Chapter 148: Afama, the God of Fire.

Standing on the enormous fire dragon lizard’s back, Shu Li looked down at the palace below.

Rather than a palace, it was more accurate to call it a desert city capable of accommodating over a hundred thousand people.

The central building was immense and majestic, its graceful design exquisitely intricate and extravagantly luxurious. The buildings surrounding it were somewhat less impressive, but each possessed its own distinctive artistry. Various crystalline ores and gemstones had been embedded throughout them, displaying astonishing opulence.

Apart from those buildings, the entire city was filled with green grass, trees, and brilliantly colored flowers, as well as a beautiful lake occupying a full third of its area.

In a desert where resources were scarce, possessing such abundance was the height of extravagance.

What Shu Li found strange, however, was that this magnificent desert capital was completely deserted.

Had no one ever lived here, or had the inhabitants temporarily relocated because of the war?

The fire dragon lizard circled twice in the sky before descending swiftly. Its thick claws landed in the plaza and scraped across the ground, scattering a shower of sparks.

Shu Li had no idea what kind of stone had been used to pave the plaza, but it was extraordinarily durable and remained completely undamaged.

The Fire God glanced back at the stunned Little Fairy and smiled. “Time to come back to your senses, little fellow.”

“Uh—” Shu Li blinked and looked at the red-haired Fire God Afama.

“Welcome to Eidas Temple.” The Fire God spread his arms as though preparing to give him an enthusiastic embrace.

Shu Li pursed his lips, took two steps back, and crossed both hands over his chest, offering the deity the highest form of courtesy.

“Greetings, noble Fire God. I am Sperien of the Faerie Forest, your faithful believer. It is a great honor to meet you here.”

The elegant etiquette he had learned from the Elves and Fairies was displayed to perfection at that moment.

Meeting the Fire God in person had overturned the image Shu Li held of him, but he was still the deity who governed fire and was worshipped by every intelligent race on the Austin Continent. No matter what, Shu Li had to treat him with respect.

The Fire God lowered his arms and raised an eyebrow as he studied the Little Fairy performing the formal greeting.

“You’re an underage Little Fairy. Don’t imitate Freyus’s stuffiness.”

Freyus?

Did he mean the Elven King?

Shu Li raised his head in surprise.

How had the elegant and immaculate Elven King become “stuffy” in the Fire God’s mouth?

No. Shu Li had to defend his king’s good name.

“The king isn’t stuffy at all. He is the gentlest and most powerful Elf,” Shu Li declared solemnly in the Elven King’s defense.

The fifteen-year-old Fairy still had some baby fat on his face. Seeing such a solemn expression on him was irresistibly amusing.

And so, the Fire God laughed.

“Hahahaha—”

Shu Li stared blankly at the laughing Fire God, wondering what he had said wrong.

When he finished laughing, the Fire God offered no explanation. He beckoned to the Little Fairy, then leaped from the fire dragon lizard’s back with effortless flair. His flame-red hair and exquisite cloak streamed gracefully behind him.

Shu Li hesitated before beating the wings on his back and floating lightly to the ground.

“Huff, huff—” The fire dragon lizard turned its ferocious head toward him and blew two clouds of air from its nostrils in greeting.

Shu Li’s pale green eyes widened. Looking at the fire dragon lizard from such close range, he found it impossible to connect this creature with that little magical beast shaped like a ball of flesh.

“H-Hello, Falm.”

Although the Fire God called it Sharo, Shu Li was still accustomed to calling it Falm.

“Greetings, Sperien of the Faerie Forest.”

A mature baritone responded, rich and exceptionally pleasant to the ear. If Shu Li had heard the voice without seeing its imposing body, he would have assumed it belonged to a handsome young man.

The little magical beast had possessed a childish voice and a terrible temper. It seemed like a completely different creature from the magical beast before him.

The contrast was so extreme that it was almost unbelievable.

The Fire God swept his cloak aside and walked toward the towering, majestic entrance of the temple. Shu Li followed involuntarily, looking up and around with fascination.

Was this Eidas Temple in its original form?

After the War of the Gods ended, it had sunk underground and disappeared for ten thousand years, leaving no trace of its former glory.

