I'm in Star Iron, and I draw power from the Inner World every week.

As it got later and later, Su Yang, who had adjusted his biological clock, naturally wanted to rest earlier.

Although they had already made a promise to meet again in their dreams, the special training must continue.

dong dong dong.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and Xia Die's gentle voice followed.

"Su Yang, are you asleep?"

If Su Yang hadn't had slightly better hearing, he wouldn't have been able to hear the call clearly; perhaps Xia Die was afraid he had already fallen asleep.

"I'm not asleep, come in."

"Well."

Xia Die obediently pushed open the door, rubbing her hands nervously.

Are you ready to rest?

"No, I'm still energetic."

"Is there anything else you need to do? If you have time, I can teach you how to use the communication tablet now. It will be very convenient to master it sooner."

"it is good."

Chapter 21 The Willfulness of the Butterfly

The room, with its curtains drawn, had only a bedside lamp on.

Su Yang and Xia Die sat shoulder to shoulder, their shadows cast on the wall by the dim light.

Xia Die stood with her legs together, knees tilted to one side, white stockings outlining the smooth lines of her beautiful legs, and her lovely little feet, temporarily freed from high heels, were tinged with cherry pink, making them look like food-grade.

The fragrance emanating from her body continued to assault Su Yang's sense of smell.

The subtle floral scent blends with the fragrance of the shower gel and shampoo, creating a gentle and pleasant aroma that is not overpowering.

"Su Yang, I noticed you sent a message to your sister today. I don't think I need to explain this feature to you, right?"

Xia Die was holding Su Yang's phone, giving him pointers.

"Well, let's talk about the other features." Su Yang's lips twitched slightly.

When he contacted Huang Quan, he forgot that he was a 'smartphone novice'.

"Okay, let me introduce you to the others. This is a photo booth, which can be used to record a moment or to take a selfie."

"Selfie?"

"Like this." Xia Die tapped the invert button, and the image shifted to the front-facing camera.

"Oh, let's capture this moment."

"Eh?"

"Click this to take a picture, right? Come on, Xia Die, smile."

"Ah..." Xia Die forced an unnatural smile, her face quickly flushing pink again.

There was a click.

The images of the two of them facing the screen were captured on the phone.

Su Yang maintained a natural smile, while Xia Die looked shy.

"Not bad, although it's a bit awkward, your expression is delicious too."

"Su Yang, stop teasing me... Also, you actually know how to use the communication stone tablet, right?" Xia Die's eyes held a hint of resentment.

"Well, sorry, I just wanted to experience being personally educated by Xia Die, so I told a little lie," Su Yang confessed directly.

Huang Quan taught him that some things should be kept to himself, but that didn't mean he had to keep lying; he still had to say what needed to be said.

"Eh?"

"I always feel very relaxed when I'm with Xia Die."

"Eh? Lord Su Yang..."

"Your Excellency, please leave."

"Hugs... I'm sorry."

Xia Die's language skills suffered a major blow.

"You have nothing to apologize for."

"Well."

"However, contacting me at this time is unlike you. Is there a reason for that?"

"...It was Lady Aglaia who suggested it. I originally wanted to wait until tomorrow to talk about it."

"That's not surprising."

Is this a test for Aglaia?

No, if it were a real test, Aglaia would probably come in person.

But late at night, a pure and delicious girl like Xia Die comes to your door for personal guidance...

This level of stimulation was even stronger than the visual impact he experienced during the day.

Unfortunately, Xia Die was too naive, especially after learning about the painful memories she had endured. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and hug her.

"Su Yang, don't overthink it. Lady Aglaia has long since lowered her guard against you. This is not a test."

"I understand, I was thinking of you, Xia Die."

"Me? I knew I'd be bothering you at this hour, didn't I? Sorry."

No, I just want to hug you.

"Eh?"

"Consider it your agreement."

Su Yang pulled Xia Die into his arms.

They were already very close, and he simply pulled Xia Die closer to his chest.

"Su, Su Yang...?" Xia Die blushed more than she could say.

