Chapter 35: Gaia and Ailin’s Encounter

Chapter 35: Gaia and Ailin’s Encounter

“No, no. It’s better to talk about that when we’re alone later.”

Even though Gaia said so, Yake could never say such things in public. How could he utter something so embarrassing?

“Alright, since you feel it’s better to discuss it later, I’ll respect your decision.”

Seeing that Yake truly couldn’t bring himself to say those words now, Gaia respected his choice. After all, whether the words were spoken or not didn’t really matter.

“It’s fine, don’t mind us, just speak your heart out.”

Mios also encouraged Yake, urging him to express his feelings.

“No way, no way. Anyway, I’ll save that for when I’m alone with Aier.”

“Well, since he said so, don’t pressure him anymore. Yake can be like that sometimes; you can’t really sway him. Whatever he wants to say, I’ll listen when we’re alone. For now, let’s continue enjoying our afternoon tea.”

Aierjisi couldn’t sit by and watch Yake be teased any longer. She stepped in to help him out.

“Okay then, let’s enjoy this delicious afternoon tea together.”

Even though Mios couldn’t hear what Yake wanted to say, he didn’t feel the slightest bit disappointed. He maintained a cheerful demeanor while continuing the afternoon tea.

“By the way, what exactly is afternoon tea for? I’m not clear on that.”

Yake looked at the red tea in his cup, completely clueless as a first-timer at afternoon tea.

“It’s not really for anything in particular; it’s just about everyone enjoying yummy snacks, sipping red tea, and chatting about interesting things. Basically, it’s a time to relax.”

“I see. Sounds pretty nice, then… so what are we chatting about now?”

Yake attempted to see if he could insert himself into their conversation. After all, he was an adventurer, so he should have plenty to discuss.

“Oh, not much. I’m just talking about the latest clothing styles with Mios.”

Aierjisi pointed to the book next to Mios.

“This one.”

Mios picked up the book that showcased the latest cute outfits for girls, discussing it with Aierjisi.

Normally, this would be a topic to chat about with Ailin, but since she was no longer around, Yake couldn’t find anyone with common interests. So, when the lovely Aierjisi appeared, he was eager to share.

Fortunately, when Aierjisi crossed over, she inherited the original owner’s memories, giving her some understanding of girls’ clothing. Otherwise, based solely on Guanyu’s knowledge, she would have been totally lost trying to discuss this with Mios.

Yet for some reason, initially planning to rely on the original owner’s memories to deal with Mios, she eventually started genuinely evaluating the outfits and whether they suited her. Perhaps the true Aierjisi had some personal preferences regarding clothing as well.

In any case, the two chatted happily about girls’ new outfits. Gaia could only silently sip his tea on the side, but with Yake’s arrival, he felt some relief from the awkward atmosphere.

“Lord Gaia, you seem to be quite happy.”

Yake noticed Gaia watching the two, revealing a smile he hadn’t even realized he was making.

“Huh? Am I smiling? I guess I am.”

Reminded by Yake, Gaia touched his face and confirmed that he indeed had been smiling earlier.

“Yeah, and it was while looking at them. You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“Yeah. I guess Mios has been holding back since he lost Ailin, his only confidante. Now that he finally has someone else to talk to, as his friend, I’m really happy. Plus, watching them, I can’t help but recall the days when Ailin was still around.”

Watching Aierjisi and Mios having such a great time, Gaia couldn’t help but see Aierjisi’s figure merging with that of Ailin from the past.

Ailin, where are you now? Life without you is so painful!

“Then, Lord Gaia, why not tell us about your Ailin? I’m really curious about what kind of Ice Dragon she is and how you both met.”

Since Aierjisi and Mios were discussing new clothing, Yake decided to shift the conversation to Ailin. After all, there was nothing else to do.

“You want to know? Alright. This is quite a tale, so let’s drink tea and chat.”

Gaia filled both his and Yake’s cups with red tea and began to recount the long story of how he encountered Ailin.

That was about thirteen years ago.

At that time, the relationship between Panimir and the Ice Dragon Clan was rather poor. The citizens lived under the shadow of the Ice Dragons, constantly worried that they might wipe them out at any moment.

As the newly crowned king who had inherited the throne, Gaia felt the need to address these citizens’ fears.

After preparing himself, Gaia set off to the mountains alone. His goal was simple: to defeat the Dragon King and leave the Ice Dragons without a leader. For this purpose, he couldn’t bring anyone else along—he had to go alone.

However, as the Dragon King was surely not an easy opponent to face, Gaia prepared himself for the possibility that this trip might be a one-way journey, readying himself for any eventuality.

But once he reached the mountain, things felt off.

The Ice Dragons that should have been everywhere on the mountain seemed to have vanished without a trace. This made Gaia feel quite puzzled. Could it be some kind of ruse? Regardless, as king, he couldn’t just turn back; he had to press on.

Thus, he ascended the mountain without any obstacles and arrived at the palace where the Ice Dragon King was said to reside.

“The door is actually open? There must be something fishy here. Let’s go in and find out.”

Seeing the palace’s grand doors gaping wide, he decided to enter and see what tricks the Ice Dragon King was playing.

“Human, you’ve come? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

Upon entering, he found the Ice Dragon King had already transformed into a human, preparing fine wine to welcome him.

“What do you mean by this? Don’t you know I’m here to kill you?”

Gaia was utterly bewildered by the Ice Dragon King’s antics.

What is this? The Ice Dragon King acts like he knew I was coming all along?