novelraw Chapter 55 – Thigh!!
Chapter 55 – Thigh!!
Lef had mentioned a theory that Xia Ya had heard from someone else before.
Strictly speaking, that person wasn't exactly human—master craftsman Krikto, also the manager of the Tin Soldier's Enclosure, the sole divine servant of the Mechanical Holy Spirit, Tin Soldier, holding a status akin to Frederick's in the Church of Judgment.
At the center of the Tin Soldier's Enclosure lies a platinum disc, a device resembling an ultra-high-capacity portable hard drive, containing copies of all the knowledge from several epochs before the Tin Soldier's fall. Functionally, it's equivalent to a library of all professions (life + combat) skills, a truly complete master machine of all professions.
Xia Ya had been busy advancing the plot and charming girls along the way, paying little attention to his profession, relying on this as his foundation.
Because he knew that no master could compare to the directness of the platinum disc.
He lacked neither experience nor guidance, only a sufficiently convenient skill database to construct the complete system already in his mind. So, from the start, he included the Tin Soldier's Enclosure in his plans. Instead of running around seeking mentors for skills and experience, he could directly choose from a library at will.
Can shopping on the street and browsing on Tmall be the same?
Krikto survived on this wasteland of near-stagnant time in the Tin Soldier's Enclosure, slowly integrating knowledge from several epochs. He had once expressed to Xia Ya a similar idea of "all paths lead to one," meaning that enchantment, alchemy, and inscriptions are essentially interconnected, but unfortunately, the ignorance of all beings prevents them from reaching that height.
At the time, Xia Ya thought it was just disdain for flesh-and-blood creatures, setting up such a mysterious premise was just nonsense.
But now...
Lef...
He was starting to believe.
Xia Ya cast a respectful glance at the girl, but she was still scribbling on paper, probably having a new idea.
"Let's go save your friend," he said, winking at the Dark Elf, who rolled her eyes helplessly and then donned her cloak, wrapping herself tightly.
"Just bear with it a little longer," Xia Ya chuckled. Even in a human town, the conspicuous skin color of a Dark Elf would bring about many inconveniences, as they all belonged to the United Holy Nation.
"Eh, eh, eh? Is Miss Yveline going too?" Lef was initially stunned, then nervously twisted her fingers. "Xia, Xia Ya, I-I don't mean to trouble you, it's not... I really have no one else to turn to, so I... Ah, no, what am I saying, it's not like 'you're the last choice, I had no other option,' you're super amazing..."
"Got it, I understand," Xia Ya laughed. "You mean to say that inviting me as a guard wasn't for me to help out incidentally, but purely as a guard—because there was no one else to invite, it's an objective choice, right?"
"Yes, yes, that's it, I'm sorry to trouble you, I just..."
"Shh—"
Xia Ya gently placed a finger on the girl's lips.
He bent slightly, his movements as graceful as a butler, his smile like the morning sun, warm and radiant.
"Miss Lef, solving a beautiful girl's troubles isn't a hassle, it's an honor."
The warmth from his fingertip traveled from her lips straight to her heart, and the girl's pupils dilated instantly, her heart racing uncontrollably.
It was as if the violin prelude of "Rather Be" was playing in her ears.
Oh my...
He's flirting with me...
*************
Howling Stone Canyon.
In just a week, Apulu Pie seemed wilder than before.
The girl wore a pair of beast-skin shorts, her youthful body constrained in leather armor a size too small, moving through the rugged rocks as nimbly as a monkey.
In her hand was not a dagger, but a short magic wand.
It was the "Philorin Sapling" she had obtained in the Corrupted Forest.
Suddenly, a clear eagle's cry sounded overhead, and a massive creature spread its wings, diving down from the sky. Though the sound waves couldn't produce a disorienting magical effect, the momentum of the dive carried a sense of awe.
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As a level 35 flying avian, the Grey-headed Harrier Hawk, even if not a magical creature, possessed a presence that could terrify ordinary militia. But this seemed to have no effect on Apulu Pie; the eagle's cry didn't frighten her, and her apple-like cheeks turned an even more vibrant red.
She was even more excited!
The girl leaped through the mountain forest, the rugged terrain not slowing her down in the slightest. Each leap and landing was accompanied by the opening and closing of her mouth—a brief command issued each time, causing a faint green aura to bloom from the short magic wand in her right hand, transforming into a weak airflow that propelled her further.
In the narrow mountain gorge, directly ahead was a narrow gap that could only allow one person to pass, and within it, a few pairs of eyes filled with awe and nervousness peeked out, like fledglings waiting to be fed.
The distance between the girl and her destination continued to shrink, but the distance between the hawk and the ground also rapidly decreased. In the brown eagle's eyes, the slender figure was getting closer and closer!
"Watch out!"
A cry of alarm came from the crevice, and Apulu Pie, as if she had eyes on her back, suddenly rolled to the left. The hawk's wings beat, creating gusts of wind, and its talons gouged deep furrows in the ground, its hooked beak shattering a half-human-sized gray rock. But the female rogue successfully dodged the attack.
Amidst the swirling smoke, the girl coughed a few times, her HP dropping significantly.
"Ah, ptooey, so much sand... I might really be done for, ugh, cough, cough... I shouldn't have been so reckless."
Apulu Pie licked the blood at the corner of her mouth, the salty taste so real it made one doubt this was just a game. Since being sent back to the graveyard by the Soul Leech last time, this was the first time she felt so desperate.
No, wait, it wasn't that desperate last time either. It's just a pity that the merchant NPC and guards in the hiding spot were cowards; otherwise, there might have been a chance if everyone fought together! After all, the ground isn't this creature's home turf.
What a pity...
If only the big guy were here. The girl suddenly thought of Xia Ya. If the big guy were here, he'd definitely beat you senseless!
The Grey-headed Harrier Hawk flapped its wings, dispersing the smoke, its sharp eagle eyes fixed on the girl.
As a bird of prey with intelligence not inferior to that of a young human, after missing a seemingly certain strike, it regarded the insect before it with respect.
The hawk let out a sharp cry, its two-meter-tall massive body shooting forward like an arrow. Apulu Pie had no intention of dodging anymore; instead, she pulled out a small hand crossbow, setting it on her left hand.
—Can't let myself be one-shotted at full health, right? I have to make you bleed too!!
"Whoosh"
Bang!
As the arrowhead shot out, Apulu Pie tilted her body, and then it was as if she was hit head-on by a speeding train. She even heard the sound of her bones cracking, pain spreading rapidly.
Oh my, so this is what a car accident feels like... This is way too painful...
Thinking this, she watched her HP quickly drop to single digits.
[Low Health, Warning!]
[Low Health, Warning!]
What's the point of just warning me?! Damn it, why is my starting village quest so hard?
Suddenly, she heard something.
It seemed to be... the sound of the wind.
Then, her body suddenly felt light, like she had become a feather, her falling speed slowing to an unbelievable pace. She then fell into an embrace, not warm, but broad, giving a strong sense of security.
So familiar...
Apulu Pie forced her eyes open, trying to see who it was, only to have something shoved into her mouth by the other person.
This terrible foreign sensation! Oh my, am I being taken advantage of? Oh no, it's a bottle...
A sweet, warm liquid poured from the bottle, stopping her HP from dropping and slowly starting to recover.
The girl opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a boy's face.
Her nose tingled, and she started to cry.
"Wah, big guy!!!"