The wind brushed against her cheeks, whisking away the moisture from the corners of her eyes.
The Floating Skiff sped along the path, leaving behind the forest of fluttering leaves and entering an open plain, passing by a cultivated orchard.
Busy figures moved between the trees, their laughter and sweat carrying the joy of a bountiful harvest.
Su Yue stood up, gazing at the endless orchard with starlight shimmering in her eyes.
“Wow! What a huge grape grove!”
Lucoco slowed down and lowered the altitude, letting the Floating Skiff glide slowly just above the ground.
“You can only see a sight like this in Echo Territory.”
Are waved her hand lightly, summoning a grape larger than a green plum into her palm to examine it.
“Hahaha, you got that right! Having Your Crownship here in Echo Territory makes folks everywhere else green with envy.”
An old man by the roadside set down his basket, his smile bright and sunny.
“Want to take some with you? I’ll take the smiles of you beautiful ladies as payment, hahaha!”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
Lucoco stopped the Floating Skiff and gave the man a sweet smile.
She extended a tentacle, coiled it around the basket, and placed it into the back of the vehicle.
Seeing the tentacle, the man was visibly stunned for a moment, but then he laughed even harder.
“You’ve really grown up, haha! Have a pleasant journey, Miss Witch!”
“Thank you! Goodbye, Uncle!”
Lucoco waved, and the Floating Skiff set off again toward the sun.
“Take care now!”
They passed through orchards, fields of corn, and golden paddies of rice.
The sounds of croaking frogs and chirping birds carried on the wind, intertwining with the shouts of sturdy men and the songs of women to form an evening hymn for the bountiful land.
‘It is only logical for a “god” to bless the land and teach their believers knowledge from another world, isn’t it?’
‘I worked hard for nearly five years to teach them. Pretty impressive, right!’
‘If there is anyone to thank, it should be the Blessing of the World Tree and Farming SSS—those two Marks of Prosperity.’
‘Oh, right, I have to brag! My Faith Points have already reached over 2,000,000.’
‘If I wanted to, I could focus just a little and see balls of faith flying through the air, landing on altars that don’t even have divine statues.’
—
As they continued forward, a familiar figure appeared, walking slowly along the narrow country road.
The low hum of the engine caused the priestess to turn around.
“Hey, rival!”
Du Lin shouted excitedly, waving her hand.
“Good afternoon.”
The priestess offered a gentle smile and waved back.
‘Is this not my most loyal believer?’
Lucoco stopped the Floating Skiff and leaned out with a smile.
“Going to the Crossroads Market?”
“Yes, Saint… Miss Witch.”
Her smile remained unchanged.
“Hop in! We’re headed there too!”
Lucoco patted the seat.
“Come on, come on! Get in!”
Su Yue called out enthusiastically.
“Thank you.”
The priestess climbed into the back and found a corner to sit.
“I’ll just sit here.”
“Accelerating!”
Lucoco stepped on the gas, and the Floating Skiff rose higher, darting away.
…
“Rival! Where are you headed?”
Du Lin climbed into the back, popped a grape into her mouth, and squeezed in next to the priestess.
Gazing toward the distant horizon, the priestess’s voice was faint.
“Me? I’m preparing to leave Echo Territory to travel the world.”
“Why? Didn’t you say you wanted to stay by Your Crownship’s side for the rest of your life?”
“Last night, Your Crownship handed down a divine oracle. She said she was going to illuminate the subjects of other lands…”
Her gaze was soft yet resolute.
Hearing this, Du Lin’s eyes lit up.
“I get it… In that case, why don’t you join our party?”
“You guys…”
“We’re going to take a Trial. Lucoco is going on a journey, and we just happen to need a healer!”
Du Lin puffed out her chest, her eyes full of expectation.
“Is Lady Are… not coming along?”
The priestess hesitated, looking at Are in the back seat.
“Lady Are is too strong. If she came with us, it wouldn’t be a Trial anymore. For now, she’s Lucoco’s personal bodyguard!”
Du Lin winked.
“So? Are you in?”
“But my level hasn’t recovered yet. I’m only Level 17.”
The priestess scratched her head awkwardly, looking a bit embarrassed.
Du Lin grinned and threw an arm around the woman’s shoulder, her eyes sparkling.
