"Are you sure?" Inside the Angel Gene office, Zhao Seventh spoke to Zhao Lian.
"It has already been confirmed. Han Sen's mother, Luo Lan, is the sole granddaughter of Luo Haitang. The Ji family have Luo Haitang's support," Zhao Lian said in return.
Zhao Seventh sternly frowned and asked, "Has the Ji family done anything yet?"
"They haven't done anything particularly big. But according to the intel provided by Old Qi, some of the demigods of the Ji family are on their way to the Godslayer Shelter," Zhao Lian replied.
"They are lucky bastards. I cannot believe they have a connection with Luo Haitang. If this strengthens, they won't have to rely on us as much." Zhao Seventh's face was grim. "I thought by helping Ji Ruozhen, it would provide us the greatest influence. It looks as if I was incorrect."
"Uncle Seventh, you cannot blame yourself for this turn of events. No one expected Han Sen was to be Luo Haitang's great-grandson. And now, Luo Haitang's family, who have always remained neutral, are getting cozy with the Ji family. This would have been impossible to foretell," Zhao Lian said.
Zhao Seventh coldly laughed and said, "In this world, there is nothing humans are unable to achieve. If the Ji family wants to use Luo Haitang's power to be rid us and the support we have already been providing, I won't allow it. Although Luo Haitang is powerful, being a demigod and all, strength matters not. He is alone where he is, and he cannot return to the Second Shelter. Push on with the Angel Gene Fourth Stage tests a little quicker; they may prove useful in the near future."
"The Fourth Stage tests require a lot of shura royal blood. And we also need Dan Copper Stars. We..." Zhao Lian wanted to continue, but his words hesitated to come out.
Zhao Seventh frowned and said, "Give it to them. Angel Gene is our crowning accomplishment, and a Dan Copper Star is nothing. Once we have established a presence and can support ourselves in the Fourth Shelter, that is when our family will truly begin to shine."
"Yes," Zhao Lian agreed. Then, he turned around and exited Zhao Seventh's office.
"I will let these old men know that their time is up. The advancement of humanity, genetics and all, lies in technology." Zhao Seventh's eyes shone with light.
Continuing the trek, Han Sen hadn't encountered anything strange again. With the silver fox near, it was common for creatures to keep their distance. As such, their journey was free from strife.
The fairy seemed incredibly gentle, and she affectionately listened to Han Sen whenever he spoke. Her wounds were gradually getting better, each and every day. It would not be long before she fully recovered.
Still not completely trusting her, though, Han Sen never let his guard down with her around. As Han Sen slept, he felt the fairy fly near him, which triggered an alarm siren in his head.
But he wasn't willing to make a move just yet. He pretended to continue sleeping, and instead activated his senses to observe what she was doing.
The fairy flew near him, circling his head. Then, she landed on his palm and slipped into the half-folded fingers of his hand. Like a blanket, she made herself snug below them and went to sleep.
Han Sen's demeanor relaxed somewhat, and he was greatly surprised by her behavior. He opened his eyes and watched her slip into dreams of her own, looking so gentle as she did.
But a few days later, Han Sen believed he was starting to be a little too naïve and was letting his guard down. He thought the fairy was still biding her time for revenge, as all she did was laze about and ignore his commands. Aside from acting cute, she wouldn't do a single productive thing.
"These evil, tricksy second-generation creatures will never do anything decent." Han Sen was infuriated by her behavior. Previously, it had only been the silver fox he had to compete with for goods, but now there was the fairy, too. There were a couple of occasions when Han Sen wanted to treat himself to tastily cooked meat, but ended up being unable to. The combined bellies of the two creatures he had for company needed to be filled first, and that usually left him with the mangy leftovers.
"Fine. I'll fatten you both up first, and then dine on you," Han Sen thought to himself.
The group of travelers traversed the Black Desert for another two weeks. Just as Han Sen had almost forgotten about all the strange occurrences that had happened along the way, he stumbled across an oasis.
"No way. Coconut trees here?!" Han Sen, after seeing the oasis, looked a little strange.
Oases weren't entirely strange, but the abundance of coconut trees was. Each tree was decorated with a number of basketball-sized coconuts that looked absolutely delicious.
This was a harsh desert and yet, why would seaside-grown coconut trees be growing here? Their sheer number was incredible, too. It was like an infinite forest of coconut trees.
Zhou Yumei looked excited. With Little Orange, she immediately took off running into the coconut forest. She gathered many of the coconuts with a hungry face. She had been drinking plain nutrient solutions for the longest time, and by now, she was sick of them.
"Stop! Don't touch those things," Han Sen quickly called out to Zhou Yumei.
"Why not? I'm just hungry for some coconuts. There aren't any creatures around." Zhou Yumei turned around with a confused look.
"We are in the world of shelters. Use your head and try to think why so many coconuts trees might just happen to exist here. Of course, feel free to go ahead with your meal—if you aren't afraid to die," Han Sen coldly warned. If she insisted on eating them, then he wouldn't stop her. His care for Zhou Yumei did not extend that far.
Zhou Yumei, with a disappointed grimace, walked back to Han Sen empty-handed. "Well, is there a way I can determine whether or not I can eat those coconuts?"
"Yeah, by eating them." As Han Sen said that, he began walking into the coconut forest. The Golden Roarer trailed behind, carrying their packs. They walked for many miles before seeing something else of significance.
What Han Sen eventually found surprised him a great deal. There was a large green lake, the water of which looked like sparkling emerald. It was massive, and skirting its entirety were the coconut trees.
"Can I drink the water?" Zhou Yumei ecstatically asked Han Sen.
"I'm afraid you cannot." Han Sen walked near the water's edge as he spoke. Seeing the clear water in the lake, he furrowed his brows. He gave the lake a sniff and then, with a bottle, had a tiny sip of the water. With a wry smile, he said, "Yep, you cannot drink this."
"Why not?" Zhou Yumei asked.
"This is saltwater." Han Sen passed the bottle over to Zhou Yumei.
She tried the little bit he had collected and spat it out with haste. The water was incredibly salty, just like seawater.
Ignoring her reaction, Han Sen looked towards the center of the lake. There, a small island rested. It was no bigger than a football field, and at its center was a giant coconut tree.
The coconut tree looked different than the rest. Not only was it taller, but its trunk was like white jade.
The coconuts up high were different, as well. They were like black, giant metal balls.
Han Sen took a closer look. The giant, white jade coconut tree was bearing three coconuts, and they were each approximately the size of a yoga ball. Their darkness accentuated their sense of weight, too.
Splash!
As Han Sen observed the white jade coconut tree, the waters of the lake shifted. Something huge arose from the water, and a pair of wheel-like eyes ascended to the sky and looked down on Han Sen and Zhou Yumei.