Natlan, Children of Echoes Tribe.
Xilonen was talking to herself in front of the flowerpot outside her workshop.
This scene reminded Mu Yang of Ororon.
Unfortunately, the difference in their talent for planting was about a billion points.
Ororon's small courtyard had all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and honey bugs — completely self-sufficient.
Xilonen had clearly dumped all her talent points into forging.
She had left zero for planting.
She had once posted a commission hoping to get an easy-to-care-for plant.
Kinich accepted it.
He brought her seeds for a meat dragon palm, along with a flowerpot and fertilizer.
This type of plant grew everywhere in the wild and thrived vigorously.
But when Kinich calculated the time and came to collect his reward,
he found that not even a sprout had grown in the pot.
That was one of the few commissions Kinich had failed.
He paid the price for overestimating Xilonen's gardening ability.
"Chatting with your plant friends?"
Mu Yang approached and spoke up suddenly.
"You scared me! Why don't you make any sound when you walk…"
Xilonen patted her chest.
"Sorry, I just didn't expect you to be so engrossed…"
"Growing flowers is one of my ways to relax, even though I haven't actually managed to relax through it yet…"
Xilonen put down the small trowel in her hand.
She had simply swapped a hammer for a trowel, so why was there such a huge gap between forging and planting?
This flower had withered again.
She had watered it every day.
Did she overwater it this time?
"Maybe you could talk to Ororon."
"Ororon… where have I heard that name before?"
Xilonen frowned. "Oh, Citlali mentioned him before."
"I passed by the Masters of the Night-Wind earlier and saw his small courtyard…"
Mu Yang described it vividly.
Xilonen let out a long sigh. "How can there be someone who makes everything they touch thrive—"
Mu Yang simply shook his head slightly.
Everyone has their own specialty.
There weren't many people in all of Natlan who could surpass Xilonen in forging skills.
"Let's not talk about that. Tell me about your journey instead."
Xilonen led Mu Yang into the house.
"When Kachina came back before, she came to help me every day, mostly to talk about you."
"Now that I haven't heard anything for a few days, I'm actually not used to it."
Mu Yang took the juice Xilonen offered, thanked her, and began recounting from after he parted with Kachina and the others.
His adventures in the Scions of the Canopy, Ajaw's probing…
"So Ajaw really is an ancient dragon?"
Mu Yang nodded.
Xilonen looked somewhat regretful. She had hoped Ajaw was some kind of ancient technology.
If she could find the source, she could shut its mouth forever and stop it from chattering all day and annoying people.
Next came the story of saving the Mountain King.
Upon hearing this, Xilonen dropped her lazy demeanor.
She, like Kinich, had received the inheritance of an Ancient Name.
So when it came to matters concerning Natlan's interests, she saw things more clearly and farther than most.
"There's no need for such formal thanks. After all, it wasn't my achievement alone."
Xilonen took a big sip of flower tea before slowly calming down.
She continued listening to Mu Yang's adventure stories.
Leaving the Scions of the Canopy, arriving at the Masters of the Night-Wind, and finally the Flower-Feather Clan.
Although he hadn't gone to the Collective of Plenty, he had learned enough from Iansan.
"Iansan is quite talkative too, but what left the deepest impression on me is her strength."
"I once forged an extremely heavy batch of 'barbell plates' and 'kettlebell jugs' for the Collective of Plenty."
"When they came to collect the goods, Iansan led the team for inspection. She lifted every single piece with her bare hands to weigh them, then loaded them onto the carts one by one."
"By the end, Iansan was only slightly out of breath and her face was a bit flushed. To be honest, I'm a little envious of the people in her tribe — not only are they incredibly strong, they're also good at farming…"
Mu Yang almost laughed. "I'm guessing the main point you wanted to make was that last sentence."
"Just a little envious." Xilonen leaned back on the sofa.
"I didn't expect you to have traveled across all of Natlan in such a short time. Which tribe left the deepest impression on you?"
"I bet it's the People of the Springs."
Mu Yang nodded. If he had to choose one, it would definitely be the vacation paradise that was the People of the Springs.
Mualani's enthusiasm and the leisurely atmosphere there were truly excellent.
"What about you, Xilonen? Have you ever thought about leaving the Children of Echoes or anything like that?"
Xilonen looked around and lowered her voice. "You can't let my father hear that, or he'll glare at me again."
"Actually, my favorite is also the People of the Springs. You can soak in hot springs every day, the air is moist, there are lots of delicious drinks, and there are specialty jewelry stores and record shops…"
Mu Yang inwardly exclaimed "damn." She knew it like the back of her hand.
But it made sense — Xilonen really did like this kind of leisurely life.
She continued, "The Scions of the Canopy on Kinich's side is nice too. Their tents are pitched very high, so you can feel the cool breeze just lying inside."
Mu Yang half-jokingly said she could stay in the Scions of the Canopy for a few days.
Just mention Elder Mu's name and she'd get a discount.
Xilonen said she had already tried it.
She had stayed in both the Scions of the Canopy and the People of the Springs.
At first it was very relaxing and comfortable — soaking in hot springs every day and drinking beverages.
She even went shopping with Mualani.
But the longer she stayed, the more restless she felt.
"In the end, my mind was full of things from the workshop, so I hurried back to the tribe."
Xilonen shrugged. "I don't know why, but the moment I return to the workshop — no, the moment I step into the tribe and see the red cliffs, my heart instantly settles."
"So your favorite is still the Children of Echoes after all."
"Is that so? I didn't really feel it myself. Speaking of which, your order is complete. Next, I need to go take a vacation in the People of the Springs…"
After chatting for a long time, the two finally turned the topic to Mu Yang's order.
This was why Mu Yang had come in the first place.
So appearing here now meant he was leaving.
Xilonen had not spent a long time with Mu Yang, so she did not feel particularly reluctant.
Anyway, Mu Yang was a businessman. Xilonen was confident that with her craftsmanship, Mu Yang would definitely come back to find her again.
Mu Yang carefully stored the finished jewelry.
Xilonen was very thoughtful and had prepared matching boxes for every piece.
Mu Yang thought it was nice and took out some rare ores to give to Xilonen.
These were Natlan ores rich in phlogiston — excellent forging materials.
All good things must come to an end. Mu Yang picked up his things and prepared to leave the Children of Echoes without lingering.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye to Kachina?"
"Better not. I'd rather not make that little one cry again. Ganah!"
Mu Yang rode his surfboard away.
Xilonen returned to her workshop and discovered that Mu Yang had left gifts for them.
On the table were several small boxes with names written on them.
Kachina received one extra martial arts manual.
Xilonen opened her box. Inside was a small orange-yellow pendant.
Xilonen smiled bitterly. "If you can make something like this by hand, do you really need to commission me?"
"Does this mean there won't be a next batch of orders…"