Morning clouds gathered as the dawn dew lingered.
Xia Zhi washed his face and used the water to extinguish the campfire.
Breakfast consisted of sweet, crispy fruits.
After eating, Xia Zhi continued traveling in the direction indicated by the [Divining Staff], with the crane following.
Cloud Retainer found this rather strange. She naturally knew that the direction he had chosen was correct.
Ahead lay the Dunyuling, beyond that was Mount Tianheng, and further still was Liyue Harbor.
She simply couldn't understand how, despite his inability to see, he could be so certain this direction was right.
This young man harbored many things she couldn't comprehend.
Nothing eventful occurred during today's journey.
Xia Zhi discovered some fragrant yellow-white wildflowers that were edible and incredibly sweet, as if they had been soaked in honey.
These were valuable finds that could serve as sugar substitutes.
Xia Zhi kept an eye out and gathered plenty, storing them in his inventory.
On the second day, Xia Zhi encountered a small lake inhabited by a group of slimes.
Unfortunately, they didn't generate any progress bars.
He dealt with them and collected some slime condensate.
The lake contained lotus roots, which he harvested. He also fried some fish and replenished his water barrel with fresh water.
On the third day, the flat terrain began to change into rolling hills. Xia Zhi encountered a wild boar and obtained several cuts of meat.
As for the internal organs, Xia Zhi dared not take them, fearing the wild animal might harbor too many parasites.
That evening, he stewed a pot of lotus root and pork soup, which turned out surprisingly delicious.
Nothing of note occurred on the fourth day. Xia Zhi found a bush of yellow raspberries, which were edible and delightfully sweet.
By the fifth day, Xia Zhi finally encountered new monsters.
They were pack creatures that walked upright, their heads covered in thick fur, with two long ears and eerie masks on their faces.
Moreover, they used tools.
Some wielded large wooden clubs, others carried stones, some held torches, and one particularly massive creature carried a huge wooden shield.
Xia Zhi lay prone on the mountainside, not showing himself, carefully observing through detection.
There were too many enemies, and their intelligence was clearly higher than that of slimes. They had clear division of labor, worked together, and ran quickly.
Especially that giant monster standing three meters tall - even [Holy Light Judgment] might not break through its shield.
Though it did have a silver-colored progress bar above it.
Xia Zhi quietly chose to take a detour, avoiding this group of monsters.
Walking along the path, Xia Zhi suddenly realized something was amiss. He turned to look at the crane beside him: "Why didn't you try to stop me this time?"
During these five days, out of loneliness, Xia Zhi often talked to her, regardless of whether she understood.
With her intelligence, she could more or less understand the meaning of some of his words.
She merely looked at him, her glassy eyes revealing a trace of peculiarity, then slowly spread her wings.
The gradient blue of her feathers created a dreamlike hue under the sunlight.
How beautiful.
Xia Zhi looked at the proud and beautiful crane before him, his expression freezing for a moment before showing a hint of joy: "Has your wing healed?"
So she hadn't stopped him earlier either because she thought those monsters weren't worth bothering with, or because she knew she could easily fly away with him.
Xia Zhi reached out and touched her wing: "Can you fly now?"
The crane gently flapped her wings, rising from the ground, circling several times in the air before landing.
In just five days, her broken wing had recovered to this perfect state - that medicine's effects were truly remarkable.
Xia Zhi looked at the crane before him and suddenly sighed lightly: "Now that you're healed, you'll be leaving soon, won't you?"
The crane just quietly watched him.
That evening, Xia Zhi made roasted meat. He crushed those sweet flowers as a honey substitute to spread on the meat, and it tasted wonderful.
On the morning of the sixth day, Xia Zhi woke from his dreams to find his surroundings empty.
The crane had vanished.
"You've already left?"
Xia Zhi rubbed his sleepy eyes, feeling somewhat dejected.
Although this rescued crane couldn't speak or act cute, and only ate his food while keeping watch at night, how boring would this journey have been without her?
If nothing else, he wouldn't dare carelessly pick and eat strange ingredients anymore.
Xia Zhi shook his head, took out his toothbrush and water cup, and began brushing his teeth.
Halfway through brushing, he suddenly heard the sound of flapping wings.
The familiar crane shadow descended from the sky, her long beak holding a fresh lotus pod.
Xia Zhi froze for a moment, spat out the foam in his mouth, then gave her a bright smile: "Good morning."
Cloud Retainer placed the gathered lotus pod on the ground, sensing his mood seemed particularly good today.
So, did he like eating lotus seeds?
Although her injuries had healed, she had no intention of leaving yet, as the road ahead still held dangers for him. At the very least, she needed to escort him safely to Liyue Harbor.
Of course, this alone wouldn't be enough to repay his kindness - the rest would have to wait until she returned to her celestial abode and recovered her powers.
Breakfast consisted of lotus seeds, fragrant and refreshing, full of moisture. They tasted similar to the lotus seeds from his original world, though the lotus cores were quite bitter.
After breakfast, they continued their journey.
Before long, a strange device blocked Xia Zhi's path.
It was something like a giant lantern, its base floating in the air, emanating a pale blue light.
Xia Zhi curiously approached it.
The crane didn't stop him - she had studied these strange devices scattered across the continent in specific patterns before, but without any results.
Perhaps they were mysterious objects left behind by the ancients, but the methods to use them had been lost to time.
Now they were merely useless scenic objects scattered across the land.
Xia Zhi examined the strange device for a while, then reached out to touch its outer wall.
The moment his fingers made contact, the system's voice suddenly rang in his mind.
"Teleport Waypoint contacted, recorded."
"Host can use Teleport Waypoints to perform spatial jumps between different waypoints."
"Currently recorded Teleport Waypoints: 1, no target waypoint available, cannot use at present."
"Host has acquired trait: Void Breach."
"Can forcibly use Teleport Waypoint, destination random, use?"
Xia Zhi quietly withdrew his finger and selected "No."
He glanced at the strange device, furrowed his brow, then walked around it and continued his journey.
However, he remembered this location in his mind.
Before finding another Teleport Waypoint, this so-called random teleportation wasn't completely useless.
At the very least, it could serve as a last resort.