The Door to a New World

The next day, light returned to the earth, a warm breeze stirred the leaves, and the sky rustled.

Frieren, Dugu Qing, Fern, Stark supported each other as they walked along the rugged mountain path.

Climbing high mountains, traversing lowlands, crossing rivers, slaying monsters, and arriving safely at the Aitovas Hill.

A massive Three-Headed Lizard perched atop an abandoned watchtower, looking down at the crowd with its sharp teeth gleaming coldly.

Frieren, Fern, Dugu Qing summoned their wands and cautiously approached the Three-Headed Lizard.

"A dragon? I haven't seen one in ages."

Stark summoned his battle axe, his posture cautious.

"That's not a dragon, it's a monster that's more like a lizard. It's incredibly resilient; it will regenerate immediately unless all three of its heads are cut off at the same time."

Frieren, with her extensive experience, immediately recognized the terrifying nature of this lizard.

She directed Stark to attack the Three-Headed Lizard, deliberately luring it into a trap.

The Three-Headed Lizard was enraged. Its three heads roared simultaneously as it chased after Stark, its massive body shaking the earth as it relentlessly pursued him, raising huge plumes of smoke.

Frieren, Dugu Qing, Fern took to the sky and simultaneously unleashed their Ordinary Attack Magic.

Three Mana Bullet forward simultaneously, piercing through the Three-Headed Lizard's head at the same time.

The Three-Headed Lizard died, its body gradually disappearing.

"Well done!"

"It's pretty simple."

"That's the advantage of teamwork!"

Frieren, Fern, and Dugu Qing exchanged a glance, and in that instant their eyes met, they smiled knowingly.

Looking at the three of them working together seamlessly, Stark, unusually, didn't complain. Recognizing his place, he walked back to Frieren's side and stood obediently.

Bathed in golden sunlight, the adventure team stepped onto the grass and climbed step by step to the summit.

In the distance, a hot spring appeared, its steam rising in the vast expanse of sky and earth, looking so small.

Dugu Qing and Fern were greatly disappointed.

"What?! It's so shallow, you can't even take a bath."

Stark, however, smiled, walked to the hot spring, tested its depth with his finger, took off his shoes, and dipped his feet in.

"This is actually quite good; everyone can soak their feet together."

Fern and Frieren took off their shoes and socks and soaked their snow-white feet in the clear hot spring.

As the three watched the sunset, their bodies and minds relaxed, their fatigue dissipated, and the lines of their faces softened.

Dugu Qing stood behind him, looking at Stark's shoes that smelled faintly of sweat, and shook his head in disgust.

Frieren and Fern were completely enjoying the tranquility, utterly forgetting their worries.

After soaking his feet, he realized that Dugu Qing hadn't soaked them.

"Dugu Qing, why don't you try the foot bath here!"

Dugu Qing turned her face away, frowning in disgust.

"What if Stark has athlete's foot? I'm not going to take that risk."

Stark yelled, then turned around abruptly, feeling like he was being targeted.

"Why is it me who has athlete's foot, and not Frieren or Fern..."

Before he could finish speaking, two ruthless hands attacked from the side, forcefully shoving Stark's head into the hot spring.

"This young lady is pure and innocent, Stark, don't talk nonsense."

"Stark, you don't really have athlete's foot, do you?! Oh no, I need to see a doctor."

Frieren and Fern released Stark, walked ashore, and used water magic to wash their feet clean.

Stark gasped for breath, wiped the spring water from his mouth, and was overjoyed.

Fortunately, he managed to shut his mouth in time and prevent the foot bath water from getting into his mouth; otherwise, his reputation as Stark would have been completely ruined!

Therefore, it's safest to shower alone and soak your feet alone.

Dugu Qing crossed his arms, enjoying the spectacle even more.

The three put on their shoes, rested for a while, and then walked down the mountain again, heading further north to Ende.

In the 29th year of the Xinshi Era, in the Northern Countries, the fortified city of Heiss.

The hot springs here are famous far and wide.

After arriving in Heiss, Frieren developed a fondness for soaking in hot springs.

The auntie at the hot spring had a particularly pleasant voice, and every time we met, she would call me "little sister."

"Little sister, hehehe, I'm the little sister..."

Overjoyed, Frieren completely enjoyed the feeling of acting young and being pampered and indulged.

Since coming to Heiss, I've taken two baths every day without fail: once after waking up in the morning and once before going to bed in the afternoon.

In her spare time, she would eat ice cream and study the daily clothing of teenage girls, living a very pleasant life.

Dugu Qing naturally possesses a cooling aura that keeps strangers at bay.

Public hot springs are crowded, and therefore have a lot of fungi.

Dugu Qing was completely unable to enjoy the public hot springs and bathed in the bathhouse inside his hotel bedroom every day.

Perhaps because there are many hot springs in this area, the hot water in the hotel is completely different from that in other places.

It can help you relax your mind and body, leaving your skin smooth, radiant, and more elastic.

Dugu Qing suspected that the hotel's waterways were connected to the hot springs, and he also became curious about the hot spring water.

On a clear, bright morning, the bathhouse was empty.

He secretly brought shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, facial cleanser, body lotion... and arrived at Heiss' largest hot spring resort.

"Hello, sir..."

The hostess at the entrance, dressed in a black uniform, smiled when she saw Dugu Qing and struck up a conversation with her, introducing the best bathhouse in her resort.

Dugu Qing nodded in satisfaction and booked a private hot spring.

I spent a pleasant day in the tranquil, misty, and pleasant hot springs.

Fern was feeling quite down because he hadn't seen Dugu Qing all day.

She wanted to find Dugu Qing, but since she didn't have anything important to discuss, directly approaching Dugu Qing once or twice would be fine, but doing it too often would arouse suspicion.

Suddenly, the story of Himmel quietly echoed in my ears.

Fern recalled what Frieren had said: Himmel would always take on some boring tasks and drag her around aimlessly.

Hey! Inspiration struck!

Fern walked out of the hotel and met a middle-aged woman under a billboard, where he received the task of finding the big orange cat.

After accepting the mission, she did not act immediately, but went to Dugu Qing's room and invited Dugu Qing to act together.

Dugu Qing felt it was too much trouble, but since Fern had extended such a warm invitation and he was bored anyway, he accepted Fern's invitation.

The two strolled through the streets and alleys, Dugu Qing's gaze unwavering, her mind solely focused on their destination.

Fern looked up and followed, but his eyes reflected only Dugu Qing from beginning to end.

Meow~

A soft meow came from somewhere.

Dugu Qing raised her eyebrows slightly, flew into the sky, and took in every nook and cranny of the surroundings.

A large orange cat hid behind a flowerpot, its eyes fixed on the ground, its tail curled up, motionless, thinking it was hiding very well.

Dugu Qing took out the sketch the aunt had given him, and after comparing the two, he confirmed that this was the aunt's lost kitten.

He activated his Qi Manipulation Technique, caught the kitten, and returned it to the old lady.

"This task was completed so quickly, but being with Dugu Qing is really enjoyable!"

As if a new world had opened up for her, Fern's eyebrows curved into a smile, revealing a pure and bright joy.