He recalled the kiss from the start of their journey.
Lin Mo couldn't help but gently touch his own cheek.
Even now, he could still remember the feeling that made his soul tremble.
Although Lin Mo knew,
that fleeting kiss Alice had planted on his cheek back then wasn't born of love,
it was a sign that Alice had taken a liking to him
and didn't resist intimate contact with him, a member of the opposite sex.
To describe it in three words,
that kiss marked the beginning of the "ambiguous period" between Lin Mo and Alice.
How joyful the process of an ambiguous journey would be was easy to imagine.
That night, the two stayed at an inn in Stone Gate.
Although they booked two separate rooms,
Alice was quite mischievous.
She would lightly tap the wall three times in the middle of the night, as if asking Lin Mo, "Are you asleep?"
Lin Mo was equally playful.
He would also tap the bamboo wall gently, letting Alice know he was still awake.
Sometimes, Alice would even initiate some intimate interactions with Lin Mo.
For example, after they finally climbed to a mountain peak together,
when Alice saw the magnificent terraced fields of Qingce Village for the first time,
she was so excited she jumped onto Lin Mo's back.
She then casually took the Kamera hanging from his waist and suddenly took a photo with him against the backdrop of the stunning terraced fields below.
Or, that time when Lin Mo was rowing a bamboo boat with Alice, drifting on the tranquil lake of Sal Terrae,
Alice leaned into Lin Mo's embrace, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the breeze blowing across the lake, carrying the fresh scent of reeds.
They also held hands, spread their Wind Gliders, and soared above the sea of clouds in Huaguang Stone Forest.
They went through great hardships, using every means possible, to climb together to the highest point in Liyue—Qingyun Peak—and left behind a silly-faced photo together.
In Liyue Harbor, they walked hand in hand through the bustling night.
They even pretended to be an engaged couple and bought Liyue's distinctive, festive traditional wedding attire.
They hadn't even finished exploring all of Liyue,
but Lin Mo could clearly feel their relationship rapidly deepening.
He was certain.
If he confessed his feelings to Alice,
there was an eighty percent chance she would accept him.
But at that time, Lin Mo was still hesitant.
He was still worried that Alice might meet her destined one during their travels.
So, even though they clearly liked each other, neither made a move to confess.
The turning point came in Inazuma.
When they once again climbed to a summit, reaching the highest point on Seirai Island, and looked up at the awe-inspiring vortex of thunderclouds,
Alice couldn't help but sigh, "In the face of the great power of nature and the Archons, humans and elves alike seem so insignificant~"
"Mhm."
Lin Mo nodded gently.
After all, having been to Guyun Stone Forest and walked through the Musou no Hitotachi,
they both realized that Archons and mortal beings were truly creatures of different concepts.
It was at that moment.
Alice turned to face Lin Mo and said sweetly,
"Archons possess lifespans as enduring as the sun and moon."
"Looking at it that way, the elven race's lifespan of several hundred or even a thousand years seems almost negligible, doesn't it?"
"Mhm, compared to Archons, we are indeed quite insignificant to this world," Lin Mo nodded.
But Alice took Lin Mo's hand and asked sweetly, "Well, the reason you haven't confessed to me... is it because
you're worried you can't accompany me until my lonely old age?"
"I..." Lin Mo's gaze shifted slightly.
He hadn't expected Alice to take the initiative and pierce through this ambiguous veil at this moment.
" 'I' what? Answer me! I want an answer!"
Alice wrinkled her fair, delicate nose, pretending to be threatening.
"Mhm, I admit it." Lin Mo could only nod in acknowledgment.
After all, he couldn't very well say, 'I'm waiting for your destined one to appear,' could he?
"Don't worry about that!"
Alice pinched Lin Mo's chest with a hint of resentment and explained,
"Elves do not marry within their own race."
"So, in most cases, elves cannot avoid ending up alone in old age."
"It is the fate of the elven race, the price paid for such a long lifespan."
"Since... we are destined to end up alone in the end,"
"what we can choose is..."
"to dedicate the most beautiful years of our youth to each other during this journey called life." As Alice spoke,
the resentment and playfulness in her eyes faded completely.
Instead, she gazed at Lin Mo with a solemn and deeply affectionate look.
"Lin Mo."
"We have already walked a long journey together."
"The journey ahead of us is still very long."
"Will you... continue to walk it with me?" As Alice spoke,
seeing Lin Mo about to answer instinctively,
she immediately raised a finger and pressed it against his lips, reminding him, "The journey I'm talking about isn't this ongoing trip, but... the journey of our lives."
Lin Mo's gaze shifted slightly.
This...
was no longer just expressing affection or becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.
This was...
a marriage proposal!
In that instant,
Lin Mo thought of many things.
He thought of their first meeting in Dadupa Gorge.
He thought of that sweet kiss on his cheek at the start of their journey.
He thought of the two of them lying together on the highest peak of Guyun Stone Forest, basking in the scorching sunlight and the damp, salty sea breeze, falling asleep in each other's arms.
He also thought of how they supported each other every step of the way through the perilous lands of Inazuma.
At this moment,
a heartfelt cry erupted in Lin Mo's mind.
"To hell with the mission!"
"To hell with the destined one!"
"The mission can fail! But I cannot lose Alice!"
And so, Lin Mo suddenly took a step forward and pulled Alice into a tight embrace.
"Although, on this journey called life, I am destined not to be able to accompany you to the very end,"
"I swear, I will definitely not let your youth be filled with regrets."
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T/N:
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