Chapter 3587: The Marvel of Different Tunes, Same Effect

Helena's passionate and direct nature was very different from the inherent reserve of Eastern women, but Lin Wan'er could understand Helena's behavior; she knew Helena's feelings for Ye Chen, and seeing Ye Chen bring three women here, even without a sense of crisis, there would certainly be a competitive mindset.

However, Yun Ruoyu and Song Ruoyu were still somewhat unaccustomed, always feeling that Helena's directness toward Ye Chen made it seem inappropriate for them to follow along as a third wheel.

Ye Chen also felt a bit embarrassed; he vaguely recalled that he and Helena might have had some unclear things happen between them, but at the time his memory was missing, and he only inferred from Helena's later reactions and some details in her boudoir, after which they both let it go unspoken, tacitly understood, so he didn't press for details.

Seeing Helena today being even more direct and proactive than before, he felt that living here with these few women afterward might be more troublesome than he had imagined.

Under Helena's guidance, the group entered the interior of the royal polar villa; the house had clearly undergone meticulous cleaning and arrangement, appearing much more refined than when Ye Chen had last visited, with no sense of long abandonment.

In the living room, the fireplace was already lit, the crackling sound of burning firewood echoing in the room, making people feel especially comfortable.

Helena invited everyone to sit on the sofa by the fireplace, then smiled and said: "This villa has a total of five rooms, three upstairs and two downstairs; Mr. Ye's room is the master bedroom on the first floor, and the three ladies' rooms are on the second floor; later I'll take the three of you up to look, and you can discuss how to assign them."

Song Ruoyu muttered inwardly: "This Nordic empress is truly shameless, openly arranging her own room and Mr. Ye's on the same floor; even if one were chosen from the four people, it should be Miss Lin and Mr. Ye sharing a floor, which would be reasonable—how could it possibly be her turn?"

Lin Wan'er, however, had no objection to this arrangement, and instead said to Song Ruoyu and Yun Ruoyu: "Miss Song and Miss Yun, you go ahead and pick first; I don't mind where I stay, so once you've chosen, leave the remaining room for me."

Yun Ruoyu and Song Ruoyu both knew Lin Wan'er's background, and held her in reverence in their hearts, so they both declared: "Let Miss Lin choose first; we two are fine either way."

Seeing the three unanimously agree to stay upstairs, Helena felt a small sense of triumph, and then smiled and said: "Ladies, when I came, I had people prepare a lot of ingredients; worried about disturbing you, I didn't leave any servants, and considering everyone's different living habits and tastes, we may need to prepare meals together over the next few days."

Yun Ruoyu raised a hand and said: "Your Majesty the Empress, I have practiced inedia for many years and only need drinking water."

Song Ruoyu also raised her hand and said: "I too have practiced inedia."

Helena looked bewildered: "May I ask, what does 'inedia' mean?"

Ye Chen explained: "The two of them, like me, are cultivators; their bodily functions no longer need to rely on food for energy."

Helena didn't know what cultivation was; she only knew Ye Chen possessed many mysterious and powerful abilities, which in Western terms could be called supernatural abilities, but she wasn't clear on the specifics.

However, upon hearing Ye Chen mention cultivation today, although she didn't understand, she felt happy inside, because in her view, it meant Ye Chen had decided to confide this secret to her, indicating that the distance between them had lessened.

So she looked at Ye Chen and softly said: "So Mr. Ye's strength belongs to cultivation; it seems this must be an Eastern-specific supernatural power, which should be akin to the magic and witchcraft of Western legends, different paths leading to the same result."

Song Ruoyu muttered: "Magic and witchcraft are probably just tricks in movies and fairy tales to deceive children."

Seeing Song Ruoyu's attitude carry some disdain, Helena wasn't angry but smiled and said: "I don't dare say whether such things exist in reality, but I feel that since the East has this kind of supernatural power, it wouldn't be surprising if the West had something similar."

Ye Chen asked with interest: "Over so many years, has your royal family had no related legends or records?"

Helena replied honestly: "Legends and records do exist, but many are from the Middle Ages, so it's also hard to verify their truthfulness."

