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“Dear Mr. Yellow, my name is Aurora, I’ve been a devoted fan of your work for the past year. Although we’ve never had the chance to meet in person, I feel a profound connection to your soul through your art…”

“NO!!!”

Taylor screamed like a boar about to be butchered. He reacted as if Green Emperor was not reading an ordinary letter, but a curse that could give him a splitting headache.

In fact, the harsh reality was even more terrifying for Taylor than any curse. The letter was indeed the one he had personally penned. It was also one of the many heartfelt letters he had been sending to Mr. Yellow over the past year, all of which had been met with deafening silence.

“SHUT UP, YOU B̲A̲S̲T̲A̲R̲D̲!”

In a fit of rage, Taylor pounced on Green Emperor, wrested the envelope from his hand, and proceeded to crumple the letter before swallowing it whole.

Green Emperor remained unruffled by Taylor’s outburst. He gracefully stepped back, smoothed out his collar, then adjusted the black-framed glasses that he was not used to wearing.

“Do you believe me now, Aurora?” He smiled smugly.

“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲…”

Taylor glared at Green Emperor with bloodshot eyes. He looked like a raging bull, ready to charge over and fight Green Emperor. Taylor felt completely deceived. Mr. Yellow was an idol he had admired for over a year, considering him to be the soulmate he had always longed for.

He had been looking forward to the book signing event, but to his dismay, he discovered that the person he idolized was nothing more than the annoying brat from across the street he had loathed since childhood!

Furthermore, the brat possessed the means to blackmail him. He did not hesitate to mock and humiliate him either!

If this were something Taylor could tolerate, he would have endured it. However, it was not! He swore that today, he would…

“Are you sure you want to fight me?” Green Emperor’s lips curled into a smirk as he rolled up his sleeves. “You, a nerd for the past ten thousand years with a belly as bouncy as a mattress, dare to fight me?” he continued taunting.

Green Emperor stepped closer, towering over Taylor by half a head.

With a condescending look on his face, he said, “I’ll have you know that while you were enjoying the comforts of the Holy Dragon Empire, I endured countless rounds of the Queen’s brutal training. I broke my ribs 4,524 times, fractured my femur 3,999 times, my skull 5,823 times, my spine 1,977 times and suffered comminuted fractures 1,933 times.”

“So… how are you planning to fight me?”

Green Emperor took another step forward. An overwhelming pressure descended upon Taylor like a silent tsunami.

Despite being a legendary figure and the strongest peak saint-level expert in the Holy Dragon Empire, it did not change the fact that Taylor’s opponent was also a peak saint-level expert.

Besides, there was a significant distinction between Taylor, who had spent years as a recluse playing video games indoors, and a m̲a̲s̲o̲c̲h̲i̲s̲t̲ who endured daily torment.

With this realization, Taylor lost his confidence in defeating the m̲a̲s̲o̲c̲h̲i̲s̲t̲ in front of him.

The expression on his face changed as quickly as a chameleon’s skin. Sensing Green Emperor’s increasingly dangerous aura that surpassed his own, Taylor finally managed to force a smile on his face.

“W-What… are you talking about? Why would I fight you? We are all from the same clan. This should be a tearful reunion between old friends. I can’t even begin to express how delighted I am to meet you here, Big Brother Green Emperor.”

Green Emperor warmly patted Taylor’s shoulder, displaying the affection of a real big brother, and laughed heartily.

“Gwahaha, you’re absolutely right. I’m delighted to see you too, little brother. I might have been a little harsh earlier. Please allow me to treat you to a candied fruit skewer as an apology.”

Green Emperor waved at a vendor nearby and ordered, “Two candied fruit skewers, please!”

“Right away!”

The opportunity for a sale put a big smile on the vendor’s face as he hurried over with her candied fruit skewers stand. She randomly selected two skewers and handed them to Green Emperor.

“Five copper coins for one, ten copper coins for two.”
“I only have gold coins on me.”
“I don’t accept gold coins, only copper coins.”
“I don’t have any copper coins though.”
The vendor turned to Taylor and asked, “Do you have any copper coins, Aurora?”

The corner of Taylor’s mouth twitched as he saw a familiar face in front of him, clothed in linen and holding a towering candied fruit skewers stand. His eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

“Why the hell are you here too, Fenice?”
“Are you blind or something? I’m selling candied fruit skewers.”

Fenice shrugged nonchalantly, then waved the candied fruit skewers she was still holding.

“I’m not here to chat. Ten copper coins. Make it quick. I only deal in copper coins, gold coins are as worthless as toilet paper on Dragon Island now due to oversupply. I’ve told the others to stop collecting gold coins, but they never listen.”

“Do you really think a legendary figure from the Holy Dragon Empire would carry money around…?”

“Tsk, boring.” Fenice rolled her eyes at them, then shoved the candied fruit skewers into their hands. “They’re on the house, for fellow clansmen.”

“Many thanks, Sister Fenice.” Green Emperor expressed his gratitude and proceeded to savor the candied fruit skewer happily. Taylor, on the other hand, stared at the skewer in disbelief.

“You call this thing a candied fruit skewer?”

“Why? I made them myself. You’re telling me that they don’t look like candied fruit skewers?”

Fenice stared at the candied fruit skewers on her stand and grumbled, “Do you even know who my teacher is? It’s Old John from West Street, a true expert in making candied fruit skewers! I actually spent two years just learning how to make the sugar syrup. My skills were verified by Old John himself!”

“Perhaps you’re telling the truth, but…”

The things on the stand certainly resembled candied fruit skewers—red fruits coated in red sugar syrup, six of them on a bamboo skewer. The glossy and shiny sugary coating looked very appetizing, but……

“Aren’t these fruits a bit too big? Are they really hawthorn berries?”

Every piece of candied fruit was the size of a human head. Instead of berries, they looked like skewers of red balloons.

It was no wonder that Fenice’s candied fruit skewers stand reached the towering height of a three-story building!

“Big?”

Fenice gave Taylor an odd look.

“Are you drunk on coke? The hawthorn berries on Dragon Island are all this big.”

“Huh?”

Taylor froze as long-forgotten memories from the distant past slowly resurfaced in his mind. Fenice was right… The hawthorn berries on Dragon Island… were indeed this big…

Fenice cast a pitiful glance at Taylor and let out a deep sigh.

“I’ve repeatedly urged you to return home once in a while, Aurora. Yet you stubbornly cling to that ten-thousand-year pact. After staying in the human nation for so long, you have started to become like one of them!”

Green Emperor patted Taylor’s shoulder, expressing his agreement with Fenice’s words. “Come home more often, Aurora. Dragon Island will always be your home.”

“You’re right… It’s time for me to go home…” Taylor looked up, trying to restrain the proof of the uncharacteristic emotions that welled up in his eyes.

Green Emperor and Fenice watched him in silence, allowing the wanderer to indulge in his nostalgic reverie. For a moment, their meeting really turned into a reunion between old friends after a long separation.

After a long time, Taylor wiped away the moisture from the corners of his eyes. He then pulled out the flip-flops he usually wore and turned to look at Fenice with a serious expression.

“By the way, why are you calling me Aurora?”

“Uh… that…” Fenice took out a letter that looked extremely familiar to Taylor and began to recite it with deep emotion.