“Mm… my head’s spinning, like tides in a shell.”

It felt like days and also minutes slipped by, sand through fingers. My mind drifted back. I peeled my eyes open. The world rolled like surf under a hot sun.

Someone weighed on me—no, my arms had closed first. Soft warmth and a clean fragrance anchored me, like a kite finding steady wind. The first thing I saw was Lixue’s delicate face, a blossom fresh with dew. She was still asleep.

“Where are we?”

Holding Lixue, I sat up, my sight fogged like mist on leaves. We were at the jungle’s edge near the sea. Noon hung overhead like a brass gong. From afar came noise and footfalls, a tide of bodies rolling. Heat pressed down like a sun-baked lid; crowds by the water were a given.

I wanted to ask where we were, but Wanxin had tossed us here like leaves scattered by wind. I couldn’t tell friend from foe among these people. Better to wait till Lixue woke and plan with cool heads.

Whew—no loss, like checking pockets after a storm.

We scanned the scene till danger felt distant, a hawk high above. Instinct tugged me to check our gear. Shattered Light had turned itself back into a bracelet on my wrist, moonlight coiled in silver. Ice Illusion Moon hung at Lixue’s waist again, a cool crescent against her sash.

As for everything else… nothing. Our luggage stayed in Lingxiao and Lingsaki’s spatial packs, hidden chests under water. Here it was just the two of us. From every angle, that spelled trouble, dark clouds stacking.

I’d learned the hard way outside: without money, you can’t move, feet sunk in mud. Unless we showed who we were and let someone host us. But here, I couldn’t even tell if Wilsar or Molor were around. Showing our faces rashly felt like waving a torch in dry reeds.

Didn’t think I’d see the day I fretted over coin, a monk counting grains of rice.

I checked my pockets—only sand and dust, grit like ground shells. A sigh slipped out, thin as smoke. Then I noticed a couple pockets in Lixue’s clothes. Greedy as a magpie, I reached in, fishing for coin like minnows in a pond.

“Huh? The pockets are inside?”

No help for it. I undid her coat buttons and searched inside, fingers moving like cautious fish.

…

I felt foolish, chasing fireflies at noon. I shouldn’t have entertained that thought, yet my hands had acted anyway.

“Mmm… Emperor? What are you feeling around for? It tickles.”

“Uh, Lixue, you’re awake. It’s like this…”

No point hiding. I told her our situation, plain as water from a jug.

“I see. So, Emperor, you’re checking if I’ve got money on me?”

She stretched like a cat in sun. Lixue turned and straddled my thighs, while my hand still rested inside her coat. The pose was suggestive, heat rising like a blush.

“…Yeah.”

Good thing the jungle hid us. No one passed nearby, or this would spark misunderstandings like dry tinder.

“Money matters outside. Our stuff’s with Lingxiao and Lingsaki. That’s a snag, a knot in rope.”

Muttering, Lixue glanced at my wrist. She reminded me, “Emperor, doesn’t your bracelet work like a spatial tool? See what’s inside.”

Right. How did I forget that, like leaving a key under the mat?

At her word, I gathered Sword Intent, cold and keen like a blade’s breath, and probed the bracelet’s space. Inside lay a few Supreme Divine Elixirs, bottled starlight, and a heap of Purplegold Coins. No spare clothes; those were likely in the sisters’ packs, linens folded away.

Good. With enough Purplegold Coins, living won’t be a worry. Next, we need to feel out where we are, mapping currents by hand.

I slipped some Purplegold Coins into my pocket, heart settling like silt in calm water.

“Alright then, let’s get some food.”

Lixue said it out of the blue, a pebble plinking into a pond. I blinked, slow to react, though my stomach had been hollow as a drum.

“Mm?”

“Food fills the belly,” Lixue explained. “And we can ask about this place—two birds with one stone, clean as a bowshot.”

“Right. Where do we eat?”

In a strange land, finding a table’s not easy, picking a path in fog.

“Isn’t one right there? At a seaside spot like this, restaurants bloom like shells along the shore.”

She pointed toward the noise, a stream of voices like gulls. I followed her gaze. Several restaurants came into view—noodle houses, local specialties, snacks and sweets—a full spread, a market fan laid open.

“So many people. And a lot are eating in swimwear, salt drying on skin like sun‑glitter.”

It’s the sea. Eating in swimwear is normal; after lunch they’ll dive back in like otters. No one changes just for a meal. Plenty throw on coats like quick clouds.

“No—see the one on the edge, the most lavishly done? Its doorway is empty, a quiet harbor, stark against packed lines elsewhere.”

“Huh? You’re right. Let’s go there.”

Fewer people means easier breathing, shade under a broad leaf. It felt a bit off—the contrast was huge—but nothing starts unless you step.

“Yeah. Our stomachs have been growling half a day. Let’s head over, quick as a breeze.”

Decision set, Lixue slid off me like water. She tugged me up with a light pull, a thread drawing a kite.

She didn’t let go of my hand. I didn’t mind; I let her keep it, a warm grip like sunlight through leaves.

We left the jungle and crossed a beach flooding with people, a tide moving around our ankles. Eyes pricked from every direction, sharp as nettles. If not for Lixue’s aura—do not approach, cold as frost—I’d be swarmed by would‑be flirters. Men brimmed at the edge like waves, and women too.

“Wow, are they brother and sister? They look too pretty—handsome guy, stunning girl!”

“Yeah, their air is noble, jade polished fine. Must be from some big faction?”

“No, with looks like that, if they were local to the Blessed Land, they’d be famous across the winds. They’re probably outsiders.”

“Right, right. I’m a renowned beauty appraiser, and I’ve never seen such faces. They’re definitely not natives of the Blessed Land.”

“If a guy who’s traveled almost the whole Blessed Land says so, he’s probably right.”

“Hey, look! That boy’s as beautiful as a high‑ranking Elven Kind from legend. Could he be the real thing?”

“Quit drooling—wipe your mouth! Elven Kind have longer, pointed ears. Still, a human that handsome’s rare. Wonder which land he’s from…”

“You’re worse—you’re already glazed over!”

The chatter kept coming, a stream like buzzing bees, and my head hummed. Still, I drew a few useful lines from it. One: this plane’s called the Blessed Land. Two: the Blessed Land sees many outsiders; locals don’t bat an eye. Three: powers here are called factions, and competition bites like winter wind.

Hm. We still haven’t pinned our exact spot, a map without a marker.

…