Lanqi and Hyperion's Memories

Hyperion stopped fretting, shook her head, and walked back over to the sofa where Lanqi was sitting. Caliera appeared aloof, but occasionally came up with eccentric ideas out of the blue, deadpan pranking people with an impassive face. Last time, Caliera had suddenly referred to herself as "this humble concubine" in front of Lanqi, throwing Hyperion into a complete panic. Twelve years had passed, and she was no longer the Regent; it was only natural that a few odd quirks had crept in. "Lanqi, is this Shadow World pretty much over?" Hyperion asked, taking a seat beside him. It was always like this on the baby bus: meet up with Lanqi, skip the fight, and wait for the clearance evaluation. "Not to complain, meow, but why was this Shadow World so easy?" Boss Cat popped out of the shadows and hopped nimbly onto the sofa. The difficulty level of this Shadow World wasn't low by any means; the main issue was that its mechanics were far too straightforward—a beeline straight to the boss fight without any traps in between. It felt that even though Melogas, Lord of Blasphemy, was vastly more powerful as the final adversary than the Tenth Progenitor Ulysses from their previous Tier 7 Shadow World, Lanqi's teammates this time around were also absurdly strong. "Boss Cat, I missed you so much," Hyperion whispered, picking up the little black cat beside her. Having not seen it for months, she had missed Boss Cat terribly. Unlike Tamisha, Boss Cat was the affectionate sort that warmed up to people in no time. "I missed you too, meow!" Boss Cat replied cheerfully. It hadn't seen precious Hyperion in ages either. "Huh?" Hyperion paused, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face. It seemed a little different from what she had heard over the communication line last time. If she had to put her finger on it, Boss Cat had felt somewhat more bashful over the call back in Palieu, the City of Flowers. Whereas now, Boss Cat was much more outgoing... Then again, communication devices often distorted voice quality. It was probably just her imagination. Hyperion went back to petting Boss Cat. "To be honest, if this Shadow World had been Tier 7, all Tier 7 challengers combined probably couldn't have defeated Melogas," Lanqi answered Boss Cat's query without missing a beat. By now, he was an expert on Shadow Worlds. Melogas's strength was obviously way too overwhelming for a Tier 7 Shadow World, and with no way to subdue the frenzied Lord of Blasphemy other than sheer brute force, a single misstep would mean a total wipeout. And Melogas was indeed fully qualified to be the final boss of a Tier 8 Shadow World. Ordinary Tier 8s were no match for her at all; defeating her required multiple Tier 8 combatants working together. "The real difficulty lies in the fact that opportunities to fight Melogas one-on-one are practically nonexistent. Her true identity is the Demon Realm Regent, so summoning other general-class great demons to assist her would normally be effortless," Lanqi continued his post-battle breakdown. Factoring in the multiple great demons under Melogas's command, even a Tier 9 powerhouse making a brute-force raid on Demon King City Naicalis would likely meet their doom. "Then what about the great demons under her command, meow?" Boss Cat still didn't understand. If the finale had been an ultimate showdown against nearly ten Tier 8s, then this Tier 8 Shadow World would have made sense. "Uh... that's probably all thanks to Pranay and the others..." Hyperion explained the situation over at Demon King City Naicalis to Boss Cat. Right now, Antanas and the other three were still on Naica Island living lavish, hedonistic Demon Realm lives. What was supposed to be challenger great demons clashing with the Shadow World's native great demons had, under Pranay's flawless integration strategy, turned into everyone playing the part of native great demons. Since the four of them didn't rebel, Melogas believed all her subordinates were loyal subjects, and the great demons under her command all assumed everyone was devoted to the Demon Realm. There wasn't a single whisper of rebellion. Consequently, Melogas hadn't devoted any of her immediate energy to rooting out internal discord. "If Antanas and the others had taken the intended route and helped the princess escape the Demon King's city, it likely would have culminated right here in Purgatory City Pasqual—the great demons splitting into two factions and unleashing an earth-shattering war." At first, Lanqi hadn't expected Hyperion to bring Pranay, the others, and the Ice Witch into the realm. Hearing that Pranay was stationed in Demon King City Naicalis made everything fall into place. "Hiss, I get it now, meow!" Boss Cat finally understood why they had seemed to defeat Melogas, Lord of Blasphemy, so effortlessly tonight. The Shadow World probably never foresaw those four deadweights going AFK. With everyone pretending to be bots, Demon King City was a picture of harmony, and the other native great demons had gone AFK along with