The Long Beach

Under normal circumstances, they would only need to command their riding beasts to travel south from the World Tree for a day to reach the home of the Night Elves—Night Lotus Valley.

But now Xia Duo was suspended, and the identities of Starlight and Po Kong were somewhat sensitive. Plus, with “tails” sent by unknown forces following them, they naturally couldn't take the main road openly.

So their current goal was the coastline in the southeastern part of Star-Song Forest, which was also a popular vacation spot for the elves.

Xia Duo planned to use the crowds there as cover, take a detour by water, land from a different direction of Night Lotus Valley, and then sneak into the Night Elves' territory.

“Going by sea? Xia Duo, are you sure this will avoid pursuit?”

Starlight immediately voiced his concerns after hearing her plan. He didn't believe that expert trackers would give up so easily just because they took a boat out to sea.

Xia Duo, however, patted her chest with confidence, assuring him that nothing would go wrong.

“Sister is right to do this,” Moen added. “The sea is a place where the World Tree network cannot monitor. We just need to completely shake off those followers at the coast.”

Seeing Moen agree, Starlight nodded slightly. Since both of them believed this was the right move, he, as an outsider, shouldn't doubt it further.

“But aren't we taking a long detour? Little Shadow, aren't you afraid of wasting too much time? As far as I know, ships aren't as fast as this guy.” Po Kong patted the Split-Toothed Beast beneath him as he raised his question.

“We won't be taking the conventional route you're imagining; it won't take much time~” Xia Duo blinked, her tone carrying a hint of mystery. “Uh... the only downside is that it's a bit... dangerous.”

However, judging by her slightly hesitant expression, Xia Duo wasn't entirely confident in her choice either, but she still urged the two to trust her judgment.

“I don't care about danger. We've seen plenty of it in the last few months, right, Little Star?”

Po Kong shrugged to show his indifference, and Starlight even saw a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

“True.” Starlight nodded in agreement. “Xia Duo, the place you're talking about can't be more dangerous than Taros, can it?”

“Not quite... it's just...” Xia Duo trailed off, giving Po Kong a strange look.

“Just what? Little Shadow, finish your sentence!”

“Nothing... nothing... you'll find out when we get there!”

Po Kong was left feeling bewildered by her look, but when he tried to press further, Xia Duo brushed him off with vague excuses.

Left with no choice, Po Kong gave up on his questioning and turned to chat with his companions.

With the Split-Toothed Beast galloping along, the four of them finally approached the edge of the forest as evening drew near.

Despite the beast's incredible speed, its back felt remarkably steady without a hint of jolting. Wrapped in its warm fur, Starlight almost drifted off to sleep.

“We're almost there~ Ahead is our destination—the Firefly Sea!”

Seeing the trees begin to thin out, Moen gently patted the drowsy Starlight and pointed ahead.

“Whew~ Are we finally here?” Starlight let out a long yawn, rubbed his eyes, and looked at the distant scenery.

Just as he spoke, the Split-Toothed Beast carried the four of them out of the dense forest.

The moment they left the last bit of shade, the view before them suddenly opened up, replaced by a vast, shimmering golden beach.

The lush green world behind them and the boundless azure ocean in the distance were divided into two distinct worlds by this endless, straight stretch of sand.

“This beach... it's too much! Just how long is it!?” Po Kong was immediately captivated by the beauty before him, unable to help but exclaim after looking around.

“Firefly Beach is over a hundred kilometers long; it's one of the most famous sights in Star-Song Forest!”

Xia Duo explained while pulling the reins of the Split-Toothed Beast, slowing it to a trot as they headed toward a nearby relay station.

By now, Starlight could already see elves relaxing on the beach from a distance.

At a rough estimate, there were over a hundred elves in just the area before them. It seemed this place truly was the vacation resort Xia Duo claimed it to be; they hadn't seen nearly this many elves on their way to the town settlements earlier.

“Let me tell you something first,” Xia Duo said, lowering her voice as they led the rented Split-Toothed Beast into the relay station, her eyes warily scanning the surroundings.

“While I'm certain our Split-Toothed Beast wasn't followed, it's not hard to guess our destination based on our route. Someone might already know we're here, so we need to be very careful with our communication from now on!”

The heavy breathing and movements of the dozens of Split-Toothed Beasts in the relay station provided excellent cover for their voices. In such a noisy environment, it would be difficult even for Xia Duo herself to eavesdrop on a conversation.

“So what do we do now?” Seeing Xia Duo speak so seriously, Po Kong followed her lead and asked in a whisper.

“Given the time, it's not realistic to head out to sea tonight. You and I will go to the settlement ahead to see if we can rent a boat. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning!”

Xia Duo pointed toward the beach in the distance, where several man-made structures were visible.

Along the long coastline, the elves had established many small villages like these, where vacationing elves would typically choose to rest.

“What about Moen and me?” Starlight asked.

“You? You don't need to do anything. Just wander around the beach and prepare dinner while you're at it. That should help draw some attention away from us,” Xia Duo continued.

“That's it? Nothing else?” Starlight found Xia Duo's request surprisingly simple and agreed without hesitation.

While Po Kong and Xia Duo hurried toward the distant village against the sunset, Starlight pulled two tents from his storage space and began setting them up with Moen at the edge of the forest.

According to Xia Duo's instructions, they couldn't stay in the villages like normal tourists tonight. It was better to camp in an open area so she could determine if anyone was following them.

Starlight initially felt that for just one night, they didn't really need tents, but the salty, damp sea breeze made Po Kong, who had lived inland for years, very uncomfortable. Thus, Starlight and Moen decided to pitch the tents anyway.

Actually, these tents were part of the supplies Po Kong and the others had frantically purchased back at the academy over half a month ago; they hadn't expected them to come in handy so soon.

However, using the tents for the first time, they realized that while they looked simple, they were actually quite difficult to assemble.

Finally, after quite a bit of effort, the two managed to pitch two rather unsightly tents. Whether they were sturdy was one thing, but at least they had a place to shield them from the wind and rain tonight.