Chương 164: Does this count as a date?

Xia En woke up in bed.

The autumn sun shone through the hotel window, casting a warm glow on him, making him reluctant to get out of bed.

Today is a celebration day.

Even through the window, he could already hear the bustling sounds of people on the street.

He stretched, rubbed his eyes, and slowly sat up.

My gaze fell on the pillow, where a large pile of beans lay.

Last night I worked until midnight and finally finished stripping that huge pile of messy "pad" armor. All the entries on it have been transferred to these beans.

Xia En didn't count how many there were, because there were just too many.

Of course, these are all basic gray or white entries. Occasionally, a few with special functions are separated out, and the rest are waiting to be [recast].

"There are too many, let's do it after the celebration."

Xia En packed all the beans into the cloth bag and checked his backpack; there was already quite a bit of space left inside.

Today there's a shopping festival—no, I mean a celebration—and he's going to have a good time.

get up.

Wash up.

Go downstairs.

The hotel lobby was quiet.

A bread basket covered with a linen cloth sat on the long table, but there was not a soul in sight.

Even Philon, who always meticulously arranges everyone's meals, is not here.

Where are they?

Xia En was puzzled.

He turned around once.

Only Frillie's door was closed; she was probably still asleep.

All the other rooms were empty, the doors were open, and the beds were neatly made.

"Strange, did they all go shopping?"

Just then.

Behind the counter, the small door leading to the kitchen was pushed open, followed by a hearty laugh. Xia En vaguely heard words of help and thanks.

Then I saw Yubel come out.

Xia En called out to her, "What's going on?"

"It's nothing."

Yubel sat down at the table and poured himself a glass of water.

"I just saw that the couple was having a hard time, so I helped them with the two pigs."

"what?"

Xia En was shocked.

Good heavens, [magic that can almost cut through everything] can be used to slaughter pigs?

Shaen imagined Yubel staring at the pig with a cold expression, then quickly shook his head. What a bizarre scene, it just didn't fit.

Yubel didn't seem to feel anything.

She put down her water glass, glanced at the bread basket, seemingly without much appetite, and turned to ask Xia En, "It's almost noon, want to go out for a walk together?"

Xia En looked up at the sky.

It would be good to go out for a stroll and bring back some food for Frillie.

"OK."

The two walked out of the hotel.

Although the celebration hadn't officially started that evening, the market was already bustling with activity.

The stalls on both sides of the street were set up early, with colorful flags and flower strings hanging from the eaves. The air was filled with the aroma of various snacks, including freshly steamed buns, hamburgers the size of a face, and various flavors of grilled meatballs—of course, the most abundant items were all kinds of dazzling handicrafts.

Yubel strolled around the various stalls.

Occasionally, he would pick it up and look at it, then frown and put it back, as if he was interested in every item, just like a child.

Xia En looked at her.

Thinking back to the first time I met her, she was a little girl who would only cry when she was bullied, and she was even afraid to cry loudly for fear of worrying her older sister.

Now, however, he can slaughter pigs—and even kill people—without batting an eye.

Hey.

Even though Yubel didn't say anything, he could imagine what kind of life Solitaire and her sister had gone through after the attack on Gostan.

After her sister went missing, what kind of life did she lead all by herself?

Mingming is about the same age as Philon — He's still a child.

Xia En sighed silently.

If Yubel lingered in front of something a little longer, Shane would pay for it.

A fruit candy shaped like a cat's paw, and a bag of spicy roasted chestnuts — Yubel accepted them all quite naturally.

Although the two had only had a brief encounter ten years ago, Yubel completely trusted Shane and showed no signs of estrangement, just like old friends.

"Here you are."

Yubel handed the paper bag containing roasted chestnuts to Shane.

Xia En picked up a piece, hesitated for a long time, and then put it in his mouth and licked it slightly.

Wow.

It was so spicy it hurt the tip of my tongue.

Yubel laughed, crunching away happily as he ate.