At this moment, Lin Wan'er spoke up: "Western so-called magic is actually just cultivation repackaged; the underlying logic is nearly identical—both involve manipulating spiritual energy in various ways and transforming it into various techniques, just as Easterners turn dough into steamed buns and sesame cakes, while Westerners turn dough into bread and pizza."

Ye Chen asked in surprise: "So does that mean Miss Lin has actually seen it with her own eyes?"

Yun Ruoyu and Song Ruoyu also turned to look at her, knowing Lin Wan'er has lived over three hundred, nearly four hundred years, so she must be well-informed, and they all waited in unison for her to clarify.

Lin Wan'er nodded slightly and said lightly: "Actually, many fields are not exclusive to East or West; just as Easterners use the I Ching and Eight Trigrams for divination, Westerners have astrology, tarot cards, and crystal balls, and it's hard to say which is more advanced; one can only say that over the past two hundred years or so, both Eastern and Western societies have undergone varying degrees of modernization, industrialization, and technological revolution, with the Western Industrial Revolution being more thorough, so those who inherited these traditions may be fewer than in the East, just as past masters using tarot for divination could achieve infinite transformations, profound subtlety, and precise predictions, whereas now so-called masters are often just charlatans who know only the surface, and as times change, some things are gradually phased out."

Ye Chen admitted it was his first time hearing that Western magic and Eastern cultivation share the same underlying logic, but upon reflection, since spiritual energy is the purest essence of heaven and earth, if Easterners can find a way to harness it, Westerners surely can too.

After thinking it over, the legends of magic in the Western world do indeed resemble Eastern cultivation in some ways, and one could even say they exhibit the marvel of different tunes, same effect.

First, everyone has the ability to mobilize supernatural energy and transform it into wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and various offensive methods;

Second, everyone also has various kinds of magical artifacts that enhance strength, as well as various medicines that increase cultivation or bring special effects;

Third, the jade tablet I once obtained from Zhang Ermao contains a large amount of spiritual energy; now I think it is what cultivators call a spirit stone, and in magic legends, there are also magic stones containing immense magical power—ultimately, they should be the same thing.

Helena hadn't expected that the youngest among them, Lin Wan'er, would have such broad experience, even prompting Ye Chen to consult her, with a humble and eager-to-learn expression, which made her inwardly puzzled, so she asked: "Miss Lin, you... you have seen a mage?"

Lin Wan'er smiled faintly and said: "Indeed, I have seen one."

Helena exclaimed: "Then does that mean mages still exist now?"

Helena didn't know Lin Wan'er's age, assuming she was seventeen or eighteen; since she, at seventeen or eighteen, had seen a mage, she thought there must certainly be mages in the world today.

Lin Wan'er merely smiled faintly and said: "Your Majesty the Empress, I have indeed seen a mage, but whether that person is still alive, I am not certain."

Helena couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, doubting the truthfulness of Lin Wan'er's words.

Ye Chen also didn't think much of it; he understood Lin Wan'er's implication—that she likely encountered a mage when she came to Europe over two hundred years ago, but so many years have passed, and most cultivators would find it hard to live to such an age, so the longevity threshold for mages is probably just as high.

At this moment, the outside sky had completely darkened; Lin Wan'er came to the floor-to-ceiling window and, looking outside, exclaimed delightedly: "Young Master, it's the aurora!"

Ye Chen, hearing this, rose and came to her side to gaze into the distance; the horizon indeed already had a faint green glow.

Now it is the tail end of the Nordic aurora season; the distant aurora is no longer as clear and dazzling as last time, its scale seems to have diminished considerably, and it is also farther north than before.

Yet this is precisely the perfect opportunity to confirm whether the source of the aurora's change lies here or within oneself; if one were to chase that distant aurora and it underwent anomalies upon approach, then the source would be within oneself!

Thus, he felt a bit excited, turned around, and said to Yun Ruoyu and Song Ruoyu: "Miss Yun, Miss Song, this time I brought you to the polar region not only for closed-door cultivation, but also to have you two contemplate this region's mysterious anomalies together; if you are interested, why not join me in investigating to the end!"