CHAPTER 127: CROSSING THE BORDER AND PLANT EVALUATIONS

And did this mean that the border had opened ahead of schedule?

After listening to Illiya’s questions, Eoryun didn’t hide anything and directly explained what he had experienced.

"Actually, it was just because I added a time array. My great aunt had said it all depended on how insightful I was about the array before I entered. Who would have guessed I’d come out in less than a day? I really am a genius."

"As for the border, it definitely didn’t open early. I simply forced my way in after finding its exact location," he added, his tone growing excited. "Illiya, I’m telling you, the border isn’t dangerous at all. When I went in, I didn’t feel anything! All those terrifying descriptions in the books about the border? Completely misleading. I can’t understand why they’d write it like that—it’s nothing but confusion for future generations."

"Don’t you think so, Illiya?"

Illiya: "..."

Thank you, but... is it possible, just possible, that the books aren’t wrong, and you aren’t exactly wrong either—what’s wrong is your understanding of yourself?

Illiya hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

He was starting to seriously doubt whether Eoryun had ever really paid attention in any of his "continental common sense" classes.

There were only a few ancient records about the border scattered around the main continent, but they did exist. These records always described the dangers of passing through the border, though they did also mention that there were some exceptions.

Elves were naturally favored by the magic elements, so they rarely suffered the effects of the violent magical energy within the border.

The Sky race were called "children of the gods" for good reason—this wasn’t just an empty boast. Their special status dated back to the age of gods thousands of years ago, when the elves were at the top of the world in terms of power and intelligence, and the sky race—thanks to the divine favor—were also blessed beyond compare.

Even now, in this so-called "godless era," the sky race could still draw divine attention.

For the sky race, crossing the border was probably no harder than taking a stroll in their own back garden.

As for the dragons, there was no need to say more. The sheer resilience of their bodies was beyond human words. And the merfolk were the same. Beyond their natural magical talents, their physical strength was first-class.

So it was no surprise that Eoryun—whose merfolk blood had now fully awakened—had a physical toughness that was anything but ordinary.

A few ordinary forbidden spells thrown at him probably wouldn’t even scratch his skin.

As for the violent magical energy? That was hardly even enough to tickle.

Human—no, merfolk—he really needed to have a bit more self-awareness.

Eoryun, slow on the uptake though he was, still sensed that his dear friend Illiya was giving him a very odd look. His voice grew smaller and smaller, his confidence waning under the elf’s clear "are you an idiot?" expression. Instinctively, he began to wonder if he’d said something wrong just now.

He replayed his words in his mind, but he couldn’t figure out what exactly he’d said that was so wrong. Why, then, was his dear friend looking at him like he was some sort of fool?

Unable to resist, Eoryun whispered, "...Illiya, don’t look at me like I’m a complete idiot. I really don’t think I said anything that wrong... why did you just hit me?"

Illiya, as if nothing had happened, calmly withdrew his hand after smacking Eoryun’s arm. He didn’t answer Illiya’s question directly. Instead, he asked in a completely deadpan tone, "When I hit you, did it hurt?"

Eoryun didn’t even have to think before answering, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "How could it not hurt when you hit me?"

Illiya asked, "Is it because I hit you, so it has to hurt, or is it because I hit you, and that’s why it hurts?"

"What difference does it make?" Eoryun was puzzled. "Of course it’s going to hurt if someone hits you."

Anos who is standing to the side, just shook his head at this exchange. He kindly explained, "There’s a difference. The first is based on common sense: if someone hits you, regardless of whether you actually feel pain or not, it’s considered painful. Because that’s common sense—anyone being hit should feel pain. The second is when someone hits you, and that’s exactly why you personally experience the sensation of pain."

"To sum it up," Anos continued, "what Illiya is really asking is whether you actually felt pain when he just hit you."

Eoryun finally understood. He recalled what had happened earlier and spoke slowly, with some uncertainty. "...I forgot. Illiya, why don’t you hit me again so I can remember?"

Illiya: "..."

Forget it. He is hopeless.

With a deadpan expression, Illiya reached out and gave Eoryun’s back a sharp slap, not bothering to explain further. He simply turned around and left the place, taking the Demon King and the Demon King’s attendants with him, leaving Eoryun standing there looking dazed and confused.

Anos took the lead, guiding the way. Now they were heading to the place where plants were evaluated and selected.

Before they even arrived, they could already hear the sounds of cheering and praise coming from up ahead.

Illiya noticed that everyone here, regardless of who they were, was holding a pot of flowers or some type of plant—no matter how small or ordinary.

There were all kinds of plants, some as common as roadside weeds, others rare and high-quality magical plants that were hard to find these days. As expected of the demon race, perhaps?

Seeing this flourishing, lively scene, Anos couldn’t help but smile until his eyes bent into crescents.

"Illiya, look. Isn’t the life of the demon race getting better? If they were truly struggling, how could they have smiles like that on their faces?"

Illiya didn’t respond. He knew that the Demon King wasn’t really asking for an answer.