It perfectly showcased a southerner's talent for eating spicy food.

Just then.

A passerby rushed by and bumped into Yubel's shoulder.

A chestnut she was about to put in her mouth flew out of her hand and fell to the ground.

The round chestnuts were trampled underfoot and turned into a puddle of mud in the blink of an eye.

The person who bumped into them was very anxious, bowing repeatedly and apologizing rapidly: "I'm so sorry! I have to rush home—" —I'm so sorry!

Without waiting for a response, he hurriedly squeezed into the crowd and ran away.

Yubel looked in the direction the person had disappeared, then glanced at the "chestnut mud" on the ground, and paused for a moment.

Xia En's heart clenched.

He was worried that Yubel would get angry, so he brandished his staff in the street.

When he first heard Yubel talk about killing the bandits, he was relieved that the little girl had the ability to protect herself, but at the same time, he was worried that this kind of tyrannical and unreasonable magic would eventually make Yubel lose her sense of humanity and become numb and cold-blooded.

Fortunately.

The terrible thing did not happen.

Yubel took another chestnut from the paper bag, put it in his mouth, and continued walking slowly forward.

She saw Xia En looking at her.

The girl tilted her head, and her green ponytail slid down to her shoulder with the movement.

She looked at Xia En, a hint of interest appearing in her pale purple eyes.

"Are you worried about me?"

"I was worried about that passerby."

Yubel blinked.

"I'm not a demon."

After a pause, she added, "I did as you said, stopped and thought about it, and asked myself three questions. I came to the answer: he didn't want to hurt me."

"Then let's forget about it."

Xia En smiled.

It seems she really took to heart the stumbling "teachings" she received ten years ago.

Although the execution method was a bit off— It seems there's no need to worry too much about Yubel's mental health.

The two continued strolling around.

Xia En asked curiously, "Are the three questions you ask different each time?"

Yubel glanced at him.

"Guess."

Xia En raised an eyebrow.

"Guess whether I'll guess or not."

Yubel's lips curved into a slight smile.

"Does this count as a date?"

Xia En was speechless, recalling a certain elf's astonishing "dating theory".

"Don't imitate Frilian if you don't have to."

As he spoke, he walked into the bakery next to him and began to choose lunch for Frillie.

The white-haired elf has recently become obsessed with stuffed bread.

It also has to be the kind that's sweet and sour, like jam.

They're getting harder and harder to please.

Yubel watched Shane's retreating figure, a smile playing on his lips, and murmured, "That's true."

I didn't see anyone this morning.

I didn't see anyone in the afternoon either.

For the entire day, Philon, Zain, Shutark, and Viabel did not show up.

At first, Xia En thought they had probably gone to the market to explore.

But as the sun began to set and darkness fell, the streetlights gradually came on, and cheerful music drifted faintly from the direction of the square, but the four people were still nowhere to be seen.

He finally began to furrow his brow slowly.

What's going on?

In contrast to Shane's restlessness, Frillie was quite calm.

The elven girl sat on an outdoor seat at the entrance of the dessert shop, intently eating the crystal pudding in front of her.

She scooped up a spoonful of pudding with a small silver spoon, carefully put it into her mouth, and enjoyed the delicious food while waiting for the upcoming fireworks display.

He even kindly comforted Xia En, saying, "It's okay."

"They are not children anymore."

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"It's just going out for fun. I often don't go home for several days at a time, and Vlame never worries about me."

Xia En turned to look at her: "You actually have times when you're too busy playing to come home?"

"It wasn't intentional," Frilian said, scooping up another spoonful of pudding.

"I was just lying on the grass reading and lost track of time."

"That fits your persona perfectly."

Shaun sighed and sat down opposite Frilian.

Just then— Bang!

The first firework exploded in the sky.

Golden sparks scattered, eliciting exclamations of surprise from the surrounding children.

Then, the second flower, the third flower— A huge bonfire was lit in the center of the square, and the orange-red flames roared up, illuminating the laughing crowd around them.

