Chapter 2326: Setting Out Again

Chapter 2326: Chapter 2326: Setting Out Again

"Was the time too short, so there was no reaction?"

[Even if a normal person’s hand is singed by flames, it shouldn’t show any abnormality.]

"Hmm, makes sense."

So, Shard prepared to use "False Immortality" at any moment and held the cat in the sunlight above the altar.

Miss Mister in the distance also glanced at this scene. As the cat’s fur was illuminated by the blazing sunlight, the already radiant orange fur that seemed ready to glow actually emitted a reassuring warm yellow light in the sunlight.

Or rather, Mia itself was glowing in the sunlight. It crouched in Shard’s palms and looked up at the crack in the collapsed ceiling, then meowed, its body glowing more brightly.

Shard felt like he was holding a small sun in his hands, as Mia’s body temperature quickly rose under the sunlight. At the same time, traces of Miracle Element gathered from the altar under Shard’s palms toward the glowing cat bathed in light.

Shard waited with anticipation, eager to witness this cat finally reveal more of its unknown abilities.

But after waiting for a while, Mia did nothing but emit heat and light under the sun. Apart from that, the expectant Shard didn’t see anything else happen.

The cat was quite happy, bathed in sunlight and turned to look at Shard, its large amber eyes almost turning gold. Shard felt a momentary blur, then gently stroked the cat’s head amid the stinging pain of sunlight on his hands. The glowing cat continued to gently nuzzle Shard’s hand.

Then, the voice beside his ear chuckled softly and said:

[Outlander, this cat has received the Sun’s blessing. It can temporarily move under the sunlight of the Gravel Golden Sea. However, for its health, long-term activities are not recommended.]

[Outlander, this cat’s "Son of the Sun" lineage has been preliminarily enhanced. When you carry this cat, all your sun-related powers are strengthened. This effect is permanent.]

"I see... It feels like something happened, but also like nothing happened."

Mia suddenly meowed because it felt the hands holding it suddenly disappeared. But since Shard’s hands were originally not far from the altar’s surface, the cat landed on the surface maintaining its crouched stance.

Red butterflies danced in the sunlight on the altar, then Shard, kneeling on one knee on the altar, appeared next to the cat. He opened his arms and squinted facing the sun:

"Praise the Sun!"

At that moment, all the sunlight entering the temple converged on Shard, and the sudden dimming light made Old Lady Sianod and the others look over.

Sunlight adhered to Shard’s body, Mia tilted its head looking at Shard. But this time, Shard didn’t see the golden-haired woman turning back to smile at him in the blazing light; he only heard "her" reminder:

[Outlander, you have received the temporary blessing of "Desert Sun". You can walk in the sunlight for a long time, with temporarily enhanced Sun power.]

As the abnormal light effect caused by the blessing returned to normal, red butterflies with gold-lined wings flew down from the altar again. Mia remained crouched in the sunlight and was soon picked up by Shard:

"I know you love the sunlight here, but we don’t have much time this time... Hmm?"

When Mia returned from the sunlight to the shadow, her amber-golden eyes and the orange parts of her fur continued to emit a faint golden glow.

Shard poked the cat, making it meow:

"Still glowing, huh... Mia, use Spitfire!"

So the cat really opened its mouth, but this time it didn’t spit out sparks like before, but a small genuine flame.

The flame floated very slowly forward after emerging from the cat’s mouth. Although it had some golden hues within its fiery red, it still seemed quite lacking in power.

Seeing Shard reaching out towards the flame, Miss Mister, who had maintained a smile, almost stood up.

But Shard felt nothing as he touched the flame. He encased the flame in his palm and swayed it a few times before abruptly clenching his fist to extinguish it. The cat squinted and gently nuzzled Shard, and then its tail ignited with familiar small flames.

[It absorbed excessive sunlight, and needs to consume some through this method. Until the flame on its tail is extinguished, it’s not advisable to turn it into a toy.]

"She" reminded softly again. Shard nodded, feeling that this "Cat and Sun Exploration Experiment" basically only resulted in this. However, since "she" advised him not to immediately retrieve the cat, Shard decided to let it explore the desert a bit.

As Shard explored more places, the cat, which could originally only roam a small area, witnessed more stories and landscapes. Shard guessed if Mia would eventually become the most knowledgeable cat, while "she" just chuckled beside his ear.

