That wasn’t exactly a formal girlfriend—perhaps even the authenticity of that title was questionable. The two of them could only be considered friends who had met by chance on the street, and in the half year that followed, they didn’t see each other often—at most, they’d go shopping together once every weekend. The girl was a year older than him and had other friends as well. It was probably after she jokingly introduced the boy to her friends as her boyfriend that their relationship gradually began to develop into a real romantic one. In truth, it was a kind of spiritual connection, something akin to Plato’s ideal. They had held hands, hugged, but hadn’t had the chance to kiss yet. Then, for some inexplicable reason, the girl missed an appointment, and instead, one of her friends came to inform William Carter that the girl had died in a car accident, and had asked someone to meet him in her place before she passed away. It was a tragic and moving ending, except that only then did William Carter realize he knew absolutely nothing about her—not her family, not her circle of friends, not her address, not her likes or dislikes, not even her birthday… The only thing he knew was that she had a soul similar to his own. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a deep sorrow. After that, his parents officially divorced, and William Carter packed his bag and left home to clear his mind, wandering until…

…he got lost.

It was just a few hills and woods on the outskirts of the city, many of the trees were only saplings planted that year. But after waking up and walking further in, William Carter realized how unfamiliar everything around him was—towering ancient trees, wild and rampant undergrowth, the forest seemed endless. The compass still worked fine, but even after walking in a set direction for three days straight, he hadn’t seen a single sign of human life, making William Carter wonder if he had somehow slept for ten thousand years, or ended up on another planet with similar gravity but far from Earth.

So, where exactly was this place?

As he pondered this question for the thousand and first time, there was a sudden commotion in the grass ahead, making William Carter tense up. In a forest like this, anything could appear. His military knife was still in the tent—should he go back for it? No, the situation ahead was unclear, and it was obvious he was being watched. If he made any threatening moves now, he might provoke an attack. So…

“Uh, is anyone there… Are you human? My name is William Carter… uh, I’m from Earth, here as a goodwill ambassador between Earth and Planet Amoeba… Hey, is anyone there…”

Of course, even the best sense of humor wouldn’t work on a wild animal. Still, for some reason, William Carter had a hunch the other party was human. Sure enough, not long after he finished speaking, a flash of white stood up across from him.

It was a strange young woman with a head full of silver hair, her long hair cascading down to her waist. She wore a bra and shorts woven from leaves, looking as if she had merged with the forest itself. The girl seemed about the same age as William Carter, standing in the grass, regarding him coldly with a scrutinizing gaze. William Carter was left speechless for a long moment before finally saying, “Wh-what is this… filming a movie?”

Seeing she didn’t answer, he added, “Princess Mononoke? Wh-where’s the camera…”

Pretending to look around, William Carter actually felt a wave of near despair inside, because this couldn’t be a movie shoot, and no normal person would dress like this. Besides… no normal world would have a forest like this…

The girl stared at him for a long time, the coldness in her eyes gradually softening. Suddenly, she turned and, with a swish, darted several meters away through the grass.

“Hey! Wait… wait… can you understand me…”

Not caring about anything else, William Carter chased after her as fast as he could. Whether she was a wild person, a native, whether this was heaven or hell, he needed answers. But the girl ran incredibly fast, darting left and right, and in no time she was out of William Carter’s sight. He could only follow the sounds ahead. Soon, the view opened up, and a rush of wind hit his face.

A cliff!

A lush green carpet of grass spread out neatly, forming a triangular cliff. Looking out from here, the dark clouds stretched in all directions, filling the entire sky, oppressively low. On both sides, sheer cliffs thousands of meters high curved like a crescent toward the horizon, and below the endless cliffs, the primeval forest stretched as far as the eye could see. A spectacular, massive waterfall thundered down from the cliffs a few miles to the left, its roar deafening. In comparison, the Huangguoshu Waterfall William Carter had once seen seemed pitifully small. The silver-haired girl stood at the edge of the cliff ahead, still tilting her head and scrutinizing him.

“Oh my god…”

William Carter groaned inwardly. How could there be such forests and waterfalls where he lived… Forcing himself to stay calm, he walked step by step along the edge of the cliff, occasionally peeking cautiously over the side. The dizzying drop revealed a torrent of water rushing along the cliff, then splitting into a magnificent silver ribbon through the forest below.

“Uh, don’t run… I’m not a bad person… Can you understand me? You can, right… Where is this? I’m lost…”

After glancing down a few times, William Carter felt his legs go weak. Just as he was about to move back a bit, the girl’s face suddenly showed a look of alarm. She pointed at William Carter’s feet and cried out, “Ah ah…”

“Huh? What are you saying…”