The gift from the Deathspeaker and the tempering of the five-day voyage had transformed Fa and her companions as if they had been reborn. The wooden waterflow boat carried this heavy power and their increasingly firm will, breaking through the thin, perpetual mist surrounding the outer edges of the Lairis Great Island, under the silent circling vigilance of the three shadow hawks newly summoned by Salsa.
"We're here! It's land! There's a port ahead!" Salsa's excited voice came through the mechanical cat's shell, her amber electronic eyes flashing with light. Though her soul body was curled up inside the cat's form digesting the "Breath of Annihilation," she shared the hawks' overhead view.
On the horizon, the outline of a port town built along a steep black rock coastline gradually became clear. Unlike the bustling ports of the Murette Continent filled with steam and the roar of gears, this place called "Wing Shadow Port" exuded a solemn and mysterious whisper. At the top of the towering lighthouse, instead of spewing steam or electric light, a massive magical crystal floated, with runes flowing inside, emitting a steady cyan-white cold light that pierced through the fog. The ships docked along the shore were also stylistically diverse: there were wooden-iron hybrid cargo ships propelled by huge sails and side paddle wheels, embedded with glowing navigation runes on their hulls; sleek fast boats covered in matte metal armor, spewing ghostly blue ion streams from their tails; and even a few elven vessels seemingly carved from living giant trees, with green light entwined among the branches.
The air was filled with a mix of sea salt, damp cold rocks, machine oil, and a faint scent of magical potions. Technology and magic here were not strictly separated but coexisted in a peculiar, somewhat rough manner.
When the wooden waterflow boat—this vessel of archaic design yet clearly imbued with powerful water elemental magic—slowly approached the dock, it immediately drew the gazes of various people on the pier. As Fa and her group stepped onto the dock and observed their surroundings, they noticed the townsfolk dressed in colorful attire, a mix of races including dwarves, elves, humans, and even a few beastmen, but notably absent were any fishfolk or wingfolk.
The townsfolk paused their work, casting surprised and curious glances. Some whispered in low voices: "How did they cross the Shadow Sea? That's fishfolk territory, swarming with sea beasts—even merchant ships dare not approach lightly!" Their eyes swept over Fa's group, finally landing on Yuyuer, and they seemed to understand something. At that moment, someone said:
"Look! What is that?" A dark-skinned human worker with electric shock tattoos on his arms whispered in shock, pointing at Yuyuer.
"A fish... fishman?" A dwarf engineer wearing a single-piece electronic monocle, tinkering with a mechanical arm in his hand, nearly twisted the screw wrong.
"Good heavens, how did they get through the 'Shadow Sea'? Isn't that area sealed off by the fishfolk like an iron barrel?" An elf female mage wrapped in a cloak whispered to her companion, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Shh... keep it down! Don't cause trouble! I hear the fishfolk have bad tempers..." Her companion, a white-bearded elderly human, nervously glanced around.
The whispers spread like a tide. Curiosity, surprise, fear... various emotions mixed in those gazes. The atmosphere on the dock instantly became subtle and tense. All activity nearly halted, with people staring at this group of uninvited guests, especially the fishman relying on an intricate exoskeleton to move on land. No one approached to ask questions, nor did anyone offer a welcome—only an invisible barrier and silent scrutiny.
Fa scanned the surroundings, her right eye calmly sweeping over the town, taking in the subtle expressions, the shapes of whispering lips, and the hands subconsciously gripping weapons. She whispered to her companions: "It seems Yuyuer's identity is very sensitive here. Let's find a place to settle first, act low-key, and gather intelligence."
Everyone nodded silently. The star resonance stone around Arya's neck emitted a warm fluctuation, allowing her to clearly sense Fa's vigilance beneath her calm exterior, as well as Yuyuer's subtle unease from being ostracized by the group. Zhamisi snorted coldly, her emerald vertical pupils sharply scanning the crowd, the venom fang curved blade at her waist seeming to faintly emit a dangerous aura, causing a few people who got too close to subconsciously step back half a pace. Kayla instinctively tensed her muscles, the cold air and electric arcs from her thunder claws nearly bursting forth.
They endured the invisible pressure, passing through the dock area and stepping into the narrow, bustling streets of Wing Shadow Port. On both sides of the streets, low rock buildings intertwined bizarrely with metal-structured shops. At the entrance of a dwarf artisan's shop, a gear-shaped magical projection sign hovered, displaying various flashing rune mechanical prosthetics; next door was an elf potion shop emitting a strong herbal scent, with colorful potions displayed in crystal test tubes in the window.