"Let’s leave Mia’s matter as it is for now. Oh, ladies, I’m ready to set off, and I brought a lot of armor this time. Granny, have you decided who’s going with me?"

He returned to the side of the ladies with the cat whose tail was aflame. They had already discussed the results.

"Those who’ve been there are Miss Sander, Miss Mister, and Miss Nate."

The Old Elf pointed out the three:

"It’s best for Sander not to go with you; she’s too frail under the sun, and someone must be there to bring you back."

The blue-haired Mermaid Girl smiled bashfully but did not oppose the arrangement.

"Last time you went out with Miss Mister, and I think the two of you worked well together. Miss Mister, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to go out again."

Old Lady Sianod continued making arrangements.

"No problem, I’m happy to go out again."

The woman with light brown skin said with a smile, and Shard felt a sense of relief in his heart; with a Deity accompanying them, there was a high chance nothing would go wrong.

"As for Miss Nate..."

The Old Elf looked at the gray-haired Lady Knight, who immediately stood up when her name was mentioned. No one else had made such a movement when their name was called.

"I actually lean towards having you accompany us, as you are a Knight, and that tomb seems intricately linked to knights. You might be able to help if you come along. However, it’s still daytime outside, and it’s dangerous for ordinary people like you to venture out."

After a brief pause, she continued:

"But there might be a way to bring you along, although you’ll need to take a risk."

"I don’t mind the risk, please let me help."

The Lady Knight said seriously.

Old Lady Sianod nodded, unsurprised by her answer:

"Very well. Shard, you, Miss Mister, and Miss Nate will set off. Sander and I will stay here, and later Sander will go out to meet you, just like I did last time."

The Old Elf had never been to the tomb ruins, so she couldn’t go to meet the group.

"No problem, Granny."

Shard immediately nodded, and as for Miss Nate willing to take the risk, that was her own decision. In such a dangerous place, everyone had to make their own contribution. Since this ordinary Lady Knight wanted to prove her worth in this manner, Shard wouldn’t stop her.

Of course, if she really encountered danger, Shard would assist her.

So, Old Lady Sianod lent her withered, yellow Ever-Youth Leaf to Miss Nate. Subsequently, the Mermaid Girl cast some temperature-stabilizing sorcery on Miss Nate’s armor.

Finally, Old Lady Sianod used some black ink, which they had acquired during previous explorations of other ruins, to inscribe some Elven Runes on Miss Nate’s armor. She then asked Miss Mister to use the fine yellow sand and the secret technique of the desert tribe to cast some blessings.

The Deity surely used some cognitive deflection methods, because, to Shard, it did not seem like any desert secret technique; it was undoubtedly the divine arts of an Old God.

In short, after this round of preparations, Old Lady Sianod believed that Miss Nate could probably operate outside for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Therefore, before that, the group must reach the knight’s tomb ruins, which also offered a brief respite from the heat, otherwise, this ordinary girl venturing deep into the Sand Sea would end up resting eternally like the others.

With everything ready, the Lady Knight donned the full body armor with Miss Sander’s help, and the three bid farewell to the Old Elf and the Mermaid Girl who stayed behind, stepping into the desert outside the temple.

Even with the Sun’s blessing, the moment Shard stepped outdoors, he still felt his breath labor. Within mere steps, his back, not yet dry, was again soaked with sweat, and his breathing grew increasingly heavy.

As for Miss Nate, clad in heavy armor, each step she took produced a deep sound on the sandy ground. Her helmet completely covered her face, so Shard couldn’t see her expression, but at least she walked steadily.

Meanwhile, the scantily clad Miss Mister, with her light brown skin glowing healthily under the sun, walked barefoot on the golden gravel silently, although leaving behind small, fast-covered footprints by the wind.

"Meow~"

Interestingly, the cat on Shard’s shoulder was extremely excited; the glimmer of the orange part of its fur was more pronounced under the sunlight.

Shard felt somewhat overwhelmed by the strong sunlight, worrying that the cat might get dizzy from the heat and fall off his shoulder. But the cat appeared full of energy, showing that even if Shard had trouble, the cat would be fine:

"Is the bloodline of the Son of the Sun really that extraordinary?"

He mumbled quietly, perhaps unheard by Miss Nate, while Miss Mister heard but merely chuckled softly:

"Carrying the answer means never breaking through the mist to find the result."

"What did you say?"

"Did I say something?"

"Did she say something?"

"She" just softly laughed next to Shard’s ear.