Chapter 6: The Water Fairy Clan
Location: Atlantis Time: 10:07 AM
In the end, after I returned home that night, sure enough, I was miserably scolded by my mom.
The fortune out of the misfortune was that thankfully, Senior’s words didn’t come true. My mom mercifully let me go before she twisted my ear off. And after that, my ear was in pain for the whole night. The next day, I couldn’t stand it anymore and went to find Miao Miao for help.
“Yang Yang, did your ear get clamped by pliers?” This was what the cutest Miao Miao asked as she opened the medicine bottle with the unknown label in her hands.
“Of course, not!” I rolled my eyes. Sometimes I really don’t want to explain too much.
“Oh.” After Miao Miao picked up a cotton swab and helped me dab on the medicine, my ear miraculously stopped hurting at once. Godly medicine, it really is a godly medicine. I should recommend the medical team to open up an affiliate pharmacy in our world to grab money; it’s guaranteed to immediately defeat all the medicine in the world, “Next time you should be more careful.” She smiled as she took back the medicine and said.
“Thank you.”
Miao Miao tilted her head and looked at me, “That’s right, did you receive Senior’s text message? We’re setting out for barbecue tonight. Did you get everything ready yet?”
“?” Senior’s text message? I immediately took out that phone. Sure enough, there was an unread message on it.
I’m done for; when did this arrive, how come I didn’t even know about it!?
After opening the text message, there was only a few very simple words inside; it said to gather at the school entrance at six o’clock tonight. After that, there was nothing else. It was very much like Senior’s personal style.
“Yang Yang, is your gift ready?” Miao Miao once again asked her question from just now.
“Aih, it’s ready.” I immediately nodded, remembering that very expensive gift that I left in my room. It was probably the first time in my life that I was so generous. Ever since I arrived at this school, my concept of money is already becoming vague…
“That’s great then. I wonder how the others’ preparations are going. I’m really looking forward to tonight.” Miao Miao had on a very dreamy expression as she thought of tonight’s activities.
It’s not that I want to say this, but it’d be better not to expect too much.
Based on my past experience, every time there’s an event, a lot of unexpected things would always happen, especially when your group of people is there.
“Miao Miao made a very interesting gift. Hopefully Yang Yang will be able to draw it.” Turning back, Miao Miao smilingly told me.
You made it?
I suddenly didn’t really want to draw it. Miao Miao being cute is one thing, but according to my understanding of these people’s interest, there’s an eight or nine out of ten chance that a gift they personally made would be terrifying, “Uh…I hope so.” I said without meaning it.
All of you various gods, please forgive me for lying, but I really don’t want to draw anything scary. It’s fine if you give me the most ordinary one; I’m not insisting on getting something rare and expensive at all, really.
“Then Miao Miao will be going first to help do some things. See you tonight.” Saying that, Miao Miao very happily left the classroom with a little spring in her steps.
After I waited till she left, I took out my class schedule to look. Today I pretty much don’t have any classes. Except for my last class, liberal arts, I’m basically free to lounge around for the whole afternoon.
Just when I looked at my empty classroom that only had a few left and was considering where I should go to kill time, my cellphone suddenly issued a shrill screaming sound like someone was being killed. Not only my classmates, even I was startled.
One of these days, I’m going to properly straighten out this unreasonable phone!
Either it issues sounds, or it issues weird noises. After several more of this, sooner or later I’d be scared into having a nervous breakdown.
The people still remaining in the class turned their heads to look at me, “Yang Yang, your cellphone’s ringtone really is unusual. Which grave did you record it from?” Olivia, who was twirling her as she was writing something, turned her head and gave me a very “friendly” smile. I noticed that a very long ink line was accidentally drawn on the paper under her pen.
“Uh, it seems like it was there from the start.” I hurriedly hid the phone behind me, afraid that the class rep would rush over to me and dismantle it.
However, Olivia didn’t charge over. She simply tapped her pen on the paper, and that ink line immediately disappeared; so amazing that I felt this should be a trick that every office worker learns. That way, if you make a mistake while writing a report, you won’t have to tearfully rewrite it, “Kid, next time I’ll like to trouble you to please put it on vibrate, if your text message’s ringtone is so alarming. Otherwise, it’ll scare other people.”
Text messages can be put on vibrate? I’m sorry, I don’t really understand the functions of a phone…
And I suspect that even if the phone is put on vibrate, it’ll still issue noises according to its own mood.
After Olivia finished speaking, she didn’t continue to pay attention to me either. She turned her head back and just resumed writing her unknown data.
I opened the text message to take a look. It was still sent by Senior. On it was a simple sentence: “Meet me at Black Dorm at five.”
Five?
Didn’t we arrange to go to the Water Fairy Clan at six?
“Yang~~”
In the afternoon, after I finished my last class, just when I was about to head back to the Black Dorm in advance to wait for Senior, a certain voice that made me not want to turn my head directly sounded behind me. I really wanted to follow the convention of lifting my legs to run away, but apparently the other person also followed the convention of grabbing my collar with a hand, “Aih aih, don’t run so fast. I just wanted to find you to discuss what kind of a gift I should choose.”
