The kiss lasted only a moment.
Chendo barely brushed his lips against Siles’s, like a small animal confirming its master was still alive. Then he hugged Siles tightly. He fumbled until he found Siles’s hand, gripping it hard, fingers interlaced.
Siles patted his back, realizing Chendo was trembling slightly. He saw the unhealed wound on the back of Chendo’s hand and couldn’t help but lower his eyes with a soft sigh.
Chendo seemed unable to calm down for the moment, so Siles gently patted him to soothe his emotions while looking around.
He noticed he seemed to be in an inn—he suspected this was Audrey’s Inn. But he wasn’t alone.
Albert, Mary, Chester, Alva, Audrey, and Andy—all six of them were here, standing or sitting, scattered about. There were also some unfamiliar explorers Siles didn’t recognize in the room.
He had been lying on a bed against the wall. Some people who had also turned into statues, or who were injured, lay on beds as well. The former had already lost all signs of life; the latter struggled and screamed in pain.
…It seemed that after his incident, the entire House of Hales had experienced some rather unpleasant developments, Siles thought calmly.
The disarrayed state of his companions proved it. Even the ever-optimistic Alva hadn’t let out any cheering or spectacle-watching when Chendo lost control and kissed Siles—well, regardless, that alone was quite telling of how dire the situation was.
At this moment, Siles’s mind was actually filled with all sorts of information and questions: Chendo’s Will critical failure, what had happened at the House of Hales, and his own experience in that dark space.
He had to pinch the bridge of his nose hard to maintain his calm and rationality.
Having just escaped the threat of death, that cold chill still lingered in his heart. But the man trembling slightly in his embrace made him understand—he had returned to the world of the living.
At this point, Audrey slowly walked over, gazing at them with a gentle look, then said softly, “You may stay here for a while. Mr. Chendo’s condition…isn’t very good.”
Siles nodded. “I understand.”
Then Audrey gently drew the curtain around the bed. Outside sounds were cut off, leaving only Siles and Chendo in this narrow space, enclosed by fabric.
Chendo was still trembling slightly. His ash-gray hair brushed against Siles’s neck, making the latter feel a bit itchy. But Siles patiently stroked Chendo’s hair, letting him slowly calm down.
“…Aren’t you afraid?” Chendo suddenly said, his voice very hoarse and low.
“Of course I am,” Siles said.
“But you never show it.”
“Yes. I never show it.” Siles paused, then added, “I’m sorry, Chendo.”
Chendo responded with a muffled sound, then suddenly reacted and asked, “Why are you apologizing?”
“I failed to stay vigilant.”
“…You were ambushed. That’s not your fault,” Chendo said. “I’m just afraid…that I wouldn’t make it to your side in time. It should be me protecting you, guarding you.”
Siles still couldn’t see Chendo’s expression. But from his tone, he could clearly hear a rather stubborn emotion.
“I’m so afraid…Siles. I’m so afraid.” Chendo’s voice gradually grew hoarse. “How could I leave your side, how could I watch your body grow cold…”
His emotions began to crumble again. This had probably happened once before—hence Audrey’s gentle reminder to comfort Chendo’s emotions.
Siles sighed inwardly, then firmly lifted Chendo’s face. He kissed him and said, “I’m still alive.”
Chendo seemed completely unable to process it. Siles saw his reddened eyes, which made this man look unprecedentedly fragile and lost.
Siles gently pressed his lips to his again and said, “I’m still alive.”
“You’re alive…you’re alive!” Chendo let out a small cry of joy. A subtle, spring-water-like delight rippled through his gaze. Carefully, like some fluffy, harmless little animal, he lightly licked Siles’s lips.
Siles was amused by him. The gesture was so inexperienced that Siles didn’t know what to say.
The worldly-wise (but completely inexperienced) Earthling hesitated only a moment before actively deepening the kiss. Chendo demonstrated a frustratingly inexperienced and slow response in this regard—though also very docile, as if Siles were the god who held his very life in his hands.
Siles thought of that Will critical failure just now—one critical success, one critical failure, and Chendo had become his. Of course, only Chendo.
He was actually puzzled by the appearance of this critical failure, because he didn’t understand why a Will check for Chendo would occur at this time, and why he couldn’t control the result. This was something that had never happened before.
But the dice had never explained to Siles the reasons behind these checks—except for those slightly more understandable ones triggered by the tabletop RPG characters.
He thought, of course, Chendo’s Will critical failure wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. He meant, this meant that Chendo’s feelings for him had completely overwhelmed this powerful man’s reason, didn’t it?
Siles felt an involuntary ripple of lightness in his heart. He didn’t think further, but focused on the kiss. He treated it as between lovers, not as relief after a narrow escape.
Chendo seemed completely defenseless, breathing slightly. When the kiss ended, he asked dazedly and softly, “So…is this your answer?”
