Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

Once you cross the river, you'll be in Nottingham territory.

She walked eastward along the official road. On both sides of the road were vast farmlands, where the crops had already been harvested, leaving only bare stubble and turned soil.

A few sparrows hopped around in the field, pecking at the grains of rice scattered in the soil.

Cinderella looked at the sparrows and suddenly thought of Holy Soul Village. She remembered the big locust tree at the village entrance and the figure of Grandpa Jack leaning on his cane standing at the village entrance.

Grandpa Jack.

Cinderella paused slightly.

Back in Holy Soul Village, Old Jack took good care of the siblings. At that time, Tang Hao was always drunk and didn't care about anything at home.

She and Tang San were still young, so they cooked and did their own laundry. Old Jack would send them food every few days, and in winter he would even help them chop wood and start a fire.

Later, when they went to school in Nottingham, Old Jack would send someone to bring them gifts every year for the Lunar New Year: a few pounds of cured meat, a bag of flour, and a jar of homemade pickled vegetables. The gifts were few, but the sentiment was heavy.

Later, they went to Shrek Academy, went to Heaven Dou City, and participated in the Soul Master Competition. One thing after another kept them so busy that they lost contact with Old Jack.

Now that we're in the vicinity, let's go back and take a look.

Look at Grandpa Jack, and look at the villagers who helped her and her mistress all those years ago.

While you're at it, go check out the Notting City Junior Soul Master Academy. The teachers there have been quite kind to her and Xiao San before. Although they didn't teach them everything they knew like Yu Xiaogang did, they helped them a lot when they first enrolled.

Cinderella quickened her pace and headed towards Barakjiang.

Two days later.

The surface of the Barak River shimmered with a grayish-white light under the winter sun. The water flowed gently, carrying silt and dead leaves brought from upstream, heading eastward.

The ferry crossing on the riverbank is small, with a few bluestone slabs extending from the shore into the water, smooth and shiny from being washed by the river.

A ferry was moored at the dock, and the boatman, an old man in his fifties, was squatting at the bow smoking a pipe. The smoke was quickly dispersed in the cold wind.

Cinderella boarded the ferry and took out a few copper soul coins, handing them to the ferryman.

The boatman took the money, weighed it in his hand, stuffed it into his pocket, stood up, untied the mooring rope, and poled the boat away from the shore, heading towards the opposite bank.

The river water lapped against the hull of the boat, making a dull thud. Cinderella stood at the stern, watching the scenery on the shore recede little by little, watching the land of the Kingdom of Barak gradually disappear behind her.

The boat was fast. In no time at all, the ferry docked at the shore.

Cinderella jumped off the ship and stepped onto the land of Nottingham. The road under her feet changed from bluestone slabs to gravel, and then from gravel to dirt, full of potholes, but it felt solid underfoot.

She walked along the road toward Nottingham.

Nottingham was not far from the riverbank; after walking for less than half an hour, the outline of the city walls came into view.

The city walls were not high, much shorter than those of the Barak royal city, and the flags on the walls fluttered in the cold wind. Embroidered on the flags was a seven-colored glazed pagoda, the symbol of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

Notting City is now under the jurisdiction of the Anti-Soul Alliance and belongs to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

Because of the Spirit Empire's major defeat in the northern border, the Spirit Hall's power has shrunk considerably, and border towns like Notting City are actually more peaceful than before.

There was no war, no turmoil, and the people went about their lives as usual, with no difference from before.

Cinderella walked through the city gate.

The soldiers at the city gate glanced at her, did not check her identity, and simply nodded before letting her pass.

In small places, there aren't as many rules.

The scene inside the city was pretty much the same as she remembered.

The street was narrow, and most of the shops on both sides had their doors open, with shop assistants standing at the entrances calling out their wares.

The sounds of vegetable vendors, cloth vendors, and general merchandise vendors mingled together, weaving a lively tapestry.

The air was filled with the aroma of stew, the smell of coal smoke from the blacksmith's shop, and an indescribable, everyday atmosphere that belonged to the lives of ordinary people.

Cinderella walked along the main street, turned two corners, and a familiar building appeared ahead: Notting City Junior Soul Master Academy.

The courtyard wall is still the same courtyard wall, the gate is still the same gate, and even the two crooked trees at the gate are exactly the same as they were a few years ago.

The sign on the door still reads "Notting City Junior Soul Master Academy".

She stepped into the college.

The guard was a man in his thirties, with an ordinary face and a lean build, wearing a school-style long robe.

He was dozing against the doorpost when he heard footsteps. He opened his eyes and lazily glanced at the person who had entered.

Then his eyes widened suddenly.

“Cindy?” His voice carried a hint of disbelief, as if he had seen something that shouldn’t have been there.

Cinderella nodded. "I've come back to visit the academy."

The Soul Master opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. He wanted to say something, but before his mind could process it, his mouth moved first.

