Chapter 58: Life is Truly Fleeting

"Life is something that… withers away in a mere instant."

In the autumn wind, a sea of withered flowers swayed and struggled.

Petals constantly fell from the branches, tumbling slowly in the wind, sometimes stalling, sometimes flying far away—drifting toward a distance unknown even to themselves.

Xu Xi gazed at this scene, feeling the unique desolation and loneliness of autumn.

He reached out his finger.

And caught a petal just right.

"The flowers in Wage City are actually more fragrant than those in Alenson City. Is it because the Goddess of Nature and the Goddess of Life are widely worshipped here?"

"However, when it comes to the timing of their withering, they are highly consistent."

Charming flowers will eventually meet their end in withering.

Tender green leaves will also turn yellow and fall.

The vast majority of life in this world is short and hurried. Although humans can live longer, they are ultimately too insignificant compared to the eternal gods.

Like a single drop of water splashed from a vast, surging river.

Small, humble, and incapable of drawing attention.

Xu Xi didn't have many demands regarding lifespan. In fact, even if the simulation ended right now, he felt it would be completely worth it.

Since the simulation began, he had learned many abilities and gained much knowledge, including but not limited to the use of magic, elemental control, the use of Mental Energy, the creation of Magic Conduits, mystical observation, and complex multi-elemental applications.

Xu Xi had mastered over a dozen world elemental attributes, even including Life and Death.

Only Time and Space remained out of reach.

Weren't these gains and achievements rich enough?

Furthermore,

Xu Xi was only twenty-seven years old. There was still a long way to go before the true end of his lifespan.

Before the simulation truly ended, his gains would continue to expand.

Therefore, Xu Xi was very open-minded about lifespan and never lamented the finite life of a Mortal. What truly worried him was the witch with an eternal lifespan.

After he was gone, could she live on her own?

Would she fall into a slump because of it?

In countless late nights spent looking up at the moon, the man had pondered these questions more than once.

"Mentor."

A sudden shout interrupted Xu Xi's thoughts.

He instinctively loosened his fingers, and the half-withered petal flew away, grazing his cheek and nose before finally landing in the soil that had nurtured it.

"What is it, Klisa?"

Xu Xi turned around.

Before him was the witch, who still maintained her seventeen-year-old appearance. Her ash-silver hair had become more lustrous, like a waterfall of light spread smoothly across her back.

A few strands fell softly between her collarbones, making her fair skin appear faintly visible.

Eternal youth brought the witch a beauty that would never fade.

Xu Xi felt that,

this should be considered a good thing.

However, Klisa herself harbored a deep unease about this matter, fearing the unknown changes.

"Mentor, I… don't want to become like this."

Her limited life experience made it impossible for Klisa to understand the meaning of eternal life. She only knew that she had become different from her mentor.

This was absolutely not allowed.

This was simply unacceptable.

The witch's whole life was dedicated to moving closer to the 'Sun.' How could she allow herself to drift away?

Seeing how uneasy Klisa was, Xu Xi comforted her, "It's all right, Klisa. Eternal life isn't a bad thing. Many people in this world dream of it."

The girl looked a bit dazed. "So it's actually a good thing?"

Xu Xi fell silent.

Unlike before, he didn't immediately answer the witch's question.

He looked up at the sky, watching a bird spread its wings and dive toward the treetops, weaving through the gaps with precise and graceful movements, flying grandly in the sunlight.

"It's neither good nor bad, I suppose."

Xu Xi gave an ambiguous answer.

Life was still long. The witch could experience it for herself and then define whether eternal life was good or bad.

…

[Klisa felt uneasy about the changes in herself; she faintly sensed that the distance between her and you was gradually widening.]

[Despite your repeated comforts, this unease showed no signs of dissipating.]

[The witch began to work twice as hard.]

[The witch's strength improved.]

[The witch's housekeeping skills improved.]

[Klisa continuously did her best in every aspect, hoping to become closer to you.]

[You didn't know whether to laugh or cry. One afternoon, you lightly tapped Klisa on the head, telling her not to overthink and just live every day to the fullest.]

[Klisa listened to you, and her busy figure became slightly more restrained.]

[Fourteenth year of simulation: You are 28, the witch is 20, and she still maintains the physique and appearance of a 17-year-old.]

[From this year on, Klisa began to consciously reduce the number of times she went out. Eternal life gave her an unchanging appearance, but her mental growth continued.]

[The witch realized that her appearance not changing for three years had already caused some discussion in the neighborhood.]

[Thus, she chose to reduce her outings to avoid outsiders pointing fingers at you.]

The Cultivation World has Face-Preserving Pills.

Naturally, the Magic World has similar products.

Such as the Blessing of the Goddess of Beauty, or Life Spring Water that delays aging.

However, even these extraordinary items cannot achieve true eternal youth.

They only slow down the process infinitely, making it hard to observe with the naked eye. Inside the human body, various organs are still growing and aging.

Klisa was different.

She possessed true eternal life, true immortality; her time was truly frozen at the age of seventeen.

Mortals might find it difficult to tell the difference.

But for mages, their highly sensitive Mental Energy allowed them to instantly see through the difference between eternal life and face-preservation, thereby recognizing Klisa's non-human nature.

After all,

what ordinary person can stay young forever?

In the common knowledge of the Magic World, only gods and a very few long-lived species can achieve this.

To avoid trouble, conflict, and the disruption of Xu Xi's peaceful life, Klisa chose to stay within the courtyard and no longer went out for supplies as she used to.

This life continued for two months.

Watching the witch still doing housework every day, practicing magic diligently, and sweeping the fallen leaves in the courtyard,

Xu Xi made a decision.

"Klisa, let's prepare to move to another city."

The sudden news was clearly beyond the witch's expectations. Her calm and indifferent face rarely showed a look of confusion.

"Why… would you make such a decision?"

Klisa asked blankly.

Xu Xi didn't hide anything and answered gently, "If we move to another city, no one will know you or me. That way, Klisa, you can go out again."

"But," Klisa understood even less. She looked at Xu Xi and suggested sincerely, "You don't need to do this."

The witch had little interest in going out anyway.

All her goals and actions were only to better help her master.

Even if she were confined to the courtyard for her entire life,

she would only feel happy.

Therefore, the witch felt from the bottom of her heart that there was no need for Xu Xi to move away from this new home they had finally settled into just because of her.