NoGift

ARGENT squinted her eyes at the morning sun. She couldn't believe that it was raining like there's no tomorrow just the day before. She lowered her hand and threaded her fingers through the soft waves of the sea. She felt the cool temperature of the water. The small boat they were riding were smoothly sailing towards its destination.

Early this morning, just after they ate breakfast, Argent and Lei Feng hired a boatman who would send them to Hangzhou. They were both currently sitting on the small boat, the boatman they hired was standing on the helm. Lei Feng's three dark guards were riding on another boat since a small boat like this could only accomodate up to four people. Argent raised her head and saw the small island up ahead. But it would probably still take at least an hour before they reached it.

With that much time, Argent couldn't help but thought of the conversation she had with her sister yesterday. Specifically about those Apostles of Gaia. Why would the Empress believe that these Apostles could help her son be the next emperor? Were they that much of a powerful organization? If that was true, then why didn't she hear anything about them until now? Surely there must be some kind of talk about them if that was the case. Or was it because they were such a big secret organization that only a few handful knew about them? Particularly those people who were in power.

The other probability was that a much bigger organization was keeping their information from being disclosed to the public. The Temple of Gaia for example. The name sure fits anyway. Maybe these Apostles were responsible for doing the Temple's dirty deeds. Helping to shape the political structure of a country, doing shady things and acting behind the scenes, and killing people who got in their way.

Argent pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling another headache coming. She really hated not having all the information at hand. Going around in circles like this didn't really help. She took a deep breath. The only thing she could do now was to solve these problems one a time. For now, Argent needed to learn first about the legend surrounding the Temple of Tian Long. Then she'd wait for the map her sister would send her. Because she was sure that wherever the place the map was headed, that's where she would find her mother.

Speaking of maps, it would probably be easier to just ask White to hack into the Empress' sPhone and take the picture of the map. But Argent decided against it. Drawing the map herself was probably Aurum's own way of pinching in to help. Argent wouldn't undermine her sister's hardwork by simply hacking the Empress' sPhone.

Argent was still thinking when a peeled orange was suddenly presented in front of her. She raised her head and saw Lei Feng handing the orange to her.

"Eat. They said fruits can give you energy when you lack sleep." When she didn't pick the orange immediately, he continued, "Don't worry, I made sure that it's not too sour and not too sweet either."

Argent finally picked the orange. "Thanks." She tasted one and found that it was not indeed too sour or too sweet. It was just right. "When did you buy this?"

"I bought a bag before we had breakfast. If you want more, just tell me. I'll peel another one for you."

She ate another piece. "You know, despite how serious you look, you're really like a good big brother," she said, really meaning it. Lei Feng was attentive, dependable, strong, not to mention, a good cook. "Maybe I should call you big brother from now on."

"I don't want to be your brother," Lei Feng muttered in a barely audible voice.

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing," he answered, glancing away.

Soon, they reached the shore of Hangzhou. They saw a number of fishermen getting off their boats. All looked in their direction. Not surprising, considering they're outsiders. Aside from that, despite the fairly warm weather, Argent was wearing a cloak, covering her hair. The upper part of her face was covered by a white domino mask.

She considered using the holographic choker that could immediately disguised her appearance. But she thought, it didn't matter anyway. As long as she kept the cloak and the mask, it's enough to disguise her face. And since this was just a small island where sPhone's influence hadn't even reached, using the holographic choker was a little bit over the top.

Their first destination was an inn. Considering the size of the island, they probably only had one. Lei Feng asked for direction from one of the fishermen and they soon entered the village. Just like on the shore, everyone's eyes were glued on them. No, it was glued on Lei Feng. Even though he's masking his presence, it couldn't change the fact that he was indeed handsome. Maybe Argent should have let him used the holographic choker instead.

The village of Hangzhou had a rustic feel to it. As expected of a small village far from the influence of the country's capital. The buildings were simple, most of the shops were small, and the clothing of the people were mostly made of rough materials.

A little while later, they arrived at the inn. It was only two floors, with the first floor being a restaurant. The reason they went there was because the best place to gather information in such a small place like this was an inn. It's a place where people gather, so it's inevitable that it would be a nest of information.

When they entered the inn, a waiter was about to welcome them but the innkeeper stopped him and walked to the two himself. It's because he immediately noticed their high quality clothing. It was obvious they were outsiders. It's not often they got rich visitors. So the innkeeper had to make sure that nothing would go wrong. He had to entertain them himself.

"Welcome, dear customers," the innkeeper greeted cheerfully. "Would you be staying or would you eat first? We have a lot of delicious specialties."

"Neither. We're looking for information about a known legend around this area. Something that has to do with the Temple of Tian Long," Argent said. "Of course, there's a reward for you if you give us something useful."

The innkeeper was disappointed at first but he was immediately revived because of the last part he heard. These two were probably treasure hunters. Their village received tourists like these at least one or twice every year. Looking for a treasure that didn't exist. But the innkeeper didn't care. He could tell them that legend as many times as they wanted as long as he could get money.

"Then you came at the right place. I know everything about that legend. Maybe these two gentlemen would want to eat snacks while listening?"

Argent sighed and just agreed. The innkeeper beamed and led them towards a private box. He was even the one who ordered food for them.

"Is there anything in particular these two gentlemen wanted to know about the legend?" the innkeeper asked once the dishes arrived.

"Just tell us everything," Argent simply said.

"The most widely known variation of the legend was that under the sea of Leng Jing lies the Temple of Tian Long. Only a child with the blood of Tian Long could open the gates of the temple and get his treasure. But the truth is, that's only a part of a long story.

"This story was passed on to me by my grandmother which was passed onto her by her mother. It says that when the Mythos continent closed off, a treasure from each mythical race was sent to three different corners of the world. One of the treasures submerged under the sea of Leng Jing. It was the sword of the dragon king. A temple rose to protect it against those underserving of its power. The temple was named Tian Long. The only one who could safely walked inside was a child of all. And when a child of all gathered the three treasures, he can then enter the long lost paradise."

A lot of things went through Argent's head when she heard all that. "These treasures... do they have a name?"

"The sword of the dragon king, the ring of the elven queen, the crown of the king of the beasts - together, they are called the sacred artifacts."

When the innkeeper was done, Argent threw a pouch of gold coins to him. The innkeeper happily walked outside the private box. The sacred artifacts were still ringing inside Argent's head when she received a message from her sister. It the drawing of the map.

"Where are we going next?" Lei Feng asked.

Argent glanced at him. "Where else? We're going to this non-existent sea of Leng Jing and have a look at one of this so-called sacred artifacts."