Chapter 344: A Thousand Years of Evolution
After properly settling Solitär-Flamme in the heavily protected underground area of the Association, Flamme felt a stone lift from her heart.
The subsequent research and analysis would be a long process, so there was no need to rush.
Thinking of Olivia, who had chosen to stay, Flamme felt a bit excited. After all, she was the last Sky-Winged on this continent and a companion who had fought alongside Master Rhodes to slay a god and save the world.
Now that she was finally willing to leave the Heavenly Kingdom and step onto the ground, Flamme could get to know her better.
She found her disciple, Frieren, and suggested to Olivia, "Senior Olivia, would you like to stroll through the streets of the Imperial Capital? To see what a human city looks like now?"
Hearing this, Olivia's eyes flickered, and she nodded. "Alright."
Since she would be staying at the Magic Association for a while, it was a good opportunity to see how the human race had developed and changed over the years.
Frieren didn't say much. She was more focused on Olivia beside her teacher.
Not only was Olivia incredibly beautiful, but her mana aura was also terrifying. More importantly, she had a pair of large wings on her back that looked completely natural. Even the usually indifferent Frieren couldn't help but feel curious.
Especially after they walked out of the Magic Association gates, sunlight hit Olivia's wings, and every feather emitted a soft halo.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Frieren tugged at Flamme's sleeve and whispered, "Master, is she using a new flight magic? But I don't feel any fluctuation of magic usage."
Flamme laughed at the question. Considering Frieren's age, she probably didn't know about the Sky-Winged race, which only existed in legends.
"Frieren, this is not a magical effect. Senior Olivia is a legendary Sky-Winged. The wings on her back are innate."
"She is an incredible existence—one of the heroes who fought alongside Master Rhodes and Master Serie a thousand years ago to slay the false god!"
"Slay... a god..." Frieren muttered, her gaze toward Olivia filling with respect.
No wonder her aura was so terrifying. If she was Lord Rhodes's companion back then, it wasn't strange at all.
However, hearing Flamme mention the god-slaying past, Olivia's expression dimmed slightly, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
She turned her head slightly, avoiding Frieren's gaze. "It is all in the past. No need to mention it again."
After all, the god they slew had inextricable ties to the Goddess of Life worshipped by the Sky-Winged; the false god had even occupied the Goddess's body.
Thus, Olivia was reluctant to recount that past to others.
Flamme keenly sensed Olivia's unwillingness to talk and felt a pang of regret.
She had hoped to hear more details about Master Rhodes's heroic figure from Olivia's firsthand perspective. Hearing stories from different angles always brought new discoveries.
But seeing Olivia's obvious resistance, she quickly changed the subject. "I know a dessert shop that's very good. Let's go check it out!"
When the three stepped onto the street, they immediately became the center of attention.
Flamme was confused at first. Although she attracted some attention when going out alone or with Frieren due to her status in the Magic Association, it was never like today, where almost the entire street was staring.
It wasn't until she noticed the curious and disbelief-filled gazes were mostly focused on Olivia that she realized.
The problem was the pair of massive white wings on Olivia's back.
For Flamme, who was used to Olivia, the wings were just part of her racial characteristics.
But for the ordinary citizens of the capital and even many knowledgeable adventurers, the Sky-Winged were beings that existed only in myths and legends. Many people didn't even know this race existed.
So Olivia's sudden appearance on the street naturally caused a sensation.
"Look! That person has wings!"
"Is it a magical item? Or some kind of disguise?"
"So beautiful... like a legendary angel..."
Whispers reached their ears. Seeing this, Flamme hurriedly pulled Olivia and Frieren into a relatively quiet alley nearby.
"Senior Olivia," Flamme said somewhat awkwardly, "um... your wings are too conspicuous. Is there any way to put them away temporarily?"
Olivia looked troubled. "These wings are part of my body, like your arms. I cannot retract or dismiss them at will like magic."
Just then, Frieren asked a rather strange question. "Senior Olivia, how do you sleep then?"
She couldn't imagine sleeping on a bed with such large wings. Wouldn't it be uncomfortable?
Olivia explained patiently, "When resting, the wings can shrink to a certain extent, so it doesn't affect me."
With a thought, the massive white wings on her back shrank visibly, eventually becoming the length of her forearm, resting obediently on her back.
"That's it!" Flamme's eyes lit up. She immediately thought of a solution.
She quickly found a cloak and handed it to Olivia. "Senior, put this on. It should cover your shrunken wings!"
Olivia put on the cloak and carefully tucked her wings underneath.
From the outside, apart from her outstandingly upright posture, she looked no different from an ordinary person.
"This should be fine now." Flamme nodded in satisfaction.
The group returned to the main street.
Sure enough, although three beautiful women walking together still attracted some glances, the gawking like they were observing a rare animal was gone.
They strolled through the bustling streets, crossing markets, passing restaurants, watching street performers juggle, and observing the diversely dressed crowd. Olivia observed everything around her.
She couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "Humans truly are a miraculous race."
She recalled the scene a thousand years ago. Back then, humans were mostly scattered in tribes across the continent, struggling on the edge of survival, facing monsters, natural disasters, and resource scarcity, living day to day.
The flame of civilization had been weak and flickering.
"I remember a thousand years ago, the scene on this land was completely different from today," Olivia told the two beside her. "Back then, it was hard to imagine they could build such a massive and prosperous civilization in such a short time."
Her gaze swept over the pedestrians and the shops lining the street. "I fear even the Elven Kingdom and the Dwarven Kingdom cannot compare to half the prosperity of human cities today."
Listening to Olivia's sigh, complex emotions rose in Flamme's heart too.
Although she didn't know exactly how difficult the human situation was a thousand years ago, she could imagine it perfectly.
She responded, "Yes. Although human life is short, precisely because of that, we yearn even more to create as much value as possible in our limited time. That is the foundation of the miracles humanity creates today."
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