A Gift from the Past

In the center of the main road connecting the royal capital to God-Descended City and the coastal ports, lay a city called Cross City.

This was an important trade route in Yinsai, and caravans from north and south all had to pass through here.

Both city gates stood open, with an endless stream of teams coming and going, wheel tracks stretching for dozens of miles.

The streets and shops within the city were bustling with activity, a testament to the prosperity brought by the trade routes.

Among the various businesses catering to food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, one of the busiest was the cart repair shop.

As the primary tool for caravan transport, carts frequently needed repairs.

Cart repair shops had emerged to meet this need.

Outside the shop with its swaying sign, rows of carts of various sizes were parked.

Passersby weren't surprised to see someone under a cart, instead calling out familiarly.

"Vivien."

"Still so busy today, huh!"

A young woman with tools in hand, lying under a cart, replied without poking her head out.

"Yeah!"

"Two more caravans came today, must fix them by tomorrow afternoon."

Unlike the city dwellers who favored elaborate robes, she wore simple, coarse-woven clothing popular among the lower classes. The garment covered only her upper body and shorts, prioritizing function over fashion.

Not elegant or soft, but very durable.

It was useful for preventing sand and gravel from entering the bone armor seams and protecting vulnerable joints.

Of course, it also served to keep out the cold.

As apprentices from the Temple of Truth graduated in waves, those unable to enter the Nine Great Temples often returned to their hometowns to establish various ritual workshops, with weaving workshops being the most popular.

This led to a continuous decrease in the price of coarse-woven fabric, allowing some commoners to start purchasing it.

Before the cart was repaired, suddenly someone came running, panting, and shouted at Vivien.

"Quick, go home!"

"Just now, something happened to your sister."

Vivien immediately poked her head out from under the cart, staring at the person for a moment.

Then she immediately put down her tools and ran frantically towards home.

The shop owner chased after her, shouting at her back.

"Be careful."

"Let me know if anything happens when you return."

Vivien returned home to find neighbors crowding the doorway, all sighing and shaking their heads.

She grew even more nervous.

She rushed into the room to see her sister lying on the bed.

Covered in blood.

Vivien's eyes widened in shock, her mind struggling to process the scene before her. She looked around at the neighbors, her voice barely a whisper.

"What happened to my sister?"

This city had a history of several hundred years, with many old buildings dating back to the middle period of the Xilong Dynasty of the Star Luo Kingdom. It was common to see old walls collapsing or stones falling from heights. Vivien's sister had been hit by falling stones while playing.

She carefully approached the bedside, looking at her sister lying there.

Fighting back tears, she wanted to reach out and hug her sister but feared hurting her.

"Don't be afraid, sister is here."

"Sister is here."

Despite her severe injuries, her sister smiled and held out some candy given by a neighbor: "Sister, it's so sweet."

Vivien smiled along with her sister, but couldn't truly bring herself to smile.

"Mm-hmm!"

"Mm~"

"You eat it, sister won't take it from you."

She nodded, then picked up her sister to find a nearby doctor.

People on the street immediately made way when they saw her.

The doctor lived in a chaotic alley, with people queuing at the door, chatting.

"Have you heard about the House of the Witch Doctors?"

"I know, I know, even if someone's nearly dead, they can save them with just a breath left."

"Even if hands and feet are cut off, they can make them grow back."

"Is it true? That amazing?"

Vivien had no mood to listen to their idle chat. She rushed inside carrying her sister.

"Doctor!"

"Where's the doctor!"

"Quick... please save my sister."

The doctor had Vivien put her sister on the bed, took a brief look, and shook his head.

"Internal organs are damaged, there's no hope."

Yinsai's doctors could treat minor external injuries, but for internal organ damage, it was all up to fate.

But looking at Vivien's sister's condition, it was unlikely she could pull through on her own.

Vivien grabbed the doctor's hand desperately: "Please..."

The doctor was truly helpless. He raised his hand to interrupt Vivien.

"In her condition, no one in Cross City can save her. Perhaps only the legendary House of the Witch Doctors could treat her."

This was the first time Vivien had heard of this House of the Witch Doctors: "Do you know where this House of the Witch Doctors is?"

