Chapter 148 A Branch in the Nest Forest (11)
The locals in Gabor moved the wooden stakes to the beach and set up an open-air platform. In the center, there was a huge pot that required several people to lift. Inside were charcoal, fishing nets, and other things. A black, foul-smelling liquid churned in the center. It was unclear whether it was blood or some kind of plant liquid, and it looked rather unsettling.
When Shu Ningmiao came down from the reef, a group of people were protesting around their mentor.
Someone turned around and subtly pointed at the locals sweating profusely on the beach, their eyes revealing disgust.
“They’re the ones being unreasonable!” another student grabbed the instructor. “The people here are impossible to communicate with, they love to take advantage of others, and all they know is how to ask for money.”
"Alright." The one surrounded was the instructor of Class E, who was always good-natured: "We'll be going back in a couple of days."
According to the information she found, the Gab people's pre-departure dance is a way to loosen up their muscles and strengthen their bonds, and it is a particularly important ceremony for the locals. But in the eyes of these students, it was nothing more than a barbaric dance.
The students who didn't care about these things were either lying or sitting on the beach, but You An was nowhere to be seen. As a young adult, he should be with his family helping to prepare for the ceremony.
The ceremony wouldn't begin until evening, and Xiao Jiang was to stay on the beach to monitor the locals' actions. Shu Ningmiao greeted her and then walked along the coastline.
As she expected, the practical exam took place underwater. She no longer had the mind to explore Gab. However, the noise from the ceremony being set up on the beach made her want to find a quieter place to stay.
Walking a short distance ahead, the surroundings became noticeably quieter than before, laughter trailing behind her, and there wasn't even a wisp of breeze along the shore.
The muddy waves receded, leaving behind patches of white sand.
A kayak was moored on the white sand, its anchor stuck in the gravel, its surface a dark greenish-black, entangled with seaweed.
Beside the white sand are tall, porous rocks, some reaching several meters in height. They stand side by side, weathered to a pure white color, jagged and scattered on the white sand like a row of uneven, sharp teeth. The path ahead becomes difficult to traverse.
She stopped beside the boat, gazed quietly at the white sand for a moment, and then spoke softly, "Are you coming out on your own, or am I going to drag you out?"
The dark, shimmering shadow hiding behind the rocks trembled and shrank back inside. Shu Ningmiao heard him gasp as he held his breath.
In fact, she had seen the shadow hiding in the narrow crevice as soon as she reached the side of the boat.
The other person's disguise was so clumsy in front of her that Shu Ningmiao originally did not want to investigate, but seeing that the other person was observing her from behind the reef and that his breathing was not very steady, as if he was deliberately avoiding her, she became a little suspicious.
Her long-established intuition made her stare straight at the dark figure.
The shadow swayed left and right twice, and it seemed to be about to slip away. Just as it lunged forward, its legs were pulled back by something invisible, and it was soon exposed to the sunlight.
The little boy struggled desperately under the invisible restraints, turning his head with his eyes darting around in a panic, scattering white sand everywhere.
Shu Ningmiao stared at him for a moment, then loosened her grip on Pandora's box a little, signaling him to behave: "It's you."
She recognized the child, who resembled a small animal, as You An's younger brother, You Gua.
"Ahhhhh!" he hurriedly explained, "I didn't do anything, I was just digging for crabs here..."
"I haven't asked yet."
Looking at Shu Ningmiao's indifferent expression, You Gua awkwardly withdrew his hand.
She pointed her fingertips in the air, and without a word, Pandora pried open the child's tightly clenched wrists behind his back and enveloped the object in his hand.
Feeling the object in her hand gradually fly away, You Gua, who was already nervous, felt even more aggrieved and burst into tears.
Shu Ningmiao took the thing from his palm and looked at him hesitantly upon hearing the sound.
She hadn't had to go through this kind of trouble for a long time, and for a moment she didn't even consider that he was a child.
Yu Gua collapsed to the ground, wailing and sobbing so hard that her eyes rolled back, startling a flock of birds that were leisurely flying by the sea.
Shu Ningmiao frowned, her gaze lingering for a couple of seconds between You Gua on the ground and the thing in her hand, before deciding to look at the thing in her hand first.
The thing he was so anxiously protecting didn't seem to be anything special; it was just two wilted, round leaves. But if it was just two leaves, why was he so afraid of it and avoiding it?
She held the two leaves in her hand and raised it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw You Gua's gaze follow the movement of her hand in terror. For a moment, she even stopped crying without realizing it.
