Fool's Library

"That was more than two hundred years ago. Even if there were survivors in that Canaan town, they would probably be several hundred years old by now and have long since died of old age."

"The truth about this is so far in the past that it is impossible to verify. It may have been made up by the old folks to fool children."

"Just listen to everything I'm saying as a story."

"The area around the Three Sages Snow Mountain is very dangerous, so you'd better not have any adventurous ideas and risk your lives by venturing into the snow mountain," the bearded man kindly reminded you.

As he spoke, he downed the strong liquor in his glass in one gulp, his eyes lighting up: "Speaking of which, I really didn't expect your bartending skills to be so good. You managed to make such a good bartender out of such low-quality raw liquor in this tavern."

"You look so young, but your bartending skills are far superior to the bartenders at this bar."

Hearing the bearded man's praise, the young man with black hair and black eyes simply smiled slightly: "Actually, it's nothing, just practice makes perfect."

"Regardless, thank you for your story—"

He paused slightly, then stood up, took the hand of the blonde girl beside him, and waved to the bearded man.

"Xiao Ai and I are both very happy today."

"I'm glad to know... that even after more than two hundred years, there are still people who remember the name of that border town."

jingle.

After a crisp sound, the bearded man subconsciously raised his hand and saw that a gleaming gold coin had appeared in his hand.

Based on the purchasing power in the North, one Cole coin is enough to cover the expenses of the bearded family of four for half a year.

"and many more."

The bearded man stared at the gold coin in his palm for a moment, then quickly stood up.

"I'm not one of those cunning information brokers; I just told a story to satisfy my own desire for self-expression..."

"I don't even know if this information is true or false myself, and I am not worthy of such a valuable gift from you..."

The bearded man paused, seemingly lost in thought.

Because the figures of the boy and girl in front of him had disappeared, leaving only an empty seat in front of him.

In the distance, howling winds swept in from the vast and boundless snow-capped peaks, swirling and lingering over the entire city, whistling and lamenting.

……

"I never expected this..."

"That once secluded Canaan town has now become such a bustling place."

After leaving the adventurer's tavern, Rust and Amys strolled along the wide streets of the border city, their conversation tinged with a touch of melancholy.

"Yes."

Amys nodded: "To be honest, being called an ancient person from hundreds of years ago... it's a strange feeling, and a little unpleasant."

"Ok?"

Last was slightly puzzled: "But we are indeed ancient people who have lived for hundreds of years."

"Whether it's the centuries-long time loop I experienced in Deep Blue Harbor, or the time you spent with the 'Artificial Angel' project, Xiao Ai."

"If we're being really precise, we're probably already several hundred years old, or even thousands or tens of thousands of years old..."

Last's words froze in place.

Because at this very moment, beside him, Amys's beautiful sky-blue eyes were flashing with an extremely dangerous cold light.

"Seventeen."

"Ok?"

"According to Dean Yin, the standard for measuring the age of extraordinary individuals is more important than the years experienced by the physical body, but rather the state of the soul."

"And my soul has remained in the same state as when I was seventeen years old—"

"So, my real age is..."

Amys stared straight at Rust with her sky-blue eyes.

"Seventeen years old."

"Yes, that's right. My Xiao Ai is of course a beautiful girl who will always be seventeen years old. There's no doubt about that."

Last spoke quickly, only then noticing that the temperature beside him, which had been gradually freezing, had returned to normal.

Seeing this, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Indeed, no woman can escape the concern about her age, not even Amys, who has now become the Angel of Judgment and reigns supreme over the river of time.

Of course, if it were before the two reunited, the Amies in that Canaan illusion would never have said those words to her.

After all, back then, Amys always tried her best to present the gentlest and most flawless version of herself in front of Rust.

But Rust knew very well that the perfect and gentle Amies who always waited for him with a quiet smile in the town was not the real Amies, but just someone who had been putting on a brave face all along.

The real Amys was just a rural girl living on the border, with human emotions and desires, and also human weaknesses.

Therefore, it wasn't until the two reunited in Canaan that Raste felt the girl with the pale golden hair had come back to life.

She has her own fears; she can be scared, she can be affectionate, she can get angry and jealous when she sees him and Hiltina being close, and she can occasionally throw a little tantrum or be willful when they are alone together.

At this moment, Amys is no longer the eternally gentle, smiling, almost unreal angel... but a living, breathing human girl with flesh and blood, truly living in this world.

"That's more like it."

A smile appeared on Amys's lips, and then she moved slightly, leaning her body against Rust's chest.

“I had a dream yesterday,” she whispered in Rust’s ear.

"Oh? What kind of dream?"

"A time-travel dream. In the dream, I traveled back to my childhood, to Canaan before it was destroyed by the 'space-time collapse.'"

"At first, I was happy to see Canaan before it was reduced to ruins and to see the uncles, aunts, grandfathers and grandmothers who were still alive in the town, but I soon realized that something was wrong."

"The Canaan in my dream was so real, exactly like the town in my memory... But, in that town, you were the only one missing."