"You...you graduated, didn't you?"

“You can come back and visit after you graduate.” Cinderella’s tone was calm, as if she were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

The Soul Master paused for a moment, then scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

That's true. It's not like they can't come back after graduation. It's just that in a small place like Notting City Junior Soul Master Academy, most graduates are eager to leave as soon as possible. Who would come back?

He's been a guard for so many years, and he can count the number of returning graduates he's seen on one hand.

It's the first time I've ever seen someone with such exceptional talent as Cinderella, who left her small town for a big city at a young age.

"Register me." He took out a worn-out notebook from the gatehouse, opened it, and handed Cinderella a pen.

Cinderella took the pen and wrote her name and purpose in the register.

The Soul Master glanced at the beautiful handwriting on the roster, then at Cinderella, and stepped aside. "Go in. The Dean and the others should all be here."

Cinderella nodded and stepped into the college.

The scene in the courtyard was exactly the same as she remembered. Short holly trees, neatly trimmed, lined both sides of the bluestone path.

Several classes were having physical education classes on the playground. The students were lined up in crooked rows, following the teacher's instructions to do warm-up exercises.

A chubby little boy was a beat too slow and was kicked by the little girl next to him. He grimaced in pain but dared not utter a sound.

Cinderella watched this scene, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

She walked along the bluestone path, crossed the playground, passed the teaching building, and stopped in front of a gray office building.

The Notting City Primary Soul Master Academy hasn't changed much since she left.

The teaching building is still the same teaching building; a few panes of glass in the windows have been replaced, but the frames remain the same.

The exterior walls of the dormitory building have been repainted, and the white paint gleams dazzlingly in the sunlight.

The crooked tree at the entrance of the cafeteria is still there, its canopy is even more lush than before, and its branches extend to the roof of the cafeteria.

The only change is that there is no longer a teacher named Yu Xiaogang.

After Yu Xiaogang left, the college did not recruit any new teachers for theoretical courses.

His classes were distributed among several other teachers, each taking on some of the workload, which kept things running smoothly.

Without Yu Xiaogang's profound theories and his long, rambling lectures that left students bewildered, Notting City's Elementary Soul Master Academy was actually much calmer.

The teachers taught step by step, and the students learned step by step.

Life was ordinary, but fulfilling.

Cinderella looked away and walked into the office building.

The office door was open, and several teachers were sitting inside. Some were grading homework, some were preparing lessons, and some were drinking tea and reading newspapers.

They looked up when they heard footsteps.

Then, the office fell silent for a moment.

"Cindy?" An elderly teacher with gray hair put down his teacup, his eyes widening behind his glasses. "Why are you back?"

"I've come back to visit." Cinderella stood at the door and nodded slightly to the teachers. "Hello, teachers."

The teachers looked at each other, and all of them saw surprise in each other's eyes.

They have been teaching and nurturing students here for so many years, but only a handful of their graduates have come back to visit.

After graduating from here, most students are like kites with broken strings, never to receive any more news. The occasional letter sent back is considered a tremendous act of kindness.

There are almost no cases of people returning in person like Cinderella.

"Come in and sit down!" The old teacher quickly stood up, pulled over a chair, and wiped it with his sleeve.

"How have you been these past few years? I heard you went to Shrek Academy and even participated in the Soul Master Competition?"

Cinderella sat down and accepted the hot tea offered by another teacher. "It's going well. After the Soul Master Competition, I'll travel around the continent."

Several teachers sat around her, asking her all sorts of questions.

They were deeply impressed by Cinderella. Since its founding, the Notting City Junior Soul Master Academy had only produced two geniuses with innate full soul power: Cinderella and Tang San.

It's hard not to remember a student like that.

Moreover, Cinderella's grades were indeed excellent back then. She was diligent in her training, had high comprehension, and her teachers had no trouble teaching her.

Unlike some students who can't learn even after being taught ten times, or even a hundred times.

The teachers were delighted to see their former star pupils return.

"What level are you at now?" a middle-aged female teacher couldn't help but ask.

“Level 66,” Cinderella said without hiding anything.

The office fell silent for a moment. Level 66, Soul Emperor.

It's even higher level than the dean of the Junior Soul Master Academy in Notting City.

The teachers exchanged glances, and each saw shock in the other's eyes.

But they didn't say much, just smiled and nodded, repeatedly saying "good, good, good." As proud as they were, they also knew that Cinderella's success was due to her own hard work and had little to do with them, her teachers.

Cinderella chatted with the teachers for a while, asking about the college's situation in recent years and whether some of her former teachers were still there.

Some are still alive, some have retired, and one passed away last winter; he was too old and couldn't make it through.

Cinderella remained silent for a moment, without saying anything more.

“By the way,” she put down her teacup and looked at the teachers, “is there anything the academy can help with?”