"What is this?" Shu Ningmiao's hand stopped between his eyes, shaking the two droopy leaves.
"Leaves I picked up in the woods." You Gua bit her lower lip.
Shu Ningmiao smiled, but her beautiful, indifferent face unconsciously revealed a hint of coldness. He actually thought that she didn't know what this was and could be easily fooled.
She let go, letting the two leaves drift away with the wind and into the waves.
Yu Gua's eyes widened, and he thrashed forward twice. The restraints on his body had disappeared at some point. He stretched his hands into the waves and shouted, "It's Peo! That's Peo, it's very expensive! You owe me!"
He tried to scoop the two leaves out of the sea, but of course he couldn't find them in the vast ocean. He sat down on the ground, dumbfounded.
Shu Ningmiao reached out from behind him, and a ball of light wrapped the leaf that had just been swept into the sea and flew back into her hand.
She repeated, "Peao."
She did not press further about what Peo was.
She couldn't immediately recall it just by looking at the two leaves, but after Yougua called out Pei's name, the two leaves suddenly overlapped with something in her memory.
She had read in an interview that Intori's high arousal rate was attributed to a hallucinogenic plant that only grows in Intori.
The name of this plant is... Peo.
Even though the mainstream media in Pinheisburga emphasized that this plant has strong hallucinogenic properties, few people could resist the temptation of 100% awakening superpowers if it were actually placed in front of them.
This plant failed to gain popularity in Pines, not primarily because people were afraid to try it, but because it was scarce and impossible to transplant. Furthermore, Torri, being a barbaric and superstitious kingdom, refused any exchange or trade with the outside world, and there were no shipping routes available.
Once the leaves of the Peo plant are picked, their medicinal effect lasts for only a dozen hours.
The two pieces of Peo in Yougua's hands were not completely dry, which meant that people from Intoli must have landed and secretly traded with them in the past two days.
You Gua timidly tried to pry her hand away, forcing a smile and trying to please her. Shu Ningmiao looked stunned, and after a long while, she moved her hand away, not letting him get it: "Where did you get it?"
"...I traded something with someone else."
Shu Ningmiao had a beautiful face, but her voice was incredibly intimidating. You Gua was somewhat afraid of her gaze, but mustered her courage and said, "You know this is a very expensive item, right? Can you give it back to me?"
"Yes, it's very expensive." Shu Ningmiao's smile was cold: "Enough to warrant sentencing."
“I know.” He clutched the edge of his vest and dared to retort in a low voice, “So… it was very expensive. I used all my chocolate to buy it. My brother thought I had stolen and eaten all the chocolate.”
Shu Ningmiao said, "Do you know who you're dealing with?"
“The people from that island across the sea.” You Gua lowered his head and defended himself: “The people who traded with me weren’t bad guys who would beat people up. They were just ordinary people like us. They just came to trade some everyday items with us. My parents said we shouldn’t talk to people from across the sea, but I saw my uncles and elders trade daily necessities with them a long time ago. If we all commit crimes together, then it’s not a crime, right?”
She simply sat down on the sofa, looking at the two leaves and pondering his information-rich explanation. She said coldly, "Because everyone in Tuoli is a soldier, all those who have awakened superpowers must be trained. There are no ordinary people."
You Gua observed her expression and hesitated to speak.
"How did you make the deal with him?" Shu Ningmiao asked.
“When I was catching small crabs here, I saw him rowing over. His small boat was stranded on the beach. Yes, he was the only one there, so I dared to talk to him. How could I communicate with him? The language he spoke was very similar to our local dialect, so I could understand it.”
Yu Gua gestured: "He asked me if I had cigarettes, instant noodles, drinks, chocolate, and condoms, and that I could trade them for fresh fruit. I gave him instant noodles and candy, and we traded twice. He said he could bring me a peio for two bars of chocolate."
Shu Ningmiao pondered for a moment: "What does he look like?"
He rubbed his hands together: "His whole body was wrapped in a bright red headscarf, so I couldn't see him clearly. He was a little older than me and a little younger than my brother."
“The Red Sand Party.” Shu Ningmiao continued, “Aren’t there any more specific characteristics?”
The term "Red Sand Party" is only used within Pigne. Some people also call them Intori Death Soldiers. In reality, this party does not exist. It is just a general term for young Intori people with supernatural abilities who wear red headscarves. In the Intori religion, the red headscarf represents power. These people maintain the original Intori beliefs and resist Pigne's abuse of Pandora. Some of them have acted in a more extreme way.
