Chapter 297: Departure
Yuliya glanced at the introduction and thought, “This skill is indeed shockingly simple, the damage is average, and the control time is as short as my patience when waiting for dinner.”
In short, it was about as useful as giving a fish a bicycle.
Yet, any skill, when used properly, could find a moment to shine!
With enough proficiency, one could reach the pinnacle of skill mastery. The problem? That usually required a truckload of time and effort—totally unacceptable for your average player.
But that was the case for high-tier players.
For the low-tier folks? Well, that’s a different story.
With only a handful of skills in my arsenal, even the most pathetic skill is still better than a Mage’s basic attack, right?
And when I say Mage, I mean the traditional kind—don’t get me started on those wimpy Mages who pump their strength.
So actually, many regular players, or even refugees, would choose to take their time improving, because hey, at least it’s a skill, and all it costs is some good old-fashioned time.
Expert level: sharpening your kn*fe doesn’t hinder your chopping!
You rich folks have your way of doing things, while we poor folks have our own approach.
In fact, in the Verdant Empire, even the rich kids were diving into this skill training thing.
Quite a contrast from the Jade Emperor Kingdom.
Over there, some external variables had spoiled everyone. They genuinely thought this skill was useless—why waste time on something that could’ve been used to increase someone’s favorability instead?
But elsewhere, there aren’t any favorability targets to grind or easy places to buy skills.
Even the rich folks needed to sift through street vendor garbage to dig up some decent stuff.
Interestingly, the data collected in the Verdant Empire suggests that it’s mainly the wealthy who are learning this “Thorn Entanglement” skill.
The poor guys were still stuck grinding daily quests, dealing with preconditions like it was their day job.
But the rich peeps? They had cash flow that sped things along.
Now back to the skill.
Yuliya had confirmed—she couldn’t learn it herself.
As a player, it was just beyond her reach. But players on the European Server could learn it.
So, clearly, there was a cap on who could learn skills.
Just a hunch: could it be that players on the Huaxia Server can’t learn it at all?
Time will tell when she gets back for a little verification.
Though it was just speculation, combining various observations, Yuliya was almost positive.
There’s a deep connection between Blue Star and this realm.
Maybe they shared the same roots?
“Your Majesty, may I have this skill for myself? If possible, could you help me gather a few more copies? And some other simple skills as well?”
“I’ll send someone to handle it shortly. However, it might take a bit of time. Yuliya, would you mind sticking around for three more days?”
“Sounds good, thank you, Your Majesty!”
“Anytime,” Griphis chuckled, stroking his stubble.
Edward was looking a bit distressed.
“Brother, you’ve got some serious guts. Three more days? Aren’t you scared your house will explode while you’re gone?”
“Cough cough!” He cleared his throat, jumping into the conversation, “You should be asking me this, not Yuliya.”
With a furrowed brow and a righteous look, Yuliya chimed in, “Teacher, we’re doing serious business here, no messing around!”
Griphis shot Edward a stern look. “No messing around.”
Alisa joined in, thoughtfully adding, “Uh… no messing around.”
Edward: …
In the end, after Edward argued his case, they decided to stick around for another day.
So their departure was pushed from tomorrow to the day after.
The decision was firmly in Edward’s hands.
And honestly… what were you thinking, old chap? Three days to gather stuff? Why not just say three years?
As for Yuliya? She just wanted to hang out a bit longer—thinking this was a vacation or something.
As for Alisa? Her thoughts were written all over her face, easy peasy.
The group chatted a bit more and then dispersed.
For the next two days, Yuliya was under Edward’s watchful eye.
She could go wherever she wanted, but there had to be a report, and Edward had to tag along.
These were probably the two most serious days of work Yuliya had ever experienced.
Of course, Alisa stuck around too, watching Yuliya tinker with things she didn’t quite understand. Then suddenly, Yuliya would exclaim, “I get it!” followed by a flurry of conclusions.
Alisa was left in awe, exclaiming, “Yuliya is amazing!”
Not just Alisa, even Edward was a bit baffled.
But when Yuliya explained her conclusions, they seemed to make total sense.
What could you do? Yuliya had knowledge from two worlds, comparing them was as simple as finding what’s common and what isn’t.
Two days later, the group from the Jade Emperor Kingdom set off from the west gate, heading towards the west.
Griphis personally saw them off, with Alisa following closely behind.
Before they left, Yuliya said to Griphis, “Your Majesty, after my research over the past few days, I’ve become quite confident about something.”
“The Outsiders in the Verdant Empire have a significant kinship with the locals. A long time ago, they were probably of the same family, but for some reason, they got separated. Now it’s more like a reunion.”
“I suggest you offer them more privileges, absorbing and utilizing their strengths. This could be a shortcut to combating calamities.”
“Of course, this is just my suggestion. You’re so brilliant, Your Majesty, you can decide.”
Griphis nodded gravely. “I’ll think about it. I’ll also need more time to verify your hypothesis.”
Then Yuliya turned to Alisa and said, “Sister Alisa, you need to work hard too. We’re leaving now, and we’ll miss you.”
“Yeah, I’ll miss you guys too.”
Little Master, there’s more to this chapter! Click the next page to keep reading; it gets even better!
The two embraced.
As they hugged, Yuliya leaned in a bit and whispered, “You know, Teacher really likes hardworking students. If you can break through to Emerald Level and master the sword by the next time we meet, he’ll probably be blown away.”
“Then I’ll find a way to give it a push! Who knows, maybe he’ll take you under his wing. And then it’ll be… hehehe.”
Alisa’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Of course!”
“Alright! I’ll do my best!”
They parted ways.
Alisa stayed put while Yuliya headed out.
Across the way, Griphis and Edward watched the westward horizon.
“Time to go… The Ember Realm to the west has gotten crazier lately. Be careful on your journey.”
“I got this; it’s not my first rodeo there. I’ll be fine.”
“Who knows when we’ll see each other again after this?”
“That girl activated a Teleportation Array, right? Once we get back to the Jade Emperor Kingdom and link up, it’ll be so much easier.”
“True… sigh, getting old makes you sentimental.”
“Quit overthinking it—just keep an eye on your daughter.”
“Hah! You cheeky rascal!” Griphis shook his head and sighed. “I’m clearly not as carefree as you are. Let’s go.”
“Yeah, let’s roll.”
Edward strode forward without looking back.
Suddenly, Alisa shouted, “Goodbye! Little Sister Yuliya! Lord Edward! I’ll work hard! You both do your best too!”
Yuliya turned and waved.
Then she elbowed Edward.
Edward thought for a bit, then turned back for a quick wave.
And then they set off, heading west.
