New Destination

Three days slipped away like sand through an hourglass.

When Xia Lun watched Aina wipe away the magic circle on the ground, he felt as though a lifetime had passed.

The three days Aina had mentioned must have included the nights as well.

Xia Lun hadn’t looked forward to indulgent nighttime activities in a long time.

Because during the day, he could only sit in the magic circle like a wooden post, which was truly agonizing.

At least at night, he could happily immerse himself in his routine.

On the first day, Xia Lun felt nothing unusual—if anything, he had an abundance of energy, as though he possessed inexhaustible strength. But by the second day, his body did start to feel some strain—though it wasn’t a big deal. On the third day, Xia Lun began to sense a slight dizziness, a symptom of mana overdose—mana vertigo.

Ordinary people would have long since burst from such an overload, but for Xia Lun, it was nothing more than a trivial ailment.

Mian, who had been full of energy at the start, was later lying on the ground like a dead dog, unable to move a muscle. Musen thoughtfully even prepared a blanket for him, worried that he might catch a cold.

The constant feeling of losing mana was unpleasant, as if his body was slowly weakening. In truth, it was merely a mental sensation—Mian’s body had not suffered any real harm.

The mana within Mian hadn’t been drained dry; a considerable—though safe—portion had been left for him. For Mian himself, it was significant enough. Compared to the entire mana stone vein, however, it was naturally negligible.

But even so, this mana was already a valuable asset for Mian, enough to ensure he wouldn’t have to worry about improving his mana for a long time—a blessing any other mage would envy.

One thing worth mentioning was that Liyana had genuinely stayed by the magic circle for these three days, faithfully accompanying Xia Lun without taking Mo Lini out on any wild adventures.

In truth, it was pretty much the same as their time on the road—most of that was spent sitting in the cramped space of the carriage, chatting or staring into space.

Even though she complained constantly, Liyana could handle boredom when needed. Her grumbling was just a way of letting off steam.

“Xia Lun, where should we go next?” Liyana had already started planning their next adventure.

“Hmm… Where do you want to go? It’s up to you.” Xia Lun couldn’t help but smile at her eager expression.

Keeping Liyana cooped up in the estate for so long must have driven her nearly crazy.

“Me?” Liyana blinked, tapping her chin as if deep in thought. “Actually… I don’t really have anywhere special I want to go. It’s more fun tagging along with you all.” She grinned playfully and stuck out her tongue. “I’ve already been everywhere interesting on this continent, pretty much.”

“Next, we’re going to Dawnbreak City.”

Aina’s cool, clear voice cut into the conversation with a note of finality. She straightened up slowly, her gaze sweeping across everyone before landing on Xia Lun.

An undisguised look of surprise immediately spread across Liyana’s face, along with a hint of subtle unease. Xia Lun frowned slightly, showing his confusion.

“What kind of place is Dawnbreak City?” Xia Lun asked curiously. He had never heard of such a name.

Moreover, the name was obviously different from ordinary cities. In this world, most city names originated from ancient noble surnames or emblematic totems. It was rare to have a city named with such an abstract concept.

“It’s a newly emerging city. It’s normal that you don’t know about it.” Aina narrowed her eyes.

Xia Lun felt she was clearly holding back something.

“Is there something special about Dawnbreak City?” Xia Lun pressed further.

“Xia Lun… Dawnbreak City…” It was Liyana who answered instead, her expression somewhat complicated. “Dawnbreak City is the current headquarters of the Dawn’s Wings.”

Only then did Xia Lun understand.

Before Xia Lun was revived, Liyana knew that the Dawn’s Wings had made a comeback. But she had never taken the initiative to reach out to it—deliberately avoiding the matter, for reasons both conscious and unconscious.

After all, the Dawn’s Wings was the adventurer team originally founded by Xia Lun. It still held a significant place in Liyana’s heart. But the Dawn’s Wings of today was no longer what it once was.

Liyana naturally knew this was Aina’s doing. Since the two of them were the only remaining original members, only she and Aina had the authority to reestablish it after the team had been frozen.

Liyana wasn’t sure why Aina had done this, but she really didn’t want Xia Lun to see the Dawn’s Wings in its current state. She was afraid he wouldn’t be able to accept it. She also wished that the Dawn’s Wings could remain as it was in her memories—forever frozen at the moment they parted.

“Liyana… what’s wrong?” Mo Lini tugged at Liyana’s sleeve. She could feel that something was off with Liyana’s mood.

Liyana was always the carefree type; Mo Lini couldn’t recall ever seeing her look so downcast.

“I’m fine! Then let’s do what Aina said—we’re heading to Dawnbreak City next!” Liyana forced a bright smile, though her eyes kept darting toward Xia Lun.

Xia Lun had been the captain of the Dawn’s Wings… and even though Aina was his wife and wouldn’t blame him even if he was dissatisfied with the team’s current state, it would still sting for him, wouldn’t it?

“Is the Dawn’s Wings already the largest adventurer team in the world now?” Xia Lun gently patted Aina on the head. “That’s amazing, Aina… Making the Dawn’s Wings the strongest adventurer team was always my dream.”

“It was nothing,” Aina said, lifting her delicate chin slightly. She narrowed her eyes with a pleased look. “You told me about your dream long ago. I’ve always remembered it.”

Liyana’s pupils instantly trembled as if hit by an earthquake.

A wave of betrayal washed over her!

She hadn’t even known Xia Lun had that dream!

Damn it, that man—Xia Lun—so loyal to his sweetheart and forgetful of his friends!

Oh… wait, he probably did mention it to everyone before. Liyana vaguely recalled something like that, but back then she was too busy clowning around with Moke to pay attention, and later she just forgot. Hehe…

At that thought, Liyana’s cheeks burned slightly. She shrank her neck, feeling guilty.

“Great! So, we’re headed to Dawnbreak City!” Liyana suddenly perked up again, shouting loudly, as if trying to cover up her guilt with exaggerated enthusiasm.

No one else was startled by Liyana’s abruptness—they were all used to it.

“Then let’s get ready.” Xia Lun walked over to the window, his gaze slowly sweeping across the estate garden bathed in sunset light. “If there’s nothing else… we’ll set out tomorrow.”