They played all through the night. If not for his strong physical constitution, Zhang Ye would probably have been completely drained of energy.
Hainowei was too amazing... Don't get the wrong idea, I'm talking about the games.
Her luck was incredibly good. You had to roll a six or a one just to take off, but often before Zhang Ye could even get a single plane out of the hangar, she was already close to the finish line.
Then there was two-player Landlord, high-card wins, rolling dice... Anyway, Zhang Ye and Hainowei didn't even know how many games they played throughout the night, but Hainowei utterly crushed Zhang Ye in every single one.
Perhaps Zhang Ye could gain some advantage at the very beginning, but later on, he was completely one-sidedly thrashed.
This left Zhang Ye utterly helpless.
However, throughout the night, Hainowei's silver bell-like laughter never stopped. Seeing her so happy, Zhang Ye was also content.
After eating breakfast, Hainowei seemed to have anticipated something and asked, “Are you heading out again?”
Zhang Ye nodded. “Yeah. Don't worry, I'll be back before the sun reaches the center of the sky.”
“Okay!” Hainowei nodded vigorously, seemingly believing Zhang Ye's words without a shadow of a doubt.
Zhang Ye set off once more, arriving at the river where he had set up the magic circle yesterday. Then, following the river, he flew upstream.
After flying over five hundred kilometers, Zhang Ye stopped. This was because the maximum transmission distance of that spatial magic circle ended here.
Zhang Ye continued to set up the magic circle on the riverbed.
The river water was still bone-chillingly cold, even icier than before, with a much sharper chill.
By the time Zhang Ye finished setting up the magic circle and burst out of the water, his lips had turned pale from the cold.
“Man, that's freezing me to death...” Zhang Ye circulated his mana to dispel the chill, looking toward the upper reaches of the river.
The further upstream he went, the lower the temperature became and the colder the river water grew. The chill and the icy cold brought by the laws became increasingly profound.
Shivering once more, Zhang Ye returned to the Water Spirit Lake and made a sumptuous lunch for Hainowei.
“Let me teach you how to cook. That way, even after I leave, you can make your own meals.”
“Okay!” Hainowei immediately nodded in agreement, then began to learn earnestly from Zhang Ye.
Zhang Ye taught Hainowei how to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner, explaining in detail what to eat for each meal.
Hainowei learned very quickly. Perhaps it was because she had a hundred and seven clones in the background helping her memorize, but she could nearly perfectly replicate Zhang Ye's cooking steps after seeing them just once, and the flavors she produced were almost identical.
The sun went down. After having dinner with Hainowei and playing games with her for a while, Zhang Ye entered cultivation mode.
The mana and water elements here were extremely dense, making it highly suitable for his cultivation. Moreover, while cultivating, his internal compatibility with the water element was constantly rising. At this rate, he would definitely be able to break through to Tier Nine Newly Advanced before returning, and the power of his water magic would also become much stronger.
During this period, Lina and the others also contacted Zhang Ye through their badges.
After confirming that Zhang Ye was safe and sound, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Lina then told Zhang Ye how they had made excuses to stall Leona, which gave Zhang Ye a massive headache.
A surprise?
Where on earth was he supposed to get a surprise ready for Big Nana?
But he couldn't bear to let Leona down, so he began to rack his brains.
Leona held a high status and had seen much of the world; she had encountered plenty of valuable treasures. Thus, gifting her a costly item probably wouldn't bring much of a surprise. Consequently, Zhang Ye came up with an idea.
How could something bought with money compare to a treasure he crafted with his own hands?
Coincidentally, there were high-tier water-attribute ores inside Claude Canyon. Zhang Ye planned to use them to craft a water-attribute enchanted ring for Leona.
What? You're asking why a fire-attribute Saint-tier mage would wear a water-attribute enchanted ring?
That's where you're missing the point~
Water and fire counter each other, but they can also complement one another.
In Zhang Ye's design, through the water-attribute enchanted ring, Leona could keep her cool during battle, making her mana flow smoother and more peaceful. This was the effect brought by water.
And not only that, the water elements stored in the ring could also be directly converted into hydrogen and oxygen through the Hydrogen-Oxygen conversion formation, drastically boosting the power of fire-attribute magic. This way, Leona wouldn't have to expend her mental focus to cast the 【Hydrogen-Oxygen Enhancement Formation】.