“Little fellow, why would an underage Little Fairy come to the Golga Desert alone? Didn’t your king tell you that the God of Darkness is gathering his dark army to besiege my temple?”

The Fire God walking ahead of him made the inquiry in an apparently casual tone.

Following behind, Shu Li studied the Fire God’s tall, upright figure. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to tell the truth.

He could not determine whether everything before him was an illusion.

This situation was completely different from his previous experiences. Instead of being an observer, he had become a participant.

“Honorable Fire God, may I ask whether the War of the Gods is currently taking place?”

The Fire God stopped abruptly, turned, and met the Little Fairy’s bright eyes.

“The War of the Gods? What a strange way to put it. If you’re asking whether the God of Darkness has started a war, then yes. He and his foul creatures, which cannot bear the light, have crawled out of hell and plunged the entire Austin Continent into war. The other deities and I are rallying the followers of light to put an end to his foolish actions.”

From the Fire God’s answer, Shu Li surmised that the War of the Gods had only just begun in this illusion and had not yet reached its most intense stage. That was why the Fire God paid so little attention to the dark army outside his temple.

“You asked why I came to the Golga Desert alone. It wasn’t by choice.” Shu Li placed his right hand over his chest and bowed to the Fire God again. After completing the greeting, he lowered his hand and looked directly into the Fire God’s handsome face with clear eyes. “I cannot tell whether everything before me is real or false. Ever since I was little, I have repeatedly entered strange illusions beyond my control and seen people who aren’t real.”

“Oh?” The Fire God raised an eyebrow, deeply amused that the Little Fairy had taken the great Fire God himself for an imaginary figure.

Shu Li continued solemnly, “If this truly is the era of the War of the Gods, then I am a Fairy from ten thousand years in the future.”

The Fire God looked mildly surprised. “Ten thousand years in the future?”

“Yes.” Shu Li nodded. “After the War of the Gods ended, Eidas Temple sank underground and disappeared for ten thousand years. I came to the Golga Desert with the Elven Mother Tree in search of the fire spirit. We found the fire dragon lizards’ gathering place...”

He gave the Fire God a full account of why he had come to the desert and everything that had happened after he discovered the underground palace.

The more the Fire God heard, the more astonished he became. Stroking his smooth chin, he studied the adolescent Fairy anew, examining him from head to toe. His gaze moved repeatedly between Shu Li’s hair clip and sunstone protective gear. Once Shu Li finished his account, the Fire God nodded thoughtfully.

“You’re saying that you came to the Golga Desert in search of the fire spirit?” the Fire God asked.

“Yes,” Shu Li replied.

“You collected the Blazing Sun Crystals formed from my congealed blood?”

“Yes.”

“I actually bled? Ha!” The Fire God laughed once, then asked, “And you encountered Sharo after he was sealed and transformed into an infant beast?”

“Yes. I call him Falm. He said he only turns into an infant beast on Fire Day,” Shu Li said.

The Fire God raised his eyes toward the enormous beast resting in the plaza with its eyes closed. A strange light moved through his golden eyes.

“You and Sharo stepped into the Mayocat Array, and then you were teleported here?”

“That’s right.” Shu Li asked in confusion, “Falm told me that once I entered the teleportation array, I only had to repeat my intended destination silently to return to the underground palace above. I clearly repeated Eidas Temple three times, so why did it activate an illusion and bring me here?”

The Fire God extended one finger and tapped Shu Li’s forehead.

“Little fellow, I am not a person you imagined.”

Shu Li froze.

He could clearly feel the touch against his forehead and the faint warmth of the man’s finger. Both proved that the person before him was the genuine Fire God.

This was not... an illusion?

The Fire God’s finger moved to Shu Li’s hair clip. In an instant, the silver clip transformed back into a small flower crown set with emerald-green gemstones.

“This bears Freyus’s presence.” The Fire God withdrew his finger and examined the little flower crown. “Little fellow, Freyus values you very highly.”

He had actually sealed part of his own soul’s power inside the flower crown and bound it to the Little Fairy’s soul.

Touching the green-jeweled flower crown on his head, Shu Li explained, “The king gave me his blessing as soon as I was born.”

