Water Mage in the Flame Realm-Chapter 296 - 286: Yin and Yang Form Tai Chi

Whether it was those days in the Inner Sea Desert or the time in Warm Fire City, in Andrew's memory, Barbara had never looked at him like that.

He couldn't help but smile and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Outside the south-facing window of the room, one could see the Royal Court and the snow-covered tundra beyond. The north-facing window offered a view of the endless snow-capped mountains. The room was very quiet, so tranquil and peaceful that for moments, one could suddenly forget they were still in the process of negotiations at the Royal Court.

In the midst of this silence, Barbara's gentle voice rang out, "I feel like it's not the first time I've said this to you, but I have to say it again—thank you, Andrew."

Andrew smiled again, shaking his head helplessly, "Why all the politeness suddenly..."

"This isn't politeness, I'm serious."

Barbara looked into Andrew's eyes, "Just now in the Eternal Frost Hall, many people might not have known, but how could I not realize—you helped me, helped Dean Charlie, helped my second sister fight against the King. Without you, we might have already been utterly defeated."

At this point, Barbara paused, and said softly, "Even though I've seen you do some incredible things more than once before in Warm Fire City and the Inner Sea Desert, this time I truly feel: someone like you couldn't come from a place like the Southern Retreat Land. Of course, I'm not looking down on the Retreat Land, it's just... just..."

She didn't continue, but the meaning was already clearly expressed.

That Andrew's performance after arriving at the Royal Court, even in Barbara's view, was indeed too dazzling, to the extent that Andrew's previous talk about being "from the Retreat Land" seemed, in Barbara's eyes now, completely untenable.

"I see, so that's why you were looking at me with such a strange expression?" Andrew smiled. This time, he didn't evade, but calmly met the girl's gaze and said, "I am indeed not from the Retreat Land.

In fact, I've never been there. Back when Captain Linda asked me at the Shield of Flowing Fire if I was from the Retreat Land, I went along with it and said yes."

He unexpectedly directly admitted that he had lied about his origin before!

This was because, for the upcoming practice of "Water and Fire United", it required a deeper connection than the usual professional partnership.

It required not only the compatibility of professional characteristics or the mutual benefit of elemental attributes, but it also required mutual understanding.

Previously, Andrew and Barbara, whether intentionally or unintentionally, entered the state of "Water and Fire United" several times, using it to defeat Rose and heal Lady Yi Lian. But they both knew: their cooperation still wasn't truly perfected. Why?

Because one party was hiding a significant personal secret, while the other had also sensed this, it was impossible to achieve a complete mutual understanding. They could fall in love, fight side by side, coordinate perfectly, but they couldn't reach the level of true mutual understanding.

"But next, since we're going to truly practice 'Water and Fire United'..." Andrew had already made a decision in his heart, "It's time to confess to Barbara my origins, my identity, my biggest secret in this Flame Realm."

These secrets were previously only known to Ivan. Even Ivan wasn't fully aware, for instance, Andrew being a cross-world traveler and not a native of this world, Ivan didn't know that, only knowing Andrew's identity as the Water Magic Lord.

Now, Andrew was ready to share this with Barbara.

Confession and sharing in itself was the first step in practicing Water and Fire United.

Deep down, there was still hesitation and unease.

It wasn't because he didn't trust Barbara, but because being a Water Magic Lord inherently brought risks to those who knew. And Andrew wasn't confident enough yet to protect everyone around him... well, Andrew couldn't even completely ensure his own safety yet.

This was the main reason Andrew hadn't revealed his secret to anyone so far. Ivan knew his secret, not because Andrew told him voluntarily, but because after establishing a Soul Contract, Ivan naturally obtained the information.

His heart began to race with acceleration.

Even during the negotiation competition at the Eternal Frost Hall, Andrew hadn't been this nervous.

Taking a deep breath, Andrew carefully considered his words and began, "Barbara, I'm sorry I didn't confess to you earlier, I'm actually not from the Retreat Land, nor am I a humanoid alien race mage from the Retreat Land, but—"

A soft finger gently pressed against Andrew's lips, "That's enough, you can stop here."

Barbara's gaze still had that peculiar quality, but there was a faint smile on her delicate face, "I know these things, and that's enough. When you're truly ready to tell me without any hesitation, then you can tell me the rest."

