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墨書 Inktalez
Because Lemuel Gulliver only depicted a scene of Mountain Valley without directly labeling the location, and due to the changes in Sky Island over the years, it is difficult to confirm where this location is. Therefore, Bai Yujing and Emma decided to explore the entire Sky Island. After all, the area of Sky Island is not very large, and with careful exploration, they should be able to find the correct location.
Bai Yujing and Emma drove to Portree, the most prosperous town on Sky Island. The weather was clear with a gentle breeze, and the roadside grass and shrubs swayed in the wind. Unusual rocks and cattle roamed about, while Bai Yujing focused on the scenery along the way, hoping to make some discoveries.
As the central town of Sky Island, Portree was indeed much more bustling than other places. Upon entering the town, they noticed a steady flow of vehicles, contrasting sharply with the earlier feeling of emptiness on the mountain roads. Portree is a coastal town also known as King's Port, which sounds quite impressive.
Emma parked the car and said, "Let's get out and take a look. Portree is the transit center of Sky Island, making it convenient to go anywhere. The town isn't large, so we can explore a bit."
As they walked along, they encountered a crowd of people. This season on Sky Island was incredibly lively with tourists everywhere. Due to Sky Island's popularity, it was hard to find locals in Portree; almost every household had been transformed into a bed and breakfast or a commercial establishment. Despite this, Bai Yujing still couldn't book a room in Portree, highlighting how busy it was.
Various seabirds wandered around parking areas on the streets, occasionally landing on vehicle roofs and squawking. The cobblestone streets featured quaint stone walls and old wooden benches. Bai Yujing and Emma sat down on one of these benches adorned with puppet sculptures of a woman and two children.
"Drip drip drop!"
Just as Bai Yujing and Emma stepped out for a stroll, they noticed that the clear sky had turned overcast, and rain began to fall. Tourists quickly scattered in search of shelter from the sudden downpour.
Bai Yujing calmly opened his backpack and took out an umbrella, holding it over their heads as if he had been prepared for this moment.
Emma laughed, "Your preparation is quite clever."
Bai Yujing nodded, "Of course! You know, in Scotland, what leaves a deep impression on me is the rainy days because you never know when it will suddenly pour down on you."
Along the edge of the coast were rows of colorful little houses that revealed a different scenery in the rain. The slanting rain poured down onto the windows of shops facing the sea—pink and yellow walls adorned with simple cartoonish signs created a dreamy atmosphere. Bai Yujing thought that sitting inside watching the rain would offer a unique experience as he gazed through rain-streaked windows at the sea, muddy streets, and pedestrians holding umbrellas.
As he pondered this, he couldn't resist any longer. With the rain getting heavier, they found a yellow little house where they ordered seafood to escape from the storm while quietly waiting. During this time, Bai Yujing eagerly captured several photos of the rainy scene, combining images of this landscape with passing cars and travelers.
"Don't eat too much; I think I saw a Chinese restaurant over there! Let's go try that later!" Bai Yujing had been eating seafood, bread, pasta, and desserts during this time; his longing for Chinese food grew stronger. Therefore, they didn't order too much at this place but sampled some signature dishes instead.
After the rain stopped, Bai Yujing took Emma for a stroll around town along a circular walking path that spanned three kilometers. Although there were many people in town, it felt very quiet; everyone wore smiles. Bai Yujing even saw two handsome guys playing with a drone to capture aerial footage of their desired scenes.
This made Bai Yujing unable to resist, and he eagerly approached to ask a question. The two handsome guys were Americans, and when they saw Bai Yujing and Emma walking over, they immediately greeted them.
When they learned that Bai Yujing was Chinese, they became very excited and pulled him over to say that their drone was made by the Chinese brand DJI, exclaiming, "Made in China, DJI!"
The smartphone mounted on the remote control displayed the images from the drone's high-definition camera. Bai Yujing had some interest in this aspect, his eyes sparkling as he watched, reluctant to leave in the end.
Emma looked at Bai Yujing with a strange expression, making him feel a bit embarrassed. "Well, I am indeed a bit curious about drones."
However, Emma said, "I didn't expect you to be gay too."
"What?" Bai Yujing didn't understand.
