Magical Journey: The Other Shore Blooms on the Other Shore

"Oh dear, it's going to rain..." Elena said with some dissatisfaction, looking at the sky.

If we're talking about the most hated weather, it has to be rainy days. Once it rains, you have to find a suitable place to take shelter, which isn't a pleasant thing for travelers, since places to take shelter aren't always readily available.

Often, travelers are forced to get soaked in the rain, feeling uncomfortable and drenched.

Moreover, this makes it easy to catch a cold. Even though Elena is a witch, she is often helpless against illnesses, since it involves potion-making, and various diseases, such as a cold, require dozens of potion combinations.

Not to mention that she doesn't have a deep understanding of this.

Even if she knew, she usually didn't have the crucible and materials to prepare the medicine on-site.

Affected by the dark clouds, Elena chose to fly her broom at a low altitude, her eyes rapidly scanning nearby places to take shelter from the rain.

Lady Luck smiled upon her; there was a small forest not far away, which could be considered a decent place to take shelter from the rain, as long as it wasn't a thunderstorm.

Judging from the sky, it's just going to be a light drizzle.

She drove her broomstick swiftly towards the forest.

As Elena slowly approached the forest.

"Let's make a bet—whoever runs a lap around the forest first will be her boyfriend!"

"A bet is a bet, no cheating allowed!"

"One game decides the outcome!"

Two somewhat inappropriate and noisy voices came from behind, as if two men were arguing over who was the other's girlfriend.

"Hey? Are you going to leave me here alone? No, please."

Judging from the voice, it belongs to a delicate girl.

Irena looked toward the source of the sound and found herself locked in eye contact with a girl.

"Ah—" The girl rushed over as soon as she saw Elena. Since Elena was flying at a low speed close to the ground, she grabbed her sleeve.

"So cute—you must be a witch—such a cute witch—"

I know I'm cute.

But could you... let go first...?

"Could you do me a favor, witch sister?" the girl said.

No, I need to find shelter from the rain.

Irene was about to refuse.

“I will reward you,” the girl added, handing Elena a gold coin. Elena was forced to accept this gift due to unforeseen circumstances.

Well... that's not necessarily a bad thing. Helping others is a virtue that we should all possess.

Who would think there's too much money...hehe.

Qin watched speechlessly as Elena put the gold coins she had just received into her pocket. He had long understood how much this person next to him loved gold coins.

But she wasn't exactly a miser; she just loved gold coins and also loved spending them.

"Hmm, what do you want me to do for you?" Elena asked.

"Just keep me safe when those two men aren't around. You know, what if I, a weak woman, get eaten by a bear on the edge of the forest?" the girl said.

Yeah, yeah, it's nothing. Even if a bear came, or even a Titan, you wouldn't lose a single hair.

Of course, you'll have to pay extra if Titan comes.

The power of money is truly immense.

"Are those two men fighting over you?" Elena asked, glancing at the two boys nearby.

A man with a clean-cut appearance, handsome and tall, who politely waved to Elena when she looked at him—let's call him Mr. Clean-Cut.

The other one was obese, greasy, and slovenly, sweating profusely and looking bewildered. Let's call this Mr. Unhygienic.

But... um... do you really need to specifically choose between these two?

Could it be that the chubby guy has some extraordinary talent?

"Yes, just like you said, they're fighting over me." The girl nodded proudly.

With Elena's protection, the two went to compete without worry. The rule was that whoever ran a lap around the grove first would become the girl's boyfriend.

Although Elena felt it was too hasty to use this bet to decide someone's life partner, she couldn't make the decision for someone else.

"Who's that gloomy-faced person next to you? Is he the one you're transporting?" the girl asked, yawning boredly.

Thank goodness, finally someone hasn't considered the piano their other half.

But isn't describing him as cargo a bit of an exaggeration, although he really does look like a sculpture when he's motionless?

However, it seems that Qin didn't mind at all that someone described him as cargo.

"His name is Qin, and he's my travel companion," Elena introduced him.

“My travel companion—he’s really lucky. After all, he doesn’t seem worthy of riding on your broom at all,” the girl said, opening a bottle of water and taking a sip. “Someone like you must have a lot of people who would be jealous of you.”

Jealousy and rivalry...

Hmm, of course.

But Elena doesn't like to talk about these things as topics of conversation, as she feels it's rude and lacks basic respect for others.

Clearly, the somewhat attractive girl in front of them had the opposite personality to Elena. She not only liked to talk about these things, but also regarded them as an honor.

She spoke eloquently about how many men were pursuing her, how many boyfriends she had, and how many boyfriends she planned to find.

The people currently fighting over her are just the tip of the iceberg.

