My teacher told that each divine slumber lasts eight hundred years, and within those eight hundred years He opens His eyes only twice. But I doubt I will live to see that day.”
The aged man sat cross-legged upon the altar like a dried, bent skeleton.
Beneath him was a layer of red velvet; before him hung a gold-silk tapestry embroidered with the feathered serpent god; to his side burned red candles.
Tiya stood behind him, draped in white ceremonial robes. Her lips parted several tis, but no sound erged.
“There are too many stars in the sky. Even if we humans devote our entire lives, we can grasp no more than a sliver. Heaven divides into forty-nine, the Great Way into fifty, and humanity is left only one path of escape. We cannot see through it, nor can we guess its intent.”
The old man—like decaying wood—opened his cloudy, bleary eyes. Slowly, he raised his hand, pinched the fla of the candle before him, and whispered:
“But we have no retreat. We must seize that one slim thread of life.”
...
Mid-June on the Western Territory—the sunlight here was even harsher than in the South.
After disembarking, Aurora quickly led Vieya and Jasmine to a small inn near the dock, intending to rest and plan the next steps.
“Ha... a bed on solid ground really is more comfortable!”
The sli girl flopped onto the mattress and rolled once before muttering toward the ceiling,
“That ship really wasn’t built for people to sit in.”
“Captain, you weren’t this picky before.” Aurora spread a map of the Western Territory across the table, already drawing and marking routes.
The current captain was practically half-useless—wanting nothing to do with route planning or calculations. She dumped everything on Aurora and lay in bed like an idle log.
“Sister Aurora... were you very close with my mom before?” Jasmine asked, testing the waters. Her bright eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Very close,” Aurora replied. “Back then, you weren’t even born yet. And your mom wasn’t this lazy—honestly, it’s like she’s regressing.”
“Hey! I’m right here! Why are you slandering in front of my daughter?!” Vieya protested from the bed. “You’ve got a few days to plan—don’t ss up! Otherwise, if I slip up, I might tell your sister all about the stupid things you did back then!”
“Ah! Captain! You promised you’d help hide those things from my sister!!”
Aurora froze mid-route, turning toward the troubleso white-haired loli who simultaneously infuriated and exasperated her.
“You never used to go back on your word! What have you been learning these past years—you’re getting more and more—”
She suddenly cut herself off and turned back to the map.
She hadn’t returned to the Western Territory in years, so calibrating the route took effort.
“...More and more what?” Vieya asked.
“Nothing.”
Aurora didn’t want to answer. She shouldn’t speak ill of her captain.
“Then I’m sleeping for now. Call when it’s ti to eat. Oh, and look after little Jasmine—don’t let her run off alone.”
Aurora’s fists cracked loudly.
“Hehe... of course, my dear Captain.”
Vieya didn’t reply. She curled up and quickly drifted into sleep.
These days she had tried calling out to Flaviel several tis to ask about the Elven Royal Court—but received no response.
And last night she hadn’t slept at all, staying awake to watch over her daughter. This morning she’d imdiately had to disembark, find lodging, and run around in the blazing heat.
The sun here was far harsher than in the South. As a water-aligned sli girl, she was naturally uncomfortable.
The mont she lay on the cool bamboo bed, sleep swept her away instantly.
Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours. After carefully confirming the new route map, Aurora finally let out a slow breath.
For years she had dread of this mont—of bringing her captain to et her sister again.
“Whew... I never imagined my dream would co true like this.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at the peacefully sleeping white-haired sli girl.
Her heart surged with complicated emotions.
Unbelievable.
Captain... had beco this—this white-haired loli.
Mm... she wanted to get a little closer... look a little more carefully...
“Sister Aurora!” Jasmine suddenly shouted.
“Wha—what is it?!”
Aurora clutched her flat chest and took a deep breath.
“You scared half to death...”
“I’m sorry!” Jasmine apologized imdiately, then asked softly, “Um... my mom seems really afraid of heat. Is there any ice we can use to cool her down...?”
“Indeed.”
Aurora tapped her chin in thought. Except for a few extre variants, most slis feared heat greatly—so couldn’t even survive in high temperatures.
This sli girl wouldn’t die, but her condition was clearly deteriorating. Even her maximum stamina seed reduced.
This wouldn’t do.
Aurora glanced at the ti—2 p.m. Still early. And the upcoming journey would only get hotter. They needed to prepare.
“Little Jasmine, do you want to co with to the sea market to buy a cooling pearl for your mom?” Aurora smiled. “I can buy one for you too. With it, you won’t feel hot anymore.”
“Cooling pearl?” Jasmine blinked curiously.
Aurora nodded. “They’re made from the eyes of rfolk or rmaids. The higher the magical grade of the eye, the better the cooling effect. Humans gave these items a pretty na—rmaid’s Tear. The idea is that each cooling pearl cos from a rmaid who weeps in sorrow.”
What a hellish na.
“...”
Jasmine was silent for a while. Her curiosity evaporated completely. She sighed softly.
“Then I don’t want it. And... I don’t think my mom would like sothing like that either...”
Aurora nodded knowingly.
“But humans in the Alliance also developed a kind of ‘artificial cooling pearl.’ Its lifespan is short, but its effect is similar—and it’s cheap. That’s the kind I plan to buy.”
Jasmine’s curiosity reawakened, but rembering past trauma, she cautiously asked:
“And the materials they use to make this artificial cooling pearl—they’re safe, right?”
“Safe.” Aurora couldn’t help laughing and shaking her head.
This little one really was sharp—once fooled, never fooled again.
“Then I want to go!”
Jasmine brightened—only to wilt a second later as she looked toward her sleeping mother.
“But if we leave... what if Mom wakes up and doesn’t see us and cries?”
“That’s easy. We leave her a note.”
Aurora said this while gazing deeply at the sleeping sli girl, her expression subtly strange.
“And besides... I doubt she’ll wake up without soone making noise.”
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