CH 66

The people around were still immersed in the rose petals that had just filled the sky, no one noticed them. Duan Zhen held Li Xi in his arms and gently kissed his forehead.

“This is the most beautiful one,” he whispered as his fingertips lightly grazed Li Xi’s lips.

Li Xi hadn’t expected him to be so romantic. His face flushed. “What… what do you mean, the most beautiful one? Um, let’s go somewhere else, there’s nothing much to see here.”

A smile played on Duan Zhen’s lips.

They strolled along the street, and Duan Zhen was puzzled, “There aren’t many people here.”

“Because it’s not a city in the conventional sense,” Li Xi smiled. “After the reconstruction, not many dared to come and live here, so we might have as well turned it into what it is now, a tourist attraction with some luxury goods and clandestine trading spots.”

“Reconstruction…” Duan Zhen grasped the point. “Is this your family’s territory?”

“Not anymore,” Li Xi casually replied. “After all, everyone from the Philotte family is gone.”

“But you’re still here,” Duan Zhen disagreed.

Li Xi smirked. “Yes, I am.”

He reached out and held Duan Zhen’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “I watched this city being rebuilt… Though the workers didn’t know, I’ve always been keeping an eye on it, making sure they build it beautifully enough.”

“Since you like it, why not live here?” Duan Zhen asked instinctively but quickly realized.

If Li Xi moved in, this city would probably become deserted. The fear of the demon king seemed rooted in the hearts of the people of this world.

“I’m fine watching from afar,” Li Xi said. “At least there’s still some liveliness here.”

An empty city would only remind him of the pain when their city was destroyed years ago. If he turned that ruin into a Philotte family cemetery, it would seem too trivial, his father would surely frown upon such an idea.

Li Xi’s gaze flickered for a moment, immediately caught by Duan Zhen, who had been observing him all along.

Duan Zhen regretted bringing up that sentence, realizing it might have stirred unpleasant memories for Li Xi. He tried to change the subject, “It’s beautiful here. Do you like this architectural style?”

“Mhm,” Li Xi nodded, turning to him with a smile. “You said you wanted to see the magical world; you won’t find it here. I’ll take you somewhere else.”

“Here is good,” Duan Zhen squeezed his fingers. “You’ve already shown me the wonders of the magical world just now. Let’s walk around here next; I want to see the city you like.”

“You’re more eloquent than I imagined,” Li Xi looked at Duan Zhen with a hint of surprise. “Isn’t your persona supposed to be a taciturn old military cadre?”

Duan Zhen’s puzzled expression was about to overflow. After a moment, he reached out and tapped Li Xi’s head lightly. “What strange thoughts do you have every day?”

Of course, he had to analyze his character and “prescribe the right medicine1He means that he has to show him something that suits him well“. He chose the naive flower persona for a reason; it could trigger Duan Zhen’s protective instincts. Moreover, it was said that the old stoic persona was most incompatible with a white lotus or a vixen personality. He didn’t want to risk the latter, fearing it might lead to the other’s disgust.

Li Xi naturally wouldn’t voice these thoughts. He chuckled, “I think about you every day.”

A hint of amusement flickered in Duan Zhen’s eyes.

They wandered around the city for a while; it was quite vast, but fortunately, both of them had good stamina, so they didn’t feel tired.

There were shops selling alchemical products along the way, with signs carved in the local language. Black curtains hung on both sides, but as they approached, they could see faint golden reflections of sunlight on them.

Duan Zhen didn’t recognize the characters here; Li Xi introduced them to him.

“Alchemy… It’s basically inscribing arrays on objects or throwing several materials into the fire to refine them, where their properties interact to form another substance,” Li Xi explained. “The idea of turning stones into gold is just a myth; if someone had that technology, why bother opening a shop?”

“Is the talisman you gave me an alchemical product?” Duan Zhen asked, taking out the ruby talisman he had kept close to him. The energy on it had disappeared, leaving only a finely carved ruby.

“Yes, but it’s useless now; it’s just a piece of jewelry,” Li Xi leaned in to look, raising an eyebrow subtly, then nodded. “If you like it, I can give you a few more.”

Duan Zhen tucked the talisman into his pocket and whispered, “There can be many talismans, but only one token of affection.”

Li Xi paused. “How did you know it’s a token of affection…”

“Guessing,” Duan Zhen said. “The other gems you lent for protection weren’t carved.”

“You guessed that too?” Li Xi pursed his lips. “Though I don’t remember, I saw it just now; the hollow pattern in the talisman is actually our local script.”

“What does it say?” Duan Zhen asked, but seeing Li Xi turn his head away without answering, he understood he might have embarrassed him.

“It’s just a word, never mind what word it is,” Li Xi snapped, widening his eyes at him, cheeks tinged with red. “Why so many questions?”

Duan Zhen felt if he kept asking, the young man might slip away on the spot, so he tactfully stopped pressing.

Li Xi breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, what was carved on it was the word “love,” with a ridiculously childish font forming a tiny heart shape. Anyway, it could be described as embarrassing.

“Can everyone in this world learn magic?” Duan Zhen attempted to change the subject, recalling a question he had been curious about.

“Not exactly, learning magic requires talent; some people may never get the hang of it in their lifetime,” Li Xi explained. “But the threshold for becoming a knight is comparatively lower.”

“I saw spells for sale in the system store before. Since it requires talent, how does it ensure that everyone who exchanges for it learns?” Duan Zhen frowned.

He remembered what the twins had said, that those who had died had actually returned to the real world with abilities. If the main system could teach everyone magic and other abilities, the world would be in chaos when the game ended.

“I haven’t paid attention to that, I’ll check it out when I get back,” Li Xi pondered. “But I don’t believe it can teach everyone magic; even gods can’t do that.”

“Right, while we’re at it, let me test your talent. If you have talent, I can teach you magic,” Li Xi suddenly said. “When the game ends, as a soldier, you’ll have to go into battle. If those people all know spells, your current abilities may not be enough.”

“Okay,” Duan Zhen nodded.

He hadn’t exchanged for abilities before because he didn’t trust the main system, fearing it might cause bodily changes. But he trusted Li Xi, so he was willing to try.

“In fact, you might be more suited to the knight side,” Li Xi mused, rubbing his chin. “After all, your strength is several times that of an ordinary person, an effect that takes those people years of training to achieve. It’s a bit of a waste to use this condition for a mage, but I’m not very good at physical moves.”

He blinked his eyes. “By the way, I can ask Hewlett to help you; he should also be considered a knight.”

“No need for that trouble,” Duan Zhen shook his head. “I remember you saying your relationship with the other demon kings is just average.”

“Though that’s true, we can still help each other with small matters,” Li Xi scoffed. “I haven’t settled the score with him for tricking me.”

As they were talking, Duan Zhen’s smart bracelet suddenly lifted uncontrollably, taking his arm with it, rising to about chest level. A light screen popped up from the bracelet, showing Clemens’ image.

His face was splattered with a few drops of blood, his red eyes slightly squinted, a look of ecstasy. Suddenly, as if sensing something, his gaze shot towards them, even though they were separated by the screen, they could feel the seemingly mocking murderous intent.

The image stopped at this point, and the system’s broadcast sounded—

【Congratulations to (anonymous) for successfully clearing the tenth level of Clemens. Don’t slack off, keep moving forward, victory is just ahead.】

Li Xi sure is a tsundere cutie~~

Tho, that ending surprised me!! Who could go against Clemens at his hardest level???

Thank you for reading