Magical Journey: The Other Shore Blooms on the Other Shore

They sped away from the sea of ​​flowers on broomsticks.

What was once a beautiful palette now appeared terrifying to Elena.

There seems to be a similar account in "Nicole's Adventures": places like forests generate a lot of magic when exposed to sunlight, and creatures with spirituality are born from this magic.

Perhaps Elena hadn't noticed anything amiss with the flower field before, but now, thinking back, she understood many of the unnatural details. Was the girl among the flowers not moving an inch because she didn't want to move?

I'm afraid it can't move...

Her lower body had been assimilated into the sea of ​​flowers, becoming nourishment for them and merging into a part of it.

Then what about her sending flowers to a nearby kingdom?

Irena glanced behind her instinctively. Qin sat motionless on the edge of the broom handle, her eyes closed in a blank expression, as if she were a statue.

Just like when it first got on the broom, it seemed as if it hadn't experienced that brief battle.

Oh, the only difference is that the broken sword in his tattered scabbard is gone.

He had already swung the sword, and he had no intention of taking it back.

Elena had assumed that the sword might be a family heirloom, a powerful enchanted sword with the ability to ward off evil spirits, or at the very least, a treasured item that needed to be cherished.

Otherwise, why do you carry this broken sword around all the time?

But now that I think about it...

This couldn't have been a random find from a secondhand antique shop, could it?

Considering Qin's previous actions... this possibility suddenly became very high. And indeed, it was.

The broom slowly flew towards the nearest country.

This country is a rather small country, very close to that sea of ​​flowers.

According to locals, this country doesn't have an official name; people often refer to it as the "Land of Flowers." And this is the place Elena plans to rest for today.

"Do you need to buy a new sword?" It was rare for Elena to exchange a word with that taciturn man.

Although the loss of the sword is not directly related to Elena, it is indirectly related in the context of the whole process.

Without the delay caused by Jin's piercing sword strike, Elena's spellcasting wouldn't have been as effective.

Both out of courtesy and reason, Elena wanted to express her gratitude. Even though she didn't sense any hostility from the other party when she accepted the flowers, perhaps it was Qin's provocation that caused the entire sea of ​​flowers to riot.

But Qin's actions at the time were certainly correct.

Who knows if there's anything wrong with that bouquet of flowers?

"Just buy any one," Qin said. "What? Are you going to buy one for me?"

Although that was indeed what Elena meant, Qin's words sounded strange, with a hint of mockery beneath the coldness.

"What? No?"

"Let it go," Qin said.

He instinctively rejects gifts from others. He dislikes the feeling of being given charity, even if the other person doesn't mean it that way, but childhood trauma still instinctively makes him treat other people's gifts as charity.

Rejected, Elena didn't want to say anything more.

Well, I'm in a rare good mood and happy to spend money on others, so if they don't want it, then forget it.

She never expected that this strange guy next to her would take her impulsive gratitude as charity.

Upon seeing the two approaching figures, the guards at the gates of the Flower Kingdom dutifully inquired, "Did you two just come from the direction of the flower sea?"

"Ah."

"It seems there was a riot in the flower field just now... Did you two notice anything?"

"Oh? No—that flower field is beautiful," Elena lied. What good could come of getting involved with a flower field riot? What if she ended up having to pay compensation or something? Wouldn't that be an unnecessary disaster?

"It's certainly a beautiful place for witches—but for us ordinary people, it's a deadly hell," the guard remarked. "You don't have any flowers from the flower field on you, do you?"

"No."

"That's good. The flowers there are contraband in our country. For magicians, the flowers have no use; they can simply be appreciated. But for ordinary people, these flowers have hallucinogenic effects, luring them to that sea of ​​flowers and making them nourish that sea of ​​flowers," the guard explained.

Oh, I see...

This answers why the girl asked her to bring the flowers to the people nearby.

However, what Elena is more curious about now is this: these flowers have hallucinogenic effects on ordinary people, and as a witch, she is immune to this hallucination, but how come Jean…

Doesn't he have no magic power at all?

But the thought that he could actually break his silence spell suppressed that strange feeling.

Perhaps he really is not an ordinary person.

"I wish you both a pleasant stay in the Flower Kingdom." The guard quickly registered some information, and after Elena paid two copper coins, she was allowed to enter the country. Incidentally, these copper coins all came from Qin; Elena only had gold coins in her pocket at the moment.

This was something that Qin and I had discussed beforehand.

If you're using your own broom for transportation, you shouldn't have to pay anything. Well, you'll have to cover the entire entry fee then—that's how it is.

Before the two had taken more than a few steps, or even crossed the border, they bumped into a guard who seemed to be there to take over their duties.

The man's eyes lit up as soon as he saw Elena and Qin, and he strode over quickly, looking quite fierce.

Elena instinctively gripped the magic wand in her pocket.

After all, being cute can sometimes attract lecherous people who want to molest others... If it's just a simple flirtation, it's fine, since being attracted by cuteness isn't their fault, it's mine.

But if you encounter someone with malicious intent, then you can only let a strong wind blow them to the ends of the earth.