Helpless, I could only turn my head toward that five-colored steel brush who was somehow also included in the invitation queue, “You just thought of getting a gift now?” Dude, you’d only rush to do something when the fire reaches your ass, right!?
“Aiyo, I was pretty busy lately~~” The five-colored rooster head shrugged, not having any particular response at all, “You should know, as an assassin, sometimes you must appropriately let people help you promote your reputation.”
I completely don’t want to know how you promote your reputation.
“What kind of gift did you find me to discuss?” Since I can’t run away, I decided to get it over with quickly!
“The gift that’s going to be exchanged tonight.” The five-colored rooster head told me this in a very serious way, “Because from small to big, this is the first time that I’m going to bring a gift to exchange, so I couldn’t think of what kind of gift to send would be better.”
It’s your first time bringing a gift to exchange?
“What kind of gifts did you give before?” Hearing his tone, he should have also given gifts to others before.
The five-colored rooster head stroked his chin, “Uh…most of them were things given to my subordinates, like cursed packages, murder weapons, and if not those, then some stuff like human heads and bones…Ah! I remember the most special one was when my old man wrapped me up as a gift and sent me to some target, then the second he opened the gift, I directly cut off his neck. Very special, right?”
…I shouldn’t have asked him. Why would be so naive as to think that he gave normal gifts!? I’m wrong!
“So, for this sort of gift, I don’t know what to give instead. Do you think it’d be alright for me to send a cursed skull?”
“No!” I turned down the five-colored rooster head’s suggestion in a second.
The five-colored rooster head puzzledly narrowed his eyes, “Then what should I give in the gift-exchange? You should know more about things of this aspect, right?”
Although I don’t really know much about things of this aspect either, but I think that compared to the five-colored rooster head’s knowledge, I should be considered pretty good, “A normal gift should be practical; something that’s meaningful to others and the like would be better, right?” I don’t think the person who receives a cursed human bone would be happy.
“Practical? Meaningful?” The five-colored rooster head started to think seriously, “Which refers to something that the other person will definitely use, right?”
“Nn nn, it’d be better like that. The exchanged gift would also be a bit more special, and this way, the person who drew the gift will definitely be happy.” Otherwise, if the person drew a skull, I can already guess that the barbecue and hot pot gathering will become a murder gathering.
The five-colored rooster head slapped his palms together, and an expression of suddenly being enlightened appeared on his face, “I know what to get now, thanks~~Yang!” Once he finished saying that, he quickly ran off again, probably to go back and prepare his gift.
After he ran far away, I glanced at my watch. It’s half past four. If I go back to the Black Dorm now, there’ll still be a lot of time left.
With a very leisurely pace, after I passed through several gardens, it only took me about ten minutes to stroll back to the Black Dorm. As soon as I entered the Black Dorm’s entrance, there was already someone sitting in the first floor saloon and flipping through a magazine.
“Your classes ended?” Closing the book in his hands, Andy, who hardly ever had free time to stay in the Black Dorm, revealed a beautiful smile to me, and I hurriedly nodded at him, “I heard that tonight you guys are going over there for your planned activities. You’ll have to look out for your own safety at the Water Fairy Clan.”
“Okay.” Basically, Andy was originally on the invitation list too, but he said that he’s responsible for the school’s administrative work, so he can’t leave and won’t be following us over there. Apart from him, it’s the same for Restua and the others as well.
It seems like the school administrators don’t really leave the school much?
I don’t know why I suddenly noticed this: the list of administrators that we invited was almost completely annihilated.
“This is for you guys to use over there.” Andy stood up, took a glass bottle that looked like the size of a pull-top can, and gave it to me. The transparent bottle contained a green liquid that emitted a faint silvery green glow with just a shake. It looked very beautiful.
“What is this?” After I thanked him, I took the bottle, staring curiously at it.
Andy smiled mysteriously, “A necessary supply for a barbecue gathering.”
Necessary supply? I looked at that bottle. No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like tinder to start the fire or charcoal. Or could it be that this world’s tinder or charcoal actually looks like this and I just don’t know know it?
“When you guys need it, you’ll know what it is.” Andy still didn’t tell me whether this is charcoal or tinder, and then he walked out of the saloon smiling like this.
Would it kill you to just tell me…I looked at that bottle and had an illusion that it might explode.
Then I’ll just bring it along there.
After I ran up to my room, I stuffed the bottle into my backpack together with my gift, sincerely praying that hopefully this thing wouldn’t blow up.
The second I pulled up the bag’s zipper, I heard the sound of the door opening from next door.
Senior’s back too.
“Senior!”
As soon as I opened my door, I was just in time to see Senior in the middle of opening his door and going into his room. His expression didn’t seem like he was surprised at all. It felt like he’d already known that I would suddenly open my door to look for him.