Emma pointed at the two handsome guys he had interacted with earlier, who were now sitting together hand in hand, very close. Bai Yujing couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. "It's all a misunderstanding, Emma. You know me."
Portree is a small town; it only takes about an hour to walk around it. In the end, Bai Yujing and Emma found a Chinese restaurant and finally enjoyed delicious steamed rice paired with braised pork and Mapo Tofu. Bai Yujing ate several large bowls of rice before feeling satisfied.
"Why are you eating so much this time?" Emma asked as she awkwardly used chopsticks, scooping Mapo Tofu into her bowl and savoring its spicy flavor.
Bai Yujing's appetite had increased after his body transformation, but he couldn't say that directly. He could only blink and reply, "I couldn't help it; I expended quite a bit of energy last night."
Emma's face immediately flushed red as she stepped on Bai Yujing's foot. He exclaimed in surprise, drawing the attention of all the customers in the restaurant. He could only endure the pain and stand up to apologize. The customers quickly understood what had happened when they saw Bai Yujing and Emma together and nodded in acknowledgment.
Among them was an elderly man who winked at Bai Yujing as if he could relate to the situation very well but was quickly interrupted by an elderly woman beside him who coughed twice, bringing his attention back.
Next, the two headed to Old Man Peak, where there were also many mountain valleys. When Bai Yujing arrived there, there were no parking spaces available, so they could only park by the roadside.
Although it was called Old Man Peak, Bai Yujing felt no connection between the name and the word "old man" when he looked at it. He couldn't see how it resembled an old man; perhaps it was abstract or had some artistic meaning?
"You need to look from this angle!" Emma led Bai Yujing to the left side. Bai Yujing then realized that it did resemble an old man sitting alone on a rock, gazing into the distance amidst swirling clouds and mist as if waiting for someone to return. It was very poetic; this place used to be part of an island that gradually eroded due to constant wave impact until only a sea stack stood alone.
Because it had just rained, the ground was a bit muddy. Bai Yujing and Emma decided not to climb the mountain and instead take a look around to see if there was a Mountain Valley that matched the scenery in their notes. As they wandered around, enjoying the view, Emma suddenly called Bai Yujing over, as if she had discovered something.
"Did you find it? This is too easy!" Bai Yujing quickly ran over, only to find Emma standing among a cluster of purple flowers.
Seeing Bai Yujing approach, she immediately said, "This is the national flower of Scotland, Thistle. What do you think? Isn't it beautiful?"
Thistle is a type of purple flower covered in thorns, beautiful yet untouchable. This area was filled with many of these purple flowers, which were indeed very pretty. No wonder Emma had specifically called Bai Yujing over to see.
In Europe, Thistle is said to have healing properties and the ability to ward off demons. In rural Eastern Europe, farmhouses often plant thistles at their doorsteps or hang this plant in the barn's courtyard to avoid demons. There is also a legend in Scotland that dates back to the Thirteenth Century when Scotland was at war with Denmark. The Danes surrounded a Scottish castle and attempted to sneak in along the walls. However, soldiers who stepped into a thistle field cried out in pain from stepping on the thistles. The Scots heard the commotion and immediately launched a counterattack, breaking through the siege and achieving a great victory. Thus, Thistle became Scotland's national flower.
On a nearby path, a flock of sheep approached. Bai Yujing had only seen goats back home and rarely encountered sheep, which made her feel a bit apprehensive since goats can be quite aggressive.
"Hey, don't go over there; sheep can be aggressive!"
However, these creatures seemed very gentle. Emma was quite unreserved and went up to hug one of the lambs. The lamb bleated while Emma stroked its wool to comfort it.
"Come over and pet one; they’re really soft! These sheep won’t attack you!" As Emma moved closer, Bai Yujing followed right behind her, worried about her safety. Seeing that everything was fine, she joined in and started petting the sheep as well.
"Ouch!" Feeling something behind her, Bai Yujing jumped in surprise. When she turned around, she realized she was blocking the path of the sheep flock. The sheep nudged her backside and began bleating as soon as they saw her turn around, as if urging her to step aside and not block their way.
Emma set the lamb down and watched as the flock leisurely walked down the path; it was a big family.
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