CHAPTER 453: CHAPTER 453: AIMLESS TREK

Darkness, chaos, a time when heaven and earth were yet to be divided, and everywhere was nothing but a boundless, endless fog. The figure walking swayed back and forth, treading into the depths of this endless mist, bewildered and unaware of his own presence.

How long has he been walking like this? How much longer does he have to walk like this? Why did he embark on this path, and when did he set foot on it?

The traveler thought somewhat blankly, feeling he had forgotten many things. He even forgot his own name and origin, as if since the day of his "birth," he had been walking on this endless misty path, with the destination being a forgotten end, and the starting point seeming to belong to another lifetime.

But suddenly a breeze came, slightly dispersing the surrounding fog. In the slight chill, the traveler felt a moment of clarity in his consciousness. He looked up and saw the thin mist drifting, the once blurry path becoming clear, with unknown wild grass swaying in the view, the tall grass reaching past the knees.

A grass path ashen and devoid of color, a sky ashen and devoid of color. In this chaotic world, all colors seemed to be soaked in a muddled "gray," becoming blurred at the edges.

What was he supposed to do?

Oh, just keep moving forward...

The traveler subconsciously took a step, continuing to move forward under a drive he himself had long forgotten.

The mist seemed to harbor other figures, swaying similarly, walking forward with him. That figure bore a similar outline to him, yet appeared particularly faint—the traveler, in his vagueness, paid no attention and just continued walking for a while.

Then that shadow silently merged into his body.

Suddenly he remembered that he seemed to have done a great deed, a deed that had been planned for a long time, almost worthy of the salvation of all life.

What about that great deed? Did it succeed? Did it fail?

He suddenly felt a little panicked, hesitating and not daring to go forward, but suddenly, another breeze blew in, further dispersing the surrounding fog.

He saw the expanse on both sides of the grass path widen, the mist further clearing, and the whole world becoming clearer. In the distance, it still seemed to be an endless gray wilderness, but at the end of the wilderness, an outline of some man-made object seemed to stand.

He felt himself taking another step, moving forward aimlessly.

Is it going to rain soon?

The traveler thought with some confusion, raising his head, yet seeing no sign of rain—he was curious about why he suddenly thought of rain, pondering, he felt it might be because he once lived in a place where it always rained for a long time...

Unbeknownst to him, another illusory shadow emerged from the side of the path, silently merging with him as he walked.

He recalled more things.

It seemed his great plan had failed—or at least, it hadn’t accomplished as he had imagined. Yet he simultaneously felt an inexplicable relief, as if the great deed had finally landed safely, someone else had intervened, helping him a great deal.

He should express thanks, but it seemed he didn’t have the time.

The traveler continued walking forward, and after walking a while longer, he saw a large bonfire.

The bonfire blazed, shining brightly amidst the thin mist and wild grass. Around the large bonfire, many magnificent and exquisitely built stone pillars stood. Upon careful examination, there were twelve stone pillars, each carved with a knight in armor ready for battle. Above the bonfire, a dome stood solemnly, exuding a kind of solemn and reverent aura.

Who built this?

Unconsciously, the traveler walked over, sitting down to rest beside the massive dome and the bonfire.

He thought this had to be a place like an altar. The people who built the stone pillars and dome obviously revered and respected this fire as something sacred and solemn.

Another shadow walked out nearby, merging with him in the flickering light of the fire.

The traveler stopped for a moment, gazing at the firelight before him, and suddenly seemed to remember something.

He reached into his bosom and felt something cold.

Taking it out, he found it was a small crystal seed—it was simply a translucent, irregularly shaped stone, but for some reason, he just knew it was a seed.

He stared at that seed perplexedly for a long time, and then suddenly seemed to understand something, a smile appearing on his face: "Oh, you’re still here."

The seed shimmered faintly in the firelight, silent yet seemingly engaging in a silent communication with the traveler.

The traveler seemed to "understand" the seed’s meaning—because for a long period, they were of one heart and mind.

"In that case, come along with me, old friend," the traveler smiled and nodded, rising from beside the bonfire, looking up into the distance.

The firelight conveyed memories and information about this wilderness to him—

Those under its protection could rest by the great bonfire named "Hope," which used "suffering" as fuel. Travelers could lay down their burdens by the fire and continue their journey deeper into the wilderness. Further ahead was a path named "No Return," hidden within tall grass, visible only to the chosen ones and the knights guarding the fire. Beyond that, there was a great cathedral of protection, not worshiping anyone, merely shielding travelers from the elements...

The traveler turned his head, glanced at the bonfire, and noticed that the flames seemed even more vibrant than before. The warmth emanating from the fire nourished his spiritual body, as if urging him to continue on his way.

He nodded, took the small seed, and walked forward.

