Chapter 1487: Chapter 928: Sunrise Dawn (VI): Ice Fortress
The wind howled, blowing Ados’ somewhat withered silver hair into disarray.
This old mage leaned on his magic wand, his gaze fixed on the rolling clouds above the sky, deep and sorrowful, as if trying to pierce through time and space.
At this moment, his already hunched figure appeared even more bent.
"I’m sorry... Mr. Ados, I didn’t know..."
Tony opened his mouth, his expression guilty.
However, Ados quickly withdrew his gaze from the sky.
He took a deep breath and forced a somewhat awkward smile:
"It’s okay, Lord Tony, it’s all in the past."
"The cataclysm brought indelible harm to everyone, and because of it, we have come to appreciate the beauty of peace, the preciousness of blue skies and white clouds..."
"As survivors, we are already far luckier than those who met their end."
"We must live well, strive to live towards a potentially beautiful future, as it is what survivors like us should do."
"We should be strong, and we must be strong. The departed are gone, but we cannot forget, we still have a future..."
Ados’ words were forceful, as if containing an unyielding strength.
Looking at his determined gaze, Tony felt a chill in his heart and suddenly felt deep respect.
"Mr. Ados, you are truly a strong elder, and after talking with you, I realize how cowardly I usually am."
Tony sighed slightly.
Looking at this resolute old man, at that moment, he couldn’t help but reflect on himself.
He recalled the unforgettable setbacks he had experienced throughout his life, and also remembered how he immersed himself in games more obsessively after a recent breakup, essentially self-numbing to escape reality...
The breakup caused by game addiction was merely a manifestation.
He had always known that what truly surrounded him was the introversion and inferiority buried deep in his bones...
Because he was introverted, he disliked socializing; because he was inferior, he avoided reality, immersing himself in games.
And because of this, in his relationship with his girlfriend, he repeatedly chose to avoid problems during conflicts rather than work to solve them, leading to the other party’s complete despair.
It was just a vicious cycle.
Compared to Ados, who faced the painful past directly, compared to the old man who buried his sorrow and continued moving forward, he was indeed lacking.
"No, Lord Tony, please be confident, your willingness to embark on this journey with us already shows your strength and kindness."
"Without you, we might not have been able to get here at all."
Ados shook his head and said.
Tony gave a wry smile, not answering.
Strong? Kind?
No...
He knew very well that his willingness to participate was merely because it was a "game".
He was far from the noble person Ados described.
And because of this, when he saw the grateful and respectful looks from everyone, he felt even more ashamed.
With Ados’ recounting and Tony’s sighs, the atmosphere in the group turned somewhat somber.
Until the warrior Bols laughed:
"Hey, enough of this sad stuff! How about listening to the story of me, Ramsis, and Mire?"
"Speaking of which, we were quite unlucky. The three of us were originally mercenaries in a small mercenary group, and we were planning to retire and open a small tavern together after saving up a large amount of money, but who knew that just after we talked to the captain about retiring, the cataclysm struck..."
"It was awful. We saved gold pounds for over ten years, and this damn cataclysm turned them all into useless stones, while food and water became the hard currency, what a joke!"
"The most frustrating part is, we even exchanged most of our resources for gold pounds before retiring, and in the end, all the gold pounds together couldn’t even buy a case of ale!"
"Isn’t it unlucky? Hahahahaha..."
Bols laughed loudly, trying to change the topic.
However... his ability to change the topic didn’t seem too effective, as no one echoed his laughter except him.
The burly warrior laughed for a while, and then, realizing the awkward atmosphere, he rolled his eyes, looked at the silent people, and dejectedly said:
"Damn! Looks like my story wasn’t funny, I swear, I’ll never butt in at such unfortunate moments again in my life."
"Pfft..."
Seeing him like a deflated grizzly bear, Mire couldn’t help but smile.
With the female mage’s laughter, the somber atmosphere broke, and everyone looked at each other and simultaneously burst into laughter.
"Pffft, Bols, you better not bring that up again. If it weren’t for you constantly saying how easy it is to carry gold pounds, Ramsis and I wouldn’t have converted everything in the end."
Ramsis joked angrily.
Mire also shook her head, complaining:
"Exactly, it’s all your fault."
However, despite their words of blame, there was no trace of resentment in their eyes.
On the contrary, only the tacit understanding and friendship of longtime friends remained.
This little commotion swept away the previously somber atmosphere in the group.
The team escorting the Magic Energy Core returned to their enthusiastic and optimistic state once more.
Ados looked at the group of people, who, led by Bols, began teasing each other and joking around. His gaze grew increasingly gentle.
