The night trip was as troublesome as the girls expected, and they had to wrestle with wild dogs, wild dogs, and even a giant wombat, which was roaming around.

Although the girls were not in danger, Deborah tore one after the other to turn the animals into smoldering pieces of meat, which was too much for the horses. In the end, the girls quit their jobs to camp for the night, only to now lose their tents and sleeping bags due to Gwen's emerald lightning.

Deborah came to the rescue again, using her tiny stone shapes to build clay bunkers and even a bathroom and a shower area.

Tommy works as a guard while the girls take a shower, cleaning up dirt and dust from soiled clothes. As the girls bathe under makeshift tents, Gwen summons water with her spell.

"Don't feel sorry for what happened, Gwen," Elvia comforted Gwen in the stall I'm sure it's out of your control, and has something to do with the snake's spirit or the strange ritual. Also, Deborah is safe. When we get back to the city, we can all forget about it. ”

Gwen handed her a towel, and the little blonde girl carefully wiped herself, even though the act itself attracted the red dust present.

Next up is Xiaoyue, who doesn't seem to be affected by Deborah's near-death experience. On the contrary, she seems more annoyed by Deborah's vitriol.

"Gwen, I know you think you owe Deb something, but that's bullshit, okay?" she whispered harshly, because Gwen had been in the reservoir to tell the truth, I wouldn't mind her joining the team, but if she wanted to sabotage our teamwork, she should fuck off. Miglu is not quite suitable. ”

When Xiaoyue hung the towel around her neck and brazenly walked out of the stall, Gwen didn't say anything, much to Tommy's relief.

"What did Yue say to you?" Deborah asked humorously, and when it was her turn, Gwen stood a wall away from her, foaming at her honey-like skin.

"Nothing special," Gwen lied.

"Hey, I don't blame you for that accident. It's the fault of those barbarians. ”

"Please, Deb, that's me. It was I who came into contact with the Holy Spirit. ”

"Nonsense. When did our magic mess up? Our spells always came as expected, no chaos, no stupid possessions, no random effects. I believe, Gwen, don't blame yourself. ”

When Deborah stepped out from under the cover of the stall, Gwen looked away, and Thornie was nothing.

"Join me, you can summon water from here, too. ”

Gwen shook her head, "I'm sorry Debbie, not right now. ”

Deborah shrugged, went back to the shower, and washed herself off. When she had finished speaking, she also hung the towel around her neck and faced Gwen, with a full frontal silhouette, and she called her name.

"Gwen, come here. ”

"Wow-"

Gwen crosses the barrier and meets Deborah.

Deborah quickly leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

"Debbie!" Gwen snapped back, no!

"I don't mind. Deborah went on to say that dirty is good. ”

"Deborah Jones. "No," Gwen changed her tone no. ”

Deborah turned sullenly, with a mask of displeasure on her face and a frustrated frown.

"Why not?" the girl asked, her voice full of sadness.

Gwen wondered if she should tell Deborah directly instead of waiting for her to admit the truth. The girl was too aggressive. She took a deep breath, but was interrupted by an exclamation from Deborah.

"You know what. "I don't want to know. Deborah waved to Gwen and walked away with goodnight. ”

Gwen breathed a sigh of relief.

She walked into the now muddy shower to test its integrity. In the reservoir, she tricked a stream of water into the notch in the ceiling and watched as the water flowed into the bucket. Of all the girls, Gwen was the one who needed a pleasant drizzle the most.

She began to wash away the paint and dirt, feeling the pigment dissolve under the pressure of the running water. They gather at her feet in a rainbow of hues, each with very different densities and particles, maintaining a platonic style even in ankle-deep puddles. The cold water felt good, even at night, and the inland was very hot. Slowly, she concentrated her thoughts and fell into a deep thought.

Her hand moved behind the skull, where no scales still stung. Without it, she felt incomplete.

With the blink of a finger, she realized something was wrong. In her hands, the scales shimmered seductively, scattering moonlight.

"Relatives," Almuji told her.

"Almudegi is a relative, not an enemy," Gulagan once said.

Gwen pulled her hair back, imagining the scales clinging to her neck again, an extension of her own body. Almuji's gift kissed her skin warmly. She immediately felt a feeling of love, a wordless joy. She felt connected to something bigger, older, kind and motherly.

"Kim. Gwen brought the last glass of water into the evening, let it run through her fingers, and watched it flow on the red soil.

The magic water spell was dispelled, and Gwen was distracted by her thoughts. The cessation of the flow disturbed the calm of her midsummer dream.

Gwen stood on the stall without saying a word, dripping drops of water that obscured the moonlight and painted her silver.

