Chapter 310 - 306: Changes in the Wasteland

Chapter 310: Chapter 306: Changes in the Wasteland

「The Qingzhen Secret Place.」

The Akenis Child of Destiny, whose ears were translucent, stared blankly at the stars in the sky.

Though it was still daytime on Dawn Silent Moon Island, night had already fallen in Qingzhen.

Of course, the headquarters’ Secret Realm was especially unique. Stars were visible day or night, but when night fell, it always felt a little different—perhaps it was just a trick of the mind.

Gou Dandan had built a nest near the outer edge of the headquarters’ roof. It was woven entirely from fresh Demon Vines, coaxed to grow and form a massive, bird’s-nest-like structure.

The Ear-Piercing Monster was now lying in this very nest, gazing up at the starry sky.

The nest was filled with soft dandelion fluff, along with sofa cushions and blankets—things not found in an ordinary bird’s nest. There was even a small, plugged-in refrigerator off to the side.

"CHIRP... Pipi, for you!"

Gou Dandan tossed in a dried, salted fish.

Because its speech was still developing and it found the name "Ear-Piercing Monster" strange, Gou Dandan had gotten into the habit of calling him Pipi.

In its eyes, Doudou, Pipi, and Dandan were all about the same height and had similar-sounding names. What a perfect trio.

Indeed, although Gou Dandan was still featherless, it had already grown to be about as tall as Doudou. It wouldn’t be long before it was even taller.

Gazing at the salted fish lying beside him—which was nearly as big as he was—the Ear-Piercing Monster sighed and tossed it out of the nest.

"Dandan, I’m not interested in the fish you and Doudou dried. When you make some by yourself, let me know. I’ll definitely give it a try then."

A moment after the fish was tossed out, Doudou and Gou Dandan climbed into the nest. It was large enough to accommodate three child-sized figures lying side by side.

"Go on, eat it, Pipi. I didn’t use industrial salt this time, and I didn’t grab the wrong soy sauce. It won’t upset your stomach."

Doudou offered, trying to be thoughtful and put his worries to rest.

"Forget it. Now I’ve really lost my appetite..."

The three of them fell silent for a moment.

"Mentor said the starry sky of this world is vast and boundless, but I can feel it... even at the very edge of it, my home isn’t there..."

"CHIRP, this is! CHIRP!"

"Thank you, Dandan. Yes, that was a slip of the tongue. I know this is my home, but... what about them?"

Both Doudou and Dandan understood who "they" were.

To use Big Cousin’s words, Pipi had become a budding national hero, weighed down by a sense of mission and concern for his country and his people.

"Feeling homesick?"

A gentle voice rang out softly, and the three heads in the nest all shot up to look outside.

Qin Xiaoxia had seated himself on the roof at some point, right beside Gou Dandan’s nest.

"Mentor... When did you get here?"

"CHIRP! Greetings, Master Sage!"

"Big Cousin, you move as quietly as a ghost!"

The three different voices from the three heads brought a small smile to Qin Xiaoxia’s face.

"So you are feeling homesick?"

He asked the same question again with a smile.

"Yes. Before, no matter how long I was away, I only ever cared about profits. My only worry was whether the merchant association would revoke my status and turn me into an unaffiliated trader... Now, even though that place feels so false, I find myself deeply concerned for it..."

Hearing this, Qin Xiaoxia gently waved his arm. A light breeze stirred through the Secret Realm, and a tributary branched off from a celestial river, flowing around the rooftop beside them.

Droplets of water rolled on the breeze, and several sea fish swam through the current.

"There’s no shame in feeling homesick. The Akenis have never lacked emotion; your people were simply twisted by a long-standing collective malice, causing you to forget such a precious feeling."

At this, Qin Xiaoxia’s gaze shifted from the fish in the river to the Akenis staring back at him.

"Do you still resent me for not agreeing to let you go back?"

Hearing this, Hama Pi immediately sat bolt upright in a panic.

"No! I know you’re doing it for my own good! I’m not prepared enough! I haven’t learned enough!"

He felt a deep-seated respect and gratitude for his Mentor, the Dawn Sage who had guided him to face his destiny. If anyone were to insult his Mentor, the small-statured Hama Pi would fight them to the death.

He revered his Mentor as a god and was terrified that his Mentor might think he held a grudge.

"Alright, I know. But my reason for not letting you return isn’t just that you still have more to learn. I admit, I’ve been a little selfish. You are, after all, an excellent student of mine."

This wasn’t a lie. Certainly, not every Akenis had limitless potential, but Hama Pi, having cast off his people’s wicked habits, was truly outstanding, striving for perfection in everything he did.

