Chapter 2207 Little Whirlwind <TOC> Chapter 2209 Pursuing Cloud Trails
Translator: SumTLMan
The sight of a sobbing whirlwind is indeed rare. After the sand hawk had conveyed the sage’s message to Angel and observed the little whirlwind for a while, it let out a sigh and flew back to the forefront of the Gondola, entering the final stage of leading the way.
Ten minutes later, the desertification of the land had completely vanished. Though the ground was still somewhat dry and cracked, the water element in the air began to gradually intensify, indicating that the Green Wilderness was likely just ahead.
The sand hawk circled in the sky and let out several loud cries, and the land faintly trembled in response.
Looking down from the Gondola, one could see at least a hundred indifferent faces emerge on the vast land, the largest of which was dozens of meters wide.
Without a doubt, these were earth elemental creatures.
Angel guessed that they might be the final defense line of the Toothpull Desert’s border.
The sand hawk called out a few more times to the faces below, and following another series of tremors, all the faces submerged back into the ground, returning the land to its peaceful state.
The sand hawk then returned to the Gondola.
“I have informed the Guardians of the border to remember Sir’s aura. Should Sir visit again, they will not hinder you. However, if Sir intends to travel by air next time, you will still need to find a flying companion,” the sand hawk paused, then continued, “A hundred kilometers ahead is the boundary of the Green Wilderness. This is where I leave you.”
Without lingering further, the sand hawk’s body instantly burst into a cloud of sand, disappearing without a trace with the wind.
Angel used a cleaning spell to sweep the sand grains from the Gondola, then looked into the distance and set off once more.
The Gondola sped through the air, and in less than a minute, Angel had completely left the parched land behind and saw the greenery ahead.
Upon reaching this point, Angel slowed down and turned his gaze to the little whirlwind still trapped in a sand cage.
“We’re about to enter the territory of White Cloud Hamlet. How about introducing yourself?” Angel initiated a conversation. Although the sages he had encountered along the way mentioned that the gentle nature of Uranos of White Cloud Hamlet would not trouble him, a few words were hardly enough to dispel his concerns. Getting to know more in advance, especially from the perspective of a wind elemental creature about White Cloud Hamlet, could not go amiss.
However, following Angel’s words, the only response was a series of sobs.
“Stop crying.”
“It’s no use crying over what has happened.”
Angel thought he was being comforting, but his attempts seemed to only make the little whirlwind cry even harder.
Faced with this sobbing child, Angel felt somewhat at a loss; he had never dealt with such a situation before.
As the little whirlwind cried even more vigorously, Angel internally sighed: Ah, dealing with children is truly troublesome.
In the future, when choosing elemental companions, he would definitely avoid this type of child.
Observing the increasingly fervent cries of the little whirlwind, Angel felt silently frustrated: indeed, children can be quite a handful.
This made him appreciate Kolokcro even more; though stuttering and somewhat awkward, at least it allowed him some peace.
As Angel found himself at a loss, his gaze inadvertently fell on a severed hand lying on the table.
Dangros was still immersed in an illusion, but unlike its initial rigid posture, it seemed to have grasped the intention behind the illusion, adopting a more comfortable position to “watch” the drama themed around “crying.”
Seeing Dangros comfortably turn over, Angel seemed to have an idea, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
He might have a solution.
Extending his finger, Angel gently pointed it at the little whirlwind.
Surrounded by a multitude of illusion nodes, the illusory points enveloped the little whirlwind.
Originally in tears, the little whirlwind suddenly heard a voice filled with childlike innocence and wonder, “Sister Wendy, I, I want to hear the story of Dumbo again.”
“Mike is so silly, Sister Wendy’s story isn’t about Dumbo; it’s about the little flying elephant,” another childish voice chimed in.
Following a burst of laughter, the child who spoke second added, “I’m tired of the little flying elephant. I heard from a classmate that all of this is untrue; no elephant in the world can fly.”
The first childlike voice insisted, “There are, there must be flying elephants in the world, and people who can fly too.”
