Another World: The Failed Magician

In an inconspicuous little inn in the Eastern Dragon Empire, before dawn, a figure in white carefully pushed open her room door, gently walked to another door, and took out a letter from her white sleeve. She held the letter tightly in her hand, and after a while, placed it on the door of the unremarkable room. The envelope was slightly creased. Having done all this, she silently left the inn, and even as she walked down the street, she couldn't help but look back at the unremarkable inn. Only when the sun slowly rose did she realize it was time to leave. A moment later, the figure in white disappeared into the street.

Unseen by the girl, on the other side of the inn's roof, Lu Xuan took in everything. Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, "Aren't you really going to chase after her? Once she's gone, you won't be able to catch her at all." Lu Xuan calmly shook his head: "I respect her choice." As he spoke, Lu Xuan turned to look at the figure that had appeared behind him. It was Zhang Yu, the one who had ambushed Lu Xuan with the elf earlier.

Lu Xuan showed no surprise at Zhang Yu's appearance, remaining completely calm. Seeing Lu Xuan remain silent, Zhang Yu continued, "Judging from your current state, you should have already crushed the black bead I gave you before, right?" Lu Xuan nodded. Zhang Yu continued, "Then you should understand the current situation of the Eastern Dragon Empire. Furthermore, your contact with the Loca Federation has been severed. What you should do now is take Li Mengyu away from the eye of the storm and wait until everything is over before bringing her to the Loca Federation!" Looking at the still unmoved Lu Xuan, a surge of anger rose within Zhang Yu, and he even shouted the last few words.

Even with Zhang Yu like this, Lu Xuan remained sitting there blankly, unmoved. Just as Zhang Yu was about to say something, Lu Xuan spoke first: "I know. Li Mingxu entrusted her to you. After seeing the information from the black bead you gave me, I can tell that she should be the target of my mission. As long as I bring her back to the Loka Federation, my mission will be complete."

"Yes. Let's bring her back now, and then after everything is over, take her back to Loka Union. That way, you'll have completed your mission, and she can save her own life. Everyone's happy, isn't that better?"

Lu Xuan spoke in a calm tone, "This is all your idea, isn't it? Did you ask for her opinion? Although she doesn't seem very bright, I think you should respect her choice. Since she chose to go back to that place, she should bear the consequences of her choice."

"But...but!"

Zhang Yu wanted to say something more, but Lu Xuan interrupted him, saying, "If she really does everything you say, she might spend the rest of her life in regret."

Zhang Yu was deeply conflicted after hearing Lu Xuan's words. Seeing the middle-aged man's worried face, Lu Xuan calmly continued, "All you can do now is return to the Adventurers' Guild. You don't know if those elves and that organization will come back for you. If they discover you've become a traitor, you should know the disaster that would bring to your guild!"

Zhang Yu remained standing there, his expression somewhat somber. Lu Xuan finally stood up, walked to Zhang Yu's side, gently patted his shoulder, and said, "Some things must ultimately be left to the young. You can't protect her forever. As a swordsman, she must face this broken world on her own. What you need to do now is go back and quietly wait for the story to end."

After hearing these words, Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and then sighed softly. He was also aware of what Lu Xuan had said. He knew how much crisis Li Mengyu would face if things continued this way, but it was indeed the child's own choice.

After a while, Zhang Yu seemed to have made up his mind. He looked at Lu Xuan and asked, "So what about you? What do you plan to do after the mission is over? Will you just find a place to wait and re-establish contact with the Federation before going back? Or will you do something else?" Lu Xuan walked towards the inn, saying as he went, "Since the mission has come to this, there's no need for me to continue. Of course, I'll do what I want to do." With that, he disappeared from the rooftop.

......

On a vast plain, a carriage was speeding along at an incredible speed. Inside the carriage sat an old man who looked like a giant bear and a little girl in a bright green dress. Despite the carriage's high speed, the two of them remained perfectly still.

Faced with this peaceful atmosphere, Mo Yun couldn't help but speak up first, saying to Dean White, "Grandpa Dean, how long will it take us to reach our destination? It's so boring!" Dean White glanced at Mo Yun, and although he seemed somewhat helpless, he still said in a kind tone, "We'll be there soon. Just wait a little longer."