Amise buried her head in Rust's arms, her long, soft, pale golden hair falling down his arm.

“I searched the whole town and asked everyone, but I couldn’t find any trace of you, as if you, Rast, had never lived in Canaan.”

"I was terrified. I felt like I was falling into an abyss, my vision gradually darkening, as if the whole world had abandoned me..."

"The fear was so real that it almost suffocated me—so much so that it took me a long time to calm down and distinguish between dream and reality after I woke up from the nightmare."

"fortunately……"

"That was just a nightmare."

She nestled in Last's arms and spoke in an extremely soft voice.

"fortunately……"

"I am embracing your touch, your warmth, and the sound of your voice that I hear..."

"None of this is a dream."

The street, which was usually quite bustling, was now eerily quiet.

Only the desolate wind howled and howled as it swept through the streets.

Last didn't speak, but simply stroked the girl's soft, sandalwood-scented pale golden hair in his arms.

“Last”.

After a long while, Amys finally leaned close to his ear and whispered something.

"Next stop, I want to go to the seaside, let's go to that Deep Blue Harbor that trapped you for over 300 years..."

"Although Deep Blue Harbor no longer exists with the change of eras, I have checked and found that a new seaside city based on tourism has been built there."

"in addition……"

The girl hesitated for a moment, which was extremely rare for her.

"I used my abilities as a mechanical angel to book a room at a love hotel by the sea."

"Of course, didn't we agree before? I'd take you to see all the beautiful landscapes of this world... wait..."

Last paused abruptly, realizing the girl's unspoken meaning: "Little Ai, you're not in mechanical lifeform form right now, um..."

"Although I have a mechanical body, with my current status as an angel, I can still maintain my human form!"

A blush crept onto Amy's pretty face, but she still spoke earnestly again.

Her voice was soft, but every word she uttered carried a resolute determination to not back down.

“Last—”

"tonight……"

"I want to create entirely new memories with you."

Looking at the girl in his arms, whose sky-blue eyes sparkled with light, Last said nothing more, only nodding gently.

"it is good."

Chapter 278 Returning to Hiltina's Hometown to Meet the Parents

In the inner city of the capital, there is a secluded but beautiful villa.

Last gently pushed the wooden door in front of him, and it creaked open.

The room's furnishings are not luxurious but very complete. In addition to a spacious living room, the adjacent kitchen is furnished with brightly colored wooden furniture, and the furniture has a very cohesive design with faint golden maple leaf patterns.

Compared to a royal palace, this place feels more like the home of an ordinary resident with some means of income. It is not luxurious or extravagant, but it has a comfortable feel with every piece of furniture carefully arranged and the overall arrangement quite harmonious.

"To be honest... if I hadn't known beforehand, I really wouldn't have believed that this was the Empress's bedroom."

Last casually leaned back on the sofa.

"Because this isn't a palace at all. I wouldn't bother living in such an empty and desolate place."

"This is a building that my father built to a one-to-one replica of our family's old residence in Autumn Leaf Territory, which is the mansion of the Ranger family... It's exactly the same as my old home in my childhood memories."

“My father recently went back to Qiuye Retirement Home alone, leaving this place to me.”

Hiltina's voice came from the side, carrying a hint of languor.

She twirled the pen in her hand, signed her name on a military document, then closed the pen cap and pushed aside the mountain of documents piled on the table.

After doing all this, the girl with long chestnut hair turned around and looked at Rust, who was already lying on the sofa as if they were old friends.

"What, our busy man has finally decided to come back?"

She walked to the sofa, raised her hand to stroke Last's face, and a hint of a smile appeared in his light brown eyes.

"You're tired of playing outside with your Xiao Ai, so you've finally spared some time to spend with me?"

"It's more accurate to say that our Empress has only now finally finished dealing with the trivial matters that came with her ascension to the throne... I rushed over as soon as I received your summons."

Last smiled and reached out to take Hiltina's small hand that was resting on his face.

However, the chestnut-haired empress had already withdrawn her hand, winked at him, and a graceful smile appeared on her lips.

"To be honest, although I was mentally prepared beforehand, the sheer volume of affairs that piled up after I actually ascended the throne still exceeded my expectations."

"Looking back now, my father was in such a hurry to step down and hand over the reins to me after less than 20 years in office that it seemed a bit like he was trying to shirk responsibility and run away."

Hiltina sat down on the sofa, leaning on Rust's shoulder, closed her eyes wearily, and rubbed her temples.

"That being said, I still forced myself to make time today... because there's a place I absolutely have to see."

"Is there a place?"

Last asked with a hint of doubt. Although he had been called over by Hiltina, who had taken time out of her busy schedule, he really didn't know where she was referring to.

"Of course it's your hometown, that border town called Canaan."

Hiltina blinked.

"After all, we're already engaged."

"According to Granville's custom... before the formal marriage, both parties are required to visit each other's hometowns, which is known as 'going to the ancestral home to meet the parents.'"

“You have already met my family, whether it be my father or my sister, Rust.”

"And that's not all."