“You want ingredients?” the Pope asked, her gaze carrying an air of scrutiny.
It was as if a god were scrutinizing an ant.
Noble, sacred, and completely out of reach.
Even the Ancient Water Spirit seemed to pale in comparison before her.
“Yes,” the Water Spirit nodded, speaking concisely as she bore the faint, ambient pressure.
“Why?” the Pope asked.
“To cook.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I want to.”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Even though they were underground, the Ancient Water Spirit felt as if the sky itself was trembling.
For the emotions of the woman before her could sway the laws of the world.
After a long silence, the Pope slowly turned around and walked out.
She didn't pause for a moment as she reached the door, nor did she look back. She merely left behind a few faint words.
“Give them to her.”
“Yes!” The Demigod knight was currently kneeling on one knee, his right fist pressed against his heart. With his head parallel to the floor, he didn't dare to look aside in the slightest, not even daring to glance at the Pope's heels.
His eyes held only devotion and resolve.
She was a sacred existence far beyond reach. He felt that even casting a single glance at her would be a form of desecration.
Only long after the Pope had departed did the knight stand up. He drew a cross over his chest and gave his orders.
“Give her the ingredients!”
Soon, the ingredients were delivered, along with a matching set of tableware and cooking utensils.
These utensils were far from ordinary; they were all crafted from high-grade materials that would be worth a fortune on the outside.
Before long, a delicious aroma began to drift from inside the secret chamber.
Even the knight guarding the door couldn't help but twitch his nose and steal a glance at the door.
She really knows how to cook?!
The knight was astonished, but he still suppressed his curiosity. He knew his duty—to guard the prison chamber!
Inside the secret chamber, the Ancient Water Spirit placed the delicious food she had prepared with her own hands into her mouth, tasting it carefully and pondering over it.
Suddenly, she smiled again.
Covering her heart with her flawless little hand, she murmured in her mind.
“Did you feel it?”
From a distant location, one hundred and eight voices chimed in unison.
“It's very warm.”
...
“Back before the sun reaches the center of the sky?” Seeing Zhang Ye stand up, Hainowei spoke like a prophet before he could even say a word.
Zhang Ye chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, but I might be a bit later this time. If you can't wait, you can make something to eat yourself first.”
“Okay,” Hainowei nodded.
Zhang Ye set off once more.
This time, he flew over a thousand kilometers, arriving at the upper reaches of the river, where ice and snow had begun to appear, along with forks in the river.
Zhang Ye thought for a moment and decided to set up a medium-scale teleportation circle here.
He had come across the method for setting up a medium-scale teleportation circle during his time at the research institute and had committed it to memory. It could teleport things thousands of kilometers away.
This place would be the turning point of the transmission. With three river branches heading in three directions, he needed to set up three connection points, which would offer more options.
It would also provide greater security.
No sooner said than done, he dived into the riverbed once more to set up the magic circle.
By the time he surfaced, the sun was no longer in the center of the sky.
He warmed his body up a bit and hurriedly rushed back to the Water Spirit Lake.
But when he returned to the Water Spirit Lake, he smelled an enticing aroma.
Arriving at the altar, he saw Hainowei with her hands resting gently over her lower abdomen, a warm smile on her face.
“You're back! The food is ready, come and eat.”
Zhang Ye froze in place, staring blankly at Hainowei.
For some reason, this scene struck a chord deep within his heart.
“What's wrong?” Hainowei tilted her head, wondering why Zhang Ye was dazed.
Her spring-like voice brought Zhang Ye back to his senses.
He suddenly flashed a brilliant smile. “Nothing! Let's eat, I'm starving!”
Zhang Ye happily tasted Hainowei's cooking and was instantly blown away.
Hainowei had perfectly inherited his culinary skills. Moreover, because of her absolute control over water, the dishes that required water were even better than his.
Delicious, so delicious!
“How is it?” Hainowei asked expectantly.
“Ith'th thoo delicious!” Zhang Ye gobbled it down, his words slurred.
His current appearance was more genuine than any praise, making a wave of pride rise in Hainowei's heart.
