CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39: NAMES ON THE MARRIAGE TREE

From here to "Valemore Cliff" requires walking a stretch of downhill road, and Julian Fairchild hasn’t forgotten to send a message to Henry Hughes, reminding him to first go to "Valemore Cliff" and then have a meal together.

The travelers along the way are hurried, and as Maeve Lane walks past a stone platform, she sees a luxuriant Marriage Tree.

She can’t tell what kind of tree it is, only that it’s beautiful, adorned with red threads and strings, and wish plaques hung by people. She gently caresses the trunk with her fair hand, "Julian Fairchild, shall we make a wish together?"

"I have no wishes." The man’s magnetic voice sounds somewhat aloof.

The girl in front of him doesn’t seem like the type to believe in such things.

But to Julian Fairchild’s surprise, Maeve actually goes and gets a wishing wood, says something to a master before writing, and finally hangs it up with palms pressed together in a sincere manner.

After making her wish, she slightly curls her lips, "Let’s go."

Julian just hums an acknowledgment, and as they pass the Marriage Tree, he casually glances at the wishing wood Maeve hung. The writing on it hasn’t dried yet.

[Maeve Lane]

Just those two words.

All the wishing woods around hers have two names.

His prominent eyebrows furrow, and a trace of confusion flashes in his deep-set eyes.

Maeve walks for a while before noticing that Julian hasn’t caught up, so she sits on a bench to wait for him.

A few minutes later, Julian finally emerges from around the corner.

However, his expression is somewhat odd.

Maeve doesn’t care; she took a sip of water earlier, and her throat feels much better now, "Here we are, let’s go in."

"Mm."

In view is a very expansive flat area, with the fence heightened in many layers. Looking out from above, the city of Aurelia nestles quietly between heaven and earth, and the towering skyscrapers seem insignificant from here.

This is a naturally formed rock-climbing haven that had been developed and operationalized years ago.

It clearly wasn’t a good idea, as everyone came here for hiking, and by the time they reached this point, they were almost exhausted, leaving no strength for rock climbing.

So it’s mostly deserted, and Maeve Lane and Julian Fairchild quickly find a spot, gear up, and Maeve pats Julian on the shoulder, smiling, "How about we have a race?"

Julian raises an eyebrow, "You want to compete with me?"

"Yes, let’s see who gets to the top first." Maeve tugs at the rope on her body and then says to the staff, "Could you do us the honor of being our referee?"

The staff also finds it quite amusing, "Sure, I’ll check your gear again. I’ve worked here so long, and I’ve never seen a girl competing in rock climbing with a boy."

Especially not such a charming, delicate young girl.

Maeve chuckles softly, nudging Julian’s arm, "What do you think, not afraid of losing to me, are you?"

Julian looks down at her and replies succinctly, "Bring it on."

"Great, sir, you can start whenever you’re ready."

"Alright!"

The staff dutifully takes a small megaphone, "On your marks, get set, go!"

Maeve immediately springs into action, moving as swiftly as an agile cheetah.

And Julian, despite appearing unhurried, remarkably keeps pace with Maeve!

The wall isn’t high, but the gap between the two remains narrow.

Maeve is momentarily in the lead and is just about to smile when Julian suddenly surges upward like a gust of wind and is quickly approaching the finish!

The staff is about to blow the whistle, but the next second, his eyes widen in shock, "Danger!"