He walked downstairs.
Flora was sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of water. The treasure-hunting rabbit was curled up on her lap, looking like a ball of white fluff.
Loviki sat opposite her, holding a book. The cover read 《Advanced Magic Principles》; it was a textbook from the academy.
Chen Mian walked up to Flora. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Flora looked up, a hint of confusion in her eyes. “Now?”
“Yes.” Chen Mian was already at the door changing his shoes. “To see the night view.”
The tips of Flora’s ears twitched slightly. She set down her teacup, placed the rabbit on the sofa, and stood up to follow him.
Loviki’s gaze rose from above the pages of her book. She glanced at the two of them before lowering her head to continue reading.
The edge of the forest was very quiet at night, the sound of the wind blowing through the canopy rustling overhead.
The Forest of Death was very cool at night.
Flora walked beside him, her steps small. Every now and then, she would step on a dry branch.
“Mr. Chen Mian.”
“Yes?”
“You’re stronger than I thought, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you have a way to help me break the curse?” Her voice was very soft.
Chen Mian turned around to look at her.
Under the moonlight, Flora’s eyes shimmered like two crystalline gems.
Her expression was calm, but her hands were clenched tightly, showing her nervousness.
“I do,” Chen Mian said. “But it will take time.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know. Maybe soon, maybe a long time.”
Among the effects of the Magic Hot Spring, which would be unlocked after completing Initial Mission 2, there seemed to be a curse-weakening effect.
However, he wouldn't know if it would actually work until he tried it.
Flora was silent for a moment before nodding.
“Until then, just keep living here.”
Flora stood before him, her lips moving slightly. “...Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Chen Mian turned and continued walking. “Keep up.”
Flora jogged a few steps to catch up to his side.
The two of them walked along the path at the forest's edge. Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the clouds, spreading a layer of silvery-white light over the fallen leaves.
Chen Mian didn’t walk fast, but his strides were long, so Flora had to quicken her pace to keep up.
After walking for about ten minutes, he suddenly turned onto a side path.
The path led toward a cluster of low hills. The trees on both sides grew denser, their trunks covered in glowing moss.
“Where is this?” Flora asked in a low voice, her tone tinged with curiosity.
“You’ll know when we get there.”
Chen Mian pushed aside a cluster of hanging vines, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.
Flora froze.
The top of the low hill was an open meadow.
Countless points of light rose from the grass, various fluorescent colors intertwining. They were tiny magical spores suspended in the air, drifting gently with the breeze.
Each spore was only the size of a grain of rice, but thousands of them gathered together illuminated the entire meadow like a dream, looking like a slowly flowing river of stars.
“So beautiful...” Flora whispered.
She walked forward a few steps. The points of light drifted past her, some landing on her hair and shoulders, glowing softly.
Chen Mian sat down on the grass, propping himself up with his hands behind him as he looked up at the floating lights.
Flora sat down beside him, her knees together and her hands on her lap, happily watching the sky full of light.
Neither of them spoke; there was only the sound of the wind rustling through the grass.
“Mr. Chen Mian.”
“Yes?”
“Do you come here often?”
“Occasionally.”
Flora tilted her head to look at him. The moonlight and fluorescence hit his face simultaneously, softening his features considerably.
She turned back to look at the sky full of fluorescence, her fingers gently plucking at the grass as she spoke softly. “Deep within the secret realm of the Elf Forest, there is a lake. In the summer, the surface is covered with glowing aquatic flowers—white petals with a pale blue light.”
“Is it pretty?”
“It is. But it’s not as pretty as it is here.”
Chen Mian turned his head to look at her.
Flora was looking up at the points of light, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Her face was relaxed, and it was clear she was happy.
“Why?” he asked.
She was silent for a while before saying, “In that secret realm, I was the only one...”
Chen Mian didn’t say anything.
He lay down with his arms pillowed behind his head, watching the lights flow slowly above him while feeling the night breeze.
