Chương 176: Mixed Bathing of Men and Women

Xia En didn't know how she got back to the hotel.

That scene I just witnessed.

It's too bizarre.

Peach blossoms — eternal life---- Crazy Xian———— Humanity's ultimate victory.

Xia En's mind was a complete mess.

In this war between humans and demons that lasted for a thousand years: The Demon King's choice was to [annihilate humanity].

Humanity's choice was to eradicate the demon race.

The choice offered by [Mad Sage Charles] is [Human Immortality].

It's like you go into a restaurant and the waiter asks you: "Chicken or eggs?" You answer: "Hairy eggs."

Is there a problem?

no problem.

Is there something wrong?

He has a serious illness.

Xia En rubbed his head.

Combined with the previous "Curse of the Last Saintess", 20 years later, ah, no, now there are only 18 years left. In 18 years, the curse will spread across the globe, and humanity will perish.

As an "immortal human," a completely new species that transcends the three realms and is not bound by the five elements, Shane will exclusively enjoy the "post-apocalyptic world."

Although elves are immortal, they are sexually frigid and, with the help of the Demon King, have successfully made themselves a rare species. Dwarves are similar, though slightly better than elves, but not by much.

As for Shane, as a "new human," he is immortal and has normal sexual desires.

This means that he can create a new race, an immortal race.

Wow.

One person can make a nation.

I get excited just thinking about it.

Bullshit!

Xia En gritted his teeth.

If that's really the purpose of [Mad Sage Charles], then that's too outrageous.

Of course, these are all just Xia En's own speculations.

Historical information about sages has been deliberately omitted, and there is very little he can confirm now.

Falshu was able to discover the true function of [Black Asphalt] within six months thanks in large part to the Continental Magic Association's all-out search for ancient texts related to sages.

Among those surviving ancient books, he found a spell that could be used to [activate magic].

"That spell was originally used to make potions."

Falshu adjusted his glasses, pulled out a thick magical text, and quickly flipped through a few pages.

"The principle behind this magical formula is very similar to the method that herbalists often use to accelerate the ripening of other herbs with Crescent Moon Grass."

Shaun glanced at the complex magic formulas in the document.

The intricate magical links, crisscrossing and intersecting, along with the densely packed formulas and explanations of magical principles, made Xia En dizzy at first glance.

Even with the bonus from his "Accelerated Thinking (Gold)" attribute, he still felt it was a bit too complicated, and it would be difficult to figure it out in just a few days.

It's remarkable that Falshu managed to crack it in just six months.

Xia En glanced at Faerxiu's dark circles under his eyes.

I'll have to treat them to a nice meal later.

Does Cangyuecao (苍月草) have a method to accelerate the ripening of other herbs?

He remembered that when they were in the port of Neutoral, they had visited a herbal shop together in search of clues about the ancient book transport team.

The old woman who was in charge of herbal medicine specially planted a plant called "Azure Moon Grass". She said that although "Azure Moon Grass" does not have unique medicinal properties, the fragrance it emits can make the surrounding herbs grow more vigorously.

It seems so.

This magic spell simulates the activation effect of [Azure Moon Grass], bringing out the true effect of [Black Asphalt].

The magic formula was seven or eight parts similar to the one he had seen in the ruins of the Sharl laboratory, which meant that Sharl had made improvements to the original magic formula.

It's just unclear what effect this improvement is intended to achieve.

Could it be that the improvement process, which was applied to plants, is now being applied to humans?

Xia En frowned.

"Falshu, what's the name of this ancient document?"

"A Three-Day Crash Course in Herbal Medicine"'

"" Is this a legitimate academic paper?

Falshu adjusted his glasses.

"However, this spell doesn't originate from this book. The book mentions that this spell first appeared in the notes of the great sage Evis.

Xia En paused.

It's Evisch again — The great sages of this mythical era truly had a wide range of interests.

How thick are his notebooks?

Previously, at Haita's place, Shane had seen a copy of "Evie's Notebook".

According to Haita, the book was from "The Grave of Evie," but unfortunately, Shane saw the entry in that book at the time, and it turned out to be a fake.

It is a forgery created by a later sage in order to spread his magical research, using the name of the sage Evisch. Although the magical research in the book does have its important value, a forgery is still a forgery.

Frillie analyzed the research in the book and found nothing about "immortality," "androids," or "black tar."

This type of research.

There are many alternative ideas about demonic magic.

For example, based on the correlation between the [Scales of Obedience] magic and the [Ring of Domination] in Evish, the author of the counterfeit book deduced through extensive theoretical analysis that the [Scales of Obedience] magic likely originated from mind control magic on the [Ring of Domination].

It must be said that the author of that counterfeit book also possessed some genuine talent and learning.

The contents of the book do indeed have high value for magical research.

Even Frilian was greatly shocked.

