The Man from the Otherworld

"Fish... Fish!" Lily Bai called out, "There's someone over there! There's someone over there!!"

Yet the tricolored glow remained, while the Fish had sunk beneath the water, hiding somewhere unknown.

Lily Bai called out to it several times, but got no response. So she tried to fly toward the person.

Then she realized that in this place, all her spells were useless. She could only stay where she was, unable to take a single step forward.

"Who are you?" Lily Bai shouted in that direction. "Can you see me?"

"I can." The person actually replied.

His voice was so beautiful it could get your ears pregnant.

"Who are you?"

"I am Yan."

"Yan?" Lily Bai asked, "Where are you from? I get the feeling you're... not from the Lotus Realm."

"That's right, I'm not from the Lotus Realm."

"Wow, running into someone from another world here!" Lily Bai was suddenly delighted. "Hello, Yan! I'm Lily Bai, nice to meet you!"

"I'm happy to see you here too," Yan said.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here... searching for answers."

"Searching for answers?" Lily Bai's eyes lit up. "Are you here looking for a sigil too, like me?"

"Mm."

"Did you find it?"

"Not yet."

"Me neither," Lily Bai sighed. "I feel like maybe I'll never find it."

Yan didn't say anything.

"Is the sigil you're looking for also to open the Void Gate?"

"No," Yan said. "Do you want to open the Void Gate?"

"Yep!" Lily Bai replied.

"Why do you want to open the Void Gate?"

"To find someone."

"The Void Gate... can only be broken through by someone who has comprehended the Law of the Void. In every world, only a tiny number of people have the talent to grasp it. Your talent isn't enough."

"Oh..." Lily Bai sounded disappointed, but not surprised. "So what kind of sigil are you looking for?"

"I'm searching for a sigil that can resolve the conflict between me and my wife."

"Huh?" Lily Bai couldn't help but laugh. "You're having a marital spat... and you came all the way here to look for a sigil for that?"

"Where I come from, a conflict between the two of us isn't a small matter."

"Oh..." Lily Bai thought, probably two very important people...

Yan said, "Since we've met here, maybe we can help each other. Can you help me?"

"I'm afraid... I can't be much help," Lily Bai said. "You just told me, my talent isn't really up to par."

"Just give it a try."

"Alright then, how can I help you?"

Yan pointed at the spheres and said, "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Lots of spheres, big and small! Some are glowing, some aren't," Lily Bai replied.

"Of those glowing spheres, which do you think lives longer—the big ones or the small ones?"

"I guess... the big ones?" Lily Bai said.

"No, it's the small ones," the man said. "The big ones burn more fiercely, so they burn out faster."

"Oh..."

"So, which do you think lives longer—the glowing spheres or the non-glowing ones?"

"The non-glowing ones," Lily Bai reasoned. "Because they don't burn, so they use up their energy more slowly."

"Exactly!" Yan said. "So, which do you like better—the glowing spheres or the non-glowing ones?"

"Me?" Lily Bai said. "I like the glowing ones. Up close, they're dazzling and full of passion. From far away, they're like beautiful stars!"