Magical Journey: The Other Shore Blooms on the Other Shore

For any traveler, winter is, in a sense, a nightmare. The cold weather always lulls people into a drowsy state, and those with weak willpower can easily be sealed away by some evil monster called "bed," unable to move.

Then, in a daze, the morning was over.

Moreover, traveling in such a cold winter is a tough task for travelers.

A broom suddenly crashed down from the sky. After landing, the broom disappeared without a trace, and Elena and Qin emerged from it.

Qin remained dressed as usual, as if the harsh winter had no effect on him.

Elena, on the other hand, was fully armed, wearing a thick down jacket and a cotton winter hat.

"I'm freezing." Elena breathed on her gloved hands to warm them.

After all, flying at high speed in the sky on a broom is really cold. Even with warming magic, it's still freezing cold in that environment.

Fortunately, the next kingdom isn't far off. What was it called again? Who cares—all she wanted now was a warm place to have a cup of hot tea and devour some bread.

"Welcome to the land blessed by the Dog God, have a chew." Even in the dead of winter, the guards faithfully guard the nation's borders.

Oh, if you ignore the fact that he's eating a roasted sweet potato.

He's seriously neglecting his duties. What's wrong with this country? I'm going to sue him.

"Please excuse us, gentlemen. We need to ask a few routine questions upon entering our country. Chew on," the guard said while munching on a sweet potato. "Are you two followers of the Dog God Cult or the Cat God Cult?"

What the hell?

“I am not religious,” Elena said.

She prefers to believe in gold coins.

"Where is your companion?" the guard asked Qin.

"Just like her," Qin said succinctly.

"If you enter our country, are you willing to convert to the Dog God religion?" the guard asked.

"So, what is the Dog God Cult?" Elena asked the first crucial question.

"Don't you know about the Dog God Cult?" the guard asked in astonishment.

Should we know about the Dog God Cult? What is that? But now is not the time to talk about this; Elena can't wait to enter and enjoy the warm room.

"Let me give you a brief introduction to the Dog God Cult. As the name suggests, the Dog God Cult worships the famous Dog God. Unlike those ignorant and uncivilized barbarians who believe that cats are gods, all the believers of the Dog God Cult love cute dogs and are willing to dedicate everything to them."

Stop! Stop it! What are you doing? You're so long-winded.

"The Dog God Cult has many variant branches. The most famous one is the sect founded by the ancestor who calls himself Dog Head. Every time he encounters someone shorter than him, he hits them with a stick. According to him, this is called 'Stacking Q,' which means that by doing this, one can obtain the Dog God's blessing and gain enhanced combat power."

Hey, hey—didn't you just give a brief introduction? Stop! And besides, is that guy a lunatic?

The guard continued babbling on and on.

Elena finally couldn't hold back anymore.

“Can I not believe in religion?” Elena interrupted.

"Huh? Isn't the Dog God Cult good?" the guard said.

"Is there a rule here that people who don't believe in the Dog God Cult can't enter?" Elena asked.

"Oh, no."

"Alright, please make way, I need to enter the country."

"I haven't even finished explaining all the benefits of the Dog God Cult yet."

"Say one more word and I'll smash your dog head in!" Elena said, displeased.

"By the way, you are simply a born apostle of the Dog God Cult. Please enter the territory, Lady Gray Witch."

She admitted that she somewhat regretted coming to this kingdom; she wondered if staying here too long would drive her insane.

"Sir, are you willing to join the Dog God Cult?" After Elena walked over, the guard stopped Qin again. "Your companion seems to already be a member of the Dog God Cult."

Elena was about to say something, since Qin didn't like to talk much, and this was the time when she was needed as a mouthpiece, since he had paid the entry and exit fees.

But Elena soon realized that she didn't need to worry about it at all.

Qin then raised her sword sheath and smashed it hard against the guard.

"Why are you hitting people if you don't believe in religion?" the guard said, holding his head.

"Stack Q," Qin said coldly, and then successfully entered the game.

Could he really be a genius?

……

"So comfortable—I wish every day could be like this." Elena stretched out her hand and touched the magic stove, where bread was still baking, and the aroma of the bread filled the entire inn room.

As always, Qin was reading at her desk to pass the time.

“Speaking of Qin, you should be fine if you just eat a little more, right? There’s really no need to work so hard every day,” Elena said.

“Once the gate is opened, it will be much harder to close it again,” Qin said. “Don’t worry about me, just eat your own bread. Hunger is nothing compared to pain.”

Too……

It seems like eating a little and then stopping would be even more painful.

Elena was munching on her bread while deep in thought.

To be honest, she really wanted Qin to live a normal life.

His current life is abnormal in every way—since I made a promise in a moment of passion to let him live a normal life, I should try my best.

But the first obstacle in the middle of the road is food.

It seems abnormal for someone to go hungry all day.

Elena felt that if she put herself in Elena's shoes, she would gradually become abnormal in that situation as well.

But how do we solve this curse problem? Even though Jean herself is an expert in curses, she couldn't solve it. So even if she is a witch, it would be difficult for her to break through this problem.

Because of this curse, normal magic cannot be cast on the harp...

This is really difficult...

Elena stared at the golden-brown bread baking on the magic stove, when suddenly something occurred to her.

What if there existed a food that had absolutely no nutritional value and only filled the stomach? Wouldn't that solve Qin's problem? Could I be a genius? — No, I am a genius.

The more Elena thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

The curse of the harp greatly enhances its ability to absorb nutrients; it only needs a tiny amount of nutrition to survive, while excess nutrition becomes poison. So, wouldn't it be better to simply prevent the food it ingests from absorbing any nutrients?

The fact that such food doesn't exist now doesn't mean it's impossible—objects couldn't talk before, but Elena can now make them talk.

Creating such food is not entirely impossible.

It's just flavor without any nutritional value.

Elena's mind was flashing with magical plans, and once she started having this idea, she couldn't stop.

Why not try making a bread that has no nutritional value but retains its flavor first?

Then I won't have to worry about getting fat when I want to eat bread in big bites in the future—wow, killing two birds with one stone, I really am a genius.

"Irena, what are you grinning about? Are you hallucinating from eating bread?" Qin was speechless at Irena's sudden outburst.

"It's a secret," Elena said with a smile.