Chapter 275

Chapter 275: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Tiny specks of light flickered in the dim waters, resembling stars in the night sky.

How beautiful!

The little monster floated serenely in the heart of the water, lost in thought.

So there's another galaxy hidden beneath the surface!

When he gazed at the stars with Jiuma, Hei Dan had often wished he could catch one; it would be the most exquisite stone, but the sky was too far away, beyond his reach.

Here, however, things were different.

These stars were within his grasp. Look! One was even right by his hand!

With unwavering focus on the trajectory of the "stars," Hei Dan cautiously and hesitantly reached out to grab one of the glowing dots.

His grip was firm and steady.

It was somewhat warm – that was the little monster's first thought upon capturing the "star."

Gently cradling the captured "star" in his palm, Black Egg attentively felt its essence. To his surprise, the little monster discovered that it was not an illusion! The star was genuinely emitting heat!

Were it adult monsters witnessing this scene, and if they could perceive these "stars," their minds would be racing with thoughts. They might be thrilled at the discovery of wandering "forces"; some might eagerly seek to absorb them; while the more intellectually curious would ponder further: Why are these forces here? Whom do they originate from? What secrets lie within this hot spring? Could it be that the healing powers and strength enhancements experienced by monsters in the past, when bathing in this spring, are due to these scattered "forces"… and so on.

In any case, the thoughts swirling in their minds must be incredibly intricate.

Yet, in this place now, witnessing these "powers" was none other than a young monster named Hei Dan.

He had always been an attentive child.

Whereas his peers often got sidetracked while engaged in tasks, easily drawn away by distractions along the way, such occurrences were virtually non-existent for him.

And today, he had come to "fix the hot spring."

These "stars" he stumbled upon somehow effortlessly linked themselves in his mind with the "hot spring."

Feeling the warmth emanating from the tiny glowing spots in his palm, a notion instantly formed in Hei Dan's little mind: Could it be... that these very light spots are what heat up the hot spring water?

It was a bit fantastical and perhaps a leap of assumption, but Hei Dan couldn't help but think so right away.

One must admit that many incredible theories often stem from such "far-fetched" ideas.

Those who can conceive notions beyond others' imagination, labeled as "far-fetched," might possess a certain kind of genius to some extent.

Just as there are countless musical notes in the world, yet only a particular composer can arrange them into a harmonious melody that stirs people's emotions; similarly, amidst a myriad of words, only a select poet can pick and choose to craft a beautiful poem with a subset of them.

Upon witnessing something, countless thoughts might cross one's mind, but being able to grasp the correct notion in an instant is, to a certain extent, truly remarkable.

At this very moment, the correct thought flashed through Hei Dan's young mind.

Even though he couldn't name these glowing dots, his instinct told him their purpose.

The phrase "the Dark Lord comes with lava" was a vivid metaphor.

Whenever a powerful Dark Lord emerged – and by "emerge," it wasn't necessarily referring to birth, but rather the eruption of immense power – such occurrences would always stir unusual activity beneath the earth and in the heavens, manifesting peculiar astronomical phenomena.

The most fundamental and prevalent anomaly resulting from the volcanic eruptions was the geothermal springs that emerged.

Within this modest expanse of hot spring waters, a remnant of immense power lingered. Over time, through countless absorptions and perhaps due to other unspoken reasons... in short, the residue of "power" within these waters had dwindled significantly.

So much so that most monsters were unable to perceive it, with only a tiny fraction of exceptionally skilled power manipulators sensing its presence.

That was why Ajin had told Ji Huan earlier, "The hot springs here are genuine, containing a vestige of the Devil King's power."

The term "Devil King's power" didn't refer to any specific Devil King; any monster reaching a certain power level could be labeled as "Devil King-class."

Just like Saroya back then.

And Ajin now.

Though he had kept it under wraps, he had already gathered and organized all the scattered powers from his past. Although his "core" hadn't been perfectly restored, in terms of overall power intensity, he stood among the top echelon of monsters in this realm.

While Ji Huan assumed Ajin was "still recovering and needed rest and nourishment," Ajin was, in fact, more powerful than any monster Ji Huan had encountered before.

Almost.

Aside from the ancient monster Adan in Ye Falar.

Ajin didn't have a clear understanding of Adan's strength, which was rather unusual for him, but surprisingly, he had no desire to uncover it, nor did he have any interest in engaging in a battle with the old monster.

However, let us set Ajin aside for now.

Shift your focus back to Hei Dan, submerged at the bottom of the hot spring.

Hei Dan had no concept of "power." To him, these "powers" were merely captivating stars. Upon realizing that these "stars" emitted heat, he instantly associated them with the hot spring.

The water in the hot spring was warmed by these "stars," and currently, their number was scarce, dwindling and weakening.

Could this be the reason why Grandpa Hot Spring's source was "broken"?

Releasing the "star" in his hand, Hei Dan resumed his familiar task.

