Chat group, if you have anything to say to my Holy Sword,

Xiling smiled at Melina's expression.

Are you surprised?

Melina nodded.

“It’s normal to be surprised. Everyone has their own thoughts, and until that day truly arrives, all answers are tinged with uncertainty,” Xiling chuckled and continued.

"Melina, have you lost sight of your goal?"

Melina nodded slightly.

The meaning she had once pieced together for her existence has now been abandoned by her own hands; she has lost—her goal.

Seeing Melina's state, Xilin knew that she was in a difficult situation.

I once thought that my purpose in life was to burn the golden tree.

Now that the golden tree is gone, everything she once believed in seems to have lost its meaning.

However, she stood there, in front of him, and asked about the future.

that's enough.

This in itself shows that the other party is simply standing on a cleared-out ruin, temporarily lost and unsure of where to go next—nothing more.

Offer guidance to those who are lost and confused.

This is what the Silver King wants to do, so Xiling spoke up.

“Then…” Xiling’s voice was like a breeze dispelling the mist:

"Go find a new goal!"

This answer seems too simplistic.

"While this may sound a bit irresponsible, goals aren't like laws carved in stone, destined to be immutable. Can't find anything grand? Then start with something small, something surviving, open your eyes, and see more things you've never seen before—like a new tavern opening in a corner of the capital, or whether the stars are a little brighter tonight than yesterday..."

“Go find…things that make you happy, fun, or even just ‘not bad,’ Melina.”

"Losing that heavy goal doesn't mean the end. On the contrary—it's the beginning of your new life! A beginning that belongs to you, not defined by fate or mission."

Xiling raised her hand and pointed outside the throne room, to the newly rebuilt royal city under the radiant light of the silver tree, and to the vast, boundless sky at the border:

"Look ahead, witness it, Melina, feel it with your heart, participate in it... this Silver Age that belongs to everyone and is rising!"

The radiance of the silver tree seemed to become softer and brighter at this moment, falling upon Melina.

The confusion in Melina's eyes hadn't completely disappeared, but...

Melina looked into the distance where Xiling was pointing, at a vast unknown waiting to be seen and understood.

"Is this the beginning of a new...birth?"

Melina slowly turned her gaze away from the vast distance and refocused it on the back of the guide in front of her.

Facing Xiling, Melina spoke again:

"May I stay in the capital and witness the coming era?"

Faced with this question, Xiling decisively bypassed her, her steps not faltering at all, and walked straight down the steps to the throne.

"The royal city welcomes everyone. Now, go about your business." Xiling's voice wavered slightly as the distance increased, but every word was clear:

"I still have work to do, so I can't chat with you any longer."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiling's figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

The throne room fell silent once again.

Melina: “…”

She stood there alone, blinking at the direction of the stairs where Xiling had disappeared.

The eloquent speech he just gave about new life, the times, and witnessing history, contrasted sharply with the pragmatic demeanor of this king as he slipped away to work.

Surprisingly, this contrast didn't make her feel lost or ignored; on the contrary...

A faint, almost imperceptible curve appeared once again at the corner of her usually expressionless mouth.

This time it wasn't because of the relief from confusion, but rather... a strange, almost "interesting" feeling?

The royal city welcomes everyone... Go ahead and get busy...

Very straightforward, very... stylish.

The faded one walked over, looked at Melina's seemingly smiling expression, then at the direction where Xiling disappeared, and clicked his tongue twice: "You've finished being a life mentor, now hurry up and go to the construction site to move bricks... uh, to handle state affairs."

The Faded One chuckled. "However, he's right. The royal city... is indeed quite interesting now. You should go and take a look when you have time. I won't accompany you."

"Finally, I can go back and get a good night's sleep," the Faded One thought to himself, and began to walk down the stairs. However, before he had taken more than a few steps, another footstep sounded at the same time.

The Faded One squinted and realized something was wrong. He turned around and saw Melina following behind him.

"...What's this?" the faded one asked tentatively, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

Facing the undisguised questioning look in the eyes of the faded one, Melina's expression remained aloof, only slightly lowering her eyelids as if she were carefully considering her words.

After a moment, she raised her eyes and spoke softly in her characteristic, flat yet crystal-clear tone:

"Could you... be my guide?"

The faded one: "..."

The man who had faded took a deep breath, fully expressing his helplessness and a little bit of "I knew it would be this tiring, I probably won't be able to sleep tonight."

Melina watched him sigh quietly, her face expressionless, simply waiting patiently.

Finally, the faded one resignedly turned around again and began to walk down the stairs:

"Let's go. Although I'm not very familiar with the capital, it's always better to explore with someone than alone."

The footsteps of the faded ones echoed again on the empty steps.

despair.

Melina's footsteps followed the fading figure once again, steady and clear.

-

-

I tried so hard!!!

and so!

Don't stop!!

I've noticed something: you guys can't keep up with my update speed, hahaha.

Chapter Sixty-Four: The Dragon Girl's Fear, Xiling's Vow

Inside the room, amidst a mountain of documents, Xiling sat in a high-backed chair, a ballpoint pen that seemed out of place in this border region, its tip gliding across the rough parchment. At the end of a lengthy report on the distribution of reconstruction supplies for Stoneville, she forcefully ticked it off.

