Traveling with a Little Elf

After eating and drinking her fill, with her grand-disciple serving her, and then having a good night's sleep, Frieren was completely refreshed.

Early in the morning, she followed Frieren with a smile, watching her grand-apprentice practice magic and giving her earnest guidance.

Frieren truly lives up to her Great Mage; her insight is sharp and precise, and her guidance is far-sighted, leaving Frieren with a wealth of knowledge and experience.

On her way back, Frieren remarked, "Frieren, as an elf, you are the most diligent Mage I know."

Frieren rolled her Byakugan cutely. "Does Grandmaster mean that among your disciples, I'm not the most diligent?"

Frieren nodded. "Of course not."

She counted on her fingers, "Derlie Robert, Hurley Jokic, and King Mendes, my three new disciples, are all more diligent than you."

"Their diligence, in my opinion, is practically self-torture."

Frieren was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Shazo said: We elves have our own rhythm. We shouldn't compete with humans in diligence and ferocity. We should focus on accumulation and prolong the competition."

"Oh dear, you've been influenced by that guy so quickly." Frieren said, feigning surprise, "Little Frieren, in 100 years, you won't become a swordsman, will you?"

Frieren shook her head and said, "Of course not, I'm Mage."

Frieren chuckled and asked again, "So, will you learn any Druid magic from that guy?"

Frieren nodded, then shook her head. "I really want to learn Druid magic, but Mr. Shazo won't allow me to."

Frieren suddenly got angry again. "That damn Shazo, he really did show you his Druid magic!"

"He's subtly seducing you, making you feel itchy inside, until finally you take the initiative to ask him for guidance."

"That guy's Druid spells are far from successful; he's just trying to trick people into helping him research Druid spells!"

"Little Frieren, remember this: don't fall for it, or you'll just be wasting your time!"

Frieren: "Oh, oh, I'll listen to my master!" (Serious. jpg)

After returning home, Frieren and Shazo naturally had another argument.

It wasn't until Shazo stuffed Frieren's mouth with eight-treasure porridge that she finally ate her breakfast in peace.

"Delicious," Frieren praised, then glanced at Shazo and asked, "The porridge is really good, why are the other dishes so awful?"

Shazo said helplessly, "What can I do? The salt is of such poor quality, and there are no spices like soy sauce, vinegar, star anise, or fennel. How am I supposed to make something delicious?"

[And there wasn't even any suitable oil; we could only steam or boil food, and it was good enough if it was edible.]

"Excuses! You've been using the same excuse for a thousand years, and I've never seen you try to find or prepare any. All you do is lie around sunbathing all day."

After a lively breakfast, Frieren continued studying magic, while Frieren and Shazo began their formal conversation.

Frieren asked again to confirm, "Shazo, are you really leaving here?"

Shazo nodded. "We all know that once Demon Race is born in a place, it won't be Demon Race again for at least 200 years. There's no point in me staying here."

"I must go and find the next most likely place to give birth to Demon Race, and continue to pursue the secret of Demon Race birth."

Frieren shook her head and said, "Shazo, with the defeat of the Elf Race, all the elders who opposed us are aging rapidly. They probably won't last more than a few hundred years before they all return to nature. You don't need to prove yourself right to them anymore."

Shazo said, "I'm not trying to prove anything to those dying elders, but rather to trace the origins of the Demon Race and find a way to completely resolve the disaster caused by the Demon King's Army."

"When we first met, the Demon King's Army would only erupt once every 200 years, but now it's less than 80 years. This trend is unsettling."

Frieren said, "Your proposed ' Infiltration and Human Enhancement Plan ' should—"

Shazo shook his head and said, "This plan is enough for you alone. The two of us working together will maximize our chances of success."

Frieren sighed again, "It's always like this. Every time we argue, I can't convince you in the end."

How can I contact you in the future?

Shazo raised his hand. "The magical mark you left me is still there. If you need anything, just activate the mark, and I'll naturally come to you."

"You're a big celebrity in human society now, it's very easy for me to find you."