“Mike, listen to me, there aren’t, just aren’t! If you don’t believe me, ask Sister Wendy if, besides birds, no other creatures can fly. It’s absolutely impossible for humans and elephants!”
At this point, the little whirlwind was puzzled: Isn’t flying normal? Why would they say there are no flying creatures?
The conversation outside continued unabated by the little whirlwind’s tears, sparking its curiosity, “Don’t you hear me crying?”
Driven by curiosity about their conversation, it stealthily opened its eyes only to find itself not in the sandy prison but in an unfamiliar room it had never seen before, filled with many exquisite household items, harmonious and beautiful to behold.
Where is this place, wasn’t I on a strange flying ship before?
Before the little whirlwind could ponder this question further, it was captivated by three human figures in the room.
Among these three, the smallest, only four years old, was named Mike. Another, a few years older than Mike and from their conversation apparently named John. The girl in a nightgown, who hadn’t spoken, was their sister, Wendy.
Faced with inquiries from Mike and John, Wendy tilted her head in thought, “We haven’t seen it, so we can’t say it doesn’t exist. I believe there are humans who can fly, as it is written in books.”
John pouted, “But those are fairytales, and all fairytales are not true.”
As Wendy was about to retort, suddenly another voice joined the conversation, “It’s not untrue; humans can fly, and I can.”
The sudden appearance of a stranger, a little boy with a green hat sitting on the open windowsill, startled the three children. Turning around, they saw him smile, leap gently, and begin to hover in the air.
He was truly flying!
Amid the astonished gazes of the three children, he proclaimed, “My name is Peter Pan. Not only can I fly, but there are also many fairies who can fly, all on Neverland. If you don’t believe me, I can take you to see. Trust me, it will be a wonderful adventure!”
Hearing the word ‘adventure,’ the three children, still in their innocent and joyful years, immediately cheered and jumped up. On the other side, witnessing this scene, the little whirlwind’s eyes, previously teary, now shone brightly like little lamps.
Adventure, adventure… It’s an adventure!
…
—Peter Pan— was the illusion created by Angel for the little whirlwind.
Remembering that the holographic tablet mentioned children love watching animations and listening to fantastical fairytales, Angel decided to create a fairytale-like illusion to immerse the little whirlwind, helping it forget its tears.
Angel knew many fairytales aren’t as innocent as they seem, often implying things children don’t understand, supposedly for children but really more for adults. After some deliberation, he chose not to delve into traditional fairytales but instead opted for —Peter Pan—, a story he had previously promised to tell Wimbledon.
As the little whirlwind immersed itself in the illusion, Angel observed its emotional changes.
In the beginning, the little whirlwind seemed unchanged, merely quieting its cries slightly until Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up, made his entrance. This caused a dramatic shift in the whirlwind’s emotions, not only ceasing its tears but also revealing a look of yearning.
Angel watched, utterly baffled.
How could this child and Wimbledon alike show such fervent affection towards Peter Pan?
Angel was somewhat perplexed by the child’s thoughts, but it wasn’t a matter of great concern. After all, his objective was achieved, the whirlwind had successfully stopped crying and was now engrossed in the story… When the plot reaches its climax, he planned to abruptly cut it off. With a newfound vulnerability, he was confident in his ability to discipline this wind sprite.
As the whirlwind was lost in the fantastical adventures spun by Peter Pan, elsewhere, Dangros finally finished watching the drama centered on “crying.”
Upon waking, Dangros did not contemplate the concept of crying; instead, it immediately approached Angel, gazing at him with sparkling eyes.
Under Angel’s skeptical gaze, Dangros pleaded, “Could I see more stories of different types?”
Angel: “…” Alright, another drama addict. He began to understand why the Drama Shadow Box caused an immediate sensation upon its release in Sky Mechanical City.
It was a different kind of addiction.
Despite Dangros’s abject and fawning expression, even resorting to cuddling and whimpering at Angel’s hands, Angel still denied Dangros’s request.