...

Erin sat cross-legged on the coffee table, her hands resting on her knees, rocking back and forth like a Weeble out of boredom.

That grayish-white little "stone sphere" floated about a dozen centimeters in front of her eyes, swaying lazily left and right along with her rhythms.

After a while, the stone sphere began to "rotate" on its axis and, at the same time, "orbit" around the little puppet’s head.

"What should I do if I still think this sphere is a bit ugly?" Erin suddenly tilted her face upward and looked at Yu Sheng, who was typing on his phone. "Can I paint it pink?"

"Paint it whatever color you like," Yu Sheng replied offhandedly, "if you think a youthful pink version of an Omen Wandering Star orbited constantly around you is a good look."

The little puppet imagined that scene for a moment and instantly wore an uncontrollable expression: "Ew—why does that feel a bit nauseating..."

Then she turned her head toward Hu Li: "Hey, silly fox, your hometown also cultivates immortality; what do you do if your magical artifacts are ugly?"

"If they’re ugly, they don’t sell," Hu Li answered casually.

"... Asking you is as good as asking nobody."

Erin pouted, then suddenly got up, raised her hand, and grabbed the stone sphere that was floating around her. She held it with both hands, peering at it closely, muttering to herself, "What use do you think this thing has... It’s hard, but surely we can’t just throw it at people, right? It used to talk, but now it doesn’t say anything."

Yu Sheng didn’t look up as he said, "Having one chatterbox in the house is already lively enough; I think it’s good that this one doesn’t speak."

Erin thought for a moment, then casually tossed the youthful version of the Omen Wandering Star toward Yu Sheng, who raised his hand and caught it without looking, then threw it back the same way.

"Doesn’t seem like throwing it to hit people is very effective," Erin grumpily caught the stone sphere, placed it next to her head to continue orbiting, and then curiously looked at Yu Sheng, who was fiddling with his phone, finally unable to resist asking, "What are you doing? You’ve been busy since just now without stopping."

"Messaging. I was just chatting with Baili Qing about the ’Inference Star Body’ business, roughly explaining how the issue was resolved. She asked when I would be moving back home—I told her I’d have to stay a few more days here to handle some aftercare matters," Yu Sheng finally looked up at Erin, "And now I’m chatting with Little Red Riding Hood. She just finished her high school exams and is looking for people to chat with everywhere, seems quite idle."

Erin, holding up her hand to poke the Omen Wandering Star as it floated in front of her, brightened up at Yu Sheng’s words: "Hey? Little Red Riding Hood finished her exams? How did she do?"

"Didn’t ask, but judging by her mood it couldn’t have been bad," Yu Sheng said offhandedly, "because she usually studies hard, unlike Changfa, who just drifts through every day."

"You’d better watch out or Changfa will crawl up from the basement any minute now, she’s always so unpredictable..."

"I’ve said this to her face too. She’s going into her second year of high school but still struggles with writing an 800-word essay. She even dreams of having me write it for her, and she gets nine out of ten multiple-choice questions wrong in math, needing to ask Bai Xue, a first-year, for help where she can’t figure it out. She’s always thinking about going off to play as soon as vacation starts; even a big valley isn’t enough for her to make a mess of..."

Yu Sheng couldn’t help but start chattering as soon as he brought up the troublemaker in the valley, but his rant only made Erin laugh heartily. Sitting next to Erin, Hu Li suddenly looked up, her big eyes staring directly at the Omen Wandering Star orbiting around the little puppet’s head. Not knowing what this Nine-tailed Fox was thinking, she suddenly reached out and grabbed the stone sphere from mid-air.

"Ah, silly fox, what are you doing..."

Erin was startled, and before she could finish her question, she saw Hu Li rummage through her tail with her other hand, pulled out a few walnuts, placed them on the table, and started smashing them with the Omen Wandering Star.

With several crisp and decisive cracks.

"Hey," Hu Li smiled joyfully, raising her head to look at Yu Sheng, "Savior! This thing is great for cracking walnuts!"

Yu Sheng was dumbfounded: "...You used the Omen Wandering Star to crack walnuts?!"

Hu Li, however, didn’t feel there was anything wrong with it and pulled out a few more walnuts from her tail. After smashing them all, she casually placed the Omen Wandering Star back into its orbit next to Erin’s head, picked out a few of the best walnut kernels, and offered them to Yu Sheng: "Savior, have some walnuts."

It was only then that Erin belatedly realized what had happened. She quickly grabbed the stone sphere, holding it in front of her for a careful examination. As she did, she muttered to herself, "Oh no, it’s ugly, but it’s still a ’magic treasure’... Hmm?"

She tilted her head in puzzlement.

She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but she felt as though the ugly little stone sphere might have just... opened its mouth?