Reunion

After leaving the Sunset Mountain Range, Garen followed the border between the ancient Yulan Empire and the Magical Beast Mountain Range northward. He didn't enter any cities, instead strolling along country paths.

Whenever inspiration struck, he would draw the God-Slaying Blade and swing it around. Whenever he spotted a mountain, he would climb it to take in the view...

Even in the seldom-visited wilderness, and especially along the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, it was still common to run into adventurers and bandits.

To avoid misunderstandings, he would steer clear of the former. But when he encountered the latter, he left none alive.

Though he seemed to be strolling without a care, in less than twenty days he had crossed the entire Yulan Empire from south to north and arrived in the O'Brien Empire.

As soon as he reached the border of the O'Brien Empire, heavy snow began falling from the sky.

In the distance, Garen saw a small town where every household was festooned with lanterns and decorations, preparing for the millennial Yulan Festival.

"Time really flies. It's already been several months since I left home."

As he entered the town, he saw children laughing and playing in the snow, and their parents standing nearby with smiles on their faces. The heartwarming scene suddenly stopped Garen in his tracks.

His parents' faces appeared in his mind. His gaze grew distant as he recalled his father's guidance and his mother's care...

A little while later, Garen came back to himself and said with a smile to Xiao Pa,

"Let's go home too."

The townspeople were astonished to see a small bird transform into a giant eagle more than ten meters long. After Garen flew away, they began to chatter among themselves.

"My goodness, what did I just see? That was a Saint Realm magical beast! I can't believe that young man was a Saint Realm expert. He even smiled at me just now..."

What Garen didn't know was that this border town was later renamed "Saint Realm Town" because of his visit, and that a Saint Realm expert really did emerge from there.

Sitting on Golden Sun Eagle's back, Garen suddenly sighed.

"I don't know when it happened, but I seem to have become part of this world. I miss my parents, care about my friends, and long for those I've lost."

The journey of more than ten thousand kilometers was no problem. Garen had planned to head straight to the Holy Union to complete the Side Quest, but, for some reason, a powerful urge suddenly surged through him. He truly missed home.

He flew nonstop for more than sixteen hours. The cold wind at high altitude didn't extinguish his desire to return home; it only fanned the flames, making his longing grow stronger.

He was finally home.

From high above, he looked down on Light-Extinguishing City at dawn. Lanterns and decorations were everywhere, and some of the lights from the night before still hadn't gone out. It reminded him of New Year's celebrations in his previous life.

The millennial Yulan Festival was important to nearly everyone on the continent.

Garen flew toward his family's estate.

As soon as he entered, he saw his father, Clark, doing his morning exercises in the courtyard.

"Father, I'm back."

Clark couldn't hide his delight, but he didn't stop exercising.

"Mm. Go tell your mother. She's been talking about you nonstop for days."

"All right."

There were very few people on the continent who could reach the sixth rank through physical training alone. Though Clark had Tiger-Striped blood, training his body was much harder for him than it was for members of the Dragonblood Clan or the Undying Clan.

Looks like I'll have to awaken Father's bloodline as soon as possible after completing this Side Quest. If he gets too old, I don't know whether it'll affect his future potential.

Afterward, Garen found his mother. When he told her he would stay with them for the millennial Yulan Festival, she was overjoyed.

The next day was the millennial Yulan Festival. When his uncle's family heard that Garen had returned, they all came over: his uncle Arthur, his aunt Leo, and their two children, his cousin Abel and his cousin Angelia.

The family laughed and chatted happily. Though Garen was the youngest among them, his cousins Abel and Angelia both knew he was a Saint Realm expert and admired him greatly.

Happy times were always short. The very next day, Garen said goodbye to his parents and his uncle's family once more, then left home again.

He headed west. This time, he didn't go around the Magical Beast Mountain Range. After the Yulan Festival, most of the magical beasts had probably gone to attack cities, so Garen flew straight across the range and entered the territory of the Holy Union.

The part of the Holy Union near the O'Brien Empire was still relatively safe for the time being.

After resting for a night, Garen got his bearings and set off toward the Hess Kingdom. Before long, he arrived at Hess City, the kingdom's capital.

When he spotted the enormous city in the distance, Garen descended. He didn't want to make such a conspicuous entrance.

After reaching Hess City, Garen found a hotel near Keyan Street and paid for a month's stay.

"Ah, I finally made it. I can rest properly for a few days."

A few days later, Garen watched as the crowds in the streets gradually grew. The magical beasts were probably about to attack. There were also many more soldiers in Hess City, and the priests and knights of the Radiant Church had gathered there too. They were all preparing for battle, seemingly determined to keep the magical beast army out of Hess City.

After a sumptuous Chinese meal, Garen was wandering the streets with nothing to do when he suddenly spotted three familiar figures.

"Boss Yale, George, Reynolds!"

Garen called out to them at the top of his voice.

The three looked over. When they saw Garen not far away, they hurried over.

Yale went straight up to him and punched him in the chest.

George and Reynolds came over too and clapped him on the shoulder.

Reynolds even felt Garen's muscles, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Garen, what are you doing here? Weren't you going to Light-Extinguishing City in the Luo'ao Empire to visit your uncle?"

Yale had kept in touch with Garen by letter and knew roughly where he was.

"I heard the Magical Beast Mountain Range was in turmoil and was worried you might be in danger, so I came to check on you here in the Holy Union. I only just got to Hess City."

"You rascal, why do you look like a warrior now? Have you stopped practicing magic?"

Reynolds asked, looking at Garen's burly build and the long blade on his back.

They all knew Garen was a Tiger-Striped Warrior, but his talent for magic was just as astonishing.

George was more reserved, so he hadn't had a chance to join in yet.

They hadn't seen one another in so long that they had endless things to talk about.

Just then, a fat man weighing more than three hundred pounds came over.

"You must be Garen, the genius from Ernst Institute whom Yale often talks about. Hello, I'm Munro Dawson, chairman of the Dawson Chamber of Commerce."

Yale's father had overheard them talking and come over.

"Hello, Uncle Dawson."

Garen greeted him politely.

"I really have to thank you. If you hadn't reminded Yale to move the valuable goods we had in the Holy Union and the Dark Alliance in time, the Dawson Chamber of Commerce might have suffered heavy losses this time."

"Uncle Dawson, Yale and I are brothers. He helped me a lot back at the institute, so it was only right."

"Haha, good, good. That's how young people should be—helping each other out. I won't keep you from catching up, but you'd better find somewhere suitable to talk. The street isn't very convenient."

After speaking, Munro Dawson left with a squad of guards.

"Come on, Garen. There's an outpost of our Dawson Chamber of Commerce just up ahead. Let's go there and talk."

Yale led them toward a nearby estate.