But Yan Jingjing had expended far too much, merged far too much with the Dawnboat. She did not have long to live.

The more one channeled the Dawnboat's power, the more one merged with it, and the more one's life was consumed. Her flesh and blood had essentially completely merged with the Dawnboat. Even if the sun were rekindled, Shen Mu was not certain whether she could be saved.

When she was not gripping the pillars, this girl was very small, pitifully small. Her neck was so thin it seemed unable to hold up her head, as though it might snap at any moment.

She said he was her childhood playmate, but in truth Shen Mu had only met her once.

She had no playmates.

She was the Sun Warden. Her people held her in awe; the youths and maidens of the tribe regarded her with deep respect and would not play with her. From childhood she had borne the heavy burden of protecting her race and the Desolate Ruins.

By Crimson Dragon City, Shen Mu, a youth of another race, had come aboard the ship and chatted with her for a while, and she had taken him as a playmate, as a kindred spirit.

In some sense, Shen Mu and she were the same kind of person.

In his childhood, Shen Mu had no playmates either. Every day he learned all manner of knowledge from the elders of the village, training hard and bitterly; there was no one his age to play with him.

But Shen Mu had nine elders who cared for him meticulously, while Yan Jingjing's elders likewise held her in awe.

Si Yunxiang, Xue Hu'er, and Ling Yuxiu came to Yan Jingjing's side, their hearts heavy with sorrow. This girl was about their age, yet the burden she carried was countless times heavier than theirs.

Si Yunxiang could not help saying, "The sun has gone out, but there are still many in the Dawnspring. Why don't you swap in a new sun? I saw these chains of yours tethering the black sun—can't you use these chains to catch a new sun?"

"These chains were forged by the Heavenly Artisan God Clan, and the Heavenly Artisan God Clan is extinct."

The old clan chief said, "The chains forged from our Sunherds' true fire cannot withstand the sun's true fire, so we cannot fish out a new sun. We have tried countless times."

Shen Mu's heart stirred slightly. He remembered the conversation between Lord Dragon Keeper and the Silent Artisan, and said, "There are still Heavenly Artisans in this world. Such chains can still be forged."

The old clan chief glanced at him and shook his head. "The remaining Heavenly Artisans are in the Land of No Sorrow. If you could return to the Land of No Sorrow, perhaps you could bring back a Heavenly Artisan and save our Sunherd clan. Unfortunately, you have not yet been able to return to the Land of No Sorrow, have you?"

Shen Mu shook his head. "I indeed have not returned to the Land of No Sorrow. I came this time to help you light the sun. Even if I cannot light it, I have other skills. I learned blacksmithing from a Heavenly Artisan. Perhaps I can help you forge new chains to fish out a new sun."

He broke into a sunny smile and said to the thin girl who showed only her head, "I've come to keep my promise. I told you I would, and I won't go back on it."

He stood up and looked up at the black sun in the sky. Calmly he said, "You once told me that if this sun were lit, you could break free. If I light this sun now, can you still break free of the Dawnboat?"

"I don't know." The flames in Yan Jingjing's eyes suddenly flared brighter, as if a thread of hope had been born again.

The old clan chief of the Sunherds looked somber. "Young friend Shen, though you are a visitor from the Land of No Sorrow, you have not returned there, and you do not have the power to light the sun. And even if you did light it, the Sun Warden has only a few years left. Her life has been all but consumed. When a person dies, it is like a lamp going out; the oil is about to run dry..."

He roused his spirits and said, "There's no point wasting your effort! We Sunherds are choosing the next Sun Warden. As a guest from the Land of No Sorrow, come and witness the birth of the next Sun Warden! Tonight, the otherworldly demon monsters will attack again. We must choose a Sun Warden to prepare for the worst!"

Shen Mu shook his head, utterly stubborn. "Whether or not I can light the sun, I must try!"

The old clan chief shook his head and left with his people to prepare for the selection of the Sun Warden.

Shen Mu took out the Sun Jade Eye and placed it on the ground. He looked up at the black sun, thought for a moment, then raised the jade eye high and ran along the chains toward the black sun. "Wait here for me! I'll go light the sun and come back!"

Ling Yuxiu cried out in alarm, "When the sun burns, it will burn you to death!"

"It won't!"

The sound of a flute came, and one fire dragon after another soared into the air, following close behind Shen Mu. From afar Shen Mu called, "With these dragons here, I can escape!"

"Sun Warden, is this sun of yours a real sun or a fake one?" Ling Yuxiu asked hurriedly.

Yan Jingjing said, "It is a divine creation. They say it is a treasure refined by the goddess Zi Qing."

"Oh no!"

Ling Yuxiu's scalp went numb. The cowherd had run off without finding out clearly. When this divine treasure burned, the majesty of the gods would fill the air—it would likely burn the cowherd boy and those dragons to ashes together!

"Doesn't that mean I can succeed as Cult Leader?" Si Yunxiang's eyes lit up at once.

Ling Yuxiu glared at her. Si Yunxiang hurriedly laughed, "I'm joking! I don't want to be a young widow. I was thinking—since they're Sunherds, they must be able to resist the sun's divine fire. Maybe we can get that old clan chief to help protect the Cult Leader."