She felt that she had finally found something to do.
Like cooking.
And of course, playing games!
“I'm stuffed, that felt so good...” Zhang Ye lay on the grass, rubbing his stomach with a look of utter satisfaction.
This sight made Hainowei giggle.
“By the way, Hainowei, do you have any high-tier water-attribute ores here?”
“Yes, do you want some?” Hainowei nodded, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a look that clearly said, "I'll go get them for you."
“Yes, of course!” Zhang Ye immediately nodded.
Without a second word, Hainowei dove straight into the lake. A moment later, she floated back up, supporting a massive sphere of water.
Inside the water sphere was a dense mass of ores. At a rough estimate, there were at least a thousand tons!
“Is that enough? There are plenty more down below,” Hainowei said innocently.
Zhang Ye hurriedly waved his hands. “Enough, enough, that's way more than enough!”
My goodness, who uses a thousand tons of ore to make a ring?
Zhang Ye didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He stepped forward to select some, eventually settling on three types of Tier Ten ores. One was called Glazed Crystal, an excellent conductor of mana. Another was Blue Water Mica, which had a mana-boosting effect and was incredibly beautiful.
The last one was called Water Spirit Crystal. It was said that in places where water spirits existed, extremely dense water elements and crystals would condense under the influence of the laws of water. It was incredibly rare and precious.
Just the few pounds of it that Hainowei had brought out would be enough to fetch an astronomical price.
“You can take the rest back,” Zhang Ye said.
“These are useless to me.” Hainowei shook her head. “If you want them, just take them all. Don't humans like this kind of stuff?”
Zhang Ye was delighted and didn't decline, storing them all away.
“What do you need these ores for?” Hainowei asked curiously.
“To prepare a surprise for someone I like.”
“I see...” Hainowei was silent for a moment. Then, she reached out her hand, and a teardrop-shaped blue gem appeared in her palm, looking dreamily brilliant under the light.
“Here. This is the Water Spirit's Tear. It's very useful for you humans.”
Zhang Ye was startled. “Is this... your tear?”
“Yes,” Hainowei nodded.
“Isn't this very important?” Zhang Ye said in a serious tone. “It's the condensation of your emotions.”
“Sad emotions aren't worth keeping.” Hainowei shook her head and held the Water Spirit's Tear out to Zhang Ye. “I remember humans like this kind of thing a lot. I think you might need it.”
Zhang Ye looked at her, and finally nodded, accepting it.
He said, “Thank you.”
Hainowei smiled. “I'm just doing what I want to do.”
Looking at her smile, Zhang Ye couldn't help but tighten his grip on the Water Spirit's Tear.
Over the next few days, aside from playing games with Hainowei, Zhang Ye spent his time cultivating, setting up magic circles, and crafting the ring for Leona.
During this time, Hainowei even helped Zhang Ye craft the ring.
With her help, Zhang Ye's crafting process went much more smoothly.
Finally, there were only three days left before the secret realm opened.
In the evening, Hainowei asked Zhang Ye, “Are you going back tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” Zhang Ye lay on the altar, resting his head on his arms as he chewed some gum, looking somewhat distracted.
“Then when will you come back?”
Zhang Ye fell silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Hainowei bit her lower lip slightly. “Do you not want to come back?”
“I do!” This time, Zhang Ye said without any hesitation. “It's just that I don't know when I'll be able to return, so I can't give you a definite answer.”
Hearing this, Hainowei's expression finally softened.
She thought for a moment, then suddenly came over to Zhang Ye's side and lay down next to him.
She pointed at the sky and said, “Then...”
“Once the sun or the moon reaches the very center of the sky, you return. How about that?”
Zhang Ye turned his head and stared at her blankly.
After a moment, a smile broke across his face. “Okay.”
The sun reaching the center of the sky was midday.
The moon reaching the center of the sky was midnight.
The alternation of the sun and the moon had no beginning and no end.
This...
was forever...
It meant...
you could return at any time. The time limit was eternity.
...
...
...
Rate on N.U.