“Yes, this is my answer,” Siles said.
Chendo’s emerald eyes fixed on Siles, and he murmured, “That’s wonderful. That’s wonderful…I feel my love for you has already boiled over. And fortunately…you gave an answer at this time, otherwise, I truly don’t know what I would have done.”
…What would Chendo have done? Siles was slightly curious about the answer. Of course, only slightly.
The soothed Chendo embraced Siles, lazily absorbing—or rather, confirming—Siles’s body temperature. He actually looked very exhausted, probably having gone without sleep for a long time, but no matter what Siles said, he refused to rest properly.
“At least wait until this matter is over,” Chendo said. “That way you can feel more at ease too.”
Siles finally nodded.
Chendo asked, “Did it hurt just now?”
“Not really,” Siles said honestly. “I just felt like I entered a dark room and stayed there for a long time. Then, a lighthouse suddenly lit up in the distant darkness. Chendo, that was you, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” Chendo said.
He reached over and picked up the booklet. Siles had actually seen this booklet outside the Stardust vein; he knew it was the source of Chendo’s power, though he didn’t know exactly what it was.
“A travelogue,” Chendo said. “Originally written by Ligadia personally, then copied by descendants of the Praia family who possessed the Old God’s bloodline power.
“The former is called the ‘Divine Template,’ the latter the ‘Bloodline Copy.’ Different gods have different…forms of power manifestation, many expressed through text, hence the distinction between ‘Templates’ and ‘Copies.’
“Other gods’ believers also produce some ‘Believer Copies.’ Overall, in terms of power: Divine Template > Bloodline Copy > Believer Copy.
“But now, Bloodline Copies are quite rare, since only the Praia family still carries the Old God’s bloodline power; the other divine families have probably died out.
“…Ligadia’s ‘Divine Template’ is kept in the Praia family library, rarely used. I mostly use Bloodline Copies, but I also carry a page from the Divine Template with me, just in case. And this time, it proved useful.
“My father once told me that before I die, I would also need to copy one, to leave for descendants…though of course, perhaps it’s better to let the Praia family end with my generation. After all, I already have you.”
He said this with a hint of intimacy and pride.
Then, with a somewhat lower mood, he added: “Besides…the Old God’s bloodline isn’t anything good. This world no longer needs the existence of Old Gods.”
“You are you, Chendo,” Siles said. “I’ve never simply seen you as the words ‘Old God’s Scion.'”
“Of course, I understand what you mean.” Chendo rubbed his chin against Siles’s jaw. He seemed to quite like this gesture now.
Siles let him be. He continued asking: “So this is the power you normally use?”
“Yes. That’s why people always say I possess strange powers,” Chendo said. “The power I use comes from my bloodline; I don’t need potions, nor Time Traces.
“The sentences in this travelogue, including their context, their meaning, their stories—these are all the power I can use. A kind of…”
He seemed not to know how to describe it.
Then he gave an example: “Like just now. Your body turned into a statue, but I could sense your soul hadn’t died. So I used the words ‘Soul Lighthouse’ from the Divine Template, hoping to guide you back.
“…To be honest, I was just trying it. There were other methods I wanted to keep trying, but I didn’t expect you to revive so quickly. This proves the special nature of your power. And it shows what I did was effective, right?”
He looked at Siles somewhat expectantly.
“Of course, Chendo. Thank you,” Siles said.
Chendo waited a moment, realized Siles had simply thanked him and showed no further reaction, and stared at him in shock for a while.
Siles smiled, pressed Chendo into his embrace, and said slowly in a low voice: “There are people outside.”
“…You’re being reserved again at a time like this,” Chendo said sulkily. “Always keeping me in suspense.”
Helpless, Siles could only kiss Chendo’s lips to get him to stop muttering.
“You’re so good.” Chendo immediately beamed, his eyes filled with rich smiles as he gazed at Siles. “I mean it. Of course, it would be even better if you didn’t scare me like that in the future.”
Siles hesitated, then said: “Perhaps you could teach me, Chendo.” He paused, explaining, “I used to live in an extremely peaceful atmosphere; I really don’t have much vigilance.”
“Teach you to fight?” Chendo muttered. “That seems like a good idea.”
After this topic passed, Siles asked again: “Regarding the state I was in just now…what do you think? Why did my soul appear in that dark room? Why could the lighthouse’s glow guide me back?”
Chendo thought for a while, then said: “There seems to be some relevant content in my family’s books…though I didn’t study it very well. It’s terribly dry content; perhaps you’d like it.”
Siles glanced at him with a half-smile: “I have to return to Lamifa City to continue working in a few days. Even if I really go to Kansas, that won’t be until next spring break.”
Chendo sighed regretfully.
