I've Come to Keep Our Date

【A traffic accident occurred on Skywalk Road. A vagrant suddenly wandered into traffic and was crushed by a dump truck. Traffic authorities have closed off the southbound-to-northbound section of Skywalk Road. Motorists are advised to adjust their routes accordingly...】 【According to witnesses, the man appeared dazed and exhibited symptoms of substance abuse...】 【...Police have yet to find any identification on the vagrant. Anyone with information regarding the deceased is urged to contact the Police Department immediately...】 Igola, drying his hair with a towel, looked up at the in-car television. "He looks like a Curse Elf." "Huh?" Yaxiu, Harvey, and Rose all looked up to see a photo of the deceased crash victim broadcast on screen. Though gory and hard to look at, one could still tell the deceased was a handsome man past his prime, and his hair was separated into individual matted strands that, at a glance, looked like writhing serpents. "Indeed," Harvey nodded. "His hair looks very much like the serpentine locks of a Curse Elf." "While I have no idea what a Curse Elf is," said Rose from behind the wheel, "the man's personal hygiene must have been atrocious. He probably hadn't washed his hair in years, so the grease clumped it all together, right?" From the passenger seat, Yaxiu added, "Elves have pointed ears. His ears may be a bit large, but you could hardly call them pointed." Igola nodded without argument. He had merely used the topic as an opening: "Miss Rose, the two of us are the new roleplay partners Mr. Heath found. I'm Igola, and you can just call him Harvey. Sorry for the trouble earlier." Coming out of the foul canal, the three of them naturally couldn't get straight into the car, and Igola couldn't stand remaining filthy for another ten minutes. So they went straight to a nearby residence hoping to borrow several changes of clothes and use the bathroom to wash up. Rose had been prepared to offer compensation, but the homeowner discovered Yaxiu was among them. Overjoyed, he refused any payment, asking only for a photo and an autograph with Yaxiu. Oblivious to Yaxiu's filthy appearance, he rushed forward to shake Yaxiu's hand with the pious reverence of a pilgrim. This made Yaxiu realize even more clearly that Heath was an extraordinary figure in this world. Were copycat authors really this revered? While taking turns showering, Yaxiu briefed Igola on their current situation. After a moment of thought, the swindler gave Yaxiu a flick on the forehead. *Isn't it great that Rose misunderstood you, little brother? Why did you insist on defending yourself? Are you actively trying to crank up the difficulty?* Right now, they needed to keep Rose stable, put Heath's legacy to good use, and figure out how they had arrived in the Kingdom of All Stars—as well as how to get back. Rose proved surprisingly receptive to the situation. "Hello, Mr. Igola, Mr. Harvey. I have no objections whatsoever to your roleplaying games. But if you could restrain Yaxiu whenever he shows signs of wanting to sprint outside naked, I would be immensely grateful. That incident cost him quite a few brand endorsements—though afterwards, plenty of new sponsors came knocking seeking 'deep collaboration'..." Igola asked, "What if he streaks indoors?" "If there are fewer than ten people present, you can ignore it. But if he begins exposing himself, masturbating, or spraying anyone in the room, I hope you will promptly confiscate his weapon of crime..." "You two don't need to discuss things I would never do in my entire life," Yaxiu said. "From here on, we'll be having roleplay discussions. Rose, just treat it as us rehearsing." Rose glanced around, pointing at a roadside thicket. "Nobody would see you if you streaked in there. Need me to pull over?" "..." Yaxiu gave Rose's forehead a hard flick. Her gaze instantly turned fierce, and she let go of the steering wheel altogether, wheeling around to yank on Yaxiu's cheeks. Terrified, Yaxiu and Igola shouted in panic about the wheel, only for her to leisurely retake the helm and make a timely turn at the intersection. "Did you really have to overreact like that?!" Yaxiu complained. "And you were the one dissing me first!" "No, I was clearly being considerate and thoughtfully finding a spot for you!" Rose's cheeks puffed up like an overinflated blowfish. Pouting, she declared, "Kindness must be repaid, and bullying must be returned in kind!" *She's this fierce?!