As the two chatted and walked, Nian discovered that this little one's understanding of Yan was quite peculiar. For example, that authentic Shangshu dialect was not something one could easily learn; one had to have spent a considerable amount of time in Shangshu to fully grasp the different nuances of each word's high and low tones.
Yet, she was almost completely ignorant of Shangshu's mountains and geography. She knew the local slang 'Bang Bang' for porters but couldn't name a single one of the Three Mountains and Seventeen (or Eight) Peaks.
It was well known that Shangshu people were immensely proud of their towering mountains, and almost every Shangshu person could proudly describe the different scenic variations between each peak.
This difference in their understanding made Nian quite uncomfortable during their conversation.
"Hahahaha, didn't I tell you? Rhodes Island also has super delicious apple pies!" Just as the two were about to reach the restaurant Kanna mentioned, a hearty laugh came from not far away.
Kanna was quite familiar with that laugh. She peeked over and, sure enough, saw a red-haired Angel stuffing an apple pie into her mouth. Next to her, a Lupo chewing POCKY watched her helplessly, and not far away, Kanna faintly saw a red figure.
Goodness, it seemed Red, like Kanna, was someone who didn't need to write post-battle summaries. She had just returned from a fight outside and was already looking for wolf tails everywhere… "Hi!" Kanna greeted Exusiai and Texas.
"Yo! Kanna, we all watched your match just now. Your 'whoosh-whoosh-whoosh' moves were super cool, seriously!" Hearing Kanna's voice, the two turned their heads and saw her greeting them at the doorway.
Exusiai excitedly gestured in the air with her hands. Although that spell seemed more like a performance than a destructive force, the visual effect of her 'Flying Thunder God' was quite spectacular, and her flashy movements directly dazzled many people's eyes.
"Right! I think it's super cool too!" Kanna put her hands on her hips, looking smug.
"Want to join us for a bite?" Texas asked, pointing at the apple pie on the table.
"Maybe not. I'm with a friend, and she doesn't really like sweets. We're going to the restaurant next door for something spicier…" Kanna looked at the apple pie on the table and felt that, given Nian's preference for spicy food, she probably wouldn't like it. She politely declined Texas's invitation.
Texas looked at Nian, who was standing behind Kanna, examining the room, then looked uninterested. She also realized that Nian wasn't keen on sweets, so she didn't press the invitation.
"See you next time then!" After greeting them, Kanna exited the room.
"You sure are popular!" Along the way, they met many Operators, and many of them would proactively greet Kanna.
Kanna's lips curved upwards. "Of course! My Kanna is known to all on Rhodes Island, a supreme and invincible great hungry dragon, both in heaven and on earth!"
Nian didn't bother with Kanna, who was starting to act crazy again. Instead, she looked around at the shops, but didn't see any signs. "It's good that you're happy. Speaking of which, where is the shop you mentioned? How much further is it?"
Kanna pointed to a nearby corner. "Just around that corner and we're there."
After the two walked around the corner, Nian's nose suddenly twitched. A tempting scent of chili came from around the corner. Based on her many years of experience with spicy food, the chef here was quite skilled.
"Hmph! So spicy! I love it!" Before they even reached the shop entrance, they heard a familiar voice from inside again.
When they walked in, they saw Ifrit sitting in an open spot, eating and breathing fire. Because her actions were so exaggerated, no one dared to sit in the surrounding area. After all, no one knew if the fire-breathing girl would accidentally spray fire on them.
Seeing Ifrit's flushed face, constantly dripping with sweat, Kanna quickly called out, "Dahlia, help her with the spice. This girl is about to suffocate from the heat…"
Upon hearing Kanna's voice, a clear spring of water leaped out from a nearby cup and entered Ifrit's mouth.
About ten seconds later, accompanied by a rough gasp from Ifrit, she finally relaxed.
"Ah! I almost thought I was going to be spiced to death by this dish… Kanna, thank you!" As the spiciness in her mouth faded, Ifrit leaned back comfortably in her chair.
Kanna waved her hand. "Given our relationship, there's no need to thank me for such a small thing. Let me introduce you. This is Nian, and this is Ifrit, a friend of mine. And this is Dahlia, also a friend."
Kanna first introduced Nian to Ifrit and Dahlia, and then introduced Ifrit and Dahlia to Nian.
Nian was inwardly shocked as she looked at the life form made of flowing water. She had already found it quite exaggerated to discover Kanna on Rhodes Island, but she never expected there to be such an 'unusual' life form.
However, as a long-lived species, even if she hadn't seen it before, she wouldn't show too much surprise. After all, in all these years, what kind of monsters and strange beings hadn't she seen? It was just a life form entirely composed of water—well, actually, she really hadn't seen this particular thing before.
"Nian, let's sit here!" Kanna pulled over a chair and sat next to Ifrit. Out of curiosity about Dahlia, Nian didn't refuse Kanna's invitation and sat down beside them.
"Hello! My name is Ifrit, and this Dahlia is my little minion. Don't get any ideas!" Seeing Nian constantly observing Dahlia with curious eyes, Ifrit instinctively spoke up to protect her 'cub'.
"Uh, don't worry, I mean no harm. It's just my first time seeing this kind of… 'life form,' so I'm just a little curious. Kanna, you mentioned before that all the running water on Rhodes Island is directly potable; I'm guessing it has something to do with her, right?"
Although not a god and without divinity, with this unique advantage of a life form, Nian could determine that as long as the other party was not extinguished, she would be another long-lived species.
Recalling Kanna's words when she drank water earlier, Nian very sensitively connected it to the strange life form in front of her.
"That's right, Dahlia is a Purewater Spirit. She herself has the effect of cleaning and improving water sources. Currently, all the water sources on Rhodes Island are filtered and purified by her. Ifrit, don't worry, Nian is a trustworthy person. Dahlia, say hello to Nian."
Upon hearing Kanna's introduction, Ifrit withdrew her hand that was shielding Dahlia. Dahlia also transformed into a smaller version of Nian and waved at her.
Looking at the tiny version of herself on the table, Nian also showed a happy smile.
"This little fellow is very interesting, and has great potential for development."
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