them. With only a little princess hiding out here in Purgatory City, Melogas, as the dignified Regent, wasn't about to make a huge fuss and drag a retinue of great demon generals along just to watch her get embarrassed over failing to keep an eye on the princess. Pranay was truly a master at boosting rank! "Does that mean I can just coast like this from now on too, meow?!" Boss Cat asked Lanqi in sudden enlightenment. "After this Shadow World, you'll probably hit Tier 9. What would you even need to coast through?" Lanqi poked the divine beast's little black cat head. Boss Cat actually did carry some power of faith. Whenever "Cat-Loren" manifested a miracle in public, most of the power of faith went to Loren because people believed in High Priest Loren, but some eyewitnesses had their faith coalesce directly onto Boss Cat on the spot since Boss Cat was the one performing the feats. Given Boss Cat's base racial stats, the amount of faith required for it to break through to Tier 9 was likely minuscule compared to normal. Not that reaching Tier 9 would give it any real combat power anyway—without the corresponding divine power, it could just about fight evenly with a Tier 6. "Oh right, meow." Boss Cat had almost forgotten that the curtain was about to fall on everything; there wouldn't even be chances to tackle more Shadow Worlds. Even if it could leech rewards in the future, it would probably require a new benefactor to carry it. A freaky, overpowered anomaly like Lanqi would absolutely never touch a Shadow World if he could avoid it. In the Northern Continent, he genuinely hadn't touched a single Shadow World for half a year. Hoping for him to grind to Tier 8 or Tier 9 was completely out of the question in his narrative. "Why do I feel like there are only three challengers in this Shadow World?" Hyperion counted on her fingers. She clearly remembered there were nine challengers. Yet in practice, it felt no different from the three challengers in their last Shadow World, Darkest Solar Eclipse Realm. Still the same old trio: Lanqi, Cat, and Hyperion. "Doesn't matter, meow! The map is huge; maybe the other challengers are working hard somewhere we can't see." Boss Cat suddenly caught on. While it couldn't tally the exact head count either, besides those four AFK great demons, Talia, who was a challenger, was currently disguised as Caliera, so the count would naturally seem off. Boss Cat didn't want to shatter Hyperion's illusions and decided to do its best to help Tata keep this beautiful lie going. "Fair enough." Hyperion stopped dwelling on the now-trivial matter of challenger counts. She looked down at the Shadow World status display. What truly mattered was the change in quest objectives. Sure enough. The Shadow World's quest objectives displayed brand-new entries: [Quest Objective 1: Read the letter from your old friend Caliera; head to Purgatory City Pasqual in the Demon Realm and protect the little spark left behind by Caliera; choose whether to open it. (Completed)] [Quest Objective 2: Understand the state of mind of Lanclos of the Black Sun: 4.94%. (Completed)] [Quest Objective 3: All challengers must survive until the 21-day time limit expires. Remaining time: 6 days, 1 hour, 34 minutes.] "..." Lanqi and Hyperion exchanged a glance. This new change had appeared only after their quests converged. "Is the Shadow World over?" Hyperion asked, seeking confirmation. Past experience dictated that once the final battle was won, the Shadow World was virtually cleared. Yet this time, there was an inexplicable feeling that it had only just begun. It was obvious at a glance that there was more to the story, that it was far from finished. And yet, the Shadow World had explicitly flagged it as completed. "The quest objectives can probably still be pursued, but whatever choice we make, it shouldn't affect the success or failure of the Shadow World," Lanqi said. He hadn't encountered a situation like this before either. However, according to the literature of the Southern Continent Shadow World Society, once a Shadow World quest shifted to a completed state, it counted as a success; all that remained was waiting for the time limit to run out and receiving the final evaluation. "It's like finishing an exam, flipping to the back of the test paper, and finding bonus questions. Leaving them blank won't deduct points, and doing them won't push your score past the maximum possible. You can choose whether to do them or not." Relaxing, he offered an analogy while rubbing his tired eyes. Between backing Talia so she could fight unhindered and driving the entire way without much rest, he was feeling close to his limit. [The gift Caliera left behind—you have already guessed that it is not something pleasant. If it were truly a gift, she would not have told you in the letter to choose whether or not to open it.] Staring at the quest information, Lanqi's vision blurred slightly, as if he could see these lines of text appearing before him. "Then let's ignore the quest for the remaining six days and just have