Chapter 3588: Similarities

Helena's enthusiasm, outgoing nature, and directness are quite different from the reserved nature of Eastern women. However, Lin Wan'er could understand Helena's behavior. She knew Helena's feelings for Ye Chen, and seeing that Ye Chen had brought three women here, even without a sense of crisis, she would definitely feel a competitive spirit.

However, Yun Rugo and Song Ruyu were still somewhat unaccustomed to it, feeling that Helena's directness towards Ye Chen made them feel like they shouldn't have come along as third wheels.

Ye Chen was also a little embarrassed. He vaguely knew that he and Helena might have had some unclear and ambiguous things happen. However, he had no memory of it at the time and could only guess based on Helena's reaction and some details in her boudoir. They kept quiet about it afterward, which was an unspoken understanding. So he did not pry into it.

Seeing that Helena was even more direct and proactive than before, he felt that living with these women here might be more troublesome than he had imagined.

Led by Helena, the group arrived at the royal polar villa. The house had clearly been cleaned and furnished very carefully, and it looked much more refined than when Ye Chen last visited, no longer having the feeling of having been idle for a long time.

Inside the living room, the fireplace was already lit, and the crackling sound of the burning firewood echoed throughout the room, creating a particularly comfortable atmosphere.

Helena invited them to sit on the sofa by the fireplace, then said with a smile, "This villa has a total of five rooms, three upstairs and two downstairs. Mr. Ye's room is the master bedroom on the first floor, and the three ladies' rooms are on the second floor. I'll take you upstairs to see them later, and you can discuss how to allocate them."

Song Ruyu thought to herself, "This Nordic queen is shameless. She has the audacity to arrange her room on the same floor as Mr. Ye. Even if it were a choice among the four people, it would be reasonable for Miss Lin and Mr. Ye to share a room. It's not her turn."

Lin Wan'er had no objection to this arrangement, and then said to Song Ruyu and Yun Rugo, "Miss Song and Miss Yun, please go and choose first. I don't care where I stay. You can leave the remaining room for me after you've chosen."

Yun Rugo and Song Ruyu both knew Lin Wan'er's background and held her in awe. So they both said, "Miss Lin should choose first. We're fine with either of us."

Seeing that the three of them had tacitly agreed to stay upstairs, Helena felt a little smug and then said with a smile, "The three of you, I had a lot of ingredients prepared when I came. Because I was worried about disturbing you, I didn't leave any servants. Also, considering that everyone's living habits and tastes are different, we may need to prepare meals together in the next few days."

Yun Rugo raised one hand and said, "Your Majesty, I have been practicing abstinence from grains for many years and only need drinking water."

Song Ruyu also raised her hand and said, "I'm also practicing fasting."

Helena looked bewildered: "Excuse me, what does 'Bigu' mean?"

Ye Chen explained, "The two of them, like me, are cultivators, and their bodily functions no longer need to rely on food for energy."

Helena didn't know what cultivation was. She only knew that Ye Chen had many mysterious and powerful abilities, which, in Western terms, could be considered supernatural abilities, but she didn't know the specifics of them.

However, when she heard Ye Chen mention the word "cultivation" today, although she didn't understand it, she was very happy because, in her opinion, it meant that Ye Chen had decided to reveal this secret to her, and it also meant that there was less distance between them.

So, she looked at Ye Chen and said softly, "So Mr. Ye's strength belongs to the cultivation path. It seems that this must be a supernatural power unique to the East, which is probably the same as the magic and witchcraft in Western legends."

Song Ruyu muttered, "Magic and witchcraft are probably just things used to fool children in movies and fairy tales, right?"

Seeing the slight disdain in Song Ruyu's attitude, Helena wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled and said, "Whether it exists in reality or not, I wouldn't dare to say for sure. But since the East has this kind of supernatural power, it wouldn't be surprising if the West had something similar."

Ye Chen asked with great interest, "Has your royal family never had any related legends or records over the years?"

Helena truthfully stated, "There are legends and records, but many of them are from the Middle Ages, so it's difficult to verify their authenticity."

