Chapter 2281: Cooling Down

Chapter 2281: Chapter 2281: Cooling Down

Shard nodded and took note of the request:

"Is there anything else you need my help with?"

Miss Mister merely waved him goodbye with a smile, while Miss Nate bowed once more. On the other hand, the Mermaid Girl shyly said:

"Could you... bring some seafood over?"

She glanced at Old Lady Sianod, and upon seeing no objection, explained:

"I’m not being greedy, it’s just... the mermaid race actually lives on seafood, but as you know, no matter what you find here, you’re sure not to find seafood."

The main food for mermaids is fish, a diet dictated by their life in the ocean.

"No problem."

Shard nodded understandingly, pondering if he could meet Miss Aphrola, he could ask her about the modern mermaid’s diet and habits.

The forty minutes flew by in no time, and ensuring there was nothing else to be said, Shard stood up to bid them farewell.

With Old Lady Sianod here, Shard was not worried about anything happening. But he was slightly concerned about the old figure’s condition, still wearing that floral crown. The Old Elf seemed to catch Shard’s thoughts and took the initiative to say:

"I’m alright now. I’ll talk to them about the experience just now; that terrifying illusion might reappear."

Shard felt at ease:

"Although I’m unsure when I’ll appear next, please keep hope and wait for me in this desert.

No matter what happens, I will return here again... Just like you all insist on seeking the Heart of the Oasis for various reasons, assisting you is something I must do."

The four ladies bid farewell to Shard once more; he gently nodded, turned, and walked to the temple’s entrance.

But he did not disappear immediately, standing under the sunshine, taking a deep breath, and then spreading his arms as he transformed into a swirling bright silver orb.

The orb grew larger until a massive silver great dragon appeared on the sandy grounds at the temple’s entrance.

Each of the silver dragon’s scales sparkled brilliantly in the blazing sunlight, causing the ladies watching this scene from inside the temple to squint.

They didn’t comprehend Shard’s actions, and just then, a roar from the dragon almost startled Miss Nate into sitting on the ground.

A lady with light brown skin kindly helped her, and meanwhile, a massive great sun sword descended, landing beside the dragon on the sandy ground. Although the sword was exaggeratedly large, it was apparent Shard wasn’t aiming for this particular sword.

Miss Sander and Old Lady Sianod seemed to see the dragon shake its head in disappointment, then disappear along with the great sword like foam in the sunlight.

"Grandmother, who is he?"

The shocked Mermaid Girl finally asked after a long beat; the aged elf, recalling the white mist she saw just now, softly said:

"He, perhaps, is an emissary sent by the deity to save us plight-ridden sufferers."

"Grandmother, are you speaking of the temple’s master, the Supreme Sun God?"

Miss Mister smiled without words behind them.

(Mia running...)

"I hate the desert!"

Shard burst out of the study door suddenly, startling Mia, who was waiting obediently for him.

The cat jumped aside, and instead of collapsing clumsily on the floor, Shard stuck against the wall like a gecko.

He felt the coolness of the wall, took a deep breath, and comfortably squinted his eyes.

The cat suspiciously watched him, then sniffed lightly a few times before bright-eyedly rubbing against his trouser leg.

Hearing the noises, the ladies quickly arrived in the living room; Luviya, seeing Shard’s state, worriedly tugged his hand:

"What’s wrong with you? You’re soaked in sweat, oh, your hand is burning hot!"

"Don’t worry, let me cool down for a bit... Yes, I should go to the lavatory, there’s cool water there!"

Saying this, he was about to dash into the lavatory but was blocked by the red-haired witch. The Duchess worriedly looked at him:

"Want to feel cooler, do you? Let me."

She stood in front of Shard, with her left palm up, base of the hand under the chin, fingertips pointed at Shard. Her red lips parted as she blew gently, sending piercing cold air as white frost toward Shard.

The "Ice Spell" instantly cooled down Shard, whose drenched clothes frosted over, but it also made him sigh with relief and smile again as his slightly red skin gradually returned to its normal color.

Mia continued to circle at Shard’s feet, as Luviya and Lecia watched Galina spellcast, yet Galina grew closer and closer to Shard, until her left fingertip touched Shard’s chin, and the frost from her red lips blew directly onto Shard’s face.

Then, right in front of Luviya and Lecia, she suddenly embraced Shard’s neck, sealing his mouth—still blowing frost—with hers... or rather, kissed him.

