This was bad.
Could the shopkeeper have taken a liking to the Fish God? If so, what about Nora?
The moment Niman looked toward Nora, Shui Yuetian keenly caught the competitive spark in her eyes. Shui Yuetian was a devout believer in pure romance, not to mention a hardcore shipper of Yu Xian and Nora.
If Niman actually managed to swoop in and steal him away, it would practically kill her.
She quickly stood up and said, "All right, everyone's had a good rest, haven't we? Shall we move on and browse the other shops?"
"I want meat!" Little Nora instantly perked up, scrambling to its feet and shouting at the top of its lungs.
Fortunately, the Garuda clan had their ancestral inherited knowledge; otherwise, there probably wouldn't be a single thing in this little fellow's head besides food.
"Shopkeeper, we'll take our leave for now," Shui Yuetian said hurriedly to Niman.
Niman rose with a smile. Sensing Shui Yuetian's wariness toward her, she nodded. "Follow the stream down, and you will be able to exit the shop. You're all welcome to visit again."
The group bid Niman farewell and followed the stream forward. After passing through a swirl of mist, everyone found themselves standing outside the entrance of Mushroom Paradise.
"Phew, out at last." Shui Yuetian let out a breath of relief.
Good thing she was clever and sharp enough to cut Niman's offensive short. Otherwise, if her favorite ship were torn apart, then rounded up, wouldn't that practically mean she was the one getting cuckolded?
"Shall we keep heading up next?" Zhang Shou asked.
It was clearly unrealistic to tour all of Helick's Great Trove in a single day. Shui Yuetian couldn't spend several days accompanying them, nor did they have that much time to wander around here.
At present, among everyone present, Yu Xian was the only one truly free. Everyone else had their own duties and jobs, and within a few hours at most, they would have to return to Earth.
After a brief discussion, the group reached a unanimous agreement: they would return to Earth once they finished browsing the third floor.
As soon as their discussion ended, Shui Yuetian instructed, "Zhi'er, go buy five Star Rings. Off you go."
One of the two bodyguards constantly tasked with protecting her promptly acknowledged the order, turned, and swiftly departed.
"Since everyone has to head back soon, I'd like to give each of you a Star Ring," Shui Yuetian said, looking at the group. "That way, we can chat whenever and wherever we want in the future."
Zhang Shou and the others glanced at Yu Xian, only thanking Shui Yuetian after seeing him nod.
Even among friends, closeness had its degrees. It was obvious that Shui Yuetian had approached them for Yu Xian's sake; the others were simply included by association as his friends.
"Sister Shui Shui, can I ask a question?" Little Nora piped up curiously. "Why do you always call Zhi'er whenever you need something done?"
Shui Yuetian patted Little Nora's chubby, rounded head and smiled. "Because Tangyi is stronger than Zhi'er, so Tangyi has to stay behind to protect me."
"Oh, so that's why!" Little Nora said in sudden enlightenment.
With nothing better to do, Yu Xian listened to her answer and only then realized that between the two bodyguards, Zhi'er was actually the weaker one.
Many Transcendents in Crescent Bay wore equipment that prevented prying. Although Yu Xian's Appraisal had been modified by Zhenwo Changjing, it was not particularly intrusive by nature, so after entering Crescent Bay, he was unable to inspect the stats of the vast majority of Transcendents.
Take Shui Yuetian, for instance: though he knew for certain she was weaker than him, he was completely in the dark regarding her exact cultivation realm or what abilities she possessed.
A short while later, Zhi'er returned holding five boxes. Shui Yuetian handed them to Zhang Shou and the others while explaining how to use them.
Once everyone had equipped their Star Rings, they promptly added one another as contacts. After confirming everything was working, they continued browsing the remaining shops together.
"This place has delicious food!"
Catching sight of a shop sign, Little Nora immediately grew excited.
Shui Yuetian laughed, however. "That is indeed a gourmet restaurant, but the food they sell is made of gold. Probably only metallic elemental lifeforms and the Machine Clan would enjoy it."
"Gold... That stuff tastes awful." The moment Little Nora heard that, all its interest vanished.
Shui Yuetian consoled it, "Don't worry. There's a wonderful restaurant on the third floor. Once we get up there, we'll go try it."
"Yay!" Little Nora cheered at once.
Everyone couldn't help but smile. It had to be said that although Little Nora spent every waking moment thinking about food, its cheerful nature was truly infectious. Being around it left practically no room for negative feelings.
This little guy was probably just born brainlessly optimistic; only when it discovered its inherited knowledge was out of date again would it feel a fleeting touch of disappointment.
While the group took in the shops at a leisurely pace, an undercurrent was rippling across the network.
Shui Yuetian had been quietly observing Yu Xian and Nora the entire time. When she noticed Yu Xian glance at Nora and then zone out slightly, her heart cheered just like Little Nora: *Yay!*
Her real intention in buying Star Rings for everyone was, in truth, to give one to Nora.
Physical distance bred misunderstandings, and misunderstandings widened the distance even further.
A Star Ring could instantly bridge the gap between two people. No matter where Yu Xian went in the future, as long as he wasn't in the Abyss, Nora could reach him. Only then would their feelings have a chance to blossom and bear fruit.
As their devoted shipper, Shui Yuetian naturally had to give them a fierce assist. She was now a hundred percent certain that the two of them were definitely messaging each other!
In fact, she had guessed right.
On the Star Ring's chat interface, Nora was the first to take the offensive.
*Not a Silly Goose:* "Yu Xian, I chose the Prophetic Dream just now. Guess what I dreamed about?"
*Big Flashing Salty Fish:* "What did you dream about? Could it be about our future...?"
*Not a Silly Goose:* "I dreamed that you left Earth later on and never came back. I waited and waited, and waited and waited, but I never saw you again."
Seeing Nora's message, Yu Xian felt as though his heart had been ruthlessly wrenched.
Taking a deep breath, he sent back: "Don't overthink it. That was just one of many possible futures. I will never give up on Earth, or on... you."
After sending it, he turned to look at Nora earnestly, hoping she would see the resolve in his eyes.
*Not a Silly Goose:* "What if you die? There are too many reasons you might not come back. What if..."
Before Yu Xian could comfort her, another message came through:
"Can I come with you? Just like Little Nora and Little Huangquan? If they can, then I can too, right?"
*Big Flashing Salty Fish:* "Following me is too dangerous," Yu Xian sighed and typed back.
*Not a Silly Goose:* "I'd rather face the danger with you and die together than wait forever like in that dream—waiting, waiting, waiting, swallowed up little by little by despair."
In the dream, she hadn't known where Yu Xian had gone or whether he was still alive. Time had slowly distilled her yearning into a chronic poison, corroding her soul and pushing her step by step toward the abyss of despair.
Nora absolutely refused to let history repeat itself. This time, her advance was bold and passionate, completely unlike the person she had been before.
Chapter 237