“We were all prepared to stay here for two or three days, you know…”
A hint of disappointment flickered across Yi Shiyue’s face. Though she had regularly exchanged letters with her grandmother over the years, she hadn’t seen her in person at all. She had finally revealed her identity to Xiao Yao and come back together with her to visit, only to have such a brief meeting… just like that.
“No, no. Grandma chose to live apart from you all for reasons like this too. The fact that you’d go through all the trouble to come back and see me is already more than enough for me.”
Yi Lin stood up and gently stroked her granddaughter’s head.
Years had passed, and her granddaughter had grown so much—the shy little girl had become a mature and beautiful young woman, making one can’t help but marvel at the power of time.
Even for elves with such long lifespans, whenever they witness the growth of a new generation of elves, they inevitably feel this way.
“Alright then, what do you all want to eat? Grandma’s got a pretty good selection of dishes here.”
Yi Lin’s gaze fell upon the group of young women. She hadn’t gotten the great-grandson she’d been hoping for, and she probably never would now, but having three young girls gathered around her, eagerly waiting to be fed… it made her eyes grow softer and softer.
“Grandma, I’ll help you!”
Yi Shiyue also stood up and volunteered to step forward. She knew Ye Xingyao’s tastes better than anyone, and even when it came to Fumier, she had some idea of what flavor profiles she might prefer from watching her take small bites of the food they’d brought.
Though she had no idea what kind of taste Fumier actually experienced when she ate those things. Probably… it was different from theirs.
“Alright, alright, then Xiaoyue comes with Grandma.”
With that, Yi Lin patted her granddaughter’s shoulder and led her toward the kitchen.
As the two figures gradually drifted away, Ye Xingyao gently pinched the soft flesh at Fumier’s waist, trying to remind her that she could get off his lap and find a more comfortable place to sit.
“Eep! Sister Xingyao, that tickles…”
Fumier jolted and turned back with a slightly puffed-up expression, looking at Ye Xingyao’s eyes, but she simply couldn’t muster any real anger.
“Ah, sorry, I didn’t know you were sensitive there.”
The little girl’s reaction startled Ye Xingyao too. She hadn’t used much force at all, and she had no idea why the other party had reacted so strongly, but an apology was still in order. The slight pout in those crimson eyes combined with those gently pursed pink lips—surely that expression was devastatingly lethal against anyone. Seeing this, Ye Xingyao subtly turned her head away to prevent herself from having any wandering thoughts, lest she get hauled off by the Human Alliance’s juvenile protection officers.
Hmm… a minor Blood Elf probably doesn’t count as a minor, right?
Thinking this, Ye Xingyao reached out and pinched Fumier’s little cheek again. She had to admit, holding a doll-like little girl in her arms was truly a pleasure.
“Sister Xingyao, that doesn’t really count as an apology, you know.”
Fumier looked seriously into Ye Xingyao’s eyes and issued an irrefutable protest.
“I couldn’t help myself… I’m really sorry. How about I do something to make it up to you?”
Ye Xingyao expressed genuine remorse to the little girl. After all, they were friends, companions—not anything closer than that. If she made the other party uncomfortable in their interactions, of course she had to show her belly, no wait, properly apologize.
Well, actually, even closer relationships needed apologies like that even more—it was just that many people, once they had feelings and love, neglected this part.
“Why did Sister Xingyao play a prank on Fumier?”
Fumier lay in the girl’s arms, tilting her head up to face those star-blue eyes.
“I just wanted to remind Fumier that she could get off me.”
Ye Xingyao stuck out her tongue slightly with an apologetic expression—a little trick meant to look cute, one she was becoming more and more skilled at using.
Back in her crossdressing era, she might have had some purpose behind making these overly feminine gestures, but now they had almost become second nature to her.
“Eh, is that so? Is Fumier sitting here making Sister Xingyao uncomfortable?”
Fumier immediately grew nervous. She had been occupying the Star Elf sister’s embrace, perhaps getting a little too carried away—she hadn’t even noticed she was making the other party uncomfortable. What should she do, what should she—
“No, that’s not it at all.”
Ye Xingyao shook her head, quickly dispelling the wild thoughts of the little girl who was about to spiral into some kind of state. To some extent, having such a light little thing in her arms was… actually pretty enjoyable?
“Then… can Fumier keep sitting here?”
Fumier tested the waters with a pitiful look.
“I mean, I guess you can…”
Seeing this, Ye Xingyao felt a bit of a headache coming on, but when she saw the little one’s happy smile after receiving permission, she swallowed back the second half of her sentence.
“Yay! Thank you, Sister Xingyao!”
See, she even got thanked for it. As long as the little girl was happy, that was what mattered.
Ye Xingyao leaned back against the chair, yawned, and thought to herself.
The girl held the little girl in her arms, reclining in the chair in an odd position with her eyes closed, taking stock of the gains from today’s trip. Ancient Elven Language—looked like another new challenge.
But for Ye Xingyao, she hated being idle with nothing to think about far more. Having nothing to do—this kind of leisurely research that could still pique her interest was exactly what she dreamed of.
She wondered how these Ancient Elven texts would transform into her power once she finished deciphering them.
Would they directly provide her with several practical spells? Or did they contain some kind of special information?
Speaking of which, didn’t anyone within the Elf Race understand Ancient Elven Language? To let such a powerful language go extinct, leaving people like her and her father to do half-research, half-archaeology work. She thought the Elf Race was doomed anyway at this rate.
Oh, right, there was also her Promotion Ritual—she still hadn’t asked Grandma Yi Lin about that. Once they finished cooking, she’d ask more carefully.
If she really couldn’t come up with any ideas, she could also look at what Fumier and Yi Shiyue’s upcoming rituals were, and see if there was anything she could help with. It would also be a good opportunity to borrow ideas from those procedures—after all, the rituals of the Advanced Elves around her might have some connection to her Star Elf ritual.
Without information, the only way to get answers was through bold experimentation.
Listening to the sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen, Ye Xingyao felt a strange sense of peace.
If one day, they no longer had all those tedious matters, and she could bring her friends here to settle down together—wouldn’t that be nice?
Or… what was that little one Fumier thinking about right now?
Ye Xingyao let her thoughts wander, gradually drifting into emptiness.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Just as she was about to sink into a restful state, a knock at the door startled her awake.
Huh? Didn’t Grandma Yi Lin say she usually didn’t get many visitors here?