After they have had their fill, Li Ya got up and left, leaving them behind in the boathouse.
“He’s good,” Rya commented as she rested her arms on the windowsill. “Shun, you should become his apprentice and learn how to fish with a spear.”
“No thanks.” Shun watched as Li Ya quietly rowed his wooden sampan1A common type of small boat from ancient Chinaacross the river, spear in hand. Without even stopping the boat, he raised his arm and thrusted his spear into the water with trained precision.
“Look, he got it!!” She clapped her hands and cheered as the man pulled his spear out of the water and grabbed the enormous flopping fish by its tail.
Li Ya calmly tossed it into the creel beside his feet and glanced at his two spectators inside the boathouse with a frown.
Shun nudged her with his elbow gently. “I think you’re scaring the fish in the river away.”
“O-oh, oops.” She waved her hands back at Li Ya and gave him a thumbs-up as encouragement.
Shun smiled as he gazed at Rya being totally enraptured by the actions of the fisherman. “Rya, is this your first time seeing how people fish?”
She nodded her head excitedly. “Fishing isn’t very common in my homeland, so I never got the chance to see a real fisherman until today.”
“Then, what is your impression of fishing now?”
“Hmm…I don’t have the patience or the skill to do it.” She laughed and turned to face him with upturned eyes. “Shun, have you tried fishing before?”
“When I was a kid, I suppose.” He paused briefly in thought. “There used to be a reservoir near my house where my father brought me to fish. But, there’s a rule that forbids anyone from taking the fish back home, so we had to release all the fish we caught every time.”
Rya furrowed her brow. “Was there ever such a rule in the Kingdom?”
“Oh, I’m not talking about…never mind, it’s just a rule my father made up.” Shun patted her head gently and smiled. T-that was close, I have to be more careful next time…
***
As the sun began to sink low in the sky and dye the river water a vibrant red, Li Ya rowed his sampan back to the bank where Shun and Rya were already waiting.
“Argh, what’s that foul smell?” Rya pinched her nose in utter disgust once she got onto the boat.
“It’s part and parcel of fishing.” Shun moved aside the creels of dead fish and sat behind her at the bow. “Don’t worry, you’ll soon get used to it.”
She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. “I hate it.”
“I thought you were interested in fishing?” He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist. “It’s alright, I’m suffering here with you too.”
Once everything had been loaded and secured tight, Li Ya stood at the stern and began to scull. Ripples of water splashed gently against the sides of the wooden boat as the current flowed past. The hills of the grassland that bordered the river bathed in the fading twilight.
Shun tapped on her shoulder and pointed to the sky. “Rya, look. Isn’t the sunset amazing?”
She slowly lifted her head upwards and made a woaaahh sound. “I-I’ve never seen anything like this up close before.”
“Me too.” He gazed at the scattered pastel pink clouds against a sky that took on a thousand shades of crimson and indigo, not quite light, yet not quite dusk.
“Rya, don’t you feel like something magical is going to happen?”
Rya nodded her head, reaching her hand out towards the sunset. “In my homeland, we call this time of the day entre chien et loup—when the boundaries of day and night are blurred, and you can’t tell the difference between what’s real and what isn't.”
“Entre chien et loup…” he murmured. “I think that it’s a beautiful phrase.”
“I think so too.” She leaned into his chest and gave him an affectionate smile. “And sharing such a beautiful moment with you makes me feel really happy, Shun.”
He couldnʼt resist smiling back and ruffled her soft flax-colored hair a little. If time had stopped there and then, he thought that he wouldnʼt mind spending such a beautiful eternity with her.
***
After night had fallen completely, the temperature quickly dropped like the previous night. Dampness hung in the bitter air as a dense fog rolled in across the river.
Li Ya produced a small copper tube from his pocket and blew on it twice. A bright orange-red flame flared, which he then used to ignite the wicks of two handheld lanterns. He passed one to Shun and hung the other one around a bamboo pole on the stern of the boat.
“Rya, here.” He tapped on her shoulder. “Hold onto this so that you won’t get too cold.”
“Ooh, what’s that?” She placed the little lantern on her lap, watching the candle burning inside curiously.
Li Ya suddenly stopped the boat and motioned for them to stay quiet. Without a word, he pursed his lips and whistled softly—a low, flute-like sound that reverberated across the calm surface of the river.
The echoes faded into silence, leaving only the sound of water lapping up against the boat.
Then, a wisp of light suddenly appeared amidst the fog, floating on the water surface as if it was a mere illusion. More wisps of light materialized, flickering brightly as they swiftly danced across the river. Li Ya grabbed his oar and steered the boat towards the ethereal lights.
“W-what…” Shun’s voice trailed off as the fog seemingly dissipated at once, revealing what laid ahead of them. “...holy mother of God.”
Rya too opened her mouth in pure shock and awe as the city unlike anything she’d ever seen loomed into view.
Rows upon rows of stone and wooden buildings nestled against the hillside leading down to the river, stretching all the way to the end of their line of sight. A complex maze of winding roads and narrow alleyways snaked in and around the city, all coming together in one main road that led straight up the hill. At the end of the main road was a humongous golden mansion, resembling that of an ancient Chinese palace, which sat atop the hill in splendor. Illuminated by thousands of multifarious lanterns along its tall imposing stone walls, it soared above the glittering metropolis like a proud giant.
WHAT IS THIS PLACE?? Shun gawked at its sheer size and density. I know this particular map of the game exists, but it was still in beta, so I didn’t see how it looks like. To think that it’s on this…this scale...
A soft melody floated in the air as they traversed further into the city, similar to the tune that Li Ya whistled. On the bustling waterfront, people stopped to wave at the newcomers, and some even shouted Li Ya’s name happily as they passed by.
Shun and Rya were so overwhelmed by the magnificence and grandeur enveloping them that they didn’t realize that the boat had come to a halt in front of a small dock.
Li Ya stepped onto the wooden platform and approached them with a beaming smile. He nodded his head towards the city.
“Shangri-La.”
Author: Shun and Rya have finally arrived at their destination! Thank you for your patience, Act 2 will commence tomorrow~
Additionally, I'll have to apologize in advance for any delays in releasing future chapters (;﹏;) I've been trying hard to write as many chapters as possible every day, but my backlog is being exhausted faster than I anticipated because of the daily releases. I don't want to rush through this arc due to its importance, so please forgive me if I don't manage to post a new chapter a day T_T
