Thanks to Gwen's fake tears, the whole morning passed unharmed. Elvia and Yue picked their horses and soon began riding, thanks to Tommy. Rhodes walked over and shouted for the girls to have a lunch with baked potato cutlets and heirloom vegetables. Tommy was invited to join at Gwen's request, but the jackal insisted on eating alone on the haystack. Gwen is reluctant to admit that social status is deeply ingrained in this world.

Gwen's gaze fell on Tommy. When the rider first put his face into the harness of his bike, she felt an extraordinary idea pop through her mind.

Tommy is said to be a homegrown-up.

Gwen, who is said to be tied to the rainbow snake.

She cautiously left the table and approached the jackal from an angle, from where he could see her walking up shyly, her hands in the pockets of her breeches.

"Hey, Tommy, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Mrs. Boss, what do you need?" Tommy swallowed, his face beaming with happiness.

"Remember when I asked me if I could come and see how your people live in the wilderness, and would you still be willing to accept the offer?"

"Miss, of course, but do you really want to see it? I have to say, miss, this is not a picnic, those old thugs, they are not very interested in civilization. ”

"How so?" asked Gwen.

"I'm not quite sure I missed it," Tommy admits to the old bickering. Bad eyes. Our Kuman people do not like us to leave our spiritual homeland. He said we were losing young people. ”

Gwen did her best to recall the name she had heard from the hallucination.

"So, Tommy, do you sound familiar with the word Binturby?"

"yes, no, I don't have anything. ”

"How's Pttadi, Trinia?"

"No idea at all, lady boss. ”

"Kali Karu Mulenji Umparaku?"

Tommy whistles in style.

"Your old saying is flamboyant. ”

"Is there anything familiar?"

"Some of the words sound familiar. Are they countries? I'm not sure. ”

"How's Iriti?"

Tommy's eyebrows lifted an inch, stretching his leathery face.

"How do you know, Mrs. Boss?" his voice was full of surprise. "These are old stories that my grandmother used to tell! The Iriti are old singers of spiritual magic!"

Gwen's eyes formed the half-moon shape of two smiles.

"Tommy, are your people camping there? a soul singer?"

"Yes, Gulagon, she's a mob singer, a soul walker, you know, a dream. ”

Gwen restrained herself from throwing air punches.

"Tommy, I want to take me and my friends out for a few days, we want to come back on the morning of the 30th or 31st, do you think we can catch up? ”

Tommy counted the days with his hands, pursed his lips and made a sucking sound.

"I think so, Madame Boss, we send the horses to the gate, and my thugs usually camp in the bush for a day. They usually camp near the Kurangula and are easy to track, just follow the water. ”

"Well, Tommy, if you can spare a few days for us, I'll make sure everyone gets a good prize for you. Think of it as our mission request!"

Tommy smiled from ear to ear.

"Glad to help, Mrs. Boss, Tommy is best suited for Mish!"

"Thanks, Tommy. "Gwen gave him the best smile and you are the best. ”

"Shhhh "You're embarrassing me, boss, and I'll let Mr. Rhodes know!"

Gwen told her friends the good news. She's already thinking about team-building exercises. A couple of somewhat exciting duels between Ruth and Goonas the Giant should ease the confrontation between Yue and Debbie.

After Rhodes gave Tommy a thumbs up, Tommy came back with more details. Jaccaro paints a picture of a beautiful inland event. Once they leave Singleton's Gate, they follow the ancient line of fire through the untamed green zone until Gulburn passes. If they're lucky, they'll meet him at the tribe south of Barrington, and then Gwen will get some answers, and they'll be back on the night of the 30th.

The girls screamed and gushed. Outback Adventures!Four days and three nights in the jungle, camping under the stars!Kangaroo hunting and God knows what, eating bushtak and building their friendships. That's what is advertised in the brochure.

Rhodes, who used to be a helpful manager, offered to have Singleton deliver the horse to the shield door. All Gwen and the girls have to do is meet Tommy at dawn.

After planning their activities for the next few days, the girls wanted to stock up on the right outfits for the four days of hard riding. Thankfully, there is a Boxing Day market in Cessnook. Tommy borrowed Rhodes' jeep and acted as the girl's driver.

At the market, the girls had a great time. This time, each girl has extra resources. Ivey has LDM and HDM companies that her father gave her, Viet currently owns a small fortune, Deborah has cash from their previous Roo expedition, and Gwen is a donor to the Sweet Opa Company. Girls join hands and wander from store to store to build rapport through an ancient and revered ritual of female intimacy, known as retail therapy.

When night fell, the girls returned to Suria's house, where they had a bite of sweet Moscato with the old wizard. After a few drinks, Suya asks Avia and Yue about their family situation, curious about the lineage of Gwen's closest allies. Elvia's legacy was expected by Surya, but what really surprised him was Yue's lineage.

"Your father is a level 2 water summoner, but you're level 5 fire?!" Gwen's grandfather was shocked by the situation.

