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墨書 Inktalez
Bai Yujing returned to the place with a church architectural style, the National Library of Scotland, to take photos of important excerpts from the books about Merlin that he found. Due to the numerous legends surrounding Merlin, no one is clear about what parts are real, so he could only record some significant details.
"I found a record about Merlin's Staff here!" Since it was a library, Emma didn't dare to speak loudly. After finding it, she lowered her voice to tell Bai Yujing.
Bai Yujing turned to look. The book recorded that Merlin used his staff to control animals; he even once controlled a dragon with his palm. The staff was not made by Merlin but was believed to have been gifted to him by a divine being from the Celestial Kingdom, made from a branch broken off the Holy Oak.
"The Holy Oak comes from Legendary Land. Merlin received its guidance; holding the staff made from Holy Oak is the key to the gates of the sacred land. — Geoffrey of Monmouth?" Bai Yujing became somewhat surprised upon reading this last part because Geoffrey was not an unknown figure but rather an influential scholar.
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a famous British historian who once stated that in legend, Merlin's original name was Merlin, a poet from sixth-century Wales. He had conducted professional research on Merlin and his words should be quite credible.
The two took the book and sat down in the library's café, sipping afternoon tea while flipping through the pages. Emma held her coffee cup and asked Bai Yujing, "Do you think that the Loch Ness Monster was staring at your staff and you because it relates to this staff's ability to control animals? In the legends, Merlin controlled a dragon; could it be an ancestor of the Loch Ness Monster?"
Bai Yujing thought for a moment. Compared to Western dragons, the Loch Ness Monster was quite different; it had no wings and did not resemble a large lizard. However, ancient Europeans might not have known these distinctions; for them, such a colossal creature could simply be considered a dragon.
Bai Yujing nodded seriously: "You might be onto something."
He took out the staff from his bag and examined it closely. This was no ordinary piece of wood; it was a treasure! "But how do we use this? If we could also control animals, that would be incredible."
"Legend has it that Merlin had only half human blood; perhaps he needed blood or heritage from other races to use it!" Emma speculated after thinking for a moment.
Bai Yujing frowned: "I hate those kinds of sorcerers; everything is innate, leaving no chance for us mere mortals!"
"Are you leaving here tonight?" Emma suddenly mentioned Bai Yujing's departure that evening. He nodded.
Emma immediately pressed on: "Can you stay a few more days? Forget it; your visa is expiring. I'll come see you when I’m on vacation instead. You can take me to explore China's famous historical sites then."
Bai Yujing also felt reluctant: "Of course."
Emma sat for a moment and then remembered something, pulling Bai Yujing up. "By the way, come with me; we're going to a place together."
Following Emma, they walked through the streets and alleys, finally stopping at a very familiar restaurant, a shop with a white decor theme that gave off a fairy tale vibe, with familiar fresh flowers inside.
"Isn't this the place we ate at before?" Bai Yujing suddenly recalled.
Emma nodded, "That's right, it's this one."
Without further ado, Emma led Bai Yujing to sit down. "Two servings of Haggis! And add some whiskey."
"Okay, please wait a moment!"
"Ah! No way." Bai Yujing didn't expect Emma to bring him to try this local Scottish dish that looked like dark cuisine.
"Don't say a word. How can you come to Scotland and not try Haggis?" Emma smiled at Bai Yujing, suddenly reminded of the embarrassment she felt when Daisy caught her earlier that morning. Seeing Bai Yujing's fearful expression brought her a sense of relief and satisfaction.
"You won't know until you try it; this is gourmet food!" As a large, light brown oval object was served, Emma immediately said.
Bai Yujing picked up his knife and fork and reluctantly took a bite, finding that the taste wasn't as terrible as he had imagined; it was actually quite good! It had a salty and spicy flavor, rich in taste, with a meaty filling but also an unusual taste.
After a few bites, feeling a bit overwhelmed, Bai Yujing took a sip of whiskey. The flavor of the drink complemented the local Scottish food perfectly. It seemed that this dish had hidden depths; it looked unassuming and somewhat like dark cuisine but tasted surprisingly good. He realized he had misjudged it based on its appearance.