However, this diligence only highlighted his dedication to his mission, and Qin Xiaoxia decided it was time to stop holding him back.

For one, Dawn genuinely needed knowledge, technology, and talent. For another, his student’s hard work deserved to be rewarded and put to the test. Hama Pi himself was eager to demonstrate the fruits of his labor and realize his noble ideal.

Besides, he himself, as the Mentor, had been the one to guide Hama Pi toward this dream in the first place.

He stood up on the roof, looked at Hama Pi, and drew himself up straight.

Hama Pi, as if sensing what was coming, felt his heart begin to race. He subconsciously rose to his feet as well.

"As the Staff-Carrying Sage of this generation of Dawn, I hereby formally assign my Akenis student a mission of the highest order."

"Project Akenis Redemption... is now a go."

Under the starlight, one calm, one excited, one tall figure and one short, the two saluted each other, hands clasped over their hearts.

...

The next day, a number of Hama Pi’s friends and acquaintances made a special trip back to the headquarters.

Su Su, Gou Junbao and his family of three, Doudou, Monkey, Mumu—even the Red Demoness and the Holy Spirit—had come back to see him off.

He was once again wearing his Aksen Merchant’s vest, its many small pockets now filled with useful items—a far cry from the junk he used to carry.

"Unseal the Magic Mirror."

High in the sky of the Secret Realm, the air distorted, and a mirror bound by countless chains gradually materialized.

As Qin Xiaoxia’s words fell, the chains all slowly unwound.

As this plan had been long in the making, they had naturally already discussed the feasibility of passing through the Magic Mirror with the Eye of Void.

The World Wall was not a barrier easily bypassed, but the Magic Mirror effectively exploited a loophole. Since the mirror itself reflected the world on the other side, it created a sort of illusion. The real concern wasn’t the World Wall, but potential enemies or unique Magic Creatures.

"Let’s go. I’ll see you off."

With a light flick of his long whip, the surface of the Magic Mirror rippled.

On the other side, in the Desolate World, the mountain-sized Eye of Void was already waiting. The moment the Magic Mirror’s seal was broken, it knew someone was about to come through.

The moment it saw Qin Xiaoxia, its enormous pupil visibly contracted. It hadn’t expected an avatar of this particular existence to come through in person.

As Qin Xiaoxia led the Akenis into the Desolate World, he naturally felt the distant gaze upon them.

However, what concerned Qin Xiaoxia more was the peculiar aura emanating from the Desolate World.

Wary of the Demon Eye, they rarely unsealed the Magic Mirror to enter. They had only done so three times in total, with the last visit being three months ago.

The section of wall Brown had brought in was still nearby, but now it was covered in a layer of green moss.

For a barren world on the verge of collapse like the Desolate World, while not entirely lifeless, it shouldn’t be a suitable environment for moss from Earth to grow.

’Is it really a clash of Laws?’

"Demon Eye, how are the preparations for the mirror on the other side?"

The world where the Akenis were primarily active didn’t have one of the Demon Eye’s Magic Mirrors. To send Hama Pi there directly, the Demon Eye had to search its memory for a mirror in that world and expend a vast amount of Magic Power to project a new link. Qin Xiaoxia had told it to begin these preparations three months ago.

"As you command, Master Sage. The preparations are complete."

’Holy hell, why is this thing getting so respectful? It’s almost acting human. Did it learn all this from the books we brought last time?’

He even had the strange Perception that the drop of concentrated Magic Power he’d left deep within the Demon Eye’s spiritual core had been... well-nourished, growing plump and healthy.

As time passed, the fear and awe in the Eye of Void’s heart had not diminished, but had instead grown, even giving rise to a peculiar sense of excitement.

Qin Xiaoxia’s theory about the clash of Laws had some merit, but having hidden in this "desolation" for so long, the Eye of Void could sense a change much more clearly.

This wasn’t a simple clash of Laws. Every time the Magic Mirror was opened from the other side, the aura of that world seeping through grew stronger.

This aura was still faint, yet it was already beginning to reveal its ferocious nature. Only here, in the "desolation" where it had hidden for so long and knew so intimately, could it faintly perceive a trace of it. Anywhere else, it would have been easily overlooked.

Perhaps it was because the Power of the World in this "desolation" was nearly extinguished that it could perceive this wondrous phenomenon without any interference.

In all the long eons it had witnessed, the Demon Eye had never felt such fear and excitement. Every clash of Laws deepened that aura. Though still so weak, it felt like an outstretched, ethereal hand.

This was the secret hiding place of those great beings! A hidden world of infinite possibility!

Every time it came to this realization, the Demon Eye’s reverence for the Dawn Association grew. It understood profoundly what that name truly represented.