Xia De jogged along, swinging his forearm, until he saw a figure leaning against a large tree behind a patch of grass up ahead.
Realizing this was the source of the voice, Xia De stopped, feigning exhaustion and breathing slightly heavily.
He asked the figure:
“Are you the one who told me to run?”
The figure under the tree paused, seemingly surprised, and said:
“Oh! So I was discovered? Looks like my genius stealth isn’t up to par yet.”
Xia De stood still, his expression strange and difficult to describe, as he looked at the patch of grass that was only half a man’s height.
Was that really stealth?
At least crouch down a bit.
The man emerged from the grass. His dark brown hair was disheveled, falling to the sides of his ears with a few wisps sticking up. He was slender, not burly, but exuded a lean, capable aura.
He wore a light brown leather armor over clothes that seemed a bit old, with some fraying edges in places, but his collar was neatly folded and clean.
The man’s gray-green eyes held a hint of casualness, yet Xia De could sense a scrutinizing gaze within them.
Clearly, this man was more vigilant than he let on.
Before Xia De could even speak, the man opposite him began to introduce himself.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My genius name is Finn, the genius archer of Windmill Town. At merely 18 years old, I’ve already broken through to Tier Three, Rank Seven.
And though my archery skills are superb and my talent outstanding, earning me a large following of female fans, I’m actually a very low-key person.
So, even if you admire me, please do so secretly in your heart.
Of course, if you insist on an autograph from this genius, that’s not entirely out of the question!”
As he finished speaking, he swept his left hand through his bangs, extended his right hand toward Xia De as if expecting something, his face a picture of self-indulgent ecstasy.
Xia De’s inner self turned into a pair of dot eyes, then blinked a few times with a bewildered expression.
*Wow! He broke through to Tier Three, Rank Seven at 18 years old?!
Xia De’s chibi inner self’s mouth formed an O shape, his dot eyes wide with shock, as he exclaimed.
But the chibi self quickly returned to normal as a chibi Hilia appeared beside him. Chibi Xia De walked around chibi Hilia once and said:
‘It seems he really does count as a genius. When I first met Hilia, she was also Tier Three, Rank Seven, and I heard from snippets of conversation that she was 20 at the time.’
Hearing chibi Xia De’s words, chibi Hilia pouted her small lips in displeasure, then stared intently at Xia De and said menacingly:
‘I’ll train hard and become very, very strong! I’ll catch up to you sooner or later!’
Chibi Xia De gently tapped chibi Hilia’s forehead. Chibi Hilia covered her forehead, then happily turned into smoke and dispersed.
‘Yes, Hilia would definitely say that. I understand her just as she understands me.
As for catching up to me, putting that aside, I left her a magic array to gather magic power, which can help her cultivate faster. Coupled with her diligence, I believe she’ll make immense progress when we meet again!’
Stop!
Xia De halted his inner mini-drama and brought the conversation back to reality. He looked at the man still striking a pose and slowly averted his gaze.
“Do you know what kind of treasure those two mentioned?”
Finn’s body stiffened, but he quickly returned to his usual carefree demeanor and said:
“Because a towering beam of light erupted from the bottom of Bezerlati Lake yesterday, everyone felt a strange power.
Many people thought that high-tier magic tools or something similar had appeared here, and they all started searching near Bezerlati Lake.
Among them were some ruthless individuals. The two you just met are notorious bullies from around here: one is called ‘Jess the Bone-Smasher,’ the tall, skinny one who once dismembered someone alive with his knife, and the other is Tok the Bone-Breaker, who once shattered a person’s bones joint by joint with his bare fists.”
Bone-smasher and bone-breaker?
That doesn’t quite fit now, because now not even their skin would be left.
After comparing their titles, Xia De reconciled with himself. Compared to ‘Something-something’s Whatsisname,’ his own title of ‘Grim Reaper’ sounded much better.
“So, are you here looking for treasure too?”
Finn once again swept his hand through his bangs and said confidently:
“I am a genius. Geniuses disdain relying on external power!
I’m merely concerned that the situation here might affect the Windmill Festival, so I came to check it out.”
“Affect the Windmill Festival?”
“Yes.” A hint of worry flashed in Finn’s eyes. “The pillar of light that erupted from Bezerlati Lake this time will definitely attract some greedy individuals. What if these people find nothing here and then turn their attention to Windmill Town nearby?”
As he spoke, a solemn expression appeared on Finn’s otherwise playful face.
Then, he heard Xia De’s voice.
“It’s fine, I’ll help!”
After all, this was the first stop he had personally chosen; he had to enjoy it properly. If anyone were to disturb him…
Hehehe!
“You?”
Finn looked at Xia De suspiciously.
Xia De, however, didn’t mind at all. He pointed his right thumb at himself, a confident smile blooming on his face, and said:
“I’m very strong!”
Looking at Xia De’s sun-like smile, Finn was slightly taken aback. He sensed a confidence in Xia De, a confidence that could overpower everything.
Then he burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! It seems I misjudged you earlier, kid. What’s your name?”
“Xia De.”
“Xia De, a good name. Since you say you’re strong, then prove it to me.
It’s getting late, so let’s race to Windmill Town. I want to see just how strong you are.”
“Let me tell you first, I specialize in wind element magic, and my speed is even a little faster than a typical Tier Three!”
He turned his back to Xia De, pointed his thumb at himself, and said with a smile:
“There’s a rather complex section of the road ahead, you need to be careful. By the way, I’m very ‘arrow-getful’.”
With that, his figure shot off like an arrow towards Windmill Town. At the same time, his explanation came from his mouth:
“‘Arrow-getful’ means an arrow has a bad memory; once it leaves the bow, it forgets the way home and never looks back. I’m the same, I never look back. If you can’t keep up and get lost, I won’t turn around to find you!”
Watching Finn gradually disappear into the distance, Xia De’s face once again showed an indescribable expression. He clicked his tongue.
“Forget it, it’s an experience. I’ll just write it down in my adventure journal later.”
With that, Xia De’s gaze swept lightly around him, his eyes calm, showing no emotional fluctuations. With a smile on his lips, he softly said:
“I hope nothing clueless ruins my mood!”
The setting sun stretched his shadow long. Within the dark shadow, countless dangerous things seemed to lurk, exuding a dense aura of death, ready to devour anyone.
Rate on N.U.
