Chapter 181: Shaya, the Fire Thief (Two-in-one)
Splash—
Splash—
The sound of water came from the bathroom.
Along with it, came the light and quick, faint and indistinct humming sound of the Golden Elf.
This was a song favored by the elven bards of the Lost Island.
The song depicted a beautiful epic story—an elf maiden, persecuted by her family and fleeing home, wandered alone and encountered a prince from the Royal Court in an ancient forest. After many hardships, from falling in love to experiencing separation and trials, they finally married and returned home in glory.
Since hearing Shaya’s reply, Heiser had been in a very good mood these past few days.
She had spent a full week preparing to return to the Lost Island.
Just transcribing the basic spell originals alone filled over a hundred volumes.
Among them, the vast majority were low-level spells such as “Wind Blade,” “Mage Hand,” “Glimmer,” and “Ice Shard.”
These third ring level spells were meaningless to Heiser and Shaya; even if they attacked them unguarded, they wouldn’t even be able to break through their skin defense.
However, if they didn’t just want to strengthen themselves, but truly spread Arcana and Magic, this new transcendent system called the Wizard.
If, in the First Era, when the Fallen Sun still existed and the bloodlines of all transcendent races were tainted, they could find a new path for the elves trapped on the Lost Island.
Then, the meaning of these basic spell originals would be even more significant than those of the Forbidden spell class.
After all, no matter how powerful a Forbidden spell was, it couldn’t help someone who had never come into contact with magic to complete their Arcane enlightenment, to take that first step towards becoming a so-called “apprentice wizard.”
And now, with these spell originals that could already be described as a small library—
Then, fulfilling the wishes entrusted to her by her predecessors, and illuminating the path forward for the Elf Royal Court, would have a practical foundation.
And once the entire Elf Race was freed from their difficult predicament, they would also be able to put down the burden that had weighed on them for thousands of years—
At that time, they would be able to act without restraint, without limitation.
They would be able to freely do what they wanted, and follow the person they wanted to follow.
Speaking of which—
Shaya had mentioned establishing a wizard tower on the Western Continent that would teach Arcana and Magic to all races without discrimination.
And.
He also said he wanted to invite me to be the first member of that wizard tower…
Thinking of this, the Golden Elf maiden’s humming became even lighter.
Understood, so the teacher likes to hum while bathing.
Knowledge point +1 on the notebook.
I hope these knowledge points can be useful when I return to reality.
Shaya closed his notebook.
Immediately after, he felt that he had discovered the crucial point.
“Shaya’s Flying House” was a construct made entirely of metal created by him.
He himself was the true master of this small flying house.
In other words, as long as he wanted to, he could at any time freely use his mental power to perceive the exact details of any place.
The bathroom was no exception.
Snap—
As soon as this thought arose, Shaya saw a fluffy white tail sweep across his eyes.
With a soft and ticklish touch, it obscured his eyes.
“Ying ying~ (Master, no cheating.)”
Yin whimpered unhappily.
As the Familiar contracted with Shaya for the longest time, whose soul compatibility had already reached its maximum and could be described as telepathic, Yin could guess Shaya’s thoughts as soon as his mind stirred.
Originally, no matter what Shaya did, Yin was very indifferent.
After all, as the leader of the Little Ai faction and the biggest shareholder of Ai stock, Yin had long since been seated firmly, appearing lazy and idle in daily life.
Even though there were many women surrounding Shaya every day, each with their own charm.
But as the joint witness of Aerora and Shaya’s entire past, Yin knew very well that their mistress’s status in the Master’s heart was not something they could shake.
Flowing heavensent, ironclad childhood sweetheart.
It could only be said that they were already in an unbeatable position, and they didn’t know how to lose.
However, that Golden Elf was an exception.
Whether it was Shaya, Aerora, or Yin, they had all personally experienced the fear of being dominated by that eternal page of the Black Tower.
Although not the same type as Aerora, Yin knew very well that the Golden Elf, like Aerora—
Also held a unique, irreplaceable position in Shaya’s heart.
