Chapter 275: I Want to Leave New Memories with You
Western Continent, northern border of the Holy Kingdom of Fran.
A flourishing small city stood at the foot of the Three Sages Mountain Range.
As the northernmost frontier of human civilization in the Western Continent, the Three Sages Snow Mountain and its surrounding regions had long been synonymous with barrenness, desolation, and the absence of human presence.
A hundred years ago, when technology was still undeveloped, it took over ten hours by sled to reach the border… thus, for the northern dwellers, the only link to the outside world was the merchant caravan that arrived once every six months.
But today, with the rapid development of technology—aircraft, railways, and other means of transportation emerging one after another—the passage between the northern frontier and the Western Continent had already been opened. No longer was it the wild, isolated wasteland it once had been.
And because of the abundance of rare minerals, extraordinary materials, and supernatural creatures hidden within the Three Sages Mountain Range, the treasure-laden northern lands had in turn drawn countless adventurers flocking toward it.
With people coming and going, a brand-new city rose from the ground.
In the bustling crowd, no one remembered anymore how barren and desolate the northern lands once were.
……
“It’s said that, in the distant past, this place we stand upon now used to be a border town called ‘Canaan.’”
“However, around two hundred years ago… perhaps due to some mysterious calamity, that town was razed to the ground overnight.”
“Sounds unbelievable, doesn’t it? As if some divine hand had wiped it clean from the map—leaving not a single trace that Canaan Town had ever existed.”
Inside an adventurers’ tavern in the city, a bearded middle-aged man held up his mug, animatedly recounting the tale to the two people before him.
Just like in the tales sung by bards—
In every adventurers’ tavern, there was always that uncle who loved telling stories to the newcomers. The northern frontier was no exception.
“It’s said that after this eerie incident occurred, the Holy Kingdom even dispatched a Legendary-tier Bishop of the Holy Court to investigate, but ultimately found nothing.”
“Helpless, the authorities had to seal all information related to ‘Canaan,’ classifying it as a top secret…”
“They say—”
The bearded man’s tone slowed, adopting a cautious, enticing rhythm:
“The anomaly that occurred in Canaan Town back then might have involved realms beyond the Legendary Tier—perhaps even that which belonged to the domain of the Gods themselves. That’s why the Church took it so seriously.”
“Mm-hm.”
Among his two listeners, a black-haired, black-eyed young man nodded earnestly. “And then?”
“Nothing special after that.”
The bearded man took a gulp of liquor. “At first, because Canaan Town mysteriously vanished overnight, the nearby residents believed the town had been cursed by the Gods. So they declared the area forbidden and never dared to approach it again.”
“But later, as time passed, no strange phenomena ever appeared there… and after the discovery of rich mineral veins within the Three Sages Mountain Range, it was like a gold rush. People from across the Western Continent began pouring in.”
“Eventually, upon the ruins of old Canaan Town, this new frontier city was built.”
“‘All the bustle in the world is for profit; all the striving, for gain.’” By the end, the bearded man’s coarse words carried an unexpected touch of philosophy. “It’s the same story here, no different.”
He glanced at the young man and woman before him.
Both looked quite young—perhaps a pair of just-of-age adventurer lovers setting out into the world together.
“To be honest, I was a little surprised when you came asking me about this.”
“Even here, on the very site of the old Canaan Town, not many people know of that story anymore.”
“If not for the fact that my family has lived in the North for generations, and that I once heard my elders speak of it when I was a child, I wouldn’t have known either…”
The bearded man studied them briefly but didn’t overthink it—after all, young people tended to be curious.
Judging by their attire and refined looks, they likely belonged to some noble family nearby. Perhaps they’d come across some mention of ‘Canaan’ in an old tome and had come specially to investigate.
“In any case, that’s all I know.”
“After all, it’s been over two hundred years. Even if there were any survivors of the old Canaan Town, they’d be several centuries old by now—long gone, no doubt.”
“For something that distant, the truth’s long been lost to time. It might even have been a tale invented by the elders to scare children, for all we know.”
“Everything I said—just take it as a story.”
“The Three Sages Snow Mountain is a dangerous place, so don’t go getting any bright ideas about exploring it. You’d only be courting death.” The bearded man added kindly.
As he spoke, he drained his cup and his eyes brightened. “Speaking of which, I really didn’t expect your bartending skills to be this good. You managed to make even this tavern’s low-quality brew taste this fine.”
“You’re so young, yet your mixing skill surpasses that of the tavern’s own bartender.”
Hearing the praise, the black-haired young man only smiled faintly. “It’s nothing—just a matter of practice.”
“But regardless, thank you for your story—”
He paused for a moment, then rose, taking the hand of the golden-haired girl beside him, and waved.
“Today, Xiao Ai and I are truly glad.”
“Glad to know that… even after more than two hundred years, someone still remembers the name of that border town.”
Clink.
A crisp sound rang out. The bearded man instinctively raised his hand, only to find a gleaming gold Kol coin now resting in his palm.
By northern standards, that single coin was worth enough to sustain his family of four for half a year.
“Wait—”
The man stared dumbly at the coin, then quickly stood.
“I’m not one of those deceitful informants! I was just telling a story to entertain myself…”
“These tales—I don’t even know if they’re true. I can’t possibly accept such a generous reward…”
His words faltered.
For before him, the figures of the young man and woman had vanished—leaving only two empty seats.
In the distance, the whistling wind swept down from the vast, snow-laden peaks, circling above the city, moaning softly as it drifted away.