Inn Incident
After asking around, they finally found an inn called "Reef Anchor" near the town's edge, where the sound of waves could be heard. The inn itself was a stylistic mishmash—a main structure piled from rocks embedded with glowing navigation runes, and at the entrance stood a rusty, rugged steam boiler providing heat for the inn.
Pushing open the heavy metal-framed wooden door, a wave of heat mixed with cheap tobacco, stale alcohol, sweat, and grilled fish aroma hit them. Under the dim light, the inn's lobby was crammed with all sorts of guests: dark-skinned, muscular mercenaries with magical tattoos or mechanical modifications; merchants wrapped in cloaks, whispering vigilantly; an elf ranger sitting alone in the corner polishing weapons; and a few rowdy, obviously drunk dwarf miners. The air was filled with crude laughter, clinking glasses, and a suppressed restlessness. The people here all had eyes that carried a fierce, blood-licking edge.
Behind the counter, a tall "reptilian boss" with his back to the door was chomping on a thick cigar, smoke curling around him. His skin was a deep ink-green, covered in rough, lizard-like keratin scales, with faint hard bony spikes visible at the back of his neck, and a sturdy tail dragging on the ground, tipped with a metal ring.
"Staying or eating?" The boss's voice was hoarse and low, with a heavy guttural tone, without turning his head, as he wiped the bar stains with a dirty cloth.
Fa stepped forward: "Staying. Please open two rooms. One for three, one for four." She explained concisely, pointing to Rex, Tisk, and Yuyuer in one room, and herself with Arya, Kayla, Zhamisi, and Salsa (the mechanical cat) in the other.
The boss then slowly turned around. When his gaze swept over the group and landed on Yuyuer's face, his cigar-chomping mouth paused noticeably, his ink-green, vertical-pupiled eyes widening slightly, a flash of disbelief and panic quickly passing, but immediately masked by thick smoke and a fierce expression.
"Hmph!" He grunted roughly, his movements slightly hurried as he rummaged for keys under the counter, his tone becoming more impatient, "Upstairs, turn left, the two at the end! Take the keys! Don't wander around if nothing's wrong!" He quickly slapped two heavy brass keys on the counter, his eyes deliberately avoiding Yuyuer's direction, as if he were a hot potato.
Yuyuer, however, furrowed his brows, the joints of his exoskeleton emitting a faint "click." The boss's profile, the curve of his brow ridge, the line of his jaw... even the subconscious slight frown when he turned his head... all resembled the uncle in the family portrait from his childhood hanging in his mother's room! Though scales covered most details, that blood-related familiarity lingered.
Just as the boss turned to leave, seemingly eager to escape the counter, Yuyuer blurted out: "Wait! Uncle?"
Those two words were like a drop of water in boiling oil—the entire noisy lobby instantly fell silent. All the fierce gazes focused on Yuyuer and the boss.
The boss's body stiffened abruptly, his tail straightening. He whirled around, his face a mix of shock, anger, and intense guilt, his ink-green scales seeming to flare slightly from agitation: "Shut up! Who's your uncle! What nonsense? I'm a reptilian! A noble, land-dwelling reptilian! No relation to a water-swimming fishman like you—stop climbing relatives here! Keep babbling and I'll throw you out!" Spittle flew as he pointed at Yuyuer's nose, his voice sharpened by deliberate raising, more like covering inner panic.
Fa's group exchanged glances, completely stunned by this sudden turn. Tisk stroked his beard, muttering softly: "This old lizard's reaction is way too big..." Arya's eyes were full of confusion, the star resonance stone conveying the other's soul's violent fluctuations, far from mere anger.
Yuyuer was stunned by the roar, then flared up, standing tall under the full lobby's gaze and with the exoskeleton's support, unyielding: "What are you yelling for! I'd recognize you even if you were ashes! That look, that frown—you're definitely! Karim? My mother's brother! Aren't you?!"
The name "Karim" made the boss's face change completely, anger mixed with panic and... helplessness. "Enough!" The boss interrupted roughly, his face extremely ugly, almost roaring, "Take your keys! Now! Immediately! Get upstairs!" He pointed at the stairs, his hand trembling slightly.