At this moment, Lin Wan'er spoke up: "What the West calls magic is actually just Taoist cultivation in a different package. The underlying logic is almost exactly the same. It involves manipulating spiritual energy in various ways and then transforming it into all sorts of spells. It's like how Easterners turn dough into steamed buns and flatbreads, while Westerners turn dough into bread and pizzas."

Ye Chen asked in surprise, "So, Miss Lin witnessed it with her own eyes?"

Yun Rugo and Song Ruyu couldn't help but look at her. They both knew that Lin Wan'er had lived for nearly four hundred years and must be very knowledgeable. So they waited for her to answer their questions.

Lin Wan'er nodded and said casually, "Actually, many fields are not unique to the East or the West. For example, the East uses the I Ching and Bagua for divination, while the West has astrology, tarot cards, and crystal balls. It's hard to say which is more advanced. It's just that in the last two hundred years or so, both Eastern and Western societies have undergone modernization, industrialization, and technological revolutions to varying degrees. The West did this more thoroughly during the Industrial Revolution, so there may be fewer people in these fields who have inherited these skills than in the East. For example, the masters of the past could use tarot cards to divine in countless ways, with unparalleled mystery and accurate predictions. But now, so-called masters are mostly charlatans who only know a little bit. Times have changed, and some things have gradually been eliminated."

Ye Chen had never heard of the idea that Western magic and Eastern cultivation shared the same underlying logic before. However, upon closer reflection, since spiritual energy was the purest and most refined energy in the world, if Easterners could find a way to control it, Westerners should be able to as well.

Upon closer examination, Western legends about magic do indeed share some similarities with Eastern cultivation practices, and could even be described as having a striking resemblance.

First, everyone has the ability to mobilize supernatural energy and transform it into wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and various forms of attack;

Secondly, everyone also has various magical artifacts that can enhance their strength, as well as various medicines that can improve cultivation or bring special effects;

Secondly, the jade tablet I obtained from Zhang Ermao contained a large amount of spiritual energy. Now that I think about it, it must be what is called a spiritual stone in cultivation. In magic legends, there are also magic stones containing super strong magic power. Ultimately, they should be the same thing.

Helena was surprised to find that Lin Wan'er, the youngest among them, seemed to have more knowledge. Even Ye Chen had to consult her, and she looked very humble and eager to learn. Helena couldn't help but wonder, and asked her, "Miss Lin, have you... have you ever met a magician?"

Lin Wan'er smiled and said, "I have indeed seen you."

Helena exclaimed, "So that means magicians still exist?"

Helena didn't know Lin Wan'er's age and thought she was seventeen or eighteen. Since she had seen a magician when she was seventeen or eighteen, then there must be magicians in the world.

Lin Wan'er simply smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I have indeed seen the magician, but I am not sure if he is still alive."

Helena couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed, and she had doubts about the veracity of what Lin Wan'er had said.

Ye Chen didn't think much of it. He understood the meaning behind Lin Wan'er's words. Lin Wan'er had probably encountered a magician when she came to Europe more than two hundred years ago. But after so many years, most cultivators would hardly live to such an old age. It seemed that the threshold for longevity for magicians was also very high.

By this time, it was completely dark outside. Lin Wan'er went to the French windows and looked out, exclaiming in surprise, "Young Master, it's the aurora borealis!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen stood up and looked out. Indeed, a faint green light and shadow had appeared on the distant horizon.

It's already the tail end of the aurora season in Northern Europe. The aurora in the distance is not as clear and dazzling as it was last time I came. It seems to be much smaller in scale and farther north than last time.

However, this is a good opportunity to see if the source of the aurora's change is here or within oneself. If one catches up with the aurora in the distance, the aurora will undergo further changes, and the source will likely be within oneself!

So, he turned around excitedly and said to Yun Rugo and Song Ruyu, "Miss Yun, Miss Song, the reason I brought you to the polar region this time is not only for secluded cultivation, but also to help you understand the mysterious changes here. If you are interested, why not come with me to explore it!"