“What is it?” Red eyes narrowing, Senior directly went into his room, and I quickly followed in behind him.
“That…You said to meet here at five…” Although I didn’t think that Senior would forget, his expression and reaction seemed a little strange, so I took out the cellphone and opened the text message for him to see, “Are we going there early?”
Glancing at the text message, Senior threw the textbook in his hand on the sofa chair, “Oh, that’s right, the two of us are going to the Water Fairy Clan early. Are you ready yet?” He took off his black robe, and threw that on the sofa chair too. Then he walked into his room and took out an ordinary coat, before walking out again, “When I was out on a mission this morning, I received a message from Yado. He hopes that you will be able to go there a little earlier.”
Out on a mission?
No wonder Senior looked lazy and seemed like he didn’t really want to bother with people. Could it be that it’s that kind where as soon as he went out, he didn’t get to sleep for a couple of days again?
Black robes are so hardworking, the top ten spots for people who died from overwork were probably all monopolized by them.
Senior glanced at me, and it was even that type of terrifying expressionless gaze, causing me to get goosebumps all over my body, “Chu, I’m really tired right now. I don’t want to waste my energy to beat you up.”
I, I understand, “Then are we leaving now?” Looking at the time displayed on the phone, it was almost five o’clock, just a few minutes more to go.
“Nn, you got everything you need to bring?”
“Yes.” I nodded, lifting up the completely stuffed backpack in my hands. Since Chifuyu and the others said that they’ll be responsible for all the barbecue and hot pot things, the other participants were rather relaxed, because other than a gift, there’s anything else they need to bring.
Remembering our barbecue back in middle school, it was so tragic. In addition to people bringing sanitary supplies, who didn’t go to school carrying big bags, little bags? If the barbecue wasn’t in the morning, you’ll have to find a fridge to store the food, otherwise, they would have to trouble their mom or dad to find the time to send them over. It really caused whole families to be turned upside just for one barbecue.
That wouldn’t matter if you could just smoothly barbecue without trouble. The problem that we feared the most is whether it will be too windy or too sunny on that day. If it’s too sunny, then apart from being tanned to death, you’d also be roasted to death. If it’s too windy, then just looking at those pieces of meat and the “special grade pepper” on the food would be enough to make anyone lose their appetite.
So regarding the several years of middle school and elementary school’s school barbecues, I honestly don’t have anything to say. If you really want me to talk about some special impression, then the only one would be the large bakeware explosion that I caused when I started the fire. After that, I was prohibited from touching the tinder or charcoal by everyone, which left an especially deep impression on me.
“What kind of weird memory is that?” Senior picked up a paper bag, and inside was the thing that he bought when we went back to shop a few days ago. It was covered in wrapping paper, so up till now, I still don’t know what gift Senior bought.
“Uh…It’s just lighting too big of a fire at our little group’s barbecue grill…” I laughed hollowly. What else could I say? That really was a very miserable memory.
“You can try that out today. Even if a fire breaks out, there’ll be people to help you extinguish it anyway.” Senior, who completely didn’t think that there was anything miserable about it, told me.
“Hahaha…” Senior, are you trying to comfort me or make fun of me? I can’t tell at all.
“Never mind about that, it’s almost time. We should head over there first.” Ignoring the shadows of black lines all over my body, Senior snapped his fingers, and a teleportation array immediately appeared on the ground.
Speaking of this, I thought of something else, “That’s right, Yado called us to go there first to…” After that time, I haven’t seen Yado and the others. I wonder if they got better after they went back?
“You’ll know once we get there.”
“Oh…”
Less than a few seconds after our conversation ended, a cool wind rose up in the surroundings.
Then what reappeared in front of us wasn’t the room in the Black Dorm nor the entrance of Alis Academy, but another place that I never saw before. It was a huge, white stone archway, almost two or three stories high. The archway was carved with totems and lines that look like text. Wrapped around the place buried under the stone were little creeping vines, giving off the feeling of a long history.
All around us were towering white stone walls, and the sound of flowing water came from a place not far from here. Surrounding the stone walls were emerald-green plants…To make an analogy, this place really seems like a historical exploration area in some game. It felt as if a shrine would appear if you just turn past a corner.
There’s wind. The endless stream of wind refreshingly blew on my face, causing one’s spirit to feel reinvigorated.
“This is the Water Fairy Clan’s residence.” Standing beside me, Senior told me, “It’s also where the Water Fairies grow up. We’re currently at the calamity entrance. As soon as we walk through, we’ll reach the Water Fairy Clan’s area. You might see a lot of things, so don’t make too big of a fuss.”
“Uh…I understand.” For Senior to tell me these in passing, I think that I’d definitely be making a fuss later.
Looking at the archway, for some reason, my back suddenly felt chilly.
Hopefully there won’t be anything that’s too hard to accept running out.
Just when I was hesitating about whether I should go in or not, something else came out first.
