Famine 219: The Promised Land (Part I)

Boom! Boom, boom, boom!

Before their eyes, the world suddenly opened wide as countless vibrant fireworks exploded in the night sky, blossoming in rapid succession. The shower of radiant sparks burst forth from the darkest depths, illuminating Si Zhiyan’s face.

The curse of black and white was slowly being dispelled.

Centered around the lakeside castle, warm golden lights steadily flickered to life. Thousands upon thousands of points of light formed rivers that flowed through the entire amusement park. Fireflies danced through the air, weaving above winding paths and overhead tracks.

The park’s grand opening had begun.

Event after scheduled event played out, one after another.

Humans and monsters split into two distinct crowds. Although some tension lingered and they eyed each other warily, no major trouble occurred.

As the festivities unfolded, people soon forgot their unease, and laughter and cries of amazement rang out.

A few little water ghosts giggled as they splashed about in the center of the lake, soaking their takoyaki as they played.

Water sprayed ashore, drenching a group of maid-costumed players out for a stroll.

They were the official maids of Hephaestus Castle.

Naya and her sisters stood together by the shore and burst out laughing.

The maid sisters, three or five in a group, dashed to the shore and grabbed water guns.

Come on! The battle was about to begin!

…

Si Zhiyan and Bian Xu stood shoulder to shoulder, looking down over everything.

Knock, knock, knock!

Suddenly, the door behind them sounded with three sharp raps.

Bian Xu quickly got up to answer it. Si Zhiyan turned and saw Alice, dressed in a pink tea party-style Lolita dress, clutching her phone, her ornate head peeking through the gap in the door.

She spoke carefully: “Hi, gentlemen.”

She seemed to have had a little to drink, her cheeks faintly flushed. She lifted her skirt and offered a delicate curtsey.

“On such a beautiful evening, it’s a waste to stay indoors,” she said lightly. “Would you like to join me for a stroll through our park? I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

Si Zhiyan and Bian Xu exchanged a glance and laughed together.

They couldn’t think of any reason to refuse.

Si Zhiyan grabbed the coat draped over the back of his chair, slipping it on as he asked, “Just us?”

“Mhm.” Under the blooming fireworks, Alice clasped her hands behind her back, rose on tiptoe, and spun once. “No others—just the three of us~”

She linked arms with Si Zhiyan and Bian Xu, happily skipping into the bustling amusement park.

There were crowds of strange and outlandish figures, visitors of all kinds, just heads of flesh amid the throng, with the occasional stumbling zombie mixed in. It resembled a grand and lively Halloween party.

Si Zhiyan seldom showed his face, so few people recognized them. They wandered freely through the lively streets.

The ground glimmered underfoot.

Although Alice directed the specific construction of the attractions, Si Zhiyan had designed the park’s overall layout when they first got it.

This first phase of the amusement park was divided into four themed zones: [Pinocchio’s Puppet Alley Maze], [Enchanted Magic Spires], [Bubble Starwish Bay], and [Alice’s Wonderland]. Each area was inspired by a classic fairy tale, with the central [Candy Town] as the “gingerbread house” from Hansel and Gretel, each offering a unique experience.

Their first stop was [Pinocchio’s Puppet Alley Maze].

It was a sprawling, labyrinthine network of alleyways—a giant adventure park.

It was both a district and an attraction itself, filled with countless small shops and challenge stations, making the whole place feel like a massive game of Truth or Dare.

The three of them triggered a riddle challenge from the Sphinx. Bian Xu and Alice squatted together, whispering frantically as they wracked their brains for any remotely plausible answers, coming up empty-handed.

Si Zhiyan stood by with a roadside coffee, watching over them until the last drop was gone. By then, the two still hadn’t managed to figure anything out. It was abundantly clear: put together, the pair didn’t even equal half a puzzle-solver.

He pinched his brow, then casually gave the correct answer.

The moment the words left his mouth, the Sphinx bowed respectfully to let them pass:

[Congratulations! Your wisdom has been acknowledged, esteemed sir. Please accept my blessing.]
[Ding! For the next 7 days, your defense and all resistances are increased by 30%!]

Bian Xu: “!! =口=”
Alice: “!!! =口=”

Si Zhiyan finished the coffee, tossed the cup in the trash, and, passing the dumbstruck pair, clapped his hands together and walked ahead with a light laugh.

The second stop was [Enchanted Magic Spires].

This zone was a cluster of towering spires, magical arrays glowing everywhere, and in the libraries atop the distant towers, people dressed as wizards bustled about.

All visitors entering this area would be automatically dressed in wizard robes, wielding wands and a broomstick.

Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh!

They entered the attraction, each armed with a broom, and soon found themselves locked in a high-intensity magical battle in the air. In the end, Bian Xu’s combat experience won out.

As a forfeit, Bian Xu excitedly insisted on writing on Alice’s face. But Alice, dolled up with a full face of makeup, resisted fiercely—her determination to fight was at least a magnitude stronger than it had been in the previous battle.

If she’d shown that much fight in the magic duel, she wouldn’t have lost!

Finally, Si Zhiyan intervened: “Write on her hand!”

So, on Alice’s left hand appeared “I am”, and on her right, “a fool”, and off they went cheerfully to the next attraction.

Their third stop was [Bubble Starwish Bay].

This was the zone closest to the lake—a whole area blended with the water. Sapphire blue waters stretched and wound into the distance.

Si Zhiyan and the other guests walked along piers and boats formed from giant seashells, weaving among reefs and shipwrecks in every color, all to the sound of ocean songs echoing around them.

Somewhere, watery projections danced atop the waves nearby.

Bian Xu tilted his head up, smiling, “It’s beautiful… just like walking under the sea.”