"Did you two just come from the sea of ​​flowers? Did you see my sister there?" the man asked anxiously.

Oh, so it wasn't a flirting attempt.

Hmm, why do I feel a little disappointed?

Elena shook her head: "No, I haven't seen anyone."

Of course, I didn't see a single girl.

Absolutely not.

"And what about your companion? Did you see a girl?" The man seemed to have lost his composure. Theoretically, if Elena didn't see her, could Qin beside her have?

He probably didn't trust this witch.

"Never seen it before," Qin replied succinctly.

So the guard left dejectedly. Clearly, he hadn't gotten the answer he wanted from the two men.

After watching the anxious person leave, the two continued to cross the border and arrived at the official border of the Flower Country.

"His sister, could it be..." Elena already had a guess in her heart.

This conjecture certainly didn't cheer her up. A strong possibility was that the person handing flowers to Elena in the flower field was that person's sister.

She had already thought of this, which is why she chose to lie when faced with that person's question.

She was afraid that if she told that person the truth, he would go to the flower field to find his sister, which would be tantamount to sending him to his death.

“It’s all in vain. He already has the answer…” Qin interjected inappropriately, “The final result won’t change anything.”

"You mean he'll go back to the flower field to find his sister? Why?" Elena asked, turning her head away.

"His eyes told me so."

"speak English."

"Those eyes, they've lost their vitality, just like mine."

……

After resting for a night in a simple inn in the Land of Flowers, Elena officially began to explore the scenery of this country.

This is also the meaning of her travels.

She has already put what happened at the border yesterday out of her mind.

Oh, of course it's fake.

Elena was still troubled by whether that person would eventually go to the flower field. Although she wasn't that kind, she couldn't be as indifferent as Qin, to the point where nothing mattered.

If she has the option to help in any way she can, she will choose to do her best (for a fee, of course), provided that it does not endanger her safety.

But in reality, what needed to be done has been done, and what others choose is none of Elena's business. For now, she should just enjoy the sights of this foreign land as much as possible.

According to the three rules agreed upon with Jean, after Elena spent half a day exploring the Flower Kingdom, the remaining time should be at Jean's disposal, and Elena should do her best to cooperate.

But Jean never seemed to value his own time. Nine times out of ten, he chose to let Elena continue to enjoy her time, while Jean himself chose to remain a silent shadow.

So, after Qin simply spent a copper coin to get a worn-out secondhand sword from a weapon shop, she spent the rest of her time with Elena.

"I'm telling you, you're not short of money, why did you choose a broken sword?" Elena said, somewhat puzzled.

It's foolish not to spend money when you have it.

After the last commission from Chernas, the musician has at least dozens of gold coins, more than enough to choose a good village sword.

"The broken sword is enough. I shouldn't enjoy anything better; it would all be a waste anyway," Qin said.

Elena finally understood just how emo the person next to her was.

Previously, she thought this person was just immature and had such an awkward personality, which was why he seemed so lifeless. Now it seems that he truly lacks a vitality called life.

What does it mean that one should not enjoy it?

Didn't you earn the money?

Elena expressed her incomprehension.

He refuses to stay in hotels and barely eats or drinks—is it all because he feels unworthy? What is his motivation for staying alive? Is he here to undergo tribulation in this world?

"What... exactly led you on this journey?" Elena asked a question she had wanted to know for a long time.

This question is second only to wanting to know why Jean was able to break her silence spell in the first place.

Qin tilted her head and thought about it carefully, seemingly really considering the question: "Hmm... I don't know."

I don't know what kind of answer this is...

"If I really had to answer, I'd probably say I want to see where I'd be best buried," Qin said. "If possible, I'd like to be buried in a place where spider lilies bloom."

you……

Elena chose to remain silent. She didn't know how to communicate with such a strange person, and she was even afraid that she might accidentally be infected by this person's emotions and become an emo weirdo herself.

This person seems to have a lot to tell.

His mental barriers thickly encased his fragile core.

It's like a water-filled balloon; it's hard to puncture with a needle at first, but once it is...

Irene said nothing more, and after briefly exploring the country, she prepared to leave.

To be honest, this place is very ordinary and boring. In the end, the world is mostly ordinary.

Before leaving the Flower Kingdom, Elena flew in the direction of the flower sea on a broom carrying her harp.

She stopped sweeping at the shallow edge of the flower field, without venturing deeper into it.

And so she watched from afar the dazzling palette of colors, and from a distance the two people embracing tightly within it, without uttering a word.

She knew both of them.

One was a girl who once handed her a bouquet of flowers.

One of them was a young man who had once asked her about her sister's whereabouts at the border.

Now the brother and sister are reunited and embrace tightly, letting the brown vines growing from the flowers climb up his legs, wrap around his waist, and cover his cheeks.

They were covered in vibrant flowers.

And they, like flowers, bloomed in this sea of ​​flowers.

“Lack of… anger…” Elena murmured.

Having received the answer she wanted, she silently drove her broom in the opposite direction from the sea of ​​flowers. The traveler's journey would not be halted by others; she was merely a witness.

But she probably won't come back here.