Returning to the Snowy Region

The valley Crystal spoke of was the Mysterious Land they had stumbled into while searching for Medusa in China’s Snowy Region. Alex had even encountered a mysterious and powerful mage, The Ancient One, there. He remembered that mage, who had wanted to take him as her disciple, very clearly. A single Wind Bind spell had left him utterly unable to move, terrifying enough to chill him to the bone.

Pushing aside the memory that had suddenly surfaced, Alex used Teleportation and took Crystal to the last two targets. Without exception, both were in the Snowy Region.

The first time Crystal had come to the Snowy Region, the thin air had made her suffer quite a bit. This time, however, she adapted after taking only a few deep breaths. She even had the mood to wander around, looking less like she was searching for someone and more like she was on a hiking trip.

After glancing at Crystal and confirming that she was fine, Alex turned his attention to the small town nearby. In stark contrast to the desolation of the plateau, this place was bustling. The stream of people filled the roughly three-meter-wide streets, while the occasional cries of vendors added even more life to the scene.

"What are they doing?" Crystal tugged on Alex’s sleeve and pointed at the lively town. A trace of longing appeared on her bare, unadorned face.

Alex turned to look at Crystal and casually replied, "Going to the market!" Without explaining further, he activated his telepathy and searched the entire town.

"Going to the market?" Crystal’s crescent-shaped eyes narrowed slightly. Her eager expression carried a hint of confusion, making her look especially adorable.

Unfortunately, Alex had no mind to appreciate that right now. By chance, they had arrived on market day, and the huge crowd made his telepathic search much more difficult. He had no choice but to focus.

Crystal, however, seemed completely captivated by the lively market. Seeing that Alex had ignored her question the whole time, she became a little annoyed. She reached out and patted his shoulder, demanding indignantly, "Answer my question!"

Interrupted by Crystal, Alex had no choice but to stop his telepathic search. He looked at her with utter confusion, not knowing what she was making a fuss about this time.

"Going to the market, what is that?" Seeing Alex’s expression, Crystal did not know whether she should be happy or angry. She pouted and repeated the question with slight dissatisfaction.

"Uh…" Alex froze for a moment before suddenly recalling Crystal’s past, and a trace of pity rose in his heart.

The Inhuman race practiced a rigid caste system, and communication between people was extremely limited. Lively scenes like a market day were even more impossible in Attilan. Otherwise, Crystal would not have frequently run off to the Fetal Care Center back then.

Of course, His Highness Alex, Alex’s father, had told him all this when Alex took Crystal away from Attilan. He had even specifically told Alex to take Crystal around Earth and let her have some fun.

Thinking of this, Alex felt even more guilty. His expression softened as he explained with a smile, "Going to the market is a folk custom in China. Other places have similar events too. People gather regularly to buy and sell goods."

"How about it? Want to go have some fun?" Before Crystal could answer, Alex grabbed her hand and ran toward the town.

Crystal paused briefly, then became like a willow branch in early spring after the rain, tender and green with life. She ran even faster than Alex, and the blush on her face resembled a freshly blooming red rose, bright and lovely.

Half an hour later, Crystal had changed into Tibetan clothing. She held Butter Tea in one hand and Tsampa in the other, her thin lips glistening with oil. Alex, who had also changed clothes, followed closely beside her like an attendant, carrying all sorts of things in his hands. His expression was somewhat gloomy as he finally understood the truth that shopping with a woman was torture.

"Thank you, Alex!"

Just as he was silently fuming, Crystal’s cheerful voice suddenly rang out beside him. Alex came back to his senses and turned toward her. The brilliant smile on her face showed none of her usual cold pride.

Alex smiled gently and looked at Crystal with a hint of guilt. "As long as you’re happy."

Crystal naturally noticed the look in Alex’s eyes. She froze slightly, panic flashing across her face, then hurriedly changed the subject. "Have you found any news about my sister?" Crystal knew that Alex had been conducting telepathic searches the entire way.

