Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3343: Rumors About A Baby

After a few days, they continued onward.

They passed through the Silver Reef Realm, where the oceans were entirely made of reflective water said to contain highly concentrated liquid metal. The beaches were white stone. Islands drifted like broken mirrors. Little Shrubby nearly jumped into the sea to taste it before Lin Mu pulled him back.

The next stop was the Cloud Gate World. The entire planet was covered in billowing cloud seas. Land existed as mountaintops, and everything else hovered in a sky filled with flying cities made of jade. Cattaleya tried to arm wrestle a local Cloud Form cultivator and nearly broke a table.

Then they passed through the Scarlet Claw Savanna World. Grasslands of ruby colored blades stretched for thousands of kilometers. The plains were filled with beast tribes that fought as part of a ritual year round. Lin Mu collected several rare herbs here, while Cattaleya sparred with five beastmen at once.

Another Five worlds later, Meng Bai finally refused to board the next teleportation array.

He stood in the channel entrance with crossed arms. ”I need fresh air. I need to hit something that is not a wall. I refuse to turn into a teleportation ghost.”

Daoist Chu patted his shoulder. ”We are all teleportation ghosts now.”

Cattaleya snorted. ”Speak for yourself. I am doing great.”

Elyon suggested they take a small detour and accept a mercenary mission. Lin Mu agreed. After eight months stuck primarily inside transit channels, a break sounded reasonable.

The group landed on a world called Jasmine Stone Realm. It was peaceful and full of lilac colored mountain ranges. Cities were made along the cliffs on rope platforms. There were active mercenary guilds and a steady need for beast hunting.

Meng Bai, upon hearing the description of the mission, perked up immediately.

”Just a few beasts? That is perfect.”

They accepted the request, travelled to the designated forest, and finished the job in less than a day. The beasts turned out to be more frightened of Little Shrubby and Lin Mu than dangerous.

Afterward, they stayed a week relaxing.

Lin Mu browsed entire libraries and bought dozens of books to occupy their next journey. Little Shrubby gathered spices, fruit, and rare aromatic roots. Cattaleya tried all local sports and won a wrestling competition by accident.

Daoist Chu watched the stars from a cliff while reviewing formation theories. Meng Bai bought snacks. Elyon visited taverns and asked for rumors.

Satisfied, they left once more.

Thirteen more worlds passed. Each had its own environment and unique atmosphere.

One world was entirely underwater and required special bubbles to breathe in. Lin Mu collected rare corals while Meng Bai panicked every time a giant fish swam by.

Another world had forests where trees sang. Meng Bai complained he could not sleep because the trees hum too loudly.

They passed a barren world filled with nothing but old ruins outside a handful of settlements. Elyon found a dozen old scrolls that he swore would be useful. Meng Bai said they looked like firewood.

At last, they arrived at the next world in the nearby solar system.

They rented a mountain top villa to rest for the night. The moon was very large here, and the climate was cool. Lin Mu meditated on the balcony while Cattaleya slept sprawled across an entire sofa. Little Shrubby cooked grilled fish and herb stew.

That night, Elyon finally returned from the local mercenary union building.

His expression was strange, a mix of surprise and disbelief.

Lin Mu asked, ”Did you find anything new?”

Elyon nodded slowly. ”There is some news.”

Cattaleya raised an eyebrow. ”Is it a mission?”

Elyon shook his head. ”Not exactly.”

Daoist Chu sipped tea. ”Then what is it?”

Elyon cleared his throat. ”Rumors. Very strange ones. In the nearby system, there is a major world called White Owl World. And on that world, a legend is being whispered about a baby.”

Lin Mu blinked. ”Just a baby? What could a baby do to cause rumors across worlds?”

Elyon said, ”The baby is only a year old. But it can speak fluently. Not baby talk. Actual speech. And it behaves like an adult.”

Cattaleya sat up immediately.

Daoist Chu leaned forward.

Meng Bai said, ”Wait. A one year old... talking? With adult personality?”

Elyon nodded.

”And apparently,” he added, ”that is not the strangest part.”

Lin Mu exhaled softly. ”Interesting. Very interesting.”

A couple minutes later, Elyon sat on the villa’s balcony railing, swirling a cup of tea in his hand while the others gathered around. The night air was cool and heavy with the scent of mountain flowers, but the strange tension in Elyon’s voice cut through the calm atmosphere.

Lin Mu leaned forward slightly. ”Tell me everything you heard. Start from the beginning.”

Elyon nodded. ”Right. The mercenary union had a few informants talking about White Owl World. That place is basically a gathering point for fortune tellers and spirit arts specialists, so oddities get noticed quickly. According to the latest reports, people have begun to consider the baby an ill omen.”

Daoist Chu lowered his cup. ”Ill omen as in cursed?”

”Some believe that,” Elyon confirmed. ”Others say the child is possessed by a ghost. And according to the rumor, even its own family has placed it under house arrest. Not just ordinary confinement either. They are keeping the child under layered Sealing arrays.”

Meng Bai’s jaw dropped. ”Sealing arrays? Layered? Around a baby?”

Lin Mu frowned. ”That is severe. They are treating the child like it is a walking catastrophe.”

”It gets stranger,” Elyon added. ”Someone in the union said they did this because the baby refuses to eat. It has not consumed food or water for months.”

Cattaleya raised an eyebrow. ”Then how is it alive?”

Elyon took a slow breath. ”That is what terrified the clan. The baby is sustaining itself entirely on spirit Qi. It absorbs it naturally, like breathing. And it has been complaining constantly. All day. Every day. In very coherent language.”