Chapter 258: A kiss on the cheek!

Delabe Castle was an ancient fortress with a history spanning more than ten thousand years. It had once been the private residence of a Mage Sovereign who had died a heroic death during the War of the Gods. As his descendants gradually fell into decline, they eventually sold the castle for an enormous sum.

Over the centuries, the castle changed hands more than a dozen times. Each successive owner ultimately found the staggering maintenance costs unbearable and reluctantly sold it on.

More than two thousand years ago, Delabe Castle was purchased by Danlov Girard, the current Mage Sovereign.

Rather than live there himself, however, Danlov undertook an unusual renovation. He attracted merchants and investors, transforming the castle into a multifunctional entertainment complex.

That neatly solved the problem of its exorbitant upkeep.

After listening to Seriu's explanation, Shu Li found himself admiring Danlov even more.

If he hadn't known that Danlov was born and raised in this world, Shu Li would have seriously suspected that the man was the real transmigrator.

As an actual transmigrator himself, Shu Li had to admit that he couldn't accomplish even a tenth of what Danlov had.

A person's abilities were shaped by their upbringing, life experiences, education, and countless other factors.

Before transmigrating, Shu Li had been nothing more than a high school student struggling with his studies. Apart from his musical talent, he had no particular strengths. After transmigrating, he couldn't even understand the local language and had been forced to start learning from scratch, just like a baby. Growing up alongside the innocent Fairy cubs over the years, his outlook on life had hardly changed, and his experience of the world remained pitifully limited.

Expecting him to accomplish something as extraordinary as Danlov had was simply absurd.

Still, Shu Li believed everyone had their own path to follow. His goal was to become stronger, defeat the Dark God, and find a way home.

Everything he was doing now was aimed at becoming more powerful.

By Fairy standards, he was only eighteen years old. He still had tremendous room to grow.

The shops lining the shopping street on the top floor of Delabe Castle displayed countless rare treasures from across the continent. Most customers came here to purchase scarce materials that could improve the level and attributes of their equipment.

Although the Faerie Forest and the Elven Kingdom were rich in resources and possessed exceptional materials unavailable anywhere else, the Austin Continent was vast. Every country and region had its own unique specialties.

For that reason, Fairies and Elves traveling abroad to gain experience would collect rare materials from different parts of the continent and bring them home to sell to their fellow clansmen.

And Shu Li had money now.

He had earned more than two hundred gold coins from everyday assignments, received a four-hundred-and-fifty-coin share of an assignment reward, and sold his surplus Starba Grass for another hundred and eighty gold coins. Altogether, he had nearly nine hundred gold coins, enough to buy plenty of things.

Of course, if he came across some truly exceptional material that cost more than nine hundred gold coins, he could always dip into the mountain of gold coins inside his storage ring.

After browsing four or five shops, Shu Li purchased some materials for making magic scrolls, spending more than a hundred gold coins.

Yesterday's battle against the demonic creatures had left him painfully aware of his limitations.

When the creatures attacked him relentlessly, he had been forced to keep replenishing his defensive formations, leaving him no opportunity to retaliate. If he prepared high-ranking magic scrolls in advance, he could attack and defend simultaneously, improving his chances of victory.

Dixio, Angel, and Budno had always looked up to Shu Li as their role model. Whatever he bought, they bought too. Whether the items would actually be useful was beside the point. As long as they followed their leader, they couldn't go wrong.

Kumandi understood what Shu Li had in mind and also purchased materials for making magic scrolls. In addition, he bought a considerable quantity of medicinal herbs unavailable in the Faerie Forest, intending to use them to brew potions that increased magical power.

As a dragon, Amanda didn't possess the Little Fairies' wide range of talents. He couldn't make magic scrolls or brew potions, so he simply bought finished products instead. They cost twice as much as the raw materials, but at least they were ready to use.

Hector, Siti, and Nasha, meanwhile, were holding substantial fortunes and looking utterly bewildered, with no idea how to spend their money.

They were genuine Mage Apprentices who hadn't even mastered all their incantations, let alone developed any other special skills.

After much deliberation, Hector selected an exquisite bracer crafted by dwarves. Pressing a concealed mechanism would launch silver needles capable of penetrating an intermediate-level physical defensive formation.

At four hundred gold coins, it was rather expensive, but the price included three free ammunition refills and two years of after-sales service.

Hector was, after all, a young nobleman. Although his family had fallen from power, his parents had left him a substantial inheritance. The money he earned from assignments was little more than pocket change. He therefore paid without hesitation and happily purchased the mechanical bracer.

Siti and Nasha were equally well-off. Besides buying concealed weapons for self-defense, they also purchased some beautiful jewelry.

Girls would be girls. Loving beautiful things came naturally.

Seriu didn't need much himself. Throughout their shopping excursion, he mostly acted as their guide, occasionally helping his teammates bargain with merchants.

He was a regular here and knew the prices inside out. Whenever merchants spotted unfamiliar customers, they would quietly inflate their prices, hoping to make a killing. But all Seriu had to do was stand there with an expressionless face, and the merchants would wisely rein in their greed.

"Ace, aren't you going to buy anything?" Shu Li asked the blond boy walking beside him.

They had been shopping for more than an hour, and everyone else had spent money. Ace alone remained empty-handed, having bought absolutely nothing.

"I'm more interested in books, especially obscure ancient texts," Ace replied. "There aren't many booksellers here, and I haven't seen anything I want yet."

"Oh, I see..." Remembering how Ace had practically emptied the academy library with his relentless borrowing, Shu Li nodded in understanding.

Seriu, who was following behind them, overheard their conversation and hesitantly spoke up.

"There's a specialty magic bookstore just ahead. We could take a look. Perhaps they'll have something Your... something you'd like."

