A Family Bound by Love

After the banquet concluded,

Xu Xi and Servia quietly left the White Holy City.

They continued their journey across the continent,

witnessing the landscapes along the way, aiding the impoverished, and experiencing diverse cultures and customs.

Their travels only came to a halt in the seventh month of the simulation.

The land was fertile,

covered in an endless expanse of dense green grass.

It swayed and rippled like emerald waves, brushing against their calves with a faint tickle.

With each breath, the moist, earthy scent of grass filled the air.

A gentle breeze caressed their faces,

soft and soothing.

Xu Xi reached out and plucked a stray blade of grass from Servia’s hair.

"Thank you, Lord Sorcerer," Servia said politely, her voice light and melodious.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her long dress fluttering as she took a few playful steps forward before suddenly turning back to face Xu Xi.

A fleeting happiness glimmered in her crescent-shaped eyes.

"Truly, thank you," she murmured.

"You’ve always been by my side—both in the past and now. It’s only because of you that I’ve been able to keep moving forward."

"Servia, I merely guided you," Xu Xi replied, dismissing his own contributions.

"The courage to move forward has always been yours alone."

The Heroine smiled, as if she had expected such a response from him.

Whoosh…

Whoosh…

The wind whispered in their ears,

lifting her golden, sunlit hair into a dance.

Without replying to Xu Xi’s words, Servia instead made a request with a tender smile.

"Lord Sorcerer," she began,

"will you continue to stay by my side in the days to come?"

Xu Xi nodded. "I will."

Her smile brightened further, and a stray blade of grass fluttered past her cheek, casting a fleeting shadow of light and quiet joy.

"Lord Sorcerer, I will also continue to protect you," she declared.

"Whether in wealth or poverty,

in health or sickness,

your Heroine will always stand by you."

BOOM!!!

The moment the words left her lips, a deafening thunderclap tore through the sky.

The wind howled with increasing ferocity.

Dark clouds rolled in, veins of lightning snaking across them.

The vast grassland bowed under the pressure, leaving only the silent sky split by blinding arcs of lightning.

"Servia, be careful!"

Instinctively, Xu Xi moved to shield her.

The fearless Heroine, despite her bravery, had always been terrified of darkness and thunder.

But this time was different.

Servia merely smiled and gently declined his protection.

"Lord Sorcerer, there’s no need to worry about this storm," she said.

"Let’s just return to Earth."

With that, she extended her palm.

An infinite radiance gathered in her hand, summoning forth the Sword of "Existence" and "Void" with supreme authority.

The prayers of the living.

The memories of the departed.

The foundation of the world.

The annihilation of nothingness.

Endless laws and truths shimmered at the tip of the blade.

With a single swing, she cleaved open a path through the darkness and thunder.

"Heroine Servia, charging forth!"

Her emerald-green eyes shone brighter than ever before.

Space shattered.

Chaos reversed.

Beyond the simulated world, the boundless Sea of Possibility unfolded before Xu Xi once more.

"Please take my hand, Lord Sorcerer."

"Alright."

Xu Xi stepped forward and grasped Servia’s left hand,

following her into the swirling chaos.

[Ding—]

[Simulation will be forcibly terminated. Host is requested to return to the simulated world to ensure proper continuation.]

Infinite time, infinite possibilities.

Layer upon layer of temporal threads converged into a tidal wave capable of overturning all realms, crashing and splitting endlessly beyond the world’s borders.

Xu Xi saw that path again—

glowing amidst the stillness,

faint yet steady.

Unremarkable at first glance, yet it stood unshaken amidst the raging tides of time and space, stretching far beyond sight.

"Next time, I’ll uncover the truth," Xu Xi murmured.

His strength had long surpassed the need for simulations to grow.

The girls had also made it clear that they wouldn’t trouble him again until the cooldown period ended.

In other words,

for a long time to come, Xu Xi wouldn’t initiate another simulation.

Not until the ten-thousand-day cooldown concluded,

and the enigmatic natural cooldown simulation began.

"Time passes so quickly," he mused.

"The first simulation feels like it happened ages ago, yet when I think back, it’s as vivid as yesterday."

Lost in thought, Xu Xi stared at the pale path for a long while.

Finally, the blinding sunlight of reality snapped him back to the present.

A supreme force twisted reality itself,

safely extracting him from the Sea of Possibility.

[Ding—]

[You have exited the simulated timeline. This simulation has been forcibly terminated. Evaluation in progress. Rewards generating.]

[Achievement unlocked: None]

[Simulation summary: None]

[Simulation rating: E]

[Host may select one of the following three rewards. Choice will be granted immediately.]

[1. The Village’s Finest Holy Sword]

[2. Two Banquet Gowns]

[3. A Randomly Rewarded Maze Treasure Chest]

Opening his eyes,

the light of reality poured in.

The courtyard scenery remained as bright and serene as before the simulation began.

"Master, your tea."

A familiar voice sounded beside him.

Ailei had prepared a cup of warm tea the moment the simulation ended.

The soothing drink helped dispel the lingering disorientation.

"Professor, have some cookies."

Krisha approached, her silver-gray hair cascading like liquid light over her fair shoulders, lending her an ethereal glow.

She held a plate of freshly baked cookies.

"Thank you," Xu Xi said to both girls.

Then, glancing around, he asked with slight confusion,

"Krisha, Ailei, have you seen Servia? She should have returned with me."

The courtyard was quiet and empty.

His sister wasn’t home.

The Duchess wasn’t home.

Even the newly returned Heroine was nowhere to be found.

"There’s no need to worry," Krisha reassured him, offering a warm, crisp cookie to his lips.

She assured him the Heroine would return soon.

And so she did.

About five or six minutes later, Servia reappeared in the courtyard—alongside Xu Moli and Wu Yingxue.

"You’re not bad."

"Neither are you."

"Likewise."

The three seemed to get along splendidly,

laughing and chatting with an air of camaraderie.

Pleased by the sight, Xu Xi called out to the Heroine,

"Servia, could you come here for a moment?"

"About this world’s rewards, the options are…"

He explained the three choices to her.

Without hesitation, Servia chose the second reward.

She had no need for a holy sword or a treasure chest—what she truly wanted were the two gowns, mementos of a precious memory.

They were proof of the confession between her and the Sorcerer.

"The gowns…? Understood."

Xu Xi nodded, pulling up the Life Simulator’s interface to confirm the selection.

With a whisper of wind,

two elegant gowns materialized out of thin air.

Xu Xi handed the feminine one to Servia.

"Thank you, Great Sorcerer," the warrior replied courteously, accepting the item with both hands. Inadvertently, the emerald-green ring on his left ring finger caught the light.

Under the sun, the ring gleamed with a dazzling glare, forcing the four girls nearby to instinctively narrow their eyes.