"What's this?" Rina Chu asked.
"A farewell letter," Grace said.
"A farewell letter?" Rina Chu yelped. "Do you even know what a farewell letter is? That's what people write when they're about to die!"
"Of course I know!"
"What, you don't want to live anymore?"
"Yeah," Grace said. "Evan Xiao betrayed me, so I don't want to live anymore."
"He betrayed you? What happened?"
Grace told her everything that happened: "...So, I'm heartbroken, can't get over it, so I'm running away from home."
Rina Chu eyed her suspiciously: "...You don't look like someone who's lost all hope to me."
"Anyway, just give this farewell letter to Evan Xiao," Grace said. "But don't hand it over right away. Wait until he comes looking for you."
Only if he comes to you on his own, will it be real.
Will he really come looking for me?
He will. Just wait.
Rina Chu looked uncertain. "Alright..."
And the Spirit Alliance—keep going there every day and keep a close watch for me," Grace added.
You're talking about dying and still worrying about that?
Grace shot her a glare and turned to leave.
...
Grace borrowed three flying eagles from the Falcon Team and, together with Maya Summers and Samuel Summers, left Yan City.
"Grace, where are we going?" Maya Summers asked.
The Vermilion Kingdom has Four Wonders: Peach Blossom Town in spring, Goldstream River in summer, Li Mountain in autumn, and Lingnan in winter," Grace said. "It's late summer now, so let's head to Goldstream River!"
Goldstream River is the largest river in the Vermilion Kingdom.
Millions live along its banks—prosperous and beautiful, they call it the golden belt of the Vermilion Kingdom.
This time of year, visiting the most scenic stretches of Goldstream River is pure delight.
So the three of them flew toward Goldstream River.
After flying for a whole day, they finally saw it from afar.
"Look!" Maya Summers' expression changed. "Why is the water level so high?"
Grace leaned over to look. The Goldstream River below was nothing like the tranquil beauty in the stories.
The river was fast and muddy, the water level frighteningly high.
From above, it looked like a raging, monstrous dragon, ready to swallow everything along its banks at any moment.
They could just make out people evacuating from villages and towns along the river, chaos everywhere.
"The sky's getting dark," Samuel Summers said. "Looks like rain's coming. Let's go down and check it out!"
"Alright." The three of them landed in a small town above the riverbank.
The ground was damp, puddles everywhere.
It was clear it had just rained here.
With the river so high, the rains must've been heavy, causing flooding and disaster.
The town was built on high ground, so no matter how high the water rose, it couldn't reach here. The townsfolk were calm, unlike the panic they'd seen from the air in the lower villages and towns.
They asked the locals for information.
Turns out, the upper reaches of Goldstream River had been hit with heavy rain for seven days straight!
And now the embankment was on the verge of collapse!
If the embankment broke, millions downstream would be in danger.
Soldiers were doing everything they could to save the embankment, praying for no more rain.
Just as they were speaking, fat raindrops began to fall.
Soon, the rain formed countless shimmering curtains.
It was another torrential downpour...
Grace watched the rain, then suddenly said to Maya and Samuel that she wanted to go check out the embankment.
"With rain this heavy, maybe we shouldn't go," Samuel said. "It's better to wait until it stops!"
"I want to see if there's anything I can do to help..." Grace said.
"Alright then," Maya said. "Let's go together."