“Oh, the Elven King’s blessing?” Understanding dawned on the Fire God’s face, and his golden eyes gleamed.

So the stuffy Freyus had actually learned how to deceive children.

“Yes. The little flower crown is the symbol of the Elven King’s blessing,” Shu Li answered earnestly.

He had once asked Ilio why he was the only one who possessed a little flower crown. Ilio had told him that each recipient of the king’s blessing received a different power, so there was nothing strange about the others not having one.

After receiving that explanation, Shu Li had stopped worrying about it.

Not only did the little flower crown make learning magic twice as effective with half the effort, but it also possessed the powerful ability to summon the Elven King. Ever since Shu Li had learned to change forms, he no longer disliked it.

The Fire God asked, “Why do you believe everything you’ve seen is an illusion?”

“Because similar things have happened before,” Shu Li answered without concealing anything.

He described each of the occasions on which he had entered what he believed to be an illusion.

The Fire God turned and strode into the palace. Shu Li hurried after him, his eyes darting busily over their surroundings.

They did not encounter another person anywhere along the way. The entire temple was frighteningly empty.

Was this an abandoned city?

They passed through a long corridor and entered a lavishly decorated hall. The Fire God stretched before dropping onto a gleaming golden throne. He waved a hand, indicating that the Little Fairy could make himself comfortable.

Shu Li chose a chair close to the throne and sat down stiffly. He placed both hands on his thighs, his posture straight and obedient.

The Fire God sat with wild abandon and no concern whatsoever for appearances. He leaned against one armrest, bent his right leg, and planted his foot on the edge of the throne. When he snapped his fingers, the table beside his throne and the one in front of Shu Li were instantly covered with sumptuous food and fine wine.

Shu Li was amazed.

A deity truly was a deity. His divine power knew no bounds.

The Fire God lightly tapped one finger against his armrest. The wine pitcher on the table floated into the air and poured wine into a golden goblet. Once it was four-fifths full, the pitcher returned to the table, and the goblet drifted steadily into the Fire God’s hand. He took an elegant sip, his deep golden eyes studying the reserved Little Fairy.

“Little fellow, who told you those experiences were illusions?”

Shu Li’s gaze was glued to the fresh fruit before him. When he suddenly heard the Fire God’s question, he answered instinctively, “That was my own guess.”

His first few experiences had all been connected to Elven songs. Other than calling them illusions, he did not know how else to define them.

The two occasions when he had searched for the wood spirit and prayed inside the temple had seemed even more real. The Elven King had not only noticed him, but had also spoken to him.

This time was even more inconceivable. Shu Li was actually sitting before the Fire God and having a conversation with him.

After finishing his wine, the Fire God tossed the golden goblet aside. It automatically floated back onto the table.

“Have you never considered that you might be traveling through time and space?”

Shu Li faltered. “Because...”

Because he had asked the Elven King, and the Elven King had said he possessed no memories connected to Shu Li.

The Fire God held a grape between his fingers, the corners of his mouth curving upward. “Freyus said he didn’t remember, and you believed him?”

Shu Li frowned. “The king would never lie to me!”

Elves and Fairies disdained lying. They were invariably honest, speaking their minds directly and never resorting to evasions or deception.

The Fire God popped the grape into his mouth, took out an exquisite handkerchief, and unhurriedly wiped his fingers. After swallowing the grape, he lowered his bent right leg. His lazy posture vanished as he straightened, suddenly radiating overwhelming authority.

“Little fellow, I regret to inform you that your king—Freyus Estel, the Elven King of ten thousand years in the future—has clearly deceived you.”

Under the Little Fairy’s astonished gaze, the Fire God mercilessly revealed the truth.

“Nothing you witnessed was an illusion. Every event was real, and every one of them truly happened. And I can say with certainty that your king retains all of those memories. For reasons of his own, he lied to you. As for why, you can ask him face-to-face after you return.”

Shu Li sprang to his feet in shock and instinctively protested, “The king has no reason to deceive me! I’m only a tiny Fairy...”

“Yes, you’re only a tiny Fairy. So why did he bind his soul to yours?”

The Fire God regarded him with amusement as he asked the question.