Loosening his slender limbs, he allowed himself to float comfortably in the water. Then, with his eyes closed, he began to "activate" his power.

This was something he did daily ever since he moved to this realm, in the bathing pool dug by Jiujiu and Grandfather.

Back then, water supply at home wasn't convenient. Grandpa loved taking baths, so Jiujiu dug a bathing pool for him. Both Grandpa and Hei Dan enjoyed soaking in it, and Jiujiu did too.

But a pool was no hot spring; the water would cool down quickly. They'd have to get out when it did, leaving Jiujiu feeling chilly. That's when Hei Dan thought it would be great if the pool could stay warm all the time. And so, he learned how to generate heat from within his body!

Although installing a water heater at home meant Hei Dan no longer had to laboriously boil water every day, he had already honed this skill quite proficiently beforehand.

With closed-eyed Hei Dan at the center, the spring water gradually took on a different temperature.

The warmth spread in waves, and the youngster holding her breath underwater, who had been watching him, was stunned.

To her, the scene unfolding before her eyes was incomprehensible.

As an ordinary little monster, she couldn't see the "power" stars in the ripples of the water. All she saw was Hei Dan floating in the middle of the pool, fumbling around a bit before closing his eyes and remaining still.

Just as she thought Hei Dan might have accidentally "fallen asleep," the water began to warm up!

Oh! Dan Dan was fixing the hot spring!

The child instantly grasped what was happening!

Though she couldn't fathom how Hei Dan accomplished it, the water was undeniably growing warmer! This must be Hei Dan fixing the hot spring!

However, he had long since mastered the manipulation of "power." For instance, sewing Jiujiu or growing his white skin – these were visible to the naked eye. But in unseen ways, Hei Dan used his power to accomplish far more intricate tasks.

Starting as a mere mass of black mist, everything about him now had grown to resemble Jiujiu, Grandpa, and Ajin.

He observed meticulously, imitating what he lacked with great effort. Inside his tiny form, Hei Dan undertook an enormous transformation project!

Rectifying any deviations, he evolved bit by bit, carefully selecting each change, until he became the creature he is today.

In terms of manipulating "power," Hei Dan was indeed formidable!

Children's minds operate in simplicity. To them, just as a faulty water heater in their home bathroom could be repaired, a "broken" hot spring could naturally be fixed as well.

Unaware of the advanced nature of such power usage, they were merely impressed that Hei Dan could mend the hot spring.

Thus, she decided not to disturb him, instead lying quietly at the bottom of the pool, her large eyes fixed on Hei Dan as he remained motionless in the water just above her.

Then, Hei Dan opened his eyes.

Feeling the temperature of the water around him, Hei Dan was content to find that it was indeed much warmer than before.

Though he hadn't done this in a long time, his ability to heat water was still top-notch – the little monster inwardly gave himself a mental thumbs up.

But he quickly recalled another matter: just like when he boiled water for Jiujiu and Ah Ye back home, while they all soaked together in the tub, the water was warm. Once the trio finished bathing, his "flame" would extinguish, causing the water to cool down.

Hei Dan could heat water, but he couldn't stay in the pool constantly to keep it warm!

He was going home with Jiujiu and Ah Ye!

The previously smug expression on Hei Dan's face instantly froze.

When encountering problems, don't panic; think of ways to solve them – Jiuma would always tell him whenever he encountered difficult homework questions.

Thus, taking advantage of his position in the center of the water, Hei Dan crossed his slender legs, hugged his arms, and adopted a serious expression as he pondered.

He soon found a solution.

The solution lay in these "stars"!

If the reason for the tepid hot spring was due to the scarcity of "stars," then wouldn't adding more "stars" to the water solve the problem?

Though Egg couldn't stay here since he needed to return home with Jiujiu, he could leave some "stars" behind. If there were ample "stars," Grandpa Hot Spring's bathhouse could continue operating.

With this realization, Hei Dan closed his eyes again and began focusing on creating "stars."

To his companion, who had been watching him quietly all along, it seemed as if Hei Dan had "fallen asleep" once more. The pool's temperature dropped slightly, but an astonishing sight unfolded before her eyes in no time—

Just two meters away from her, the tiny Hei Dan started glowing!

A layer of shimmering specks of light suddenly appeared around his small body, revolving around him like a pivot.

Hei Dan had turned into a light bulb, the youngster thought in amazement.

Next, she saw the glow on Hei Dan's body radiate outward, coalescing into a larger, brighter sphere. But it didn't stop there. Under her astonished gaze, the luminous orb first transformed into an irregular ellipse, then gradually reshaped into a perfect sphere. As if being molded by unseen hands, the sphere took form as a perfectly symmetrical pentagram, pointy corners and all!

A five-pointed star now hung beside Hei Dan's head.

Success!

Gently opening his eyes, he saw the dignified and adorable Little Star by his side. Hei Dan nodded in satisfaction.