Soon, the elf dy with the measuring tape had finished measuring Nova's figure. The elf dy was very professional, like a master seamstress, and when she measured Nova's chest, Nova could feel Sylvie's slightly pitying gaze.

  "I think this is a pretty fabric-saving figure. Perfect for me," Nova said jokingly to show that she didn't care. But when she saw Sylvie's gaze, which seemed to say even more clearly, "What a poor girl," Nova could only ugh awkwardly.

  "All measured," Sylvie said, brimming with enthusiasm to get started. Then she said to Nova, "Would you like to reconsider letting me make you an Aethelfleur Skirt? It's very cool and breezy. I think it would suit you."

  "No, thank you for your kindness," Nova said. "Besides, I'm more used to wearing pants and simple cloth tops."

  "Really? But I think you'd look so cool and beautiful wearing an Aethelfleur Skirt with a Feylight Blouse," Sylvie said, imagining the scene. It was as if she had a magical dressing room installed in her mind, already dressing Nova in this elven outfit and giving her a perfect score.

  Okay, this was the most difficult situation for Nova to deal with: an overly enthusiastic elf dy she had just met.

  But this ordeal ended quickly, because Sylvie discovered that she didn't have enough Everfragrant Flowers at home to make an Aethelfleur Skirt (Aethelfleur Skirts are decorated with many, many Everfragrant Flowers that never rot), so she decided to make a set of pants and a cloth top suitable for Nova first.

  "I'm the only elf around here. No other elves will come here, so if you want to go out, feel free to take a walk," Sylvie said to Nova while preparing to cut fabric (Nova also noticed that elves referred to themselves as "people").

  Then she stared at Nova, as if discovering Nova's weakness, and said with a hint of worry and a reminder, "Just don't go too far."

  "Don't worry, I'll just wander around nearby," Nova said. She realized that Sylvie was kindly reminding her, which made Nova blush slightly. She couldn't bme some 'forest curse' for her terrible sense of direction anymore.

  And since staying here would disturb Sylvie's sewing, Nova went for a stroll around the hut, wearing the 'rexed-fitting chest-exposing dress.'

  The sky was very blue, like an iceberg permeated with blue dye, suspended in the air. The fragrant grasses seemed to be watching a race of the wind. When the wind blew, the grasses would 'raise their hands' and wave in cheers. And the trees in the distance were silent, as if they were all asleep, though they would occasionally rustle their leaves, like snoring.

  The river was also very clear. A faint phosphorescence shimmered in the flowing water, sparkling with dots of light. These lights danced and rippled, transforming the water into a starry sky.

  Nova looked at this scenery. She felt somewhat out of pce. Although she had been in contact with nature for a full three months, she had never experienced such a sense of tranquility. She gradually tried to immerse her whole being in this tranquility, walking, walking beside the stream not far from the hut, walking among the blossoming flowers and fragrant grasses. She was trying to live in harmony with this nature.

  There was no shortage of living creatures here. Butterflies danced back and forth among the flowers, touching a flower and then fluttering away, as if pying a game with their light feet. And occasionally, rabbits or squirrels would poke their heads out, gncing around, allowing Nova to appreciate these small animals' cuteness for once, instead of just seeing them as food.

  Nova felt an unprecedented sense of exhaustion, a fatigue that almost pulled her to the ground. She could only find a tree to lean against and continue to gaze at the scenery before her.

  "It's so beautiful," Nova excimed. "If only Mitty and I could live in a pce like this."

  "Mitty..."

  The moment Nova thought of this, the tranquil air suddenly felt suffocating. All the lively animals, everything she saw – the greens, cyans, and blues – were covered in a purple hue, like blood seeping up from the earth. This purple was boiling, burning, and within the fmes, human figures constantly emerged, their faces twisted in ughter.

  A cruel ughter, a maniacal ughter.

  Nova felt her blood run cold, preparing to fight or flee, when she heard a voice from behind her.

  "Brother."

  "Mitty?" Nova turned her head and saw a girl wearing a long red dress. It was Mitty.

  And Mitty smiled at Nova, a smile that was pained and desperate.

  "Brother... am I delicious?"

  Then Mitty, too, was consumed by the fmes and burned away.

  After hearing those words, Nova felt herself falling into an infinitely cold bck hole, plummeting endlessly until the fear in her heart transformed into a blinding light that pierced her eyes.

  "Ah!" Nova woke up with a start, covered in cold sweat, gasping for breath. She felt every muscle in her body tense, and an icy chill coursed through her.

  "Nova, are you alright?" A clear and melodious voice, like the singing of birds, asked. "Did you have a nightmare?"

  "Sylvie, I'm fine," Nova said, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. She opened her eyes and looked around. It was now night, but a very blue kind of bck, like crushed sapphires scattered across the night sky. The stars were out, a bit dazzling, yet obediently twinkling in the heavens. And the moon retained its mysterious and hazy illusion, as if one could step onto the moonlight and enter that cold, yellow world.

  And everything around her was so peaceful and serene, with only the faint chirping of insects and the rustling of wind through the grass. Nova's dream, however, felt like a warning, warning her not to try to die in this beautiful world. She couldn't die here. She should live, live in that sea of fire.

  Nova's head began to throb. Her mind seemed to sway back and forth between the fiery world of her dream and the natural world before her.

  "Nova?" Sylvie noticed that something was wrong with Nova. She reached out and helped Nova up, saying, "I've finished making your clothes. I saw you were asleep, so I made dinner and waited for you to wake up. I was just wondering if I should wake you..."

  "Thank you, Sylvie," Nova nodded, knowing she couldn't let the kind girl who was hosting her worry. Besides, it was so dark already, which meant Sylvie had been waiting for her for quite a while.

  Nova followed Sylvie back to her hut. It was a bit dark inside, but there were glowing white spherical flowers acting as a mp. The mp was strangely growing on a magic crystal.

  First, Nova tried on the newly sewn clothes. They looked pin but fit her perfectly, and were even very comfortable. Nova was amazed by Sylvie's skill and praised her, calling her "Master Seamstress Sylvie."

  "Oh dear, it's getting a bit cold," Sylvie said, carrying an earthenware pot filled with a stew of mushrooms and vegetables. On the table were ftbreads on a pte, and surprisingly, the ftbreads had flower petals inside. There was also a fruit basket with various fruits.

  "Sorry, I'm not very good at making meat dishes, so is this vegetable stew okay?" Sylvie asked. "I heard that you people from Xu's region seem to need to eat meat."

  "It's not that we _have_ to eat meat. This is fine," Nova said. Besides, she had been eating nothing but grilled meat without any seasoning for so long, that a meat-heavy meal might actually make her nauseous right now.

  Dinner didn't take long. The mushroom and vegetable stew was well-seasoned, and the ftbreads were quite delicious. Nova even felt a floral fragrance lingering in her mouth.

  It was a very satisfying dinner for Nova, and the first meal in a long time where she could sit down and eat slowly, like...

  Nova shook her head and calmed herself. She didn't want to show any signs of discomfort in front of Sylvie or in the setting of this carefully prepared dinner.

  After dinner, Sylvie pulled Nova along, carrying the flower mp, and they sat on the steps by the door to chat.