It was a woman. A…uh…very silvery-green woman. How should I describe her? She was pretty tall, even a head taller than Senior, and she wasn’t wearing any clothes but her body was completely covered with silvery green scales. She looked like she had the body of a fish, but her feet resembled bird claws, and so did her hands. Her face was more like a normal Westerner’s, however, her complexion was still a bit silvery green, and her slender eyes were deep green. It really felt a little strange.
The scale-covered woman bowed slightly at us and spoke a few words that I couldn’t understand.
“That is the Water Fairy Clan’s hostess, as well as gatekeeper, Frenoya.” Senior turned his head to introduce her to me, and then he probably introduced me to that woman as he said a few words that I didn’t understand.
The silvery green woman nodded and then smiled at me.
I hurriedly smiled back at her. As the saying goes, regardless of whether you understand or not, smiling back first would be correct.
She raised her hand and placed it on her chest, then she curved into a smile, “I, Frenoya…welcome to…the Water Fairy Clan.” She slowly spoke in Mandarin. Although it was a little vague, I understood it more or less.
“Sorry, sorry to trouble you.” I didn’t know how I should respond, and hastily bowed at her too. Frenoya followed suit and also bowed at me. After that, she turned her head and chatted with Senior for a while, before she turned toward the entrance and walked in.
“Chu, let’s go.” Senior patted my shoulder, stepped forward and left first.
I hurriedly followed them. The second I passed through the arch, I felt like I heard some kind of mysterious gurgling water sound. Not long after, it disappeared and it felt more like it was a hallucination. But as soon as I entered the archway, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed, completely different from the white stone walls that I saw outside just now.
Appearing before me, was a large, large forest that I couldn’t name…It was a white forest made entirely of stone. Many strange green grasses grew below the trees, and transparent bubbles floated all around the trees. The bubbles even directly floated up to me, and I could even see my reflection clearly.
So many bubbles…
I quickened my steps, closely following behind Senior. A fish passed beside me, looking very relaxed and carefree.
…
A fish? I immediately turned my head. That fish, which should be a freshwater goldfish, didn’t disappear to tell me that it was an illusion at all, as it continued to swim back, completely disregarding the common sense that fish can’t swim in the air.
Fish shouldn’t be able to swim in the air, right!?
Other than little Chitose’s pink big-eyed goldfish, because that’s a bulging-eyed mutant alien and is not a fish, everyone has been fooled by the cartoon!
The moment I wanted to turn my head back and pretend I didn’t see it, a black fish that was three times bigger than the goldfish and had animal trap-like teeth swam out from who-knows-where, and suddenly ate the little goldfish with a roar, cleanly, without leaving a trace.
I didn’t see a thing! I didn’t even see the large group of jellyfish swimming past at three o’clock ahead.
That was an illusion, they’re all illusions, you guys can’t scare me!
“Careful, sometimes man-eating sharks would appear here.” Clearly not his first time coming here, Senior very “kindly” warned me, “If you don’t pay attention, you’ll easily become unable to go back.”
Sometimes you’ll be happier if you don’t know too much. Once Senior said that, I almost subconsciously held onto Minas on my bracelet, ready to blast the shark apart first if one appears.
After we walked for about five minutes and I also pretty much saw the whole batch of ocean creatures, what appeared before us was the legendary seaweed doorway should only reasonably appear in fairytales about mermaid princesses. The long seaweeds were three stories tall, swaying in the wind.
They…In fact, they shouldn’t be seaweed, right…They should be another plant that look like seaweed, right…probably…
“You two, we’ve arrived.” Frenoya turned around and told us this. But Mandarin was obviously a bit difficult for her. After she only said five words, she switched back to her original alien language to talk to Senior.
After talking for a while, Senior turned his head, “Next up is the Water Fairy Clan’s inner residence. She’s only sending us up to here. After that, someone else will bring us to the Water Fairies’ holy land.”
The Water Fairy Clan’s residence?
I looked at the big seaweed door in front of us. Living behind it should be… normal things, right? Yado and the others look very normal, so living behind this should be very normal people too. It’s just that their appearances look a little unique.
After Frenoya said her greetings to us, she followed the original way back. I watched her back, then as I saw her off, I saw a shark charging out from the side and directly open its mouth to bite off her head. Without even turning her head, Frenoya slapped the shark off to the other side, turning it into a star on the horizon.
“Haha…” I probably had eye cramps and saw it wrongly. The others should be normal people.
“Chu, the guide is here!”
Following Senior’s shout, I turned my head, and saw a shiny plate spring out from the seaweed door.
The surrounding atmosphere immediately turned cold, and it was even accompanied by black lines sliding down.
I must be having eye cramps…must be…my eyes are definitely having cramps…
“Hey! Kids, next up, allow the gracious and cute me to lead the way!” The new guide dashingly struck the unforgettable must-have pose from the seventies. His short legs even directly stepped on the stone beside him.
I’m probably dreaming, otherwise I wouldn’t be having this feeling of being hit by a ghost.
There was a green kappa that appeared in front of us.
