Come Back to the Continent with Us

Tina said somewhat uncertainly, "... White Mist?"

This term is a fabrication, and according to its literal meaning, it can only be understood in this way.

Or... could it have another meaning?

Her Highness, being a scholar, began to act out her professional habits.

She murmured to herself, "Considering the following text, this substance should be called White Mist, because the scroll says it appears ethereal yet has a real form, and ordinary methods cannot control or destroy it; one can only let it spread endlessly, devouring everything..."

Suddenly, the head maid of the Bedela behind her whispered a reminder: "Your Highness!"

Tina looked up instinctively, then froze.

Because Kang De, who was opposite her, was staring blankly at her.

She had never seen that look in her eyes before.

What kind of experiences would someone have to possess such a gaze?

It was as if my soul had been struck by a sudden shock and tremor, a feeling of disbelief and astonishment, a sudden fear and sorrow, and even a little bit of... despair.

For some reason, looking at Kang De like this, she felt a deep empathy, her nose tingled, and her heart trembled.

She whispered, "... Kang De?"

Kang De suddenly grabbed her wrist, his eyes fixed on her. "What else did it say? What else did it say? The speed at which the White Mist spreads, will it hurt people, and what will happen? You said it was the earliest phenomenon, but what came after? What followed? What exactly does 'Veil Invasion' mean?"

Tears streamed down Tina's face as she cried out, "Kang De, it hurts..."

Your Highness!

The maid Bedela, was startled at first, then rushed forward and reached out to cut at Kang De's wrist. "Let go!"

Kang De felt a sharp pain in his wrist, but he didn't let go. At the same time, the A Xing suddenly stood up, revealing sharp fangs, and let out a defiant roar at the maid.

This roar finally startled Kang De awake.

He snapped back to reality, releasing Tina's wrist. The girl hurriedly covered her wrist, but still looked at Kang De with concern. "You... what's wrong?"

Kang De took two steps back.

He whispered, "I... I..."

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

"I... I just... it just suddenly..."

He kept backing away, then turned and ran to his room, opened the door with the keypad lock, and returned to that modern room, his home, the place in the world most like Earth.

He slammed the door shut.

Kang De leaned against the door and slowly sat down. He bit his hand, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably. He desperately tried to suppress his sobs, whimpering softly like a wounded cub.

"I'm overthinking it... I must be overthinking it..."

He muttered to himself.

"No way, how could such a thing happen, such a thing..."

He clutched his head, grabbing his hair.

"It's just a coincidence..."

He was talking to himself like a madman.

"Don't overthink it... things like that..."

Outside the door, Tina and Bedela looked at each other in bewilderment. A Xing ran to the door, wanting to knock, but a hint of sadness flashed in its eyes. It could hear soft sobbing behind the door, but it couldn't offer any words of comfort.

Bedela whispered, "Your Highness, let's leave for now and come back tomorrow."

Kang De's unusual behavior made the head maid uneasy; she didn't want His Highness to be in danger.

Tina paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No."

She walked towards the door.

The A Xing suddenly turned around, baring its fangs in a silent warning. Tina paused for only a moment, then continued forward, mouthing to the gorilla, "Trust me."

His eyes were clear and calm, filled with determination and confidence.

A Xing remained silent for a moment, then slowly stepped aside.

Tina placed her hand on the door, but instead of knocking, she lifted her skirt and slowly squatted down.

Kang De.

She said softly.

Can you hear me?

There was no answer, but the door was vibrating slightly, and she could vaguely hear sounds behind it.

As long as that person is listening, that's enough.

"I don't know what happened, nor do I know what you've been through. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't pry. Learning to control your curiosity is one of the good qualities of a cultured person."

She said softly, "I just wanted to say that the Crimson Scroll are ancestral relics possessed by the Seven Heroes families, recording various details of the major events of that time. Each scroll contains different information. For example, this scroll records the strange phenomena during the Veil Invasion, such as the White Mist that appeared, what happened afterward, the countermeasures, and even the method to break the curse..."