The same sounds of awe rose from countless other visitors.

Alice, hands behind her back, beamed. “The star attraction here is [Wish Upon a Star Home]!”

Although the line was long, with Si Zhiyan along, they breezed through the VIP entrance, bypassing the queues to sit front-row center.

[Wish Upon a Star Home] was something like an indoor rollercoaster in pitch black, where the shell-car slowly sank beneath the sea and transported them into a brand new fairy tale—

This time, the Little Mermaid didn’t give up her life or soul for the prince. Instead, she wished to return to the sea, reuniting with joyful family and friends. The mermaid danced through the waves, living a vivid and free life…

In the clear, glassy ocean, Bian Xu held Si Zhiyan’s hand, lowered his head, and pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles.

Si Zhiyan laughed and returned the gesture.

Exiting the ride, many visitors remained immersed in the story, voices floating with emotion:

“Boohoo, full marks to the scriptwriter! ‘The Little Mermaid’ should have ended like this ages ago!!”
“It didn’t feel like giving up was her only option in that version…”
“Sometimes, it’s only a single thought that changes everything. Honestly, this is a better ending.”
“Let’s leave the plot aside. That feeling of weightlessness and floating was amazing… the undersea scenery was gorgeous… So relaxing… Sigh, I could almost sleep, but I don’t want it to end…”

Alice hopped on tiptoe, asking, “Mr. Si, if you were the Little Mermaid, what would you do?”

Si Zhiyan turned his head. “I’d go talk to the Sea Witch.”

Clearly, Alice hadn’t expected that answer. She paused, caught off guard. “Hm?”

“If the mermaid could grow legs, it proves the gap between humans and merfolk isn’t impossible to bridge. The short-term cost may be high, but technology always moves forward.”

“Humans can live on shores and wetlands. Land and sea needn’t be absolute opposites—there’s always the chance… someday land and sea will meet, all living things will have their rightful chance to pursue love.”

He laughed. “Of course, that’s the ideal. Perhaps in my whole life, I’ll only move the needle a little. But it’s worth striving for.”

“Working for the world you believe in—that’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

Boom! Boom, boom!

The hour struck.

Fireworks exploded across the sky.

Standing side by side, hands in pockets, Si Zhiyan and Bian Xu turned and smiled at Alice.

In the dazzling light, their outlines shimmered with a rainbow aura.

Alice gazed at Si Zhiyan for a long moment.

Then, slowly, she broke into a smile: “Mm!”

She laughed. “We’re going to change the world!”

“I—truly, truly—couldn’t agree more.”

Bian Xu laughed, too, lifting his hand to catch Si Zhiyan’s and raising it: “High five?”

Smack! Alice pounced at them, one in each hand.

Beneath the shower of fireworks, they all burst out laughing. Alice gathered up her gown and spun in a circle. “Let’s go! Next stop!”

“Welcome to… my home! My favorite area!”

——[Alice’s Wonderland].

The moment they entered, the scent of fresh, damp grass hit them.

A massive forest unfurled ahead. Waist-high weeds brushed their legs as they walked, surrounded by trees so thick it took several people to encircle them. Moonlight streamed down through branches, and fireflies flickered everywhere.

The park was so vast that, even with the crowds entering the woods, there was still plenty of room. Guests explored with enthusiasm, and every now and then, a delighted scream could be heard nearby…

A scream?
Si Zhiyan glanced back, curious.

Alice grinned and whispered to Si Zhiyan, “As you suggested, besides fixed attractions, I hid a bunch of Easter eggs in the foliage… Everyone loves it.”

Bian Xu led the way, walking lightly ahead, when he suddenly stumbled.

He bent down, searched in the grass, and came up triumphantly presenting a find to Si Zhiyan. “Sir, look!”

Si Zhiyan glanced down, and saw a mushroom in his hand—bouncy and plump, red with white spots, astonishingly cute, giving off a delicious fragrance.

“It’s edible!” Alice said.

Bian Xu was eager. “A mushroom you can eat in Wonderland? In the fairy tales, I think a bite from one side makes you shrink…”

With that, he took a bite.

Dondidong-didong-dong! A familiar little tune rang out from nowhere as Bian Xu’s figure suddenly flashed—growing dramatically in height.

All at once, he’d grown three or four meters tall.

Whoosh—

Nearby, people turned, startled.

“…Uh?”

Taken by surprise, Bian Xu’s shoulders trembled.

Was it because the amusement park was so beautiful tonight, or had he become careless in his excitement…? Bian Xu forgot to hide his vines.

Whether bestial or mechanically improved, Bian Xu’s vines were unlike any ability exchanged from the Main God’s shops.

Though they were called vines, they exuded—at close range—a distinctly bewitching, abyssal aura. Their presence was almost impossible to catch with the naked eye, like branches, like flesh. Beneath their thin, membranous surface, blue veins twitched, and inside, a living liquid pulsed.

If anyone managed to sever one, blood would surely spray forth.

The more powerful the player, the more they could sense the ominous energy of those vines.

Back then, when Bian Xu unleashed his full strength and devoured the Qi siblings, the nearby chosen, such as Shi He, had been all but sent limp into Nidhogg’s arms.

Even before, when helping Rong Bei… there had never been so many people around!

And now, every last one was staring.

In that sudden, silent instant, Bian Xu’s mind went utterly blank. A high-pitched ringing filled his ears.

His face held a trace of bewildered, curious smile, but his pupils quivered and shrank, and the muscles at the corners of his mouth grew taut.

Si Zhiyan stepped forward, reaching out to grasp his chilled fingertips.

“Listen,” Si Zhiyan said.