The doctor had only heard other doctors mention it: "The witch doctors recently appeared north of Cross City, but they've already left."

"They were coming this way from the north, maybe heading to God-Descended City."

"Of course, they might also be going towards Anho City."

This doctor did have some real skills. He examined the sister's wounds again, then cleaned and bandaged them.

"She should be able to hold on for a few days. You must find the witch doctors within five or six days to have a chance of saving her."

After thanking the doctor, Vivien left with her sister.

She inquired around about where the House of the Witch Doctors had last appeared and even drew on a map all the places it had been seen. That same day, she left Cross City, pursuing the direction and roads the House of the Witch Doctors might have taken.

She pulled a small cart, carrying her sister out of the city gates.

The scorching sunlight beat down outside, along with the jolting from the uneven road.

Her weakened sister called out softly.

"Sister."

"It hurts."

To make her sister more comfortable, she set up a small canopy on the cart to block the sun, and lined the inside with all their blankets from home to minimize the jolting.

The cart now resembled a miniature house on wheels, a tiny sanctuary for her ailing sister.

"Eat some candy."

"Eat candy and it won't hurt anymore."

Her sister was young and didn't yet understand the concept of death. Sucking on the candy made her unafraid.

"Mm-hmm!"

"So sweet!" —

On the wilderness, a young female Trilobite Man trudged forward, pulling a heavy cart.

Along the way, she inquired at every village and small town about the House of the Witch Doctors, or if there had been any thick fog or strange houses appearing nearby.

One day.

Two days.

The fifth day.

She still hadn't found the House of the Witch Doctors. People in this area hadn't even heard of it.

She began to doubt if she had taken the wrong direction.

At first, her sister could still talk to her, but as the third day dawned, she began coughing up blood with alarming frequency.

Since this morning, her sister had fallen into a high fever and unconsciousness.

As night fell, Vivien stood on the bare road.

She spun in circles like a drunk, looking in every direction.

Whether forward or back, her face showed only bewilderment.

"Sister!"

"It hurts so much."

Looking at her sister's face in the moonlight, she opened her mouth, tears flowing.

"Mm-hmm~"

"Sister knows you're in pain, so just sleep!"

"Sleep! You won't feel pain when you're asleep."

She stroked her sister's hand, humming a lullaby.

"La la la la!"

"La la la la la!"

She had done her best, but there was nothing more she could do, only watch her sister die.

The sun set, distant city lights flickering.

Yet she felt no warmth at all.

As she sang, Vivien suddenly fell to her knees, powerless.

She lowered her head and let out a loud cry.

"God!"

"If You truly exist, please give me guidance!"

She raised her head helplessly, cupping her face, and saw a distinct black shadow pass in front of the moon emitting a soft glow.

It was an airship.

As she watched this scene, something in her memory seemed to stir.

"Wait, what's that?" she gasped. "Why does this scene feel so familiar?"

She immediately got up and rummaged through her box for something.

In the toolbox was an old monocular telescope.

Vivien had almost forgotten where it came from.

It seemed that when she was little, someone gave it to her while playing by the Sacred Lake.

She immediately picked up this monocular telescope and looked through it, seeing what had flown past under the moon.

A colorful hot air balloon with an oval-shaped house embedded beneath it.

"Thick tendrils, a dreamy three-story house."

Although different from the legends of appearing in a mist, such a unique structure was extremely rare in all of Yinsai.

There was no doubt about it. This had to be the House of the Witch Doctors she was searching for.

She was overjoyed and pulled the cart with her sister towards the airship that had passed by the moon, shouting.

"Wait for me."

"Wait for us."

She pulled the cart with her sister, chasing in the direction the airship was heading.

At first, she ran like the wind, but later she abandoned her cart and carried her sister, chasing forward.

But the airship in the sky flew further and further away, gradually disappearing from sight.

She fell to the ground, exhausted, holding her sister.

"Waa!"

Vivien cried like a child.

She felt like the fool chasing stars in a fairy tale, never able to get close no matter how hard she pursued, finally collapsing in the wilderness, having lost everything.

At that moment.

A mist and starlight suddenly descended upon the earth.

After the mist passed, Vivien and her sister had vanished.