"The Crimson Scroll possessed by the Seven Heroes families also contain knowledge related to these matters."

A slight noise came from behind the door.

Tina said quietly, "Although I would love to explain it to you now, my knowledge is limited. Without more ancient texts and references, it is difficult for me to decipher the ancient script on it."

"Just because we can't do it now doesn't mean we won't be able to do it in the future."

"The Imperial National Library, the Palace of Memory of City of the Firmament, the Tower of All-Seeing of Tuyexiala... these places preserve a wealth of knowledge about antiquity. There are also many scholars on the continent who study ancient scripts. Deciphering the entire contents of the scrolls is not an impossible task."

"Or rather, it's a very simple thing."

"Because we need to bring this message back to the continent, to the elves, to the empire, and to all the races on the continent. It's only a matter of time before we gather the strength of scholars from all races to decipher all the text on the scroll."

She said softly, "Would a complete translation be of help to Kang De?"

A thud came from behind the door, like the sound of a head tilting back.

Kang De remained silent.

Tina didn't say anything either.

After a while, Tina took a deep breath, as if she had mustered up her courage.

"As I said last night, I have something I want to say to Kang De after the battle is over."

"Actually, I've wanted to tell you this for a while, but I just haven't found the right opportunity. I haven't known how to bring it up. I've thought of many plans and rehearsed them many times, considering how to persuade you."

"But I'm not a seasoned politician when it comes to oratory; I don't know how to move people with words. Rather than using carefully crafted language to persuade, it's definitely better to be more direct."

"Therefore, Kang De..."

Tina said softly, "Come back to the mainland with us."

"Once the news from the Veil reaches the various races on the continent, the peace of the Holy Seal Archipelago will be completely shattered. If Kang De remains here, he will also be in great trouble."

"And Kang De also needed strength, didn't he?"

The girl lowered her eyes and slowly said, "You underwent the Armor-Donning Ritual and received the legacy of an ancient hero. We found fragments of your axe outside the camp, and I guessed your ability was related to enchanting, right? That's why you want to enchant equipment and magical items."

I just said it so frankly.

It's probably a conversational tactic that no shrewd person would use... but Tina still spoke directly, without any beating around the bush or probing.

She said, "Kang De, you need systematic instruction and training. There are many renowned alchemists on the continent who are skilled in enchanting, and several of them are on good terms with the Taidariel Family. One of them is in the capital. I can introduce you to him as a token of my gratitude and repayment for all these days."

"We'll go to the capital together, and then you can stay there, in the prosperous and peaceful capital, the most bustling place on the continent. With Kang De's wealth and abilities, he'll surely live well there. Once you've completed your studies, you can do what you feel you should do."

The girl's face was calm and beautiful. She whispered, "Is it okay?"

There was no response from the person inside for a long time.

Tina waited for a while, then slowly stood up and said softly, "Well then, I'll be going now, Kang De... In any case, I hope you can cheer up. Although it may be presumptuous of me to say this, wallowing in your own grief won't change anything, which is why I chose to go to the capital to fulfill my mission."

"I think Kang De must have had his own mission, right?"

After saying this, the beautiful girl nodded to A Xing and then gracefully departed.

Kang De leaned against the door, his arms wrapped around his knees, silent.

Tina left with endless worries in her heart. On the way, she asked Bedela, "Head Maid, were my words too presumptuous and direct?"

The head maid replied, "Your Highness, you have always believed that a sincere heart can touch another sincere heart, haven't you?"

Hearing this, the girl brightened up and nodded, saying, "Yes, I almost forgot. Things are unpredictable; we just need to do our best... That's all."

They returned to Goth Camp.

The knight came out to greet her, his expression somewhat solemn, and he didn't even bother to ask Tina about her gains on this trip.

"Your Highness, you should take a look at this; it was found on that elven lieutenant."

He was holding a tablet computer in his hand.

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PS1: First update... Ah, Ubisoft's new Anno game is releasing on the 16th. I'll play it then and see if I can learn anything. I don't know much about the social landscape of the early 19th century, so it's time to study it seriously. (Serious)