Night

Night fell.

The campfire crackled as Rhode cooked a pot of mushroom soup.

Serie sat nearby; the fire kept most of the mosquitoes at bay, allowing her to remove her white gauze hood. Her golden hair gleamed in the firelight.

Behind her stood a small tent that could only fit one person.

"Here," Rhode ladled out a bowl of mushroom soup and handed it to her. "Try it."

Serie took the wooden bowl and tipped it straight into her mouth, but the scalding soup made her stick out her pink tongue.

"Careful, it's hot. Blow on it first," Rhode quickly warned.

Was this kid raised without soup? How could she not know something so basic?

Having learned her lesson, Serie blew on it carefully and took a sip. "Good."

A simple verdict, but to Rhode, it was the highest praise.

He contentedly filled his own bowl, took a satisfying gulp, and then asked, "So, what do elves usually eat?"

"All kinds of natural fruits, and occasionally some edible plants," Serie said, blowing gently on the rim of her bowl. "Not like you, always experimenting with these things."

She wanted to call them strange foods, but they were so delicious that she felt the word "strange" didn't fit.

"Delicacies of the mortal world?" Rhode chuckled in response.

These elves of the Elf Forest really lived a hard life. If it were him, he probably couldn't last a single day there.

Serie didn't argue. Instead, she asked, "Do all humans live like this?"

"More or less. But I might be an odd one among humans too—they're not as good as me at studying flavors."

Rhode wasn't bragging. By the calendar of his past life, the standard of living in this era was probably on par with 1000 BCE.

A meat patty that hadn't been carefully seasoned was considered a delicacy.

His knowledge of cooking from his previous life was a complete dimensionality reduction attack on this primitive age's food.

"An odd one too?" Serie smiled, as if thinking of something.

A light breeze brushed past, and they fell into a brief silence.

Serie suddenly spoke. "Rhode, why do you want to teach humans magic?"

Rhode's hand holding the soup bowl paused. "I just don't want them to stay weak anymore."

In this world, every race guarded its magical techniques jealously, never teaching them to beings outside their own kind.

He was lucky to have met Serie and piqued her interest with his creation magic.

Otherwise, he would never have learned the elves' unique magic.

It was easy to imagine that if he didn't set this precedent and let history take its natural course, it would be ages before humans learned magic.

"Learning magic isn't easy."

Serie didn't want to discourage Rhode, but he needed to know.

Even among elves, who were born with magical talent, not everyone could become a powerful mage.

Many elves ended up becoming warrior-type professions like monks.

"It's fine. Miracles always happen. For a race with intelligence, miracles will surely come."

"Intelligence and miracles?" Serie seemed thoughtful.

"So believe in miracles, and believe in humans too, Serie."

There was a strange undertone in Rhode's voice.

He understood that Serie didn't think much of humans now, but when this race truly showed its potential, she would completely overturn her current opinion.

With her long lifespan, she would definitely live to see that day!

Serie was silent for a moment. "You have a lot of confidence in your own kind."

"Of course," Rhode said without hesitation. "Though their lives are short, fragile, and small, it's precisely this limited life that makes them cherish every moment. They strive to live out their brief existence, leave their achievements to future generations, and cycle on and on, eventually building a glorious civilization."

"You talk as if you've already seen it."

Rhode laughed loudly. "Haha! That's right. I saw it in a dream."

After Serie finished her mushroom soup, Rhode cleaned up the utensils and said, "You can go into the tent. I'll keep watch a little longer."

Rhode didn't have a habit of sleeping early, even in this world.

But compared to the rich nightlife of his past life, his only hobby now was staring blankly at the campfire.

Serie first peeked curiously inside the tent. It was pitch black, so she cast a small Illumination Technique. The space inside was tiny, but for some reason, it gave an indescribable sense of security. A blanket was spread on the ground.

Serie lay down on the comfortable blanket, but for some reason, her heart felt a little restless, so she crawled back out of the tent.

"What about you tonight?"

"Don't leave such a big gap—careful, mosquitoes might get in."

Rhode quickly warned. If a few mosquitoes flew into the warm tent, it would instantly turn into a nightmare.

Serie quickly scrambled back into the tent, then pulled open a small gap, poking only her little head out.

"Aren't you coming in?"

"Uh, it'll be pretty cramped."

Rhode still had some reservations, after all, when he'd set up this tent, he'd never considered a two-person scenario.

He wasn't some superhuman with endless strength—how could he possibly carry an overly heavy pack? Everything was naturally kept simple.

"It's fine, I don't mind."

Looking at Serie's calm little face, Rhode understood that the girl's words carried no extra emotion; they were purely out of concern for her adventure companion.

Nothing more beyond that.

"Alright."

Rhode stopped making excuses, put out the fire, and crawled into the tent. Because of the cramped space, the two of them were pressed directly together. He even felt that if he just raised his hand, he could pull Serie into his embrace.

Why not give it a try?

Rhode felt like he was walking down a path of self-destruction.

But everything was worth a try.

So he tentatively reached out, pulling Serie into his arms. He could even smell the natural fragrance on her.

Serie furrowed her brows. "What are you doing? It's a bit too cramped."

"Cough, cough. I feel a little cold."

"Do you?" Serie was a bit puzzled; she didn't think the weather was that cold right now. "It's too cramped, very uncomfortable."

Seeing that Serie had said as much, Rhode had no choice but to withdraw his hand.

Still, at least she wasn't angry—that was a good sign.

Serie's golden eyes glimmered faintly in the darkness. "Humans really are strange creatures." She turned over, her back to Rhode, unable to understand his actions just now.

Rhode smiled silently, listening to the elf's steady breathing beside him. He suddenly felt that this kind of adventure wasn't so bad.