Kangkai Church area.
In the sunny garden, Chen Lun and Flo Yin were sitting on a wooden bench. The quiet girl with long blond hair was lying in his arms, and Chen Lun looked at her face with her eyes closed and resting gently.
"Flo Yin."
"Um… "
The girl hummed lazily.
"I might need to go out for a bit."
Chen Lun said softly.
"Okay, I'll wait for you here like before."
The corners of Flo Yin's mouth slightly raised.
A gentle smile also appeared in Chen Lun's eyes.
He still remembered that he had escaped from the dungeon of the Red Apple Church with Floin. Every time he came back from going out, she would stand silently at the door, waiting for an unknown period of time, and finally whispered, "You're back."
He lowered his head and stared at her for a long while before he slowly said:
"But this time, I can't guarantee that I will come back."
Fuluoyin frowned, slowly opened her eyes, and sat up, her violet eyes flashing with worry and nervousness.
"Did you encounter any danger?"
She had guessed something cleverly.
"You can say that, but this time is different from the past. I can't escape..."
Chen Lun smiled slightly.
Fuluo Yin tightly grasped his hand and said in a deep voice:
"I'll go with you!"
Chen Lun just shook his head.
"It's useless. This is my fate. No one can help me... If I don't come back, I hope you can take the rest of the circus away from the royal city and find a secluded corner to grow slowly... The turmoil in the spirit world will be even more intense. You can only fight for a better future if you are promoted to a high position."
He has already made the worst plan. If he fails in challenging fate, Howard should not implicate Flo Yin and the others. However, the water in the royal city is too deep, and there are still many uncertainties in the main storyline, so Chen Lun hopes that these companions can leave and live well.
He believed that with the talents of people like Fuluoyin, they would definitely be able to achieve a high position one day. In that case, he would not have to worry about anything anymore.
After hearing his last words, Fuluo Yin could no longer control her emotions. Her eyes sparkled with a glimmer, and her ethereal voice trembled:
"Who is your enemy?"
Chen Lun did not answer her, but just stared at this beautiful face quietly, as if he wanted to imprint her deeply in his mind.
Flo Yin was a little angry. This was the first time she was really angry with him. Her fingers were clenched so tightly that they even turned white.
"You have to tell me who you are... If you die, I will have the motivation to live... I will avenge you at all costs!"
Chen Lun felt Fuluoyin's strong emotional fluctuations and her unshakable belief. Looking at her flashing violet eyes, he actually shed tears.
His heartbeat couldn't help but stop.
Then he sighed secretly.
He raised his hand and held the girl's face, gently wiping away the warm tears with his thumb. Chen Lun stared into her eyes and said in a deep voice:
"Her name is Howard... If I fail, she will be promoted to the Angel of Destiny. You will have no chance of winning!"
"Then I will quietly accumulate strength until I also achieve a high position... and then kill her!"
Flo Yin said sternly.
She stared at the beloved face in front of her, and her tone changed to gentle:
"Don't forget our agreement. If you forget or get lost, we will eventually meet on the moon."
Chen Lun gave her a hug at last.
It is both a farewell and a response.
Because behind this oath, there is a symbol of death... If he didn't come back, Flo Yin would definitely find ways to avenge him, and in the end, regardless of success or failure, she would definitely die.
*
*
*
Chen Lun left the garden alone under Fuluoyin's quiet gaze.
He did not tell the rest of the team about this, both because he did not want them to worry about him and because there was no need to.
This is his own business and no one can help him.
However, just as Chen Lun was about to find a place to fall into the dream world, he saw Alex humming a song as he walked along the path as he came back from playing outside.
The two looked at each other.
Alex smiled and saluted him, then said loudly:
"Bon voyage, Mr. Jack!"
Chen Lun couldn't help but stop and look deeply at the guy in front of him.
From a very early time, he suspected that Alex was hiding a big secret, but no matter how he tried, he could not find any clues.
Now, the other party's seemingly ordinary words, corresponding to what he was about to face, seemed particularly appropriate.
"Do you know what I'm going to do?"
Chen Lun asked with a chuckle.
Alex shook his head blankly, then shrugged and said:
"I don't know, but aren't you going out?"
"never mind… "
Chen Lun sighed inwardly, thinking that he was too sensitive.
However, Alex hurriedly said:
"By the way, Mr. Jack, I found some inspiration during my field trip this time and wrote a brand new poem. Would you like to listen to it?"
"I don't want to hear it anymore. Maybe next time."
Chen Lun declined politely and was about to leave.
"Listen! It will be quick! Mr. Jack!"
But Alex kept coming closer.
"If you don't listen, you are looking down on me, the great bard Alex! No! I want you to listen!"
As he spoke, he took out his harmonica and started playing a tune.
The prelude was very catchy and pleasant to the ear, showing Alex's musical talent, but Chen Lun was in no mood to listen. He walked forward helplessly, and this guy followed him and played the zither, just like a street performer asking for tips.