He then said very seriously: “I’m serious, you have to believe me. I mean, those concepts are always vague, like riddles.
“Anyway, some books mention ‘the dangerous dark sea,’ ‘islands in the sea,’ ‘cold north wind,’ and also mention ‘lighthouses,’ ‘guiding direction,’ ‘sea fog,’ ‘mysterious creatures’…
“It’s just because the page from the Divine Template I brought out had the words ‘Soul Lighthouse’ that I tried it.”
Chendo’s explanation plunged Siles into contemplation. He thought of the book he had borrowed from Professor Calverley, On the Journey. It mentioned “the lighthouse by the sea,” and “the island where the fog-serpent dwells is the northern paradise untouched by cold winds.”
This seemed to match what Chendo had said.
And…the dark sea?
He still remembered that Constitution check in the dark space, where the dice’s hint said, “‘Capsizing’ is not a word used lightly.”
Ship and sea—these two seemed to faintly connect.
Siles’s heart stirred, and he asked: “May I see this page of the Divine Template?”
“Of course.” Chendo handed Siles a thin sheet of paper clipped inside the booklet. “Though you probably won’t understand the content. I can translate for you.”
It was a very ancient-looking sheet, seemingly made from some kind of animal hide. But with the passage of time, what had originally been thick and sturdy paper had become quite fragile.
Siles held it carefully, looking down at text he completely couldn’t understand and had never heard of—a writing system somewhat resembling hieroglyphics. It actually made him feel a strange sense of familiarity.
Under Chendo’s explanation, Siles understood that this was the script early popular in the tribe blessed by Ligadia. Because this travelogue was originally a gift from Ligadia to that tribe, it used that tribe’s script.
Siles thought, as expected, Ligadia had truly blessed a tribe—and that tribe was probably the origin of the wandering poets, right?
Chendo’s subsequent words confirmed his guess: “The wandering poets you study probably also came from that tribe. But after Ligadia disappeared during the Age of Shadows, that tribe gradually declined. That seems to be the origin of the Praia family as well.”
Siles nodded, unsurprised.
Then, through Chendo’s explanation, Siles understood the content written on this Divine Template.
Its general meaning was that a Ligadia believer went on a sea voyage, got lost in the vast deep sea, and in the darkness, a glowing lighthouse suddenly appeared to guide him, allowing the believer to return safely.
Ligadia heard this story and greatly praised the unique effect of the lighthouse’s glow, recording it and naming that lighthouse the “Soul Lighthouse,” meaning it guided lost souls home.
Chendo said: “It was precisely because of this meaning that I thought perhaps I could use the words ‘Soul Lighthouse’ to bring you back…or perhaps…I was simply out of options.”
Not long ago, Siles lying on the bed had been a cold, rigid statue. It was too terrifying—terrifying enough that Chendo wished he could forget that entire memory.
He kept gazing at Siles, as if a single blink and Siles might disappear.
Siles embraced him, saying lowly: “I’ve already returned.”
“…Sometimes I really wish I could bite your sleeve and have you drag me along with you.”
Siles laughed: “As long as you keep accompanying me.”
“I will always accompany you,” Chendo said. “My love for you is incurable. Only you can save me; it just depends on whether you’re willing to save me.”
“I will,” Siles said.
He thought, he had to take responsibility for that critical success and that critical failure.
Moreover, when he returned from death’s edge and opened his eyes, when he saw Chendo’s emerald eyes washed by tears…he suddenly realized how intimate he had become with the owner of those eyes.
Intimate enough that only death remained as a barrier between them.
That was something hard to sever with a few words. Siles couldn’t be that cruel, not to himself, nor to Chendo.
“Then I’m relieved,” Chendo said softly.
After the brief romantic words, their topic turned serious again.
Actually, regarding the concepts of the “dark sea” and “soul lighthouse,” Siles had some ideas of his own. It definitely wasn’t some specific physical location, but some special kind of place.
…The boundary of death? he guessed.
But setting that concept aside, they still had many things to resolve.
Chendo quickly recounted what had happened after Siles lost consciousness.
Siles’s incident was extremely sudden—not just for himself, but for the explorers as well. A living person suddenly turning into a statue was something no one could handle, let alone this group who were already on high alert.
In short, the situation seemed to suddenly spiral out of control. Explorers scrambled to flee, pushing and shoving each other; the atmosphere instantly became tense, and some people were even taking advantage of the chaos.
The other statues lying nearby, and the injured people, had appeared under these circumstances.
The situation eventually led to an intense fight. Afterward things slowly calmed, but the previously harmonious card-playing scene was impossible to see again. Moreover, many shopkeepers had closed up, and the entire Pavilion had become quiet and oppressive.
Siles learned of this thoughtfully, suddenly realizing: “So they weren’t necessarily targeting me specifically?”