She stroked her slightly bulging white ** with one hand, feeling the pronunciation of the protruding ribs underneath. Her hip bones are also prominent to the touch. Despite the undeniable toll of her void magic, she felt reborn. Was her rejuvenation a gift from Almuji? Gwen had no doubts. The arousal of affection is undeniable.

Gwen wiped herself off with a towel and replaced herself with another pair of clean shorts and shirt. She walked barefoot towards the girls, finding a gap between Deborah and the others.

Deborah had nothing to say to Yue. Similarly, Yue is too stubborn to reconcile with Deborah. Evia describes herself as a Swiss, but when the conflict broke out, she was a staunch supporter of the Yue team.

"Can we talk?" asked Gwen.

The girls murmured about their agreement. As a gesture of kindness, Deborah molded the smooth sandstone beneath the dirt into a stone bench.

Gwen pulled out a couple of frozen bottles from her storage ring, not quite frozen yet. She passed them on to the girls.

"You are very important to me. Gwen began, her eyes scanning the girls one by one but high school, we were going our separate ways. Over the next six months, we will share the memories of these six months together. ”

"We have an international high level in front of us. You know, this game is very important to me. This is also important to you as it will determine your college admission. Your career trajectory. For us, if we can demonstrate our skills and talents, it will be a much more powerful application than anything we can produce in the final government certification exam. ”

"So, I ask you, as your friends and teammates, to put your differences aside. ”

This delivery will benefit Deborah more than Yue and Avia's. She was apprenticed in Alicia and Elvia attended medical school.

The girls murmured about their agreement.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Gwen clasped her hands together and made a begging motion, like a praying monk. "For all of us' sake. ”

"I will!" Avia stretched out a hand to Yue and Debo.

Yue took Avia's hand.

"I'm sorry, Debbie, let's do it from now on. ”

Deborah also held out her hand, and the three of them shook hands awkwardly.

"Again, I'm sorry for my irritability. I'll do my best from now on," Deborah replied, her eyes looking at Gwen.

"Thank you, guys," Gwen said gratefully.

"It's still three hours before sunrise, who's on duty?" Yue asked.

"I will. Get some sleep. "I'm completely awake now. Gwen volunteered.

Deborah built another shelter and the girls slept on towels inside.

Tommy was already asleep, lying on a tree, with the smell of horses on the grass. When the four female bosses walked around with their heads held high in different clothes, the pressure in his heart was too great to bear.

Gwen turned to the contoured horizon in contemplation. Her consciousness turned inward, examining her astral body and observing the signals she had gathered.

The light evoked is the most dazzling.

Instant juggling.

Then there is divination.

Evolution.

Her confession signals are still vague, but there's one noticeable difference since she started using shields regularly.

Her Void Elemental Portal shimmered with a faint light.

Her lightning portal shone and crackled, only somehow it was brighter and livelier.

Out of curiosity, she channeled her lightning mana. Once its power hit her pipe, she had no doubt that her affinity had grown.

Caliban!

Instinctively, she knew that her Void Demon was the culprit. The creatures of the Void consumed two Vanka's life energy. Both beasts are enchanted, and their cores are filled with elemental air, one of the two main elements that make up lightning.

Does that mean she can increase her affinity for lightning by consuming the air elemental? Gwen wondered. Does she need to find the same source of nourishment in people with positive qualities? That's not possible. If she eats the benevolent lantern archon, the church and tower will give her a handsome bounty.

But if her assumption is correct, does that mean she can have other elements as well? After some thought, Gwen realizes that the answer is no. She was sure that when Caleban ate the land shark, she felt nothing. It's already a miracle that she's got two.

Her master has a unique talent for digging out all four essential elements, but Henry is one in a million. If asked to create a spell of pure water or fire, Henry would strive to perform his channeling at a realistic level of efficiency. So far, she had never heard of anyone possessing two elements.

And the emerald lightning used by Armugi. It's unlike anything she's playing herself.

How could she harness this hidden power?

Gwen thought about the next three months.

She had to make a decision quickly.

Being in confession training means she has a working shield. She could protect Elvis Presley and Orgaku, acting as their tank.

Receiving training in divination meant that she had a better understanding of the battlefield and could even torture enemies from a distance.

Receiving transmutation training means she can focus on self-reinforcement and eventually fly in the third layer.

She can also enhance her summoning spells, try to attack the fourth layer, and get more destructive spells.

Finally, she can perfect her magic, develop new attacks for Ariel and Caliban, or focus on enhancing her continuous effect spells.

The dilemma is that she only has time to do one of these things, and she has to invest her time to the maximum. During her observations, Gwen carefully considered her options, one scene after another in her mind.

Then, without warning, the uncertain horizon turned into a thin white line.

A disc of red gold rises, dispelling the soft purple-red black of the night. The silver glow of the moon warmed and weakened in intensity, replaced by a honey-colored diffusion that soothed the distant horizon. Limestone ridges kiss the shiny treetops, igniting the once-dark undergrowth.