Lecia pursed her lips in slight displeasure, but seeing Luviya unfazed, she continued to watch.

Shard also warmly reached out to embrace the red-haired lady before him, and Her Highness the Princess standing nearby even noticed him proactively... absorbing the cold mist, which made them look like they were kissing quite seriously.

The high heat within Shard gradually decreased as cold mist was continuously infused into him. Only when his face began to frost over did Shard separate from the Witch:

"Oh, finally back to normal."

He took a deep breath, and surprisingly, a puff of cold mist sprayed out from his nose, causing even the teasing Lecia to laugh.

"Glad to help you; you looked like you were about to be cooked just now."

Miss Galina laughed, gave Shard’s lip corner a peck, and Shard leaned over to pick up the hurried-to-breakfast Mia into his arms:

"This adventure’s location is the desert; you can’t imagine how scorching it is there."

"Alright, go take a bath first, and tell us about these things during breakfast."

Luviya said gently, Shard nodded, handed the reluctant cat over to her, and then headed to the bathroom.

Once the bathroom door closed, the purple-eyed girl sighed worriedly:

"We can help when he goes elsewhere, but for time adventures, he must go alone. His Arcane Technique [Toy Making] still needs to meet certain requirements. So far, aside from Mia, we don’t have anyone who fits the criteria."

Saying this, she glanced at the cat being held, which happened to be looking up. Luviya admitted the cat indeed possessed a certain captivating beauty, but she wasn’t about to admit defeat to a cat.

"Wasn’t it always like this from the beginning? We all know he’s capable."

Galina said from the side, walking with them to the dining area, where Miss Maid had already begun setting out the meal.

Lecia asked thoughtfully:

"Aren’t you all curious?"

"Curious about what?"

"Hmm..." ℯ

She then leaned closer and whispered something to Luviya, who placed Mia on the dining table and looked at her with slight surprise, her cheeks turning a little pink:

"Lecia, what are you saying... but it should also increase the temperature, right? Shard’s hands were so hot just now; other places should be the same."

Miss Galina too understood and asked Lecia with one hand on her hip:

"Lecia, how did you end up like this?"

The red-haired Princess laughed and replied:

"That’s the difference between a married woman and a single woman; you have to adapt to such a change in identity.

Oh, Galina, my dear aunt, aren’t you curious too? This is a private chat now; we should all be honest."

Even Luviya looked curiously at Miss Galina, the Red-Haired Duchess blushing slightly because her refusal to answer was due to not wanting to lie.

"Meow~"

At least Mia was quite accustomed to Shard being hot all over, and next time, no matter what he said, she’d want to go along.

Shard’s washing up was quick, so it didn’t delay the morning breakfast time. He found he increasingly enjoyed having many people gathered around the breakfast table at home. Although one person and one cat having breakfast was a nice experience for the Outlander, a lively home was better.

Miss Maid went to the living room to eat, leaving two in the dining area to serve. At the table, Shard roughly recounted the experience of this adventure. He only briefly touched on the God of Mist, focusing more on the "Heart of the Oasis."

"Sianod? That’s Emilia’s ancestor."

Lecia said while spreading jam on a slice of bread:

"Maybe you can ask her later if there are still tales of your legend circulating among her clan."

Her Highness the Princess claimed she was on a diet recently, so she ate little for breakfast.

"If you need armor, I can have someone look for it. Tobesk may be tough to find other stuff, but plenty of obsolete antiques there are aplenty."

Miss Galina said, and Shard didn’t refuse, even though he had the set from Miss Gawder, keeping a few spares was still wise.

"Heart of the Oasis... sounds like something from a fairy tale; perhaps it’s a green crystal buried in the sand, turning it into an oasis."

Luviya guessed, the ladies present hadn’t heard of it, but clearly in the present Sixth Era, the best information source about the "Heart of the Oasis" would be Zaras Literary Academy.

Excluding Miss Mister, among the other three ladies seeking the Heart of the Oasis, Shard didn’t know which kingdom Miss Nate corresponded to nor which tribe Miss Sander’s Mermaid belonged to, but the Moon Creek Clan did become a part of Saint Byrons afterward.

This implied the "Heart of the Oasis" was successfully brought back by Old Lady Sianod and ultimately entered the Floating Island where Zaras Literary Academy resided.

Lecia understood Shard’s implication and promised to help him inquire at the Academy. As for Shard, he would also ask Emilia himself.