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墨書 Inktalez
When I set off in the morning, I brought all my luggage with me. I originally planned to head to the southern part of Sky Island, specifically the Kulin Mountains, if I didn't find anything worthwhile. The Kulin Mountains occupy the entire southern part of the island, and I intended to explore that area and stay there. However, Fairy Lake is located right next to Kulin Mountains, which doesn't differ much from my original plan, but it is a more precise location.
Crossing a stone bridge leads into the Kulin Mountain area. The small river beneath the bridge doesn't have a strong current; it looks like a rocky beach with many stones scattered in the center of the river, quietly washing against each other as they flow downstream, producing a gentle sound. This bridge serves as an entrance to the Kulin Mountains and is also a great hiking route. Following this path allows one to slowly enjoy the beautiful scenery of the southern Kulin Mountains.
It was just past three in the afternoon. Bai Yujing had lunch at Old Man Will Hackman's house. Will Hackman's wife passed away years ago, and he has been living alone since then, feeling quite lonely. His son has already started his own family and moved out, returning home only a few times a month. So having so many people at home suddenly made Old Man Hackman very happy.
Lunch was prepared by Bai Yujing with Will Hackman's help. Although Bai Yujing wasn't very skilled at making Western dishes, he managed to assist without any issues and even learned how to make Seafood Chowder from Old Man Hackman. Bai Yujing also made a dish of oil-drizzled eggplant and some snacks served on a small plate for Alice and Kaka. Watching the two little ones, who were just over ten centimeters tall, eat from a plate big enough for them to sit in was indeed amusing.
Emma directed the way while Bai Yujing followed her instructions and drove slowly. By now, Bai Yujing had adapted to driving on the right side of the road and was driving steadily. The new driver was gradually evolving into an Old Driver. After passing a signpost, they stopped in front of a bed and breakfast.
This was a cozy B&B. Bai Yujing noticed that while the rooms weren't large, they were very warm and inviting. The owners were a chubby couple who looked very compatible; they burst into laughter after just a couple of sentences. Emma joined in the laughter, but Bai Yujing couldn't quite understand what was funny—oh well, I'm just a foreigner here.
The landlady told Bai Yujing that they could explore nearby areas and introduced some beautiful attractions to them. After finishing her introduction, she suddenly turned back and said, "Oh right, I forgot to tell you that we will prepare dinner tonight; you should come join us."
Bai Yujing agreed and immediately took Emma's hand to explore nearby places, with their first stop being Fairy Pool.
Fairy Pool is a small mountain pond famous for legends of fairies appearing there. However, British fairies are different from Chinese fairies; it's more accurate to call them sprites or Lake Nymphs. Emma told Bai Yujing that her mother used to tell her stories about Fairy Pool when she was little, saying that fairies would appear at midnight and grant wishes to kind-hearted people.
Bai Yujing wasn't sure if fairies really lived here, but as they approached, he was indeed amazed for a moment. The area around Fairy Pool features many small waterfalls cascading down in layers from afar.
The water is clear and deep green—very beautiful—while layers of rocky terrain obscure its flow. One can see glimpses of waterfall streams crashing down in various corners, splashing white mist everywhere.
On both sides of Fairy Pool bloom vibrant purple flowers that are breathtakingly beautiful, surrounding the pool entirely. The long and winding Fairy Pool flows through this romantic sea of purple mountain flowers, filling one's heart with a sense of natural beauty. This primitive yet dreamy palette truly lives up to the beautiful name of Fairy Pool.
There are also many small fish in the pond; as soon as Bai Yujing dipped his hand in, they scattered in all directions in surprise. He took out his camera from his bag and called out to Emma, "Come here, my little fairy; let me take some pictures of you."
Emma looked around and asked, "Can we take pictures here?"
"Of course, no problem. Just stand there and look beautiful!" Emma was wearing a simple white long dress today, paired with white stockings and golden high heels. Standing by the pond, with the cascading waterfall and purple mountain flowers behind her, Bai Yujing raised the camera, feeling a moment of inspiration.
