Chapter 850

Chapter 850: Reunion with the Ghost Princess

After waiting for Ye Ling and the two little birds, Lolan Hill gathered her books and then stood up to have lunch together.

The small stove bubbled merrily between the two, with chunks of meat, potatoes, and vegetables rolling around inside, emitting a pleasant aroma. This time, Lolan prepared tiny wooden bowls for the birds, placing them nearby and filling them with some food.

Sitting under the lush canopy of trees, the chirping of cicadas could be heard from above. The happy lunch began.

“How delicious~” Ye Ling picked up her chopsticks and continuously fished out her favorite dishes from the pot, continuing her usual praise.

Seeing the traces of water on Ye Ling’s body, Lolan asked curiously, “Did you go play by the river?”

“Yes, that little river is quite clear. It feels great to soak in it.”

“But if we had fishing rods, it would be even better to sit there and fish.”

“There are fishing rods behind the small house, but we need to check if they can still be used. I haven’t fished in a long time,” Lolan recalled. She remembered sitting by the river, patiently teaching Keti how to fish. Unfortunately, Keti was not very interested and often fell asleep while sitting there.

As she put it, “Can’t we just catch the fish directly? Waiting to catch fish is so frustrating.”

If not for Lolan’s intervention, this fire witch would have probably dried up the entire river, since the fish would eventually end up in the pot anyway.

While eating, they occasionally talked about things in the forest.

“Beyond this maple forest, heading south, you’ll find the village of the Rabbit-Eared Tribe. Well, perhaps now it should be called a city.”

“If anything is needed, you can buy it there. But usually, I make most things myself.”

“Are the furniture pieces also made by you?”

“Yes, it took me quite some time back then. At first, I was not very proficient and wasted some wood. Later, I gradually found the knack.” Lolan smiled recalling her initial clumsy attempts.

Though she encountered many challenges, it was quite interesting overall, and she spent a good period living a pastoral life here.

After finishing their lunch, they tidied up briefly and prepared to visit Yi Xuegelin.

“It’s best to bring a gift,” Lolan thought. It had been a long time since they last met, and Yi Xuegelin had helped her a lot before. Lolan did not want to visit empty-handed.

But what should she bring? This ice elf princess was a ghost and seemed to lack nothing in terms of daily necessities.

Lolan pondered, suddenly remembering the fruit that another elf princess, Aitexi, had asked her to cultivate.

She decided to use these fruits to make something.

Back in the house, the girl found the earthenware pot she used for boiling sugar and poured in the stored maple syrup. Then she started cooking over a low flame.

Gradually, a sweet fragrance filled the air, attracting Ye Ling over. Seeing Lolan carefully preparing the ingredients, Ye Ling didn’t disturb her but stood quietly and curiously watching.

When the maple syrup became thick, the girl added juice from Moss Red Berries, mixed with a bit of powder from Luminescent Flowers. Then, using a potion formula modified in the Eastern Region, she added various auxiliary ingredients, blending them slowly to ensure full reaction.

The liquid in the pot changed colors, first turning from orange to deep purple, then flowing like a liquid, and finally evaporating excess moisture to gradually become purplish red. The purplish red then lightened, turning into a deep red until it eventually took on a blood orange hue.

“It’s still a bit too dark, but this is the best we can do. If we continue, the medicinal effects will change,” Lolan analyzed.

Then she extinguished the flame, took a wooden mold she had prepared, sprinkled some flour on it, and poured the syrup into the small compartments in the mold, covering it afterward.

Seeing the crescent-shaped compartments, Ye Ling curiously asked, “Are you making candy?”

“Yes, but it’s different from what I remember.” Lolan actually intended to make orange-flavored candy, but the color seemed too dark, resembling amber more than orange.

After all, adding so many other ingredients made it difficult to maintain the original color.

Once the candy cooled down a bit, Lolan removed the lid and poured out the semi-solidified blocks, sprinkling some flour to prevent sticking. She then placed the reddish-orange orange slices into jars.

This was done!

Holding the soft and elastic orange slices, Lolan tasted one herself. They had a rich fruity flavor, but not overly sweet, making one eager to eat another after the first.