Alex shrugged and said bitterly, "No. We can only check the last one now."

Alex had originally thought Crystal would get angry upon hearing this, but to his surprise, she nodded and even comforted him instead. "It’s okay. We can take our time. We’ll find her someday."

Alex was slightly stunned, then quickly understood. She only went to the market once, and her attitude has already improved so much. Looks like I should bring Crystal out more often in the future.

Thinking this, Alex still said, "How about it? Want to keep looking around?" There was still plenty of time left, so he decided to spend a little more time with Crystal.

Crystal took a sip of Butter Tea, nodded, and ran laughing toward the next stall.

Seeing Crystal’s spirits rise once more, Alex suddenly felt a little regretful. He shook his head with a bitter smile, lifted the things in his hands, and immediately chased after her.

The fifteen photographs had not taken Alex much time to investigate. Most of the day had been spent in the Snowy Region town. When the sun began to sink westward, Crystal finally settled down.

"Let’s go back!" Crystal poured the last mouthful of Barley Wine into her mouth, turned to Alex, and took some of his burden before speaking.

Alex was stunned for a moment. Only when the weight in his hands lessened did he come back to his senses. He turned to Crystal and subconsciously said, "There’s still one left. How about we go take a look now?" Of the final two targets, this place had already been ruled out, leaving only the last one.

Crystal stared at Alex for a long moment before shaking her head with a soft smile. Her expression was somewhat dim. "No. Let’s go back."

"It won’t take much time." Either he did not do something at all, or he finished it completely. Being stuck on the final one like this made Alex feel terribly uncomfortable.

Crystal sensed the impatience that had unconsciously slipped into Alex’s words. She was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "All right." Crystal had no hopes for the last one either, so she had wanted to leave it alone, giving herself something to hold on to. The taste of despair was not pleasant. But with Alex acting like this, she had no reason to refuse, nor did she want to.

Alex did not notice Crystal’s expression. He activated Teleportation and vanished from the town with her.

In an instant, Alex and Crystal appeared somewhere else. A sudden gale made them shiver, and they unconsciously moved a little closer together.

"This is…?" Crystal tightened her clothes and looked around in surprise. It was not the village or town she had expected, but a small mountain.

Alex also surveyed the surroundings as he explained, "Someone has seen a person resembling your sister near here several times."

"Here?" Crystal looked around doubtfully, her face filled with suspicion. There was no sign of human habitation nearby. How could her sister possibly appear here?

Alex shrugged and said with an awkward laugh, "The facts prove that there really isn’t anyone here." Just now, Alex had used telepathy to search the area and found nothing.

After saying that, Alex turned, intending to comfort Crystal. At that moment, a bolt of lightning suddenly lit up from a distant mountain. It did not fall from the sky, but shot directly into the heavens from the ground. The thick bolt was astonishing, then rapidly expanded under their shocked gazes, eventually forming a massive Lightning Storm!

"What is that?" Crystal froze slightly, forgetting the disappointment in her heart as she turned to Alex, her face filled with shock. Crystal could activate and control the four elements—earth, water, fire, and air—and was extremely sensitive to energy. The immense power contained in the Lightning Storm made even her feel a trace of fear.

If Crystal was affected like this, Alex was even more so. What surprised him even more was that he could vaguely sense something familiar within the Lightning Storm. It was extremely strange.

After hesitating for a while, Alex tentatively asked, "How about we go take a look?"

Crystal had already been curious, so she naturally did not object to Alex’s suggestion. She nodded in agreement.

Without a second thought, Alex immediately activated Teleportation. However, instead of going to where the Lightning Storm had erupted, he returned to the Floating Temple. After putting down the things in his hands, he finally brought Crystal near the Lightning Storm.

Dazzling lightning danced freely through the air like sprites, so brilliant that it forced people to close their eyes.