Wang Yue squeezed through a crowd of little girls, carrying her handbag as if she had fallen into a soft, fluffy cloud.
What soft creatures these girls were!
They bumped into each other, pressing, squishing, and bouncing back—a fragrant, tender mass. The air was a delightful blend of various scents: bath salts, shampoo, clean laundry, and natural youthful sweetness.
When they were told they had to wear their school uniforms to leave the campus, the girls began to whisper among themselves. Their faces fell with disappointment, but they all obediently returned to their dorms to change before coming back out.
“Quiet, listen to me,” Mrs. Diaz called out, raising her voice. “Dorm leaders, pay attention. Count your members before we head out and count them again when we return. Ensure no one is lost. Furthermore, look after one another.”
Wang Yue glanced back at her roommates. Aside from Veronica and Cerceybe, who were staying behind, the other four—including herself—were heading to the small marketplace.
“Stay close to me. Once we arrive, you can move about freely,” she instructed.
In the hallway, the girls formed a long line, looking like middle schoolers on a field trip as they walked hand-in-hand behind the Housemother.
They descended the stairs, passed through the dormitory gates, walked along the school streets, and finally came to a halt at the West Gate.
A teacher accompanying the group tapped her wand. The iron wedges inside the gate’s crevices retracted into their slots one by one, and the ornate iron gate creaked open.
The girls moved forward, winding their way down a rocky staircase with a sheer precipice on the right, stepping into the quiet, profound darkness.
Wang Yue surveyed her surroundings. To the right was a cliff face that looked as if it had been carved by axes; to the left, the view opened up to an ancient landscape of wind-eroded rock. Giant, jagged rock formations stood tall upon the earth, and a pale mountain range, resembling a spine, meandered off toward the northwest.
When the stone stairs reached their end, the girls stepped onto gray dust that had been blown into rippling patterns by the wind.
High above, the wind shrieked mournfully, yet at ground level, there was only a slight surge of air. Dust brushed over their calves like ocean waves, soiling the girls’ white socks.
In the murky darkness ahead, faint glimmers like fireflies flickered—that was where the marketplace lay.
Mrs. Diaz’s voice rang out again:
“Let me emphasize: you are only permitted to stay within the market boundaries. Do not leave.”
In addition to the group from Dormitory 3 led by Mrs. Diaz, there were several other groups led by other Housemothers, with a few teachers accompanying them for the trip.
As they left the school grounds, Wang Yue once again felt the sensation of being watched from afar.
More than one gaze was projected from a great distance, traversing the vast space to linger and roam over her body. It was a deeply uncomfortable feeling.
The girls followed the terrain down into a low river valley. The wind blew from behind them, and the dust beneath their feet began to flow, making a hissing sound like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
The small marketplace was right before them.
It looked desolate and dilapidated. Wind-leaking fences made of rotten wood were held up by stones on either side; they served only as decoration, offering no actual defensive capability.
However, the buildings inside the market were sturdy enough. Their exteriors were wrapped in galvanized iron sheets, and their roofs were coated with a layer of waterproof black tar. While not aesthetically pleasing, they were clean and functional.
Upon entering the market, the girls were like a school of small fish being released into the wild, scattering and vanishing in the blink of an eye.
“We’re going to buy that…” Dina stood on her tiptoes and whispered into Wang Yue’s ear.
She and Matcha were going to buy cooking utensils. They had to do it secretly; if the Housemother caught them, the items would be confiscated, much like illegal appliances in a university dorm.
Wang Yue had two tasks of her own. First, she needed to find a blacksmith to forge the sea-urchin-shaped combat head for her Morning Star Wand. Second, she needed to gather all the medicinal ingredients for the Body Purifying Potion.
She couldn’t be in two places at once, so her little maid came in handy.
She produced a list of ingredients and five Golden Spike Coins, handing them to Dorothy. She assigned Dorothy to the apothecary to fetch the medicine while she took her semi-finished materials to the blacksmith’s shop to discuss the details, forge the spherical combat head, and complete the final assembly and calibration.
“Mission guaranteed!” the little maid said solemnly as she took the money and the list.
Wang Yue gave her a skeptical look but said nothing. After all, if you choose to use someone, you shouldn’t doubt them.
She pointed toward a nearby tea stall and told her roommates, “Remember this place. Once your business is done, meet here so we can head back together.”