Even though Dangros was quiet while watching the drama, providing Angel with a very comfortable travel experience, they were about to enter the domains of Green Wilderness and White Cloud Hamlet. Once the other troublesome child awoke, Dangros’s assistance would be needed to inquire about the state of White Cloud Hamlet. Being an elemental creature, Dangros was more likely to gain the child’s trust than Angel, who was purely of another race.
“If you do well, I’ll show you a new drama during our next journey, like the one this wind sprite is currently watching, Peter Pan.” Angel promised Dangros.
Naturally, Dangros had no idea what Peter Pan was, but the prospect of new dramas excited it enough to nod eagerly. After all, its mission from Mr. Magu was to assist Angel, and such tasks were within its duties.
A quarter hour later, even though Angel slowed the Gondola’s speed, they still arrived at the threshold of Green Wilderness.
Meanwhile, the whirlwind was completely absorbed in Peter Pan’s story, reaching the first suspenseful moment.
Peter Pan led Wendy and the others through the atmosphere to a dreamy island… They lay on clouds, stealthily watching Captain Hook’s pirate ship when suddenly, the ship’s cannons raised, and a cannonball was fired into the sky.
The whirlwind’s emotions were fully aligned with the adventures of Peter Pan and his group. Seeing them under fire, it became immediately tense.
Just as it was tensely anticipating what would happen next, the illusion unexpectedly halted, as if time itself had frozen.
As the whirlwind looked around in confusion, the frozen illusion gradually faded, and it found itself back on the airship.
When the whirlwind saw Angel again, its large eyes transitioned from confusion to disappointment, and then steam began to rise, signaling an imminent return to tears.
Angel quickly said, “If you want to continue seeing Peter Pan, then don’t cry.”
Hearing the keyword “Peter Pan,” the whirlwind remembered the cannonball soaring towards the clouds. As the memory surfaced, its tears also stopped.
Seeing the whirlwind so compliant, Angel once again felt assured that he had taken the right approach. Against unruly children, fairytale illusions were indeed a powerful tool.
While the whirlwind was still willing to listen, Angel quickly exchanged a look with Dangros.
Dangros gave a “leave it to me, no problem” gesture, then covered its mouth with its ring finger and coughed twice to catch the attention of the little whirlwind. It then walked over to the yellow sand cage and, with the sprite of recruiting a new follower, introduced himself.
After speaking, under the bewildered gaze of the little whirlwind, Dangros began to follow the procedure set by Angel, asking about its identity and the current situation in White Cloud Hamlet.
To get the little whirlwind to answer questions, Dangros occasionally mentioned the story of Peter Pan, which it hadn’t seen itself, but Angel had told it some summaries, enough to whet the little whirlwind’s appetite.
Moreover, Dangros discovered through repeated inducements that the little whirlwind was not most interested in Peter Pan himself, but in that dreamy and childlike great adventure.
This made Dangros realize that the little whirlwind and its Traveling Frog among its followers must be quite similar, both loving travel and adventure. Thus, it began to specifically tell the stories of Peter Pan’s adventures, tempting the little whirlwind to reveal the truth time and time again.
Angel was quite satisfied with Dangros’s actions, nodding approvingly. Although Dangros was also quite a character, it deserved to be the boss of hundreds of little brothers, with a quite effective command.
As the little whirlwind opened up, Angel also began to gradually understand its experiences.
Although still a sprite, the little whirlwind had its own name, called Arnoldo. It was born during the last Voice of the World and had always lived in the hinterlands of White Cloud Hamlet——Wind Island.
Arnoldo, because it could cry and often did, was considered an oddity on Wind Island.
While others did not ostracize it, they liked to tease Arnoldo. For other wind elemental creatures, their teasing was not malicious, but to the young Arnoldo, it was very harsh to hear.
This made Arnoldo increasingly dislike interacting with other wind elemental creatures.
But Arnoldo was not entirely reclusive; it had a sister who was very good to it. Perhaps because Arnoldo was born on her territory, the sister treated it completely as family.
And the name of Arnoldo’s sister was… Salamado.
Chapter 2207 Little Whirlwind <TOC> Chapter 2209 Pursuing Cloud Trails