Even a frequent traveler to the hinterland, she felt struck by the majesty, immersed in the wide brown earth.

"Thank you, Alumgi. Her words flew across the blue earth.

The girls are soon awakened and ready for the journey ahead. Gwen uses her telematics device to get in touch with Rhodes, and the rancher arranges transportation to take the girls back to the Surya estate.

The rest of the journey took half a day to reach the highway and another 6 hours to get from the screen gate. It was late afternoon when they arrived at the Rhodes farm.

After they break up with Tommy, Gwen collects an LDM Crystal in a small bag, worth around a thousand dollars. He tried to reject the offer, but Gwen refused to accept it.

"You deserve it, Tommy," Gwen said sympathetically, holding that jackal you have done so much for us, and what we have done is to destroy your relationship with your family and put you in danger. Most importantly, I should apologize to you and ask for your forgiveness. ”

"You're so good, Mrs. Boss," Tommy replied, his voice hoarse with gratitude, and you know where Tommy is. ”

"Tommy, I'll take care of the horses!" Gwen pecked Tommy on the cheek and watched him return to the other shepherds on the ranch, smiling and hitting him.

Rhodes takes the two girls home and asks them about their trip.

The girls raved about Tommy.

"yes, I think he's been scared all the time. "Rhodes is very happy that I will let him know that he will get a raise because you are his referee. ”

Rhodes stopped to chat with Suya before leaving.

The girls told the old wizard of their curtsy and rushed to the bath, for they were too tired to stay and gossip. However, Gwen and her grandfather stayed together to share what she knew about the matter.

"It's a pity. Surya swallowed uncertainly, turning around. ”

Gwen turned, one hand tucking her hair.

Surya placed a finger on the scale attached to her skin, and then used a spell to order the object to release itself. It refuses to budge.

He tugged at it with his fingers, watching it tug at Gwen's skin.

When the discomfort became unbearable, Gwen shouted.

"It's funny. Surya scratched her beard, and I felt that the scales merged with part of your skin. I could remove it by force, however, it didn't look harmful at all. I've only seen this in leftover items. ”

Gwen asks Suya for more details.

"That's it," Surya explained, very few objects have survived the magical trials of such a catastrophe in their family lineage, or from generation to generation, that they have developed a special bond with their users. Japanese magicians have a special term for them, which they call "Tsukuba", which is applied to tools or enchanted heirlooms

"Of course, the effects are different, but the common fact is that these projects become more powerful as users become more empowered. They have the ability to instill enhanced effects to the next generation of users. ”

"Does that mean the scale gets stronger when I get a higher level of magic?" Gwen stepped forward to the edge of her seat, her rising octave betraying her expectations.

"I don't understand why not. Su Ya smiled and tapped the scales gently. Gwen groaned as her operating room touched the scales again, feeling as if someone had poked her guts. "Oh my gosh—"

Gwen walked some distance. "Thanks, Opa. ”

"And your story. "Surya scratched her white beard I wonder why the snake attacked your friend Deborah but not the others. ”

Gwen came up with a few hypotheses

First, Deborah came from a devout Christian family. There is a belief in magic, and Deborah is indeed blessed by the bishop.

Second, Deborah is the only one of them who has an elemental soul.

Thirdly, Deborah is a bit hostile to the natives they meet along the way, except for Tommy, whom she already knows.

Surya shook her head. None of these theories fit what Gwen described.

"Maybe it's just a coincidence, right?" Surya suggested with a shrug of her bony shoulders, suggesting that it was hard for me to imagine a primordial soul caring about a high school girl. Well, except for yourself. What does its power look like?"

Gwen described, "It's like energy accumulating from the surrounding magic of the earth and the sky. "It doesn't feel like a mantra. ”

Surya didn't have an answer either. Much knowledge of the spiritual magic of the local tribes was censored, destroyed, and their walkers were severely punished by witch hunters and then slaughtered. He doubted that even the natives themselves could find an answer to Gwen's situation.

"Keep your mind on the road ahead," Surya advised, her voice soft, and sometimes all one can do is wait and see. ”

"I know, Opa. Thank you. ”

Gwen said goodnight to Suliya and kissed her grandmother lightly on the forehead.

"I'll leave early tomorrow morning. I'll see you at the Guan family estate in Avo or in the evening. Take a break. Tomorrow will be busy. Remember to dress nicely!

When Gwen finally came to her room, the other girls were already asleep.

She took another shower, this time hot, and felt the tension disappear from her tired bones. She didn't have the same physique as the others, and riding a horse also took its toll. She wiped off the towel, collapsed on the bed, and fell asleep immediately after waking up for 48 hours.