"How is it? Not bad, right?" Emma asked as she watched Bai Yujing enjoy the meal, resting her chin on her hand.
Bai Yujing nodded repeatedly and gave Emma a thumbs-up, which made her smile instantly. Just as he was savoring the delicious food, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey buddy, what are you doing here?" It was spoken in Chinese. Bai Yujing turned around and immediately recognized Li Hao, whom he met at the Military Tattoo banquet.
Bai Yujing was delighted. "Hey, what are you doing here? What a coincidence!"
Li Hao glanced at Emma and gave Bai Yujing a thumbs-up. "I saw your news report; it was really impressive! So this is your girlfriend?"
Bai Yujing immediately introduced Li Hao to Emma, who extended her hand to Li Hao and said in somewhat awkward Chinese, "Li Hao! Hello."
It sounded just like Li Hao's name, as if she had said it twice. "That's great! You really hit the jackpot coming out here—wealth, fame, and you even got the beautiful girl."
Li Hao couldn't help but feel envious. They had come out together to Edinburgh, so why didn't such good fortune come his way?
Bai Yujing shook his head repeatedly. "The newspapers exaggerate everything; do you really believe that?"
"Come on, you've managed to win over such a beautiful girl like Emma. What more could you want?" Li Hao said with a smile.
Bai Yujing noticed that Li Hao seemed ready to leave. "Are you heading back?"
Li Hao nodded. "Yeah, I'm about to catch my flight. What about you? Planning to stay here and become a son-in-law?"
Bai Yujing explained, "Not really; I have a flight tonight too, but it's later than yours."
"If you need anything, just contact me through WeChat!"
After sending Li Hao off, Bai Yujing thought about how he would also be boarding a plane soon to leave this city. His emotions became complicated as he held Emma's hand and wandered around this city filled with legends and stories.
There was no particular destination; he just wanted to walk freely with Emma.
"It's almost time! We should get going."
At the airport, with bags in tow, along with souvenirs and gifts from Daisy, Emma's father, and Bethany, as well as clothes Emma had bought for herself, they had a mountain of things. After checking in their luggage, the boarding announcement was already being made.
"It's time to go! Make sure to contact me when you get here!" Emma said to Bai Yujing.
Bai Yujing nodded without saying anything but took a couple of steps before suddenly running back. Emma's face lit up with joy. "What's wrong?"
Bai Yujing said, "I suddenly remembered something. You mentioned before on Skye Island that you would take me sailing. It seems we both forgot about it."
Emma paused for a moment and then burst into laughter. "Alright, next time I will definitely take you to the seaside to fulfill that wish."
After a brief diversion, the sadness of parting seemed to fade away. Bai Yujing waved goodbye and disappeared at the entrance, officially embarking on the journey home.
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Meanwhile, Li Hao sat in the airplane cabin, lying back in his seat and dozing off.
However, in his dreams, Li Hao could always hear a strange piece of music, accompanied by the sound of water waves and tides crashing against the rocks. He felt as if he had become a fish, swimming through the depths of the sea, experiencing a tranquil yet fantastical sensation that made him want to sink deeper into sleep and not wake up.
Amidst the music, he vaguely heard someone calling out, seemingly a woman. Who could it be? Li Hao strained to think but couldn't recall who was calling him.
He sensed that the owner of this voice was important, yet he couldn't remember who it was. Just as he was lost in this dreamlike state, a flight attendant woke him up: "Sir, sir, wake up, wake up!"
Li Hao sat up and realized that the plane was about to land; he had slept for quite a long time.
Suddenly, Li Hao recalled the events from his dream. What was going on? Why did he have such a strange dream? It felt so real and clear; the tranquility and dreamlike essence still lingered in his mind.
What Li Hao didn't notice was that there was now a strange deep blue mark on his left ankle. Grateful for the flight attendant's reminder, he slowly got off the plane with many other passengers.
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