Chapter 337: A Happy Death

"Lord Wizard, are we leaving?"

"No, let's wait a bit longer…"

[The beautiful times have come to an end]

[The warm sun no longer exists, the clear round moon has vanished, and the Black Sun and Blood Moon hang high in the sky once more, spreading celestial horror equally]

[The Slimes on the mountaintop dissipated on their own, eroded and annihilated by the aura of death]

[The weeds in the cracks of the bricks withered and turned dark yellow, losing their tenacious vitality]

[The world was silent yet noisy]

[The seemingly silent world echoed with the wails of heaven and earth, accompanied by the crisp cracking sound of things breaking]

[You faintly observed that the Endless Netherworld was consuming the Wizard World]

[It is time to leave]

[The time node you were waiting for has arrived]

[The world returned to silence; that staggering impact was perfectly absorbed by the mountain. With the help of the high mountain beneath your feet, you evaded a wave of world tremors]

[At this moment, it is precisely the time to leave that you planned beforehand]

[But facing Sevia's inquiry, you shook your head and turned your gaze toward the village]

[There, two Souls were about to wither, hanging onto the last breath of their elderly Physical Body with a faint aura]

[Following your gaze, the undead girl faintly understood something, and her eyes grew dim]

"Lord Wizard, can't we do something…"

"Sevia, they are very happy and content, so all we can do is offer our blessings."

Xu Xi looked at the world beyond the mountain.

It was silently still, as if it were a non-existent void.

Only heavy darkness continued to spread.

…

[You decided to stay on the mountain a little longer]

[On the first day of your stay, The Hansens walked with slow steps to deliver a great deal of melons and vegetables to you both]

[You stood at the doorway]

[Just like before, you accepted the elders' gifts with a smile]

[The Hero stood beside you, forcing a smile to hide the sorrow in her heart]

"Thank you, Lord Wizard."

"And thank you, Miss Sevia."

The two elders also smiled—a pure, joyful smile.

Even though they had brought many gifts.

They instead thanked Xu Xi.

They thanked Xu Xi and Sevia for appearing in the final moments of their lives, bringing brief yet precious companionship.

Xu Xi took the melons and vegetables from the elders, feeling they were somewhat heavy.

…

[On the second day of your stay, The Hansens once again delivered many melons and vegetables]

[They were very tired from walking]

[Their faces were somewhat pale]

[Their life force was almost non-existent]

[You once again accepted the two elders' gifts; they smiled happily and radiantly, their wrinkled faces, etched with the marks of time, smoothing out before you]

…

[On the third day of your stay, you waited at the doorway as usual, together with Sevia, quietly awaiting the arrival of the two elders]

[Autumn passed and winter came]

[Winter arrived silently]

[In the gentle breeze, snowflakes fell across the mountains; they were not a pure, holy white, but a gloomy gray tone symbolizing despair and tragedy]

[You breathed in the snow, sensing that bone-chilling coldness]

[You understood that there was no longer any need to wait]

Whoosh—!!

The cold wind howled, rushing into the nostrils.

Xu Xi stepped out of the workshop; coldness constantly surged into his lungs, swirling once before being exhaled as white mist.

The Dark Sun hung high.

All things were submerged in the snowy landscape.

"Lord Wizard, are we going to continue waiting?"

"No, Sevia, this time it's our turn to go over."

Xu Xi gazed at the bleak world, finally setting off and walking toward the village.

The Hero, Sevia, followed behind; together they traversed the narrow path, treading on the thin layer of snow until they stopped before the simple cottage.

Low.

Dilapidated.

The walls were uneven, showing many marks of repair.

The wooden door of the house was wide open, and wind and snow constantly surged inside, making the door rattle.

Previously, someone would repair it time and again.

From now on, there would never be anyone again.

In front of the wooden house's entrance, two chairs were placed neatly and very close together.

Assembled from rough wood, half-tilted and crooked, they seemed to be handmade by someone with poor craftsmanship, just enough for people to rest on.

Xu Xi watched.

The two faces, crisscrossed with furrows like paper crumpled by time, fully displayed the accumulation of years, now smiling peacefully.

Hand in hand.

Sitting and lying close together.

Their faces were frozen by the low temperature, and a light layer of snow had fallen on their bodies.

The spark of life had been extinguished; there were no longer any fluctuations, nor would there be any heartbeat.

Except for Xu Xi and Sevia.

No one would care.

In a corner of the world on the brink of destruction, two such elderly people passed away peacefully, and no one would even know how happy their expressions were when they left.

"…"

"…"

Amidst the desolation and silence of winter.

Xu Xi raised his hand, and in the open space in front of the house, he used an Elemental Spell to dig a large burial pit.

Then, he gently wrapped them with Soul Power.

Wrapping the bodies of The Hansens together.

Allowing them to maintain their hand-holding posture, they were calmly buried within the pit.

"Goodnight."

Xu Xi bid a quiet farewell; standing in the wind and snow, he once again controlled Elemental Spells to slowly backfill the empty pit.

This was the reason he had continued to stay.

In a world of despair and desolation.

The bodies of the two deceased elders would only be left exposed, with no one else to help bury them.

Xu Xi felt fondness for The Hansens and did not wish to see such a scene, so before leaving, he allowed the elders to rest in peace in the earth.

The wind and snow continued to spread.

In the white world, two tombstones were quietly formed.

"Goodnight, Grandpa Hansen."

"Goodnight, Grandma Mena."

There was sorrow in her deep green eyes.

Sevia crouched down and gently stroked the surface of the tombstones, feeling the rough texture and the names of the two elders carved in relief.

The fierce wind roared like a beast, but the silence in her heart isolated everything.

This was not the first time the girl had faced a parting.

She was strong.

She could endure the pain brought by parting.

But being able to endure parting did not mean she liked it; Sevia looked up at Xu Xi, her tone bewildered:

"Lord Wizard."

"Does everyone who passes away go to the Netherworld?"

Xu Xi nodded: "The Netherworld is the destination for all Souls. Souls with strong consciousness and unfulfilled wishes will become undead under the influence of the Law of the Netherworld."

"Souls that die from an undead state, as well as Souls that were pure to begin with, will wait for rebirth together."

The Hansens were happy.

They died of old age without regrets.

Such Souls are the purest and will directly enter the Reincarnation of the Endless Netherworld, without having to suffer the distortion of becoming undead.

After learning this, Sevia clasped her hands together and spoke silently to the two elders' tombstones.

Trembling.

Blessing.

Hoping The Hansens would have a beautiful next life.

After finishing all this, she turned to face Xu Xi, her expression a fragmented, forced smile: "Sorry, Lord Wizard, I seem to have wasted too much time."

"I clearly should have been stronger, but I haven't done that at all."

"I'm too immature."

"Truly, I'm sorry…"

"Clearly it's a good thing, Grandpa Hansen and Grandma Mena smiled so happily, yet I feel sad."

The hollow skeletal frame tried its best to smile; her eyes curved slightly, but what they held was a glimmer of crystalline tears.