Finally, Alex put down his harmonica, panting, and sang a poem loudly:
"… If it's not that you are unworthy of this era, then it's that this era is unworthy of you! Great God of the Outsider! You will definitely return as a victor!"
Chen Lun stopped again. This time, he stared at Alex and said in a deep voice:
"The god of a foreign land?"
"Uh... what went wrong? I heard that you used to call yourself the messenger of the God of Outlander, and that's where the inspiration came from, so I'm going to sing a song in your honor!"
Alex stopped reciting and said in confusion.
Chen Lun was silent for a few seconds and did not answer him, but asked for some unknown reason:
"Do you think I can come back?"
Alex was startled at first, then he raised his eyebrows and chuckled:
"certainly."
After a moment.
Chen Lun stared deeply at Alex's departing back, and felt more and more that this guy was like a cloud of fog.
He did not stop, took a step forward, and disappeared on the spot.
*
*
*
On the outskirts of the royal city.
As the evening light gradually dimmed, in a very remote suburb, a figure walked slowly by.
Chen Lun found a tree and sat down on the ground.
He first lit a bonfire the size of a wash basin, then took out the ritual materials he had prepared in advance, arranged them next to it, and then laid the silver cane flat on his knees. He closed his eyes and prayed to Maggie, the cat god, and Philip in his heart.
This time, he did not expect to get a response from the two of them, but simply wanted to inform them that he was about to enter the dream world and face Howard directly.
In the silent environment, there was only the crackling sound of burning firewood.
After a while.
Chen Lun slowly opened his eyes.
There was a hint of regret in his eyes.
As expected, he received no response.
'It's time to go...'
Chen Lun sighed, took off his hat, used it as a pillow on the grass, and then lay down.
Fredecui's meditation technique was put into practice for a while, and within two breaths, Chen Lun fell asleep quietly...
His consciousness remained clear from beginning to end, but the environment of his dream was a process of creation from nothing. Chen Lun stood quietly in a white space, and saw the surrounding scene like a picture on a canvas, which gradually changed from the scribbled lines at the beginning to the distorted buildings and street scenes, and finally turned into a square that was very similar to the real world.
Chen Lun ignored the various pedestrians in his dream, and followed the direction indicated by the crank of his cane to find the underground stairs leading to the dream world.
Just like last time, he walked down 70 steps and came to the area of the "Sleeping Gate"... Originally, Chen Lun was ready to negotiate with Ms. Sigh, but this time, only the stone gate stood quietly, with all kinds of hideous marine creatures vividly carved on it.
Chen Lun looked around at the empty and dim hall and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
If possible, he didn't want to face Ms. Sigh directly.
Although he had been promoted to a high position, he was still somewhat afraid of the three ladies of pain in the angelic rank. Of course, Chen Lun had also learned some bits and pieces about the Lady of Sighs from many mysterious books he had read before... Although she was responsible for guarding the "Sleeping Gate", she had never hurt the unlucky people who accidentally broke into it. If certain conditions were met, she would let people in.
It can also be seen from here that Ms. Sigh is not in a chaotic or evil position, which is why Chen Lun wanted to negotiate with her.
He held his silver cane, took a step forward, and walked straight through the stone gate.
The stairs continued to go deeper and deeper, and Chen Lun walked up another 700 steps. When his vision suddenly became clear, he once again arrived at the gray forest environment.
Taking out "The Tragic Prince" which he had bought from the newsboy before, Chen Lun used his cane to do some divination and soon found out Howard's location clearly.
The reason why it was so easy was, on the one hand, the blessing of the "man of destiny", and on the other hand, perhaps Howard deliberately exposed his position so that Chen Lun could find her.
"Howard..."
Chen Lun murmured the name, and then his face became stern.
He took a step forward and disappeared on the spot.
Deep in the dream world, at the top of the Crystal Mountain Range, a figure in a black hat and dress quietly appeared, standing on the bare black rock, looking towards the other side of the mountain range.
Chen Lun's expression changed slightly.
In the fairyland, when he arrived at the same area, he could only see nothingness and the endless high wall... But at this moment, the brilliant galaxy was reflected in his eyes, and in his sight was the boundless and vast sea of stars. At the end, among the high walls, he could vaguely see a lighthouse emitting a colorful halo!
And among the endless shining sea of stars, there was a solitary blond man, sitting on the ground with his back to Chen Lun, as if he was intoxicated by watching this beautiful and vast spectacle.
Chen Lun took a deep breath, his figure changed, and he instantly crossed the long distance and arrived dozens of meters away from the blond man, standing quietly.
The man seemed to notice something and chuckled.
"You're here after all, Jack."
She stood up and turned around with a relieved smile on her face.
Then, he slowly took off his gold-rimmed glasses, brushed his golden hair back, and stretched out his hand and said:
"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Philip Howard."