"Ravi! Wait up!" Willow panted, desperately chasing after Ravi, who appears to ignore her. He had set up a stall to sell fruits and vegetables, and she grabs his hand, the one clutching an apple.
"Stop bothering me!" Ravi exclaimed, swatting her hand away before resuming his work at the stall. Willow didn't take this personally, assuming that the stall is likely a means to gather funds for the expensive entry fee required by the neighboring village, known as the land of Crows.
This village is notorious for their love of shiny objects and innate greed.
Ravi patiently waited for customers, hoping to collect enough silver to have Riora's help for an extensive search across the map.
An hour later, the market is bustling with the arrival of dawn, and Ravi had managed to amass a total of 1500 silver pieces.
To his surprise, a peculiar turtle approached from the east, gifting him a high-quality egg donned with green and blue spots. The shell is remarkably sturdy, fooling Ravi into mistaking it for a mere rock at first.
They insisted that he should hatch it, but the process would demand seven months given its magical nature. Its size is comparable to that of an ostrich egg.
"Let's eat it!" Willow suggested, her mouth watering as she held a mallet. But Ravi swiftly dodged her, narrowly avoiding being struck as an unexpected figure appeared out of nowhere.
The man wears a charming smile, with fox ears sprouting from his head and a fluffy tail wagging behind him. His makeup accentuated his lovely features, with crushed roses serving as makeshift eyeliner.
"Oh hey, Mr. Qin," Willow exclaimed, utterly surprised. "What brings you here?"
Qin, famous for his beauty that fueled the jealousy of many girls, simply grinned in response.
"Willow, what happened to your clothes? You look worse than Aunt Jai at the moment," Qin teased gently. "And who is this interesting gentleman you have with you?" Qin asked, his gaze fixed on Ravi, studying him as if he were a fascinating work of art.
"This is Revi," Willow began introducing him, her voice trailing off as Ravi simply walked away. His eyes rolled dismissively, reminding her that he didn't belong to this tribe, and moreover, she had mispronounced his name.
As thoughts of Zou Guanting clouded his mind, worry consumed him. Z is the first true friend he had found in this vast land, despite the brutal honesty that shattered his self-esteem.
*
In the depths of the Musk-Ox tribe, a young man with freshly chopped hair hastily packed a bag. This life had become unbearable to him; he yearned to forge his own path and create a life that fit with his desires.
Seven minutes later, he found himself lost in the wilderness, walking for countless hours, maybe even days. Drawn instinctively to the sound of a waterfall, weariness overcame him. As he leaned closer to drink from its tranquil source, a putrid taste assaulted his palate, jolting him awake.
Eyes widened, he almost lost his balance at the sight of three figures immersed in the water, playfully splashing each other.
Liu Yifan's gaze settled on him, his eyes narrowing as he contemplated how long this guy had been standing there. "I am Nanook, I mean no harm!" Nanook exclaimed, raising his hands in surrender.
Curiosity overcoming him, Liu Yifan raised a question, "So, Nanook, how long have you been standing there?"
"Only just now," Nanook replied, his voice betraying a slight unease. "I came to quench my thirst..."
Nanook anxiously awaited any sort of sound, until his gaze eventually landed upon the woman who was attempting to give a peace offering with chocolate.
With a warm smile and a friendly wave, she gracefully swam over. As Nanook observed her approach, something caught his attention — she is wearing a distinctively different top and skirt from their last encounter, and her muscular physique exuded strength and stubbornness.
In stark contrast to her, Nanook couldn't help but feel self-conscious about his own slender build.
Out of slight discomfort, he hastily averted his gaze. In an attempt to bridge the awkward silence, Mo Hai offered a compliment, "By the way, what happened to your hair? I must say, I admire the unique new hairdo…"
However, Nanook couldn't find himself agreeing, secretly believing it to be uneven and too short.