He might have just been an unlucky victim, selected for his lack of vigilance to trigger this chaotic scene.
“Perhaps so,” Chendo said with some gritted teeth.
This was probably the most dangerous situation Siles had encountered since coming to this world.
If Chendo hadn’t returned in time, if Siles hadn’t cautiously prepared [A Tranquil Heart], his soul might have dissipated in the dark sea within a short time.
Siles also felt some lingering fear. But precisely because of this encounter, he suddenly realized the mastermind’s actions were accelerating.
After pondering for a moment, Siles said: “Corinna Canyon.”
“What?” Chendo was startled.
“We need to go to Corinna Canyon,” Siles said. “Let’s leave now, there’s no time to waste.”
Chendo frowned. “You just woke up—and you haven’t even had lunch!”
“We can eat on the way.” Siles stood up, straightening his collar and cuffs. He turned to see Chendo sitting on the bed with a gloomy expression, and couldn’t help but smile.
He leaned down to kiss Chendo and said: “The things I had you investigate, we can also discuss on the way.”
Chendo moved his lips, seeming to want to say something, but in the end he just muttered: “Fine, as you wish. I can never defy your ideas.”
“We’re practically dating now, yet you still address me with such formal honorifics,” Siles said. “That’s a bit strange.”
“I heard some nobles like that tone. Perhaps in bed.” Chendo laughed lowly. “But for me, you truly are like a god. You control my body and mind; my Will cannot help but submit to you.”
Those emerald eyes gazed at Siles, and he said: “I’m glad you said we’re dating. I belong to you, and you belong to me.”
Siles said: “You say I’m your god…do you worship me? Your attitude doesn’t seem like that of a pious believer.”
“A believer who loves you, a believer who longs for you…” Chendo said. “A believer who reveres your power, a believer who submits to your powerful essence…can these not all be unified in me?”
“Of course they can,” Siles said. He respected Chendo’s views.
However, he sometimes still couldn’t understand the people of this world, at least when it came to faith.
As he spoke, he had already tidied his clothes and confirmed all his original belongings were still there. He asked: “Who brought me here?”
“…A strange explorer,” Chendo said. “And a man at that. I really need to keep an eye on your social circle and openly display my presence.”
It took Siles a moment to understand what Chendo meant, and he said with amused exasperation: “Albert? …Never mind. Let’s go, we need to hurry.”
Chendo muttered something, then got up and followed Siles’s steps.
When they learned Siles was going to Corinna Canyon now, both Audrey and Alva exclaimed.
Innkeeper Audrey said worriedly: “But sir, you just…”
“Yes, Professor,” Alva said. “Aren’t you going to rest?”
“The doctor can prove I’m perfectly healthy now.” Siles nodded toward Chester. “The key point is, we need to resolve the current problem.”
He then said to Mary: “Ms. Mary, perhaps you should leave the Pavilion and go to the low houses. This place might become very dangerous soon.”
Mary nodded, and Andy eagerly said: “No problem, I think my place can accommodate quite a few guests.”
Siles also thanked him, since Andy appearing here at this time showed his stance was relatively neutral, even if he might have sold Siles’s information before.
Moreover, perhaps the tribe could also provide some help, at least by temporarily taking in some explorers at this time.
Siles then thanked Albert, since it was this explorer who had carried his “statue body” up to the third-floor inn. That was probably extremely heavy work.
Albert waved his hand, shrugging quite straightforwardly: “You’re the Revelator. I even suspect you came with me because you knew I had a strongman Time Trace.”
This suddenly rendered Siles speechless.
Chendo asked doubtfully from the side: “What’s a Revelator?”
“I’ll explain later,” Siles said. “Then, Chendo and I will go to Corinna Canyon. You all stay here and watch how things develop.”
This arrangement received everyone else’s approval.
Mary asked: “Professor, is there anything we should do?”
Siles deliberated, then said: “Try to get the other explorers to leave the Pavilion. Also, pay attention to their emotions. Have Miles stabilize the situation, don’t let large-scale fights break out.”
He paused, then finally said: “If everything is too late, then…burn down the Pavilion.”
The others exchanged glances. Mary hesitated: “You…are you sure?”
Siles turned his head to look at the nearby glowing fabric. After a moment, he said: “Haven’t you ever wondered why this fabric glows?”
Some people shook their heads. Audrey hesitated: “I think I heard…someone said this fabric has some kind of glowing plant material mixed in?”
The corner of Siles’s lips pulled into a sardonic smile.
He said: “Stardust…also glows, doesn’t it?”
He heard someone let out a surprised gasp, followed by complete silence.
“…I hope the situation won’t develop to that point,” Siles said, then turned to add: “Ms. Audrey, is there any portable food? I may need to eat something on the way.”
Audrey came back to herself and hurriedly said: “Of course, of course there is. Please wait a moment.”