* Yaxiu suddenly realized that his childhood-friend assistant wasn't quite normal. Just as she didn't grasp the danger of letting go of the steering wheel, she hadn't realized her remark was an insult either. Her IQ and EQ weren't deficient; she simply possessed an internally consistent methodology that didn't align with reality. After mulling it over, Yaxiu quickly let it go. He hadn't encountered a single normal person along his journey—from Black Crow to Harvey, from Silver Lantern to Sword Princess, even he himself had psychological issues. Perhaps this was just the normal state of life. "Igola, what are your thoughts?" he asked, turning back. "There's a severe lack of information. I can't just pull wild guesses out of thin air, or how would that be any different from spouting nonsense?" Igola asked. "Miss Rose, are there gods in this world?" "Do you mean real ones or idol ones?" Rose asked. "If idols, there's one sitting right next to me. To his fans, Yaxiu Heath is God." "As for real ones, none have ever been seen." Igola nodded. "Since the current year is 1668, does that mean this world has a history?" "Of course." "Who is the current monarch?" "After the First Astral Revolution three hundred years ago, the royal family was overthrown. Now it's a democratic republican parliamentary system..." "Then who is the Prime Minister?" "Madam Tialite Sterling." Igola exchanged glances with the other two and said softly, "The Empress of Stars is named Tialite, though her surname isn't Sterling." This feeling of resemblance without identity deepened the tangle of bewilderment in their hearts. There was no sorcerer system, no gods; the social system had transitioned into a democratic republic; technological progress matched that of the Starry Kingdom, yet it was driven not by sorcery spirits, but by the Industrial Revolution and the Electrical Revolution boosting productivity. Yet, the Prime Minister seemed to be the exact same person as the empress in reality. Just then, the sports car pulled into the villa's garage. Rose said, "If you want to learn about history, there are all kinds of history books in the study—simple, complex, detailed, you name it. Whenever Yaxiu wakes up, it isn't long before he starts flipping through history books." The others naturally agreed. Stepping out of the car, Igola gazed up at the familiar villa beneath the starry sky and said abruptly, "At the very least, we can be certain there is an intimate connection between All Stars and the Starry Kingdom that we cannot fathom." Yaxiu and Harvey nodded in silence. The same starry sky, the same leader, even the identical villa. To say there was no connection would be an insult to their intelligence. "Yaxiu, except for you, did the two of us only appear in the Kingdom of All Stars within the past two days?" "Not me—Heath," Yaxiu replied. "Heath's past ability to enter this place seems connected to his nature as a feeler... By the way, Rose, when did I first start claiming I was going to the 'Blood Moon'?" "Eight years ago, when you were seventeen and preparing to enter university," Rose replied without hesitation. Yaxiu gave a slight start, exchanging a look with Igola and Harvey. "Eight years ago... Professor Schilling unearthed the ritual classics of the Four Pillar Cult eight years ago as well." "Wait, that doesn't make sense. Why was I living in the Kingdom of All Stars from the beginning instead of turning into a vagrant arriving here at seventeen?" "Perhaps precisely because you grew up in the Kingdom of All Stars, you qualified to become a feeler," Igola replied. "You were the 'special solution' the Four Pillar Gods were searching for." "However, the main point here isn't you, but the two of us," the swindler pondered. "We only appeared in the Kingdom of All Stars two days ago... and those two days happen to match our itinerary." Harvey said, "We only arrived in the Starry Kingdom two days ago." Yaxiu was startled. "Could it be... that when we entered the Starry Kingdom, we duplicated ourselves... projecting copies into the All Stars world?" "A projection—that's an apt description." Following Rose onto the ground floor of the villa, Igola nodded in agreement with Yaxiu's deduction. "It's not an exact duplication. After all, based on your observations, Chef Harvey and Vagrant Igola had personalities completely different from ours. While not outright polar opposites, they are like shadows of our true selves—possessing all the emotions we usually discard." Yaxiu came to a sudden halt. "So..." he muttered, "does that mean the Sword Princess also..." "Our real-world relationships seem to project here as well, which is why you were able to run into Harvey and me so quickly," Igola said. "If our deduction is correct, then perhaps..." Yaxiu turned to Rose. "Do you know a red-haired girl named Sonia Servi? There should be a deep connection between us." Rose blinked. "If you ask whether I know her, I suppose I do. And it fits your description—you have a very deep history with each other." She pulled out a slider phone, tapped a few times, and handed it to Yaxiu. Igola and Harvey crowded around as well—they had long wanted to see what kind of wicked woman had led their silly kid astray. Then, they saw a wanted poster brimming with savagery, violence, and rancor. 