Chapter 1: The White Embryo
"Marin! Look! Is... is it a white embryo?" a white rat with glistening silver fur and fiery red eyes exclaimed as it looked at Marin.
Marin, already hunched over, bent down even further, almost touching the surface of the lake, and peered at the center of the Dragon Spring with her three azure eyes. She observed different parts of the embryo, feeling a strange sensation that filled her with confusion. There was an indescribable thought, something peculiar, but she couldn't figure out what the problem was.
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"Jiguang Village" is an exotic realm that exists in our world. There, there are no fireworks, no exciting events, only darkness and dampness, accompanied by a hint of musty odor. Apart from the previous village chiefs, Elder Marin and the villagers all have twisted bodies. Their abnormal physique is a result of various genetic mixtures, which restricts them to crawling underground. They cannot jump or run. However, this cursed condition has bestowed upon them longevity and extraordinary thinking ability.
It is said that 25 years ago, Elder Marin was the first embryo born in this underground world. She possessed four eyes, abnormally long limbs, and a large hunchback. The three eyes below her eyebrows allowed her to multitask when observing the villagers and other things in her daily life. The eye on her forehead was rumored to have the ability to see through the destiny and journey of every newborn embryo.
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"Will this child... be a white embryo? Nici, look at the ears here, they seem so big, and pointed... Is it still just a villager?" Elder Marin turned the embryo over and examined it carefully in her long, large hands.
Under the gaze of Chief Nici and the villagers, Marin finally slowly closed her precious blue eyes and opened the fourth eye on her forehead. After the dark agate-colored iris rolled twice, suddenly, Marin put down the embryo and hobbled into the room next to the Dragon Spring.
In an instant, the red leather book that was only brought out when Chief Nici was born seven years ago reappeared before everyone's eyes. Trembling hands, Marin slowly opened the extremely old cover of the book...
Chapter 2: Born Mission
"Drip... Drip... Drip..." A drop of cave water fell onto the face of a deformed creature. It wiped its long limbs, rubbed the four eyes, and then wiped off the water droplets from its face before slowly rising from the water. After sitting up, it carefully looked around and noticed a shiny piece of paper and a thick red book on the nearby muddy ground, illuminated by the only source of light in the cave. Trembling, it crawled over and picked up the golden paper. "Ma... rin..." It didn't understand why, but it involuntarily read aloud the first word that caught its eye.
For the following months, it only read and guarded that piece of paper and the book.
Until one day, ripples suddenly appeared on the lake behind it. A white embryo with a hint of pink gently landed on the surface of the water. It turned around and leaned in to take a closer look... Just as it was still puzzled, the embryo cracked open. A small monkey with white fur and red eyes stood up slowly before its eyes. And at that moment, it immediately recalled something and opened the book to a specific page.
"Ya..." The little monkey approached him, who was engrossed in reading, and uttered its first sound. He blinked at the little monkey and placed his palm on his chest, involuntarily saying the first word he had learned, "Marin." "Ma... rin..." The little monkey extended its small hand and slid over the wrinkles on his face. Marin raised the book he had just opened, pointing at the little monkey and said, "Hello." The inner pages of the book depicted the appearance of the small monkey in great detail, recording all the information about it, as if foreseeing its arrival.
During their gaze, Marin opened her forehead eye. Within seconds, Marin understood immediately that this little monkey would bring wisdom and hope to this place. He would be the messenger capable of reaching the source of light.
In the days that followed, Village Chief Haro, as prophesied by Marin, ventured beyond the source of light, bringing stories and resources. They also welcomed various embryos, big and small, including several births recorded in the red book, who continued the responsibilities and duties of Village Chief Haro. Utilizing the resources brought back by the village chiefs from beyond the source of light, the village gradually formed and became beautiful. Hope seemed to be within reach, and the villagers began to dream of reaching the other side of the light.
Chapter 3: Brave Departure
Elder Marin continued flipping through the book pages until Village Chief Nici was about to lose patience. Slowly, she raised the red book and showed it to the villagers, announcing loudly that the young rabbit embryo before them would be the next messenger.
And so, the young rabbit stood up, still bewildered, and received a red gem from Village Chief Nici's hand. The simple ceremony represented the passing of the ancestral duty of the white-bodied, red-eyed lineage to the young rabbit, allowing him to continue leading the Jiguang Village until the birth of the next white embryo.
In the following years, the rabbit grew happily in the village, eagerly anticipating the teachings of Elder Marin, Nici, and the previous village chiefs, listening to all the knowledge about the outside world. Gradually, the rabbit began to grasp the expectations and responsibilities attached to itself and named the day before setting off towards the source of light as "Cathy."
Chapter Three: Epilogue & Chapter Four: Setting Off to Find Field Mouse Village!
With a hand-drawn map and a few dumplings in hand, Cathy gathered her courage and climbed into the long, damp tunnel of the unknown, heading toward the source of light.