They dispersed. Chester found Siles and said worriedly: “Professor, what just happened was far too dangerous. You have no idea, when we saw you turned into a statue…”
He suddenly paused, because the look Chendo shot him was truly unfavorable.
So he changed his tone: “Anyway, it’s wonderful that you’re safe and sound now. But you absolutely must not continue taking risks after this.”
“I understand,” Siles could only say.
After this incident, his friends—and his lover—would probably become increasingly “overprotective” of him. And that was indeed his own fault.
About ten minutes later, Siles and Chendo were the first to leave the Pavilion. As they left, Siles noticed that above the central open space on the first floor, the dirty-feathered birdman was still flying about obliviously.
The others planned to stay in the Pavilion a while longer, prepare some food, and try to persuade the other explorers to leave. But Siles estimated their actions wouldn’t go very smoothly.
In any case, Siles instructed them to leave the Pavilion before nightfall, no matter what.
After nightfall, what happened inside the Pavilion would likely be beyond control.
They went back to the low houses to get their horses, then followed the map straight to Corinna Canyon. It was nearly dusk, and the temperature was dropping lower and lower; Siles felt his ears would freeze stiff from the cold wind.
Fortunately, Corinna Canyon wasn’t too far from them. About an hour later, they arrived. In the distance, under the deep purple sky, Siles saw a very regular, heart-shaped depression, surrounded by cliffs and precipices, looking quite desolate.
Siles didn’t rush to approach. They dismounted and wandered nearby for a while.
On the way, Chendo intermittently told Siles the results of his investigation.
When he reached Biedel City, the merchant Lanmere was actually also investigating related matters, especially materials concerning the House of Hales’s development history.
All three of Chendo’s questions received corresponding answers.
Joseph and Lila—they had indeed appeared in Biedel City seven years ago. No one knew their origins, and few people had dealings with them, but it was said that when they appeared in Biedel City, they were like frightened birds, unwilling to communicate with anyone.
This almost proved Siles’s guess about them was correct. Moreover, Chendo said Joseph had now disappeared; no one knew where he was.
Siles said: “We should have communicated with him.” He shook his head. “Forget it, no use regretting now.”
As for the second question, it happened to be what Lanmere was researching.
Lanmere had investigated related rumors over a long period of time and found that over several centuries, every few years there would be rumors related to the “Non-existent City,” or some special maps, treasure maps, and such.
In the past ten years, this kind of news had suddenly intensified, becoming an annual occurrence; and its source and core were outposts like the House of Hales, especially in the southeastern Ashless Lands.
The House of Hales’s main structure was built several hundred years ago in the Age of Silence. But the House of Hales as an Ashless Lands outpost was only established after the Age of Mist.
Had there been renovations? Indeed. Last late summer, the House of Hales’s Pavilion underwent an extremely thorough renovation, said to have replaced all the fabric.
This was not beyond Siles’s expectations.
And combining with the third question—who did Lanmere sell the Stardust he mined to?
Lanmere wasn’t secretive about this; he readily said half was sold to various countries, like the Duchy of Konst, the Duchy of Kansas, and such places. The other half was sold within the Ashless Lands.
A large portion of the latter was obviously given to those merchants in the Ashless Lands who had better connections in Glastone.
Chendo relayed Lanmere’s words at the time: “He said his business was more about connecting the Ashless Lands with various countries, mainly in Galsworthy. As for Glastone business, he couldn’t really get involved.”
“So that means a large portion of this Stardust was given to…those merchants,” Siles said.
Which merchants? Those merchants Mary mentioned, who had established a secret commercial alliance in the Ashless Lands, distributing the mined Stardust.
But did they really sell that Stardust?
Siles and Chendo walked around Corinna Canyon for a while, then Siles said: “Perhaps I already understand the ins and outs behind this. But…” he deliberated, “there’s one point that’s still not clear.”
Chendo said: “You can think slowly.”
Siles shook his head. “Let’s go, we’ll check out the canyon.”
Corinna Canyon. This artificially created heart-shaped canyon appeared especially peaceful in the hazy night, like an abyss drawing people’s gazes into it.
Siles and Chendo’s steps stopped at the edge of the canyon. Siles crouched down and lightly touched the canyon’s vertical edge. Then he said: “This is too smooth.”
Even with three or four hundred years of wind and sun, rain and erosion, the canyon edge’s vertical angle was still too perfect, as if a shovel had cut straight through the earth out of thin air.
Chendo said: “Wouldn’t this arouse suspicion?”
“Aren’t people already guessing this was made by a god?” Siles said. “That’s the reason they give. Gods—just push everything onto the gods.”
Saying this, he put on Akamara’s Eyeglass Frame.