“Oh, what does that matter? I’m asking you again—do you want to come with us?”
The priestess smiled warmly.
“Alright, let’s do it.”
She nodded in agreement.
“Though, why is your level so low? You were nearly Level 50 back then, weren’t you?”
“I sacrificed it once for the sake of Your Crownship.”
Her gentle gaze fell upon the small figure in the driver’s seat.
Du Lin suddenly remembered the scene from back then.
Realization dawned on her, and she swallowed hard as she looked at the priestess.
“That Fire Rain Meteor… was your doing!?”
“Yes…”
“Incredible, rival!”
Du Lin gave her a thumbs-up.
“Let’s be teammates for life!”
Lucoco thought, ‘That sounds so familiar. Where have I heard that before?’
—
Leaving a trail of dust behind them, the group soon arrived at the Crossroads Market.
They stored the Floating Skiff and lined up for inspection.
Two Starfire Falcons screeched as they soared over the town toward the other side, drawing gasps of wonder from the crowds.
A guard with a slight limp carefully checked their identification.
His helmet covered half his face, hiding his features.
However, the three who knew exactly who he was remained carefully silent.
“Please go in, Miss Witch…”
After confirming everything was correct, the guard respectfully allowed them through.
As the group walked into the town, the guard’s gaze followed Lucoco’s back until she disappeared into the doors of the Adventurer’s Guild.
—
The hall of the Adventurer’s Guild was as lively as ever.
Lucoco stood in front of the counter.
“Are you sure, Miss Witch? You want the title ‘Dawn’?”
The receptionist asked as she filled out the form.
“Yes, thank you for your help.”
Lucoco smiled and handed over her Adventurer’s Certificate, which currently lacked a title.
“Please wait a moment…”
The receptionist took it respectfully and turned toward the back office.
A moment later, the doorbell chimed, and two figures ran inside.
Su Yue pressed against Lucoco’s back, wrapping her arms around her.
“Lucoco! We’re done shopping!”
“Wait a bit, it should be ready soon… Hiss.”
As Lucoco spoke, she reached back to tickle Su Yue, but Su Yue responded by nibbling on her earlobe.
Du Lin tapped at the air, distributing supplies.
“Let’s divide the stuff now! The bags are full, and there are 60 gold coins left.”
“Sister Du Lin, Sister Su Yue, I…”
“Refusal is denied! We’re teammates.”
Du Lin spoke brookingly, grabbing Lucoco’s right hand and gently touching her bracelet to transfer her share of the supplies and 20 gold coins.
“…”
Lucoco smiled helplessly.
With a light brush of her bracelet, she retrieved two unique crystal coins from her Player Bag.
Under their surprised gazes, Lucoco placed the crystal coins into their palms.
She beamed brilliantly.
“Now… you can’t refuse these either, right? Hehe.”
**[Valuable item detected: This is a crystal coin that circulated in Estella over 3,000 years ago. It possesses significant historical value. Please…]**
These two crystal coins were the most meaningful items Lucoco had kept in her Login Space warehouse from the game terminals she collected before entering the game.
Su Yue and Du Lin exchanged a glance, a wave of warmth flowing through their hearts.
They did not reject the heavy weight of her sincerity.
“Muah!”
The two girls kissed Lucoco on each cheek.
“We’ll treasure them.”
—
The door to the back office opened, and the receptionist stepped out, handing the Adventurer’s Certificate back to Lucoco.
“Have a wonderful journey, Lady Dawn.”
“Thank you, and I hope you have a great day every day too.”
Lucoco took the card and replied with a smile.
“Oh! Let me see, let me see!”
Su Yue snatched the Adventurer’s Certificate, spinning it around as she walked toward the exit with a chuckle.
“Dawn… there must be hundreds, if not thousands, of people with that title!”
Lucoco and Du Lin followed her out of the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Why wasn’t it Tentacle Princess…”
“Or the Witch of Daylight! Like the opposite of Sister Lucia!”
“And, and…”
Their laughter faded as they walked down the street toward the exit on the other side of town, where Are and the priestess were waiting quietly.
The Crossroads Market was not a gateway, but merely a supply point to complete Lucoco’s Adventurer’s Certificate and restock.