If there was a slight possibility of defeat remaining after being in an unbeatable position, it would probably be here.
Precisely because of this, since seeing that Golden Elf again in the First Era, Yin had become vigilant.
Fearing that their mistress might be usurped at any moment.
However, soon—
Roar.
A faint roar of an evil dragon sounded.
Yin saw Ye pat her dragon wings with a bewildered expression, looking at him with hostility.
Oh, I almost forgot.
This newly joined newbie seemed to have the best relationship with the Golden Elf.
And she was also possessive.
It was unclear whether the newbie was supporting the Golden Elf or was unhappy about her playing with the Master.
“Don’t fight, don’t fight.”
“What are the benefits of joining? Whoever answers correctly will get it.”
Shaya rubbed the head of the little Black Dragon of Darkness, who was baring its teeth at Yin.
It purred contentedly and closed its eyes, retracting its aggressive posture.
Yin felt a pang of jealousy.
When would this darn newbie bonus end?
However, the little mink was soon picked up by Shaya and placed on his shoulder.
“Yin, you underestimate your Master too much.”
“Although the male protagonist in Shī Jiang’s story has long been decided as me, I’m not that impatient.”
“I haven’t even maxed out my favorability with the young Shī Jiang from the First Era… let alone confirmed our relationship. Sneaking a peek at someone bathing at this time would be pure hooliganism.”
“Your Master isn’t that low-class.”
Yin glanced at Shaya suspiciously.
“Ying ying ying~ (Then what were you thinking just now, Master?)”
“Of course, I was thinking about important matters, not lust?”
Shaya gently tapped the little mink’s head.
He spoke with great righteousness, “I was thinking about the future of the Lost Island.”
“And the future of the Elf Race.”
“Although I am not a member of the Elf Race, since it is my teacher’s mission, then as her male protagonist, this is naturally also my mission.”
“It is only natural.”
“Ying~ (Is that so?)”
Yin flicked its tail, still somewhat suspicious.
But in the next moment, it saw Ye obediently squatting on Shaya’s shoulder.
Its crimson-gold dragon eyes were filled with conviction and adoration, as if stars were about to pop out.
Alas, a newbie.
It’s obvious that this one hasn’t been tricked by the Master yet, and there’s a look of pure foolishness in its eyes.
The little mink sighed in its heart and no longer doubted.
“Ye, have you heard the story of Prometheus?”
Shaya greatly enjoyed Ye looking at him.
After all, his other familiars had suffered greatly from his dark-bellied nature and knew him inside out, so they weren’t so easily fooled.
Why else would everyone like newbies?
“Roar~ (Haven’t heard.)”
Ye shook its head, flapping its small dragon wings expectantly, awaiting further explanation.
In these past few days, for the purpose of increasing intimacy, Shaya had been telling it bedtime stories every night before going to sleep.
From Little Red Riding Hood to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, from The Little Mermaid to One Thousand and One Nights.
Ye, who had no experience, listened enraptured, and the thing it looked forward to most every day was listening to Shaya tell stories.
“Legend has it that in the beginning of the era—”
“Fire was the privilege of the gods above the heavens.”
“And humans on Earth could only wander lost in the endless darkness.”
“To seek protection, to avoid the invasion of beasts and disasters in the darkness, they could only agree to the harsh demands of the celestial gods, exchanging a meager protection for extremely strict sacrificial conditions.”
“However, among those high and mighty celestial gods, there was a traitor named Prometheus.”
“He stole the fire that originally belonged to the celestial gods and brought it to the human world.”
“Thus, in the dark night, where people couldn’t see their fingers and could do nothing, they could light torches and move freely.”
“People no longer had to eat raw meat like savages every day, but could cook and eat cooked food.”
“Even beasts like wolves and tigers, which were originally difficult to resist, could be driven away and resisted with bonfires once they had fire, and no longer had to worry about dying by beast’s mouths.”
He touched Ye’s dark and deep scales and said softly, “Don’t you think that you and Shī Jiang are like Prometheus to the Lost Island?”