After a moment, a rustling sound came from beside him.
Flora had also lain down. She was very close to him, and Chen Mian could smell a faint fragrance coming from her.
The two of them lay side by side, quietly watching the scenery.
The sky extended infinitely above them, and the points of light drifted slowly over them like an inverted river of stars.
Flora turned her head to look at him. “Mr. Chen Mian, why are you willing to help me?”
Chen Mian didn’t turn his head, his eyes fixed on the sky. “I just felt like helping.”
She looked at his profile and hesitated for a moment before asking softly, “Did you help me because I needed it?”
Chen Mian didn’t answer.
After a long while, he said, “Oftentimes, you don’t need too many reasons to do things.”
He was mostly doing it because of the system, but to be honest, he didn’t feel any internal resistance to it.
Even without the system, he might have helped if he had seen her.
Flora withdrew her gaze and looked back at the sky.
“What about you? Why did you lose your magic? You must have been very strong before, right?”
Flora’s fingers moved unconsciously against the grass.
Chen Mian glanced at her. At that moment, Flora was staring blankly at the fluorescence in the sky, her profile glowing slightly in the light, her lips pursed.
He looked back at the sky. “If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”
Flora was silent for a moment before speaking. “I was raised as the Saintess of the elf race since I was a child.”
“For as long as I can remember, I was constantly learning magic from my people. Then, when I was fifteen, an Elder proposed that I enter the elves' secret realm to cultivate. I stayed there for twenty-two years. They said it was for my training, that the hope of the entire elf race rested on my shoulders.”
“But later, I discovered that it was a lie from the very beginning.”
Chen Mian’s fingers moved slightly.
“The Elder who proposed that I cultivate in the secret realm... was a mole planted by the Shadow Cult,” Flora said. Her voice was calm, but Chen Mian noticed her hand clutching the grass was turning white from the force.
“They waited until I was strong enough to place a curse on me, intending to use a ritual to let an unknown entity take over my body.”
“I noticed the abnormality ahead of time and escaped before the curse fully erupted.” She paused. “Because of the curse's influence, my magic began to disappear bit by bit.”
“Then, one day, I couldn't even use a basic fire ball spell.”
“Fortunately, I managed to escape. Otherwise, the consciousness inside this body wouldn't be mine anymore. Afterward, I stayed in the Winter Wolf Kingdom for a while, relying on the cooking skills I learned in the secret realm.”
Chen Mian was silent for a long time.
“What about that Elder?” he asked.
“Dead.” Flora’s voice was calm, but beneath that calmness, something was being suppressed. “I killed him.”
“But in the eyes of my other tribespeople, I’m probably just a traitor who fled after murdering an Elder.”
The air was quiet for a long time.
“You did well,” Chen Mian said.
He looked at the sky and fell silent for a moment.
Over forty years ago, he had also been betrayed by a “companion.” He had nearly died in an underground labyrinth, and his team had disbanded because of it.
That included Louise... Because of his negligence, he had recruited someone he shouldn't have.
From then on, he chose to walk alone. By the time he became strong, grouping up had lost its meaning to him anyway.
But this elf, betrayed by her people and losing her magic to a curse, still had the courage to trust a stranger like him.
One could say she was either very brave or very naive.
However, this feeling of being trusted... he didn’t dislike it.
“I’ll find a way to break your curse.”
Flora looked at his profile, her lips moving, but in the end, she said nothing.
She turned her head and blinked hard. “Yes! Thank you, Mr. Chen Mian.”
“But even after you recover, you still have to pay rent.”
“Mhm! I’ll definitely be able to help then. I’m very strong!”
“Alright. Then once you recover, I’ll leave my safety in your hands.”
“Okay!” Flora’s voice became lighthearted once more.
The two of them lay there for a while longer.
The points of light gradually thinned out, as if slowly dispersing as the night deepened.