The lobby erupted in suppressed laughter and more blatant discussions. Fa knew they couldn't stalemate anymore and gave Kayla a look. The tall female beastman stepped forward, unobtrusively blocking between Yuyuer and the boss, saying gravely: "We've got the keys, we're going up now." Her voice carried an unquestionable pressure, instantly quieting the surrounding laughter.
The group endured various gazes and quickly went upstairs. Yuyuer, gently pushed by Rex's mechanical arm, still puffed up in anger, frequently turning back to glare at the ink-green figure downstairs.
Confusion and Decision in the Room
The rooms were fairly spacious but simply and ruggedly furnished. Rex, Tisk, and Yuyuer in one. Yuyuer plopped down on the hard bed, his exoskeleton humming softly.
"I'm so mad! It's definitely him! My mom's only brother Karim, my own uncle!" Yuyuer waved his dragon bone staff, the crystal orb swaying at the tip, "He couldn't stand the palace rules when he was young, yearning for freedom, always saying the land had endless wonders... When I was very young, he left a letter saying he was going to 'pursue freedom,' and then disappeared...! My mom had no choice but to inherit the throne! For decades, Mother sent people to search for years with no news... Everyone thought he..." He paused, with confusion and a hint of excitement, "But how is he here? And turned into a reptilian? This is too weird!"
Tisk removed the lava hammer wrapped in cloth from his back, leaning it against the wall, grinning: "Hey, kid, don't get worked up. I see that old guy's reaction is off, probably guilty. Maybe he has some hidden troubles?"
Rex's electronic eyes flickered blue, scanning the room's environment, emitting a steady mechanical tone: "Logical analysis: Target individual 'inn boss' exhibits high tension and cognitive dissonance in physiological micro-expressions (pupil dilation, muscle rigidity, abnormal voice elevation) and behavioral patterns (deliberate eye avoidance, eagerness to expel) when facing Yuyuer individual, significantly contradicting his claim of 'no relation.' Due to severe lack of fishfolk physiological structure and social relation database, kinship verification impossible. Conclusion: Denial behavior credibility below 40%."
Yuyuer scratched his head irritably: "Rex, I'm not asking for data analysis! I just know! That feeling... like seeing another gender of my mom!" He looked toward Fa's room, "No, I have to go discuss with Fa and the others—this can't just end like this! And we still need to inquire about the wingfolk's news!"
Midnight Confrontation and Blood Kin Recognition
As night deepened, the downstairs clamor finally dispersed. Estimating the inn had closed and guests had returned to rooms or left, Fa's group quietly went downstairs.
In the dimly lit lobby, only that ink-green tall figure remained behind the bar, silently wiping glasses, the cigar's red glow flickering in the dark. Hearing footsteps, he raised his head warily.
Fa was about to ask about the direction to the wingfolk's "Light Feather Dome"!
But the boss's eyes flashed fiercely, slamming the glass and rag on the bar, his form fast as lightning, stepping right in front of Yuyuer, raising his scale-covered, thick-knuckled fist, and smashing it hard down on Yuyuer's head!
"Ow!" Yuyuer, caught off guard, took the solid hit, crying out in pain, clutching his head and staggering back, luckily stabilized by the exoskeleton.
"You brat! Who told you to come here?!" Karim growled in a low voice, his fierce face unable to hide deep worry and exasperation, "Did your mom send you to drag me back?! I knew it! I knew my free days wouldn't last!" He paced like a restless trapped beast, his tail irritably slapping the ground.
Now, everyone understood. This reaction—was no unrelated reptilian? Clearly a long-lost elder whose disguise was pierced, flustered and exasperated!
Yuyuer clutched his head, angry and aggrieved, tears almost coming: "You! You really hit me! Pretending not to know me this afternoon was bad enough, now hitting me! Who wants to drag you back?! Mom misses you terribly! You're her only brother! And you're here living it up, being an inn boss, pretending to be a reptilian! Do you know how worried she's been all these years!" He fired back like a cannon.
Karim was stunned by the roar, the fierceness on his face collapsing instantly, his ink-green scales seeming to dim. He opened his mouth, his voice lowering with a hint of hoarseness: "...Is she... is she okay?"
"Okay? Inherited the throne, busy as hell every day, still worrying about her heartless brother who ran off—how okay can she be?" Yuyuer said grumpily, but his tone softened.
