Firefly Journey

Bathed in golden light at dusk, Torreg, the boy, arrived at the banks of the Loz River and followed the river downstream, seeing many water lilies along the way.

Those are not his targets.

Wendy has a variety of favorite flowers, but if she had to pick her favorite, it would have to be the water lily downstream, which grows in the soft, damp mud on the riverbank.

Amidst the filthy mud, water lilies grow one after another. Apart from the roots, the leaves and flowers are spotless, as if washed by pure river water, bright and beautiful.

Lin Yuanran stepped onto the loose soil, his boots sinking slightly. He glanced around, as if an emperor were choosing a concubine, searching for the one that most captivated him.

White water lilies are all very similar, and it's hard to tell them apart without close inspection. Lin Yuanran was a layman and could only rely on his intuition. He considered himself to have a decent eye for aesthetics and found the one he was most satisfied with among the hundred or so water lilies.

Unlike the others, this water lily exudes a pure white luster, possessing an indescribable beauty under the glow of the setting sun.

The boy was not greedy. He bent down, grabbed the branch with one hand, reached up to the flower bud with the other, and gently plucked off a petal.

Lin Yuanran nodded in satisfaction, put it into the bottle, closed the cap, and headed to his next destination.

Thanks to the wind chimes, he can now preserve flower buds, which leads to a clever idea.

The bottle has limited space and can only hold one flower at most, and Wendy's love for flowers can be described as promiscuous.

The little trumpet climbing the eaves, the sunflowers that can be seen everywhere in the fields, the rare black roses in Mrs. Angelina's yard, and even the buds of ordinary fruit trees—these are all things Wendy loves.

Having understood all this, Lin Yuanran decided to use his masterful suturing technique, taking one piece from each and then drawing them into unique artificial artifacts.

He even came up with a name: Rainbow Flower.

The second stop is the intersection leading from the town to the provincial capital of Rhine. To maintain the town's dignity, a small amount of maple leaves are placed there as decoration.

These bright red flowers bloom year-round, making them perfect for embellishing roadside flowerbeds.

As dusk settled and there was hardly anyone outside, Lin Yuanran used the twilight as cover to fleece the town.

The flowerbed used to decorate the storefront is part of Torreg, and he and Wendy are both part of Torreg, so it's perfectly reasonable for them to use their own belongings.

After finishing his petty theft, Lin Yuanran left the flower garden as if nothing had happened and continued searching for the materials to synthesize the Rainbow Flower.

The third stop, the fourth stop...

The last stop was Mrs. Angelina's house, not far from Lin Yuanran's house.

"Is anyone home?" Lin Yuanran knocked on her iron gate.

Mrs. Angelina was Dr. Coent's wife. As the only "regular doctor" in town, her family was financially well-off, as evidenced by their detached house.

Coente was humble, and Mrs. Angelina was warm and welcoming. They were recognized as a model couple in the town and were very popular.

"Is that Little Ario?"

Angelina greeted Lin Yuanran with her signature smile: "Are you having any trouble? Poor child."

Lin Yuanran smiled in response: "Wendy's birthday is coming soon, and I want to give her a special gift, so I would like to ask for your help. Could you please give me a black rose petal? Thank you very much."

Her husband is a doctor, and for the sake of his profession, he loves to tend to the flowers and plants in the yard. However, due to his busy work schedule, the task of maintaining the garden falls to Angelina. She also adds to the garden as she pleases, including growing some precious black roses.

"Of course, no problem, child."

Mrs. Angelina opened the door and warmly welcomed Lin Yuanran inside.

After obtaining the owner's permission, Lin Yuanran arrived at the flower garden and immediately spotted the eye-catching black roses.

"Why are you here? Are you looking for your father?"

A little girl appeared in front of Lin Yuanran, with pigtails and eyes as bright as stars.

Her name was Sultan, the daughter of Mr. Coent and Mrs. Angelina. She was born weak and sickly, unable to attend school, and was entirely homeschooled by her parents. The few outsiders she occasionally encountered were mostly people who came to see her father for medical treatment.

A few years ago, her illness wasn't so serious, and she could barely go to school. After two months, her condition suddenly worsened, and Lin Yuanran rarely saw her after that.

She was four or five years younger than Lin Yuanran, but they were still classmates. Since she only taught literacy, age was not a problem for the town's school. Children who were many years apart often sat together in class.

In terms of education, Torreg is very backward.

Lin Yuanran felt deep sympathy for her plight. What good is a wealthy family if you don't even have basic health? Your life is still miserable.

“I’m making a gift for Wendy, and I need your black roses,” Lin Yuanran said, plucking a petal.

Sultan's eyes widened, a troubled look on his face: "I know that, she even invited me, but unfortunately I probably can't go..."

The regret in her words was obvious to everyone. Mrs. Angelina gently patted her daughter's head with some tenderness and said, "You've been doing quite well lately. When your father comes back, I'll ask him to see if you can go."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope sparkled in Sudan's small eyes, which radiated a look of pure joy.

"I'm sure I can do it. I feel very energetic."

Sudan's illness is called flaccid paralysis, which is, in a sense, the parents' fault. Dr. Coent and Mrs. Angelina are cousins. As a doctor, Coent certainly knows the importance of genetics, but when love comes along, it's not so easy to give it up.

Their family didn't approve of their marriage, and without their blessings, they chose to settle in Torreg. During this time, their son, Sultan, was born.

"Then see you at Wendy's house. Bye-bye." Lin Yuanran waved to her.

"Bye-bye!" The little girl was in a great mood.

With the black rose in hand, all the materials were complete. Lin Yuanran headed home, aided by the sealing spell given by the wind chime. He was confident that this special gift would surely catch Wendy's eye.

Under the hazy moonlight, Lin Yuanran had only walked a few steps when he saw his own little house. Suddenly, he stumbled and almost fell.

"Who?!"

Lin Yuanran jumped up with a start, and at the same time stretched out his right hand to cast a fireball spell, but after seeing the face of the person blocking the road, he canceled the action.

"Uncle Du Pippen, what are you doing here?"

This man was none other than Du Pippon's father, Du Pippon.

This is how they name their children in each generation: father and son share the same name. To distinguish them, the townspeople call the son "Little Du Pippen" and the father "Old Du Pippen."

Seeing this, Lin Yuanran could easily understand that he had probably drunk too much again and had come here to lie down in a daze.