The city was ignited with passion in an instant.

The cheerful sounds of flutes and drums flowed like a river, and people held hands, dancing around the bonfire to express their gratitude for the harvest.

Yubel watched the lively scene.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

The firelight reflected in her pale purple eyes, flickering and dancing.

Frillie kept her head down, eating dessert after dessert, as if the surrounding noise, the dazzling fireworks, and the leaping bonfire were nothing compared to the sweet taste in her mouth.

Xia En looked at the fireworks in the sky.

Clumps and clusters, flickering and shimmering.

He suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

Through coming together and parting ways, he has unknowingly made so many friends in this world.

Whether they are by my side or not.

In a daze, he recalled the scene when he first came into this world, standing on a bustling street, gazing at the statue of the hero team.

At that time, he was completely in a different world, like a tourist. Swords and magic, adventure and glory—he found them all novel and exciting.

Today, his connection with the world is becoming more and more frequent and deeper. The emotions and warmth that his partners and friends bring him make him feel that the world is becoming more and more wonderful.

Fireworks were dazzling.

The same applies to people.

Thud— Another sound.

But this time it wasn't fireworks.

It was a heavy bag of coins, roughly thrown onto the wooden table.

Zain appeared, panting, plopped down on the table, grabbed the juice in front of Shane, and gulped it down.

Xia En turned around and was almost startled.

Zanyin was covered in dust and dirt, his robe was stained with mud at the hem, and there were two obvious tears on the cuffs with charred edges.

Shortly after, Shutark and Viaberu also appeared.

The two of them were equally impressive.

They were all injured.

"What's going on here?"

As he spoke, his light passed over the three of them, anxiously searching for Philon.

Thank goodness.

Philon was completely clean.

At this moment, he was standing in front of the dessert shop counter, taking orders for a few people.

Xia En looked at the three disheveled guys with a puzzled expression.

"Went off to fight?"

Zain waved his hand, looking speechless, only panting.

Shutark, his face full of resentment, said, "Ask Viabel—" Viabel grinned.

"We've been commissioned by the Continental Magic Association to hunt down the newly discovered bird-like monsters around the city."''

Xia En was speechless.

He recalled the new commissions he had seen at the reception desk of the Continental Magic Association yesterday.

He remembered that the danger level was specifically marked on it.

These four guys just left without a word.

At that moment, Philon returned with the newly ordered desserts and juices. She gently placed the items in front of everyone and then sat down next to Frilian.

"We originally wanted to ask you to come along, but when Shutark went to call you, you weren't awake, so we went by ourselves."

"Fortunately, thanks to Mr. Zain, everything went relatively smoothly."

Upon hearing this, Zain immediately waved his hand.

"No, no—I won't go with you guys again if there's a request like this next time. I almost lost my life."

Philon gave a slight smile.

From Philon's explanation, Shane gradually understood.

In just one day, these people traversed all the suburbs surrounding [Kyr] and wiped out three monster lairs.

Their combat prowess left the receptionist at the Continental Magic Association completely dumbfounded.

Xia En frowned.

"You guys are going way too far."

Viabel glanced at the people around the campfire and said, "I just don't want them to ruin the celebration."

Frillie nodded.

"That concern isn't unfounded. Bird-like monsters, due to their habit of decorating their nests, are attracted to bright colors and lights. The lights and fireworks of the celebration could indeed lure them out of the forest."

"All right----" Seeing their disheveled appearance, Xia En couldn't bear to be harsh with them.

"But next time, remember to call me too."

Upon hearing this, Philon gave him a gentle smile and said, "Okay."

The group finally quieted down and began to enjoy their desserts while watching the increasingly lively celebration in the distance.

fireworks.

bonfire.

dance.

A joyful mood was passed on to everyone.

Shutark recovered his strength the fastest; after eating half a serving of pudding, he couldn't sit still and ran off to play with the children.

Zain had somehow moved to an outdoor seat in the tavern next door and was already playing cards.