Chapter 6: The Water Fairy Clan
Location: Atlantis Time: 10:07 AM
In the end, after I returned home that night, sure enough, I was miserably scolded by my mom.
The fortune out of the misfortune was that thankfully, Senior’s words didn’t come true. My mom mercifully let me go before she twisted my ear off. And after that, my ear was in pain for the whole night. The next day, I couldn’t stand it anymore and went to find Miao Miao for help.
“Yang Yang, did your ear get clamped by pliers?” This was what the cutest Miao Miao asked as she opened the medicine bottle with the unknown label in her hands.
“Of course, not!” I rolled my eyes. Sometimes I really don’t want to explain too much.
“Oh.” After Miao Miao picked up a cotton swab and helped me dab on the medicine, my ear miraculously stopped hurting at once. Godly medicine, it really is a godly medicine. I should recommend the medical team to open up an affiliate pharmacy in our world to grab money; it’s guaranteed to immediately defeat all the medicine in the world, “Next time you should be more careful.” She smiled as she took back the medicine and said.
“Thank you.”
Miao Miao tilted her head and looked at me, “That’s right, did you receive Senior’s text message? We’re setting out for barbecue tonight. Did you get everything ready yet?”
“?” Senior’s text message? I immediately took out that phone. Sure enough, there was an unread message on it.
I’m done for; when did this arrive, how come I didn’t even know about it!?
After opening the text message, there was only a few very simple words inside; it said to gather at the school entrance at six o’clock tonight. After that, there was nothing else. It was very much like Senior’s personal style.
“Yang Yang, is your gift ready?” Miao Miao once again asked her question from just now.
“Aih, it’s ready.” I immediately nodded, remembering that very expensive gift that I left in my room. It was probably the first time in my life that I was so generous. Ever since I arrived at this school, my concept of money is already becoming vague…
“That’s great then. I wonder how the others’ preparations are going. I’m really looking forward to tonight.” Miao Miao had on a very dreamy expression as she thought of tonight’s activities.
It’s not that I want to say this, but it’d be better not to expect too much.
Based on my past experience, every time there’s an event, a lot of unexpected things would always happen, especially when your group of people is there.
“Miao Miao made a very interesting gift. Hopefully Yang Yang will be able to draw it.” Turning back, Miao Miao smilingly told me.
You made it?
I suddenly didn’t really want to draw it. Miao Miao being cute is one thing, but according to my understanding of these people’s interest, there’s an eight or nine out of ten chance that a gift they personally made would be terrifying, “Uh…I hope so.” I said without meaning it.
All of you various gods, please forgive me for lying, but I really don’t want to draw anything scary. It’s fine if you give me the most ordinary one; I’m not insisting on getting something rare and expensive at all, really.
“Then Miao Miao will be going first to help do some things. See you tonight.” Saying that, Miao Miao very happily left the classroom with a little spring in her steps.
After I waited till she left, I took out my class schedule to look. Today I pretty much don’t have any classes. Except for my last class, liberal arts, I’m basically free to lounge around for the whole afternoon.
Just when I looked at my empty classroom that only had a few left and was considering where I should go to kill time, my cellphone suddenly issued a shrill screaming sound like someone was being killed. Not only my classmates, even I was startled.
One of these days, I’m going to properly straighten out this unreasonable phone!
Either it issues sounds, or it issues weird noises. After several more of this, sooner or later I’d be scared into having a nervous breakdown.
The people still remaining in the class turned their heads to look at me, “Yang Yang, your cellphone’s ringtone really is unusual. Which grave did you record it from?” Olivia, who was twirling her as she was writing something, turned her head and gave me a very “friendly” smile. I noticed that a very long ink line was accidentally drawn on the paper under her pen.
“Uh, it seems like it was there from the start.” I hurriedly hid the phone behind me, afraid that the class rep would rush over to me and dismantle it.
However, Olivia didn’t charge over. She simply tapped her pen on the paper, and that ink line immediately disappeared; so amazing that I felt this should be a trick that every office worker learns. That way, if you make a mistake while writing a report, you won’t have to tearfully rewrite it, “Kid, next time I’ll like to trouble you to please put it on vibrate, if your text message’s ringtone is so alarming. Otherwise, it’ll scare other people.”
Text messages can be put on vibrate? I’m sorry, I don’t really understand the functions of a phone…
And I suspect that even if the phone is put on vibrate, it’ll still issue noises according to its own mood.
After Olivia finished speaking, she didn’t continue to pay attention to me either. She turned her head back and just resumed writing her unknown data.
I opened the text message to take a look. It was still sent by Senior. On it was a simple sentence: “Meet me at Black Dorm at five.”
Five?
Didn’t we arrange to go to the Water Fairy Clan at six?
“Yang~~”
In the afternoon, after I finished my last class, just when I was about to head back to the Black Dorm in advance to wait for Senior, a certain voice that made me not want to turn my head directly sounded behind me. I really wanted to follow the convention of lifting my legs to run away, but apparently the other person also followed the convention of grabbing my collar with a hand, “Aih aih, don’t run so fast. I just wanted to find you to discuss what kind of a gift I should choose.”