She liked Fatty's (Unhygienic Mr.) thoughtfulness; the bottle of water he gave her was a thoughtful gift from him, but she disliked his appearance.

Even if Mr. Unhygienic wins, he will ultimately not be able to win her heart.

She liked Mr. Clean-Looking's appearance, but disliked his rough edges and lack of muscle.

In short, in this bet born of jealousy, both Mr. Cheerful and Mr. Unhygienic will be the losers.

Elena's head throbbed with frustration as she listened, and eventually only one thought remained in her mind—this manipulative, philandering playboy deserves divine punishment.

I don't know if Elena sensed something.

The girl was laughing when she suddenly collapsed, and then...

Oh, she's just asleep...

Really sorry.

It's good to be young, just fall asleep.

Anyway, I'm only responsible for her safety; I have no other obligation to be responsible for anything else.

“Although you probably don’t mind, I still want to say that I don’t treat you like merchandise,” Elena said to Qin.

"But when I first sat on your broom, I almost got my skin peeled off," Qin added.

Tsk, does this person have a talent for sharp tongue?

"Please forget about it."

"Oh."

"Forgot?"

"Yes."

"That's such a perfunctory answer." Elena was amused, but her request was already quite funny. "What were you thinking just now?"

"I was wondering why those two men were fighting over one woman," Qin replied truthfully.

Hmm? Maybe it's because she's prettier?

"I don't quite understand. Isn't the purpose of a man and woman getting together to reproduce? What's the use of appearance?"

This question left Elena speechless.

Wow, you've learned silence magic too, haven't you? The effects are amazing.

But this wasn't the only strange thing about Qin.

"Did your parents get married just to have you?" After a long silence, Elena asked in return.

“Yes,” Qin said.

amount……

He was silenced again...

What kind of family was he born into? Suddenly, Elena realized his name sounded like a woman's name, and things she hadn't understood before quickly became clear.

“I’ve never seen my father since I was born,” Qin said, sitting on the broom, her legs swinging back and forth unconsciously, a childlike subconscious action. “My mother abandoned me before I was a month old. No, I should say I wasn’t worthy of being her son; she probably wished I were a daughter.”

He finished speaking expressionlessly and then fell silent.

“So… that’s why you’re called Qin?” Elena sighed. “Why didn’t you change it to a boy’s name later?”

“It’s troublesome…and…it’s pointless, anyway…” His words trailed off, as if there was something he hadn’t said.

Anyway... in this man-made cage, there is no true self.

Happiness may be a thousand different things, but unhappiness is a problem that every family has its own set of issues to resolve.

Irene couldn't utter a single word of comfort; with her limited experience, she simply couldn't comprehend what Quanqin had gone through in her lifetime.

While the two were exchanging a few words, one of the men had already returned from his roundabout way.

It's Mr. Unhygienic!

No, why is it Mr. Unhygienic?

Irene scrutinized the chubby man with a suspicious look.

He started much slower than the other man, yet he was the one who returned first.

Well—anyway, the final result won't change because of this joke-like bet.

"I won! I'm going to be her boyfriend!" Mr. Unhygienic declared, as if he had won the whole world.

Qin tilted her head, looking puzzled.

He was probably wondering why this person was so excited.

A little while later, the cheerful man ran back: "Damn it—I actually fell asleep halfway there."

Asleep? The Tortoise and the Hare?

Elena looked at the girl who was fast asleep on the ground, then glanced at the water bottle.

"Um, did you drink any water before?" Elena asked Mr. Cheerful, a question that immediately alerted Mr. Unhygienic.

“Yes—why are you asking this?” Mr. Cheerful said.

“Tsk—there’s something wrong with this water,” Elena said.

Mr. Cheerful's brain wasn't all muscle; he immediately understood. It was his rival in love who had prepared the water; of course, he had the ability to drug it.

Not only did he cause his goddess to fall into a deep sleep, but he also caused him to lose the bet—he deserves to die.

"Damn it—you bastard, you actually cheated—"

"Do you have evidence?"

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it... Behold my Torrent Dragon Strike!"

"Behold the meteorite falling from Mount Tai!"

The two men wrestled together.

"They just started fighting like that? That's strange," Qin said.

“You’ll understand why they act this way when you finally see the light. But I think that day is unlikely,” Elena said.

"That makes sense... If you don't understand, then don't try to understand."

"Let's go find shelter from the rain. They're back anyway, so our security escort mission is over." Elena steered her broom and prepared to leave, no longer paying attention to the girl who was still fast asleep on the ground or the two men who were wrestling.

"Should we just leave it at that?"

“I don’t like any of them. So I’m just going to ignore them,” Elena said. “Besides, it’s really going to rain.”

"Oh."