Bai Ye had always felt that a group of horse bandits and a rampaging automaton didn't quite fit the grandeur of a hidden quest, especially with the help of some chosen ones, and the automaton's rampage didn't even require Bai Ye's intervention, as Kai and Mulan arrived and dealt with it.
However, if it was a chain quest, then Bai Ye could understand, as the first stage of a chain quest was bound to be the simplest.
The problem lay in the subsequent difficulty, and how many stages this quest had?
"Hey, Bai Ye!" Mulan called out, turning around. "What are you spacing out for? Let's go!"
Bai Ye snapped back to attention, responded, and quickly followed Mulan and Kai.
Returning to the ancient road, the horse bandits had all been subdued. The chosen ones had no obligation to escort them, and dispersed after the mission was completed.
Mulan called a squad leader from Chang'an for a few questions, then approached the enormous flatbed cart, looking at the damaged automaton.
A moment later, Mulan found Kai and Bai Ye and said, "I need to write a letter back to Chang'an. Something is not right about this."
Bai Ye asked, "What's not right about it?"
Mulan explained, "According to the soldiers from Chang'an, that automaton has nothing to do with them. It was brought by the horse bandits. When the bandits appeared, they used more than ten horses to drag that cart."
Bai Ye replied, "It wasn't from the supply train anyway, so it must have belonged to the bandits. What's so strange about that?"
Mulan continued, "But, on the wheel hub of the cart, and on the back of the automaton, I found the mark of Wanxiang Tiangong. This means that the automaton, and even the cart used to transport it, came from Chang'an."
Bai Ye and Kai exchanged glances.
Neither Bai Ye nor Kai could grasp the implications of this matter. Kai was an outsider adopted by Mulan and brought to Chang'an, and Bai Ye was a newly arrived chosen one. Although he had been to the hero region in his previous life, he had never been to the Great Wall. Therefore, neither of them knew what Wanxiang Tiangong was.
Kai patted his chest and declared, "I don't understand any of this, nor do I want to. All I know is, wherever your sword points, that's where I will charge with my blade."
Bai Ye's eyes widened, and he secretly gave Kai a thumbs-up.
"Wow, you're amazing!"
Such a loyal declaration, wouldn't that just sweep Mulan off her feet?
From this day forward, please allow me to call you 'Dad Kai' and take me as your adopted son, teaching me the ways of wooing women.
Then, Bai Ye glanced at Mulan. She showed no reaction, instead lowering her head and falling into thought, seemingly pondering the mystery of the automaton.
Bai Ye slapped his forehead, forgetting that she wasn't just any ordinary girl. It seemed that 'Dad Kai' had a long and arduous road ahead in his romantic pursuit.
They escorted the horse bandits back to the military camp. Shouyue, brimming with the strength of a devoted wife, held up a tray and smiled, "You three have worked hard. Come and eat."
Shouyue's food was, as always, delicious.
After eating, Mulan immediately put down her chopsticks and went to find Li Xin. As the current commander of the Great Wall, she had to go through Li Xin to send a letter to Chang'an.
Bai Ye, on the other hand, continued to ponder the hidden quest.
The second stage of the quest was to help Mulan find that ghost. However, the task wasn't as simple as it appeared. Currently, the clue seemed to be the automaton, and since the automaton was related to the ghost, investigating the automaton and discovering its origin might lead to the ghost.
Thinking this way, Bai Ye felt he might need to wait for a while. Mulan had already begun investigating the automaton, and the reply from Chang'an would likely contain new clues.
Meanwhile...
A bird call suddenly interrupted Bai Ye's thoughts. Looking up, Bai Ye saw a large white bird flying overhead. It looked like a seagull, with a very distinctive beak, as large as a huge pouch.
Then...
Bai Ye saw a blurry black shape falling from the sky, growing larger and larger, and then...
*CRASH!*
Bai Ye's head was suddenly struck with great force, sending him and his chair crashing to the ground with a loud bang.
Kai and Shouyue were startled and quickly helped Bai Ye up.
"Bai Ye, are you alright?" Shouyue checked Bai Ye's head. "Your head is red, but it's not bleeding. You should be fine."
"Damn it!" Bai Ye cursed, clutching his forehead. "Falling object from a height, may you die a horrible death!"
Kai picked up a cardboard box and handed it to Bai Ye. "What is this? There's a note on it."
Bai Ye took it and was instantly speechless.
The first line written on it read: "Big-Mouthed Gull Express, at your service."
"Your grandma's, it's actually a delivery?"
Then he looked at the bottom, signed: Jin Sha.
"It really is my package?" Bai Ye couldn't help but twitch his eye. He said to Kai and Shouyue, "It's my stuff, it's just that the delivery method was a bit rough."
Kai shrugged, while Shouyue asked, "Do you want to put some medicine on it?"
"I can do it myself," Bai Ye said, picking up the cardboard box. "You guys continue eating, I'm heading back."
After saying that, Bai Ye, holding the cardboard box, grumbled and walked towards the direction of the tent.
Upon returning to his tent, Bai Ye drew his renowned sword, Blood Drinker, and sliced open the cardboard box. He stared at the contents with surprise.
"This thing?" Bai Ye exclaimed. "A snail?"
The box contained a snail. However, compared to ordinary snails, this snail was a king among snails, about the size of two palms. Its shell had spots, and on the side was a dial like a telephone. In fact, the top part of the shell was removable, revealing a receiver.
Telepathic Snail (Item) (White): A magical creature used for communication, resembling a snail in appearance. It remains dormant when not in communication and awakens when communicating.
Bai Ye glanced at the screen and was speechless. "So, this is a phone that looks like a snail?"
This thing was quite magical. Bai Ye considered himself well-traveled, but in his previous life, he had never seen such a communication tool.
However, there were countless strange and unusual things in the world battlefield. Even after living for a lifetime, Bai Ye couldn't have seen everything, so it was normal to encounter something unfamiliar.
It was at this moment...
"Bolu bolu, bolu bolu bolu, bolu bolu..."
The Telepathic Snail's eyes suddenly opened, and its partially split mouth began to emit "Bolu" sounds, short and long, in a continuous loop with a distinct rhythm.
Bai Ye tilted his head. Was it ringing?
As Bai Ye mused, he picked up the receiver from the snail's shell and said, "Hello?"
"Hi, Bai Ye, long time no see," Jin Sha's voice, filled with a smile, came through. "Did you receive my package?"