Inside the Lands Between.
"What's with that wound on your face?" The Tarnished asked, puzzled, looking at the bruised Xiling.
"I just fell on the road. Don't worry." Xiling took the tissue and wiped the blood from his nose.
After handing the tissue to Xiling, Houraiji Kyuushou threw her coat back, then covered her eyes with one hand and pointed at Xiling.
"Hero, it doesn't look like a wound from a fall. Did you encounter a powerful enemy? Let this savior fight alongside you and show those enemies my implosion and burning soul."
"No, I just fell. Don't talk nonsense." Xiling looked away.
"Did you go challenging your Skeleton Brother again?" The Tarnished flipped the barbecue in front of him. The spices and juices burned in the flames, and the aroma began to spread, making Luo Tianyi, who was sitting nearby, drool.
"Is that even a question? He must have seen his statues on his character panel, then got swollen up, and then got beaten up again." Kevin placed the sliced watermelon on the table and said to Xiling in a grouchy tone:
"Here, the watermelon I promised you. And can you come over to my place? Elysia keeps asking me where you've been. It's annoying."
"The watermelon is sweet, thank you. As for the other question, I trust you." Xiling gave Kevin a thumbs-up.
As a hero, he must have faith that his companions can handle such a small matter.
You said Kevin couldn't do it!
You're kidding! Trust doesn't need a reason. As a hero, he has 100% faith in his teammates.
"The view here is quite nice," said Lemuen, sitting in her wheelchair, looking up at the sky. The stars were dotted on the sky, and the giant golden tree looked especially beautiful at night.
"I spent a long time looking for this place. It's a good place for dinner, right?"
"It's really good. You have good taste," Xiling gave the Tarnished a thumbs-up. At this moment, the chat group member was having a party, a welcome party for the new members.
"Mmm~ So sweet and cold! I haven't had watermelon in ages!" Luo Tianyi said happily as she ate the watermelon Kevin had cut.
"Don't you have watermelons in your world?" Kevin asked casually. He had gotten to know the two new members over the past few days. One was a high school student who seemed a bit childish to him, but was considered impressive by Xiling. The other was an ordinary high school student who had traveled through time to become a princess in ancient times.
Luo Tianyi shook her head. "I don't know if there were watermelons, but there were so many fruits I'd never eaten before."
"Is this the difference between time travelers? I remember when I traveled through time." Just as Xiling was about to reminisce about his past and how difficult it was, the Tarnished stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth.
"Stop lamenting your forced passage all day. It's always the same old story: trapped, guided, accepting the trial, drawing the holy sword, joining the chat group. Okay, I've finished. And is the meat cooked?" the Tarnished said grumpily. This wasn't the first time he'd said this.
"It feels almost done." Xiling swallowed the meat and gave a thumbs-up.
"It's delicious."
"That's right," the Tarnished puffed out his chest proudly. He figured this out all by himself, even including a cooking skill (level 2) on his character panel.
"Speaking of which, this is Liurnia of the Lakes, right? I wonder if there's a Shrimp Fire King. If so, would its meat be tasty?" Walking to the edge and looking down at the vast lake below, Xiling stroked his chin, debating whether to jump in and catch one.
After all, he'd once said, "Don't get caught by him. If you do, braise or steam it first."
"What are you doing, hero?" Houraiji Kyuushou approached Xiling, also gazing down at the lake below.
"There must be some giant shrimp down there. I'm wondering if I should catch one."
Kevin approached from behind, placed his hand on Xiling's neck, and said grumpily, "Don't mess around. Who knows what's in that lake? Watch out for a tentacled entanglement."
"...You have a point," Xiling said timidly, then looked at the Savior standing nearby. "You don't know how to use your powers yet. Don't stand in such a dangerous place. Be careful of slipping."
"Hmph, I'm the Savior chosen by fate. My journey will never end here," Houraiji Kyuushou pointed to the sky.
"Alright, Master Savior, you're awesome! Master Savior, you're awesome! Master Savior, let's go back to eat, okay?" Xiling angrily pushed the chuunibyou high school student back toward the fire.
The barbecue was finally done, and the chat group was now gathered around the fire. "Wow, it smells so good!" Luo Tianyi gazed at the barbecue with anticipation.
Houraiji Kyuushou also swallowed.
This was the first time these two had witnessed the Tarnished's cooking skills, while the others had seen it many times.
Lemuen took the two plates of barbecue from Xiling and passed them to Luo Tianyi and Houraiji Kyuushou.
"Be careful, it's a little hot," Lemuen warned.
However, with delicious food before them, how could they stop just because they were afraid of the heat? Almost in unison, the two of them immediately opened their mouths upon receiving the plates.
"It's so hot, but it's so delicious!"
"It's so hot, but it's so delicious!"
Luo Tianyi and Houraiji Kyuushou exclaimed, "It's so hot!" as they happily swallowed their food.
The others smiled and began to taste it as well. The evening breeze gently rustled the treetops, creating a rustling sound like nature's whispers. Not far away, a burning fire crackled, sparks flying, and occasionally a bright flash of light emanated, adding a touch of warmth to the quiet night.
A few people chatted and laughed, reminiscing about past events and interesting encounters.
For example, a certain hero followed the Tarnished and nearly fell into a manure pit.
Another example: a hero evaded a ticket and was nearly caught by security.
Another example: a hero was nearly killed while doing good deeds outside.
Everyone was happy, except for one person whose face was as red as a monkey's butt.
"No, why are you always talking about me?" the hero tried to protest. Kevin said matter-of-factly, "Of course, because you're the one whose story is the most amusing."
Xiling was furious. "I'm going to show Mei the books under your bed!"
Hearing Xiling's words, Kevin panicked. "What nonsense are you talking about? There's nothing under my bed!"
"You're still denying that, there's clearly something under your bed..." Xiling was about to continue when Kevin lunged and shoved him to the ground.
"You bastard, have more shame!" The young man blushed more than anything else in the world.
At this moment, the chat group had another member with a red face.
The Tarnished, who considered himself a reliable senior, tried to step forward and separate the two, adding another general to the battlefield.
Then the same scene repeated itself.
"I've already got his arms. Now it's up to you, Tarnished!"
"I've told you so many times, you only tied his arms. He still has two legs!"
Hahahaha
Luo Tianyi watched the three people's playful banter, laughing from ear to ear. Finally, the three signed the peace agreement and returned to their seats by the fire.
Lemuen chuckled and raised her glass of juice. "Cheers to tonight's banquet, everyone!"
Everyone clinked their six glasses of juice together.
"Cheers!"
Just as everyone was about to happily drink the juice, a majestic voice echoed in their minds simultaneously.
"Outsiders..."
"A new possibility..."
"Let's make a deal..."
Xiling: "...Oh no, we've been drafted."