Chương 70: Men's Friendship

"Mr. Shane, wake up, we've arrived."

Xia En opened his eyes and was greeted by a lush primeval forest.

He rubbed his temples; the process of removing the [Dual Blades (Gold)] attribute last night had been extremely taxing, and his head was still buzzing.

Several people got off the carriage.

Frillie walked at the front, a slight smile on her face.

"Wol Basin, ah, what a nostalgic place."

The three people followed behind her, exchanging glances.

"How nostalgic!" Whenever this word comes out of Frillian's mouth, it means a very, very long time ago...

"Could it be a memory from the primitive era?" Philon thought to himself.

"Isn't that a bit too conservative?" Shane chimed in.

"Hmm..." Aize seconded.

"I'm not going to live that long," Frilian retorted.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

They came here to find the "Notes of the Great Magician Vlame".

According to information provided by Aize, Haita has deciphered the biography of Vlame in the collection of the Holy City of Shutra and has located the original manuscript somewhere in the basin.

Shane seemed to remember that the ruins were protected by a large tree...

Sure enough, after a brief exchange, everyone began searching for large trees, guided by Frilian.

As a disciple of Vlamé, Frillie remembered that when she and her teacher left for a world tour, her teacher cast a protective spell on a small tree. According to her teacher, once that tree grew, it would be able to protect their home for a thousand years without any problem.

So, the group began to traverse mountains and valleys.

Aize truly lived up to his reputation as humanity's strongest warrior, lifting the boulder as easily as lifting a steamed bun. Shane followed behind him, transforming into a "Waaaa" monster along with Philon.

In between his searches, Aize would also take the initiative to strike up a conversation with Shane.

"The training of warriors focuses on strength training, but for swordsmen it is different; agility is the primary skill."

Xia En nodded.

Aize picked up two handfuls of pebbles and handed one to Shane.

"During this process, you also need to pay attention to the precise control of the force and angle. Now, try this."

As he spoke, Aize threw a pebble toward the water.

Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop... The pebble traced a perfect arc, bouncing continuously on the water's surface.

There are 21 in total.

Xia En was surprised.

He imitated Aize and threw a pebble as well.

boo.

The pebble sank straight down.

Aize didn't laugh at Shaun; instead, he began explaining to Shaun the angle of wrist movement and the timing for releasing the pebble...

Around the campfire that evening, several people sat together, listening to Frilian and Aize recount their story of defeating the Demon King.

Philon really enjoyed hearing the part about Haita.

Aize, however, would always deliberately dodge the question after only a few words, making Philon very anxious.

Frilian secretly tells Shane that it's not that Aize is unwilling to tell, but that in every adventure, Aize is always at the forefront while Haita stays behind, so their relationship isn't very "close".

"I never imagined they would actually write letters to each other so often..."

Frillie couldn't help but sigh.

Xia En looked at Aize's aged eyes and smiled.

Clearly, Frilian still doesn't understand human emotions, especially the friendship between men.

Ten years of camaraderie is more precious than any other form of intimacy in the world.

Aside from the adventure stories, what surprised Shane the most was Aize's sleeping posture. This guy, he's actually the same as Frilian... Is it a common trait among long-lived species?

Shane suddenly felt a little sorry for Simmel; a drunkard and two slovenly people, that ten-year journey must have been tough...

A few days later, after Shane finally managed to skip more than 20 stones.

Philen discovered the ruins.

"Lady Frilian, there is a large tree to the west that seems to have swallowed up the ruins."

Then, following Philon's directions, the four of them headed toward the ruins.

On the way, Frilian asked Aze why he was so determined to find "Volamei's Notebook"?

Aize's expression revealed a hint of sadness, "Because I feel very sorry about it."

"Um?"

"Whether we were traveling together or after the trip, Frilian, you never really felt how important those ten years were..."

Frillie remained silent.

"But after Simmel died, after Haita died, and as I was about to die, you finally began to want to understand humanity, to understand us."

"Frilian, I feel so sorry for her."

"Our lives are too short to stand side by side with you."

"When time has passed, when there is no trace of us left in this world, Frilian, what will you do? At that time, will you cry very sadly, as Haita said?"

"So Haita and I discussed it and decided to help you while we're still alive."

"It is said that there is a record in the 'Great Magician Volame's Notebook' indicating that Volame once spoke with the dead. I hope that this will be useful to you when that time comes."

Upon hearing this, Frillie finally broke her silence.

"That's just a legend, Azer."

"All magic is a fantasy in the beginning."

Frillie's face was expressionless, and Shane had no idea what she was thinking.

Soon, the giant tree that had swallowed the ruins appeared before everyone's eyes.

Philon sensed a powerful protective barrier around him, a barrier left behind by Vlame, spanning thousands of years.

Frillie stepped forward, raised her hand to stroke the tree, a faint trace of melancholy in her eyes.

"A thousand years have passed, and in the end, I still can't escape my teacher's grasp..."

As she said this, fragments of the past flashed before Frillie's eyes.

Volame's smile, Volame's sternness, Volame's sorrow...

When Vlamé left, he left these words: "Frilian, I have a feeling that one day in the future, you will definitely want to understand humanity because of something. You'll probably cry then, hahaha. When that time comes, come back here."

"Your teacher will help you."

"I, the Great Magician Volame, will help you..."

In an instant, golden light spread from Frilian's hands, and countless dancing magical particles appeared around the giant tree, their dazzling light flashing and churning.

The roots of the giant tree seemed to come alive, stretching out to the left and right, revealing the gate that had been hidden for thousands of years.

Splash splash splash splash.

A notebook floated silently in the center of the small room, its pages moving without wind, slowly coming to rest on a particular page.

"At the far northern edge of the continent, I arrived at a place that the people of this world call 'Heaven,' the 'Land of Resting Souls.' It is a place where countless souls gather. I spoke with my former comrades. This once-in-a-century discovery will surely allow us to make leaps and bounds in our study of the soul."

Frillie stared at the words in her notebook, her brow furrowing slightly.

"At the northernmost edge of the continent... Endai... isn't that the Demon King's Castle...?"

Aize stepped forward.

"Isn't this great? Anyway, that's your destination. When you get there, remember to say hello to Simmel and Haita for me."

Upon hearing Aize's words, Frilian stroked the cover of the notebook and smiled slightly.

"All right."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When leaving Aize's cabin, Shane left a gift for Aize as a token of his gratitude.

Aize took the two thick books.

I opened the first book.

This is a photo album created by Shane using the [Photo Recall Magic] based on her memories from the Dwarven Ruins.

Aize looked at the dwarf general who resembled him so much and felt a deep sense of emotion.

When he turned to the second book, he was stunned.

A flicker of disbelief suddenly flashed in the old man's eyes. The content, specially written in the dwarven language to prevent eavesdropping, and the breathtaking illustrations...

"This is……"

Inside the carriage, Philon asked Shane curiously what he had given her.

Xia En chuckled.

"Of course, it's male friendship."