Andrew: "..."

Looking closely into Andrew's beautiful light red eyes, this time it was Andrew's gaze that was peculiar, and after a moment he spoke again, "Thank you, Barbara."

"Why all the politeness suddenly?" Barbara mimicked Andrew's earlier tone in response.

In her heart she added, "I don't know your origins, and I'm not in a hurry to find out. But if I haven't sensed anything about your identity by now, then my nickname 'Pupil Witch' really would be for nothing."

Water and Fire United is an integration of magic power and soul power, a connection of whole power.

The magic level of "Invisible Enchantment" was so high that even figures like the King and the Female Assassin couldn't detect Andrew's Water Attribute. Andrew often felt that this ability didn't truly belong to him because it was too advanced.

But no matter how advanced the ability, it couldn't keep secrets under the eyes of the person closest to him.

"Andrew, your Elemental Attribute isn't 'Fire,' but... 'Water'," Barbara thought to herself.

When she came back to her senses, she found that the hand she had placed on Andrew's lips was somehow already grabbed tightly by him.

By the time she came back to her senses again, the shadows of the boy and girl in the room had already overlapped and merged.

As the Water Magic Lord, Andrew naturally felt a closeness to Barbara, who possessed the Eight Strange Fires. This feeling was intensified by the dual amplification of the "Water God Mark" and the "Fire God Mark".

Of course, the most important thing was that the last little psychological barrier between the two of them silently disappeared when Andrew was willing to confess his identity and background, while Barbara instead told Andrew not to worry about revealing it.

Andrew no longer deliberately suppressed his heart and his body's desire for Barbara.

And Barbara... was the same.

So everything fell into place naturally.

Warm orange flames quietly spread from Barbara's body as the center.

At the same time, Andrew's body emitted rich Water Magic. Although the magic remained invisible and colorless due to the blessing of "Invisible Enchantment," it still faintly painted the entire room with a dreamy hue, like an underwater world.

"What... is this?" An almost inaudible female voice rang out in the room.

It was the same melodious female voice that had been heard when Andrew first unlocked the Water God Mark a long time ago!

This time, however, the voice was so soft that neither Andrew nor Barbara heard it.

What Andrew didn't realize was that this time, the melodious female voice didn't just appear as a mere sound but manifested in the room as a faint humanoid silhouette, somewhat like the ethereal dragon shadow behind Capella.

It was a palm-sized goddess, dressed in a water-blue robe, so noble it was beyond words to describe. Even someone as stunning as Catherine would likely pale in comparison next to her.

The goddess watched silently, naturally able to see the Water Magic that others couldn't.

After all, the ability of "Invisible Enchantment" was originally hers.

As she watched, a strange light gradually appeared in the goddess's eyes because, in her view: the orange flames and the blue waves intertwined, as if they had come to life, ultimately forming a shape akin to "fish."

The eyes of the "red fish" formed by the Flame Power had a point of blue representing Water.

The eyes of the "blue fish" formed by Water Power had a point of orange-red representing Fire.

The two fish connected head to tail, forming a circle.

After the union of water and fire, it was presented in such a "Water and Fire Double Fish" shape—

This was an almost instinctive result for Andrew, relying on his memories from the world before his traversal; it wasn't intentional.

The goddess's apparition, however, was witnessing the "Tai Chi formed by Yin and Yang" scene for the first time.

For a moment, she became fascinated by it.

"...It seems that neither you nor I chose the wrong people,"

Not knowing how much time had passed, the goddess's silhouette came back to reason, sighed gently, feeling relieved, nostalgic, and slightly sad, "Next, let's see if these two children can accomplish what we once couldn't."

As she finished speaking, her form slowly dissipated, seemingly merging back into the concealment of the "Invisible Enchantment" along with Andrew's Water Magic.

In the room, the three-dimensional spherical Tai Chi formed by the Water and Fire Double Fish had completely engulfed Andrew and Barbara's bodies.

The Royal Court's negotiations had not yet ended, but at this moment, Andrew's mind had temporarily forgotten all people and matters related to the negotiations, wholly focused on the present moment. Judging by Barbara's reaction, she seemed to share the same mindset.

This was, of course, a further realization of longing and love!

At the same time, this was precisely... the cultivation of Water and Fire United.