fun at Purgatory Corridor Academy, meow!" Boss Cat proposed excitedly. It didn't care what came next. All it wanted was to have a blast in the legendary Purgatory Corridor Academy. From this point on, no matter what they did, the remaining six days probably wouldn't change much. At most, finishing the extra objectives would yield slightly better rewards. "You guys rest here at the school; I can handle continuing it tomorrow," Lanqi said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shared his thoughts. Pursuing the quest further, going by the initial quest details and the trajectory of the storyline, likely meant opening the gift Caliera had left behind. After returning to Purgatory Corridor Academy and gathering a bit of information, Lanqi fundamentally understood what was behind the recent incidents in the Inverted Mirror Corridor that caused faculty and students to fall asleep. It was undoubtedly Caliera's magical power; she had most likely left the "gift" deep within the Inverted Mirror Corridor. To open Caliera's gift, Tamisha was the key, both implicitly and explicitly throughout the quest. She was surely the child of the Mist Lord and the True Night Lord, who had inherited Caliera's final soul essence as mentioned in Caliera's letter. He needed to rest for a bit himself. Tomorrow, once Tamisha woke up, he could go and ask her. Yet unlike Lanqi's decisiveness, Hyperion knitted her brows in concern. "Lanqi, I feel like what comes next in this Shadow World is really bad." Hyperion grasped Lanqi's wrist with both hands. Over these past two weeks, watching Lanqi's understanding of the Lord of the Black Sun rise day by day, Hyperion had been on edge the entire time. Now, seeing that the Shadow World quest could end here and that Lanqi was still safe and sound, she finally felt a weight lift from her chest. Let the era of the Blood Moon Ruined World end here. It was enough; there was no need to see any further. Up to this point, by all accounts, it was a good ending. Even if history dictated that Lord Lanclos of the Black Sun would pass away of old age six days later, he would die renowned and immortalized in glory. Compared to his tragic life, this final curtain was quite satisfying. "..." "Hyperion, imagine if your brain were connected to a magitech terminal—a machine that could provide endless joy for the rest of your life, only happiness and no sorrow. If given the choice, would you want such a machine?" Lanqi gave a slightly helpless smile, feeling the warmth radiating from Hyperion's hands. "Keep in mind that once you enter this experience machine, you will leave reality behind forever, unable to return. Yet it would be very difficult for you to realize this truth; you wouldn't be able to tell whether you were in the real world or a virtual one. All the ups and downs your life was meant to have would be replaced by smooth sailing." This was a question he had once asked Boss Cat in Palieu, the City of Flowers. At the time, they had been discussing whether it was right for Lanqi to lie to Lady Christina of the Count Baptiste family—telling her that Inoan was still alive to spare her from grief. In the end, they hadn't reached a conclusion. "That sounds almost like the Fallen Land of Gentle Slumber, except without the side effects." Hyperion stared at Lanqi, refusing to let go. She understood Lanqi's metaphor. In Lanqi's description, this hypothetical machine had no soul-dissolving negative effects; it was a purely harmless experience. "You could understand it that way," Lanqi affirmed. "I wouldn't want it," Hyperion answered firmly, turning her eyes away with a bitter expression. Even she knew how contradictory she was being. She was the very person who had fallen most deeply into the Fallen Land of Gentle Slumber, unable to pull herself out, yet she still recoiled from such a machine. Because she wanted reality. Even a harsh truth was better than a false perfection. So for someone as clearheaded as Lanqi, someone who wouldn't hesitate for a second in the Fallen Land of Gentle Slumber, the answer was painfully obvious. He would undoubtedly seek to understand what Lanclos of the Black Sun had truly seen at the end of his life. "But Lanqi..." Hyperion struggled to find the words to persuade him, stammering slightly, "This is a Shadow World. Whether you uncover the truth or not makes no difference, does it? You have to think about this—really think about it. Why open a gift box that is so obviously dangerous?" She didn't want Lanqi to come to any harm, nor did she want him risking any adverse change. Yet he seemed to have become somewhat obsessed with this Shadow World. Just watching Lanqi's comprehension of the Black Sun climb—even if it was still under five percent—terrified Hyperion. "Meow, meow." Boss Cat sat on Hyperion's lap, looking back and forth between Lanqi and Hyperion. This was the first time it had seen such a profound divergence of opinion between them. They weren't quarreling; rather, they understood each other's thoughts too clearly and were earnestly trying to