“Now, it should be my turn to ask questions.” the woman with four eyes lowered her body to sit on the other side of the stone table facing Fubei Li.

 

“Sure, go ahead. ”

 

“How is my other avatar - the Judge and Truth Seeker?”

 

“He’s doing okay, but he and his temple were tossed into a realm that was close to us but had a really rough environment, which grossly limited his ability to reach out.” Fubei Li sighed: “Also, he seemed to have endured a lot of injuries and is still spending a lot of energy to stabilize his condition.”

 

The woman with four eyes shook her head just like a normal human would: “It’s only expected. At the very last minute, he was the one who split from me, and faced the enemies that were destroying my kingdom - he’s lucky just to be alive and not extinguished like the rest of my kingdom. Do you have the ability to help him, or bring me to him?”

 

“I can’t.” Fubei Li thought for a moment, then refused: “If we concentrated all our energy and resources, maybe we could do something. By ‘we’ I meant my team, my friends and I. But the thing is, the defilers are marching at our gates, and we want to save every last bit of power we can in preparation for the war.”

 

“I wouldn’t want you to. It’s in no way a fair deal.” the woman with four eyes said: “But sounds to me I would need to connect with the Judge and Truth Seeker soon, and we can begin our healing and the future. I would like your help. I don’t know what the Judge and Truth Seeker offered you, but I am willing to offer you a contract to help me reconnect with him. Just let me know your price.”

 

“Unfortunately it’s not that easy for me to actually do anything about it. ” Fubei Li shook his head while thinking: “But, it should not be impossible. What if I help you establish a connection to the edgelands? It is the place where the two humans bearing the contracts to find your descendant will be visiting. If you create a connection with it, you will be able to connect through them, won't you?” 

 

“But since you have been to the edgelands, and you are bearing a contract with him, why not do it through yourself?”

 

“It’s because of what I am willing to offer to you to serve my part of this contract, and what I am about to ask of you.” Fubei Li sighed and said: “I’ve the luck and honor to visit the Bastion of Gwai-Mon and to examine this very intersection of different spacial tunnels and the gateways to different realms of different tribes of voidborns. And I think I know a thing or two about creating a new door and a pathway. You’ll need Muto, don’t you?”

 

“Yes, that and a coordinate.” the woman stared at Fubei Li with all four of her eyes: “And don’t tell me that you actually have any of that with you?”

 

Around half an hour after being sent out of the temple, Dave, Xyankor and Perketta saw Fubei Li walking out of it, holding a piece of blue crystal shard and a small translucent white crystal ball in his hand.

 

“So?” Dave asked Fubei Li.

 

“This is for you.” Fubei Li handed the translucent white crystal ball to Dave: “It’s a short message from the first voidborn, you can take it back and report to your people, letting them know that the first voidborn in eons will be here safe and sound in this very young realm. And that they shouldn’t worry about it.”

 

“Okay.” Xyankor let out a long sigh: “I guess it’s for the best. Let’s head back then?”

 

“I won’t be coming with you.” Fubei Li shook his head and handed the blue crystal shard to Dave: “Dave, please take this back to the inn and to me. This shard contains all the information I’ve gathered on our trip, and the information about my new agreement with Lady Creator Xyn here.”

 

“Why are you staying?” Xyankor and Perketta asked at the same time.

 

“An agreement has been reached between us, and I will be here to fulfill my end of the deal.” Fubei Li answered with a smile: “It’s been a pleasure and an honor working and fighting with you. Come visit my inn when you want to visit the human world, I can give you a big friends and family discount.”

 

“I will see to it that this will be safely delivered.” Dave put the crystal shard into his pocket and bowed slightly towards Fubei Li.

 

“It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Yu.” Xyankor bowed along with Dave.

 

“Thank you for all the help.” Perketta showed Fubei Li a Fog Dweller military goodbye gesture.

 

“Before we do this, I have to ask you, are you sure?” When Fubei Li went back into the floating temple, the woman with four eyes was standing beside a giant pyramid-shaped three-dimensional array made of colorful rocks with symbols engraved on them: “This is a lot, even for someone like you.”

 

“It’s my mission. I wasn’t planning on returning in one piece anyway.” Fubei Li smiled and hopped onto the tip of the pyramid-shaped array: “All I’ll need is some rest and maybe one more business trip to the edgelands. Compared to that, peace amongst the elemental realms and a more stabilized, stronger you is a great bargain.”

 

“I’m glad you think that.” The woman with four eyes laid her hands on the pyramid-shaped array: “Here we go.”

 

The array lit up in different colors, and a layer of energy shell started growing from the bottom towards the tip. Fubei Li’s entire body glowed in orange and golden light, then the light gradually retreated from his extremities towards his forehead. Before long, the orange and golden energy concentrated into a small condensed orb and left Fubei Li’s body entirely. His body turned pale, grey and lifeless after this, and started to change in shape into that of a giant almost completely transparent drill bit.

 

“Careful there. It took a whole lotta effort to make Muto this flexible and moldable.” the orange and golden energy orb said to the woman with a gentle voice: “And maybe buffer your power a little, you don’t want to destroy the edgelands.”

 

“Easier said than done.” the woman with four eyes smiled, then infused the array with more of her power. The drill bit started spinning, and shortly, it was launched into the sky through an open hole on the ceiling.

 

Thunder-like cracking sound exploded from the sky above the floating temple, when Dave, Xyankor and Perketta looked back, they saw a pale beam of light shooting upwards from the top of the floating temple into an energy vortex. And for a brief moment, they felt that some kind of spacial barrier was broken between this realm and their respective realms, and if they want and really try, they could just summon a portal to travel back.

 

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Hi dear readers:

I won't be able to upload per my regular schedule during the time between Christmas and New Year, as I will be traveling with my family and will have relatively little time to write. I will go back to regular updates after the new Year of 2022.

And an early Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

 

 

Egao Chan