After leaving Orirock Village.
Closure could be said to have reaped a bountiful harvest.
Lucas continued as before, carrying Lin Qingyan on his back as they walked out of the forest. However, perhaps because she was used to it or something, this time she didn't say much when Lucas's hand brushed against her thigh, though her body trembled slightly.
Without Nian's second brother obstructing them.
The group passed through the forest much faster than before. Once outside the forest.
The Rhodes Island Land-runner was parked outside.
However, the Land-runner was already piled high with various supplies, filling more than half of the vehicle. When they arrived, apart from the driver, there were only three people, and the passenger compartment had plenty of space.
But on the return trip.
Not only was it loaded with a lot of supplies, but there were also two more people. For a moment, the back of the vehicle felt a bit crowded.
Lucas was not skilled in medicine, only knowing basic first aid. But the Nine-Colored Deer was different. Her medical skills were entirely self-taught, not the modern Columbian medicine from outside Yan, but something akin to Yan's own ancient medical arts.
However, the Nine-Colored Deer didn't have any medicinal herbs on hand. Even with her medical skills, there was nothing she could do. The most important thing now was to get Lin Qingyan back to the yamen.
The nearest yamen was not far, located in a small city.
The Dali Temple was directly under the central government of Yan, while the yamen was the local branch.
Lin Qingyan's arrival even alarmed the county magistrate of this small city. After all, strictly speaking, Lin Qingyan was directly under the central government of Yan. Even if she was just an ordinary official in the Dali Temple, she was not someone officials from these small places could compare to. They were all afraid of not serving her well enough. Upon learning that Lin Qingyan was injured, the magistrate was so frightened that he immediately ordered his subordinates to fetch the best physician in the county, fearing that if he was even a second late, this high-ranking official from the imperial court would blame him.
"In that case, we'll be leaving now, Miss Qingyan."
Lucas waved at Lin Qingyan.
"Hmph! Do as you please."
Lin Qingyan turned her head away and snorted, seeming completely unconcerned.
"However, I will definitely report the information about you all to my superiors. After all, a gathering of five gods is no small matter. It's my official duty, so please don't take offense. But if you want to take offense, there's nothing I can do. Anyway, after this farewell, it's highly unlikely we'll meet again in the future."
"...."
Lucas was so speechless he couldn't form a reply.
What a perfectly set-up jinx.
"Oh~ Then let's consider this chance encounter our last. It's highly unlikely I'll come to Yan again in the future anyway."
Lucas continued, playing along with Lin Qingyan's words.
Talking to this kind of tsundere, only fighting fire with fire was interesting.
"You!!!"
Lin Qingyan hadn't expected Lucas to say such a thing, and a flash of anger appeared in her eyes.
"Whatever!!"
Actually, Lucas wasn't lying.
Yan was too dangerous.
Gods were everywhere.
He just came to Yan with Closure to buy some materials and ended up meeting a super-strong Divine Fragment and a complete god. Who knew what else he would encounter if he stayed longer? In comparison, Columbia seemed much safer.
"By the way, this is for you."
Lucas gave it a light toss, and the bracelet Lin Qingyan had returned to him flew through the air in an arc.
As a powerful individual, Lin Qingyan's dynamic vision was naturally excellent. She could tell at a glance that this was the same bracelet she had returned to Lucas.
"Since you don't need it, I've already absorbed the soul fragment inside. But the bracelet is still yours, after all."
Lin Qingyan caught the bracelet and hummed pridefully.
"Do what you want. I didn't want this bracelet anymore anyway."
After saying that, Lin Qingyan very honestly put the bracelet away.
"Then we'll be going now."
Everyone waved goodbye to Lin Qingyan.
"We'll meet again if fate allows, Miss Lin Qingyan."
With that.
The group turned and left. As for the county magistrate, he had run off long ago. The conversations of these high-ranking court officials were not for someone of his low rank to hear. Fearing he would disturb them, he loitered outside until dinner time before personally delivering the food.
In the vehicle.
Closure patted Lucas's shoulder.
"Doctor, you're so suave. I was right before, you really are a true player king."
"With just a few simple words, you've completely captivated a high-ranking official from Yan's Dali Temple, tsk tsk..."