I guess he's some kind of Evish admirer.

But later, after paying special attention to news related to Evisi, Shane and Frilian suddenly discovered that, just like the notes of the great mage Vlame, there were also a lot of fakes in Evisi's notes.

Some are crudely made, while others are exquisitely crafted and deceptively impressive.

But without exception, they were all counterfeit.

The book I saw at Haita turned out to be the most valuable one among them.

Hey.

This Evish has no idea where he hid the real notes.

Xia En couldn't help but sigh.

Seeing this, Falshu patted Shane on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, we've already exceeded my expectations to get this far. And I have more good news for you."

As he spoke, Falshu pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming.

Even the heavy dark circles under my eyes have faded considerably.

"Although there are many different versions of the legend about the Sage Evish."

"But recently, Lylene has discovered some new clues that could very well help us find the real [Evie's Tomb] and obtain [Evie's Research Notes]!"

"This will be the most valuable exploration in the magical world in the last hundred years, no, in the last thousand years."

"With Evish's notes, plus the ever-rediscovering sage texts, I'm sure I can find even more ways to analyze the Black Asphalt."

Xia En's eyes widened instantly.

"What clue? Tell me more."

Falshu shook his head, feigning mystery, "Sorry, this is confidential information from the Continental Magic Association, and it's not convenient to disclose it."

"Isn't our relationship good enough?"

"No, that's a matter of principle."

"6, All right.

Xia En breathed a long sigh of relief.

Judging from Faersch's appearance, he wasn't the kind of pedantic and stubborn old scholar; unexpectedly, he was surprisingly principled.

He's a reliable person too.

in the hotel.

No one has returned yet.

The proprietress wasn't at the front desk either; she was probably busy in the kitchen.

Xia En was bored out of his mind.

As he pondered his earlier conversation with Falshu, he changed into his bathrobe, preparing to soak in the hot springs and relax.

There are a total of three hot springs in the entire hot spring hotel.

Men's bath, women's bath, mixed bath.

The women's bath and mixed bath are indoors, while only the men's bath is outdoors.

Xia En, wrapped in a bathrobe, pushed open the door, but immediately retreated after taking only two steps.

It is now deep winter.

Although it hasn't snowed in the past few days, the outside temperature is already noticeably close to below zero. The sky is overcast and hazy; it might snow tonight.

Xia En is someone who avoids difficult tasks and prefers easy ones.

In Philon's words: He would never stand if he could sit.

In such cold weather, soaking in a hot spring is a treat, but the time before and after entering is a test of willpower.

Xia En stood by the door, hesitating.

He glanced back at the corridor behind him, where the mixed-gender bathhouse that Shutark had been longing for was located.

How should one choose between indoor mixed-gender bathing and outdoor men's bathing?

At that time it was———— Xia En pushed the door open again.

A gentle breeze blew in my face.

He immediately slammed the door shut and turned to walk towards the end of the corridor.

It's just mixed bathing, it's just men and women bathing together, what's there to be afraid of?

His pectoral muscles are strong enough to run a horse, and his abs are as hard as bricks. In the eyes of women, he is a succubus, and in the eyes of men, he is a rival in love. What does he have to fear?

Whoosh— Xia En opened the lattice wooden door.

A plume of steaming water vapor rushed towards me.

The interior was ridiculously spacious, made of stone, with a high wooden courtyard and walls made of smooth gray stone, from which several bamboo drains extended.

The hot spring water splashed and poured into the bath, creating rising clouds of steam.

The faint scent of sulfur mixed with the warmth of the moisture creates a relaxing feeling.

Xia En's initial nervousness vanished instantly.

There was no one in the mixed bath.

That makes sense.

With the Spring Festival approaching, everyone is busy going home to reunite with their families, and the hot spring hotel has hardly any guests left. Apart from Xia En and his group, there are only a few scattered traveling merchants staying overnight.

It's daytime now, and those traveling merchants who only stay here for the night have long since left to continue their journeys.

Hu Yixia breathed a long sigh of relief.

You're scaring yourself.

He untied the belt around his waist, and with a wave of his hand, threw his bathrobe onto the rack next to him.

pat.

The bathrobe went over the rack and landed in the corner.

Xia En didn't care.

Anyway, he's all alone, so even if he's naked, no one will see him.

He picked up the wooden basin beside him, went under the sink, and began to rinse.

This is preparation for soaking in the hot spring.

Wash yourself clean first, then enter the hot spring.

After all, you wouldn't want to see a layer of gray rolls floating on the surface of the water while you're soaking, would you?

"Da, da, da, da da da da da da da————" As Xia En rubbed himself, he hummed a cheerful tune.

The bathroom was equipped with soap, salt, and rosewater, and Shane felt a real pity looking at these things.

If this were in a public bathhouse in Northeast China in my past life, how wonderful it would be to get a salt scrub!