Yubel dragged Philon to go shopping.

Gradually, only Shane, Frilian, and Viabel remained at the table.

Viabel did not eat the pudding.

He leaned back in his chair, a glass of ale in his hand, his gaze fixed intently on the side of the campfire, watching Shutark carry a child on his shoulders, the child's eyes disappearing in laughter.

More and more children gathered around Shutark, pulling him to dance, playing with sparklers, and sharing food.

Joyful laughter continued unabated.

After a long while, Viabel finally spoke in a low voice.

His voice was muffled by the distant music and laughter, "I haven't attended a celebration like this in over twenty years."

Xia En looked at him.

The young man's profile appeared particularly cold and stern in the flickering firelight.

"My hometown is on the northern border, where many stories of the hero Simmel are told. Conquering the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors, battling one of the Seven Sages of Collapse, the Undying Beze, and the Royal Prison Dragon—as a child, I especially longed for these thrilling and exciting adventure stories."

"But back then, there were no monsters to be seen around the village, and life was so peaceful it was almost boring. People hardly ever talked about these things. Even when they did, they would only say that Simmel had eliminated the monsters and saved the village, or that she had helped the village repair the roads—just some trivial, boring things."

"People prefer to talk about: farming, harvesting, and celebration."

Year after year, day after day.

"Back then, I felt that this kind of life was incredibly boring. It was nothing compared to the excitement and fun of adventure."

"Until thirty years ago, the demons returned with a vengeance, my homeland was destroyed, and the northern border has never seen such peaceful and boring days again—"

"Only then did I realize that the adventures of heroes who went to the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors, the Seven Sages of Collapse, the Imperial Dragon, and the Demon King were nothing more than attempts to exchange for what I perceived as mundane and boring days."

As he spoke, he summoned his wand and held it in his hand.

It was a short, triangular fork. When Shane first saw it, he thought it looked like a pitchfork.

Sure enough, Viabel smiled and looked at Shane.

"Doesn't it look like a pitchfork?"

Xia En did not speak.

"Every household in the countryside has one of these pitchforks. They are our tools for farm work, and also our only weapon when we encounter demons."

Viabel was silent for a moment, then raised his glass and drank the rest of the ale in one gulp.

His face glowed red in the firelight.

Xia En lowered his eyes.

He finally understood why Viabell had argued with Frillie about the uses of magic, and why he had rushed to beat up the sea monster without a second thought.

Because I have lost it before.

Therefore, when faced with the same situation, they will do everything in their power to protect it.

He didn't say anything to comfort him.

Because he knew that Viabelu didn't need it.

He looked into the distance at Shutark, who was being called "Brother," "Brother" by the children.

Although the two people have completely different personalities, at this moment, in Xia En's eyes, they are so similar.

"Viabel————" next to.

Zain's sobbing voice could be heard.

He clutched a bad hand of cards and looked to Viaberu for help.

"Please help me—" Viabel grinned helplessly.

"I don't have any [Strong Luck], why are you calling me?"

Despite his complaints, he still stood up and went to Zain's table.

Frilian watched Viabel's departing figure.

Then he looked at Xia En.

Xia En received her gaze, and neither of them spoke, falling into a silent understanding.

The laughter continued in the distance.

Xia En's heart grew heavy.

His gaze pierced through the campfire, looking towards the distant north.

He began to re-examine the insane experiments conducted by the Mad Sage, and also began to re-examine the war between humans and demons.

This racial conflict, which lasted for thousands of years, saw countless people striving to end the suffering and dedicating their entire lives to it.

All they wanted was for their descendants to live a mundane and uneventful life.

But for thousands of years, no one has been able to do it.

They struggled, they cried out, but to no avail.

Shaen wasn't sure if he could fulfill the expectations of the "Mad Sage Shaen" and bring true peace to humanity, but from this moment on, he finally overcame his inner reservations and began to seriously consider whether it truly had to end with him— What exactly is he going to do?

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