Wrong, my props refresh every day

………………

The night breeze gently blew through the streets of Orario, and Liu returned to the [Mistress of Abundance] with slightly tired steps.

Liu gently pushed open the wooden door of the tavern. His green hair was still stained with moss fragments from the dungeon, and his whole body exuded a low aura.

At the moment when the door hinge creaked slightly—

"boom!"

Colorful ribbons suddenly fell from the sky, accompanied by cheers:

"Happy birthday, Ryu-chan!"

Liu looked up suddenly, his blue eyes trembling violently in the candlelight.

The familiar tavern has completely changed.

Seele stood at the front, holding a cake with candles in her hands. Anya and Chloe were holding ribbons on the left and right. Lunova was adjusting the decorations on the wall. Mia's mother rarely showed a gentle smile. Even Amid from the [Dean Kate Family] and Aina, the busy half-elf from the guild, appeared here.

"Happy Birthday, Liuliang" was carefully written on the cake in Elvish, and the candlelight swayed gently among the cream petals.

"This is..." Liu's voice was choked in his throat, and his fingers unconsciously tugged at the corner of his clothes.

"It was Master Hoshimi who found it, meow~ He searched through all the information in the guild archives!" Chloe came over with her tail wagging.

Aegina pushed her glasses up, her gaze behind the lenses unusually gentle. "In the old archives of the Astralia family, the date March 22nd was specially marked. Although many years have passed... important days are always worth commemorating."

Liu's vision blurred. His lake-blue eyes saw everyone's smiling faces in the candlelight, saw the dancing flames on the cake, saw—

Xing Jian, who was standing at the end of the crowd, nodded gently to her.

The black-haired boy smiled slightly and said softly, "Sorry, I deliberately kept you away all day today... because I wanted to prepare a surprise."

(So... he already knew?)

Liu's pupils trembled slightly, and then he suddenly realized...

The fragments of memory suddenly came together.

Xier's unusually intimate behavior, Anya's sudden fishing invitation, and Amid's impromptu medicinal herb collection...

All of this is a carefully designed [Star-Seeing Spirit Induction Operation].

"Master Hoshimi is amazing, meow!" Chloe came over, skipping over. "Even Mia's mom is cooperating with the show!"

Mia's mother snorted softly, crossing her strong arms over her chest: "This boy is very sincere."

Liu's fingertips unconsciously tugged at the edge of his clothes, and a sour warmth welled up in his throat. Xingjian took a step forward and took out the silver key under everyone's expectant gaze.

"Ryu, this is for you."

The moment the key fell into his palm, the cold metal touch made Liu tremble all over. The key teeth left a slight indentation on his palm, like some kind of solemn contract imprint.

“This is your home.”

Xingjian's voice was soft, but every word was clear:

"I have promised Goddess Astraea that you will continue to protect justice, and we will protect you."

"Being useless isn't a flaw; it's the reason you make us laugh more."

Xier gently helped Liu tidy up his scattered green hair.

"You must seize happiness this time." Mia's mother softened her voice rarely.

Xier brought out a carefully wrapped gift box, inside which lay the repaired Cloak of Justice.

On the light blue fabric, the emblem of the Astraea family was re-embroidered stitch by stitch, and the damaged parts were dotted with star-like silver threads.

"Your past, your present... are all worth cherishing." Xier gently draped the cloak on Liu's shoulders.

"Xie'er..."

"It's not just Xi'er's gift, it's ours too!!"

People presented gifts one after another.

The wreath woven by Anya, the elf cookies specially made by Chloe, the adventure diary prepared by Lunova... When the last gift was given, everyone's eyes were cast on Xingjian.

In the flickering candlelight, Xingjian took out an ancient wooden box from his arms. When the lid of the box slowly opened, a ray of golden light flowed out, illuminating Liu's stunned face.

"This is……?"

A five-pointed golden star lies quietly in the box, emitting a warm golden halo.

Hoshimi's voice sounded softly:

"A wishing star. Just tell it your wish, and it might come true. However, it's a defective item, so complex wishes are hard to come true. Usually, it can only grant simple wishes. So, I'm sorry, it might be difficult for Alyse and the others to accompany you."

"No, it's okay."

Liu's fingertips gently touched the golden star, feeling a subtle pulsation, and then looked around.

Xier's expectant eyes, Chloe's shaking cat ears, Mia's mother's rare gentle expression, and Xingjian's quiet gaze.

(No need to dwell on the past anymore)

Liu held the wishing star in his hands and whispered under everyone's expectant gaze:

"I hope……"

The stars suddenly burst into dazzling light, enveloping the entire tavern in golden starlight.

"I can be with everyone here forever."

When the light gradually faded, everyone was surprised to find that there was an exquisite star-shaped hair ornament in Liu's green hair, which was shining with a gentle light.

What was even more magical was that all the candles on the cake were rekindled, and the flames danced to form a small heart shape.

"This is..." Liu stroked the headdress in disbelief.

Xingjian smiled and explained, "It seems the wishing star has chosen you. While it can't bring back the dead, it will protect everything you hold dear now."

Xier suddenly hugged Liu from behind:

"Ryu-chan, we will always be with you."

"That's right, meow!"

Chloe rushed over and hung on the other side of Ryu.

Anya raised her fork and yelled, "Eat the cake first! The candles are almost burnt out, meow!"

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, Liu felt something warm brush across his cheek.

This time, they are no longer tears of loneliness, but proof of happiness.

Xingjian quietly stepped aside and looked at the elf girl surrounded by her friends.

(This time, I must protect your smile)

Outside the window, the night breeze gently blew through the streets of Orario, carrying the sweet aroma of cakes far into the distance. The lights from the tavern filtered through the stained glass, casting star-like spots on the ground, as if witnessing this special night.