Karim was silent for a moment, sighing long as if unloading a thousand-pound burden, his tall frame seeming somewhat awkward: "Ah... it's Uncle... Uncle's fault. These years... it's been hard on her." He reached out, this time gently, wanting to touch the spot he hit, but Yuyuer dodged huffily.
Watching this awkward uncle-nephew pair, Fa's group's tense nerves finally relaxed. Zhamisi crossed her arms, her venom fang curved blade swaying at her waist, chuckling: "I say, boss, your greeting is really 'warm'—starting with a 'loving iron fist'?" She deliberately mimicked the boss's earlier fierce tone.
Tisk burst into laughter, his beard shaking: "Hahaha! Spectacular! Better than dwarf brawls in the Forge City taverns! Yuyuer, your uncle's got spirit!" He slapped his sturdy chest hard.
Arya and Kayla couldn't help but smile. Salsa's mechanical cat eyes flickered with mischief. Rex's electronic eyes calmly recorded this "family recognition" data stream.
Fa smiled and shook her head, waiting for their "reunion" to wrap up before stepping forward, respectfully yet poised: "Senior Karim, our destination this trip is the wingfolk's 'Light Feather Dome.' May I ask how to get there?" There we need something. May I ask how to get there?" She briefly explained the purpose but didn't reveal specifics about the star fragments.
Karim, now regaining some elder steadiness, pulled over chairs for everyone to sit, sitting himself, lighting a new cigar. He took a swig of ale, the spicy taste making him squint his narrow eyes.
"Light Feather Dome?" He wiped his mouth, exhaling a smoke ring, his gaze deepening, "At the northernmost end of this great island. Your route is clear, but that place isn't easy to reach."
He extended his scale-covered fingers, sketching on the ale-stained table: "You start from Wing Shadow Port, first crossing the 'Wind Rift Plains.' That damn place has winds strong enough to blow rocks away, ground hiding quicksand pits that can swallow whole vehicles, and I hear it's unrestful lately, with some frenzied rift beasts roaming."
"After the plains, it's the 'Ink Dark Forest.'" Mentioning this name, Karim's tone grew noticeably grave, "There's eternal twilight, towering giant trees blocking sunlight, everywhere deadly swamp forests, shrouded year-round in a strange mist that sunlight hardly penetrates. It houses a very xenophobic group of 'Dark Night Elves.' They're a branch of elves but worship darkness and the moon, extremely hating light, even more uninvited visitors, their figures and archery ghostly." He paused, a strange gleam in his eyes, seeming hesitant to say, finally glossing over vaguely, "...That forest has special races, very ancient, very... special. You'll have to be careful and experience it yourselves."
"Crossing the Ink Dark Forest, the temperature drops sharply, entering the 'Eternal Frost Tundra.' A vast white frozen soil, besides cold-resistant moss and lichen, hardly any other living things. Winds like knives, snow blindness can kill. And the tundra hides various cold-adapted predatory magical beasts, snowfield wolf packs, ice crystal scorpions, and elusive frost lurkers."
"The tundra's end is your goal—the 'Frost Blade Snow Mountain.'" Karim's tone carried a hint of awe, "That's a true extreme cold fortress, slopes steep like blades cleaved by gods, shrouded year-round in violent ice and snow storms. Legend says the peak is the wingfolk's holy site 'Light Feather Dome.' But climbing up... heh, besides the wingfolk themselves, I've never heard of any outsider surviving to the mid-mountain."
He set down the mug, his gaze sweeping the group with an elder's admonition: "This path, every step is a gate to hell. The Wind Rift Plains' treachery, Ink Dark Forest's gloom, Eternal Frost Tundra's bitter cold, Frost Blade Snow Mountain's peril... just with you few..." He shook his head, not finishing, but the meaning was clear.
"Thank you for your reminder and information, Mr. Karim." Fa nodded solemnly in thanks, "We'll prepare well."
Transformation Secret Art
At this point, Yuyuer couldn't hold back anymore. He stood up, walked to Karim, pointing at his face: "Uncle, this... how did you do it? Why insist on pretending to be a reptilian?"
Karim looked at his nephew's eyes full of curiosity and confusion, then at the equally curious others, his face showing a sly yet helpless smile.
"Hey, want to know your uncle's signature skill?" He stood, patting Yuyuer's shoulder (the touch was real scales), "Alright, for the sake of you brat coming all this way, follow me. The rest wait outside—this is an exclusive secret technique!"
