Nabu sat down on the hill, the evening breeze brushing past her.
Yu Xie also sat down beside her. He didn't say much, quietly watching the scenery below with Nabu.
"Yu Xie, I'm really glad to have met you," Nabu suddenly said.
Yu Xie paused for a moment, unsure of why Nabu would say such a thing out of the blue, but he smiled and responded in a slightly joking tone.
"I'm glad too, to have met the beautiful Goddess of Flowers."
"Am I… beautiful?" Nabu hesitated for a moment and asked.
Yu Xie paused again, not expecting Nabu to ask that.
"I don't know what others think, but in my eyes, it's unquestionable," Yu Xie said. "Not only are you beautiful on the outside, but your gentle heart is also flawless."
It wasn't flattery, nor was it dismissive—it was a sincere statement.
The beautiful and gentle Goddess of Flowers was perfectly described with such words.
"…This is the first time I've heard someone describe me like that," Nabu said, looking at Yu Xie, stunned for a moment. Then, she joked, "You're not just saying pretty things to get rid of me, are you?"
"Maybe," Yu Xie replied, also in a joking tone.
Nabu didn't continue with the topic. With a faint smile on her face, she looked up at the dazzling starry sky.
The bright stars twinkled above, like guiding lights, illuminating the path for those traveling through the night.
"Yu Xie, in the days ahead, everyone should be well," Nabu suddenly said, without any apparent reason.
It sounded like a lament, or perhaps a hopeful wish.
But strangely, Yu Xie sensed a subtle sorrow in her tone.
Just as Yu Xie was about to respond to Nabu, someone interrupted him.
"Yu Xie, Nabu, you two are here, what are you talking about secretly?"
It was Buer's voice, and her figure appeared behind them.
She then walked up the small hill and sat down beside them.
"It's nothing, Yu Xie was just praising me for being beautiful," Nabu smiled, her expression filled with the joy of a young girl.
"But I think I'm still not as beautiful as Lord Rukkhadevata" Nabu added, looking at Buer with genuine sincerity.
"Not at all," Buer said, suddenly feeling that the atmosphere was a little strange. It seemed that Nabu wasn't quite the same as usual today.
Yu Xie didn't speak anymore. He quietly sat between the two deities, listening to their joking conversation.
Time passed without them noticing. The night grew deeper, and the chill brought by the evening breeze became more pronounced.
......
The next day.
At the breakfast table, everyone had already gathered, but Nabu was nowhere to be seen.
"I'll go call her, maybe she stayed up too late last night," Buer said, standing up and leaving the table.
"I'll go with you," Yu Xie suddenly had a bad premonition.
At the breakfast table, Al-Ahmar fell silent for a moment, his eyes seeming to hide a lot of thoughts.
After a while, Yu Xie and Buer arrived at Nabu's room and knocked on the door.
"Nabu, it's time to get up, breakfast is ready," Buer called out. After waiting for a while, there was no response from Nabu.
The two exchanged a glance and sensed that something was wrong.
"Nabu?" Buer called out again, but all she received in response was silence.
Yu Xie furrowed his brow, the events of last night flashing in his mind.
Last night, Nabu seemed preoccupied, and there was an underlying sorrow hidden in her eyes…
Nabu had hidden it well—those fleeting moments of oddness had almost made Yu Xie doubt whether they were just his imagination.
After calling out twice and receiving no answer, Buer summoned a faint bluish glow in her hand, placed it on the door, and gently pushed.
With a click, the door unlocked and swung open.
Nabu was not in the room. The room was tidy, and the bed showed no signs that anyone had slept in it.
Nabu was gone.
At this moment, Al-Ahmar and Myrna arrived at the scene.
Seeing the empty room, Al-Ahmar's gaze turned heavy.
"How could this be…" Myrna said softly.
"Nabu wouldn't just leave without a word unless something happened," Buer said, frowning slightly. "There must be some special reason for this."
"Someone!" Al-Ahmar suddenly called out loudly. "Gather the troops, and we'll immediately set out to find Goddess of Flowers. Don't miss a single clue!"
Al-Ahmar's subordinates gathered at once and set off immediately.
Everyone began searching.
But to find a single person in this vast desert was easier said than done. Not only might Nabu not be in the desert, but she might also be deliberately hiding from them.
Nabu's departure was clearly intentional—she had purposely avoided their gaze and slipped away quietly when no one was paying attention.
She didn't want anyone to find her.
Al-Ahmar's troops included many skilled trackers, but after a whole day of searching, they still found nothing.
No sign of Nabu, and not even a trace of her presence.
The weather today was also not favorable. The yellow sand swirled in the wind, as if a sandstorm was brewing.
The sky gradually darkened, and the sun was about to set. The group had no choice but to return and discuss their next steps.
Yu Xie and Al-Ahmar returned to Al-Ahmar's territory first. The two exchanged accounts of the day's events, and the outcome was the same—there had been no results.
"If Nabu has made up her mind to hide, it will be extremely difficult for us to find her," Al-Ahmar said, his expression full of concern.
But Yu Xie seemed to notice something else in Al-Ahmar's eyes.
Since the morning, when they found out that Nabu was missing, Yu Xie had noticed a slight abnormality in Al-Ahmar. However, at the time, he had been so focused on Nabu that he hadn't paid much attention to it.
But now, Yu Xie felt more and more that Al-Ahmar was hiding something.
"Al-Ahmar, are you really completely in the dark about Nabu's disappearance?"
"…" Al-Ahmar's pupils shifted slightly, and a trace of helplessness appeared in his gaze. "Actually, I might have an idea why Nabu left without saying anything, but saying it out loud won't help the situation right now. That's why I chose to remain silent."
"Can you tell me?" Yu Xie looked into Al-Ahmar's eyes, and in truth, he already had an answer in his mind.
"…Some time ago, Nabu came to find me. She said she could help me access forbidden knowledge," Al-Ahmar said gravely. "If I could control that forbidden knowledge, everything would change. Nabu, Buer, and I wouldn't need to have two of us step down from the divine throne in the end. Nabu's sudden departure… I'm afraid it's because she went to…"
As expected, Al-Ahmar's answer was very close to the conclusion Yu Xie had already reached in his mind.
It seemed that Nabu's story was entering its final chapter. She was willing to act as a bridge, exchanging herself for what might come afterward.
End of chapter
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