The two Time Traces given to him by the Church of the Past were both very useful. The Boots of Nature kept his feet from getting sore and tired after so many days of running about, and Akamara’s Eyeglass Frame greatly aided his exploration in the Ashless Lands.
He observed this heart-shaped canyon while asking: “Since this place was once shrouded in mist, after the mist dissipated, shouldn’t this be considered Gainsde?”
“It was, a few hundred years ago,” Chendo said. “But after the mist dissipated for several hundred years, this became a safe zone.”
Siles nodded in agreement.
His gaze fell to the bottom of the heart-shaped canyon. Akamara’s Eyeglass Frame could help him zoom in. The night was pitch black, with only hazy light illuminating the bottom of the canyon.
“…Corpses,” he suddenly said.
Chendo was slightly startled.
Siles sighed and removed the glasses: “There are many corpses, as well as statues and skeletons. They seem to be hidden by something; on the surface, this just looks like ordinary natural scenery.”
Chendo asked: “Are your two friends there?”
On the way, Siles had already told him he suspected Alfonso and Emmanuel, as well as the other explorers, and the owner of that ancient map, had all come to Corinna Canyon.
Siles shook his head. “I didn’t find them.”
Akamara’s Eyeglass Frame didn’t have night vision. He couldn’t make out the corpses clearly.
“Then that’s good,” Chendo said. “I don’t think they would have died here either.”
Siles nodded. He suspected Alfonso and the others had been here before—that tribal ruin was probably located here. He didn’t know exactly where, but Alfonso and the others must have come prepared.
Siles said again: “Is there any way to check if there are still living people here? Including underground.”
“Wait a moment…”
“People! Living people!” A sharp cry suddenly rang out from the bottom of the canyon. “It’s people!”
Someone was screaming loudly.
…Siles was startled by the sudden sound. He couldn’t help but miss the large flashlights of Earth. Moreover, he felt puzzled. When he had been observing the canyon just now, he hadn’t noticed any living people. Where had this guy come from?
Chendo asked alertly: “Who?”
“Me!” The person’s voice was very neurotic. “A living person!”
Then came a rustling sound from the bottom of the canyon. Then the person shouted again: “Me! I’m going to die! They all left! They left me behind! Damn them, damn them, they deserve to die!”
“Who are they?” Siles asked sharply.
The person’s mad voice continued: “They…went to the temple! Ha, the temple! I’m going to die, I’m going to die! They’re going to die too, you…you, you all have to die! All of you!”
Chendo frowned and said lowly: “Seems impossible to communicate with him.”
Siles deliberated for a moment, then said: “The Temple of Belan?”
The person suddenly fell silent. After an unpleasant silence, he said: “How do you know! Who are you?” The neurotic tremor was still in his voice, but with less madness.
Siles and Chendo exchanged a glance.
Siles immediately asked: “What do they plan to do at the Temple of Belan?”
“Temple…awaken…our god…no no no, they all saw that record…no no no…impossible to awaken…they still want to do useless work! Useless work!”
“Why is it impossible?”
“We! We saw with our own eyes, the text recording our god’s fall…someone personally pushed our god into the abyss! The Temple of Belan is high in the sky, and our god fell into the abyss! Fell into the abyss!”
His words were filled with a mad quality, but Siles understood certain things.
This person didn’t seem to believe the Old God followers’ actions would succeed, so at the final moment, he had been abandoned.
The Temple of Belan…high in the sky. A palace floating in the heavens.
“…You exploited the believers of Timiafa,” Siles said in the darkness.
“They volunteered. Not exploitation! Hehe, not exploitation! They voluntarily set foot on a path, trying to find a possible method. They failed…we, we can’t succeed either! The Old God has fallen, later gods have already replaced the ancient gods!”
His words suddenly shook Siles’s heart.
Chendo’s hand gripped his cold hand tightly. The night was deep, and in the cold air they heard a madman’s dying confession.
“What exactly do you plan to do?” Siles heard his own equally cold voice.
The madman made rustling sounds again, as if crawling on the ground. Siles thought of the scene Doctor Chester had seen seven years ago, and suddenly understood the situation at the bottom of the canyon now.
He somewhat wanted to put on the glasses, but in the end chose not to. The darkness of this night was also their protection now.
“Exchange! Exchange! Do you understand what equivalent exchange means! One life for one life, many people’s lives can exchange for a god’s life. One person won’t do, then a hundred people; a hundred won’t do, then ten thousand. Work hard, kill people, accumulate more souls…hehehe…”
The person let out a chilling laugh. The feather-horses let out frightened neighs.
“Impossible! Impossible! They’re deceiving themselves! They’re all asking for trouble, seeking their own deaths! We’ve tried for so many years, centuries, we even found the Temple of Belan! And they’re still deceiving themselves! Seven years!”