—
A gust of wind swirled fallen leaves to the screeching of the Starfire Falcons.
Just as Lucoco had predicted, they reached the gateway town by evening, having crossed the River Basin where Players were everywhere.
As they lowered their altitude near the towering city walls, they spotted two familiar figures not far from the exit.
Sebas’s handsome face was deathly pale, his eyes a bit glazed as he leaned against a tree gasping for air, surrounded by a group of female Players chattering away.
Clearly, he had overtaxed himself using a teleportation spell.
Yinuo, who had returned at noon, had been sitting outside The Manor staring blankly in the direction Lucoco had left.
Seeing her like that pained Sebas.
Before she could even speak, he had simply teleported her here.
He had nearly fainted from the effort.
Yinuo’s eyes were red and swollen, and she was also surrounded by several enthusiastic Players trying to gain favor with her.
*Screech!*
The Floating Skiff came to a steady halt.
Hearing the commotion, Yinuo looked up and saw Lucoco and the others.
With a mix of surprise and joy, she rushed over.
“Lucoco! Du Lin! Su Yue!”
“Holy crap! Is that the little (censored) witch!?”
“Did she evolve? Why is she here?”
“Now’s our chance! Go kiss up to her!”
The Players were energized, looking ready to swarm them.
“You lot!”
Sebas sat up abruptly, his deep voice thick with displeasure.
“Don’t bother them.”
“Oh…”
The Players immediately lost their momentum, shrinking back and retreating with sheepish expressions.
“I’ll bring Yinuo here for a stroll every now and then,” he added with a weird, mischievous chuckle.
“Master Sebas! You’re the greatest NPC in the world!”
The Players flocked back to him excitedly, completely failing to notice the playful tone in Sebas’s voice.
…
Lucoco put away her beloved skiff.
Are and the priestess picked up their luggage and began walking slowly toward the city exit.
The four girls were finally gathered together.
Yinuo eventually found the courage to say a formal goodbye to her three companions.
The desolation in her azure eyes slowly faded, replaced by a bright light.
“Lucoco, this is for you…”
Yinuo shyly handed over an intricately woven flower wreath.
“Did you make this, Sister? It’s beautiful.”
Lucoco took it, her fingertips gently brushing the petals.
“My mother taught me the craft… She said ‘a flower wreath gives a traveler protection and blessings.'”
“Waaah! Yinuo, I want one too!”
Su Yue lunged forward like a spoiled child, hugging Yinuo’s furry arm and blinking her large eyes.
“Ah… well, I only managed to make one…”
Yinuo scratched her head, looking embarrassed and flustered.
“Hahaha! I’m just teasing you…”
Su Yue waved her hand with a mischievous grin and stepped back toward Du Lin.
“I have to go now… Sister Yinuo.”
Lucoco gripped the wreath and gave Yinuo a radiant smile, slowly backing away.
“Yes!”
Yinuo nodded with all her might.
Before the moisture on her face could turn into tear tracks, it was replaced by a brilliant smile.
“I’ll wait for you all to come back!”
“Goodbye…”
“Take care!”
“Lucoco! Have a safe trip!”
“Lady Witch! Have a safe trip!”
“Remember to summon your Uncle if you need anything!”
Lucoco rejoined Su Yue, Du Lin, and the priestess.
The five of them walked slowly toward the distance.
The lingering gazes and farewell calls behind them grew distant and blurred with every step.
Until… they could no longer be heard…
And then…
The footsteps behind her gradually slowed… and slowed… until eventually… only the footsteps of Are and Lucoco remained.
A loud screech echoed as the sound of wings took flight, like someone saying goodbye as they headed in another direction.
Are silently handed over a handkerchief.
The girl took it, a relieved smile spreading across her lips as she gently wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks.
‘I will always look forward to it…’
‘Perhaps on a day when the orioles fly and the grass grows, when spring flowers bloom.’
‘Perhaps in the height of midsummer, when the bright sun shines and the cicadas buzz.’
‘Perhaps in the autumn light, when the crisp wind blows and the fallen leaves dance.’
‘Or perhaps on a magnificent, flawless winter morning…’
‘On a day that no one knows, my knights will return upon the starfire to greet their Saint.’
