Chương 73: Philon's Thoughts

"Wow, it's so sour."

Xia En frowned and made a gesture as if to spit out the raspberry in his mouth.

Philon across from them glanced at them.

"Mr. Shane, fruit is an essential food for supplementing nutrition, and you shouldn't be picky about food."

"..."

Xia En closed his half-open mouth again and swallowed with a stiff neck.

Philen handed him another piece of dried meat.

He took it with a pained expression and ate it bit by bit... He couldn't help it; his teeth were so sore he couldn't chew it...

"Lady Frilian, don't throw it away secretly, I can see it."

"sorry……"

Under Philon's strict supervision, the meal ended with a nutritionally balanced diet.

After dinner, Shane quietly approached Frillie and whispered in her ear.

"Hey, Frilian, don't you think Philon seems angry since last night?"

Frillie nodded.

She grabbed her white ponytail and showed it to Xia Enliang, saying, "She didn't tie my hair this morning..."

Xia En glanced at it.

He thought Frillie had gotten all flustered from sleeping, but it turns out she tied it herself. No wonder it was so messy.

"But why?"

The two whispered among themselves, completely clueless.

In the days that followed, Philon became increasingly strict with Shane and Frilian, and she also became increasingly strict with herself, spending most of her time meditating except when traveling, working very hard.

And often, they don't speak for an entire day.

Shane and Frillie became nervous. What's wrong with this child...?

After several days of intense pressure, Xia En finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you begging for attention? Do you want a compliment?"

Frillie stroked her chin, lost in thought.

"I remember Haita saying that when young girls reach a certain age, their personalities become a bit awkward, I think it's called something like that..."

"puberty?"

"It seems so."

Shane glanced at Philon, who was quietly meditating in the distance.

"Could it be that she's feeling lonely because she lacks friendships with peers?"

"I'm so sorry, we're all much older than her."

"Don't talk nonsense, I'm not that much older than her."

"Really? Why do I have this feeling that you're actually the same age as me?"

"..."

Xia En was speechless.

Who's the same age as you, old man? I'm still a young hunk, okay?

After thinking they had found the problem, Shane and Frillie began their daily routine of praising each other: When Philon started the fire, Shane clapped his hands, praising Philon for her skillful control over the size of the flames; when Philon washed the dishes, Frilian clapped her hands, mimicking Shane, and praised Philon for washing them so cleanly...

And so, with the combined efforts of the two of them, Philon seemed to get even angrier.

"Are you two trying to provoke me?"

Xia En: "..."

Frillie: "..."

Just as they were wondering how to end this, several bees suddenly flew past in front of them.

Xia En's eyes lit up!

Frilian and Philon also noticed, and the two mages instantly summoned their staffs.

In this world, honey is a very precious food. It is not only the best ingredient for making desserts, but also a social delicacy that circulates among the nobility.

Swah—— Without hesitation, Frillian cast the [Tracking Magic] on the bees.

Following the pale blue glow of the tracking magic, the three passed through a thick thicket of bushes, where a massive, towering tree suddenly appeared before them. Hanging from the tree was an astonishingly large wild beehive, with black and yellow wild bees buzzing around it.

"It's already early autumn, and the bees are preparing for the coming winter. Such a large hive must have stored a lot of honey."

A flicker of excitement flashed in Frillie's eyes.

As he spoke, he raised his staff, but Shane stopped him with lightning speed.

"Wait a minute, what kind of magic are you going to use?"

"【Hellfire Magic】?"

"..."

There's really no need to deal with just a few tiny honeybees.

Philon tilted his head back, his handsome eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"It's so high up, it's hard to collect without magic."

Xia En rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward. Memories of scavenging hornet nests from his past life flooded his mind. What was this little height?

Then, he took out a kunai shuriken, flexed his wrist, and, thinking of the way Aize had taught him to exert force, aimed at the suspension point where the beehive and the tree trunk met.

whoosh- The dagger flashed, hitting its mark precisely!

The hive was instantly severed, and at the same time, the [Flashbang] attribute was triggered.

A blinding white light flashed, and with a rustling sound, a thick layer of pitiful bees immediately fell to the ground, all of them twitching their wings and temporarily unable to move.

A 3-second window of opportunity that can cause blindness!

Shane activated [Speed] and dashed over, grabbed the fallen beehive, turned around, and ran with Frilian.

Philon: "..."

buzzing- The furious bees searched the mountains and forests for their enemy.

The three culprits were not far away, safely nestled within the Goddess's Barrier, cutting through the giant honeycomb.

Thick, golden honey slowly flowed through the cracks, its sweet aroma instantly filling the air and making mouths water.

It has to be said that what you buy doesn't taste as good as what you steal, and what you steal doesn't taste as good as what you rob.

That's honey that's stolen through sheer skill—that's sweet.

"Are you feeling better?"

Xia En took the opportunity to ask Philon.

Philon glanced at him, then at Frillie, whose gaze was equally worried, and looked away somewhat embarrassed.

"I'm not angry."

As she spoke, Philon recalled her previous battles with the Gargoyle and even with Guvar, when she felt she hadn't played much of a role.

"Lady Frilian and Mr. Shane, you are both geniuses. I try my best but I can't keep up with you. It makes me feel very embarrassed... Especially Mr. Shane, you learn everything very quickly. Both Mr. Haita and Mr. Aize are very fond of you."

"I... I just..."

Xia En immediately understood.

The little girl is sensitive and was hurt.

He and Frilian exchanged a glance, then sat down on either side of Philon.

Frilian patted Philon's head gently, her voice soft, "Philon is amazing, you've done a fantastic job. With continued practice, you'll definitely become an incredible mage."

Xia En chimed in, "Yes, the whole 'genius' thing is a lie. You're the one who's improved the fastest. I just... have a little more experience than you."

The two of them patiently comforted Philon.

As Philon smelled the sweet aroma of honey, her heart gradually filled with joy. Looking at the two nervous and awkward people, she couldn't help but smile.

"That's right, this is the correct way to praise someone. You should always praise them like this from now on."

After saying that, he hugged a large piece of honeycomb and took a satisfying bite.

Frillie: "..."

Xia En: "..."

Why does this little girl seem to have become so cunning?

After tasting the honey, the three retrieved their shuriken and set off again, continuing their journey through the mountains and forests.

Before long, a huge canyon came into view in front of them.

The distant mountains seemed to have been cleaved open by a knife and axe, with a bottomless crack suddenly piercing into the earth, its rock walls steep and straight.

boom-- A deep, muffled thud echoed from afar.

At the end of the great crack, billowing smoke and dust rose.

"Is someone... splitting the mountain?"