Siles listened in silence. He thought, these people seemed to have fallen into a self-deceiving madness, and they couldn’t escape it. They could only circle in this madness, with no way out.
He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
“That fountain pen,” Siles said. “What does it represent?”
“What does it represent? Hahaha so you don’t know! So you don’t know! That fountain pen pronounced our god’s death! Gods die too, people die too, aren’t gods and people about the same? I’m going to die too, so I guess I’m a god too! I’m a god too!”
He spoke incoherently, his mind seeming to grow confused again.
The fountain pen pronounced the god’s death. That meant…
“The Revelation of the Heavenly God,” Siles thought. What exactly was recorded on that mysterious tribal ruin’s parchment?
“Heavenly God.” This was the first time he had heard such a term.
Siles asked a few more questions but received no answers. The madman muttered things no one could understand. Siles opened his pocket watch and saw it was already seven in the evening.
He said decisively: “Let’s go, back to the House of Hales.”
Chendo asked: “Just leave this guy to his fate?”
Siles said calmly: “Yes.”
“…You’re leaving? Leaving?!” the man screamed loudly. “No! You can’t leave! Die with me!!”
In the darkness, a steel-gray mist mixed with faintly glowing blue Stardust flew toward them. Chendo, holding the feather-horses, was about to act when Siles, at the moment the man screamed, opened the [Warrior’s Black Umbrella] he had been holding.
The umbrella opened. Siles saw a blue-glowing protective shield suddenly expand, blocking all attacks, even reflecting those strange things back unchanged. Chendo looked at the effect in surprise.
“…No! It shouldn’t be like this! My god, my god…!”
“Hoodoka’s believers personally pushed Him into the abyss,” Siles said coldly. “And now you’re still begging for His protection?”
“No…Menavaca…They are ultimately one…once were, and will be again!”
After these words, the person completely lost all sound.
Siles heard this phrase once more. He slowly closed the black umbrella and was silent for a moment.
Chendo said: “Truly mad.”
“Yes,” Siles murmured. “Truly unbelievable.”
After a moment, Siles regained his calm and said: “Let’s go down and look.”
They tied the feather-horses’ reins to a nearby dead tree, then carefully made their way down to the bottom of the canyon. They saw the madman who had just spoken with them—his lower body had indeed turned into a statue, his upper body wide-eyed, still bearing obvious madness even in death.
The canyon was somewhat deep, the bottom flat, with some plants growing but little life. In the night, they could barely see anything. Chendo took out a match and handed it to Siles.
“Time Trace,” he said. “The attached ritual is probably called…something like [Dark Night Fire].”
Siles looked at the small match with some novelty, then lightly struck it against the rock wall. With a swish, a ball of blue flame about the size of a fist lit up above the match—quite disproportionate to its size.
Then the match automatically floated up, softly illuminating their surroundings.
They explored the canyon for a while. Through Akamara’s Eyeglass Frame, Siles discovered a strange secret passage not far from where the Old God follower had died.
They didn’t have time to explore carefully now. Siles had Chendo check if there were any living people nearby.
For the first time, Siles observed Chendo’s power. The character plucked from the travelogue’s paper amazed him and also gave him some inspiration.
Chendo plucked the character “查” (investigate) from the paper—the surrounding meaning was roughly about investigating the nearby situation, etc.—then threw this character into the air. A gray-white mist expanded, then seeped into the surroundings.
Siles watched this thoughtfully and said: “This looks like the ability to make the abstract real.”
“Possibly,” Chendo shrugged. “I don’t really understand the essence of this power, I only know how to use it. You seem more interested in the essence of power?”
Siles said: “Indeed.”
He wanted to understand the secrets of this world, and eventually return to Earth. Learning and mastering power step by step was still too slow.
He shook his head; now wasn’t the time to discuss this topic.
Chendo didn’t ask further. After a moment, he seemed to suddenly realize something, looked ahead, and said: “No one nearby, but further away…there seem to be people.”
Ten minutes later, they found the heavily wounded Alfonso Carte and the lifeless Emmanuel about three hundred meters from Corinna Canyon.
“Who?!” Alfonso asked alertly and uneasily. A moment later, he said dumbfounded: “Professor Noel?!”
He looked at Siles incredulously, blood still on his face.
Siles dismounted and walked to his side, first looking at him, then at Emmanuel.
“Emmanuel…?” Siles said lowly.
After realizing it was Siles, Alfonso relaxed and sat right down on the ground. He looked at Emmanuel with complex eyes, then said: “He’s dead.” He paused, then added, “I wanted to take his body and bury him in his hometown, but…”
Suddenly, he jumped up again and shouted: “The House of Hales! Those bastards! They’re going to the House of Hales!”
“I know,” Siles said simply.
Alfonso’s eyes seemed to say, how do you already know? Oh, right, forgot, the Revelator. His gaze turned to understanding.