……
“Hard to believe…”
“That once-isolated Canaan Town has turned into such a bustling place.”
Rast and Emis stepped out of the adventurers’ tavern, strolling along the wide streets of the border city. Their voices carried a trace of quiet sentiment.
“Yeah.”
Emis nodded slightly. “To be honest, being called an ancient person who lived hundreds of years ago… it’s kind of strange, and a bit unpleasant.”
“Hm?”
Rast looked a little confused. “But we are ancient people who’ve lived for centuries.”
“Whether it’s the hundreds of years I spent trapped in that endless time loop within Deep Blue Port, or the years you spent inside the ‘Artificial Angel’ project…”
“If we’re being precise, by now, we might both be hundreds—perhaps even thousands, or tens of thousands—of years old…”
Rast’s words froze abruptly.
Because at that very moment, beside him, the beautiful sky-blue eyes of Emis were gleaming with a perilously cold light.
“Seventeen.”
“Huh?”
“According to Dean Silver, when measuring the age of an extraordinary being, what truly matters isn’t the years the body has endured, but rather the state of the soul.”
“And my soul has always remained in the form it was when I was seventeen—”
“So, my true age right now is…”
Emis looked straight into Rast’s eyes with those sky-blue pupils.
“Sev—en—teen.”
“Mm-hm, yes, of course—my Xiao Ai will forever be the beautiful seventeen-year-old girl, no doubt about it.”
Rast spoke quickly, and only then did he notice that the temperature around them—on the verge of freezing—had returned to normal.
He exhaled deeply.
Indeed, no woman could escape caring about her age. Even Emis, now an Judgment Angel who could stand sovereign above the River of Time, was no exception.
Of course, before their reunion—in that illusionary Canaan Dreamscape—the Emis back then would never have said something like this.
Back then, she always tried her best to present her gentlest, most flawless self before Rast.
But Rast knew very well: that perfect, gentle girl who waited quietly in the small town with a serene smile wasn’t the real Xiao Ai. She had only been forcing herself to keep going, alone.
The real Emis was just a countryside girl from the borderlands—one who had all the seven emotions and six desires of humankind, and the frailties that came with being human.
And so, only after they reunited in Canaan, did Rast feel that the golden-haired girl beside him had come alive once more.
She had her own fears, could be scared, could act spoiled, could grow jealous and pout whenever she saw him close to Shiltina, and would sometimes show her little tempers or stubbornness when they were alone together.
The Emis of this moment was no longer that eternally smiling, unreal angelic figure… but a living, breathing human girl of flesh and blood, who truly existed in this world.
“That’s more like it.”
A faint smile curved on Emis’s lips as she shifted slightly, leaning her body gently into Rast’s embrace.
“I had a dream yesterday,” she whispered by his ear.
“Oh? What kind of dream?”
“A dream of traveling through time. In it, I dreamed that I had returned to my childhood—to Canaan, before it was destroyed by the ‘Temporal Collapse.’”
“At first, I was happy—seeing Canaan still intact, seeing all the uncles and aunts, the grandpas and grandmas of the town still alive… but soon I realized something was wrong.”
“That Canaan in the dream felt so real, exactly the same as the town in my memories… yet there was one person missing from that town—you, Rast.”
Emis buried her face in Rast’s chest, her soft, pale-gold hair sliding down his arm.
“I searched the whole town, asked everyone, but no one knew of you. It was as if you had never lived in Canaan Town at all.”
“I was terrified. It felt like I was falling endlessly into an abyss; my vision kept dimming, and it was as though the entire world had abandoned me…”
“That fear was so real it nearly suffocated me—so much that, when I awoke from the nightmare, it took me a long while to calm down and tell dream from reality.”
“Fortunately…”
“It was only a nightmare.”
She leaned quietly against Rast’s chest, her voice barely audible.
“Fortunately…”
“The warmth of your embrace right now, your temperature, the sound of your voice I’m hearing…”
“All of this—everything—isn’t a dream.”
Though the street around them was bustling, at that moment it felt utterly silent.
Only the desolate wind raced through the street, moaning as it passed.
Rast said nothing. He simply stroked the girl’s soft, sandalwood-scented, pale-golden hair.
“Rast.”
After a long while, Emis leaned closer and whispered into his ear.
“For our next stop, I want to go to the seaside—to Deep Blue Port, the place that once trapped you for over three hundred years…”
“Although with the turning of eras, Deep Blue Port no longer exists, I’ve already checked—there’s now a new coastal city built there, focused mainly on tourism.”
“And also…”
The girl’s voice wavered slightly with rare hesitation.
“I used my abilities as a Mechanical Angel to book a room at a seaside lovers’ hotel.”
“Of course,” Rast said easily. “Didn’t we agree before? I’d take you to see every mountain and river in this world… wait—”
He suddenly paused, realizing the implication behind her words. “Xiao Ai, you’re not in your Mechanical Lifeform form right now, so that—”
“Even though it’s a mechanical body,” Emis said, her fair cheeks instantly flushing red, “as an angel, I can still maintain my body in a human form!”
Her face still tinted with crimson, she nonetheless spoke again with calm resolve.
Her voice was soft, but each word carried an unwavering firmness.
“Rast—”
“Tonight…”
“I want to leave new memories with you.”
Looking down at the girl in his arms, her sky-blue eyes shining with light, Rast said nothing—he only nodded softly.
“Alright.”