Adventurers saw each other all the time anyway.

Now that they were brothers-in-arms who had fought together, and with Lu Cang making introductions, they quickly grew familiar with one another.

"Hey! Lu Cang, are you going to the Capital?" Luo Si asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I should be heading to the Capital with Iz and the others in a few days."

"What a coincidence. I’m also going to the Capital in a few months, and I’ll probably be staying for quite a while."

"But before that, I need to visit a friend in Mengyue City."

"Oh, then maybe I’ll have a chance to see Sister Luo Si again," Lu Cang said with a cheerful smile.

Lu Cang was committed to playing the role of a child.

The convenience this identity brought was immense.

They had all gathered here because of the Demon tide in the first place. Now that it was over, everyone was preparing to go their separate ways.

Run En was going to prepare for his promotion to Level 5 Defender.

Bais planned to gain more experience for a while. If he didn’t get the chance to advance to Level 5 Mage, he might return to the Capital to take an official post, but that would likely be far in the future.

It was the same for Acrifa. He was a Warrior, and the criterion for a Warrior’s promotion was battle. While his gains from this fight were substantial, it was far from enough to advance to Level 5 Warrior.

People didn’t become Adventurers just for the money.

The principles of Battle Professions mostly had to be accumulated and practiced through combat.

And being an Adventurer was the line of work closest to battle.

Other jobs like the Patrol Team or Stationed Soldiers came with official duties, making it difficult to go on adventures and fight as one pleased.

Trende planned to go home and reunite with his wife. He had earned a lot of money this time, enough to support his wife and their soon-to-be-born child comfortably in a big city.

Besides, with his status as a Level 3 Guardian, he could find a decent job. Even if he quit being an Adventurer, supporting his family wouldn’t be a problem.

"Haha, that’s right. Trende, now that you have a wife and kid, it’s definitely time to hang it up," Meizer laughed heartily.

Lu Cang nodded as well.

’It really is a good ending.’ When Trende had taken out his pocket watch to show them the photo of his wife, Lu Cang’s heart had skipped a beat.

’Looking at it now, the outcome is pretty good.’

This wasn’t a victory banquet, so Lu Cang was drinking a soft drink.

The others, however, were several rounds deep.

Luo Si’s faint sigh reached his ears. "Little Lu Cang... sigh, why do you have to be just a kid?"

"If you were an adult..."

"No, even if you were just thirteen, I... HIC... would fall in love with you."

"When you came to save us that day, you were so, so cool."

Luo Si draped her arm over Lu Cang’s shoulder, clearly a little tipsy.

’Luo Si, thirteen... that’s illegal in my country...’

’But to the eight-year-old Lu Cang, Luo Si clearly just sees him as a child. If she really had romantic feelings for him, she wouldn’t have said it so casually.’

While helping Luo Si sit up straight, Lu Cang smiled and replied, "I like you too, Sister Luo Si."

’Replying to this kind of thing feels like such a hassle.’

’In times like these, it’s best to just play dumb with a standard kid-like answer.’

’This kid identity is so useful.’

As for the opposite sex, Lu Cang didn’t really have any thoughts on the matter at the moment. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’Maybe it’s because I haven’t reached that age yet. Even though I’ve long understood the birds and the bees, my little brother hasn’t grown up yet, so my big head is still the true master of this body.’

’Of course, I’m confident that even when my little brother does grow up, I won’t let him take over.’

Meizer said boisterously, "Luo Si, you’re already an old woman of twenty-four, and you’re still trying to make a move on our little sprout."

Luo Si slammed the table. "Huh? How is twenty-four old?"

’True enough,’ Lu Cang thought. ’To someone with a mental age of twenty-eight, the twenty-four-year-old Luo Si is practically a little sister.’

’Besides, reaching Level 3 Healing Master at twenty-four is quite talented.’

Most Level 3 Professionals were already in their early thirties.

With Luo Si’s Talent, advancing to Level 4 wasn’t out of the question.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, everyone was now properly acquainted.

They exchanged contact information before finally saying their goodbyes and parting ways.

For Adventurers who were used to wandering, wondering when they might meet again wasn’t something they gave much thought to.

Maybe if they happened to pass through an acquaintance’s city someday, they would drop by for a visit.

On the way back, as he passed by the Adventurer’s Guild, he heard a Minstrel inside singing about Iz and his party clearing the Tier Seven Dungeon...

Lu Cang couldn’t help but think that perhaps one day, his own story would be told in exhaustive detail by someone, spreading through the crowded streets and alleys.

Lu Cang’s ears perked up. He faintly heard the final part of the music end, followed by the Minstrel’s voice from inside the Guild: "’Legendary Savior’ is now over! Thank you all for your support! Next up, I bring you ’Lu Cang Saves the Town’!"

’...Couldn’t you have sung mine first?’

’And couldn’t you have come up with a more artistic title? Compared to ’Legendary Savior’, ’Lu Cang Saves the Town’ feels like falling from the Imperial Palace straight into the countryside.’

’Oh well, whatever.’

Besides that one, Lu Cang knew of another song called "The 8-Year-Old Who Fought the Blood King." For now, these were the only two songs about him that the Minstrels were singing. The songs would probably only spread once the Minstrels traveled to other places.

Back at the hotel that night, he read a bit of *Basic Magic Theory (Three)* before going to sleep.

...

「The next day.」

[Training Ground]

"Iz, I want to learn Elemental Void," Lu Cang said.

"That’s a pretty big ask."

"But unfortunately, while I can teach you any other Tier Two magic, this one is the exception. I can’t teach it to you."

Lu Cang asked in a humble tone, "Is it difficult?"

Iz replied, "No, this magic is different from other magic."

"It’s a Root Magic."

’Come to think of it, Iz seemed to have mentioned it during our spar yesterday.’

’A Tier Two Root Magic.’

’And Primordial Origin, which I learned from Meiser, is also a ’Root Magic’.’

’Knowledge about magic is truly like a bottomless well.’

"This is what I was telling you about—you need to have your own thoughts."

"Root Magic is magic that is completely your own. It can’t be taught to anyone, and it’s proof that you are approaching the Root Source."

’In other words, it’s also a Self-created Magic.’

Lu Cang asked, "But, that magic called Primordial Origin..."

Iz shook his head, his expression complicated. "That... is a special case."

Lu Cang asked, "What’s the difference between Root Magic and Self-created Magic?"

"The difference is huge."

"In fact, they’re not in the same league at all."

"With Self-created Magic, it actually always existed... you’re just discovering the method to cast a spell that was already there."

"But Root Magic does not exist in and of itself."

"You must integrate your own thoughts and comprehend the Root Source."

"To you, what is the Root Source? What is the Root Source of the Demon Dao?"

"These... are two questions."