persuade one another. Having experienced the journey to the City of Flowers firsthand, Boss Cat knew Lanqi's view on the Fallen Land of Gentle Slumber was not absolute. Previously, he had deceived Lady Christina in Palieu, concealing the fact that Inoan was dead so that the young noblewoman could live on with hope. This proved Lanqi was not someone who unconditionally chose "truth"; depending on the circumstances, he might also choose "protection." "Hyperion..." Lanqi pondered for a long while once more. "Some people need protection, some need the truth, and some need to make decisions through their own will," he said slowly. "So I am not denying the Fallen Land of Gentle Slumber; sometimes it truly is a wonderful thing... But even if everyone else falls asleep, I have to be the first to awaken. As someone capable of waking up, I cannot easily allow myself to sleep." Lanqi looked at Hyperion, his emerald eyes as clear as water, naturally carrying both deliberation and compassion, and the answer had already long been nestled within them. "..." Hyperion pursed her lips. Her hands finally slipped slowly from Lanqi's wrist, resting back on her lap. "Supporting a man like you is truly exhausting. You were born to be a willful leader," she said, looking down. Lanqi's love was like the wind, eager and reveling in freedom, while her love was like holding the kite string tight, sighing where she stood. She wanted to keep Lanqi from snapping the string and flying out of reach, yet she didn't want to hold him back. Thus, she often found herself agonizing over how best to support him. "I'm sorry. I always make you worry about me." Looking at Hyperion, Lanqi cast his gaze downward as well. All along, he had taken much of what Hyperion said to heart, yet when the moment came to decide, he would still follow his own will. Yet he was deeply grateful to Hyperion. When no one greeted him in the morning. When no one waited for him in the afternoon. When he could do whatever he pleased, what should he call it? Freedom? Or loneliness? Only with Hyperion by his side could it be called freedom; without her, it would simply be loneliness. Outside the French window, clouds drifted silently; the cold night was like a placid lake, shimmering with faint ripples of light. *Crack, crack.* Sparks popped from the fireplace, as if filling the silence left between words. With the fire lit, the room was pleasantly warm. "Do as you see fit." This time, Hyperion wasn't trying to hold Lanqi back. Very gently, like a specter under the moonlight, she merely rested her hand over his. Apart from supporting him, Hyperion had no other thoughts. She believed in Lanqi unconditionally, always. There were parts of him that would never change. His passion and resolve were never feigned; he was born with that kind of responsibility, and every single time, it was the same. Yet this long journey had perhaps brought changes to Lanqi's perceptions. He remained just as resolute, but within that resolve, he weighed far more considerations; he was no longer so unyielding and cold. Hyperion had always viewed Lanqi as someone warm on the outside but cold within—someone who at times maintained the aloof impartiality of a deity, unhesitatingly making decisions that went against human nature. Now, he would pause to reflect before making that decision contrary to human nature. "Hyperion, are you thinking something rude about me?" Lanqi watched Hyperion's eyes, noticing that as she lost herself in thought, the corner of her lips curled up into the faintest hint of an enigmatic curve. It was an expression he had never seen on her before. "..." Hyperion shook her head, the meaningful smile at the corner of her lips growing more distinct. She gave Lanqi no answer. "If we had truly lived in this era, I would probably be someone who isn't by your side right now," she remarked softly, looking at the reflection in the French window and watching the two of them in the glass. Imagine if this exact moment had occurred in real history. It would have been Lord Lanclos of the Black Sun sitting alone in the Headmaster's Office. The phantom of the young witch talking with him. Just like that earring, becoming a tender companionship. "..." The reflection of the headmaster on the glass remained silent. "No matter what, thanks to your protection, I am not a phantom. I will always stay by your side, so feel free to do whatever you want to do. If you ever feel tired, I'll be waiting for you at home anytime. Whenever you look back, you will see me." Closing her eyes, she leaned against Lanqi's shoulder. "Heh..." Lanqi chuckled in relief. As he chuckled, exhaustion caught up with him, and drowsiness overtook both Lanqi and Hyperion. Even though the stars outside the window were dim, the silhouettes of the youth and the maiden reflected in the glass remained clear. It was as though they had returned to the days when the two of them had challenged Purgatory Corridor Academy together. There on the sofa of the Headmaster's Office, leaning against each other, they fell asleep.