‘Even so, I still wished to see it for myself,’ I thought. I felt it was imperative to investigate, and even if entry proved impossible, I would at least fulfill the commission from Light and Shadow.
Yin nodded in agreement. ‘Curiosity is only natural,’ he remarked. ‘It matters little; we have no pressing engagements anyway. There’s no harm in simply taking a look.’ He shrugged, a gesture of profound understanding.
Turning my gaze to Lavishly Karafar and the others, I inquired, ‘Do any of you have a particular destination in mind?’
Lavishly Karafar gently shook her head. ‘We are simply here to accompany you,’ she replied. ‘Go wherever your heart desires; there’s no need to consider my preferences.’ The others echoed her sentiment, nodding in agreement.
‘In that case, let us journey to the God-Fallen Land,’ I declared, my decision made.
Yin nodded once more. ‘Very well,’ he conceded. ‘It isn’t terribly far, perhaps a few days’ walk at most.’
‘Days?’ I repeated, my voice laced with astonishment. ‘It will take that long?’
‘Do you intend to fly there?’ Yin retorted, rolling his eyes. ‘Setting aside whether I can even fly, do you truly believe you can sustain flight for an extended period within the Land of Disorder?’
Upon reflection, I conceded his point. The strain of wielding divine power within the Land of Disorder was indeed immense.
‘Why not simply take some form of transportation?’ Liu Han interjected, cutting straight to the heart of the matter with her usual directness.
Yin’s weathered face flushed crimson. ‘Well, the truth is,’ he mumbled, ‘I’m rather short on funds.’
‘Pfft!’ ‘Pfft!’ Two stifled snorts broke the silence as Lavishly Karafar and Liu Han both burst into laughter. ‘Excuse me, old man,’ Liu Han managed to say, struggling to contain her mirth, ‘you seem so formidable, yet you don’t even have money for a ride?’
Yin’s face deepened to an even darker shade of red. ‘It’s just that living in places like these,’ he stammered, ‘everything seems to demand payment…’
‘It’s quite alright,’ I assured him. ‘We have money on us.’ I recalled the Wing-Broken coins Leixar had provided us and addressed Yin.
‘How could I possibly spend the money of my juniors, let alone that of young ladies?’ Yin insisted, his tone stubbornly resolute.
‘So you’ll walk alone?’ Mifeier asked, fixing her gaze on Yin. ‘Old man, honestly, there’s no shame in it. If you lack the means, there’s no need to pretend otherwise. No one here would mock you for it.’ Mifeier’s earnest face delivered a devastating blow.
There it was: Mifeier’s earnest expression, coupled with her merciless honesty.
Had she delivered those words with a different expression, I might have dismissed them as a jest. Yet, her utterly serious demeanor, combined with a direct assault on his fragile confidence, left no room for subtlety, making it truly…
Yin, predictably, appeared as though he had sustained a grievous internal injury, momentarily speechless and at a loss for words.
Witnessing his crestfallen expression, a pang of sympathy stirred within me. After a moment’s thought, I offered him a graceful exit. ‘Senior Yin,’ I began, having even upgraded my address from ‘Mister Yin’ to ‘Senior Yin,’ ‘please accept this as a token of respect from us, your juniors.’
Yin’s expression softened perceptibly, and he readily accepted the face-saving gesture. ‘Very well then,’ he conceded, ‘let us proceed.’
‘What form of transport shall we use?’ I inquired.
‘There are quite a few options available,’ Yin explained. ‘For instance, long-distance trains, flying shuttles, and speed carriages. Oh, and of course, flying dragons.’
The speed carriage, as he termed it, was akin to the ‘car’ we had previously ridden. The flying shuttle functioned as a smaller aircraft, much like a plane, while the long-distance train resembled the one that had carried us from Earth to the Divine Realm.
‘Oh? Flying dragons?’ Lavishly Karafar’s eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement. ‘Should we ride one of those?’
Truthfully, I was just as intrigued. However, as a boy, I felt compelled to maintain a dignified composure. What sort of spectacle would I make if I allowed myself to be overtly excited? Thus, I remained silent.
‘I’m curious as well,’ Mifeier mused, tilting her head thoughtfully. ‘I’ve never experienced anything quite so magnificent.’
‘Very well,’ I announced, seizing the opportune moment. ‘Let us ride a flying dragon, then.’ This allowed me to appear unhurried, while simultaneously precluding any chance for others to voice objections.
Yin paused, deep in thought. ‘Currently, in Keli City…’ He mused for a moment, then continued, ‘Let’s head to Wind Valley. There are quite a few wind-elemental flying dragons there. However, remember a few crucial points. Firstly, never provoke a Giant Dragon. Flying dragons can be ridden, albeit at a cost, but Giant Dragons…’
‘Yes, yes, we understand,’ Lavishly Karafar interjected, cutting short Yin’s lengthy admonition. ‘Just take us there quickly.’
Yin sighed, a sound laden with a hint of resignation. ‘You youngsters,’ he lamented, ‘have no respect for your elders whatsoever.’
At this, Liu Han cast a sidelong glance at him. ‘If you could manage to act like a true elder,’ she retorted, ‘we wouldn’t object to showing you a modicum of respect.’
Yin looked at them with an expression of profound grievance, then turned his gaze to me, lunging forward abruptly. ‘Little Mengmeng is still the cutest,’ he declared, ‘these others are all…’
Forgive me, but even I, usually so even-tempered, found myself utterly disgusted in that moment. I swiftly retrieved the Divine Tome from my spatial storage and, with scant regard for politeness, pressed it firmly against his face.
Slowly, I drew the book away, then gazed at the utterly dejected Yin. ‘Ah, my apologies,’ I said, a touch of regret in my voice. ‘It’s just that your expression moments ago was rather too…’
‘Too disgusting,’ Mifeier finished for me, hands on her hips, her expression utterly serious as she supplied the latter half of the sentence I had been too embarrassed to utter.
Yin, once more, seemed to deflate, as if he had aged a decade in an instant. This was no mere exaggeration, however, as a mere ten years of aging would be utterly imperceptible on a divine being.
‘Let’s go,’ Xilinka interjected, breaking our reverie. ‘We should hurry; it’s getting quite late.’
I glanced skyward, noting that it wasn’t even noon. ‘Late?’ I mused, though I chose not to contradict her. ‘Right, let’s go then, to ride the flying dragons.’