Do you dislike this?

"It's impossible to dislike Su Yang's embrace; it's so warm."

“My princess, you don’t need to be reserved in front of me. You can be more willful.”

"You can completely reveal what's on your mind, and if you feel disgusted, you can vent it freely, because I approve of everything about you."

"Your knight will always be your strongest harbor." Su Yang smiled gently.

"Can you really be a little more willful?" Xia Die's lips trembled slightly, and her eyes gradually welled up with tears.

"completely fine."

"Then, let's hug a little longer."

Xia Die hugged Su Yang even tighter, burying her head in his broad chest, unable to hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes.

"good."

"Su Yang, thank you, thank you for being there for me, thank you for helping me, thank you for your kindness..."

"Ah."

Su Yang did not consider himself to be particularly great.

But when the princess shows her vulnerable side, the knight will naturally step forward to protect her, even if it's just by giving her a simple hug.

The hug lasted for a while, and Xia Die recovered from her long-lost 'relaxation'.

“Princess, now we should talk about some adult topics.”

"Huh?" Xia Die was startled by Su Yang's change of topic.

"Refers to the journey to chase fire."

"Ah, this."

The blush on Xia Die's face quickly faded, and she soon returned to her usual calm demeanor.

"I want to help you."

"Please allow me to refuse. This is also Lady Aglaia's wish. Su Yang, you have already provided us with more than enough help."

“…”

Su Yang hadn't expected to be rejected even in such a wonderful atmosphere.

He had long since noticed that Aglaia and Xiaodie were intentionally or unintentionally avoiding the details of the Fire Chasing Journey, and when they did talk about it, they would only tell the general stuff that ordinary people already knew.

“Su Yang, you are not a descendant of the Golden Clan, nor are you from this world. We cannot burden you with such a mission.”

"Perhaps my involvement could bring about significant changes."

Su Yang spoke with a hint of confidence.

Even disregarding future sustainable development, his current abilities are enough to accomplish many amazing things.

“It’s not that we don’t believe in Su Yang’s abilities. Lady Aglaia and I have witnessed the miracles you have performed. But we can’t impose our responsibilities on you, especially since you have a sister who cares about you.”

"Okay, I'll talk to Aglaia later. Let's just pretend we didn't talk about anything."

Xia Die probably said that after discussing it with Aglaia and the others.

If he can persuade Aglaia, then Aglaia will also try to find a way to deal with Xia Die.

"Well."

"But I still want to ask one more question: Is the re-creation you Golden Descendants seek in accordance with some so-called divine decree?"

Slay the gods, return the divine fire, and bring new life to Ohma.

This is all the publicly available intelligence about the Golden Descent so far.

"Well, this kind of thing isn't exactly a secret."

Are divine oracles really reliable?

"Uh?"

“I do not deny the ideals of your Golden Clan, nor do I think you are so-called blasphemers. It’s just that you have a strong sense of confusion about the journey to the fire and about the divine oracle.”

Su Yang had indeed pondered this matter a lot and considered it from a unique perspective.

Because he now knows that this place revolves around [memory], [destruction], and [intelligence].

Knowledge is often inseparable from experimentation.

[Memory] often involves recording, and may even include elements of [retrospection].

[Destruction], on the other hand, represents the clearing away of everything.

With three destinies as his backdrop, even though [Recreation] sounds grand, he only feels that it is one part of it.

"...Su Yang, have you met with the teacher?"

"Who is the teacher?"

"One of the Seven Sages of the Divine Enlightenment Tree Garden, founder of the School of Wisdom..."

"Unfamiliar."

Actually, we are somewhat familiar with each other, because there are many traces of Nakasha in Aglaia's unpleasant memories.

"You two might have a lot to talk about."

"Really? Maybe."

"Su Yang, it's getting late. I'll pretend I didn't hear what you just said, and I won't pass it on to Lady Aglaia."

"It's alright, it doesn't matter if you just pass it on, I'll talk to her about this anyway... Your Highness, let me help you put on your shoes."

"Eh?"