"It seems all gods have their own powers and rules. Doctor, is your rule by any chance 'Charm'? I heard that among the Sarkaz, there's a branch called succubi. You couldn't be a male incubus, could you?"
Closure was very talkative, chattering away while driving without any intention of stopping.
This habit...
It was exactly the same as Exusiai.
It felt necessary to introduce Closure to Exusiai.
If those two got together, who knows how long they could talk.
"Haha, in my memory, I don't think there's a god with that kind of rule."
Nian laughed heartily.
The Nine-Colored Deer also nodded, speaking softly, "I've never heard of it either."
"But, with your infinite lifespans, don't you gods get bored? What do you do to pass the time when you're bored?"
Closure asked, voicing her curiosity.
After all.
With Lin Qingyan gone, she was the only ordinary person left. Although Closure, as a Vampire, was also a long-lived species, her lifespan was just long, not endless. However, compared to her, Lin Qingyan's lifespan was the shortest.
Although a Kylin's lifespan was much longer than that of an ordinary race like the Feline, they were not a long-lived species. Like Dragons, if they were powerful, they could rely on their arts to extend their lifespan by a century at most. Even with that extension, it was no match for an ancient monster like a Vampire who could live for millennia.
Originally, Surtr was just an ordinary Sarkaz. But now, with Lucas's help, she had deeply fused with Laevatain. Having accepted and integrated a part of Laevatain's divine power and divinity, she was, strictly speaking, a demi-divine fragment herself.
So.
Before.
Among the group, although Lin Qingyan was the youngest, strictly speaking, after a hundred years, Lin Qingyan would also be the first to go.
What a dark joke...
Nian scratched her head.
"I like making movies and playing all sorts of fun things. So, I basically spend my boring time in cities. I love this kind of slow-paced life; it's very comfortable."
The Nine-Colored Deer replied, "I... I usually travel all over Yan, tasting a hundred herbs, understanding their effects, and studying medicine to help those in need. My dream is a world without sickness and pain. But Yan is so big, I feel that let alone a thousand years, even in ten thousand years, my wish would be hard to realize. As long as there are people, there will be injuries, and this is the value of my existence."
"A noble thought."
Closure smacked her lips, marveling at the loftiness of the Nine-Colored Deer's aspirations.
Finally, when she asked Lucas.
Lucas thought for a moment and replied.
"Sleeping..."
"Hmm???"
Ten thousand question marks flashed over Closure's head.
The vehicle traveled slowly through the land of Yan. Since Closure had procurement credentials, they passed through any Yan patrols they encountered without any trouble.
Under Nian's guidance.
Her sister, Miss Dusk, was said to be living in seclusion on Mount Huiqi.
Mount Huiqi was not famous in all of Yan, or rather, it was completely unknown. It was as ordinary as could be, and hardly anyone had ever heard of it, so naturally, no one would be bored enough to go there. This perfectly fit the standard of Nian's sister, Dusk, being a shut-in.
And at the foot of Mount Huiqi was a city called Gouwu City.
According to Nian's introduction.
Although Gouwu was not a large city among the many in Yan, its regional cuisine was very famous. Nian's sister Dusk thought it was wonderful, but Nian disagreed. It wasn't spicy at all, lacked a kick, and felt like eating a plain steamed bun—tasteless.
"Excuse me."
Finally, after holding it in for a long time in the vehicle, the Nine-Colored Deer asked the question on her mind.
She tucked her long, silvery hair behind her ear, her blue-white eyes looking directly at Lucas.
"Um, Lucas, those syringe-like things in the supply crate you dropped from the sky earlier, what are they? You said they can treat Oripathy?"
Lucas was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't expected the Nine-Colored Deer to take the initiative to speak to him. He answered immediately.
"Miss Nine-Colored Deer, this medicine was developed by the company I'm with. It's not a complete cure, but it suppresses and alleviates the suffering of Oripathy, increasing the patient's chances of survival during an acute outbreak and extending the user's lifespan as much as possible."
"I see. Thank you for the explanation, Lucas."
The Nine-Colored Deer nodded.