Ace turned to look at Seriu and smiled. "Thank you."

Seriu was overwhelmed by the unexpected courtesy, though he gave no outward indication. He merely inclined his head slightly in respect.

Shu Li scratched his ear suspiciously.

Had Seriu almost addressed Ace with an honorific just now, or had he misheard?

"Here we are." Seriu stopped outside the bookstore and introduced it to the others. "Besides advanced magic books, they also carry plenty of introductory texts suitable for Mage Apprentices. You should buy a few to study."

That "you" was directed at the three inexperienced novices, Hector, Siti, and Nasha.

"All right."

Eager to improve their abilities, the three were the first to enter.

Seeing more than a dozen students from the magic academy arrive at once, the bookstore owner welcomed them enthusiastically and eagerly recommended his bestselling titles.

Shu Li looked around before stopping in front of a shelf of adventurers' autobiographies. He casually picked up a book and began flipping through it.

Ace headed straight for the shelves at the very back, where a row of weathered ancient volumes stood.

He tilted his head up and quickly scanned the titles before reaching for an old book bound in cowhide—The Beliefs of Dwarves and Goblins.

In high spirits, Shu Li selected two books. One was an account of an adventurer's expedition into the Snow Mountain Labyrinth, while the other chronicled a journey through the Valley of Wind.

Since he intended to visit the Snow Mountain Labyrinth and the Valley of Wind in search of elemental spirits, he needed to learn everything he could about both places and prepare as thoroughly as possible for his future expeditions.

Unfortunately, books concerning the Earth Spirit were exceedingly rare. All he knew was that the Enkak region, home to dwarves and goblins, contained more than a hundred temples dedicated to the Earth God. Beyond that, he had no information.

He paid the shopkeeper four gold coins for his two books, then glanced around and spotted Ace standing before the shelves at the very back, completely absorbed in an ancient cowhide-bound volume.

Had he found something he liked?

Shu Li approached quietly. When he reached Ace's side, he refrained from interrupting and merely tilted his head to glance at the title on the cover.

The Beliefs of Dwarves and Goblins.

Huh?

That book looked interesting!

Shu Li's eyes lit up. He immediately leaned closer and began reading over Ace's shoulder.

[...For tens of thousands of years, dwarves and goblins waged war against one another, all to prove which race enjoyed the Earth God's greatest favor. Both races competed to build temples dedicated to the Earth God, each eager to demonstrate its devotion.

[Although the dwarves and goblins fought countless wars, there were also times when they made peace. Once, they joined forces and worked together to construct the grandest temple ever dedicated to the Earth God—the Temple of Esde...

"The Temple of Esde?" Shu Li murmured involuntarily.

Hearing him, Ace turned his head. Because they were standing so close together, his lips brushed against Shu Li's cheek.

"Uh!"

The sudden touch of something soft and warm against his cheek startled Shu Li so badly that he hurriedly stepped back, blurting out an apology.

"I'm sorry, I..."

He retreated too quickly and stumbled, his left foot missing its footing. His body pitched backward toward the bookshelf on the opposite side.

Just as he was about to crash into it, Ace swiftly caught his wrist and pulled hard, dragging him back.

"Mm!"

Shu Li stumbled straight into Ace's arms, his cheek pressed against the boy's firm chest. He could hear the steady beating of Ace's heart.

Ace held Shu Li's wrist with one hand while raising the ancient book high with the other, keeping the thick volume from striking him.

"Are you all right?" he asked softly, looking down at the Little Fairy in his arms.

Shu Li's face burned crimson with embarrassment. Once he regained his balance, he hurriedly pulled away from Ace's embrace.

"I... I didn't mean to..." he stammered incoherently. "That book looked interesting, and I got curious, so I leaned over to read it... I hope you don't mind. Ahahaha..."

This was the second time the two of them had experienced such "intimate contact."

The first time had been during magic training, when they'd fallen into a tangled heap and Shu Li's lips had accidentally landed on Ace's cheek.

Later, back at the dormitory, Shu Li had told Ace not to mind what happened. Ace had promptly asked what he should do if he did mind.

In his panic, Shu Li had blurted out that Ace could kiss him back.

In short, everything that had happened that day had been so mortifying that Shu Li had wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and disappear.

It was also on that day that he'd realized Ace had feelings for him.

Shu Li considered Ace a good friend and wasn't ready to return those feelings. He had therefore pretended not to notice, doing his best to preserve their precious friendship.

However, after yesterday's battle against the Demon Lord, a suspicion had begun to take shape in his mind.

The possibility was so outrageous that he didn't dare believe it. He wanted to uncover more clues before deciding whether his suspicion was correct.

Unfortunately, before he'd even had a chance to investigate, another "accident" had happened.

"It's all right."

Ace was much calmer this time than he had been during their previous encounter. As though nothing had happened, he handed the book to Shu Li.

"If you're interested, I'll buy it for you."

"No, no, that's okay." Shu Li waved his hands in refusal. "I'm only interested in the temples the dwarves and goblins built for the Earth God."

Ace smiled faintly and turned to the relevant section. He tapped the page with one long, well-defined finger.

"This part describes the Temple of Esde."

"Thanks."

Shu Li accepted the book and eagerly began reading.

[...On the day the Temple of Esde was completed, the great Earth God, Hedfis Lofverne, descended in person. The dwarves and goblins knelt before him, bowing in devout worship.

[From that day onward, the Temple of Esde became the Earth God's dwelling in the Human World.

Shu Li turned the page. When he read the passage below, surprise spread across his face.

[Darkness ravaged the continent, and the gods waged war against one another. The Earth God unleashed a mighty tremor, transforming the fertile land into a terrifying swamp. The Temple of Esde sank beneath the earth... and the dwarves and goblins once again became bitter enemies...]