"Yes, my mother is a pseudonym!" Yue said proudly.

"That's ... "It's amazing. "Surya toasts to overcome difficulties!"

Yue tapped Suriya's flute and drank the fermented grape juice. Gwen looked at the bottle like an eagle. After her last defeat, she wasn't going to give Deborah or anyone else another chance to get her drunk.

"That said, be careful outside. It's just the green zone, if something goes wrong, please give me a call. ”

"Yes. The girls agreed.

Gwen gave her grandfather a kiss to end the busy evening, and then they set off to prepare for their great inland adventure.

As soon as it was daybreak, Tess drove the girls out and walked for four hours to Singleton's Shieldgate. Gwen asks what happened to the Warrenby shield door they investigated, but the apprentice knows no more than Gwen himself.

"They're still investigating. Tess deftly spun the wheels and avoided yet another pothole, who knows, the tower usually takes care of these things. I can tell you, though, that the police station has been re-stationed. ”

Gwen glanced in the rearview mirror. Yue and Debbie get along better now. They didn't make small talk, but at least they were lonely with each other. Elvia was snoozing in the middle, her face angelic as usual. Hopefully, this trip will build some rapport between Yue and Deborah.

When their car finally stopped, Tommy was already waiting with the horse. "Are you ready?"

The girls said goodbye to Tess and put on their saddles.

Tess asks the horses to line up their horses.

"One, two, three dogs! beautiful! Have fun!"

Tommy keeps his word and knows the terrain inside out. Just as they ventured out of the road, the jackals seemed to know their direction.

Soon, the flat terrain overgrown with low trees turned into rolling hills and vast open grasslands overgrown with wild grasses and early summer flowers. On one ledge, they watched a flock of chickens, more than a hundred, like a flock of synchronized fish, leaping across the vast plain. Yue tries to boil them at once, but Tommy stops her, telling her that these are not monsters, but land creatures. He instructed the girls to kill only what they could eat, and that senseless killing was disrespectful to the national spirit.

Xiao Yue is disappointed, but agrees to listen to Tommy's wisdom. She is unfamiliar with these places, and Tommy is their host.

After noon, after Yongo, the plains ended, and the mountainous landscape at the top of Barrington began. Unlike the tectonic mountains of Europe, these hills and valleys are eroded sandstone, flat land eroded by currents, and have a long shape.

The girls ride their horses through a ravine and marvel at the wonders of the shrub, its gum forests of white bark, and its verdant varrata and banksia trees. There are also blooming dogwoods, juxtaposed with flaming trees that turn the surrounding area into a fountain of blood.

Later in the afternoon, they finally found the estuary that flowed from the top of the mountain. About half an hour later, Tommy returned, relieved to see signs of the people encamping.

By this time it was getting late, and the girls had settled in the bushes for the first night. After a dinner of oatmeal, spiced dry bread and butter fudge, the conversation turned to who would stay in whose tent.

"Let's take a straw. Gwen anticipated a dispute and took action to defuse it. When she and Deborah set up a tent for themselves, she didn't want Tommy to sleep outside.

"Well, I'm with Debbie. ”

As sleep categorized, the boy's dance dimmed. When their eyes adjusted, the sky came alive and the celestial bodies burned.

"Tommy, can you tell us the story of this place?"

Tommy looked up at the stars dreamily, his expression unrecognizable.

"Absolutely, Mrs. Boss. "The guy cleared his throat a long time ago, when there were no dreams, the world was flat, bare, and cold. The rainbow serpent, Almugi, sleeps underground, and all the animal tribes in their bellies are waiting to be born. When the time came, she pushed it up and woke the animals from their sleep. She spat out the earth, made mountains and mountains, and then sprinkled water on the earth to form rivers and lakes. She created the sun, fire, and all colors. Our country loves Almugi because she is a great protector who brings the rainy season every year for life to flourish and appear in the sky like a rainbow. Our country is also afraid of Almuji, because she also punishes the invaders. ”

"Thank you, Tommy, for being fantastic. Gwen's eyes refracted the milk path above. In the mainland, the sky is heart-wrenchingly beautiful, and she feels insignificant, insignificant, and irrelevant.

"Is that the snake we saw on our field trip?" asked Deborah.

"I don't know," Gwen lied.

Yue and Elvis also silently gazed at the magnificent building, trying to imagine a snake sailing in the night sky.

Gwen had been brushing a wayward hand all night long, which had been sneaking into her sleeping bag. She was half-asleep, listening to Deborah's muffled breathing, unsure if the girl was awake or a natural night owl.

When dawn came, the insomniac wizard finally fell asleep, and she felt something stinging in her face. She opened her eyes sullenly to see Deborah's face hovering an inch away, amber eyes staring at her own face.

"Good morning," Gwen said cautiously, motionless.

"I hope these days go on forever," Deborah muttered strangely, her voice full of melancholy.

