Chapter 10: Farewell

Indeed, the spirits of this world all possess a temporal perspective befitting long-lived beings.

In comparison, Lin Yu had not yet cultivated such a mindset; four months of companionship already felt exceedingly long to him.

Two days later, Vlamé returned from beyond the forest and handed Lin Yu a brand-new holy scripture, then smiled and said:

“Don’t be sad—I’ll come back often to visit you, and soon, an entire village of refugees will migrate here from the north, ravaged by the demon race; you may cross paths with them.”

“If you don’t mind, you may allow them to settle nearby and protect them.”

“But I advise you not to get too close—they’re so insignificant that even an unconscious roll of your body would be an unbearable disaster for them…”

“I understand.” Lin Yu nodded. “Was your frequent absences last month all because of this?”

Vlamé smiled. “In a way. But don’t get too moved—I didn’t do this solely for you. Do you remember the day I first came here?”

Lin Yu nodded. “I remember.”

Vlamé smiled. “At that time, I had already accepted the villagers’ request. They were originally forest dwellers, driven away twenty years ago by the demon creature here—the Longlongyan —and forced to relocate north.”

“Now, with war raging in the north, their village has been struck again. The younger generation, nostalgic for their childhood homeland, pooled their money to hire adventurers to scout the area…”

What followed need not be elaborated—Lin Yu knew well.

“So they arrived four months ago?”

“Not quite. For ordinary people, migration is a daunting task, especially with the elderly, children, women, and all their belongings. It took them roughly three months to reach the nearest town beyond the forest.”

“That’s already remarkable. No wonder you were constantly traveling then.”

Lin Yu nodded, intrigued. “In an age like this, to convince an entire village to relocate collectively, hire a mage like you as a scout, and escort an entire community with families and possessions—it’s no small feat.”

“There must be someone extraordinary among these villagers, isn’t there?”

Vlamé chuckled lightly. “You’ve figured it out!”

“Indeed, the village has a warrior of exceptional talent. As a mage, I needed frontline protection, so I invited him to join me on adventures long ago.”

“Unfortunately, by then, war had already reached his homeland.”

“He couldn’t bear to leave his family and friends behind—he refused to go with me.”

“So I had no choice but to invest more effort—first, I secured the safety of his villagers…”

As it happens, in the original novel, Vlamé’s notes left for Fulilian did mention she once visited the Land of Resting Souls and met her fallen comrades from the past.

Though this plotline served to introduce Fulilian ’s northern mission, the details revealed confirm that Vlamé indeed once traveled with companions in her youth.

Unfortunately, the outcome of that experience seemed far from pleasant…

Lin Yu gazed silently at Vlamé, hesitating whether to remind her.

Vlamé, of course, had no idea what Lin Yu was thinking. She turned her gaze to the monoceros beast lying behind him.

“You understand the nature of demons and demon creatures, don’t you?”

“...Of course!”

Lin Yu snapped back, speaking softly. “Demons are demon creatures that can speak. Demon creatures are mindless, incommunicative beasts filled with malice toward humans and living things.”

“Correct.”

Vlamé nodded, gazing at Longlongyan. “But your Longlongyan is not like that.”

Lin Yu turned his head, patted Longlongyan’s jaw, and smiled. “Could it simply be an ordinary animal infused with magic?”

“Impossible!” Vlamé shook her head. “The Spine Lord is unquestionably a demon creature.”

“Is that so?”

Lin Yu remained noncommittal, forcibly prying open Longlongyan’s half-closed eyes, pointing at the helpless yellow iris—as if to say, “Look, can a demon creature have such an expression?”

“So I’m puzzled—why has it become like this?”

Vlamé spoke calmly. “Lin, when you first arrived in this world, did anything unusual happen?”

Lin Yu paused, hesitating. “I don’t think so—does the lake count?”

Vlamé shook her head. “In this world, one question has long troubled humanity: where does the innate malice of demon creatures toward humans originate?”

“One popular hypothesis suggests this malice was forcibly implanted by some evil entity.”

“The evidence lies in the Hero’s Sword of the Sword Village—it’s said to be a relic left by the Goddess, retrievable only by the legendary hero destined to defeat the apocalypse.”

“Whether the legend is true remains debatable, but the demon creatures’ burning desire to destroy the Hero’s Sword is undeniable.”

“Since its appearance, demon creatures have continuously been drawn to it, attempting to shatter it—as if guided by an entity diametrically opposed to the Goddess…”

Lin Yu mused. “Now that you mention it, it does sound plausible.”

Vlamé turned to Longlongyan. “If demon malice is indeed artificially implanted, then reverse brainwashing—restoring their reason—is possible.”

Lin Yu pondered. “You mean I erased the malice that spontaneously arose in their minds?”

Vlamé nodded. “Precisely. And I’ve noticed—not only Longlongyan, but all demon creatures within your territory, whether strong or weak, lack the aggression of external ones.”

“Yes, they still attack when humans intrude suddenly, but not out of cruelty or malice—only the instinct of a beast defending itself against danger…”

Hearing this, Lin Yu suddenly recalled—he had unconsciously released his aura upon first entering this world.

Could it have been then…?

Lin Yu thought for a moment, then smiled. “You only allowed those villagers to move here after confirming this, didn’t you?”

“Exactly!”

Vlamé smiled. “Over the past month, I’ve scoured the entire forest and confirmed this isn’t an isolated case. Only then did I send word to the villagers staying near the nearby town.”

As she spoke, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Two massive figures instantly emerged from the forest behind her.

Both stood outside Lin Yu’s territory, beyond his perception.

Clearly, Vlamé had deliberately positioned them there.

As for her purpose—well, that’s unclear.

Lin Yu scanned the two figures: one was a two-meter-tall, muscular, pure-white-furred giant ape; the other, a gray-white-furred giant wolf over three meters long.

Judging by their magical fluctuations alone, both were undoubtedly powerful demon creatures.

Yet their eyes lacked the pure, savage malice of demons—they were as vivid and alert as Longlongyan’s.

Could it be…?

Lin Yu’s mind stirred, and he turned to Vlamé.

Vlamé smiled. “Correct. These two escaped from your territory. Like Longlongyan, they’ve regained their reason. Such rare, unique beings dying outside would be a waste—I brought them all back.”

So that’s it!

Lin Yu smiled, gladly accepting these two parting gifts.

Moments later, the thirty-five-meter-long Longlongyan rose on all four limbs, radiating magical energy dozens of times stronger than a year ago, scrutinizing the two trembling creatures before it.

Lin Yu paid no attention to the interaction among the three demon creatures.

Holding the holy scripture, he stood on the narrow path at the edge of his territory, gazing at the white-robed woman before him who smiled:

“Thank you for the gifts—I like them very much.”

“Then… farewell.”

“Mm. Farewell.”

(End of Chapter)