"Do you need me to make a wish? We can forget about the TV," Mo Ling said, pointing at the screen, which was still full of static.

"No need. I’ve made other preparations," the Little Elf said calmly, looking completely confident.

Mo Ling gazed at the unknown being, unable to hold back his confusion any longer. "Why are you doing so much for Oasis City?" he asked.

The safety and well-being of humanity clearly had nothing to do with it.

Even if Oasis City were destroyed, it wouldn’t be affected in the slightest.

The Little Elf floated in midair. As if remembering something, the corners of its mouth curved up slightly.

"Because I like humans."

"Those wishes to protect things... they come from a very deep-seated desire."

"Now, all those wishes to protect things have become my wishes. So, of course, I have to protect this city, too."

The Little Elf looked at the skyscrapers standing firm against the gales and said with satisfaction, "’I want to stand on the rooftop and gaze into the distance every day after school.’"

It looked at the park, completely untouched as the cracks in the ground spread toward it. "’I want to be able to play hide-and-seek with my friends in the park every evening after dinner.’"

It looked at the streetlights that swayed in the tremors but remained standing tall. "’I want to be able to read a book under the streetlight after I get off work, watching the bustling crowds.’"

...

"’I want all my brothers in the guard to be safe and sound.’"

"’I want my shop to be bustling with customers every day.’"

"’I want every New Year’s celebration to be lively and full of cheer.’"

"’I want to wrap myself up in my blanket, the faint glow of my phone on my face, reading my favorite novel... forever...’"

The more the Little Elf spoke, the happier it became, as if it had personally experienced every single one of these things.

"These are all my wishes now."

"Wishes that make me want to protect this city without a second thought."

So, this was what it meant to protect something. It was that simple.

Mo Ling instantly understood how the Little Elf had gathered all those wishes.

It was taking advantage of the broad nature of wishes, extending these deeply personal desires to encompass all the things in Oasis City, and in doing so, protecting them.

Human wishes were making this unknown creature more and more human.

And they were also making Oasis City incredibly safe.

The fissure drew ever closer, yet the Little Elf showed no signs of panic.

"It’s almost here."

It pointed to a residential building in the distance.

A little boy stood on the roof, fiddling with a toy gun.

It was the same little boy Mo Ling had seen when he first arrived in Oasis City, the one who had wished for an infinite candy gun.

He aimed the toy gun at the sky and pulled the trigger.

A pink candy Block shot out of the gun, flying toward the sky.

"What is that?" Mo Ling asked, confused.

"Bubble gum."

After flying into the sky, the candy Block rapidly expanded, instantly growing so large it blotted out the sun.

A giant pink bubble appeared out of thin air, enveloping the entire Oasis City.

After a tremor, the bubble gum actually tore Oasis City right off the Vortex Turtle’s back.

The Vortex Turtle didn’t seem to notice something was missing from its back and continued flying toward the fissure.

And just like that, the bubble, with Oasis City inside, was left suspended in midair.

"This is bubble gum?" Mo Ling asked, staring in shock at the enormous pink bubble.

"Of course. Infinite candy, isn’t it?" the Little Elf said with a smile.

The bubble hung in midair, slowly drifting downward.

Oasis City, seemingly fixed in place within it, remained completely undamaged.

The Little Elf waved its hand, conjuring an image, and only then did Mo Ling understand why.

The bottom of the bubble was already filled with gigantic, multicolored gummy bears.

These gummies supported the entire city, which in turn held its form because of all the wishes for protection.

In the image, the entire Oasis City looked like a perfectly preserved toy, completely surrounded by candy.

The bubble gum allowed Oasis City to descend slowly. The multicolored gummy bears cushioned the impact, sticky taffy secured the entire base, and countless hard candies filled in the city’s foundations.

In every corner, candy was taking over the Vortex Turtle’s role.

"This was your ’other preparations’?" Mo Ling asked in disbelief, looking at the utterly astounding scene.

"Yes. The little boy’s wish also included protecting his mother. That desire was even stronger than his craving for candy," the Little Elf said, pleased.

"It’s a candy gun of protection."

Sunlight filtered through the pink bubble gum and spilled into Oasis City, bathing everything in a dreamlike pink hue. The once-panicked crowds stopped in their tracks to stare at the bizarre spectacle.

The fissures in the ground hadn’t vanished. Instead, they were being filled with multicolored popping candy, like fine sand pouring in to seal them.

White taffy lined the edges of the fissures, securing the entire city. This white "glue" even gave off a sweet aroma.

At the city’s edge, the head of a gigantic red gummy bear could be seen. It stared with cute eyes over the high walls, looking at the people within.

Even the cutest things become terrifying when magnified countless times.

Because Oasis City was still shifting, the gummy bears supporting it were also swaying slightly, causing the giant bear head to be squeezed and jiggle nonstop.

This made it look even more lifelike.

The air began to fill with all sorts of sweet, cloying scents as the aroma of candy spread throughout Oasis City.

The brown sugar, honey, and cream of toffee.

The wheat and sweet rice of malt sugar.

The rich, woody aroma and caramel notes of maple candy.

The fresh fragrance of osmanthus candy.

Of course, there were also some special scents that made one want to steer clear:

The tart smell of tamarind candy was incredibly potent when magnified.

And the stench of durian candy was enough to make anyone retreat.

Some cloyingly sweet candies also became unusually pungent when magnified to this scale.

But these smells were a trivial matter compared to the safety of Oasis City.

The little boy was still creating candy nonstop, but the rooftop railing was too high for him to see what was happening in the distance.

Just then, the door to the rooftop burst open.

The little boy’s mother rushed in, sweeping him into her arms.

"What are you doing?" the woman asked, her face etched with worry.

"I just remembered. I wanted the gun to protect you, Mom," the little boy said earnestly. "Now I’m going to protect all of Oasis City. That way, you and I won’t get hurt."

The woman froze. Looking at the deluge of candy that filled the sky, she clearly realized that her son was responsible for the candy now protecting Oasis City. The worry on her face deepened.

Overcome with emotion, she burst into tears.

In that instant, she was torn between wanting to protect her child and having no idea how to deal with the situation.

The little boy used his small hand to wipe the tears from his mother’s cheek. "Mom, can you pick me up? I can’t see."

Hearing this, the woman quickly stifled her sobs, nodded, and lifted the boy into her arms.

In that moment, the adult was less emotionally composed than the child.

Cradled in his mother’s arms, the little boy turned his head and looked out into the distance.

"We need a cushion that’s firm but also soft enough to catch Oasis City. Mom, do you know any candy like that?"

The little boy scratched his head. He couldn’t think of anything, so he turned to his mother for help.

...

The woman’s gaze followed her son’s out into the distance.

From the high rooftop, all of Oasis City was laid out before them. Tears shimmered in the woman’s eyes.

At that moment, Oasis City was suspended between safety and destruction.

The anxiety in the woman’s eyes slowly gave way to a steady calm, and her breathing evened out.

She just held the little boy a little tighter.

As if she had thought of something, the corners of her mouth curved up slightly.

"Nougat."

"Your father’s favorite... was always nougat..."