But now, the dove was still here, while the nearby elemental creatures were missing.
This seemed to indicate a problem.
Something might have happened suddenly here, and the change occurred so quickly that the elemental creatures didn’t even have time to take the wind sprite away.
Angel speculated this not only because of the dove’s appearance here but also because of... Arnott.
Angel: "You haven’t encountered any other wind creatures since you left Wind Island?"
Arnott thought for a moment: "I don’t remember, I didn’t pay attention to the surroundings."
"Did you encounter any obstacles along the way?"
Arnott shook his head confidently this time: "No."
Just as expected.
Arnott is also an Elemental Sprite; it left Wind Island with a very clear trajectory. Given Wind Island’s care for Elemental Sprites, it’s impossible to let it leave on its own.
Initially, there might have been a lack of attention, and no one stopped Arnott. But when Arnott flew to the edge of White Cloud Village, Elemental Creatures here would certainly pay attention to Arnott’s direction and intercept it. Even if they couldn’t stop it, they would at least advise it.
But Arnott was not stopped from beginning to end, which once again proves a point.
White Cloud Village might really have undergone unforeseen change.
This unforeseen change left them unable to monitor the Elemental Sprites anymore.
Thinking about this, Angel couldn’t help but rub his temples. He had a vague premonition when Dangross made a declaration earlier. Although it’s not yet certain, this ominous premonition seems likely to be proven.
As expected, such declarations should not be ignored.
Angel sighed inwardly and said to the still bewildered Arnott: "I think White Cloud Village has likely experienced some changes... Anyway, I’ll take this pigeon to Wind Island and hand it over to Her Highness Gentle Breeze."
Angel pointed into the void, causing the pigeon to fall into an Illusion, flying unconsciously into Angel’s palm.
"An unforeseen change in White Cloud Village?" Arnott couldn’t be bothered with the pigeon’s condition, full of doubt: "What’s going on?"
"Let’s talk after we return."
A while later, aboard the Flying Boat above the clouds.
Angel first placed the pigeon caught in the Illusion aside, then shared his speculation with Arnott.
Although Arnott hadn’t thought of this, it wasn’t completely clueless. Angel laid out his reasoning and analyzed every situation, leaving Arnott with no ground for rebuttal after hearing it.
Under the current circumstances, Angel’s guess seems very likely to be real.
Even though Arnott had always expressed dislike for Wind Island, upon hearing that White Cloud Village might have undergone unforeseen change, its expression immediately turned panicky, and its eyes welled up.
Seeing Arnott about to cry, Angel quickly said: "Everything is just speculation for now; we need to confirm what exactly happened in White Cloud Village."
Arnott looked at Angel with teary eyes, confused: "How, how do we confirm?"
Arnott’s question not only left Angel feeling helpless, but across from him, Dangross also sighed, saying: "You’re silly, convey the information and ask!"
"Huh?"
"We Fire Element creatures use sparks to convey information, Earth Element creatures can use sandstorm techniques to communicate; how do you Wind Element creatures transmit information?" Dangross saw Arnott’s bewildered look and muttered ’idiot’ inwardly. Then he said: "Mage Magu once said, the most covert and speedy way to convey information is through Wind Element beings, your communication medium is the invisible wind."
Upon hearing this, Arnott finally understood Dangross’s meaning.
It immediately said: "I’ll transmit the message and inquire now."
After transmitting the message, Arnott lowered its head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Angel looked at Arnott without excessive reproach. It wasn’t entirely Arnott’s fault; it was inexperienced, and according to its own accounts, it was very isolated on Wind Island, only communicating with Salmado, and rarely used information transmission.
Time passed slowly, five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes...
Half an hour gone by, Dangross questioned: "Why is it so slow? Have you not received a reply?"
Arnott nodded: "No, not yet."
"That’s strange; with such abundant Wind Elemental Power here, the message should be quick." Dangross said, "The speed is even slower than when I transmit messages in the Region of Fire. Who did you send the message to?"
"The Sage Kamil."
"I remember the Sage of White Cloud Village also resides on Wind Island; for such long silence, could Wind Island have faced problems?" Dangross doubted.
Just as Dangross finished speaking, it felt a wave of moisture spread.
Turning around, he saw two lines of tears flowing from Arnott’s big eyes again.
"I was just speculating, don’t take it seriously." Dangross hurriedly soothed, but it was obviously too late as Arnott found Dangross’s words accurate; with no message back for so long, it indeed seemed something happened on Wind Island.
Thinking about his hometown’s trouble, Arnott immediately felt sad.
As Arnott’s sobs turned into wails, Angel spoke: "There’s actually another possibility; maybe the Sage never received your message and it got intercepted halfway."
Arnott brightened at Angel’s words: could such possibility exist?
Angel noticed Arnott listening intently but sighed inwardly; he didn’t tell Arnott that if it were intercepted halfway, the situation might be even more dire.
To avoid Arnott continuing to cry, Angel didn’t say these things out loud but continued to comfort: "You don’t need to worry too much."
"Although the situation is unclear now, since you, as an Elemental Sprite, and the pigeon are unaffected, it means things aren’t too terrible."
If Elemental Sprites were targeted, then the situation would indeed be grave.
Hearing this, Arnott felt assured; although it didn’t brighten into a smile, its sobbing stopped.
"Since the Sage hasn’t replied, let’s leave it aside for now. I recall White Cloud Village cooperates with Green Wilds; perhaps Wood Creatures from Green Wilds know what’s happened." Angel said, "So, let’s go and ask them on the ground? However, as outsiders, you might need to inquire."
Arnott certainly didn’t refuse: "Okay, I’ll ask."
Angel didn’t hesitate, maneuvering the Gondola directly to lower altitudes.
Earlier from above, he’d noticed Green Wilds were in normal condition, with many Wood Creatures wandering around.
As he landed, he saw a disturbance in the nearby bushes moving toward the Gondola’s position.
Soon, Angel saw directly beneath the Gondola, a group of small green grasses with feet, known as Walking Grass, curiously hopping around the Gondola.
Though these Walking Grass are Elemental Sprites, they aren’t awakened, so they couldn’t be questioned directly for specific information.
Angel was about to continue ahead to seek other Wood Creatures when, suddenly, beneath the Walking Grass, a thick green vine emerged from the soil, resembling a magical vine from fairy tales that can grow up to the clouds, rapidly rising until it approached the height of Gondola.