The starship glided over the familiar forest of Ma Lan's village as the morning sun spilled through the canopy, dappling the ground with gold. Below, the willow tree in the square swayed gently, its branches brushing the roof of the small house Ma Lan had lent them before. Smoke curled from cottage chimneys, and the sound of children's laughter drifted up—warm, bright, and unmistakable.
Lin Che landed the starship softly in the meadow where they'd first touched down months ago. Before the engine even cut off, the door of Ma Lan's cottage flew open. Ma Lan herself hurried over, her apron fluttering, and pulled each of them into a tight hug—her hands still dusted with flour, her smile wide. "You're back!" she said, her voice brimming with joy. "Jax's been checking the meadow every morning, and Li Wei's filled three notebooks with questions about your journeys."
Sure enough, Jax appeared moments later, clapping Lin Che and Mo Ying on the back so hard their shoulders ached. "Took you long enough!" he laughed, eyeing the starship's dashboard through the window. "Heard you fixed a cold lake? Bet that was easier than fixing my old cart—though I'd still put money on me winning a repair race."
Li Wei followed, his notebook tucked under his arm, and began firing off questions: How did the reed boats hold up? Did the pine resin really seal the barrels for good? What did the cold lake's spring feel like? Su Qing laughed, pulling out her own Arcane Manual to show him the runes she'd carved for the lake, while Xiao Ya held up the warm stone from Mistveil, letting him feel its lingering heat.
The scrapyard kids swarmed the starship, oohing at the treasures on the dashboard—the cedar box, the pine resin, the reed seed pouch. One little girl, Lila (named after the healer from Daisy Dell), reached小心翼翼 for the daisy petal bag, and Xiao Ya helped her open it, letting the sweet scent fill the air. "Daisies from Daisy Dell," Xiao Ya said softly. "They make tea that tastes like sunshine."
That morning, Ma Lan baked her famous berry pie, and they sat under the willow tree, sharing stories of their journeys. Mo Ying told of the time she'd accidentally gotten pine resin stuck in her hair ( "Took three washes to get it out!" ), while Lin Che recounted the boys of Mistveil helping build the raft, their faces red with effort but grinning the whole time. Xiao Ya spoke of the reeds in Mallow Marsh whispering thanks, and Su Qing explained how the runes for the lake had glowed like tiny suns under the water.
Ma Lan listened, her eyes soft. "You didn't just fix things," she said, after taking a bite of pie. "You brought light to those villages. Not the kind from torches, but the kind that makes people feel safe again. That's the best kind of help there is."
As the afternoon wore on, Li Wei pulled Lin Che aside. He held a new map—this one marked with a village far to the east, beyond the forests they'd traveled. "I got a letter from an old friend," he said, his voice serious. "Her village is called Thornwick. She says their wheat fields are wilting—all of them, overnight. The soil's good, the rain's been steady, but the wheat just… dies. They don't know why. She's scared they'll have no grain for bread, no seeds for next year."
Lin Che's gaze drifted to the Star Marrow on his wrist. It had been glowing softly all day, but now it brightened—a faint, steady pulse, as if responding to the news. He thought of the villages they'd helped: Daisy Dell with its cloudy well, Pine Ridge with its scarce resin, Mistveil with its icy lake. Each had needed a little help, a little care. Thornwick would be no different.
He turned to his friends, who'd noticed the Star Marrow's glow and gathered around. Mo Ying slung her toolbox over her shoulder, already grinning. "Wheat fields? We fixed a dark stone, a cold lake, splitting barrels—wheat's next. Xiao Ya can talk to the soil, find out why it's wilting. I'll help till the fields if we need to."
Xiao Ya nodded, her hands glowing faintly green. "The plants will tell me what's wrong. Wheat's gentle—if it's wilting, something's hurting it, and it'll whisper what."
Su Qing flipped open her Arcane Manual, scanning a page of growth runes. "I've got runes for soil health. If the earth's lacking nutrients, they'll help. We just need to find out what's causing the wilt first."
Lin Che smiled, looking at the map Li Wei had handed him. Thornwick was a small dot on the edge of the paper, but he could almost picture it: wheat fields stretching to the horizon, villagers worrying over their crops, the same quiet fear he'd seen in so many faces before. But he also pictured the hope that would come, once they helped—like the hope in Mistveil when the spring bubbled up, or in Clover Hollow when the bees began buzzing again.
"Thornwick," he said, turning to the group. "Let's go."
Ma Lan heard, and she nodded, pressing a basket of bread into Lin Che's hands. "Take this—for the road. And remember, if you need a place to rest, this village is always yours."
Jax clapped Mo Ying on the back again. "Fix those fields good! And bring back a story that's better than my cart repair tale—though I doubt you can."
They climbed aboard the starship, waving goodbye. Ma Lan, Jax, Li Wei, and the kids stood under the willow tree, watching as the starship lifted off. The willow's branches swayed, as if sending them off, and the sound of the kids' cheers drifted up.
Inside the cabin, Xiao Ya placed the warm stone from Mistveil back on the dashboard, next to the other treasures. Su Qing studied the new map, tracing the route to Thornwick with her finger. Mo Ying adjusted the controls, the engine humming to life.
Lin Che looked out the window, at the village fading below. The Star Marrow on his wrist glowed bright, guiding them east. Ahead was a new village, a new problem, a new chance to bring light.
And as always—they were ready.