“I want some too,” seeing Lolan hadn’t offered her one, Ye Ling immediately reached out in a playful manner.

“Sure, here you go.” The girl grabbed six orange slices and placed them in Ye Ling’s tiny hand. The candy was still slightly warm.

“They’re so sweet, it feels like eating freshly picked fruit,” Ye Ling ate each piece one by one, soon finishing them all.

“Alright, don’t look at me anymore. We still need to give these away. You can’t eat all of them,” Lolan teased, protecting the jar beside her to prevent the little one from stealing any.

“Can you make them for me again? I really like them.”

“Sure, I’ll write down the recipe and method for you. You can learn it yourself.”

“Great, thank you, Lolan.”

By the time they finished making the candy, it was already past four in the afternoon. Looking outside at the setting sun, the girl hesitated for a moment and decided to set off today.

Perhaps nighttime would be better for visiting Yi Xuegelin, as ghosts generally prefer the coolness of night.

With the idea of cooler weather at night, Lolan and Ye Ling set off.

This time, Lolan didn’t fly directly; instead, she sat on Ye Ling’s back, which was naturally in her dragon form.

Transformed into a huge dragon with green and red scales, this little one seemed much more violent. Flapping her wings, she flew through the forest, startling a flock of birds and wild beasts, giving the impression of playful mischief.

Speaking of which, this child really looks unrecognizable when transformed into a dragon.

Stroking the hard, gradually reddening scales in front of her, Lolan could feel the surging magic power within, like a small sun burning beneath. This was still Lolan’s restrained form. If she unleashed her full power, a scorching red flame would likely envelop her.

With Lolan leading the way, the demonic beasts in the mountain forest fled, allowing them to travel smoothly. Finally, they arrived at Yi Xuegelin’s residence just as the sun set.

A clear lake, like a sapphire, lay peacefully embedded in the earth. Around the lake was a vast expanse of ice-blue flower sea, even in summer, it felt cold, as if the temperature had dropped significantly.

“Is this the place?” Ye Ling asked Lolan behind her.

“Yes.” Immediately, Ye Ling resumed her human form, and they slowly descended.

Beside them was an ice-blue flower sea, with flowers blooming in six petals, gradually transitioning from white to blue edges, giving an icy beauty.

Walking through the flower sea for a few steps, Lolan stopped at the edge of the lake, contemplating how to greet Yi Xuegelin. She dipped her hand into the cold water, stirring it gently, creating ripples.

Yi Xuegelin’s body lay sleeping underwater, so this could be considered knocking on the door.

The girl thought that Yi Xuegelin, with her strength, would surely sense this disturbance.

Indeed, a whirlpool formed in the center of the lake, and a beautiful, ethereal figure gradually emerged.

“You’re back, Lolan.”

This ice elf princess wore the same exquisite dress as in her lifetime, looking at her old friend after a long separation.

“It’s been a while, Yi Xue,” Lolan waved. Then, the ghost princess crossed the lake surface and hugged her.

It was cool, yet soft like cotton. The ghost’s body had no substance, only simulating a partial sense of touch.

After hugging for a while, the lonely ice elf princess let go and circled around the girl.

“Lolan is still alive, that’s wonderful,” she said with a voice as clear as snow.

“Yeah, I’m still alive. Sorry for not visiting sooner, I’ve kept you worried.”

Lolan scratched her hair, feeling somewhat embarrassed. She and Keti had set out for the southern battlefield, telling Yi Xue they’d return in winter to build snowmen and ice sculptures. However, it had been over ten years since they last met.

For Yi Xue, who had only a shallow blue gaze, there was no blame in her eyes. Instead, she appeared relieved and happy to see Lolan return.

As a ghost, most things in the world were unrelated to her. The past millennium had left her distant from life, and now, the only connection she had with the outside world was this silver-haired girl. If Lolan didn’t come, she might have remained asleep at the bottom of the lake, uninterested in the outside world and having no other relatives or friends worth caring about.

After a brief reunion, Yi Xuegelin looked at Ye Ling behind Lolan, her eyes gleaming slightly.

