As the three of them were about to enjoy their hearty dinner, a villager from Aaru Village suddenly rushed in.
The moment the villager entered, he went straight to Candace, speaking anxiously, "Miss Candace, I'm terribly sorry to disturb you, but there are some items I'm not sure how to sort or classify. Could you please come take a look?"
Hearing this, Candace was momentarily stunned, then glanced at the untouched food before her, a faint look of helplessness appearing on her face.
However, she soon set down her utensils gently and replied, "Oh, alright, no problem. I'll go take a look right away."
Just as Candace was about to stand up to handle the matter, Dehya swiftly stepped forward and stopped her, volunteering eagerly. "Ah, let me go instead!"
Candace raised an eyebrow at Dehya's enthusiasm and teased, "Well now, Dehya, you just arrived in Aaru Village, and already you're so eager to help me out? Don't tell me you've got some favor to ask of me?"
Faced with Candace's straightforward question, Dehya scratched her head sheepishly and gave two awkward laughs. "Hehe, you really guessed right!"
At that, the corners of Candace's lips curved upward into a knowing smile.
She calmly settled back into her chair and said unhurriedly, "In that case, once you're done helping out, we'll have ourselves a nice long talk."
Overjoyed by Candace's reaction, Dehya thanked her repeatedly, then quickly turned and strode out of the room, muttering as she went, "That's great, thanks! I'll get going now!"
In the blink of an eye, only Candace and Shao Yun remained in the room.
…
After Shao Yun finished eating, Candace brought out a small bowl from the kitchen and handed it to him gently.
"Here, take this and drink it too."
Shao Yun stared curiously at the bowl before him. Inside was a dark, steaming liquid.
Puzzled, he looked up at Candace and asked, "Uh… what is this exactly? Coffee, maybe?"
Coffee wasn't this dark, was it? Shouldn't it be deep brown? Could it be black coffee?
Candace shook her head softly and explained patiently, "It's medicine. You're sick. Drink it—it'll do your body good."
The fact that Candace could tell at a glance he was unwell left Shao Yun genuinely surprised. "How did you find out? No other person has noticed that I'm sick—not a single one!"
Candace remained calm as she slowly explained, "It's nothing special, really—just experience."
"As the guardian of Aaru Village, whether it's the elderly, the children, or desert folk from afar, whenever someone ill is sent here, I take care of them personally."
She paused briefly, then continued, "Sometimes the Akademiya even sends patients afflicted with the Withering Disease, or scholars driven mad by their research."
"Whenever those patients arrive, I examine them carefully and let them stay here as one of our own. Isak's grandfather, Khalil, came here in just that way."
As she spoke, Candace lifted a finger to her distinctive heterochromatic eyes. "Of course, after all that, I suppose the most important factor is probably my own unique perception."
"I can sense a faint aura of decay from your body… hmm, I suppose you could call it an innate gift."
Shao Yun looked at the bowl of medicine Candace had prepared for him. Though it was pitch-black, it gave off a subtle, strange fragrance.
At that moment, a detailed system notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[A bowl of medicine that strengthens the body, made using ancient medical techniques passed down through desert civilization. Its unique formula and refined craftsmanship grant it remarkable effects.]
[Effect:Equivalent to a Potent Health Cure.]
[Note:Potent Health Cure is a Grade II; Special Miracle Tonic is Grade III.]
Seeing that it was a Potent Health Cure, Shao Yun lifted the bowl and drank it all in one go.
When he finished, he licked the remaining drops from his lips and thanked Candace sincerely.
"Thanks for the medicine—I really do feel a lot better after drinking it."
Taking the empty bowl, Candace replied gently, "You're welcome. But the full effects might take a while to show."
Hearing that, Shao Yun couldn't help but sigh softly.
He tilted his head back slightly, lost in thought, murmuring, "You really remind me of someone remarkable… someone whose situation was a lot like yours."
"He came from a people discriminated against by others. And like you, he bore the burden of caring for many."
Candace's curiosity was piqued. "Oh? And who might this person be?"
Shao Yun pursed his lips slightly, his mind drifting back to the time he met that great Native chief. He began recounting his story.
"His name was Chieftain Rains—full name, Rains Fall. At first, I thought he was weak and pitiful. But as time passed, I realized he was simply a man trapped in a world beyond his control."
"He was a prudent, kind-hearted man. It's just a pity… you'll likely never meet him."
After all, the man had already led his tribe northward to Canada.
Seeing the complex emotions on Shao Yun's face, Candace guessed that this person might have passed away, and her own expression softened with sorrow.
"I see… what a pity. From how you described him, I would've liked to meet him."
Not wanting to linger on memories of Rains Fall, Shao Yun changed the subject. "By the way, earlier at the village gate—you and Dehya…"
Hearing that, Candace chuckled lightly. "Oh, that! It's nothing serious."
"I was just scolding her for not sending me a letter or message in the past half year. Don't misunderstand—we weren't quarreling! She and I get along very well."
Shao Yun had only brought it up to steer the conversation elsewhere, and upon hearing Candace's reply, he nodded with a smile. "I see. Sounds like you two have a good relationship."
…
After a while, Dehya returned.
She strode in, flopped down into a chair, stretched out her limbs, and looked utterly relaxed.
"Finally done! I was wondering what could've thrown everyone in Aaru Village into such a panic—turns out it was just a bunch of smuggled books."
The moment the word "books" reached Shao Yun's ears, he muttered softly, "Books? Maybe I've just gotten used to seeing people in Sumeru City glued to their Akasha Terminals all day—I almost forgot books were still a way to learn."
Dehya perked up immediately, sitting upright and crossing her arms seriously. "Exactly! Those Akademiya people won't even let us desert folk use the Akasha Terminals to gain knowledge."
"So, for us, if we want to learn something useful or improve ourselves, we have no choice but to rely on books."
Then, as if recalling something unpleasant, she huffed angrily.
"Hmph! It's all that Grand Sage and his bunch of Akademiya lackeys. Just because we're from the desert, they strip away our right to knowledge—how's that fair?"
"At this rate, the tension between the desert people and the rainforest folk will explode into open conflict."
Candace's brow furrowed slightly, her tone stern but not harsh. "Don't say such things in the village! A fight between the desert and rainforest people would do Sumeru no good."
Seeing the disapproval on Candace's face, Dehya panicked a little and quickly apologized. "Sorry. I forgot your rules. I just speak my mind without thinking—I didn't mean any harm."
"Please don't take it to heart, Candace! I'm like you—I don't like pointless fighting and violence."
"And besides, you know I've been trying to help the children in the desert learn and grow through other ways…"
Seeing Dehya's sincere attitude, Candace sighed softly and shook her head helplessly. "Alright, alright. I know you're not that kind of person. It's just… all these rumors about the Scarlet King's resurrection and invasion of the rainforest have been wearing me down lately."
Since Candace didn't seem truly upset, Dehya quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Candace—I don't think the Aaru Village warehouse is a good place to keep those books for long."
"In my opinion, we should set up a proper place just for storing them."
Candace nodded. "Got it. I'll see if I can find a way to build a library in the village later—a place to keep the books you've brought."
"Anyway, enough talk. Eat up while it's still hot—your food's getting cold!"