Hey.

We need to catch up with the bathhouse culture of this other world as soon as possible.

After washing himself clean, Xia En walked into the hot spring, leaned against the stone wall, and slowly sat down.

He specifically chose the spot next to the bamboo drain.

Because it's close to the source of the water flow, the water temperature here is significantly higher than in other parts of the pool.

He liked it very much.

The slightly yellowish hot spring water washed over Xia En's chest. He stretched out his arms and rested them on the edge of the pool, unable to resist tilting his head back and letting out a comfortable "Mmm."

The tension in my shoulders and back gradually eased, the soreness in my body was relieved by the warmth, and even my chaotic thoughts settled down with the ripples on the water.

It's great!

That's awesome!

Xia En pulled the towel off her neck, wet it in the water, and put it over her eyes.

The warm, damp towel soothed my eyes, and a tingling sensation spread from head to toe.

He slowly emptied his mind, letting himself drift into a daze.

Not long after.

The only sound in the entire hot spring was the rushing water.

Xia En's even, long breaths were drowned out— It was nearly dusk when Frilian and the three little ones returned to the hotel.

Today's class was divided into magic meditation in the morning and physical training in the afternoon.

At first, the three little ones were puzzled by this arrangement.

They are mages, so why do they need to undergo physical training?

Shouldn't that be part of the soldiers' training?

Frillian gave the three people a special explanation: "Compared to other professions, mages have no advantage in physical fitness. Therefore, most mages will play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, specializing in magic."

"That idea is correct."

"However, it's too extreme."

"Before the Demon King was successfully defeated, it was a time of war, as humans often say. There were many mages who were skilled in both magic and physical abilities."

"Physical training doesn't mean you have to be able to fight the enemy head-on like a warrior; it just means you have to be able to escape."

"It's not using [flying magic], it's a true [escape]."

"Whether you can run when your magic is depleted or suppressed determines whether you have a chance to survive."

"So, be prepared to run away every day for the next few days."

The three little ones looked at each other and then all hung their heads.

That afternoon, Frilian forbade them from using magic and made them run a short distance around the walls of Oisast.

Even after just a short distance, the group was already so exhausted that their fingers were trembling.

However, Frilian's requirement for this course was: she would be considered qualified whenever she could run a lap around the city wall.

In their view, this was simply an impossible task.

Running around every day, isn't that going to kill you?

Seeing the three of them looking dejected, Frillie realized that this kind of training couldn't be rushed.

"Everything is difficult at the beginning, so don't be discouraged."

"Hmm—everyone's tired today, let's all soak in a hot spring and relax. By the way, evening classes are canceled, so everyone can recharge."

Hearing that they could soak in hot springs and that evening classes were canceled, the three little ones came back to life.

"How about we have dinner at the hot spring?" Elle couldn't help but suggest.

"Soaking in the hot spring while eating chilled salad would be so refreshing."

Yubel gave her a defiant look.

"Of course you have to eat ice cream when you soak in a hot spring. Sweets and bathing are the perfect match."

97 Ailu wasn't angry at all, and agreed with a smile, "That's fine too."

It felt like Yubel had punched cotton.

He turned his face away somewhat sullenly.

Philon thought for a moment, "Then let's have chilled salad, fruit platter, strawberry ice cream, and steak with sauce. We'll have the proprietress take it to the women's bath later."

Neither Yubel nor El had any objections.

The three of them quickly went back to their room to change into their bathrobes, and then pulled Frilian towards the women's bath.

result----

"I'm so sorry, the women's bath is currently being cleaned and the pools are closed for the day. It will be open tomorrow afternoon," the proprietress said apologetically.

"ah" The three little ones let out a wail.

"However, there's no one in the mixed bath right now, so you can use that one first."

Philon hesitated.

"Mixed bathing isn't really a good idea—"

"Don't worry, there are no other customers in the shop besides you right now," the proprietress reassured everyone with a smile.

"If you have any concerns, I can put up a sign at the entrance of the mixed bathhouse to indicate that it will be used as a women's bathhouse for the time being."

Upon hearing this, the three little ones hesitated and all looked at Frillie.

Frillie didn't care at all whether it was a women's bath or a mixed bath. In her eyes, as long as she could soak in the hot spring, it didn't matter where she was.

"Then let's do it this way."

Seeing that Frilian had no objections, the three little ones readily agreed.

The four of them happily pushed open the door to the mixed-gender bathhouse.

The mixed bathing area is located right next to the women's bathing area.

Both are indoors.

The decoration and layout are basically the same.

The four of them felt perfectly at ease. After a quick rinse, they all sat down in the hot spring.

"ah" The four of them spoke in unison, making comfortable sounds.

Not far away, next to the water drain, beneath wisps of white mist.

Xia En shuddered.

I suddenly woke up.

The towel on my eyes slipped down.