Cosmic Ruler-Chapter 795: Mix VII

The group left the farmer and continued walking along the river.

The land slowly began to rise as they moved closer to the mountains. The air felt cooler, and the ground became more rocky.

The youngest kept watching the water.

"The river is getting narrower," they said.

"Yes," the oldest replied. "That is normal when moving toward the source. But the amount of water still seems too small."

They walked for a long time.

Eventually the farmland disappeared completely. Trees grew thicker on both sides of the river, and the path became harder to follow.

The strongest member walked ahead, moving branches and small rocks away so the others could pass more easily.

After some time, they began to hear a louder sound of rushing water.

The youngest looked hopeful.

"Maybe the river becomes stronger here."

But when they turned the next bend, they saw the real reason.

The river was blocked.

A huge pile of rocks and broken trees had fallen into the water. The landslide had created a barrier across most of the river.

Behind the rocks, water had formed a large pool. It was deep and still.

Only a small stream of water was escaping through narrow spaces between the stones.

The youngest stared at it.

"So that’s what happened."

The strongest member climbed onto one of the large rocks to look around.

"This must have happened a long time ago," they said. "Look at the plants growing between the stones."

The oldest studied the mountainside above them.

The slope was steep, and parts of the soil looked unstable.

"A landslide," they said. "Heavy rain or loose ground could have caused it."

The youngest walked closer to the water.

"If this blockage stays here, the river will remain weak forever."

The strongest member crossed their arms.

"Moving these rocks will not be easy."

Some of the stones were extremely large.

But the oldest noticed something else.

"Look at the water behind the rocks."

The youngest turned and saw what they meant.

The water level behind the blockage was very high.

"Is that dangerous?" the youngest asked.

The strongest member nodded.

"Yes. If too much water builds up, the pressure might break the rocks suddenly."

"And then the water would rush down the valley," the oldest added.

The youngest’s eyes widened.

"That would cause a huge flood."

The group fell silent for a moment.

They all looked at the blocked river.

"If that happened," the youngest said slowly, "the city would be in great danger."

The strongest member stepped down from the rock.

"So we must be careful."

The oldest nodded.

"We cannot just break the barrier. We must release the water slowly."

The youngest looked at the rocks again.

"How do we do that?"

The strongest member walked closer and examined the pile carefully.

Some rocks were large and heavy.

But others were smaller and loose.

"If we remove the right stones," they said, "we can create a controlled opening."

The oldest agreed.

"Yes. The water will begin flowing normally again."

"And the pressure behind the barrier will decrease," the youngest added.

They began working together. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The strongest member pushed the smaller rocks out of the water first.

The youngest removed branches and debris that were blocking the small stream.

The oldest watched the water flow carefully, making sure the opening did not grow too quickly.

Slowly the gap widened.

More water started flowing through.

The river below became stronger.

The youngest smiled.

"It’s working."

But the oldest raised a hand.

"Slow down. We must keep it controlled."

They waited and watched the water.

After some time, the pressure behind the rocks decreased a little.

Then they removed another stone.

More water flowed through again.

The process was slow, but steady.

Eventually the river began to move much more freely.

The large pool behind the rocks slowly became smaller.

The strongest member wiped water from their hands.

"The river should continue clearing itself over time."

The youngest looked satisfied.

"So the farms will get more water again."

"Yes," the oldest said.

"But our work is not finished."

The youngest looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

The oldest pointed toward the valley far below.

"The city still believes each other are the problem."

The strongest member nodded.

"Even if the river improves, people may not notice immediately."

"And even if they do," the youngest added, "they might still be angry."

The oldest smiled slightly.

"You understand now."

The youngest sighed.

"So fixing the river only solves half the problem."

"Exactly."

The strongest member looked down at the flowing water.

"The harder task will be helping the people trust each other again."

The youngest sat on a rock for a moment, thinking.

"That might take longer than moving these stones."

The oldest nodded.

"Most likely."

They all looked back at the river one last time.

Water now flowed through the opening with a steady current.

The valley below would slowly begin to recover.

The youngest stood up.

"So what do we do now?"

The oldest answered calmly.

"We return to the city."

The strongest member agreed.

"Now we know the truth."

The youngest looked determined.

"And we must help the people understand it."

The group began walking back down the river path toward Lareth.

Far above them, hidden beyond the sky of that world, Vahran watched quietly.

The young beings had discovered the cause of the problem.

But the next part of the trial had only just begun.

Because sometimes solving the problem is easier than convincing people to believe the solution.

The group walked back down the river path toward the valley.

The journey back felt different. Before, they had been searching for the problem. Now they knew the truth, but they also understood that telling the truth would not be simple.

The youngest walked beside the river again.

"The water is already stronger," they said.

The strongest member looked at the current.

"Yes. It will take time, but the river should slowly return to its normal flow."

The oldest nodded.

"That will help the farms. But people in the city may not see the change immediately."

The youngest sighed.

"And even if they see it, they might not believe us."

"That is possible," the oldest said calmly.

After several hours, the farmland appeared again.

The same farmer they had spoken to earlier was still working near his field. He looked up when he saw them returning.

"You came back quickly," he said.

"Did you find anything?"

The youngest answered first.

"Yes. A landslide blocked the river in the mountains."

The farmer’s eyes widened.