There have been rumors that the Prometheusian ideology originated from the Red Sand Party.
You Gua clenched his fists and tapped his head: "Oh... also, his eyes are very bright, and he has black tattoos next to his eyes on his face."
Shu Ningmiao looked into the depths along the small boat beside her. The sea was vast and calm, with no trace on the surface.
"Next time you see him, don't go near him." She placed the two peony leaves in his palm: "Is this the good thing you wanted to show your brother yesterday?"
"Hmm." You Gua carefully closed her fingers, feeling a little embarrassed: "You're just giving it to me like this?"
"I don't need it." Shu Ningmiao tapped his palm: "Do you know how to use it?"
"This is something you put in your mouth and chew." He used his fingers to pull open her mouth to demonstrate: "They all say that using this will definitely awaken your superpowers."
You Gua laughed, becoming somewhat carried away: "Once I awaken my superpower, I'll become as powerful as you, no, as powerful as my brother. My brother's superpower is the most powerful."
Shu Ningmiao chuckled softly but didn't say anything.
You Gua continued to nag her, "I also want to awaken my superpowers, go to school in the capital, and attend the same school as my brother, so that there will be two superpowered individuals in my family!"
"Then why aren't you eating?"
This stuff doesn't keep for long. Shu Ningmiao noticed that the two leaves weren't in very good condition, clearly past their optimal time for consumption. She wondered why he hadn't used it.
“I can’t eat it now, there are side effects, I’ll feel dizzy for a long time after eating it,” You Gua said. “Brother has finally come back, I don’t want to go to sleep so soon, so I’ll wait until you all go to the sea before I eat it, so that I won’t waste a day.”
He pointed to a crevice in the rocks, where there was a small hollow. He climbed up, bent down, and slipped into the opening, fitting perfectly inside. "I'm going to have a wonderful dream in there while I wait for you to come back."
Shu Ningmiao suspected that the side effects he mentioned were actually the hallucinations that were rumored to occur after taking Peo. In the end, what was the mechanism by which this plant awakened superpowers? Was it a toxin or something else that caused the hallucinations?
She gestured for him to give her a leaf: "Let me look at it again."
She leaned against the reef, closed her eyes, and carefully pinched Peo, releasing a little Pandora through her fingertips—a substance related to superpowers. Pandora was the only thing she could think of at the moment, something she had learned from Weston. If this plant was related to Pandora, it would surely resonate with the Pandora within her.
There was no response.
Shu Ningmiao frowned slightly, trying to calm herself down completely.
Aside from Pandora, the only thing she could think of was the essence of the world, the 'string,' but she had to concentrate very hard to fully immerse herself in the flow of the string and see the string clearly.
The darkness before her eyes gradually subsided, and she calmed down to observe the strings around her. Several strands of light, as soft as silk, were drawn by something and flowed into the thin blade of grass in her hand.
This thing attracts tiny amounts of string.
I see. Seeing these strings, she could roughly figure it out.
Pandora was born from the world's consciousness, the "string." Those who can control Pandora must be connected to the "string." In more mystical terms, they are favored by fate, which is the "turning point of fate" during the Fire Seed era. Those who take Peo can sense the world's consciousness for a short time and forcibly connect with the "string." This is probably the condition for awakening superpowers.
Ordinary people cannot withstand the "string," so even a momentary connection can cause hallucinations and other uncomfortable reactions.
...In the darkness, cold strands of hair brushed past my ears.
She instantly broke free from the flow of the strings and abruptly opened her eyes.
Before me lay the calm white sand and the vast sea, the gentle sound of the waves caressing me; the sensation from just a moment ago felt unreal, like a hallucination.
—Was it a side effect of her sinking into the Stream of Strings? No—it wasn't.
What she felt was real.
Dark red hair fell down her back, damp and cold, carrying the salty smell of the sea breeze. She opened her eyes slightly, and a hand covered with familiar black patterns gently rested on her shoulder.
The familiar scene struck her like a tidal wave, and a subtle, strange expression appeared on Shu Ningmiao's face.
She didn't want to appear so shocked, but a "person," or rather a monster, that she had already killed shouldn't be in this place under any circumstances.
Yes, Achini is dead.
But the person behind her was breathing.
She suddenly stood up, took a few steps back, pulled out a folding knife hidden in her sleeve, and with such force that the person who had been on her shoulder tumbled off the rocks.