In that instant, Bai Yujing seemed to truly see a Lake Fairy dressed in white with a flower crown standing by the pond. Her golden curls flowed gracefully in the wind. Although it had been cloudy in the morning, the sun broke through just at that moment, casting warm and bright rays through the thick clouds onto the Fairy Pool.
Bai Yujing unconsciously pressed the shutter, capturing the scene. Emma walked over and asked, "Why are you so slow? How is it? Did you get a good shot? Let me see."
In the photo, sunlight pierced through the heavy clouds, illuminating the earth and dispelling darkness. The pond reflected dazzling light, and the flowers on either side swayed gently in the breeze. A woman turned back with a smile, dressed in pure white; her long legs were smooth and fair, and her golden shoes seemed to radiate light. Her flowing golden hair cascaded down, and her sapphire blue eyes met the camera's lens, displaying a playful and happy expression.
"You look so beautiful." This wasn't the first time Bai Yujing had said this. He had always thought so in his heart, but this time it felt completely different. In the photo, Emma looked like an Aphrodite descended to earth.
Emma couldn't believe it. "Is this really me? Oh my God."
Overwhelmed with excitement, Emma hugged Bai Yujing tightly and kissed him deeply. Bai Yujing thought this was probably the most beautiful photo he had taken on this journey. He even felt as if someone had helped him press the shutter at that perfect moment.
With perfect timing and location, they had captured Emma's spontaneous glance back, freezing that expression and light in time. Bai Yujing believed this was his best shot ever; he doubted he could take such a beautiful picture again.
As they walked together, they talked about the sunlight that had just appeared as if it were God's gaze shining down on Emma. "Emma, God is watching over you too. You are an angel who has descended to earth. I love you, Emma."
Bai Yujing felt he had emerged from past emotional shadows and failures, with Emma being the angel who entered his world and brought him sunshine.
Emma blushed as she wrapped her arm around Bai Yujing's, unsure if she was shy or proud. The two walked forward in large strides, slightly unsteady as they went along.
After circling around Fairy Lake, which initially felt like a casual stroll, Emma suddenly made a new discovery and quickly emerged from Bai Yujing's side. "Look over there."
Bai Yujing looked up and saw a Mountain Valley. In the center of the Mountain Valley stood a large tree. This vast area seemed to be home to just this one tree, standing alone and independent. The tree appeared tall and lush; it wasn't particularly high, but it was exceptionally thick, likely an ancient tree that had been around for some time.
However, this ice was not what Bai Yujing and the others were focused on, as the Mountain Valley matched exactly with the image they had, even down to the angle. Bai Yujing felt that the original Lemuel Gulliver must have stood right here to sketch the scene depicted on the back cover of his notes. After more than two hundred years, the two figures seemed to overlap.
"This is it!" Bai Yujing and Emma shouted in unison as they hurried over to the tree's base. The ancient tree was so thick that it would take both Bai Yujing and Emma together to wrap their arms around it. In contrast, the tree depicted in the drawing was just a small sapling, barely taller than a person. Time had flown by; that little sapling had grown into a towering tree, while the people and events of that time had faded away like smoke.
Emma bounced around excitedly next to Bai Yujing. "We finally found it."
Bai Yujing nodded. "It seems we are indeed in the right place."
"But with such a large Mountain Valley, does the note mention where exactly it is buried?" Emma raised her concern again. Indeed, with such a vast area, if they were to dig bit by bit, it could take forever.
However, Lemuel Gulliver did not leave Bai Yujing and Emma in the dark. "The notes say it's buried in the shadow of the tree, but it doesn't specify whether it's morning or evening shadow."
Emma sighed in relief. "That narrows it down significantly and saves us a lot of effort."
Bai Yujing turned the notes around. "The scene in the picture should be in the evening, which means it's buried to the east."
Bai Yujing once again locked onto their target and pinpointed a specific area. He picked up a stone to mark the location and then looked at Emma. "Next, we just need tools to start digging."
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