Miss Dragon, the BOSS, will not be captured.

What's going on? The bakery closed less than an hour after I left?

You know, it's noon now, which should be the busiest time of day for business.

Ye Qingxian tried knocking on the door, but received no response.

She had to admit that Anstilla's bread tasted very good, but unfortunately, she couldn't eat it anymore.

Ye Qingxian only wants to go to the Dragon Kingdom now. She inquired at the city hall and found that if she were to queue up to visit the Dragon Kingdom now, she would have to wait at least two years.

She couldn't wait that long, so she had to find another way to see Esther.

Writing letters wouldn't work, because she knew countless people would write to Esther, and the vast majority of those letters would never reach her.

Ye Qingxian finally came up with a method, which was a bit clumsy, but it was the only thing she could do since she had no other skills—posting flyers.

She made flyers with her own portrait and posted them in every city and town she visited. Whenever Esther saw any of them, she would know that she had come into this world.

But then another problem arises: what if the Estia in this world doesn't have any memories of herself?

Therefore, Ye Qingxian was unable to carry out this plan.

Ultimately, she decided to go to a larger city to look for solutions. Although the town was peaceful and quiet, it was too difficult to find out anything. In a big city, with a larger population, it would be easier to find opportunities.

Ye Qingxian currently lacks confidence in her own abilities. She doesn't know magic or combat skills, so it would be terrible if she encountered any danger.

The good news is that this world is quite developed, so there should be very few bandits and robbers. The biggest threats in the wild are actually wild animals and monsters.

She went to the weapon shop in town and used the subsidy she had received to buy a one-handed sword.

This is a one-handed iron sword, and it even comes with a scabbard. Although it was very sharp when I tried it, it felt cheap in every way. I guess it was made by some blacksmith apprentice, and it might get dull and worn out at any time.

But there was nothing she could do. Ye Qingxian understood the principle of "you get what you pay for." Buying this sword cost her five silver coins, instantly reducing her wealth by half.

However, having weapons in hand gives them the ability to resist when encountering wild animals, preventing them from fighting bare-handed.

Ye Qingxian is very lonely now. She has no relatives or companions by her side, and she can't find a way to see Esther. If there were a game system, she could just send a message, but now she can only seek a way on her own in this vast continent.

Carrying a one-handed sword, Ye Qingxian bought a map, determined to study this place carefully.

Chapter 280, page 265: A Kiss Accumulated Over Many Years (4k Long Chapter)

The detailed map marked the names of the surrounding areas, and Ye Qingxian found that this new world of Faya was far more advanced than the one she remembered.

First of all, there are the "roads" marked on the map. Infrastructure development reflects the level of development of a region. Ye Qingxian was surprised to find that there were more than eight roads leading to other areas in her village alone!

Moreover, these roads are not just haphazardly repaired paths; each one is a wide and safe main road, the high standard of which shocked Ye Qingxian.

Ye Qingxian randomly came to a highway and found a sign at the entrance with a promotional slogan posted on it—

"Magicians can travel quickly using teleportation arrays, but are there really no convenient and fast tools for ordinary people?"

"The railway from Red Maple Town to Starfall City will be open within 6 months - Imperial Starfall City Construction Bureau"

"Railway?!"

Ye Qingxian was surprised to find that next to the main road, which was several tens of meters wide, there was a separate auxiliary road with railway tracks.

She had come to this town from the forest before, so she hadn't seen these things before. Now that she saw them, she felt as if she had traveled through time.

"Little girl, is this the first time you've heard this term?"

An elderly man with a cane stood next to Ye Qingxian and said kindly, "I also found it hard to accept such novel things at the time, but after I understood the concepts behind them, I had to admire the creativity of young people."

"Has the world already invented trains?"

"What is a train? This kind of transportation is called a magic train. It is a great invention that combines mechanics and magic. It can travel at a speed more than ten times that of a horse-drawn carriage on land."

"So that's how it is..."

Ye Qingxian remembered that she had never heard of magic trains in the original Faya world, but she had heard of airships. In fact, she thought that airships should be faster than magic trains, right?

However, upon further reflection, she realized that while airships were fast, their construction and costs would inevitably be higher than those of magic trains, making them unaffordable for many ordinary people.

As for teleportation arrays, there's no need to elaborate further. Maintaining a teleportation array requires an enormous amount of magical materials, resulting in very high costs.

Ye Qingxian thanked the old man, then, after confirming the direction the road led, she walked straight ahead along the roadside.

To save money, she didn't plan to rent a carriage. The distance between Red Maple Town and Starfall City on the map was only 50km, which would only take a day to travel.

Moreover, her physical condition should be better than that of an average person. Just treat it as a leisurely marathon, and you can reach your destination by walking around.

It was noon, and the weather was quite hot, so Ye Qingxian took off her coat.

She was reborn into this world with clothes on, the same light attire she wore when she was a bard. Now, because it was too hot, she took off her coat and tied it around her waist, holding an iron sword as she walked forward.

This level of difficulty was nothing to her; she had overcome far more difficult experiences.

At this moment, Ye Qingxian really looked like a bard. The process of walking was boring, so Ye Qingxian decided to sing.

She sang a sad song, a song from ancient times on Earth—"Farewell."

She had sung and played music in the game, but unfortunately, Esther wasn't by her side at the time.

The familiar tone evoked familiar memories, and Ye Qingxian started to shed tears as she walked. She was all alone now, and the future was uncertain. Although she was unwilling to give up hope, she knew that seeing Esther would most likely end in sadness.