The moment Cathy emerged from the tunnel, the early spring sunlight bathed her, adding a hint of kumquat and lemon to her snowy white fur. Even the damp tips of her fur, which had brushed against the tunnel walls, instantly dried and shone brightly in the sun.
Cathy was amazed and curious, wondering what kind of magical power could make the earth bloom with such a brilliant sea of flowers. The breath of life surrounded her.
Everything felt so fresh and interesting to Cathy; the real sensation was far more shocking than what she had heard from Elder Marlin, Nicky, and the various village leaders over the years... At that moment, Cathy silently made a decision in her heart— I will definitely, definitely! make sure that everyone sees all of this!
Cathy gently held the ruby hanging around her neck, then picked a small golden flower from the ground and tucked it into the first page of her travel journal. After recording the vast sea of blooming flowers and plants in her mind, Cathy, filled with determination, dared not linger for a second. She cautiously took out her family's hand-drawn map, confirming her next tasks and route.
“Go through here... down... then through here...” Her delicate hands traced the rough map repeatedly, firmly committing the route to memory before setting off.
Chapter Five: Golden Seeds
After traversing several mountains and rivers and passing through lush jungles, Cathy came upon a vast grassland. She walked towards the M-shaped hill indicated on the map and finally saw a large tree emitting a faint golden glow. Before entering the village, Cathy decided to rest by a large stone ahead to prepare for the chief's test she would need to take after entering the village.
As Cathy sat beside the stone, a glimmer of golden light caught her eye, making her squint. Curiously tilting her head, she decided to approach and see what this light was.
“What’s this? Shiny fragments?” Cathy murmured to herself as she reached down to pick up the golden particles reflecting sunlight on the ground. Just as she was about to touch the golden particle, a much smaller hand than hers suddenly reached out and scooped up the particle into its palm. Following the little hand, Cathy saw the field mouse villagers described by the village leaders. They had brown, curly hair and emanated a faint earthy fragrance, along with eyes that sparkled like stars in the dark.
“But what’s that on his face?” Cathy wondered. She silently gazed at him, feeling too shy to speak after this unexpected encounter.
“Oh! Hi, hi! Sorry, I didn’t see you there! You… you… you… Oh! The new generation of travel tribe leader! Are you collecting golden seeds?”
Through the transparent object in front of him, Cathy looked into his enlarged eyes, pondering what this transparent thing was and what golden seeds were... Too much information left her unsure of how to respond.
“Come, come! I know! Here! Let me show you my treasures!” The little field mouse pulled Cathy toward the village entrance, stuffing various golden ornaments from his bag into her hands while explaining their origins in detail.
Chapter Five: Golden Seeds, Epilogue
Life is like a journey of continually collecting golden seeds. Regardless of whether they ultimately bear shining fruit, we learn to enjoy the process of having them.
After walking for a while, Cathy followed the little field mouse through the roots of a golden tree and a small patch of reeds, finally arriving at a semi-circular small hill covered in greenery. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the climbing plants were adorned with strings and clusters of golden particles.
"Welcome! Welcome! Come to my little home! Hurry over! I haven't met a friend who likes golden seeds in a long time! Come! Over here, over here!" The little field mouse waved and invited Cathy inside, pushing a pile of clutter aside to free up a small wooden bench, dusting it off.
"Look at this, this one! And this one!" The little field mouse continued to place different golden chains and particles in his hands without waiting for Cathy's response.
"Uh... I'm sorry, but actually… I'm not a friend who collects golden seeds," Cathy finally interrupted the enthusiastic sharing after a long pause. A fleeting expression of disappointment crossed the little field mouse's face as he silently looked at the treasures in his hands, wanting to share them with Cathy.
"But, but! I find it very interesting and would like to know more. How about… you introduce more golden seeds! Who knows, I might really become your friend in collecting golden seeds!" Seeing the little field mouse's reaction, Cathy smiled, holding the golden seed he had just handed her, looking sincerely at him.
"Okay, okay!" A glimmer of tears appeared in the little field mouse's eyes as he prepared to explain the story of the golden seeds to Cathy.
The little field mouse introduced himself as Abner, one of the researchers from Field Mouse Village. Like everyone else, he would go out to the fields every day to study seeds and develop more plant magic. But one day, he suddenly found a golden particle in the field, and soon after, he discovered more shining golden particles and chains nearby. He began to collect and study them, sharing his findings with friends day after day, but no one in the village believed him, thinking these were just remnants from the fields. However, Abner firmly believed that these were rare golden seeds that could surely bear shining fruit, elevating the original plant magic to new heights. To this day, he has continued to collect and study them. Cathy's appearance allowed him to share his research for the first time, showing others that golden seeds are worth believing in.
"However, to be honest, even if they never bear fruit, I really enjoy this process. They… they are everything I believe in." After sharing, Abner said this softly, carefully guarding his dreams like a child, while deep down, Cathy was more willing to believe and eager to see the day when golden seeds would bear fruit.