Extremely nice, right?
Having made up his mind, he would ask Hainowei tomorrow if she had any high-tier water-attribute mineral materials.
The night was beautiful and tranquil. Zhang Ye sat cross-legged by the altar magic circle, meditating and cultivating, while Hainowei lay in the middle of the altar.
There was a water vent that Zhang Ye had specifically carved out for her, connecting to the bottom of the lake so she could bathe in the water at all times.
In front of her, water currents condensed into the shapes of various ingredients as she simulated cooking.
She found this extremely interesting.
With a faint smile on her face, her hands flew about as she occasionally let out a silver bell-like laugh.
...
Meanwhile, tens of millions of miles away, inside a massive secret chamber beneath a grand palace, water currents surged.
This place was sealed, yet the water kept flowing as if it possessed a life of its own.
Although this place was not dark, dirty, or decayed—it could even be called magnificent, as even the walls were built from high-grade materials—it still gave off an oppressive feeling.
Seven golden chains radiating mana fluctuations stretched into the depths of the secret chamber.
At the end of the chains, a certain entity was shackled.
She possessed a perfect face and a beautiful fish tail.
Just like a mermaid.
Yet, in this secret chamber where sunlight could never reach, her beautiful scales and tail seemed to have lost their luster.
She was expressionless, making it impossible to read her emotions.
Suddenly, a light seemed to appear in her eyes.
She reached out her hand, and the water currents in her palm condensed, ultimately turning into the shapes of various ingredients. Then, she began to use the water to simulate cooking. Her technique grew more and more adept, and the smile on her face became increasingly pronounced.
Suddenly, her smile faded, and she returned to calmness.
Because she couldn't feel the warmth of a real hearth; she felt... it wasn't very interesting this way.
She fell silent for a moment, looking toward the door of the secret chamber.
There were numerous magic circles on the door, designed to prevent her from breaking her shackles and escaping.
Not just the door, but even the walls of the secret chamber were bound by powerful magic circles.
“Someone come,” she opened her mouth and said softly.
Her voice was as gentle as water.
After a moment of silence, the magic circles on the door rotated and faded away, and the door swung open.
A knight clad in golden armor stepped inside.
A hidden yet powerful fluctuation emanated from his body.
If Zhang Ye were here to cast an analysis right now, he would discover that the newcomer was actually an existence at the very top of the continent's combat power pyramid.
A Demigod!
To be guarded by a Demigod in person showed just how terrifying the security measures for this entity were.
“What is it?” The golden-armored knight stared intently at the being before him. He was not dazed by her beauty; on the contrary, his eyes were filled with wariness and vigilance.
He knew that even though he was a Demigod, an existence below only one but above tens of thousands, he stood almost no chance in a fight against the being before him!
“I want cooking ingredients,” she said.
“Ingredients?” The knight was taken aback, unable to comprehend why this ancient existence before him would suddenly ask for cooking ingredients.
“What do you want ingredients for?” the knight asked.
“To cook,” she replied.
The knight found this even more bizarre.
The Ancient Water Spirit... wanted to eat?
Impossible. She had been imprisoned here for a thousand years without eating; how could she suddenly need to eat now?
The knight was silent for a moment before saying, “All of your actions must be reported and decided by Her Holiness the Pope.”
“Then call her here,” she said slowly.
The knight's face darkened.
Even if you are the Ancient Water Spirit, you cannot be disrespectful to Her Holiness the Pope!
But helplessly, knowing he was no match for her anyway, he could only nod, turn around, and walk out the door.
The door closed, the magic circles activated, and the Ancient Water Spirit waited quietly.
After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly opened her eyes.
In the next moment, the door opened once more. This time, the one who walked in was a woman clad in a dark gold robe.
The robe was loose and simple, yet it could not hide its magnificence, much less conceal the nobility of its wearer.
“You want ingredients?” The newcomer spoke slowly, her voice magnetic yet carrying a sacredness from above the pure heavens.
Like a deity chanting, like an angel singing.
With every movement, laws swirled around her.
The Ancient Water Spirit knew that this woman was the true “summit” of the entire West Continent.
Bar none.
Rate on N.U.
