A Hurried Journey

Although the monsters in this forest were indeed very troublesome, fortunately, the Magic Stones were not as difficult to find as Galan had expected, or perhaps they were just lucky. After arriving at the designated location, they found a large cluster of Magic Stones that had sunk to the bottom of the water in a short time.

Although the retrieval process was still somewhat arduous, at least they were no longer attacked by any monsters, and that alone was enough for Galan to feel fortunate.

"Hmm... Galan, didn't you say you'd take me on a trip? How come we're just digging for stones here now?"

To avoid getting her clothes wet, Lia pulled her sleeves up high, but she still inevitably got splashed by the water.

Feeling the slight coolness on her skin, she frowned and said irritably.

Yesterday, after hearing what Galan said—that she was here today because of a trip—she had been looking forward to it.

Unexpectedly, after arriving here, I was first attacked by terrifying monsters I had never seen before, and then I had to hide in the old forest to dig for stones.

This was completely different from her idea of "travel".

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it. After all, Serie asked me to do it, and if I don't, she'll probably tear me to pieces..."

Thinking about it in the worst light, it seems like the other party isn't incapable of doing such a thing.

It still feels a little scary...

"Call!"

Lia puffed out her cheeks, seemingly venting her emotions.

"Alright, alright, even without Serie's request, this place is far too dangerous to be a suitable travel destination."

Seeing her strong reaction, Galan felt helpless. It wasn't that he didn't want Lia to have fun, but the situation here was unexpectedly complicated.

What should I do if something happens to the other person?

Lia splashed water aimlessly at Galan, and he cooperated by not dodging, letting Lia play with him.

As they were playing, Lia seemed to suddenly remember something, and her eyes lit up.

"Well, even if this forest isn't safe, what about other places? They might not necessarily be teeming with those terrifying monsters."

"That's true, but we can't be sure there aren't even more terrifying monsters lurking in other places, can we?"

Instead of directly rejecting Lia's naive idea, Galan tried to reason with her.

However, after realizing there was still a chance for things to turn around, Lia completely let loose, insisting that there must be a safe and fun place here, and begged Galan to take her there. Galan couldn't resist her, so he had no choice but to give in and agree to take her out for a stroll.

The two collected the Magic Stones they had retrieved from the water, and instead of heading towards the Teleportation Array, they chose to continue walking out of the forest.

"However, I'll say it again: if we encounter any danger, we'll turn back immediately. Although I'm also reluctant to leave here, nothing here can be compared to your safety."

Without thinking, Galan blurted out his true feelings.

Although he didn't realize anything was wrong at first, the more he walked, the more he thought about it, and it seemed that he had really said something terrible.

He turned his head slightly to try and see Lia's reaction, but because she was walking with her head down, he couldn't see the expression on her face.

Could it be... that she's embarrassed by what I said?

"Um?"

Perhaps she'd been caught staring at her, because Lia suddenly looked up at Galan.

Their eyes met in the air, causing Galan's heart to tremble inexplicably.

"Galan... are you thinking that I was moved by what you just said?"

Suddenly, Lia playfully made a face, a smile playing on her lips that seemed to indicate a "tricky prank," leaving Galan completely bewildered.

"Hehe, Amber told me before that Galan seems like the kind of person who would use sweet talk to fool girls. What you just said is definitely one of your cunning tricks, so I'm definitely not going to be fooled by you!"

Galan's lips twitched slightly, and he forced an extremely displeased expression onto his face.

"What exactly did Amber teach you? I'll settle the score with her later... Well, as for not being fooled by me..."

He glanced at Lia and grinned mischievously.

"Didn't I already trick you a long time ago?"

"Huh? I didn't!"

Seeing Galan say this, Lia hurriedly tried to distance herself, but before this left-brain attack on the right-brain behavior could even begin, she realized something was wrong.

It seems... Galan and I are already in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship...

From this perspective, what he just said doesn't seem to be wrong?

No, no!

Lia shook her head frantically, unwilling to admit her "defeat".

Before Golden Retriever Xiao Deng could even sort out her thoughts, Galan scooped her up in his arms and lifted her by her bottom onto his shoulder.

Wow!

"Charge! Let's break out of this awful place in one go!"

As the light drew closer, Galan quickened his pace, like a moth in the darkness yearning for the long-awaited bright world.

Lia gradually recovered from her initial panic, but she still clung tightly to Galan's neck, afraid that she might fall off if she wasn't careful.

"A soft rustling sound"

After parting the last clump of bushes, what appeared before them was no longer a tall, gloomy forest, but a vast meadow full of flowers.

Colorful wildflowers dot the lush green grass, while in the distance, golden blossoms form a river that stretches out into the far reaches of the earth.

The azure lake, like the eye of this land, is hidden beneath two small hills.

Being in such an environment makes you feel like the whole world has become a tangible sea of flowers.

Galan stood amidst the flowers, while Lia sat on Galan shoulders. Neither of them spoke, simply absorbing everything they could experience at that moment.

Often, beauty doesn't need to be deliberately depicted using a standard; it's more about each person's own experience.

"It's so beautiful here..."

After a long while, Lia finally uttered a sound that seemed like a murmur.

Her pupils reflected flowers of various colors, as if her soul was completely immersed in them.

"That's why I said I wanted to come and take a look."

"Yes, it's really beautiful."