Karim led the puzzled Yuyuer into the narrow, cluttered storage room behind the bar, closing the door. Fa and the others exchanged looks, only hearing faint chanting from Karim and some strange rustling like scales rubbing.
About ten minutes later, the storage room door creaked open.
Emerging was no longer the ink-green scaled, tall and fierce "Karim" boss.
Standing before everyone was a slightly hunched figure, skin gray-green, covered in fine circular scales, eyes round, fingers with slight webbing... a standard, somewhat aged "swamp reptilian" elder! His aura had completely changed, carrying water vapor and earthy fishiness, eyes murky, utterly different from before!
"This..." Arya covered her mouth in surprise. Zhamisi's vertical pupils contracted instantly—as a snake person, she was extremely sensitive to reptilian auras, but this "elder's" aura had no flaws! Tisk's eyes widened, forgetting to stroke his beard. Kayla looked blankly at the "elder," then at the storage room. Rex's scanning beam swept repeatedly over him: "Morph reconstruction... biological info field simulation... energy fluctuation camouflage... technical principle unknown, unable to parse."
In the depths of Fa's right star eye, stars flowed slightly faster; she vaguely caught an extremely faint, ripple-like magical fluctuation wrapping the "elder," but the disguise's sophistication was such that even her star eye couldn't instantly see through the essence.
Then, "Uncle?" Yuyuer's voice came from behind the "elder," full of amazement and excitement. Yuyuer also emerged, and his current appearance made everyone gasp!
He looked like a boy of about sixteen or seventeen, height similar to Yuyuer's. His skin was a healthy olive tone with a touch of earthy yellow, smooth and taut, completely without scales. His face had clear contours, high nose bridge, defined lips, a pair of bright amber eyes with normal round pupils. The original fish fin earlobes were gone, replaced by reptilian ear shapes. His clothing seemed adjusted with the body change, fitting neatly. Only his deep blue short hair vaguely retained a hint of the ocean.
The most striking change was his legs—the intricate exoskeleton was gone! Replaced by a pair of completely normal legs covered in ordinary cloth pants. He even tried walking a few steps, though slightly awkward, the gait was steady, fully that of a land-dwelling race!
"Yuy... Yuyuer?" Arya covered her mouth in disbelief.
"Wow!" Zhamisi whistled, her emerald vertical pupils full of wonder, "This is way cooler than my venom color change!"
Kayla's eyes widened, looking him up and down: "Completely... can't sense the fishman aura!"
"Nice one, kid! This craft is divine!" Tisk slapped his thigh, looking at Karim with a craftsman's fervor, "Old bro, this transformation art... for sale? Or... teach me?"
Rex's scanning light swept over Yuyuer repeatedly: "Physiological structure features fully match standard reptilian template. Energy fluctuations stable, no disguise field traces. Disguise effect rating: perfect. Principle analysis: failed. Unknown magical form."
Yuyuer himself looked down at his "new" hands, then stomped the ground hard, feeling the solid touch, his face full of novelty, excitement, and a bit of discomfort. He looked up at the smug Karim uncle, his amber eyes full of thirst for knowledge.
Karim exhaled a smoke ring, chuckling, patting his nephew's shoulder (this time real, warm skin touch): "How's that, brat? 'Thousand Faces Scale Shedding Technique,' your uncle's life-saving trump card for wandering the continent! Now, you look like a slightly malnourished mixed lizard person! As long as you don't encounter too powerful spell detection or lose control and slip up, you can basically strut around on land!"
He sobered his smile, tone serious: "But this method isn't foolproof, and maintaining it consumes mental energy. Still, at least on Lairis Great Island, it'll draw fewer gazes like today's at the dock. Lest your mom say later that I, as uncle, didn't take good care of you."
Yuyuer looked at his unfamiliar hands, then up at this uncle who had left home years ago, reuniting in such a peculiar way, his heart filled with mixed emotions. With this disguise, the road ahead seemed to have one less major obstacle.
Fa watched the transformed Yuyuer, aura completely different, then the weathered yet sly Karim, her heart feeling less trepidation about the unknown and more determination for the must-do journey into the Wind Rift Plains, Ink Dark Forest, Eternal Frost Tundra, and that towering Frost Blade Snow Mountain. The wingfolk's secrets and star fragments awaited them at that extreme cold peak. And their renewed, well-equipped team, now with an added wondrous disguise, was about to step into the heartland teeming with winds and monsters.