Gwen didn't answer, for fear of angering Deborah. Instead, she reached out to comfort her friend's hand. Deborah's hair, which she cut during a field trip, surprisingly returned to shoulder-length length. In the dappled light of the early morning, her friend looked extraordinarily delicate. Gwen's appearance is not the kind of striking, exotic, but a healthy, girl-next-door charm that Gwen can never influence.

Gwen leaned against the sheets, and Deborah dressed in the tent of the two women. Deborah is an earthy shapeshifter, with well-defined musculature beneath her honey-like skin. Compared to herself and her clearly visible ribs, Gwen reminded herself that she needed to eat more.

Gwen waited until Deborah was gone before changing into a long-sleeved cotton shirt and a pair of full-length breeches. Coming out of the tent, in the morning light, she buttoned up her boots.

There is a smell of sizzling bacon. Tommy is making breakfast, and with Yue's help, he excels at survivalist cooking due to Alexia's clumsiness in cooking. The girls drank tea and coffee together and were ready to ride to the local camp.

"Hey, Apa, it's me, Tommy Kuranga, how are you?"

"Nyaran!" replied an old man, "what is the matter with the Pkomans?, Tommy, are you going to bring the Migru girl home now?"

Gwen and the girls dismounted as they approached the settlement.

The word "settled" is perhaps an inappropriate observation, as they see a dozen humps made of sticks and cross-hatched gum leaves, forming a rudimentary cave where one or two people can hide from the sun or rain. In contrast, at some distance, modern material tents have replaced traditional humpback tents.

The man Tommy was talking about was what Gwen called a "bushman," but he was wearing jeans and a red T-shirt that had been faded by the sun.

As they strolled into the camp, Gwen noticed that almost all of the residents were dressed in modern clothing. There was little sign of the typical, homegrown look she had come to expect from the old world.

Feeling conflicted, she tries to rationalize the scene in front of her, fulfilling the idiotic expectations that come with her subtle biases. She told herself that just because they were in a magical world, it didn't mean that the natives were wandering around naked, painted all over.

"Good afternoon, sir. "I'm Gwen Song, and this is my friend, Yue Bai, Deborah Jones, and Avia Lindholm," Gwen said to the old guy who accosted them at the party.

Tommy cautiously led the horse away, and Gwen introduced her and her friends.

"Old Jurangi is not 'sir'!" cried the old man, studying the girls, his eyes lingering on Gwen for a moment longer than the others. "Call me Jura, that's what the old stockholders used to call me. Your home is far from here!"

"Sorry to disturb the peace, Jura," Gwen replied respectfully, wondering if it was possible to speak with your spirit speaker. ”

"Gulagon, do you want to see the old lady?" his voice said in a cautious tone. "Do you want to break Kean? or are you more interested?

Gwen blushed.

"I don't understand what you mean," she admits sorry for the inconvenience. ”

Jula looked at Tommy, who was sweeping the horses and untying the camping gear.

"Well, I'd better settle you thugs. Jura pointed to the clearing next to the rest of the camp, and you can do it yourself. ”

Gwen took the girls to the clearing and put their supplies to good use.

Jura's eyes almost peek out of their sockets.

"You magician?" said Jura suddenly in a panic, all of you?

"Yue and I are summoners, Deborah is shapeshifters, and Avia is healers. ”

Deborah put a hand on the ground and burned a small stone shape with a spell. The ground wrinkles and then flattens. In the same way, she wrapped the stone around the nail and nailed the nail of the tent.

"Enjin Pekan!" Jura spat in surprise. "Oh, this is a brazen Tommy!

Gwen watched as the man angrily walked towards their car and continued to slap the young man on the head.

"Gwen—" Yue asked, what's going on?

"Aren't we welcome?" said Elvia worriedly.

"Yes, we didn't share a good history with these people," Dobora noticed, and he observed Tommy dodging around, trying to avoid the old man's slap You know we drove the wildlings out and took their land, right?"

Gwen nodded uncertainly. Before they started using magic, old Jura looked fine. "Are there any taboos in modern magic?"

"I don't know these days," Deborah replied, but, when the purges of the '70s were complete, the natives were caught badly. It's all in the history books, Gwen, don't you remember junior high school?"

"I'm preoccupied," Gwen replied. She doesn't even remember those classes. Yue knew Gwen's family background, but Deborah didn't.

The riots seem to have alarmed the rest of the camp. Men, women and children all came out of their tents to see what riveting drama was unfolding on the edge of the settlement. In a few moments, the girls were surrounded by at least a hundred indigenous people, pointing fingers in their musical language.

Avia dignified behind Gwen and hid herself with Gwen's figure. Yue Yang had just been actively in battle, and so was Deborah, who looked ready for battle. Gwen swallowed nervously as the gathered crowd approached to check on the intruders. She could see in their eyes that not all of them were curious, and some, Gwen swallowed, looked very hostile.