Chapter 26: 25. Night Talk

25. Night Talk

Zoe had a faint smile on her face: "I thought about Dad's notebook, and then about the things I said earlier. Suddenly, I feel that I am very..."

Her voice trailed off; she likely realized Li Ang did not want her to call herself "bad," so she reconsidered her words.

"I think I was wrong about everything."

"Although I can't quite understand the things Dad wrote, but... I feel that he cared about me very much, right?"

Li Ang nodded at her.

"But I said I hated them..."

The young girl pouted.

"However, thinking that they aren't coming back, I really feel very sad inside too. Is it wrong to feel this way? I don't understand anymore."

"This is not your fault," Li Ang said softly. "Regardless of what the relationship was before, human connections need to be maintained. It is not your fault that you were separated from them for too long. Even if they had their reasons, you cannot be blamed."

The young girl revealed a gentle smile to Li Ang: "I knew Li Ang would say that. I felt hurt and sad, but after hearing your words, I feel very warm and relaxed."

"Ah, right, what about that notebook?" she suddenly realized.

"When we fought that monster, the scene was too chaotic and it got buried in the collapse. We were going to clean it up tomorrow anyway, so we can look for it while we're at it."

The young girl nodded with slight worry: "I need to rethink things about Mom and Dad, and then—"

When she reached "then," she seemed unable to make up her mind and did not say the specific part.

As if thinking of something else, her lowered eyelids lifted quickly, and her clear red eyes looked at Li Ang earnestly.

"I'm saying this not because what I said yesterday about liking Li Ang doesn't count anymore, okay?"

Before Li Ang could react, she stretched and put on a lively smile again.

"Tell me about adventures in the airspace? Why does everyone want to leave the sky islands and fly into the sky?"

Li Ang thought for a moment and said: "I'll start by describing the face of this world."

The origin of the Newbis world is untraceable; it is ancient and distant. Over countless millennia, innumerable civilizations have risen and fallen, and the natural world has been turned upside down... even the earth has sunk into the crimson horizon, and the oceans have evaporated without a trace.

All existing civilizations are located on sky islands within the sea of clouds, and people can only travel between islands with the help of airships.

With only one means of transportation, there is a threshold for travel. If an accident occurs, an island can easily fall into a state of isolation.

Before the invention of the airship, most civilizations were in a state of isolation.

Therefore, among the many airspaces, there are no particularly powerful unified nations or forces.

Long-term isolation has worn down the will of many people; many no longer dream of the splendor of the outside world, merely repeating the cultivation of the plot of land before them.

Occasionally, people who yearn for the unknown appear; they are adventurers, but for a long time, they were marginalized. In the eyes of the residents of those prosperous sky islands, they were outcasts and loafers.

Until the emergence of the Sky Knight Guild.

Sky Knight is a general term for those who travel by airship year-round, basically meaning the same thing as an adventurer.

But three hundred years ago, after several of the most powerful Sky Knight groups took the lead in establishing a giant guild organization that spanned almost all airspaces, Sky Knight specifically referred to adventurers registered with the Sky Knight Guild.

The guild took over some of the functions of the various sky island nations. If residents of the entire sky wanted to achieve their wishes, they no longer needed to beg friends, family, or local forces who were equally helpless; they only needed to prepare the reward and post a commission to the guild, which would then be passed on to adventurers to complete.

In a mere three hundred years, Sky Knights rapidly became a bold color in the sky.

Countless people rushed to the blue sky one after another. Whether they sought fame and glory, heavy rewards, or even just a free life, they could achieve it through this identity.

"Has Li Ang gained glory and wealth?" Zoe asked.

The young girl huddled in her quilt, holding the edge, with only half of her small face exposed.

The two chatted from the courtyard until they went inside to sleep.

"Have I... gained them?"

Li Ang smiled with a complex expression.

"I originally thought I had, but in the end, it only benefited others."

He looked at his palm and then slowly clenched it into a fist.

"From now on, I want to grasp the part that truly belongs to me."

Zoe looked at him, her eyes thoughtful.

"...So, is adventure just for these things?"

Li Ang turned his face to meet the gaze of the young girl looking down from the bed; there was not the slightest concept of glory or wealth in her eyes.

If she went outside, would she fit in? Or would she retain her current purity?

Li Ang shook his head: "Pursuing these things is one reason, but although people don't say it themselves, I feel that the real thought of most people is to control their own lives."

Li Ang lay on the floor mat, looking at the ceiling, as if looking at a place much further away.

"Every one of our lives has parts we consider imperfect."

"In the past, perhaps it was a lack of courage, or perhaps it was unforeseen, but we have all been hurt by this imperfection."

"Some of these wounds may turn into scars that ache faintly from time to time, and some may become thorns stuck in the heart that one must risk their life to pull out."

"Because we have felt pain, we don't want to feel it again; because we have been low, we want to make life vibrant."

"We carry hope as we rush into the blue sky, wanting to truly decide what we live for. But the sky is too vast, and perhaps we don't even know where to go, so the first step is to seek fame and wealth, right? With those, other things are easier to talk about."

"What kind of life does Li Ang want to control now?"

Zoe burrowed into the quilt, her voice coming out muffled through the fabric. After asking, she poked her head back out.

"I want to rebuild my adventure group, find partners, and stand at the pinnacle of Sky Knights. As for what specific life I want, I might figure it out on the way, or maybe I'll think about it after I succeed. Anyway, once that day really comes, I won't be restricted in what I want to do, right?"

Zoe listened intently, the warm light of the adventure lantern making her ruby eyes shine brilliantly.

Li Ang smiled at her: "Sleep early, tomorrow will be hard work."

"Mm, I hope I can control my life too. Good night~"

The young girl's smile was like a flower.

The next morning, which was also the fifth day of Li Ang's return to Satus Island, the two put on their gear, carried as many spellcasting materials as they could collect, and went to the basement.

With their physiques, clearing the rubble was effortless. Soon, the well opening was found, and after some effort, Zoe's father's notebook was recovered.

Li Ang brushed the dust off the notebook: "Let's read this when we rest on the road."

"Mm."

After putting the notebook away, the two followed the basement well opening and walked into the seemingly endless darkness.