Siles was helpless. He looked at Emmanuel’s peaceful, lifeless face and sighed softly. He said: “Can you hold on?”
“I’ll wait here for you,” Alfonso said. “I can’t walk anymore. These past few days…”
He let out a bitter laugh filled with mixed emotions.
Siles didn’t ask immediately. He said: “Then we’ll return to the House of Hales first, then come back for you. You must be careful during this time.”
“I know,” Alfonso said. “End all of this. All the lies, the deception…the terrible fraud.” He murmured.
Siles also sighed. He wanted to leave the shield fragment and the match with Alfonso, in case he encountered beasts or other attacks at night, but Alfonso refused.
He only said: “Please be careful too, Professor. Out here, I’m not that easy to kill.” He paused, then added, “If we hadn’t been in such a hurry, Emmanuel wouldn’t have had to die.”
Regarding their experiences over the past few days, Siles had some guesses. He thought of Emmanuel coming to the Ashless Lands with the determination to die, yet truly dying here…an emotion he couldn’t tell was regret or melancholy rose in his heart.
Chendo stood quietly holding the horses not far away. Alfonso cast a curious glance at him, but at this moment didn’t have the energy to ask.
He sat on the ground, dragged Emmanuel’s body to his side, and said calmly: “Professor, go. I’ll wait for your good news.”
Siles didn’t know what to say for a moment. In the end, he only said: “Rest assured.” Then he and Chendo walked back together.
On the way, Chendo asked: “Where do you think the Temple of Belan will appear? The naked eye cannot observe a god’s paradise; it’s a…very wondrous power.”
Siles tried to clear his mind of all sentiment and complex emotions, thought for a moment, then murmured: “Exchange…equivalent exchange…the scales!”
“What?”
“Above the Pavilion, that huge scales symbol. The symbol of transaction. Both ends of the scales must have something.” Siles said lowly, “They want to exchange people’s lives for a god’s life.”
“…With whom?” Chendo asked the question.
Siles shook his head. “I don’t know either.”
From what the mad Old God follower had said, it could be inferred that the believers of Timiafa had actually failed. This had also made them feel quite discouraged.
Centuries of futile effort, endless darkness and failure, immense pressure and self-oppression…they actually had no way out left. They had to make this attempt, regardless of success or failure.
In despair and madness, they had chosen their own end.
Siles and Chendo quickly approached the House of Hales. But what met their eyes was blazing fire, illuminating nearly half the night sky.
Siles felt quite surprised. “They really set the fire.”
This made his heart sink. He hoped that before the fire fully burned, the situation at the House of Hales wouldn’t become too terrible.
Chendo, on the contrary, said with some relief: “So this fire might resolve this matter?”
Siles thought about it and said quite objectively: “Perhaps some other outposts will need to be inspected afterward, though I doubt those outposts will be willing to do so.
“Anyway, if those Old God followers hiding in the Temple of Belan are already dead, then at least this incident is resolved.”
“Judging from that guy’s mental state just now,” Chendo said, “they probably won’t survive long in the god’s paradise either. They’re bringing about their own destruction.”
They exchanged a few brief words, then quickly fell silent amid the ensuing smell of smoke and cries. They found Mary, Chester, and the others, standing among a crowd of fallen explorers, silently watching the burning massive Pavilion.
Beside them, Joseph knelt there, gazing at the fire with obsessed eyes. From time to time he would let out a miserable laugh, then wail loudly.
Doctor Chester noticed Siles and Chendo’s return. He said: “It was Joseph who set the fire.” He paused, then added, “Not long after you left.”
Siles suddenly understood. He gazed at the weeping man, stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
The fire illuminated heaven and earth. From time to time, blue light would suddenly flash in the flames, but only for an instant. Then the fire would grow more intense, as if fuel had been added.
Siles put on Akamara’s Eyeglass Frame. He didn’t feel the shadow’s envelopment or heavy pressure, so he looked to the sky. A faint, palace-like phantom appeared on the other end of the Pavilion’s scales.
In the Temple of Belan, high in the sky, there once lived an arrogant, self-important god. His arrogance made believers prostrate before Him, unable to even look up to see His true form.
Once they looked up, once they dared to glimpse His temple and His true self, people’s lives would dissipate into cold statues. That was the god’s punishment for blasphemy.
But His believers were not so pious either. Cowardly believers used the god to wash away their sins, to seize their own gain.
One day, the god was personally pushed into the abyss by His believers.
One day, the believers were driven to desperation by their own madness.
One day…
“Bird!” Alva suddenly exclaimed.
Siles’s gaze turned to see that above the collapsing massive tent, the dirty birdman flapped its wings, breaking through the fabric’s blockade, and in the night and fire’s reflection, scattered that ethereal shadow, soaring into the vast, boundless clouds.
