"Trial?"
"It's just a way of saying it…" Mualani waved her hand and explained.
In reality, it was because the water temperature of the natural hot springs was relatively high, and not everyone could endure it.
In the past, there had been incidents of women getting scalded, so this unwritten rule was created.
Outsiders must first try the artificial hot springs with lower water temperature and adapt before going to the natural pools.
When Mu Yang heard this, he found it hard to hold back. Overheating?
Not to mention a small hot spring.
I could instantly cover the entire People of the Springs in ice and snow…
Mualani turned around, clasped her hands together, "Aunt Atea, please be merciful. Mu Yang is very strong; this bit of water temperature is nothing to him."
A powerful warrior even acknowledged by the Pyro Archon herself—how could he possibly be afraid of water that's too hot!
"Everyone who underestimates the hot springs says that. It's better to be careful." Atea seemed quite stubborn, but it was out of good intentions.
"Recently the situation at the natural hot springs has been a bit unstable. Be careful when you go over there."
"But you don't need to worry too much, because I'm still here."
"Got it, got it. Then we'll head to the artificial hot springs first." Mualani knew she couldn't argue with Atea, so she could only compromise.
Even so, Atea was still not at ease.
"No tricks. You know I patrol this area often. If I can't find you at the artificial hot springs… don't even think about coming over to my house for free meals in the future."
Mualani, with her back turned, secretly stuck out her tongue.
Clearly, she had done this kind of guilty thing more than a few times.
As the group walked away, they could still hear Atea scolding the rowdy young people.
Looking at her age and the scars all over her body, Mu Yang guessed she was a legendary warrior of the tribe.
She probably wasn't an easy person to get along with.
However, what did she mean earlier by the natural hot springs being unstable?
Mu Yang asked Mualani about this.
Mualani said it was related to Natlan's leylines.
She wasn't very clear on the specific details, but generally in such situations, there was a high chance of an Abyss invasion.
"Direct Abyss invasion into the nation?"
Mu Yang finally realized the seriousness of the problem.
In past storylines, such dangers were buried deep underground or in remote mountains.
They were far from where people lived, and there were protective measures or seals in place.
But in Natlan, it had reached the surface.
In the memories of Kachina and Mualani,
Both of them had experiences of getting up in the middle of the night to fight the Abyss.
Kachina was young and hadn't experienced much, but Mualani was different.
Moreover, the leyline conditions in the People of the Springs seemed to be worse than in other tribes.
In the artificial hot springs, Mu Yang and Kachina listened as Mualani recounted past events of Abyss invasions.
It was a calm and peaceful night.
No different from usual.
Mualani and her friends had just finished a lively hot spring gathering.
It was now close to midnight.
But they were still immersed in the afterglow of joy, until an untimely loud boom came from afar…
The loud noise tore through the silent night sky, and everyone heard it clearly.
People looked at each other, none knowing what had happened.
At that moment, Atea, who was on patrol, came running anxiously: "Everyone, take shelter! It's the Abyss! The Abyss is attacking!"
The scene became chaotic as people prepared to evacuate.
At this time, Mualani raised her arm high: "Aunt Atea, I want to stay and help!"
At this point in the story, Kachina enthusiastically added some trivia for Mu Yang.
Mualani's Ancient Name [Vomoyan] represented unity.
After Mualani took the lead, others gradually stood up as well, hoping to contribute.
"No, you have no actual combat experience. It's too dangerous to stay here. Fighting is not a joke."
Atea immediately rejected everyone's decision,
Including Mualani.
After all, at that time Mualani didn't even have a Vision.
Even without a Vision, Mualani's determination was no joke.
As a member of the tribe, Mualani did not think she should stay out of it.
"Besides fighting, there should be things we can do…"
Mualani said, turning back to look at the familiar companions who had also chosen to stay.
Ilapa, with wind under his feet, ran extremely fast—perfect for notifying nearby residents.
Oranta had a strong build and good eyesight, making her suitable for patrolling.
As for Yana, she had once worked as a lifeguard and knew quite a few first-aid techniques, so she could provide support…
"As for me…" Mualani stepped onto her proud surfboard, "My speed is second to none. I'll go wherever I'm needed!"
Everyone accepted Mualani's reasoning, and she truly understood them.
In this way, even Atea could not stop them. She could only tell them to look out for each other, prioritize safety, and not push themselves too hard.
As for Mualani, she followed Atea toward the [Abyssal Gate].
Mualani quickly scouted the area around the tribe along the Spiritway, confirming the locations of the Abyssal Gates.
Every time she found one, she synchronized information with the guards who were fighting.
At one of the gates, especially many monsters were pouring out, and everyone fell into a bitter battle!
Atea swung her sword, the sharp blade deeply embedding into a monster's body, but behind her another beast was gathering power, preparing for a sneak attack!
The battlefield was already covered in scorched earth and black fire. When Mualani finally brought reinforcements, this was the scene she saw.
"Careful!" Mualani shouted loudly, then planted all ten toes on the surfboard!
Mualani charged forward fearlessly, like a water projectile, smashing the beast away.
However, this move only enraged the opponent.
The monster brandished its sharp claws and charged at her. She raised her shark surfboard, preparing for a final resistance.
But the attack never came. Warm blood splashed onto her face—the beast's heart had already been pierced by Atea's blade.
The difficult battle continued until dawn the next day.
Only after confirming that all [Abyssal Gates] had been sealed did Mualani, exhausted, follow behind Atea and the guards as they returned to the tribe.
Mualani noticed that everyone had wounds of varying sizes. Some had received emergency treatment, with bandages wrapped around their injuries.
In comparison, she—who had been protected by everyone—only had shallow scrapes.
A feeling she had never experienced before welled up in her heart: a mix of unwillingness and regret.
"At that time, I kept thinking, if only I could have been faster and stronger."
"Maybe the gods heard my voice and gave me this Vision."
After listening, Kachina's eyes sparkled with stars. "Mualani was already this amazing even before she had a Vision?!"
"Didn't I tell you about this before?"
Kachina shook her head.
"It's actually nothing much. On the other hand, Aunt Atea—she's the really amazing one…"
Mualani stopped talking about her own story and instead recounted Aunt Atea's heroic deeds.
So it was a life-saving grace.
No wonder this quirky girl could only restrain her personality in front of Atea and act spoiled toward her…
"So I said, stop calling me 'Auntie' all the time!"
When Atea patrolled over to this area, she sternly interrupted Mualani's storytelling…
On the second day after soaking in the hot springs, Mualani's spontaneous plan ran into a major crisis.
She had completely forgotten that she still had a guiding appointment scheduled.
The person who made the appointment was also someone who did things as she pleased. The exact departure time was uncertain; she would come whenever she felt like it.
And so, the scene at the beginning of the previous chapter appeared—
The one-day store manager of [The Leisurely Puffer], Mu Yang.