Frieren nodded helplessly, accepting Shazo's solution.

After a moment of silence, she asked, "Tell me about the origins of the Demon Race race."

Shazo Zuo nodded and recounted in detail the entire process from discovering the presence of Demon Race energy to finding the Labyrinth where the Demon Race were born, until confirming the transformation of the Demon Race into pupae, their birth, and their eventual slaying.

He also took out a piece of parchment and showed Frieren what the Pupa Demons looked like, as well as the style of the altar they worshipped and every detail of the patterns on the altar.

Finally, Shazo concluded. "It can now be confirmed that the Demon Race did not sneak in through space-time rifts, nor through eggs."

"It's not a matter of birth from the womb, but rather the infiltration of a mysterious force that causes ordinary animals and plants to pupate and transform into Pupa Demons."

"Then these Pupa Demons gathered together, constructed hidden underground Labyrinth, established living altars, continued to receive power from a mysterious source, and eventually transformed into the demons and Demon Race we know."

Frieren asked, "How long will this process take?"

Shazo replied, "Judging from the traces at the scene, it will take 10 to 12 days, which is quite fast."

Frieren continued, "Is it possible to detect it in advance and then nip it in the bud?"

Shazo laughed and said, "Of course you can, I've already done it."

"However, there aren't many people with Frieren keen perception, and it's impossible for them to live in the wilderness for an extended period, so it's not possible to replicate this for the time being."

Frieren sighed. "Well, that was just unrealistic wishful thinking on my part."

Shazo smiled and encouraged him, "This is already quite a harvest; if you keep going, you'll achieve it someday."

"Oh, right," he continued, "Frieren and I went together to observe the birth of the Demon Race."

"This Little Elf used a spell called [Demon-Breaking Golden Leiting], killing two newly born Demon Race in one strike. It's an extraordinary spell."

Celia paused for a moment, then frowned and said, "I know the [Demon-Breaking Golden Leiting] spell; it's effective against Demon Race."

It's indeed very powerful, but its preparation time is too long, making it impractical in actual combat.

"For this magic to truly work, we need a powerful warrior like you to hold the line, and we also need to weaken the enemy's evasion speed and Defense Magic to achieve a one-hit kill."

Shazo grinned smugly and said, "Hehehe, this time you're the one who made a mistake."

"Frieren, didn't you notice that this magic's 'anti-magic' attribute against Demon Race exists independently?"

Frieren jumped to her feet, her entire body frozen in place as if struck by Inazuma.

Her mind was in complete chaos; the word "demon-breaking" shattered all her thoughts, and she only felt an intense itch on her head.

Something is growing.

Hasn't Flamme said something similar?

As the developers of [Demon-Breaking Golden Leiting], Flamme and Frieren both reported it, but it was ignored by Frieren.

Simply put, Frieren's extensive combat experience created a bias in her judgment; when evaluating an offensive spell, she prioritized the spell's advantages and disadvantages in actual combat.

The advantages of [Demon-Breaking Golden Leiting] are obvious, but its flaws are even more pronounced, numerous, and potentially fatal, so it is naturally not accepted by Frieren.

Just as Frieren disdained the elven elders who rejected Shazo and her proposal for salvation, she herself easily rejected [Demon-Breaking Golden Leiting].

Because of Frieren's authority in magic, Flamme accepted her teacher's conclusion, deeming the spell a failed spell, and put it aside.

If it weren't for Frieren's lingering attachment to the first spell she developed, Shazo probably wouldn't have seen a similar spell developed for a very long time.

When Shazo said the same thing, it was a huge shock to Frieren.

After all, the two had known each other for over a thousand years, and in Frieren's heart, Shazo held almost limitless trust.

No matter how outrageous or illogical his words were, she would think about them carefully and repeatedly, and would not dismiss them based on her existing experience.

When Shazo helped Frieren break through the barrier of perception, she understood the value of "Demon-Slaying Attribute" almost instantly. It was a huge strategic value for intelligent races all over the world in their war against the Demon Race, and it could not be overstated no matter how much it was praised.

