Ch 238: Pilgrimages Always Bring Back Memories

After leaving the outpost, Phia took Bal to their village where they hunted Ghost-Faced Ghost Tigers.

“I wonder what the forest on the mountain is like now. Last time we fought, we almost plowed that forest into a field.”

Bal stood at the village entrance, looking towards the mountain.

“Hilarious, weren’t you the one who started the fight?”

“What could I do? My weapon was malfunctioning back then.”

“Alright, let’s go take a look.”

“Mm.”

Phia took Bal’s hand, and the two walked side-by-side on the village road.

“Why does this village feel so deserted?”

Bal saw almost no one on the road; even the few people there were mostly old men and children.

“I don’t know, it’s strange.”

Phia also found it odd. With the outpost in front and Temur City behind, even if something happened, help could arrive quickly. However, the unusual desolation of Luca Village made Phia feel a little uneasy.

The two didn’t stay long in Luca Village. After taking a look at the forest behind the village, they left.

The two teleported to Dart Town, a satellite town of Temur City. This is the town where Phia and Bal bought adult books, and where Bal lost to Phia for the first time.

“It’s nostalgic.”

Phia leaned against Bal, and the two sat on a roadside chair to rest for a while. Afterward, Phia took Bal to the bookstore.

“Why are we here?”

Bal looked at the bookstore’s interior. He immediately remembered that this was where he last bought a novel.

“I bought a book here to study men.”

“Wow, coincidence! I also bought a book here to study women.”

“…So you had studied beforehand that day?”

“Just cramming, more of an impromptu performance.”

“Forget it, let’s see if there are any books suitable for Philia.”

“She’s already become a mother, my little wife.”

Bal hugged Phia from behind. This time, Phia didn’t resist; after all, the bookstore was so small, he wouldn’t dare to act up.

“Alright, you look around too.”

“Okay.”

The two started looking for suitable books for Philia. Bal wandered to the shelf with magic knowledge books and picked one up to browse.

“Wow, I’ve read this book since I was at the orphanage. After all this time, it hasn’t changed at all, it’s outdated.”

Seeing that these books weren’t suitable, Bal changed shelves.

Phia went to the shelf with novels. She flipped through a few, feeling they weren’t quite suitable for Philia, so she changed shelves too.

“Hmm? A new section?”

Phia saw a shelf with a “bestseller” sign. She went over to pick up a book, but she and Bal reached for the same one.

“Hmm? You came here too?”

“I should be the one saying that.”

The two smiled and opened the book together.

“Oh! These topics are good!”

“Indeed, very insightful!”

The two closed the book, and Bal took it to the counter.

“Hello, I’d like to check out.”

Bal handed the book to the counter, and the shopkeeper glanced at it.

“Two silver coins.”

“Okay.”

Bal paid, picked up the book, and left with Phia. Phia, taking advantage of the lack of people around, put the book into extradimensional space.

“Speaking of which, have you noticed something?”

Phia looked at Bal after putting away the book.

“Hmm?”

“It doesn’t seem as lively here as the last time we came.”

“Right! Now that you mention it, it really does seem that way.”

“Forget it, we can’t control this. Let’s go to the next place.”

Phia and Bal walked into a dark alley, and the two teleported to their next destination, Temur City.

“Temur City.”

Bal looked at the sign on the city gate. His heart was filled with mixed emotions. After all, this was where he was betrayed by a friend and almost lost Phia. But at the same time, this was also where his relationship with Phia made significant progress.

“Let’s go in.”

Phia pulled Bal towards the gate, and the guards stopped them.

“Hold it right there. You two look unfamiliar, not like locals. What are you here for?”

“We’re just passing through and resting here for a bit; we’ll be leaving soon.”

“Then we need to register you. The situation is tense recently.”

“Okay.”

Bal signed their aliases and paid the toll, and the two were finally allowed into the city.

“This place is quite far from the Royal Capital. Why is the situation so tense?”

Bal had been puzzled since entering the city.

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem to be because of the Demon Race. Are you hungry?”

“Not really, let’s have lunch here.”

“Okay.”

Bal didn’t have a good feeling about this city. He and Phia randomly chose a restaurant for lunch. While ordering, Bal casually asked the shopkeeper.

“Shopkeeper, I heard from the guards that the situation is tense recently. What’s going on?”

“Young man, you really don’t know?”

“We’re from the countryside; we don’t know what’s happening.”

“Alright. The Kingdom might be going to war with God’s Country. The King ordered the conscription of young men, and retired veterans have also been recalled.”

“Why would they go to war?”

“It’s because the Divine Child sent to God’s Country escaped. God’s Country says the Divine Child escaped back to the Kingdom, but the Kingdom doesn’t admit it. I think God’s Country is just looking for trouble.”

“So that’s what happened.”

“And I also heard that the Royal Capital was bombed by a long-range, large-scale destructive magic spell from the direction of God’s Country.”

Bal glanced at Phia, and Phia immediately looked away after making eye contact with Bal.

“Okay, I understand. Let’s get the food.”

“Right away.”

After lunch, Bal and Phia left the city they disliked. After leaving the city, they went to the place where they met Moony and Snowdrift, and where Bal proposed to Phia.

After sending Bal there, Phia teleported home, brought Moony and Snowdrift back, and returned.

“Chirp! Chirp chirp!”

Snowdrift landed on Bal’s shoulder, chirping happily, as if celebrating for Bal and Phia.

“Good! I’ll get you a White Fin Lake Carp!”

Just like last time, Bal put his hand into the lake, and a fish surfaced after a while.

“It’s yours, go ahead.”

As soon as Bal finished speaking, Moony and Snowdrift flew to the fish. The two little ones worked together to drag the fish to a stone on the shore and began to feast.

“I remember you proposed to me under that tree.”

Phia pointed to the large tree. After seeing it, Bal hugged Phia.

“I love you forever, Wife.”

“Me too, Husband.”

After Moony and Snowdrift finished eating, the two people and two birds went to a cliff.

“Where is this?”

Bal was puzzled; the scenery seemed both familiar and strange.

“This is where you rejected Merry when you were on a date with her.”

Bal turned around and saw that Phia had removed her disguise. In her hands, she held two cups filled with liquid.

“Here, take this.”

Phia handed a cup to Bal, then sat down without hesitation. After taking the cup, Bal also sat down.

“Bal, what was your mindset when you rejected Merry?”

“Probably because I couldn’t focus my attention on a second person.”

“You really made Merry sad then.”

“So didn’t I marry Merry’s reincarnation?”

Phia smiled and raised her cup.

“Cheers.”

Seeing this, Bal also raised his cup.

“Cheers.”