Helpless, I could only turn my head toward that five-colored steel brush who was somehow also included in the invitation queue, “You just thought of getting a gift now?” Dude, you’d only rush to do something when the fire reaches your ass, right!?
“Aiyo, I was pretty busy lately~~” The five-colored rooster head shrugged, not having any particular response at all, “You should know, as an assassin, sometimes you must appropriately let people help you promote your reputation.”
I completely don’t want to know how you promote your reputation.
“What kind of gift did you find me to discuss?” Since I can’t run away, I decided to get it over with quickly!
“The gift that’s going to be exchanged tonight.” The five-colored rooster head told me this in a very serious way, “Because from small to big, this is the first time that I’m going to bring a gift to exchange, so I couldn’t think of what kind of gift to send would be better.”
It’s your first time bringing a gift to exchange?
“What kind of gifts did you give before?” Hearing his tone, he should have also given gifts to others before.
The five-colored rooster head stroked his chin, “Uh…most of them were things given to my subordinates, like cursed packages, murder weapons, and if not those, then some stuff like human heads and bones…Ah! I remember the most special one was when my old man wrapped me up as a gift and sent me to some target, then the second he opened the gift, I directly cut off his neck. Very special, right?”
…I shouldn’t have asked him. Why would be so naive as to think that he gave normal gifts!? I’m wrong!
“So, for this sort of gift, I don’t know what to give instead. Do you think it’d be alright for me to send a cursed skull?”
“No!” I turned down the five-colored rooster head’s suggestion in a second.
The five-colored rooster head puzzledly narrowed his eyes, “Then what should I give in the gift-exchange? You should know more about things of this aspect, right?”
Although I don’t really know much about things of this aspect either, but I think that compared to the five-colored rooster head’s knowledge, I should be considered pretty good, “A normal gift should be practical; something that’s meaningful to others and the like would be better, right?” I don’t think the person who receives a cursed human bone would be happy.
“Practical? Meaningful?” The five-colored rooster head started to think seriously, “Which refers to something that the other person will definitely use, right?”
“Nn nn, it’d be better like that. The exchanged gift would also be a bit more special, and this way, the person who drew the gift will definitely be happy.” Otherwise, if the person drew a skull, I can already guess that the barbecue and hot pot gathering will become a murder gathering.
The five-colored rooster head slapped his palms together, and an expression of suddenly being enlightened appeared on his face, “I know what to get now, thanks~~Yang!” Once he finished saying that, he quickly ran off again, probably to go back and prepare his gift.
After he ran far away, I glanced at my watch. It’s half past four. If I go back to the Black Dorm now, there’ll still be a lot of time left.
With a very leisurely pace, after I passed through several gardens, it only took me about ten minutes to stroll back to the Black Dorm. As soon as I entered the Black Dorm’s entrance, there was already someone sitting in the first floor saloon and flipping through a magazine.
“Your classes ended?” Closing the book in his hands, Andy, who hardly ever had free time to stay in the Black Dorm, revealed a beautiful smile to me, and I hurriedly nodded at him, “I heard that tonight you guys are going over there for your planned activities. You’ll have to look out for your own safety at the Water Fairy Clan.”
“Okay.” Basically, Andy was originally on the invitation list too, but he said that he’s responsible for the school’s administrative work, so he can’t leave and won’t be following us over there. Apart from him, it’s the same for Restua and the others as well.
It seems like the school administrators don’t really leave the school much?
I don’t know why I suddenly noticed this: the list of administrators that we invited was almost completely annihilated.
“This is for you guys to use over there.” Andy stood up, took a glass bottle that looked like the size of a pull-top can, and gave it to me. The transparent bottle contained a green liquid that emitted a faint silvery green glow with just a shake. It looked very beautiful.
“What is this?” After I thanked him, I took the bottle, staring curiously at it.
Andy smiled mysteriously, “A necessary supply for a barbecue gathering.”
Necessary supply? I looked at that bottle. No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like tinder to start the fire or charcoal. Or could it be that this world’s tinder or charcoal actually looks like this and I just don’t know know it?
“When you guys need it, you’ll know what it is.” Andy still didn’t tell me whether this is charcoal or tinder, and then he walked out of the saloon smiling like this.
Would it kill you to just tell me…I looked at that bottle and had an illusion that it might explode.
Then I’ll just bring it along there.
After I ran up to my room, I stuffed the bottle into my backpack together with my gift, sincerely praying that hopefully this thing wouldn’t blow up.
The second I pulled up the bag’s zipper, I heard the sound of the door opening from next door.
Senior’s back too.
“Senior!”
As soon as I opened my door, I was just in time to see Senior in the middle of opening his door and going into his room. His expression didn’t seem like he was surprised at all. It felt like he’d already known that I would suddenly open my door to look for him.
