In the days that followed, Dan Feng rarely took on requests anymore; he spent most of his time reading books.
When Galdaruf asked him why he wasn't doing requests anymore, Dan Feng replied, "Knowledge is power!"
The statement wasn't wrong. During this period, every time Dan Feng finished a book, it would slightly strengthen his abilities—though the increase was quite limited. For example, his mana capacity grew from something like a river to about the size of an extra bowl of water.
Apart from the boosts provided by An Inch Longer, An Inch Stronger, his progress bar had also risen by three points and was now at 18%.
By this time, Dan Feng had read through nearly all the books he had bought. He decided that at some point he would go buy more to read and sell off the ones he had already finished.
During breakfast, Dan Feng sat together with Roxy, discussing the plot of a storybook.
Ever since Dan Feng had invited Roxy to read books together in his room, their relationship had progressed from mere acquaintances to close friends—and they had gained another shared identity: book buddies.
After all, the two of them had read the same books as each other. Wasn't that exactly what a book buddy relationship was?
One day, Dan Feng was woken by a series of urgent knocks on his door, causing him to show a rare flash of irritation.
In an instant, Dan Feng appeared at the door and opened it.
He looked left and right but saw no one, so he planned to go back to sleep for a bit more.
Just as he was about to close the door, a soft voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Good morning, Dan Feng." The voice was clear and pleasant—it was Roxy's.
Dan Feng froze for a moment, then followed the sound downward.
There stood Roxy at the doorway, a shy smile on her face, looking a little embarrassed.
"Ah, were you still sleeping? I'm so sorry—I thought you were already up." Roxy quickly explained when she saw Dan Feng's slightly messy hair.
Dan Feng shook his head with a smile. "It's fine, no trouble at all. Did something come up that you came to find me so early?"
In truth, Dan Feng felt no displeasure at all about Roxy's sudden visit.
On the contrary, during the time they had spent together, he had developed a very favorable impression of her.
Roxy gave him the impression of a girl who was both cute and articulate, with exceptionally high talent.
During this period, Roxy had also learned a great deal from Dan Feng—especially chantless magic techniques.
Now, Roxy could proficiently use chantless intermediate magic, and she had only learned one advanced spell: Ice Spear Blizzard. Dan Feng couldn't help but marvel at her talent.
However, Roxy would always pout and say, "What do you mean? You're the one who invented chantless magic, yet you're praising my talent?"
Advanced magic required far more mana and had much more complex mana flow paths, so Roxy still needed more time to study and practice them.
"I just wanted to ask if you'd like to go out and walk around together. Are you free right now?" Roxy's eyes held anticipation, like a girl experiencing her first love sincerely inviting the person she liked on a date.
As the saying goes, those involved are often blind while bystanders see clearly. Dan Feng probably wasn't the type who was particularly sensitive to matters of romance, so he didn't notice.
"Strolling around? Sure, no problem. I happen to need to buy some books anyway. Give me a moment." With that, Dan Feng closed the door, leaving Roxy outside.
Roxy didn't know what to say, so she simply went downstairs to wait for him.
By the time Dan Feng had washed up and come downstairs, Roxy had already been waiting for quite a while.
"Hey, where are you two headed?" Mayibeia had originally been cleaning, but not long ago she noticed Roxy listlessly lying on the table and grew curious.
However, she hadn't planned to ask Roxy directly and instead continued observing.
Only when Dan Feng came down did she walk over to ask.
"Just wandering around. I'll buy some books along the way." Dan Feng answered truthfully.
"Huh? That's it?" Mayibeia looked at Dan Feng and Roxy in shock, her tone practically saying, "I took off my pants and this is what you show me?"
"We might also stop by the Adventurers' Guild to see if there are any suitable requests."
"Fine, fine. Go on then." Mayibeia waved her hand dismissively and went back to her own tasks.
Some time later, Dan Feng and Roxy appeared on the streets of Millishion's commercial district. Roxy's striking water-blue long hair naturally drew a lot of attention in the crowd.
Whenever someone noticed Roxy's hair, they would start whispering.
"Look, it's a demon race!"
"Seriously, a demon race showing up on human territory…"
Every time Roxy heard such remarks, she would slightly lower her head, looking very aggrieved.
Dan Feng naturally heard the gossip as well. He stopped walking and turned toward the two people who had spoken particularly loudly.
"Hey, how long has it been since the Human-Demon War ended? You're still carrying racial prejudice?" Dan Feng questioned them. Though his expression didn't fluctuate much, he exuded an inexplicable sense of pressure—like the subtle intimidation a strong person exerts on the weak.
"Let's go, let's go. This guy seems to be that Cold Dragon Young or whatever—not someone to mess with." The first person to speak said in a panicked tone. As he spoke, he reached out to tug his companion's sleeve, wanting to leave quickly.
However, before they could take more than a few steps, Dan Feng suddenly appeared behind them.
Dan Feng's speed was astonishing—like a gust of wind, completely undetectable.
"Wait." Dan Feng's voice was ice-cold.
Then his hands clamped tightly onto their shoulders, making it impossible for them to break free.
"B-Bro, we were wrong, okay? It hurts!" The two men turned pale, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads.
They cried out while slapping at Dan Feng's hands, trying to ease the pain in their shoulders.
Dan Feng looked at them expressionlessly and tightened his grip slightly, making the pain even more intense.
"Apologize." Dan Feng's voice remained cold and emotionless.
"S-Sorry, bro!" The two said almost in unison, their voices filled with fear and pleading.
"Not to me. To her." Dan Feng pointed toward Roxy not far away and said to them.
"We're sorry, miss!" The two immediately turned around and bowed deeply to Roxy, their attitude far more sincere and earnest than before.
Then, as if granted amnesty, they hurriedly turned and fled, terrified that Dan Feng might change his mind.
As they walked away, they kept glancing back nervously, afraid Dan Feng might come after them.
Watching their retreating figures, Roxy's face showed a trace of worry.
She walked over to Dan Feng and said softly, "Um, Dan Feng, thank you for standing up for me. But what if they try to get revenge on you later when you're out in the wild?"
Dan Feng shrugged nonchalantly. "It's fine. If they really try to retaliate, I'll have ways to deal with it." His tone was relaxed, as if he didn't take those two seriously at all.
"Still… thank you."
"We're friends. Helping a friend is perfectly normal."