Hearing Lin Yu's words, Damon finally snapped back to reality, a strange expression flickering across his resolute face.
Before coming here, he had heard many rumors from the Commoners about this Lord.
Among them were evaluations like mysterious, dignified, and powerful, but he never imagined that the description most fitting the other party's personality would be the one Vlamay had casually mentioned years ago: not particular... ah, unceremonious!
Regardless of Damon's internal assessment, outwardly he maintained the respect due to a Commoner.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, I am Damon!"
"Then there's no issue!"
Lin Yu smiled and snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the surrounding scenery shifted rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, the three people were transferred from the magnificent hall to the Study inside the Stone Fortress.
This space was vast, with five-meter-high bookshelves lining the walls, filled with various bamboo Magic Scrolls, and the new type of paper-based Grimoires invented by the Ridge Peak Territory in recent years, which were gradually beginning to replace the Scrolls.
Lin Yu sat down behind the desk on his own accord, looking at the relatively calm Damon before him and smiling:
"Sit down and let's chat. I'm very interested in the journey you took!"
Hearing this, Damon realized that a mahogany High-backed chair had appeared behind him at some point.
He hesitated for a moment, choosing not to sit, but instead pulled out a Letter from his embrace and respectfully said, "My Lord, this is a Letter entrusted to you by Lady Vlamay. Regarding the experiences of our journey, I believe Lady Vlamay has written in sufficient detail..."
It was paper!
Lin Yu's sword-like eyebrows twitched, instinctively feeling something was amiss.
He had secretly guided the Old Village Chief to invent paper only two years ago.
Currently, it hadn't even been popularized in the areas surrounding the Ridge Peak Territory; how did Vlamay obtain it on the Northern Plateau?
As Lin Yu thought this, he lightly curled a finger.
Instantly, the Magic Power in the air rippled, drawing the Scroll into his hand.
The moment the Scroll landed in his hand, Lin Yu's expression visibly darkened.
No wonder she could write a letter on paper—this thing was clearly torn from the Holy Scripture by her!
You know what, this really does seem like something Vlamay would do...
While complaining internally, Lin Yu casually asked, "Where is Vlamay?"
Damon respectfully replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, after crossing the Northern Plateau, Lady Vlamay departed ahead. I heard she intends to take her newly accepted Disciple to meet her Teacher, and will visit Your Excellency after some time."
... A newly accepted Disciple?
Has the Destined Protagonist of this world, the Elf Mage Frieren, finally appeared?!
Lin Yu mused internally, then nodded, "Going to see Cerye first, that's fine too."
Saying that, he unfolded the Letter in his hand and carefully read its contents.
"To my friend Lin Yu: Ten years have passed since we last met. I wonder if you and Rumble Rock are well."
"Since leaving your Territory, Damon and I headed North, passing through..."
Lin Yu seriously read this Letter from a friend after a decade.
The initial part of the Letter was simple: Vlamay and Damon traveled North together, fighting Monsters, exploring Mazes, and encountering the other two members of their party in a city in the North.
These two were orphans of the Northern War: one was a fallen Noble Knight, and the other was a young female Monk.
Unlike the Vanguard Damon, who possessed an abnormal innate Physique, this Noble Knight specialized in Swordsmanship, positioning him more like Himmel from the Hero party a thousand years later—the physical damage dealer of the group.
As for the other, the female Monk capable of using the Holy Scripture to dispel Curses, there's no need to elaborate; she was clearly the Assistant Young Miss.
Thus, Vanguard, Assistant, Magic Damage Dealer, and Physical Damage Dealer were all assembled; Vlamay's four-person party was officially formed.
They set off from a frontline city in the Unified Empire's North, traveled all the way North, passed through the Demon Race's Territory, defeated countless Demon King Army forces, and finally managed to reach the northernmost part of the continent.
There, they finally encountered the Demon King.
In Vlamay's own words, the moment she saw the Demon King, she knew that enemy could never be defeated head-on.
But even so, they still engaged in a battle against the Demon King and the Demon King Army—
It was a battle Vlamay described as a crushing defeat.
Even the proud Vlamay had to admit that if it weren't for the Holy Scripture Lin Yu had given her, the four of them might have all died in that fight.
In short, after an indescribable battle, Vlamay was forced to take out the Holy Scripture, unleashing several Destructive ultimate moves in succession, turning the entire Demon King City into Ruins, allowing her and her three companions to barely escape.
Lin Yu didn't know if the Vlamay from the Original Work had ever fought the Demon King.
If her teammates indeed died at the hands of the Demon King, then his Holy Scripture undoubtedly saved those three people.
If the Vlamay from the Original Work never fought the Demon King head-on, then this battle likely gave her the confidence that was absent in the Original Work, thanks to Lin Yu's Holy Scripture.
Regardless of which was the truth, his Holy Scripture had already altered the fate of Vlamay's party.
Lin Yu continued reading downwards; the latter part of the Letter detailed Vlamay's change in mindset.
Vlamay admitted that she was absolutely no match for the Demon King currently.
If she intended to fulfill her ideals within her lifetime and promote the development of Magic in Human society, she would never grow strong enough to defeat the Demon King before her death.
So, should she strengthen herself, gambling on a future possibility of defeating the Demon King.
Or should she stick to her original intention and use the rest of her life to realize that initial ideal...
This was the difficult choice Vlamay faced after leaving the Demon King City.
She pondered this question throughout her journey, and without even realizing it, her style gradually shifted.
Before fighting the Demon King, she was an extremely proud, exceptionally talented young genius, but after the crushing defeat, she began to contemplate methods of fighting beyond direct confrontation.
In this Letter, Vlamay specifically mentioned the inseparable relationship between the Demon Race and Magic Power.
Just like mindless Monsters, the Demon Race also distinguished status based on Magic Power.
Magic Power was a symbol of dignity and status for them; they could never abandon everything that came with Magic Power, and thus could never permanently conceal their Magic Power.
But Humans did not have this restriction, which allowed Vlamay to see a glimmer of strategic victory.
She began to conceal her Magic Power fluctuations, maintaining this suppressed state throughout her Cultivation, battles, and daily life.
The facts proved her strategy was quite successful; after getting used to suppressing her Magic Power, she successfully tricked many powerful Demons, causing them to expose fatal flaws due to underestimating her.
This was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for Vlamay, who had been quite dejected since heading South.
It was just a pity that the battle they had with the Demon King caused too much commotion.
Not long after, the names of Vlamay and her group spread, and many great Demons became wary of her, making the tactic of using Magic Power suppression to trick people less effective.
When writing this part, Vlamay mocked herself, saying that in Lin Yu's words, her character build was ruined.
Therefore, she wanted to find an unparalleled genius, train him into a Weapon against the Demon King, have him accustomed to suppressing Magic Power from childhood, maintain it his entire life, until the day he could defeat the Demon King in the future.
Unfortunately, the Mages among Humans strongly disapproved of this method.
They considered this behavior extremely despicable and disdained it.
Of course, this was just their unilateral assertion.
Vlamay felt they were simply unwilling to give up the status and wealth brought by Magic Power, unwilling to play the weak like her their entire lives just to devour the Tiger in a single battle!
She was not discouraged and continued searching for the right candidate.
Until not long after, in an Elven Village massacred by the Demon Race in the North, she encountered that fated Elf Girl...