“What is it?” Red eyes narrowing, Senior directly went into his room, and I quickly followed in behind him.
“That…You said to meet here at five…” Although I didn’t think that Senior would forget, his expression and reaction seemed a little strange, so I took out the cellphone and opened the text message for him to see, “Are we going there early?”
Glancing at the text message, Senior threw the textbook in his hand on the sofa chair, “Oh, that’s right, the two of us are going to the Water Fairy Clan early. Are you ready yet?” He took off his black robe, and threw that on the sofa chair too. Then he walked into his room and took out an ordinary coat, before walking out again, “When I was out on a mission this morning, I received a message from Yado. He hopes that you will be able to go there a little earlier.”
Out on a mission?
No wonder Senior looked lazy and seemed like he didn’t really want to bother with people. Could it be that it’s that kind where as soon as he went out, he didn’t get to sleep for a couple of days again?
Black robes are so hardworking, the top ten spots for people who died from overwork were probably all monopolized by them.
Senior glanced at me, and it was even that type of terrifying expressionless gaze, causing me to get goosebumps all over my body, “Chu, I’m really tired right now. I don’t want to waste my energy to beat you up.”
I, I understand, “Then are we leaving now?” Looking at the time displayed on the phone, it was almost five o’clock, just a few minutes more to go.
“Nn, you got everything you need to bring?”
“Yes.” I nodded, lifting up the completely stuffed backpack in my hands. Since Chifuyu and the others said that they’ll be responsible for all the barbecue and hot pot things, the other participants were rather relaxed, because other than a gift, there’s anything else they need to bring.
Remembering our barbecue back in middle school, it was so tragic. In addition to people bringing sanitary supplies, who didn’t go to school carrying big bags, little bags? If the barbecue wasn’t in the morning, you’ll have to find a fridge to store the food, otherwise, they would have to trouble their mom or dad to find the time to send them over. It really caused whole families to be turned upside just for one barbecue.
That wouldn’t matter if you could just smoothly barbecue without trouble. The problem that we feared the most is whether it will be too windy or too sunny on that day. If it’s too sunny, then apart from being tanned to death, you’d also be roasted to death. If it’s too windy, then just looking at those pieces of meat and the “special grade pepper” on the food would be enough to make anyone lose their appetite.
So regarding the several years of middle school and elementary school’s school barbecues, I honestly don’t have anything to say. If you really want me to talk about some special impression, then the only one would be the large bakeware explosion that I caused when I started the fire. After that, I was prohibited from touching the tinder or charcoal by everyone, which left an especially deep impression on me.
“What kind of weird memory is that?” Senior picked up a paper bag, and inside was the thing that he bought when we went back to shop a few days ago. It was covered in wrapping paper, so up till now, I still don’t know what gift Senior bought.
“Uh…It’s just lighting too big of a fire at our little group’s barbecue grill…” I laughed hollowly. What else could I say? That really was a very miserable memory.
“You can try that out today. Even if a fire breaks out, there’ll be people to help you extinguish it anyway.” Senior, who completely didn’t think that there was anything miserable about it, told me.
“Hahaha…” Senior, are you trying to comfort me or make fun of me? I can’t tell at all.
“Never mind about that, it’s almost time. We should head over there first.” Ignoring the shadows of black lines all over my body, Senior snapped his fingers, and a teleportation array immediately appeared on the ground.
Speaking of this, I thought of something else, “That’s right, Yado called us to go there first to…” After that time, I haven’t seen Yado and the others. I wonder if they got better after they went back?
“You’ll know once we get there.”
“Oh…”
Less than a few seconds after our conversation ended, a cool wind rose up in the surroundings.
Then what reappeared in front of us wasn’t the room in the Black Dorm nor the entrance of Alis Academy, but another place that I never saw before. It was a huge, white stone archway, almost two or three stories high. The archway was carved with totems and lines that look like text. Wrapped around the place buried under the stone were little creeping vines, giving off the feeling of a long history.
All around us were towering white stone walls, and the sound of flowing water came from a place not far from here. Surrounding the stone walls were emerald-green plants…To make an analogy, this place really seems like a historical exploration area in some game. It felt as if a shrine would appear if you just turn past a corner.
There’s wind. The endless stream of wind refreshingly blew on my face, causing one’s spirit to feel reinvigorated.
“This is the Water Fairy Clan’s residence.” Standing beside me, Senior told me, “It’s also where the Water Fairies grow up. We’re currently at the calamity entrance. As soon as we walk through, we’ll reach the Water Fairy Clan’s area. You might see a lot of things, so don’t make too big of a fuss.”
“Uh…I understand.” For Senior to tell me these in passing, I think that I’d definitely be making a fuss later.
Looking at the archway, for some reason, my back suddenly felt chilly.
Hopefully there won’t be anything that’s too hard to accept running out.
Just when I was hesitating about whether I should go in or not, something else came out first.