"Aaaaaah! Don't kill my brother!" Yu Gua finally cried out, poking her head out from the reef and waving her arms: "I told you not to scare people!"
The person who had rolled on the ground quickly got up, swaying and supporting himself on his head with both hands, as if he had been knocked unconscious.
Having calmed down, Shu Ningmiao had already examined the person in front of her in those few short breaths and quickly put away the sharp weapon in her hand.
This slightly darker complexion was only found in people who had been exposed to the sun for years, unlike what she had imagined; it seemed more like that of a local from Gabor.
The man had his shoulders and chest bare, revealing strong, taut muscles. His entire body was covered in black tattoos, and he wore only a pair of red trousers with intricate tassel accessories hanging from his waist, swaying in the sunlight.
When he looked up, he was wearing a hideous red and black demon mask. The mask had a ring of extremely long, dark red hair hanging down from the rocks, which made her think it was human hair.
Looking at it this way, there is still some resemblance, but it's not as unsettling.
—Wei Shengqianheng had already exhausted her mentally and physically, and she really didn't want a second dead person to appear alive in front of her.
The man got up and took a few steps toward her before she punched him to the ground.
The punch may have stunned him. He sat on the ground and slowly took off his mask. What came into view was his short red hair, which was being blown about by the wind. His handsome face was clearly visible in the sunlight. The first thing she noticed was his bright eyes.
He smiled wryly, but his expression was somewhat aggrieved: "I'm sorry... I didn't know you were sleeping, but why did you hit me?"
"...You seem to have a nameless temper."
Shu Ningmiao stared at him quietly for a while, and after a long time, she finally spoke: "Why are you dressed like this?"
"Because my brother is participating in the sea-worship ceremony!" You Gua jumped down from the reef, stood between the two of them, and announced loudly, "The fire god has always been played by my brother! Isn't that amazing!"
You An held the mask in one hand and scratched his head with the other, looking very modest: "Oh, no, it's just that I'm the right age."
Looking at his expression, Shu Ningmiao felt an invisible dark cloud hanging over her head. She wanted to get angry but couldn't find a reason: "What fire god?"
She tried to make her voice sound calm: "Why do you worship the fire god when you go to sea?"
You An and You Gua, one big and one small, sat side by side, their bright eyes both looking at her.
You Gua raised his hand: "I know, because fire is the foundation of all things, and the fire god is the master of sacrifices. All offerings can only be conveyed to the gods through fire, so all our rituals must be witnessed by the fire god."
"Haven't you heard this song before?" Yougua hummed softly: "Young men and women, throwing three handfuls of rice towards the blazing fire—Achini, the master of sacrifice, the messenger of offerings, only through your circumference do we truly reach the gods—making us abundant—"
You An covered her ears: "You Guagua, stop singing, stop singing."
Shu Ningmiao clenched the fabric in front of her chest, certain that she had just heard a sound similar to Achini's.
She felt her nerves slowly tightening for the first time in a long time. Calmness was key; in the mythology of the Indochina, there was a god of fire named Achini, so it was perfectly normal for Gab to be affected, nothing suspicious. But everything was so coincidental that it left her bewildered, like seeing a fleeting glimpse of an endless night in the light of lightning. This intense feeling sent a chill down her spine.
The faster her mind raced, the calmer her expression became.
You An didn't notice anything amiss with her: "You Gua insisted I come here. This place is our secret base. Sigh, but I've been here hundreds of times already, there's nothing to see anymore. By the way, what are you doing here? Did this kid bother you with something?"
Yu Gua crept up to her, took the peo leaf from her hand, and said, "No, I don't have it."
Shu Ningmiao glanced down at him, You An shrugged, put the mask on his head, and rubbed You Gua's head: "Okay, okay, we can talk about it tomorrow. I have something to do and need to go back quickly. I was so busy with the sea sacrifice today."
You Gua wanted to speak, but looked pitifully at Shu Ningmiao. Seeing that she didn't smile and didn't seem to want to help him keep his brother, he swallowed his words.
Shu Ningmiao nodded slightly: "I'll be going now."
You An waved his hand: "I have to go back to work too. Guagua, you're such a grown-up now, you should act like a man. It's okay, we can stay another day after the exam."
She said goodbye and left. It was almost dusk. She watched as the locals rolled up their trousers and walked barefoot on the beach. Huge bonfires burned on the beach, filling the air with the smell of burning.