【Dead Frenzy Devil: Sonia Servi】 【Suspect in serial murder case; victim count has reached eleven】 【Bounty: 100,000】 On the phone screen was a fleeing red-haired girl. Her crimson eyes seemed to drip with blood, and the vicious savagery in her backward glance was palpable even through the screen. A cross-shaped scar with torn flesh marked her face, yet it detracted nothing from her striking beauty; rather, it lent her a touch of mad allure. "At a recent banquet, she burst in, murdered one of the guests, and nearly slit your throat along the way," Rose asked. "I'd say that counts as a deep history, wouldn't you?" Igola and Harvey looked at Yaxiu, their mouths opening and closing as words failed them. Yaxiu looked at the screen for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. "What's funny?" "Nothing, I just feel it's such a pity." Yaxiu shrugged. "I went through all the trouble of dressing up and putting on makeup, but..." He looked up toward the starry sky. "Looks like I won't make it to our date." *** Starry Kingdom, outside No. 13 Skywalk Road, Lone Diamond District. "Only this last one left... Huh? Senior Dimi, this property belongs to your younger brother?" Aixia remarked in astonishment. "Gifting a massive villa in a prime location before he's even graduated... Ugh, the Five Starry Pillars really are on a whole different level." Yadas snorted coldly, making his disdain for noble extravagance abundantly clear. Dimi, however, shook his head. "I only just learned of it myself. That said, this probably isn't a family property. From the architectural style to the decor, none of it matches the Vosroda aesthetic." Aixia asked, somewhat puzzled, "If it isn't from your family, don't tell me your brother earned it himself?" "Felix's mother left it to him," Sonia spoke up suddenly. "He mentioned it to me before." The other three started slightly, remembering only then that Sonia and Felix were classmates in the same year and had both studied under Professor Trozan. Only now, no one would ever view Sonia and Felix as peers anymore, even though Felix was already outstanding in his own right. "Should we notify your brother?" "Command ordered that no one inside be alerted." Dimi glanced at the darkened villa. "Besides, he probably isn't in there anyway... Let's inspect it quickly and get out." All door locks in the Starry Kingdom were clearance-based mechanical locks. When backed by a top-tier search warrant, every lock popped open upon contact without any need for forced entry. As for whether vintage key locks could be installed, technically they could, but manufacturing locks without a production permit was illegal—and would the Starry Kingdom ever issue a permit to a manufacturer of vintage key locks? Walking ahead of the group, Sonia strode toward the villa's main entrance with her head held high, her red ponytail fluttering in the wind. She reached out and pressed the door handle. Detecting the search warrant, the clearance lock opened automatically with a crisp click, parting the doors slightly to reveal the gloom within. She stopped. Standing outside the door, she was a star-draped swordsmanship prodigy, a Sword Earl recognized by the Starry Kingdom, a Sanctuary Sorcerer under twenty years of age. Her network of connections had already begun taking shape: Trozan the "Hidden Hand Sword Saint," Nidala the "Rhythm Sword Saint," and Leonie the "Orange Dancer." After tonight, she was confident she could also win over Dimi the "Young Star-Caster," Yadas of the "Twin Curved Sabers," and Aixia the "Shield Maiden," turning them into close, trusted friends. Everything was getting on track; everything was moving toward a brighter future. She possessed everything she hadn't dared to dream of half a year ago. She was destined to become the most dazzling star under this sky, outshining all others in brilliance and charm. All she needed to do was live a successful, comfortable, tranquil life, letting her advantages steadily ferment and accumulate until they coalesced into a colossal new power. She didn't need to rely on anyone; she herself was a powerhouse, and she would ensure happiness for both herself and her mother. Instead of choosing a tumultuous, tempestuous life that would reduce all her past efforts and fortune to ruin in a single day. She ought to protect the reality she already had, rather than chase wandering phantoms. Tranquility or turmoil? Heaven or hell? "Captain?" The Paws-Out Sword Saint stood before the entrance for three seconds. Finding it strange, Aixia asked, "Did you find something?" "No." Sonia turned around and smiled faintly. "I was just thinking about the last time I visited as a guest. Back then, I was only a One-Wing Sorcerer. I never expected that just a few months later, I'd return as a Sanctuary Sorcerer." Let alone Aixia and Yadas, even Dimi's mouth twitched at her words. *Is jumping from One-Wing to Sanctuary in a few months really that big a deal? It's not like the rest of us aren't living just fine without it!* Resting her left hand lightly on her sword hilt, Sonia turned back toward the doors. The smile playing at the corners of her lips gradually took on a manic edge, and the depths of her ruby eyes seemed to turn into a sea of blood. *I won't be following your arrangements this time, Yaxiu.* *If we must fight to the death in hell, isn't that a date of heavenly caliber?* The Sword Princess pushed open the villa doors, stepping away from the gaze of the stars and into the abyssal darkness. *I've come to keep our date.*