It was a woman. A…uh…very silvery-green woman. How should I describe her? She was pretty tall, even a head taller than Senior, and she wasn’t wearing any clothes but her body was completely covered with silvery green scales. She looked like she had the body of a fish, but her feet resembled bird claws, and so did her hands. Her face was more like a normal Westerner’s, however, her complexion was still a bit silvery green, and her slender eyes were deep green. It really felt a little strange.
The scale-covered woman bowed slightly at us and spoke a few words that I couldn’t understand.
“That is the Water Fairy Clan’s hostess, as well as gatekeeper, Frenoya.” Senior turned his head to introduce her to me, and then he probably introduced me to that woman as he said a few words that I didn’t understand.
The silvery green woman nodded and then smiled at me.
I hurriedly smiled back at her. As the saying goes, regardless of whether you understand or not, smiling back first would be correct.
She raised her hand and placed it on her chest, then she curved into a smile, “I, Frenoya…welcome to…the Water Fairy Clan.” She slowly spoke in Mandarin. Although it was a little vague, I understood it more or less.
“Sorry, sorry to trouble you.” I didn’t know how I should respond, and hastily bowed at her too. Frenoya followed suit and also bowed at me. After that, she turned her head and chatted with Senior for a while, before she turned toward the entrance and walked in.
“Chu, let’s go.” Senior patted my shoulder, stepped forward and left first.
I hurriedly followed them. The second I passed through the arch, I felt like I heard some kind of mysterious gurgling water sound. Not long after, it disappeared and it felt more like it was a hallucination. But as soon as I entered the archway, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed, completely different from the white stone walls that I saw outside just now.
Appearing before me, was a large, large forest that I couldn’t name…It was a white forest made entirely of stone. Many strange green grasses grew below the trees, and transparent bubbles floated all around the trees. The bubbles even directly floated up to me, and I could even see my reflection clearly.
So many bubbles…
I quickened my steps, closely following behind Senior. A fish passed beside me, looking very relaxed and carefree.
…
A fish? I immediately turned my head. That fish, which should be a freshwater goldfish, didn’t disappear to tell me that it was an illusion at all, as it continued to swim back, completely disregarding the common sense that fish can’t swim in the air.
Fish shouldn’t be able to swim in the air, right!?
Other than little Chitose’s pink big-eyed goldfish, because that’s a bulging-eyed mutant alien and is not a fish, everyone has been fooled by the cartoon!
The moment I wanted to turn my head back and pretend I didn’t see it, a black fish that was three times bigger than the goldfish and had animal trap-like teeth swam out from who-knows-where, and suddenly ate the little goldfish with a roar, cleanly, without leaving a trace.
I didn’t see a thing! I didn’t even see the large group of jellyfish swimming past at three o’clock ahead.
That was an illusion, they’re all illusions, you guys can’t scare me!
“Careful, sometimes man-eating sharks would appear here.” Clearly not his first time coming here, Senior very “kindly” warned me, “If you don’t pay attention, you’ll easily become unable to go back.”
Sometimes you’ll be happier if you don’t know too much. Once Senior said that, I almost subconsciously held onto Minas on my bracelet, ready to blast the shark apart first if one appears.
After we walked for about five minutes and I also pretty much saw the whole batch of ocean creatures, what appeared before us was the legendary seaweed doorway should only reasonably appear in fairytales about mermaid princesses. The long seaweeds were three stories tall, swaying in the wind.
They…In fact, they shouldn’t be seaweed, right…They should be another plant that look like seaweed, right…probably…
“You two, we’ve arrived.” Frenoya turned around and told us this. But Mandarin was obviously a bit difficult for her. After she only said five words, she switched back to her original alien language to talk to Senior.
After talking for a while, Senior turned his head, “Next up is the Water Fairy Clan’s inner residence. She’s only sending us up to here. After that, someone else will bring us to the Water Fairies’ holy land.”
The Water Fairy Clan’s residence?
I looked at the big seaweed door in front of us. Living behind it should be… normal things, right? Yado and the others look very normal, so living behind this should be very normal people too. It’s just that their appearances look a little unique.
After Frenoya said her greetings to us, she followed the original way back. I watched her back, then as I saw her off, I saw a shark charging out from the side and directly open its mouth to bite off her head. Without even turning her head, Frenoya slapped the shark off to the other side, turning it into a star on the horizon.
“Haha…” I probably had eye cramps and saw it wrongly. The others should be normal people.
“Chu, the guide is here!”
Following Senior’s shout, I turned my head, and saw a shiny plate spring out from the seaweed door.
The surrounding atmosphere immediately turned cold, and it was even accompanied by black lines sliding down.
I must be having eye cramps…must be…my eyes are definitely having cramps…
“Hey! Kids, next up, allow the gracious and cute me to lead the way!” The new guide dashingly struck the unforgettable must-have pose from the seventies. His short legs even directly stepped on the stone beside him.
I’m probably dreaming, otherwise I wouldn’t be having this feeling of being hit by a ghost.
There was a green kappa that appeared in front of us.