Frieren's mind was filled with Inazuma of inspiration, countless ideas gushing forth like a spring, and in the blink of an eye, she had many magical concepts.

Suddenly, Frieren sighed again, "Why wasn't Flamme an elf? She died of old age at only 63. It's such a pity."

"By the way, what will happen to Frieren if you leave?"

Shazo replied matter-of-factly, "Frieren is traveling with me, of course. Do you think she'd come with you to learn magic?"

Frieren shook her head without hesitation and said, "I'm not settled yet, of course I can't take her there."

Then she muttered to herself, "But I'm worried that such a magical genius will be wasted by you, and I'm even more afraid that you'll turn her into Druid— "

Shazo bluntly stated his demand. "If you can't do it yourself, then stop talking nonsense and hurry up and prepare two magic briefcases."

"To enchant with top-tier spatial magic, it must be able to contain Frieren's library and my armory."

Frieren's eyes widened. "These magical items are very expensive, and I can't even gather all the materials!"

Shazo pointed to a door in the room and said, "I don't have any money, but you can take any materials you like—"

"Make a deal!"

"No taking it back!!"

A few months later, when autumn had completely passed, Shazo received two suitcases personally delivered by Frieren, while his warehouse had long been packed up and emptied by Frieren.

The box given to Frieren was small and cute, but its interior space was enormous. It could not only hold all the books in her library, but also a magical laboratory given to her by Frieren, including a large amount of experimental materials, alchemical materials, and a complete set of alchemical equipment.

The briefcase given to Shazo was completely empty; its interior was only big enough to hold the various swords he had collected and forged, plus two sets of clothes.

Shazo gritted his teeth and laughed, "No wonder you emptied my warehouse first, and used magic puppets to deliver the goods—"

"That Frieren is deliberately making things difficult for me, Fat Tiger."

"Just you wait, you poor little elf, next time we meet, I'll tickle you until you cry!"

Frieren wore a thick coat, carried a wand on her back, and held a briefcase in both hands, exhaling white breath.

She took one last look at the courtyard where she had lived for a year, then walked out without lingering and closed the gate.

Just then, the sound of a door closing and locking came from the side.

Frieren looked at the tall elf and asked, "Mr. Shazo, where are we going?"

Shazo glanced at the overcast sky and replied, "The weather's getting colder, so let's head south first to find places where Demon Race might be born, and we can visit my old friend along the way."

Frieren asked curiously, "Mr. Shazo's old friend, is he also an elf?"

Shazo shook his head and said, "No, it's a dragon, Blue Dragon from the southern desert, the kind that breathes Inazuma."

"Ah? You have dragon friends?" The elven girl was taken aback, finding it hard to believe.

Shazo boasted smugly, "Of course, we have a great relationship. It gave me its scales, teeth, and Kakuzu back then."

Frieren: "----"

Shazo: "What's wrong?"

Frieren asked irritably, "Mr. Shazo, are you sure the Blue Dragon gave it to you willingly, and didn't you forcibly take it from you?"

Shazo looked up and chuckled, "Haha, these details are completely unimportant, completely unimportant—"

"Anyway, it gave me the things."

"Two hundred years have passed, that guy should be fully grown by now—"

Frieren covered her eyes and said with a wry smile, "I knew it, you forcibly took it from me."

"Haha, this desert trip is going to be really exciting!"

"Um?"

Frieren felt a chill on her face. Looking up, she saw countless white snowflakes falling.

"It's snowing—it's so beautiful!"

"But, it's not a good time to set off, Mr. Shazo."

Shazo looked up at the sky and smiled nonchalantly, "How could it be difficult to set off?"

"The day I choose is definitely the best day to travel."

As Shazo spoke, he opened the box and pulled out a giant sword that had no blade and looked like an iron rod.

Shazo held his sword in both hands, looked up at the sky, turned to face south, and his aura suddenly exploded, forming a terrifying Ki aura that instantly evaporated the snowflakes in mid-air.

After gathering his strength, Shazo raised his greatsword and slashed towards the southern sky.

"Open it!!"