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Chapter 320: The Seven-Colored River
🕑 Added 2025-03-11 18:08:49 +0000 UTC"There's always a winding, seven-colored river in Fairy Tale Town, dividing ideals from reality, only to merge again in the valley ahead..."
Standing in the midst of a sea of vibrant flowers, Ino softly hummed a song.
It was truly magical. Even though a long time had passed, every time he saw these flowers, he couldn't help but recall that experience.
A simple Christmas hat, a beautiful glass bottle, or even a few pieces of candy could bring those children happiness for a long time.
But sadly, the next time he returned to Middle-earth, those children of Rohan might already be burdened by the weight of life.
...
"Dividing ideals from reality..."
Gazing at the radiant sea of flowers, Ino removed his boots and sat barefoot on the soft ground.
He had followed his instincts here, and upon arriving, he noticed that the colorful, candy-wrapper-like leaves shimmered faintly. The crystal flower buds embraced by the leaves resembled tiny spotlights.
From afar, the small garden seemed to glow with vibrant, flowing colors.
Barefoot, he walked to the center of the garden, where a slender, elegant tulip, standing five feet tall, displayed its unique beauty.
Its leaves were as smooth and silky as satin.
As his gaze moved upward, the once flower bud at the top remained as vibrant as a ruby, full of passion and vitality.
However, it was still just a bud.
Despite this outcome, Ino didn't feel much disappointment.
The ring that contained the rules of Middle-earth had been generously given to him, but without corresponding changes—or transformations—it wasn't of much use to him.
Thus, waiting for certain things to happen was perhaps inevitable. The more precious something was, the more time it required.
After seeing the tulip, Ino was certain that the earlier sense of being called had come from the other flowers.
With this realization, he decided not to leave. Instead, he sat barefoot in the garden, quietly watching the colorful flowers.
...
Lying on the soft ground, he breathed in the sweet scent of the flowers.
Time seemed to pause in this peaceful stillness.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
Soon.
A burst of red light rose from the sea of flowers, followed by orange, yellow, green, blue...
More and more colors appeared, gathered within the crystal-clear buds. Once they matured, they shot into the sky without hesitation.
For every flower, there was a beam of colored light.
The number of flower stems depended on the stones planted.
Ino wasn't sure how many children there had been in Rohan, but that day, from morning until dusk, he hardly stopped exchanging things, and by the end, it had almost become a self-service exchange.
In the valley sky.
More and more beams of light soared upwards.
Time passed unnoticed until the final beam shot out, and the sky gradually formed a vast ocean of rainbows.
For a while, the formless rainbow seemed to have a will of its own, slowly stretching and thinning.
Eventually, a winding, flowing seven-colored river took shape in the valley sky.
Ino sat barefoot on the ground, mesmerized by the dreamlike scene in the sky.
The flowing rainbow, after merging, was a beauty beyond words, as it had essentially transcended the laws of physical optics—the law of straight-line propagation.
Light can disperse, refract, reflect... and even more. But light can never flow and twist like water.
...
The formation of the rainbow river.
It made the valley sky both dreamlike and beautiful.
Standing amidst the lush green field, gazing up at the clear blue sky, with a seven-colored river of rainbows flowing above.
Ino watched the scene for a long time.
Eventually, he lay down on the soft ground, hands behind his head, and quietly gazed upward.
At the moment, the seven-colored river in the sky didn't seem to have any special effects.
But he didn't care at all. Not everything needed to be practical or have obvious benefits.
Just like traveling and enjoying beautiful landscapes. From a utilitarian perspective, it might seem pointless. But in reality, travel not only relaxes the mind, but also allows people to break free from their daily routines, to leave behind the inertia of life and enjoy a brief moment of tranquility.
Ino felt the same. From now on, whenever he returned to the valley and looked up at the sky, he would be able to see a winding, flowing seven-colored river, and that seemed enough.
As time slowly ticked by, he lay there for a while before sitting up.
Once he confirmed that the earlier feeling of being called had completely disappeared, he vanished from the spot.
Ino quietly left, but he didn't notice that in the white house in the valley, the box containing the books and dolls gifted by Nicolas had been quietly opened by a small hand.
...
Hogwarts.
In the bustling Great Hall, after finishing his dinner, Draco tapped his plate with his utensils once more.
At the table, after his original plate vanished, it was replaced by another untouched dinner.
However, this seemingly absurd behavior had become a familiar sight to the surrounding Slytherins, and even the Durmstrang students.
It's worth mentioning that after a month and a half, students from the other two European magic schools had gradually integrated into Hogwarts.
Now, whether it was meals or classes, they had fixed places. Durmstrang followed Slytherin's rhythm, while Beauxbatons chose Ravenclaw.
Beauxbatons' choice nearly made the boys from the other three houses pound their chests in frustration.
After spending time together, they had become even more infatuated with the charming Frenchwoman. Whether it was her everyday smiles, or the casual flick of her hair, many were captivated.
Similarly, Fleur used her exceptional emotional intelligence and social skills to blend in seamlessly with the Hogwarts students.
People always saw her surrounded by the prefects from all four houses. These outstanding young men were like the royal cavalry guarding their queen, loyal and dutiful.
...
It seems that many things happen unexpectedly.
As Draco was about to leave with his plate, a minor conflict erupted at the third table on the left side of the hall, in Gryffindor territory.
"I've already told you, I don't know! I've said it a thousand times!" Harry angrily slammed the table.
Just moments ago, several Hufflepuffs had walked past him, speaking loudly enough about Cedric's excellence.
Unlike the original story, although Draco's provocations had diminished, or rather, the entire Slytherin house had stopped caring much about Harry, the Hufflepuffs had become the new main force of public opinion.
In truth, it had little to do with the house itself—people are naturally more concerned about imbalance than scarcity.
The appearance of the fourth champion had truly disrupted the balance.