“Dragon?”

“Yes, Ye Ling comes from the Eastern Continent’s House of Plantagenet, a land known for its dragon bloodline,” Lolan explained briefly.

“Hello, my name is Ye Ling.” The dragon maiden introduced herself simply.

“Mm, I’ve heard of the East. There’s a five-colored phoenix witch there,” Yi Xue nodded, recalling the events of the Second Era.

“The Phoenix Witch,” the girl pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

Forget it, it’s not important. The Phoenix Witch has long gone, and the other five phoenixes are scattered and lost.

“Has Yi Xue ever eaten candy before?” Lolan took the jar of orange slices from her storage space.

“Yes, but a long time ago.” Yi Xue nodded, as a member of the Ice Elf royal family, she had lived a luxurious life in the past.

“What about this one?” Lolan opened the jar, revealing the cute, soft candies shaped like orange slices.

“These are ones I recently made, because I wanted to give them to you, I slightly modified the recipe to make it beneficial for elves,” the girl handed the jar over.

Using her ghostly body to gently hold the jar, Yi Xue curiously took out a piece and swallowed it. The soft candy dissolved in her semi-substantial ghostly body, spreading a strange yet fresh magic power throughout.

This candy was beneficial for ghosts, making their bodies more solid.

Yi Xuegelin briefly analyzed this and was touched by Lolan’s thoughtfulness, feeling a faint happiness.

“I really like it, thank you, Lolan,” she bowed gracefully in her ghostly form.

“Glad you like it. How about we sit on the hillside for a while?” After looking around and seeing the flower sea everywhere, Lolan wanted to find a comfortable spot to talk with Yi Xue.

The three came to a gentle slope overlooking the lake and flower sea. Lolan and Yi Xue began chatting lightly, while Ye Ling ran freely on the hillside, chasing the ice-blue flame bees in the wilderness at night.

“After I left, did anything happen in the Sighing Mountains?” The girl recalled the chaotic situation that day.

“Great magic fluctuations occurred in the northern part of the Sighing Mountains. That day, I saw many chaotic phantoms wandering around, corrupting everything they passed.”

“I managed to stop a few, but most were attracted by the beacon light column.”

“Sages of Sequence Nine arrived to seal the vortex in the mountains, but they were ambushed halfway and trapped by the enemy, unable to escape.”

“At that time, I was only at Sequence Eight and couldn’t handle those experienced and powerful sages, so I could only observe from the shadows.”

“In their conversation, I caught snippets about ancient ruins. It was said that following certain discoveries and performing secret techniques could gradually transform someone into a being similar to the chaotic phantoms.”

“This way, one could survive the chaos.”

“‘We are merely treading the path of our ancestors, what’s wrong with that?’ That was what the traitorous sage said.”

“Unfortunately, when both sides fought again, another sun rose in the sky. Afterwards, I lost my magic power and consciousness, only regaining it seven years later.”

“It felt like a long dream, waking up to find the world had changed overnight.”

“I prefer to stay by the lake, sometimes walking around or trimming the plants.”

Yi Xuegelin spoke calmly, neither sad nor happy, only with a serene tone.

“Doesn’t it get lonely living alone?”

“A bit, but I’ve gotten used to it,” Yi Xuegelin shook her head.

“How about you come with me this time? I’ll be going to Emanas soon, and I might need your help.”

Lolan extended her hand, inviting Yi Xuegelin.

“No problem. Perhaps because of you, life will become more interesting,” Yi Xuegelin placed her hand in Lolan’s, and they held hands lightly.

“This time, I’ll be relying on you again, Yi Xue.”

The girl blinked, looking at the ice elf princess who was already at Sequence Eight as a necromancer.

No wonder she was such a peculiar ghost, having resurrected several times. Her progression speed was even faster than Bumansa, a genius. Or perhaps, this flower sea accelerated her cultivation process, making her stronger.

In an era where Sequence Nine was absent, this ice elf princess at Sequence Eight possessed terrifying pressure.

This time, Lolan decided to use every available force to stabilize the empire quickly and prepare for the upcoming calamity.

(End of Chapter)