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As night fell, the sound of burning wood on the beach sand crackled.
The fiery red light dispelled the darkness, illuminating the beach.
"So hungry—"
"So sleepy."
Frieren squinted, warming herself by the bonfire made of burning planks.
"Finally two-thirds done!"
Fern's tired face showed a slightly relaxed smile.
The morning's unpleasantness had long since dissipated with the busy work.
"Indeed, I said Fern is an optimistic person."
Yulian pulled a long face.
God knows what was on his mind working alongside the two of them.
Even for the Demon Race and elves, such busy days were quite long, yet Fern could still smile~
"Speaking of optimism, I think Mistress Frieren and Mr. Yulian should be the most relaxed and happy people, right?"
Fern pouted slightly.
"Every morning I have to wake up Mr. Yulian and Mistress Frieren—"
"Not to mention buying you breakfast—"
"Mr. Yulian dislikes eating bread every day, and Mistress Frieren needs me to coax her to eat—"
"Sometimes I even have to dress Mistress Frieren—"
Fern counted on her fingers, listing each thing, and finally her face darkened.
"I'm completely Yulian and Mistress Frieren's mom, aren't I?"
"I can do it myself."
Frieren bit her lip, her stomach rumbling, but she still spoke stubbornly.
Yulian, however, had already accepted reality and began asking Fern what they would eat later.
"I guess so~"
Yulian smiled sheepishly, then lowered his head and rubbed his belly.
He hadn't had a drop of water since this morning.
"So, Fern mom, what are we going to eat later?"
"I, I'm not mom!"
Fern's face turned red from Yulian's astonishing remark, but she still thought seriously.
"Yesterday we had seafood rice—"
"Hmm..."
Fern bit her lip.
"Today I'll personally cook a meal for you."
"You've worked hard, Fern!"
In Yulian's dim eyes, light almost burst forth at this moment.
The food in this small border town usually only consisted of bread and sweet potatoes; even seafood soup was a rare existence!
Accustomed to delicacies from mountains and seas, Yulian was already tired of eating these things every day. Fern deciding to cook today was equivalent to having a day of fine dining!
Now, Fern mom's cooking skills were much better than Yulian's!
"It's just that if we do this, the stored supplies will be consumed significantly."
Fern closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
The supplies stored in the silver ring came into view, and only a small portion was left.
"As for supplies, we can get some more when we reach Azer."
Hearing that Fern was going to cook, Frieren also became energetic.
She immediately resolved Fern's worries.
"But even so, we have to wait for this fire—"
Fern looked at the roaring bonfire in front of her, and hadn't finished speaking.
The next second, Frieren had already activated the [Hellfire] Magic, burning the collected wood scraps completely.
Yulian: "...?"
Fern: "...?"
"Time to go home and eat!"
Frieren showed a puff smile.
=ω=
In the kitchen, Fern was busy, the sound of stir-frying was endless.
In the living room, the fire in the fireplace burned brightly.
Yulian, Frieren, and the old Village chief sat around chatting.
"So it will be cleared up soon!"
The old Village chief's squinted eyes suddenly opened wide, and his mouth also opened wide.
"Not that soon—"
"After all, it might still take one or two months."
Frieren drank warm tea, estimating the time needed to clear the beach.
Then her eyes lit up, as if she suddenly remembered something, and she asked curiously.
"I remember it was very lively when I came here before."
"Why is it suddenly so desolate?"
How long ago was 'before'?
Yulian sat listlessly on the side, listening to the two chat, occasionally complaining in his heart.
"Well..."
The old Village chief's face showed a somewhat troubled expression.
"Is there some unspeakable secret?"
Frieren became slightly interested.
Her beautiful green jewel-like eyes blinked brightly.
"Speaking of which, it's also our own reason."
The old Village chief nodded.
"Many years ago, our city did develop very well, and the title of 'Commercial City' once belonged to us."
The old Village chief sighed.
"But because we couldn't bear the the Royal Capital's harsh taxes and strict management—"
"Finally, we closed the port next to the beach, preventing sea and land traffic."
"And because there was no convenient sea and land transportation, over time, our small city also became desolate."
"So those abandoned ships and the strange wooden fragments I mentioned were actually made by yourselves, not garbage from the sea at all?"
Frieren's face darkened.
She received a helpless nod from the old Village chief.
"Sorry, it is indeed our fault."
"But you are asking us to help clear the coast now, aren't you afraid it will return to its previous state in the future?"
Yulian's face showed surprise.
Looking at the bald little old man, his eyes were full of the look of someone seeing a genius.
"There's nothing we can do..."
The old Village chief held his cane helplessly.
"Now we are abandoned, and because of the city's construction in the past, we have lost our cultivated land."
"Relying only on ourselves, we might soon be unable to live here..."
"Another reason from the Kingdom?"
Frieren looked at Yulian strangely.
Why had she never heard of these things when she traveled alone before?
Yulian was bewildered by the look, but seeing a good opportunity, he immediately asked tentatively.
"I have a route at sea. If you give up clearing the coast, I'll give you the trade route—"
"This way you won't have to worry about the Kingdom restricting you again later—"
"What do you think?"
"You know about that port?"
The old Village chief was a little surprised.
"Didn't I see it when clearing the beach these past two days?"
Yulian casually lied and continued to ask.
"Think about it and give me an answer, okay?"
"That port was cleared by someone, I don't know who, and there were occasional outsiders who came to trade before."
"But they haven't come for several months—"
The old Village chief pursed his lips.
"I'm not sure what the outcome you mentioned will be like—"
"I've already missed one opportunity, I'm sorry."
The old Village chief was clearly tempted.
But in the end, he refused.
Yulian sighed inwardly with regret but did not insist.
As for why no outsiders had come to trade through the port in the past few months, the answer was naturally self-evident.
"You have so many secrets."
Frieren stared at Yulian for a long while before sighing faintly.
"Dinner's ready!"
Fern's pleasant voice came from the kitchen.
Seeing this, Yulian grinned at Frieren and then entered the kitchen...
"I'm here to help~"
Whispers between the two came from the kitchen.
"Mr. Yulian, I understand now what you meant by [If life is only like the first encounter]."
Fern said softly.
"Huh, really!"
Yulian was full of disbelief.
"Yes—"
"If we were still when we first met, Mr. Yulian definitely wouldn't come to help only after finishing the work."
"..."
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