But Mo Yun was clearly not satisfied with Dean White's answer. "Hmph! You've said that five or six times already, haven't you, Grandpa Dean?"

"Why did you insist on coming along? I'm not going out to play. If you hadn't been so persistent, I wouldn't have brought you along."

Hearing Dean White's answer, Mo Yun replied pitifully, "That's because if even you, Dean, leave, then I'll be all alone in the academy. Such a big academy, and I'll be all alone. I'll be scared." She then blinked her emerald green eyes hard, trying to squeeze out two tears to prove her miserable situation.

Faced with his lively student, Dean White, the old man didn't know what to do, so he changed the subject and said, "When we get to our destination, you must remember what I told you before we set off: follow my instructions completely, understand?"

"I understand!" Mo Yun replied listlessly.

Just then, Mo Yun suddenly remembered something and asked Dean White, "Grandpa Dean, what was the task you gave my cheap teacher? Can I tell you?" As she spoke, she blinked her bright green eyes, trying to get away with it by being cute.

"Send him to the Eastern Dragon Empire and bring someone back."

"Who is it? Who is it? What kind of person is it?"

"I do not know either."

"Huh? Grandpa Dean, you didn't know about the task you issued? That's so unreliable!"

"Well, because whether or not this task is completed is not important."

Mo Yun shook her small, cute head and asked in confusion, "I don't quite understand, Grandpa Dean."

Faced with Mo Yun's question, Dean White patiently explained, "The teacher I found for you has a difficult past, so much so that even after all these years since I met him, he hasn't been able to move on. So I thought, since he can't find his own salvation, let him go and save others. In the process, I think he can also find salvation himself."

"I don't quite understand, Grandpa Dean."

Dean White gently patted Mo Yun's cute little head. "You don't need to understand. It's just that when people get old, they want to find someone to confide in. I'm happy that you listened to me."

Looking at Dean White's wrinkled face, Mo Yun felt a pang of sadness. She didn't know what to do. She could only rub her little head against Dean White's aged hand, trying to cheer her grandfather up.

Watching the little one still frolicking inside the carriage, Dean White's heavy heart eased somewhat. He looked out at the plains. He knew their destination, but his heart wasn't as strong as he claimed. Could two months really resolve everything? He didn't know. He didn't even know the magnitude of the crisis that awaited him; intelligence reports only revealed the tip of the iceberg. But even so, faced with the little one's request, he still brought her along.

"So this is what a selfish person I am," Dean White thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile. "So this is what it means to be afraid of loneliness as you get old. Even the final journey can't be walked alone."

And so, White answered intermittently, though the little guy's questions were sometimes unreasonable and even ridiculous.

Time flew by, and soon the carriage came to a stop.

Upon seeing the carriage stop, Mo Yun jumped up happily and said, "Have we arrived at our destination, Grandpa Dean?"

"You're half right. You've arrived at your destination." Before Mo Yun could ask any questions, Dean White picked her up and carried her away, saying as they walked, "I really didn't want to hand you over to that unreliable teacher. I found you a teacher with exceptionally powerful life magic. You must listen to her carefully." Hearing Dean White's words, Mo Yun was about to say something when she felt dizzy and soon fell asleep.

At this moment, a beautiful elven girl dressed in a turquoise robe walked over. She took Mo Yun from Dean White's hands and then looked at Dean White with her turquoise eyes, which were the same color as Mo Yun.

Dean White said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, but Bilus was still seeking your help until the very end."

The girl shook her head and asked in her beautiful voice, "Can I not go?"

"My answer is the same as it was back then."

The girl nodded, holding Mo Yun in her arms, and walked towards the distant forest. However, out of Dean White's sight, tears streamed uncontrollably from the girl's eyes.

After the girl had walked away, Dean White got back into the carriage, which sped off towards the Caenlai region.

But deep in the forest, unnoticed by Dean White, a pair of emerald green eyes were watching him intently.