“Bringing the fire of Arcana and Magic to that land shrouded by the veil of eternal night.”
“And then, illuminating the future of the Elf Race.”
“Roar~”
Ye nodded, seemingly understanding but not understanding.
After all, it had only recently hatched and had no experience, so it couldn’t fully grasp the deeper meaning of Shaya’s words.
And being born with the authority of shadows and born in darkness, it naturally wouldn’t understand what the “fire” in Shaya’s mouth meant to races yearning for light.
It simply mechanically remembered the somewhat difficult and complex name Prometheus.
However, with the status of the Dragon of Darkness, even a stiff memorization was enough to make it never forget.
What Ye cared more about was the rest of the story.
“Roar~ (Then what happened? What happened to that P-Prometheus?)”
According to Shaya’s usual storytelling style, most of the fairy tales ended with a happy and complete reunion.
Just like Snow White and Cinderella would eventually live happily with their princes, and the wicked queen with the magic mirror and Cinderella’s evil stepmother and stepsisters would all receive their due punishment.
However, facing Ye’s gaze, Shaya merely shook his head gently.
“Ye—”
“You must know that fairy tales are fairy tales precisely because they are dreamy, magnificent, yet unattainable.”
“Not all stories will have a perfect ending like those fairy tales.”
“Prometheus brought fire to the human world.”
“And the King of the Gods, looking down from Mount Olympus in the clouds, saw the myriad of human activities lit by fire, and naturally discovered the truth of the stolen fire, becoming enraged and ordering the capture of that despicable fire thief.”
“Originally, Prometheus hid in the human world, and even the celestial gods couldn’t find him so easily, only able to vainly cast down lightning to vent their anger.”
“However, the wrath of the celestial gods caused people to fear and be afraid.”
“People began to blame the fire thief for angering the King of the Gods, bringing divine punishment and disaster to the human world, and chose to help the celestial gods capture Prometheus who was hiding in the human world.”
“The celestial gods took him to a high mountain, bound him with an unbreakable chain to a steep cliff, preventing him from ever sleeping, his tired knees unable to bend, and a diamond nail driven into his heaving chest. Prometheus was forced to endure hunger, wind, sun, and rain day and night.”
“They also sent an evil vulture, which pecked at his liver, which condensed human emotions, every day. After eating it during the day, it grew back at night, day after day, year after year.”
Hearing Shaya’s narration, Ye flapped its dragon wings in confusion.
“Wuwu~ (Why is this happening?)”
“Wuwu~ (Didn’t Prometheus steal fire to benefit humanity? Why did he suffer betrayal instead?)”
“Because, this is reality.”
“Long periods of time can change many things; thousands of years are enough to turn people’s gratitude towards Prometheus into disdain and indifference.”
Shaya’s words were somewhat profound.
“Forgetting is a disaster, and it is also a weapon.”
“People first take away their memories, destroy their books, their culture, their history.”
“Others come to write other books for them, create other cultures for them, and fabricate other histories for them.”
“After that, this nation will slowly forget who they are now and who they were in the past. The world around them will forget them more quickly.”
Shaya paused slightly.
“There is nothing new under the sun.”
“Not only in the story of Prometheus…”
“It will be the same in this reality called the Lost Island.”
“However.”
A curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Who cares, she is my teacher.”
Ye lay on Shaya’s head and nodded, seemingly understanding but not understanding.
“Shaya, what are you talking to Ye about?”
A clear and pleasant voice came from the direction of the bathroom.
Shaya looked up and saw the Golden Elf maiden had changed back into her pure white robe, blowing dry her wet long hair with “Gust” while braiding her light golden hair into a princess braid.
“I think I heard Prometheus and the fire thief? Is it a new story?”
Facing the Golden Elf’s slightly curious gaze, Shaya merely smiled and shook his head, “It’s nothing.”
He opened the door of the flying house.
Then, in the void, he extended his hand to Heiser.
“Since you’re ready to return to the Lost Island—”
“Then, let’s go.”