The Quicksand Lowlands was a peculiar place. Due to its proximity to Balor Academy, its safety rating was quite high.
If the Evernight Realm was a vast ocean full of danger, the Quicksand Lowlands was a relatively safe island.
For the various people active beneath the eternal night, this was a good place to rest and trade. Of course, the prerequisite was having a reputation of “Neutral” or higher with Balor Academy. The witches were not exactly known for being merciful.
In the tea stall, a group of unidentified individuals were chatting and loafing around. Judging by their attire, they were traveling merchants, explorers, and hunters.
Meeting as strangers, few knew each other well. Consequently, they were both welcoming and guarded, speaking in vague terms and refusing to reveal information easily.
“Baggins, I heard your squad struck it rich in the Violet Zone?” someone suddenly asked.
At those words, the seven or eight people around the round table turned in unison to look at a man whose spine protruded from his back as if it were about to pierce through his tunic.
“Just a bit of pocket change,” the man chuckled.
He wore a soft, comfortable silk robe that looked expensive, but paired with his spring-like, bristly hair, grease-covered face, yellowing rotted teeth, and soot-black neck, he looked like a monkey dressed in human clothes.
“Opening a temple in the Violet Zone and making it back alive is a miracle,” someone said coldly.
“As if people don’t die exploring the Crimson Zone. If you’re that scared, why be an explorer? Go home and drink your mother’s milk!” Baggins barked back, followed by a long, boisterous laugh.
The other man didn’t respond, a look of disdainful mockery hanging on his face.
“Did you bring anything out? Did you sell it all to the black market dealers?” someone else asked.
“Sold some. The price was fair, but the dealers didn’t take everything. We’re looking for the next buyer. That’s why we came to the Quicksand Lowlands to try our luck—maybe a witch will take an interest.”
Baggins shifted his gaze, sweeping it over the small groups of young witches outside the tea stall before quickly looking away.
He knew very well that these eye-catching little beauties were not to be trifled with; he didn’t even dare to stare.
However, he was eager to show off and attract potential buyers. He pulled a palm-sized statue from a thick suede bag and placed it on the table.
The people around the round table stood up, their scrutinizing gazes falling upon the small object brought back from the Violet Zone.
A few steps away from the tea stall, the girls of Dorm 202 were also discussing it.
“What are they crowding around?” Dorothy peered over, her tone curious.
“An ancient relic?” Matcha guessed.
“Do you think a bunch of ragged explorers would pull out an ancient relic? It’s probably just a common antique. There are plenty of them in the wilderness,” Dina said.
Wang Yue narrowed her eyes to sharpen her vision. The statue’s material seemed like jade or perhaps ceramic—dull and greenish, heavily damaged as if it had been dropped many times. Its original shape was almost indistinguishable, but one could make out pairs of insect-like jointed legs and distinct body segments. It was covered in a smooth exoskeleton.
“To make a bold guess, it’s a statue of an intelligent insect lifeform from the ‘Enochian Era.’ Insect worship is based on sapient insect swarms, and those swarms only existed during the Enochian Era,” she reasoned logically.
“Gnaw-chicken Era? What’s that?” Dorothy asked.
(T/N: In Chinese, “Enochian” (Yinuo) sounds like “Nuomi” (Sticky Rice). Dorothy mistakes the era for “Nuomiji” or Sticky Rice Chicken.)
“How do you manage to relate everything to food?”
Dina and Matcha also cast questioning looks, clearly confused.
“Haven’t you read the material for Ancient Theology?” Wang Yue found it strange.
“Professor Sabrina left for some business, remember? Ancient Theology doesn’t start until next week!” Dorothy said.
“Then I’ll give you a brief lecture,” Wang Yue said, raising a finger as she began her explanation.
“At the end of the Genesis Era, resources were exhausted. Giant ancient organisms died off in massive numbers, collapsing and rotting by the billions. Because of this, the earth’s surface produced an incredibly abundant layer of humus. This period is known as the ‘Secondary Eruption.’ That humus nourished the intelligent insect lifeforms. The insect swarms, with their immense reproductive capabilities, quickly took over the entire world. Meanwhile, Cain slew Abel, broke away from the Creator, and was exiled to the Evernight Realm, where he built the City of Enoch. Humans began to multiply across the land from that point on. The start of the Enochian Era is marked by the completion of the City of Enoch, and its end is marked by the extinction of the intelligent insects…”