"call……"

Xiling let out a long sigh, pushing the completed report onto the small mountain of processed documents on the corner of the table. Even so...

Xiling's gaze swept over the other side, where an even larger number of unprocessed documents awaited him.

Looking at the pile of things on the table in front of her, Xiling felt a headache coming on. The reconstruction of the royal city, the upcoming celebration, the arrangements and distribution of races, the issue of food cultivation, the cultists who refused to join the Silver Law and kept hunting people, and all sorts of other things, as well as the matters to be governed in order to rebuild order, were all submitted to Xiling.

Just as Xiling rubbed her temples and was about to pick up the next document, a steady voice rang out from the other end of the long table.

"Wang" Radagan temporarily put down his quill pen. The documents in front of him were piled up neatly, and his processing speed was obviously much faster than Xiling's.

“If you are not used to these trivial documents, you can leave them to me and a few others to handle. You should focus more on maintaining the law and guiding the overall situation.”

"Agreed." A cool voice followed immediately; it was Lani, who was sitting on the other side of Xiling.

Without even looking up, her four skillful hands were processing three different documents simultaneously with astonishing efficiency.

Xiling wasn't the only one in the room processing these documents.

Radagan, Lani, Platonssanks, Rena La, and several other royal city residents who had previously handled this kind of work.

In response to Radagan's words, Xiling shook her head. "The celebration is tomorrow. More people mean more strength. Let's get it done as quickly as possible."

Lani finally put down her pen, looked up, and calmly looked at Xiling. "There are some documents that need to be revised, but they don't need to be finished right now. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I'm going to make a run for it once I'm done tomorrow," Xiling thought to herself. Then she smiled at Lani and said, "Of course, it's because I'm a king who thinks of everyone." After saying that, Xiling continued with her work.

Lani looked at Xiling quietly for a few seconds, but in the end she didn't ask any more questions and returned to her efficient multitasking work.

With everyone witnessing, no one said anything more and continued with their work, as the workload was indeed heavy.

However, none of us are ordinary people, and reading ten lines at a glance is not a problem for us. After a day of hard work, the mountain of documents began to disappear quickly.

night.

"Eh~~"

A long, drawn-out sigh, filled with a sense of relief, echoed through the empty corridors of the palace.

Xiling stood in front of the huge arched stone window, stretched lazily without any regard for appearances, and her bones made a slight cracking sound.

Xiling gently rubbed her aching neck and shoulders, muttering to herself with a mix of helplessness and relief, "Phew—finally done... I'm much more used to fighting than editing these documents... But thankfully, I finished it all today! No more hassle later."

Xiling raised her head contentedly, gazing at the enormous moon unique to the border region, embedded in the night sky.

The moon over the border region was enormous and incredibly beautiful. Aside from the initial camping trip with the group of people he was chatting with, he seemed to be in a great hurry and hadn't had a chance to really observe it properly.

"Next time," a smile appeared on Xiling's face, "we must find another place and have a proper camping trip together, leisurely enjoying the scenery..."

After saying that, Xiling turned to leave, but just then, as if she sensed something, she turned back to look.

In the shadows where the moonlight couldn't fully reach, Platon Sanks stood silently, making no sound, her golden eyes fixed on Xiling.

Dressed in white, Platon Sanks appeared silently behind him, watching Xiling intently.

"Platton Sanks? What's wrong? Is there something you need me for?" Xiling asked, puzzled.

Platons didn't answer immediately. She strode out of the shadows, stopping only in front of Xiling. Then, her cold voice echoed in the corridor:

“You seem…very anxious,” Platonsanks said, his golden eyes fixed on Xiling’s.

Why? Can you tell me?

"So that's the problem," Xiling said with a smile, touching her neck. "Didn't I already say? I'm just an agent. After tomorrow, I won't be the king anymore. Today is my last day of work, so I'm being a little hasty."

Platon Sanks stared directly at Xiling's smiling face, as if trying to see right through her.

Platons's gaze was so direct that Xiling's initially cheerful expression gradually turned awkward.

Why are you staring at me like that?

Platons looked at Xiling and slowly uttered the following words:

"Because you are lying."

"Or rather, you didn't tell the whole story... completely."

"Ah!" Xiling was stunned.

Just then, Platon Sanks made an unexpected move. Without warning, her delicate face moved slightly closer to Xiling!

Her small nostrils twitched slightly, as if she were trying to catch some invisible scent in the air, or perhaps she was carefully sniffing the lingering fragrance on Xiling's body!

The sudden closeness caused Xiling to reflexively take a step back.

But this retreat seemed to instantly ignite a certain innate curiosity within Platon Sanx.

Xiling's resistance aroused a hint of... interest in this ancient being?

Instead of retreating, she took a step forward! In the moonlight, she was like a wild beast locking onto its target, slowly and steadily cornering Xiling against the wall, the moonlight barely reaching the shadows, her cold voice echoing:

"Do you know?" Platon Sanks' golden eyes focused intently on Xiling's face.

"We ancient dragons, from the moment we are born, possess the ability to perceive the rhythms of all things in our blood."

Platon Sanks reached out and placed her hand lightly on Xiling's chest, looking directly into Xiling's eyes.