Chen Mian sat up and brushed the grass and leaves off his clothes. “Let’s head back.”
Flora also sat up, her fingers gathering her loose hair and tucking it behind her ear.
“Are you cold?” Chen Mian asked.
“...A little.” Having lost her magic, Flora’s constitution was no different from an ordinary person's, aside from the longevity inherent to the elf race.
Chen Mian took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.
Flora’s body tensed for a second before slowly relaxing.
As they neared the apartment, Chen Mian slowed his pace.
Flora walked beside him, their shadows overlapping under the moonlight.
“Mr. Chen Mian.”
“Yes?”
“The people from the Shadow Cult... might still be looking for me.”
“I know.”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
Chen Mian smiled and said, “They won't be able to find this place. And even if they do, as long as you stay inside and don't open the door for them, not even a Mythic Rank adventurer could break in.”
He didn’t really care if they showed up.
He was the one who had killed those Shadow Demon Generals.
Furthermore, the apartment’s defenses were not something an ordinary person could breach, reinforced by his own magic circles and the system.
Of course, Flora didn't know any of that.
She was stunned for a moment, then gave a soft laugh.
When they returned to the apartment, the lights in the living room were still on.
Loviki was sitting on the sofa. She had flipped to the third chapter, but she had already fallen asleep, her head tilted against a cushion. Her black hair was spread out, and her breathing was steady.
This girl really had no guard up at all.
Flora glanced at her, ran to her room to grab a blanket, and draped it over her.
Loviki stirred, mumbled something, and changed her position to continue sleeping.
Chen Mian didn’t disturb her and turned to go upstairs.
As he reached the stairs, Flora’s voice came from behind him.
“Mr. Chen Mian.”
“Hmm?”
“I haven't given you a massage today.” Her voice was very soft, carrying a hint of hesitation.
Chen Mian turned around.
Flora stood at the bottom of the stairs, wearing his coat and looking at him with red ears. “The rent we agreed on... I can’t break the contract.”
She paused, her voice getting even quieter. “You helped me with one before, so today it’s my turn.”
“Alright.”
The living room was very quiet, with only the ticking of the clock on the wall and Loviki’s even breathing.
Flora’s breath was right behind him, very light.
Her movements were very amateurish, but she was very serious about it.
Chen Mian closed his eyes and didn’t speak.
After a while.
“It’s done,” she said softly, withdrawing her hands.
Chen Mian opened his eyes and turned around.
Flora stood before him and handed his coat back, not daring to look up.
“Thank you.” Chen Mian took the coat.
“It’s only right... I promised.” After she finished speaking, she hurried upstairs.
The sound of her footsteps quickly vanished at the end of the hallway, followed by the soft sound of a door closing.
Chen Mian stood at the stairs, looking down at the coat draped over his arm.
There was a faint warmth lingering on it.
After taking a shower, he lay in bed and opened the system panel.
【Today’s Interaction Quest Complete: Watch the night view with Flora. +30 Points】
【Tenant No. 001 Current Sense of Belonging: Level 2 (Resident). Note: Tenant Flora feels very comfortable living here and thinks the landlord is a good person. It is a nice place to stay.】
【Sense of Belonging has reached Level 2. Function Unlocked: “Tenant’s Emotions.” Note: Displays the tenant’s most prominent emotion for the day.】
【Current Points: 1,340.】
Chen Mian stared at the line “Unlocked Tenant’s Emotions” for two seconds before tapping it.
A line of translucent text floated on the panel:
【Flora’s Emotions: Peace of Mind.】
Peace of mind, huh?
He closed the panel and rolled over.
The other end of the hallway was quiet.
He would buy the game console later. For now, he needed to save points to unlock the Magic Hot Spring.
【System Prompt: Today’s Interaction: Help Loviki organize her hair accessories. Reward: 30 Points.】
Chen Mian stared at the panel for two seconds.
“This system really has too much free time.”
Rate on N.U.
