Chapter 181: Maybe they have different weather

Nearing the bridge connecting the other island to the one they were standing on.

They dismounted from their beasts, and Eva sent them into her space—the passage was too narrow and slippery for them to pass through.

Eva’s gaze settled on the naturally formed black, jagged, rocky bridge as it was submerged beneath the water. Moments later, the water receded, only for the cycle to repeat again after a few minutes.

A flicker of doubt crossed her expression, followed by a trace of worry when she realized she couldn’t see the other side of the island.

"It’s not that far... right?" Eva asked uncertainly, recalling how close the island had looked from above, even though it had taken nearly four days of travel to reach it.

Ethan remained silent, instead shifting his eyes into a golden, animal-like slit as he peered ahead.

His vision was completely transformed, allowing him to see for kilometers, but even then, he could not glimpse the edge of the other island.

Closing his eyes, he returned them to their normal blue, then turned to Eva with a complicated expression.

Eva noticed his gaze and, subconsciously, retracted, shaking her head to deny whatever was about to come from his lips.

"No, hell no! My butt is already hurting enough (⁠ ⁠≧⁠Д⁠≦⁠). I don’t want to go again!" Eva yelled, almost crying out in frustration. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Eva, dear, don’t worry. We’ll take turns carrying you. Shhh... we might even find new species and food on the other island—juicy, fatty meat just waiting for us to hunt and eat." Julian’s words were like a devil’s whisper, and Eva’s mouth watered at the thought. Suddenly, the journey didn’t seem so bad after all.

"You can ask me for as much ice as you need to chill your drink and your ice cream." Ethan chimed in, his tone slightly reluctant, feeling his powers had been reduced to an ice-making machine for her.

"Then I get to cuddle your cat form... along the way? Please (づ￣ ³￣)づ" Eva asked in a soft, coquettish voice, blinking her eyes cutely.

Clearly taking advantage of the situation. Noticing the slight hesitation in his gaze, she tugged at the edge of his clothes and then pecked his lips.

"I take your silence as a yes. Tonight, make sure you transform into your soft, furry cat." She muttered, then skipped ahead with an elated, light chuckle, leaving her lips.

Julian shot Ethan a side-eye, mocking him for being hopeless—yet Julian himself was no better, having been unable to withstand even a few moves from Eva.

The thought of sinking her hand into the fury goddess and the delicious meat at the side made Eva feel energized.

"Hurry up! Let’s get this over with." Eva called out, stretching her limbs to ease her tense muscles, then rubbing her bottom to ease the numbness.

Ethan let out a helpless chuckle and strode toward them. Without a word, he lifted her into his arms, making her yelp in surprise as she quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Remember, we’ll be taking turns carrying you along the way," Ethan said, holding her securely as he began to walk forward.

The moment his foot touched the bridge, he felt the slick surface beneath him. He immediately coated the ground in ice to prevent slipping.

Eva buried her face in his neck, letting out a satisfied hum.

’Haa... It’s my luck to meet such outstanding, caring men. Maybe my decision not to eat humans in my last life as a zombie was finally rewarded,’ Eva thought inwardly as she rubbed her face against his neck, her breath brushing his skin.

"Ahem... settle down. The ground is slippery; I need my full concentration," Ethan chided softly, giving her a light tap.

"Stop flirting and freeze the ground faster," Julian snapped in a sour tone, feeling like a third party in their presence.

If he had known this would happen, he would have carried Eva first.

"Teleport us over to the other side of you; you are in such a hurry," Ethan retorted, but seconds passed, and he felt his words were feasible.

"On second thought, why don’t you teleport us over? You already got a view of the other island when we first flew in, right? It’s much faster," Ethan suggested as he stopped in his tracks.

Eva’s eyes lit up as she recalled Julian’s time power. "I can send more energy into you if you feel tired!" she chimed in excitedly, her words making Julian facepalm as realization dawned on him.