Since Miss Anaven and Anstilla, whom she had met, had lost their memories, there was no reason to say that Estheria would retain her memories.

Moreover, the fact that Anstella is still here means that Estella is now a thousand years old. Ye Qingxian and Estella met and fell in love in just a few months. In the past thousand years, there is a high probability that Estella has met other people she likes.

If things are really as she thinks, then how should she face Esther?

Should she rush forward and declare that she is the one Esther truly loves, or should she leave silently, leaving no trace of her presence?

Ye Qingxian's thoughts were pessimistic. She was just a human, and she had already experienced the pain of a short lifespan. Therefore, she knew that she could not stay by Esther's side for long.

"Mother... or rather, sister... if only you were still alive."

Why didn't she reincarnate with me? If she were here too... Ye Qingxian had gotten used to calling Chu Jinlan "mother." She only learned Chu Jinlan's true identity at the last moment, but after so many years together, the so-called identity was no longer important.

Ye Qingxian is now truly a lone wolf. Her family has passed away, and her lover is not by her side. The only thing that keeps her going is the news that Esther is still alive.

The midday sun was really hot, and Ye Qingxian couldn't bear it any longer, so she found a shady spot to rest until the afternoon.

She went to the base of a big tree, sat down and leaned against the trunk, continuing to hum the song she had been singing.

Horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians occasionally passed by on the distant highway. Ye Qingxian suddenly heard a noise from the other side of the tree, probably from travelers resting and cooling off.

The tree was big enough to provide shade for many people, and even though they were separated by a trunk, Ye Qingxian had no intention of greeting the other person.

However, upon realizing that there were other people around, Ye Qingxian stopped singing and became more vigilant during her rest to avoid any danger.

But in this comfortable environment, drowsiness gradually crept over Ye Qingxian. She felt her eyelids drooping and her body becoming increasingly tired. Even if she tried hard to perk herself up, it was all in vain.

As the iron sword slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, Ye Qingxian leaned against the tree trunk and fell asleep.

At the same time, a girl came out from the other side of the tree trunk.

She wasn't mistaken; that familiar melody was a song Xiao Ye had sung before.

The silver dragon girl came to Ye Qingxian's side. She felt like she was dreaming. She couldn't believe that Ye Qingxian would be sleeping in front of her at this moment.

"Xiao Ye...is it really you...?"

Estya's eyes welled up with tears. She carefully extended her finger towards Ye Qingxian, as if afraid that if she poked her, Ye Qingxian would turn into foam and disappear.

Her fingertips finally touched the soft face, and the sensation told her that the girl in front of her was real.

but--

Estia looked at Ye Qingxian warily. Just as Bierlan had said, the chances of Xiao Ye appearing in the new world were almost impossible. His sudden appearance at this time made her very suspicious.

Moreover, she and Birlan are still searching for the cause of the destruction of the old world. So far, everything in the new world is functioning normally, but the "enemy" has never appeared, or even left any trace.

Estia doesn't believe there are no enemies in this world; they must be lurking somewhere, ready to launch their schemes whenever the opportunity arises.

So Esther carefully considered Birlan's reminder before she left—was Ye Qingxian really Ye Qingxian?

Judging solely by the flow of time, Ye Qingxian shouldn't be a young girl now.

Therefore, Esther could not lower her guard against Ye Qingxian in front of her, but at the same time, she would never let Ye Qingxian go.

After some thought, she concealed her dragon horns, tail, and other dragon features, then used magic to turn her blood-red eyes into light blue, and finally changed her silver-white hair to gold.

Although she still has the appearance of Esther, even acquaintances would hesitate at first glance to see if she is really Esther.

Estia then changed her clothes again, into a set of clothes from a noble family in the human empire, making her look like a blonde, blue-eyed noble lady.

Then, she sat down next to Ye Qingxian and patiently waited for her to wake up.

If this really is Xiao Ye, then let her get a good night's sleep.

Once she wakes up, I'll test her true identity again.

In fact, Esther had considered other possibilities, such as someone who looked similar to Ye Qingxian. In short, from now on she would not leave Ye Qingxian's side until she confirmed Ye Qingxian's true identity.

"Gurgle..."

Several hours passed before Ye Qingxian woke up refreshed. She glanced at the sun in the sky and exclaimed that something was wrong. She had slept for so long that she would probably not be able to reach Xingluo City before nightfall.

Rubbing her eyes, Ye Qingxian finally noticed the blonde girl standing in front of her. Seeing that somewhat familiar face, she almost called out Estia's name.

But upon closer inspection, although the blonde girl looked somewhat similar to Esther, she didn't seem to be the Esther she knew...

The girl appeared to be human, and her hair and eye colors did not match Esther's.

"My name is Ye Qingxian. May I ask who you are?"

This was the first question Ye Qingxian raised.

"Hmph, how dare a mere commoner know my name?"

The blonde girl immediately identified herself as the daughter of an old noble family, and her arrogant attitude was written all over her face.

Ye Qingxian's last shred of hope was shattered.

"Ugh."

She sighed, thought for a moment, bowed to the blonde girl in front of her, and then prepared to continue on her way.

She was being so polite because she wasn't sure if disrespecting nobles was a crime in this world, so it was better to be polite just to be on the safe side.

"Hey, did I say you could leave?" The blonde girl blocked Ye Qingxian's way.

"Is there anything else?"