The Magician's Journey

  I left behind the chaotic noise and walked towards the depths of the palace, the intense battle had exhausted my magic power, at this moment I need to find a place to recover as soon as possible. Walking out of the back hall, it was the palace garden, now already in deep autumn, the garden was withered and bare, all kinds of plants looked somewhat scattered, trees and flowers had long lost their lush green color, looking far away, the dark and gloomy atmosphere was oppressive.

  I walked along the pond to Sulina's bedroom, all the way quietly without anyone, the weather was a bit cool, although it had no effect on me, but it added more autumnal desolation to the garden. I took a deep breath and shook my head hard, trying to dispel the oppressive feeling brought by this scene.

  As I turned a corner, my eyes suddenly lit up. In the distance, a young girl was playing with a little boy, wearing a pale green dress, while the child was dressed in pale yellow, standing out particularly bright and lovely against the dull gray background. The two were happily at play, the little boy seemingly just learning to walk, still a bit unsteady on his feet, but with the girl's help, he was excitedly taking quick steps forward. To keep him from falling, the girl had to bend down and hold onto the boy, and from afar came the sound of the little boy's excited laughter.

  I walked quickly over and said to the girl, "Xilu, thank you so much. I knew you could find him. How was it? Did you encounter any enemies?"

  Xī Lù smiled and said, "It's nothing, just a few small fish and shrimp, I sent them away. Your child is really cute, not shy at all, seeing me smile, he likes me very much."

  I lowered my head and looked at the chubby boy in front of me, whose eyebrows and eyes vaguely resembled mine. I stretched out my hand to pick him up and held him high, he excitedly shouted and laughed loudly. I repeated this action several times, and he continued to shout and laugh with excitement.

  After playing with my son for a long time, I finally held him in my arms and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The child quickly calmed down and didn't insist on continuing to play the high-five game with me, but quietly pulled at my collar and grasped my hand, playing back and forth.

  I gazed at him and smiled, saying: "Xilu, look, my son is so handsome, with a bit of my charm."

  Xī Lù chōng wǒ zuò le gè guǐ liǎn, shuō dào: "bié xiàng nǐ yí yàng, zhāo rě nà me duō nǚ hái jiù xíng."

  Translation:

  Xi Lu made a face at me and said, "Just don't be like you, provoking so many girls will do."

  I innocently said: "Where did I provoke many girls? In the past, the number one beauty in the village didn't even give me a glance, it broke my heart for a long time."

  "Really? Is there such a thing? What kind of (guy) does she like?"

  I recalled Serene and thought of that dazed period, chuckled and said: "She prefers men with heroic muscles."

  Xi Lu looked me up and down, saying: "Indeed... you look a bit more refined now, compared to those battle-hardened warriors, your body also has less of that cold, stern feeling."

  I looked at Xilu with disdain and said, "So Xilu also likes muscular men."

  Xī lù chōng wǒ jiào le yī kǒu，bù xiè de shuō: "Wǒ cái bù xǐ huān jī ròu nán, nǐ bié wāi qū wǒ de yì si."

  Translation:

  Xi Lu spat at me and said disdainfully: "I don't like muscular men, don't distort my meaning."

  I nodded and said: "Oh, I see... so you still like me this way."

  Xi Lu's face turned red as she said, "Pfft, who likes you?"

  I was just about to speak when I saw Ciel's eyes gaze into the distance. Following her line of sight, I turned around and saw Serina walking towards us from afar. Ciel took the child from my hands and held him in her arms, saying: "You talk with Her Majesty the Queen, I'll take little Arik out to play."

  I leaned over and kissed my son on the cheek, then said, "Thanks, Silu." Silu scrunched up her nose at me and walked away with my son.

  Sulina walked over quickly and stood in front of me.

  "Is everything all right?" I asked.

  Sulina nodded and said, "The enemies within the castle have been temporarily cleared. However, the army of Haishi Department has now surrounded the castle, this time they are determined to eliminate me and occupy the entire kingdom. The ambition of the chief of Haishi Department is not small, Alik, thanks to you this time."

  I shook my head and said, "No matter what, after all, I still have a child here, I can't let you put him in danger."

  "Sulina lowered her head and said, 'This time I was wrong. Since compromise cannot bring peace, then there is only war. This is the way of solving problems that I dislike the most. Every time there is a war, my people are the ones who suffer in the end. It's hard for me to bear.'"

  I couldn't understand her thoughts, just as she didn't understand my path. At this moment, I had no way to comfort her, so I simply dropped the subject and asked: "The city of Wang is surrounded, do you have confidence in defeating the army of Haishi?"

  Sulina nodded and said, "The reinforcements will arrive soon, and the defensive strength of the royal city is sufficient. Since my uncle's rebellion last time, I have strengthened the defense of the capital and deployed more troops who are absolutely loyal to me to guard the capital. There are also troops stationed in the surrounding areas tens of kilometers away from the royal city. The Hai Shi department has sent its elite forces this time, but they cannot withstand the attack from both inside and outside by my loyal troops. Their destruction is only a matter of time. This time, their assassination attempt was unsuccessful, but it has become the best opportunity for us to annihilate the Hai Shi department's living forces. After this battle, the Hai Shi department will never be able to make trouble again, nor will they have the strength to resist me. It's just a pity that too many people died, which is a loss for the country. This time, the overall strength of the entire country will retreat greatly."

  I nodded and said: "As long as you're safe, that's all I care about. Those national affairs are beyond my understanding and I don't want to understand them either. Leave the rest of the things for you to worry about."

  "Sulina said helplessly: "Alek, I know how smart you are and how high your comprehension is. Why don't you want to participate in these things? In fact, if you're willing, this country also has half of yours."

  I smiled wryly and said, "I know all this, but my father once told me that a person's energy is limited, and only by focusing can one achieve success. Managing a country, navigating the complexities of power, requires a great deal of energy. Learning magic is no exception, researching magic also requires a huge amount of energy and time. No one can easily succeed, many people devote their entire lives to studying magic, but it's not guaranteed that they'll become a great magician. Although I have a good talent for magic and coincidentally obtained some benefits that others can only dream of, if I want to continue on this path, I mustn't divide my attention to do other things. The result will only be that nothing is accomplished. Since I've chosen this path, I must work hard to move forward, otherwise, I'll be wasting the heavens' favor towards me."

  Sulina nodded thoughtfully and gazed at the children who were happily playing with Xilu...