Chương 49: Departure, Destination: [Shutral]

Shane and Frilian left the town of Fuan and officially embarked on their journey to the Central Kingdoms.

This time, Xia En was smarter.

He immediately found a caravan heading to the Holy City of Shutral and offered to escort them, so he could hitch a ride for free and earn some bounty at the same time.

Most importantly, it eliminates the possibility of a certain white-haired elf trying to take detours and straying off course at any time.

The carriage set off at dawn.

The red sun had just peeked over the mountaintop, and the air still carried the chill of the previous night.

Shaun thought that Frillie would be very reluctant to leave so early, but he didn't expect her to be even more energetic than him.

Inside the back compartment of the carriage.

At this moment, Frilian was clutching the reward she had received from the town mayor, a smug look on her face, a picture of contentment.

Without even guessing, Xia En knew it must be some strange folk magic again.

"It's very powerful folk magic!"

"Heh, so what kind of magic is it?"

"It's a magic trick that keeps the blanket properly covering you while you sleep; it's very useful!"

"..."

Xia En was speechless.

But upon closer reflection, well, it is indeed very practical, especially suitable for Frillie.

Having traveled together for some time, he had already witnessed her astonishingly beautiful sleeping posture. Rolling off the bed onto the floor was commonplace for her, but with this magic, the blanket followed her, completely eliminating the possibility of catching a cold.

The carriage moved slowly along the road, and the two chatted idly as they watched the scenery receding by.

When the topic of travel came up, Shane remembered that after Frilian defeated the Demon King, she traveled alone for over 70 years, so he casually asked, "Frilian, did you ever get bored when you traveled alone before?"

After her initial excitement wore off, Frillie's spirits quickly waned, and she slumped against the carriage shaft, looking rather listless.

"... It's not entirely me; I also encounter other businessmen in the same field."

"You know, I'm not asking about temporary travel companions. I'm talking about teammates like me, someone you team up with and travel with. Don't you feel lonely without teammates like that?"

"I'm used to it. After Vlamé died, I've been traveling alone for almost... well... hundreds of years."

"And then what happens after defeating the Demon King?"

Upon hearing this question, Frillie remained silent for a few seconds.

"After traveling with Simmel, Haita, and Aize in the Hero Squad, I do feel that traveling alone isn't as fun as it used to be... but it's not exactly boring either. It's just that whenever we find some fun magic, there's no one to share the joy with. Besides, finding teammates is really troublesome, after all, humans are fragile and grow old easily."

"..."

Xia En shook his head and didn't ask any further questions.

This clumsy elf really doesn't understand anything.

Perhaps, it will take decades or even centuries for us to truly understand the feeling of loneliness.

Hmm, thinking about it, that's quite a long reaction time.

…………

During their journey through the Neck Mountains, the caravan encountered several demon wolves.

Even without Frilian lifting a finger, Shane alone could easily handle it.

Before setting off, he had already changed to a different longsword and moved all the old entries from the broken sword onto it, which depleted his mental energy and left him unconscious for half a day.

However, the effort was not in vain.

He reassigned the entry for "flashbang" to a kunai shuriken.

Now he can use [Flashbang] + [Electrocution] + [Suspicious Poison] to create a very perfect control chain.

Ordinary monsters are no match for him.

In fact, once he gets close enough, no monster can survive this chain of control.

Of course, he also seized the opportunity to conduct an experiment using grayed-out terms.

To ensure his own safety, he specifically asked Frilian for help with planning and cleanup.

In the experiment, he assigned the term "rotten" to a demon wolf.

【Rotting (gray entry)】: Systemic destruction of organic matter caused by the growth of mold.

As for the result...

He collapsed from exhaustion of mental energy.

The wolf, now labeled "Rotten," instantly transformed into a "Zombie Wolf," terrifying the caravan members. Fortunately, Frilian handled the aftermath, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

After the experiment failed, Shane reflected on it.

He guessed that the last time he successfully tricked Livale with the gray-label entry, he managed to bite his tongue to stay conscious, which was probably saved by his survival instinct and adrenaline. Thinking about it now, it's actually a bit scary.

His mental strength was insufficient to support the "word tactic".

After that, he became much more obedient.

When encountering monsters again, stick to the control chain and rely solely on stats, ignoring tactics.

After more than a month of trekking.

The caravan successfully arrived at the outskirts of the central kingdom of [Holy City, Shutra].

Looking at the magnificent metropolis in the distance, Xia En's weary eyes finally lit up with a glimmer of comfort.

He'd eaten bread and jerky the whole way, and his mouth was practically tasteless.

Let's go to town and eat at a restaurant!

He couldn't wait a moment longer!

"Mr. Shane, Ms. Frilian, our caravan will be staying in the city of [Shutral] for a while longer before heading to other trading cities. Would you really not consider joining us on your subsequent journey?"

"The bounty for the guards can be doubled!"

The caravan leader earnestly tried to persuade Shane and Frilian to stay, after all, they had demonstrated a very reliable fighting ability during their journey.

Finding such guards is an incredibly good deal for a caravan.

"No, thank you for asking me to stay, but I have other plans here."

Frillie politely declined the merchant's invitation.

Seeing that Frilian's attitude was clear, the merchant had no choice but to say goodbye with regret. However, to express his gratitude, he also gave Shane and his companions a bag of dried meat as he left.

Xia En actually felt that there was no need to be so enthusiastic; after eating this jerky for a month, she was getting a bit tired of it.

"I'm going to visit Haita, do you want to come along?"

"Um?"

Upon hearing Frillian's invitation, Shane was somewhat surprised, but then secretly delighted.

Xia En was just wondering what reason to come along, so when she was invited, she naturally agreed.

"It's a real pity that you possess the talent of a monk but are unwilling to practice as one, instead choosing to pursue the path of a sage whose lineage has long been lost. Haita is an excellent monk; perhaps he can advise you not to waste your talents."

"After all, monks have always been a scarce resource."

Hearing Frillie's reason, Shane found it somewhat amusing.

My dear girl, have you not given up on your hope that I will become a monk?

Oh well, let's wait until we get there.

Perfect timing, he needed to see Haita and ask about "The Notebooks of the Sage Evie".

Incidentally, he also wanted to meet little Philon.