Zixin and Marshall headed to the balcony. The scene before them was quite beautiful. The night sky was filled with numerous stars, each of which was a brilliant spectacle to see. The forest beneath was dark and mysterious, contrasted with the mystic feelings of the stars above them.
Zixin opened the letter and saw Xiu Ying's words. The letter stated the following:
Dear Zixin, have you expected me to have another letter to give you? Maybe not, who knows. Setting that aside, congratulations on creating the Five Lands Alliance. Well, how could I not realize your naming sense? I doubt those four even bothered about a name. I mean, it's an alliance of high significance, why should they bother about names when the fate of the world relies on this? Either way, my dear brother, how was it? Did working hard finally pay off for you? I don't care about that now. I knew you'd be able to do it; I mean, trust, right? I doubt you think it's because I trust in you. I didn't even have an extra letter just in case you fail to do it. To be quite honest with you, the only reason this all is working well is because of spring. Spring is near. You remember Zheng Wang, right? Please, remember him well. Marshall already has all the materials. Well, I suppose that's all I have to say for now.
Sincerely Xiu Ying of Longevity.
Zixin was suspicious of Xiu Ying's motives but couldn't do anything about it. Zixin looked at Marshall and gave him the compass which took him to the apothecary. Marshall quickly understood what Zixin wanted him to do, and he left.
Once Aiko saw Marshall leave, she immediately went to the balcony and talked with Zixin.
"Zixin." Once Zixin heard his name being called by a child-like voice, he slightly glanced at his back and saw Aiko.
Zixin quickly asks, "Is there something you need me for?"
"Nothing much, I just wanted to have a nice little chat with you."
Aiko walked forward, and her size seemed to increase to a late teen.
"Well, shouldn't I be speaking with you? After all, didn't I say we are friends in the announcement? If I don't keep up the act, people won't believe me. Neither will they believe you. You still have yet to build up trust between you and the rest of us and our citizens. The only reason the Five Lands Alliance was formed is because well, Spring is near." Aiko kindly explained.
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"That's why, I'll be following you around for a month. After that, we can still meet each other. We just need to keep up this friendly act. Don't worry, my ancestors also did this. Are you fine with it? Oh, don't worry about me, my Land has exceptional people. They will be fine without me for a month. Even in years or decades, as long as autumn doesn't come, which is very unlikely." She added further details. Even though Zixin was curious, he couldn't be bothered to ask now. He is still trying to compose himself after obtaining the future memory.
Even though Zixin was suspicious, just like with his sister, he couldn't do anything about it. Even if he can, he can't see the path forward. He is currently not in a creative state where he can come up with an outside-of-the-box plan.
…
The next day, Marshall gets back and gives the compass back to Zixin. Zixing then used the compass to head towards the apothecary.
The night streets that he saw before were completely calm with no crowd at all. There were only a few people in the streets and the shops were all mostly closed. Zixin followed the compass and reached the bookstore. Aiko was following him all the way here.
Aiko was curious about where the compass would take them, and when she saw the bookstore, she was a bit curious. Once she and Zixin entered the room, she saw a very plain-looking bookstore.
Zixin went and saw a specific book and bought it almost immediately, and he left the bookstore quite quickly. Aiko followed him, and he saw the wall, which turned into a door which they entered.
While going down the stairs, her curiosity and her excitement were increasing by the second.
Once they left the stairs, they saw the room. The room was filled with several bookshelves, each filled with strange and curious-looking books. The room was dimly lit with glowing green light from the nearby lamps which filled the room with an atmosphere of mystery.
They saw two people in the room. One was a young man, while the other was a hunched-back middle-aged lady with a silver monocle.
When Zheng Wang saw Zixin and Aiko, he was a bit surprised. He was talking to the old lady about his injuries due to the Fertility Demon.
Zheng Wang went up and greeted them. They gave him the greeting back.
Zixin couldn't be bothered about Zheng Wang for the moment, even though he had been told to remember him well by Xiu Ying.
He immediately asked the old lady, "The materials, a man named Marshall came here last night saying I ordered him to bring the materials here. Now, is the cure completed yet?"
The old lady nods as she speaks, "Yes, someone did come here yesterday. The amount of materials was also good enough for two people."
Zixin was shocked, but he kept his composure as the thoughts ran through his head. Two? Two… Hmm? My dearest sister knew that I would use her to lie. Sigh, how predictable am I to you?
After that, Zixin was handed over the two cures. The cure inside was mystical; the color of it was ever-changing, never being the same color for long. The bottle used for it was very small. It was enough to fit in Zixin's pockets.
After this, Zixin asked Zheng Wang, "What is the Fertility Demon? This is the first time I have heard about it."