[Xie Lian follows without any qualms, still looking around with a slight frown on his face.]

The drought could be natural, that's for sure. But this black substance is not. It changes what it touches.

[His mouth... twitches into a slightly bitter smile as he speaks of 'drought'.]

... I tried to stop a drought, once. For my country. It didn't go well. I was their god, and I couldn't even do that.