Erici and Linlulianna shared a small fire and sat by the rocks to grill small fish. As she walked over, Erici ran over and whispered to her, "I was just looking for you."
Shu Ningmiao stopped: "What is it?"
“I’m a little concerned.” Eric took a deep breath and mustered his courage to say, “How did you know the exam location had to be in the sea? No, I believe you didn’t use connections to find out the exam questions beforehand, but you can’t deduce so much just from the location, right? Do you… know something else? This place, this exam, the whole thing feels really off to me. You know my intuition is usually very accurate!”
Shu Ningmiao raised her eyebrows slightly, as if she had thought of something: "Do me a favor, and I'll tell you."
“Okay…” Eric agreed without thinking, then added sheepishly, “Actually, I would have agreed even if you hadn’t told me.”
Shu Ningmiao didn't even lift her eyelids: "Do you know the full name of the research center?"
"Uh, the Fourth Country, the National Research Center?"
“The Seventh National Research Center of Pinneapolis.” Shu Ningmiao continued, “There were six before it, one of which was the research center that caused the pollution in Pingyi. All seven research centers were actually built under the supervision of one person, whose name is Lanxi.”
"Is it that amazing?" Eric murmured softly, still somewhat confused by this completely unfamiliar name.
"Having destroyed so many bases, I don't know what he actually researched. In any case, the pollution in Pingyi is inextricably linked to the pollution at the research center, so I investigated the former sites of the other five research centers."
Shu Ningmiao pointed to the boundless sea: "One of them is right here. It used to belong to Gaber's territory. Over the past hundred years, the sea level has risen, and the base has sunk into the sea. It can no longer be located."
“But this research center will probably continue to produce pollutants, just like Pingyi.” Shu Ningmiao’s tone changed abruptly: “That’s why I need you to cover it up for me for an hour.”
"What?" Erice's eyes widened.
"To ensure the safety of students, the school will limit the area for underwater activities, mostly using props for positioning. I will hunt for the required score in advance. Could you temporarily keep the props for me? It will only take an hour."
"And then, you're going to leave the school's protection to go find that research center?" Erice looked at her incredulously. "What do you want with it?"
"Just think of me as..." Shu Ningmiao paused, then said, "Just curious about ancient architecture."
As they spoke, dusk fell on the beach, and the sunset had already dyed the entire sky red.
Many students gathered around the platform at a distance to watch the spectacle. When they caught sight of her, they greeted her. The students of Cornunos had never seen such a spectacle before, and even those who disliked it found it novel at this moment.
Around the platform were a dozen or so shirtless men, their faces painted the same color as You An's, each holding a large bowl, their faces illuminated by the flickering flames.
Outside were many young men and women, their arms wrapped in colorful ribbons, holding hands and forming an open space, where several teenagers were playing crudely made musical instruments.
Wearing a mask, You An jumped onto the platform and raised a hand to the lively rhythm that started playing.
Shu Ningmiao stood at a distance watching him, and could even see the strands of hair peeking out from behind his mask. The whole world was a hazy golden-red. He stepped on the platform and danced to the sound of strings. The dull sound of his footsteps on the platform was like some kind of natural drumbeat. The tassels swayed with the rhythm, and his gait was graceful and agile.
The man below the stage splashed the contents of his bowl onto him. The reddish-black stuff landed all over him, and thick black smoke, along with a stench, and some congealed flocculent matter, filled the air. What was splashed on him was pig's blood mixed with alcohol.
At this point, it became clear who the outsiders were. Cornunos's students covered their noses and backed away, while these people continued to dance like monkeys.
Blood dripped down You An's body, leaving no clean spot, and even his muscles appeared slightly red.
He raised both hands, and flames rose from his palms. He held them in his hands, and the hideous red and black mask had all the facial features. His hair danced and twirled in the flames, and his golden eyes stared straight ahead, making him more terrifying than any ghost.
The knocking stopped.
The people who had been dancing fell silent. You An's chest heaved violently, his lips moved, and his indistinct murmurs sounded like damp whispers.
"I will... dispel the darkness and burn away the impurities."
The fireball in his hand slowly rose, casting a light red glow, and hovered in mid-air, tumbling and turning.
At school, You An rarely showed off his abilities. His strength was evident in his regular tests, and he was top-notch in everything except theory. However, Shu Ningmiao had never seen his special abilities.
She never knew that his special ability was fire.
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Author's Note: Why has Miao never seen You An's supernatural abilities? (See Chapter 49)
In short, don't lie to dogs, they'll remember it forever.
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