"May I ask where your company is located? Forgive my ignorance, but after so many years of travel and study, my medical skills are still unable to treat many difficult diseases, including this Oripathy. I have even spent a long time researching it, yet I still haven't made much headway. I never expected that your company would have developed the medicine I have longed for. Therefore, I am slightly curious about the company you are with."
The Nine-Colored Deer spoke slowly, her words clear and measured, making it incredibly pleasant to listen to, as if a musical spring were flowing endlessly by one's ear.
"My company is in Columbia, called Raythean Medica."
Lucas knew what the Nine-Colored Deer meant by her words.
"Although Columbia is far from Yan, I have a dedicated aircraft that can get from Yan to Columbia in just three hours. If you would like to visit, Miss Nine-Colored Deer, you are welcome anytime."
A wave of joy washed over the Nine-Colored Deer, and a divine smile bloomed on her beautiful face. In that instant, it seemed as if the very weather changed color for her.
"Thank you, Lucas."
But Closure's eyes widened.
"Huh? Huh? Huh?"
At first, she thought the Doctor would say Rhodes Island. That way, Rhodes Island would have a complete god visiting to learn and study, which would be great. She never expected... the Doctor to directly say Raythean Medica.
Sigh...
In the end, Rhodes Island was a step too late.
The Doctor was already in the shape of Raythean Medica.
Faced with the Nine-Colored Deer's request.
Lucas didn't refuse.
After all, the Nine-Colored Deer was different from Nian.
Nian was only a Divine Fragment, while the Nine-Colored Deer was a complete god. This was the first time Lucas had seen a truly complete god. Although his senses told him her combat power wasn't great, still...
Lucas didn't believe it. As a complete god, no matter how unskilled in combat, her power couldn't possibly be weak. If she were to stay at Raythean Medica, there would only be benefits and no drawbacks. After all, Lucas's own divine fragment was enough to increase Miss Kylin's cultivation speed. Not to mention a complete god. If she just sat there, she would be like a giant WIFI router, and everyone around would have their cultivation and learning boosted by the radiation of her divine aura.
Mount Huiqi was located in the heartland of Yan.
The journey took the better part of a day. After driving through the night, it was the morning of the next day when they were about to reach Mount Huiqi.
They parked the vehicle in a parking lot in Gouwu City.
Everyone got out.
Under Nian's lead, they prepared to ascend the mountain.
Mount Huiqi was not large, nor was it very tall.
It was only a few hundred meters high, more like a small mountain or a large hill. Moreover, there weren't many resources on the mountain, so even the residents of Gouwu City rarely went up, let alone people from out of town. The most frequent visitors to this mountain were probably the locals who lived on it.
"So, the mountain is this big... how are we supposed to find your sister?"
"Simple. I know the way."
With Nian as their guide, they barely stopped along the way.
Finally, they stopped in front of an old house on the mountainside, a short distance from the summit.
"Here we are."
Nian called out for everyone to follow her.
Nian suddenly pushed open the door.
"Dusk! Big sister is here!"
However.
What awaited Nian was not a welcome.
Instead, the surrounding space turned pitch black, and the scene before everyone completely changed. In an instant, they were in a familiar Jiangnan town. The style of the town was almost the same as the one the second brother had drawn, but his was obviously fake, while the scene before them was unbelievably realistic, with many pedestrians coming and going.
"Tsk... Is this how your sister welcomes people?"
Lucas muttered under his breath.
Nian also scratched her head awkwardly.
She shouted into the crowd.
"Dusk!! Dusk!! Your big sister's here~~ Come out and greet me. You wouldn't want your big sister to lose face in front of so many friends, would you?"
After Nian's shout.
The people who were originally walking all seemed to freeze in place.
A clear voice came from an unknown direction.
"Get out of here!! I don't want to deal with you!!"
"???"
Closure couldn't help but complain to Nian.
"Miss Nian, your authority as an older sister doesn't seem to be very effective."
"Uh...."
Nian scratched her head in embarrassment.
"Actually, the relationship between us siblings is quite good, especially between me and my baby Dusk."
"Who has a good relationship with you?"
Dusk's voice, from somewhere unknown, ruthlessly exposed Nian's excuse.