Chapter 1379: Chapter 1379: Struggling to Survive
Upon hearing Qin Sisi inquire about the way to the Chief Mansion and Kurosawa Highland, Chen Pei’s expression changed, and he asked, "Are you going to the Chief Mansion and Kurosawa Highland?"
Qin Sisi nodded and replied, "Yes."
Chen Pei imdiately said, "Going to the Chief Mansion is no problem, I can take you, but you absolutely must not go to Kurosawa Highland.
"Why?" Qin Sisi and Ye You asked in unison.
Chen Pei displayed a look of terror and explained incoherently, "Because the Deity has placed a curse on the edge of Kurosawa Highland. It’s always shining with a rainbow-like glow there, and that glow is deadly. Anyone who steps into Kurosawa Highland will soon die within that glow. You absolutely must not go there."
Ye You couldn’t help but furrow his brow. If the Deity Inkwest City really set a powerful curse or formation at the edge of the Black Highlands, that’s indeed a big problem, and entering would be quite challenging.
Qin Sisi thought for a mont and said, "In that case, please take us to the Chief Mansion to have a look first!"
Chen Pei’s fear of Kurosawa Highland and Inkwest City was evident, and Qin Sisi didn’t want to force him. It would be better to ride the situation after checking things out at the Chief Mansion!
Only going to the Chief Mansion, Chen Pei agreed wholeheartedly. He told his parents and then led Qin Sisi and Ye You out.
Chen Pei’s family lived in a rather remote area, quite far from the Chief Mansion, taking several hours to walk there.
Qin Sisi and Ye You didn’t plan to reveal too many of their cards too quickly, so they walked with Chen Pei. Along the way, Chen Pei, out of gratitude and also from his inner resentnt and helplessness, shared a lot about the Stoning Plain with them.
The Chief Mansion is the most prosperous place here, for no other reason than that the Mu family can provide water sources.
And in any place, the strong are revered. Those who have activated the Magic Source live closer to the Chief Mansion. The stronger one’s magic power, the closer their residence is to the Chief Mansion.
Being near the Chief Mansion allows for quicker access to water sources.
The weaker one’s power, the farther their residence is from the Chief Mansion. It takes a long ti to go back and forth, and there’s a high risk of the water being stolen on the way back.
Chen Pei’s family are all ordinary people who haven’t activated the Magic Source, so they live far from the Chief Mansion.
Ye You and Chen Pei walked under the hot sun for a long ti. Both were drenched in sweat, with their clothes soaked through. Qin Sisi, resting on Ye You’s shoulder without having to move, felt a bit better.
Seeing Chen Pei exhausted, drenched in sweat, and parched, she took a bottle out of her storage ring, filled it with water, and handed it to him.
"Thank you, Magic Cat Lord." Chen Pei, overwheld with gratitude, thanked her repeatedly and gulped down the water from the bottle.
Ye You glanced at Chen Pei and turned to Qin Sisi, saying, "I want so too."
Qin Sisi rolled her eyes at him, "Can’t you use Water Magic yourself?"
"I want to drink the water you give ," Ye You stubbornly replied.
Qin Sisi couldn’t help but laugh and cry; she couldn’t bear to embarrass him, so she took out another bottle, filled it with water, and handed it to Ye You.
Ye You raised his eyebrows with a smirk, took it, and drank it all in one go, then smacked his lips and said, "It’s really sweet."
Chen Pei, puzzled, said, "Sweet? I only felt it was refreshing and cool, but didn’t taste the sweetness."
Ye You looked at Qin Sisi with a smile, and Qin Sisi ignored him, gently urging Chen Pei to hurry up.
Several hours later, the three finally arrived near the Mu Water Clan Chief Mansion. From a distance, Qin Sisi saw the long line of people outside the Chief Mansion.
Approaching, she saw that everyone in line held a clay pot, plugged with a wooden stopper, all there to get water.
The queue was very tight, with people’s chests almost pressed against the backs of those in front. Everyone wanted to get the water source sooner, squeezing tightly, and the line seed shorter as if it would soon be their turn.
Moreover, such a tight queue had another advantage: it prevented line-cutting, which made it relatively fair overall.
Seeing that Chen Pei and Ye You did not queue at the back but walked along the edge of the line to the front, everyone’s faces showed a wary expression, squeezing the line even tighter, afraid they would sneak ahead.
Ye You and Qin Sisi didn’t pay much attention to the expressions of those in the queue, observing the surroundings as they walked towards the front of the line.
Chen Pei said this was the most prosperous area in the Stoning Plain, and the Chief Mansion indeed covered a large area, but it was evidently quite dilapidated. Many places with colored paint on the structures had the paint already peeled off, revealing the dry, yellow-gray underneath, much like an aged giant who had passed his pri and was now struggling.
The buildings close to the Chief Mansion were much taller and wider than Chen Pei’s house, but none could be considered grand.
Everywhere one looked, it was clear that the water scarcity had stripped the Stoning Plain of its forr prosperity. Both the Mu family, who provided the water source, and ordinary clan mbers troubled by water scarcity, were just struggling to survive.
Thinking as they went, they reached the front of the line, where they saw a thin wooden pipe protruding through the wall from the Chief Mansion, with clear water flowing out. A woman in her forties held a clay pot, collecting water.
The water flow was very thin, only as thick as a pinky finger. The woman’s brow was furrowed tightly, with a face full of tension and anxiety.
After a mont, a burly man behind the woman started yelling, "Hey, how co you’re still not done? Isn’t it supposed to take just ten minutes to fill a pot? Did you sneak a drink?"
The man’s words provoked dissatisfaction among those behind, who all loudly complained, urging the woman collecting water to hurry and make way.
The woman beca anxious and sharply retorted, "Why are you rushing? Did any of you see
sneak a drink? The water is just coming out slowly today; what can I do?"
A few people at the front of the line were half-convinced and ran to check, finding that the water stream was indeed a bit thinner than usual, which imdiately set a fuss.
"Isn’t Clan Leader Mu Feng in charge today? Why is the water flow so thin?"
"Yeah, maybe he strained his back yesterday indulging with his wife, and is now weak!"
"Mu Feng really is getting old, can’t even supply water properly anymore."
So even started shouting towards the Chief Mansion, "Clan Leader Mu Feng, can’t you put in more effort? Everyone’s waiting for water!"
Once one person started, the crowd in line began to clamor.
"Clan Leader Mu Feng, hurry up, my family hasn’t had water to drink for days."
"Clan Leader Mu Feng, if you can’t handle the job anymore, just step down already!"
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