Layers of white clouds rolled and tumbled, and with the ancient, ever-present cold winds they seemed to sing the vast melody of the heavens.

Far out along that horizon, a ship sailed through the sky. Sleek and compact, it slipped through the sea of clouds like a silver-white whale.

“The Butterfly Skyship” was her name. As Diexue Ye’s personal vessel, the Skyship naturally had every room one could want for daily life: study, lounge, bedroom, dining room, kitchen, washroom, cockpit, guest cabins, greenhouse, storage… and a grand bath besides! It’s no exaggeration to say the Skyship marked the starting point of Diexue Ye’s comfortable lifestyle—wherever you went among the stars, living aboard her was pure ease.

Now this ship carrying the girls’ hopes was gliding above the New Realm. It had been a full three days since the Sky Dome’s petrification incident.

With Little Feng’s help, the Sky Dome had pinpointed the route to the next world. Unexpectedly, that infamous world lay not far from the New Realm; the detour off the original course had actually shortened the time needed to reach it.

But this wasn’t exactly good news. Because the Sky Dome had gone dark, someone needed to reach the New Realm first and re-establish handoff—so the task fell to Youshiliao.

Lively voices rose from the Skyship’s dining room. To celebrate their safe arrival in the New Realm, the girls were having hotpot for lunch. Bright juices gleamed in glass cups, and the fragrance of vegetables and meats billowed in the steam.

“Cheers!!”

It might no longer be the very moment of their jump into the New Realm, but the joyful mood hadn’t cooled at all.

“The fish balls are so good!”

Zao Chun gulped one down in delight. Once she’d gotten used to the Skyship’s food, the catfolk girl never wanted to leave, and Chulei, for her part, was happy to keep the junior members somewhere safe.

“So tasty! We don’t have anything like this back home. The meat, veggies, rich broth—Eastern cuisine is amazing!”

Liya marveled at the hotpot spread. After the Sky Dome returned to normal, she was the only passenger who’d remained aboard the Skyship.

“The sesame dip’s fragrant and the hotpot’s perfect! Just like my Little Yue—absolutely delicious.”

“Little Xue! What are you even saying!”

For these three days, Yueliu Yi had stayed by Sister Diexue Ye’s side in her girl form… which meant, of course, no chance to switch back to a boy; but as a girl, she was getting more and more practiced.

Dresses, a touch of simple makeup, walking with poise… At least now Little Yue knew the basics and wasn’t making “accidentally dense” mistakes.

“As a girl I might pass, but as a boy I’m probably failing by now,” the very cute Yueliu Yi thought with a suspiciously manly sigh. Today she wore a gorgeous blue dress, a long ribbon bow at the back, ruffled cuffs—dolled up like a porcelain doll.

“Don’t just eat meat—remember your vegetables. Balanced diet!”

Xiang Xiaoyan chimed in. Ever since she’d taken Xue Wu Nu in as an ally, she carried herself with more clarity—less shadowed gloom, more open forthrightness.

Everyone ate in good order—everyone except Little Feng, who stared blankly at the hotpot, unsure how to start.

“Little Feng… you can eat too…”

“Little Feng can eat hotpot—I checked. World Tree Maiden can enjoy it as well!”

Sister Diexue Ye had looked it up. Ordinary food didn’t help a World Tree Maiden “grow,” but she could still savor the flavors.

“Thank you… big sisters…”

Little Feng’s manner was exceedingly polite—no sense at all that she was a thousand-plus-year-old loli.

“Tasty…”

The moment she tasted it, she was unstoppable. Before the girls’ eyes—greens, fish balls, lamb slices, mushrooms, wood ear, glass noodles…—all vanished swiftly into Little Feng. Her tiny mouth was like a bottomless pit, sweeping away amounts wholly out of proportion to her petite frame.

Yueliu Yi was stunned. It was as if she were witnessing the greatest battle in the cosmos: the mighty Hotpot Coalition versus World Tree Maiden Little Feng. Ferocious as the coalition’s onslaught was, Little Feng’s power was terrifying; the grand hotpot was routed like weaklings, only a few dozen empty plates left to commemorate their struggle…

“Wah! Sister Yue, help! Little Feng ate all the fish balls! If this keeps up, I’ll die of depression from fish-ball deprivation! (whisper)”

“Uh… there’s not much I can do. We can’t bully Little Feng and tell her she can’t eat… right? (whisper)”

“Eh! Are World Tree Maidens’ appetites really this huge? The books never said! (whisper)”

“Don’t panic, Zao Chun! I have an idea!”

Seeing Little Feng about to eat literally everything, Zero Wei had a brainwave. He dashed to the bedroom and came back with a plastic bag.

“That is…!”

The sight of the bag made Yueliu Yi jump.

Its packaging was bright gold, with a green stripe across it. In the lower-left corner was the portrait of a philosophic-looking old man. Most shocking of all, there were three big characters across the front—

Jin Kela!

“What is… ‘Jin Kela’…?” (“Jin Kela” is a famous Chinese internet meme that started from an over-the-top TV ad for a fertilizer product)

Little Feng even paused her devouring of the hotpot.

“Just try it and you’ll know!”

At first, Little Feng eyed the golden bag warily. But after one taste, she went wordless with happiness.

“Mmm… mm!

♪~”

Though the green-haired girl was naturally taciturn and didn’t overreact even to delicious food, everyone could tell she was delighted—because a song was suddenly playing in their minds.

Just like in the Lost City before, except this time the lyrics brimmed with cheer.

(

Now I’m

leaving this homeland,

becoming

a swift bird in the sky,

roaming

the vast seven seas.

A southern breeze

and sudden rain—

spring is just ahead~

Hurry and eat up Jin Kela~

♪~

)

However…

Right in the middle of Little Feng’s happy song, the ship exploded.

With a violent crack, the deck lurched; dishes on the table clattered wildly.

The Skyship’s speakers blared an alarm:

“Alert, alert—magi-fusion strike detected en route… Alert, alert—magi-fusion strike detected en route…”

“Meow meow meow???”

The girls froze. A magi-fusion strike—the magical twin of a nuclear fusion strike—was nothing to sneeze at…

“Why a magi-fusion strike!? Are we done for!?”

“The Skyship should hold, but—”

Sister Diexue Ye scooped up Little Yue and sprinted for the cockpit—only, light travels faster than any dash. Just as she gathered the blue-haired girl into her arms, a blinding glare burst outside the windows…

Even though it was daytime, it was like a searchlight blazing straight in—so bright they couldn’t even open their eyes.

“Warning, warning… artificial-gravity system damaged…”

The white whale that had floated so smoothly reeled drunkenly among the clouds.

“Waaah!!! The hotpot spilled!!! My dried fish is gone!!!”

“Zao Chun, forget the hotpot—help Little Feng first!”

“Little Feng, grab my hand!”

Luckily, when Sister Diexue Ye scooped up Little Yue, Little Yue scooped up Little Feng too… The green-haired girl was tiny and feather-light; it barely took any effort.

“Everyone brace!! We’re making an emergency landing!!!”

“Eh!!?”

Amid the girls’ cries, the Skyship dropped straight toward the earth…