"Elysia, you might have some misunderstandings about life and death. Look at me, I'm so energetic, so young and full of life. How could I possibly be dead..."
"But what you said and did was exactly the same as Old Man Chris, you know!"
Elysia stared at Ryn with wide, uncomprehending eyes.
Old Man Chris had also said he was just tired and needed to rest for a while, and that he would reappear when God gave him a new mission.
Passersby told her that this was just a lie Old Man Chris had woven to shield a young girl like her from the cruel truth.
But now that Brother Ryn had said the same thing, it was hard for Elysia not to suspect that he, like Old Man Chris, was going to die soon after they had just met.
Deep breaths, deep breaths. It's normal to get angry when someone says you're going to die.
She's just a child, and children don't know any better. There's no need to get angry with her!
Ryn covered his face, not knowing how to explain to Elysia that he was really fine and not dying.
*Sob, sob, sob*... Kids are so annoying. How did Mom and Dad ever put up with me...
"Forget it..."
Ryn shook his head, too lazy to dwell on the issue.
He squatted down in front of Elysia, took her small, soft, chubby hand, and looked her in the eyes, saying seriously:
"Elysia, history has already proven everything. You will die before I do."
"Huh?"
Elysia blinked rapidly in disbelief, staring at Ryn. Just a moment ago, he was telling her not to curse people to die, and now he was cursing her to die!
But this was good too! Did that mean that big brother wasn't going to die!
Elysia happily reached out her small hand and lightly patted Ryn's head.
"Hee hee, Mother Manta Ray said that I can live for a very, very long time! Then big brother will definitely be able to live for a long time too."
Mother Manta Ray? What's that? Isn't this modern society? People still have such embarrassing names...
Wait a minute... Manta Ray?! Elysia?!
Ryn's eyes suddenly lit up. No wonder the name Elysia sounded so familiar! So this little girl in front of him was the child version of the beautiful fairy that Maheśvara had shown him!
After confirming that she was the child of an old acquaintance, Ryn found Elysia even more pleasing to the eye.
"Speaking of which, I don't think I've introduced myself yet, have I? Hello, Elysia. My name is Ryn. It's a pleasure to meet you, you cute little angel!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, pretty big brother!"
"You can't use the word 'pretty' for a boy, you know!"
"Eh... why? Then what word should I use to describe you?"
"You should use... talented and handsome, learned and accomplished, exceptionally talented and good-looking, in the prime of life, dashing and elegant, suave and charming, a romantic scholar, ambitious, exceptionally talented, handsome as a jade statue, of outstanding character and appearance, dignified and imposing, fresh and elegant, a refined gentleman, learned in both ancient and modern knowledge, gentle and refined, dashing and unrestrained, heroic and imposing, elegant and profound, poised and graceful, dignified and impressive..."
"Uh... that's so troublesome... Let's just stick with 'pretty'!"
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The sun shower didn't last long, and the rain soon stopped.
The animals in the cave also left one after another.
Before leaving, the big black bear took a few extra glances at Elysia. It was rare for such a dazzling little fairy to appear in the forest, and it was hard for the animals not to take a few extra looks.
Elysia called out to the big black bear, then rummaged through her bag, turning it upside down, and took out a brand new can of beef.
"My matron at the orphanage prepared this for me when I left. I could never bring myself to eat it..." Elysia held up the beef can with both hands and handed it to the big black bear, while revealing an angelic smile.
"Now, I'm giving it to you! Big Black Bear, thank you! It's made of beef, I don't know if you'll like it!"
The big black bear took the beef can from Elysia's hands with a puzzled look. It had never seen a can before, but since it was a gift from the little fairy, it had to accept it.
It took one last look at Elysia, then turned and left.
A long time later, Elysia and Ryn, who were still packing their things in the cave, heard a deafening bear roar.
"Roar—"
Elysia recognized the voice of the big black bear. It was the same as the roar the big black bear had given her when she first arrived at the cave.
Who was it warning?
Elysia wanted to go see, but Ryn held her hand and shook his head.
In the end, Elysia could only obediently continue packing her belongings.
Ryn, on the other hand, rubbed his brow with a helpless expression. Elysia couldn't understand what the bear's roar meant, but Ryn, having undergone a leap in his level of existence, had a rudimentary understanding of animal language.
"Elysia, you stay here for a bit. I'm going out for a moment, I'll be back soon."
"Okay! Elysia will be a good girl and wait..."
Ryn nodded, then quickly rushed towards the source of the bear's roar.
There, the previously imposing big black bear was now lying on the ground with tears in its eyes, its mouth bleeding profusely...
And stuck in its mouth was a somewhat deformed can...
The can's shell was embedded in its lips, and when it tried to lick the can out, it scratched its tongue.
The big black bear's previous roar was, as Elysia had thought, a warning roar. The only difference was that back then, it was warning other animals not to harm Elysia, whereas now, it was warning other animals not to approach it.
(Do not feed bears or large animals canned food. It can get stuck and cut their tongues.)
The big black bear saw Ryn approaching and let out a low, resentful warning growl.
It had thought Elysia was a little fairy bestowed by nature, but it turned out she was a malicious creature who had poisoned it in secret. And Ryn, being with Elysia, must be of the same ilk.