----

Chapter 85 Liu: Should I get rid of Ais Wallenstein?

The first ray of morning sunlight just shone on the lintel of "The Bountiful Hostess". The moment Xingjian pushed open the door of the tavern, a morning breeze with the fragrance of dew blew towards him.

Outside the door, a familiar figure stood quietly in the golden morning light—Ais Wallenstein.

Aisi's long golden hair fluttered gently in the morning breeze, and her amber eyes lit up the moment she saw Xingjian.

"Good morning, Miss Ais." Xingjian greeted with a smile. "Are you waiting so early?"

Ai Si nodded gently, her voice as clear as windchimes: "You and Miss Elf have been eloping for too long. You miss...that room."

"……Feel sorry."

Xingjian didn't know what to say at this moment. He had promised Ais that he could come to train every day, but he didn't expect that the next day Xingjian and Liu would go to the sword-making city, Zolingen, to meet Astraea, so there was no chance.

Hoshimi turned and called into the tavern, "Ryu, can you come over here for a moment?"

After a while, a green-haired elf girl came hurriedly up the stairs, her hair still damp from fresh washing. Seeing Ai Si at the door, she slightly widened her eyes:

"Miss Wallenstein? You're here so early..."

"Special training."

Ais said softly.

Xingjian took out an exquisite metal can from his arms and explained, "Today we are going to have special training together, the three of us together."

The three of them came to the backyard of the tavern. Xingjian placed the can on the stone table and gently unscrewed the lid.

In an instant, a silver light burst out from the can.

[Canned Food Studio], open!

Following Xingjian's operation, the three of them entered the metal can together.

After entering, she felt the familiar sense of time and space distortion. Inside was a vast space completely different from the outside world. The silver-white training ground extended to the end of the field of vision, with glowing runes floating around.

"What are we going to train for today?" Liu asked curiously.

Xingjian's eyes flickered between the two female swordsmen, and then the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "Today we're still training in the gravity room, but... I thought the two of you could try a sparring match?"

"Competition?" Liu was slightly stunned.

Ai Si blinked her amber eyes and turned her gaze to the green-haired elf. Suddenly, her slender eyebrows slightly frowned, as if she had noticed something unusual.

Ais's voice was a little surprised. "[Gale]... you're already... level 5?"

Liu nodded slightly, her emerald green shoulder-length hair swaying gently with her movements, and replied softly, "Yeah, I just upgraded last week."

Ais's eyes lit up instantly, like a child discovering a new toy, and her slender fingers unconsciously placed their hands on the hilt of the Sword of Despair.

"Want to...compete?"

A hint of fighting spirit appeared at the corner of Liu's mouth.

Since her upgrade, LV4 Anya and the others have been unable to satisfy her. She really needs opponents of the same level to test her limits.

"That's exactly what I need. I need an opponent of the same level to practice and verify my skills."

Liu slowly drew out the elven wooden sword from her waist. The specially made blade was emitting an emerald green magical halo under the silver light. She stared at the blond swordsman in front of her, and the unfinished competition from a month ago emerged in her mind.

At that time, in order to compete for the right to teach Xingjian swordsmanship, the two had a fierce confrontation in the training ground.

Although the fight was interrupted by Mia's mother and the two sides did not decide the winner, Liu was at LV4 at the time, and everyone clearly felt that if the fight continued, Liu would not be a match for the LV5 level one adventurer [Sword Princess].

But times have changed. Liu is now at LV5 and has mastered very buggy magic. Aisi has been at LV5 for a year. The outcome of this duel may very well depend on a split second of judgment.

Hoshimi nodded in satisfaction. Ryu and Ais both arrived at the [Spirit Time Room]. Inside the monitoring room, Hoshimi's fingers slid quickly across the control panel. "Gravity adjusted to standard value, protective barrier fully activated."

As he operated, a translucent energy barrier emerged around the [Spirit Time House].

"The rules are simple, just stop when you're ready."

Xingjian said.

Ais's long golden hair fluttered behind her as she smiled, a rare sight. "Please give us your guidance, Gale. This time, the Little Giant won't bother us again. Let's decide the outcome this time."

Liu's green hair floated gently in the windless air, and he pointed his elf wooden sword at the blonde swordswoman in front of him: "Let me see the true strength of the strongest swordswoman in Orario."

The two stood ten steps apart, and the air in the training ground seemed to freeze.

The two figures disappeared in an instant, and the next second——

Liu took the lead in launching the attack, and the wooden sword drew a crescent-shaped arc from bottom to top. Ai Si retreated half a step and blocked the attack accurately with the silver sword. The moment the swords touched, emerald green and silver-white magical sparks burst out.

Liu took advantage of the momentum and spun around, the wooden sword transformed into a continuous green shadow, and three consecutive slashes poured down like a storm.

Aisi's pupils shrank slightly, and the speed of the sword suddenly increased.

"Ding Ding Ding-"

The dense sound of metal clashing merged into one continuous sound, and Ai Si used the exact same moves to take all of Liu's attacks.

During the last block, the Sword of Despair suddenly changed its moves, and the tip of the sword pierced Liu's throat like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.

Liu leaned back to avoid the thrust, tapped the ground with his wooden sword, and used the momentum to leap into the air. He then adjusted his stance in mid-air, bringing the blade down to chop towards Ais's head.

Ai Si did not dodge or evade, and the silver sword slashed from bottom to top. The moment the two figures crossed each other, the sword wind carved a cross-shaped crack on the ground.

The moment he landed, Liu suddenly changed his tactics.

The wooden sword seemed to be swinging to the right, but it strangely turned back halfway and swept towards Ais's waist at an incredible angle.