"Dammit," he muttered under his breath, having forgotten that Eva could easily replenish his lost strength if he teleported them such a long distance.

He was so used to working with Ethan alone that he had failed to factor in Eva’s abilities.

Seeing his stunned expression, something crossed Eva’s mind, and her face twisted as if squeezed dough.

"Don’t tell me we could have teleported here a long time ago, and you made us travel on our beasts for days! You! (⁠　⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠)⁠☞ argh!" Eva punched the air in anger, clearly wishing she could punch him in the face.

Julian offered a sheepish, guilt-filled smile in response.

Ethan wisely kept quiet; the idea had crossed his mind, but he felt the distance was too great, and Julian hadn’t seen the terrain clearly from high up on Aaron’s crow.

Julian’s powers worked on a simple rule: he could only teleport to places he had been or clearly seen. Otherwise, he risked landing in a completely random location.

And those random locations can be either safe or dangerous—Julian rarely teleports without a destination in mind.

"Ahem. Sorry." Julian’s awkward apology made Eva scoff and bury her face in Ethan’s neck again.

She felt she might really punch Julian in the face if she looked at him any longer.

Julian rubbed the back of his neck to ease his embarrassment, then stepped forward and placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder.

"Brace yourself," Julian warned, and the world blurred as they vanished into thin air.

The winds stirred the sea’s current, waves crashing over the empty bridge before it was submerged once more, then gradually receded.

On the other island, their figures reappeared.

Julian stumbled forward and collapsed to the ground, his face pale. Eva felt slightly dizzy and took a moment to steady herself. Noticing Julian’s condition, she patted Ethan on the back, signaling him to let her down.

Ethan lowered his arms, setting her down, and she immediately rushed to Julian. Without a word, she began channeling energy from the surrounding air into him. A faint green light formed around her hand, then slowly flowed into his body.

"Haaa... Eva, dear, I’m so exhausted... don’t be angry, mh-hmm." Julian pleaded in a weak voice, tucking the stray hair behind her ear.

Eva’s lips twisted, knowing he was using his weakened state to soften her anger. Still, instead of calling him out, she played along, aware that teleportation was draining and dangerous for him. She shivered at the sudden cold as she edged closer to him for warmth.

"Alright. I forgive you this time. But next time, I will... I will... never mind. Just come to me. There’s enough energy in the air for everyone," Eva said, unable to think of any punishment, adding the last part in a serious tone.

"I promise!" Julian replied, raising his hand. Then he pulled Eva closer and buried his face in her neck, pressing kisses to her nape.

Eva was caught off guard. She was still in the middle of channeling energy into him when he suddenly hugged her.

"Stay still. If you no longer want to recover, say so," Eva muttered through gritted teeth, but she didn’t stop transferring energy into him.

"My wife is so fragrant and soft—" Julian was interrupted before he could finish.

"Are you done? There seems to be something strange about this island," Ethan said, turning his neck from side to side with a look of confusion mixed with disbelief.

They looked up, and a huge question mark appeared in their minds.

Julian and Eva had only just realized that their surroundings—from the treetops to the ground—were blanketed in snow. Only the green leaves and grasses broke the white expanse with faint color. No wonder she felt cold.

"Umm, Julian, you didn’t take us anywhere else, right...?" Eva asked in a hushed voice, tugging at his clothes.

Julian almost doubted himself for a moment until his gaze fell on the rocky bridge leading to the other island.

"No. Maybe they have different weather. Remember how much hotter it got once we traveled toward the center of the island. Maybe the weather here is colder," Julian explained in an uncertain tone, feeling his guess might be wrong.

"So summer, winter, and the other island might be autumn? What in the transmigration deity is going on here! And they all share the same sea. Haa!" Eva felt like her brain had stopped working.

She had thought she was shockproof after everything they had encountered, but this was still enough to blow her mind.

The wine trees and acid rain couldn’t even compare to this.