Chapter 176: Emis Will Always Stand by Rast’s Side (5k)
The soft golden light, the melodious chirping of birds outside the window, and the dew reflected in the sunlight on the treetops…
It was a sunny morning, a morning that belonged solely to Canaan.
Rast slowly sat up from the bed, gazing at the border town outside the window that was gradually waking up.
The collapsed Paradise City, the ruined Abyss of bl**d and Corpses, the desperate fight against the remnants of the Ancient God, and the Broken Coast paved with the bones of Legendary Strongmen…
Everything that happened in the Night World, whether it was a magnificent epic or a reenactment of mythological times… all of it felt infinitely distant and no longer mattered.
A moment of daze crossed Rast’s eyes, as if he had just awakened from a great dream, momentarily unable to distinguish between dream and reality.
Until his gaze inadvertently fell on the pristine white sheets beside him, the daze in Rast’s eyes began to fade slightly.
There was no one beside the pillow, only the marks left by the pressed sheets.
On the neatly folded blanket, there lingered the unique scent of sandalwood from the girl.
Outside the closed door, the faint sound of boiling soup and the light humming of a countryside song could be heard.
Rast knew that it was Xiao Ai preparing breakfast for the two of them in the kitchen downstairs.
This border town called Canaan was not like the big cities of the real world, lacking electricity and the internet. Even if one stayed up all night, there was nothing to do; mornings and nights came much earlier here than in the city.
But there were very few like Emis who would wake up before five in the morning when the sky was still dim.
According to Xiao Ai, she enjoyed waking up early in the morning, staying by the bed, quietly watching the sleeping Rast during that time—
In her own words, Rast usually liked to put on a facade of depth, floating and elusive… but when he fell asleep, he resembled a child, his sleeping face innocent and even cute, making one unable to resist the urge to tease.
Of course, Rast himself did not acknowledge this description.
However… this feeling of always having someone waiting for your return was truly special.
From now on, no matter where you are, whether in the purgatory of time loops or the Abyss that devours light, you would never be lost.
Because when you looked back across the vast wilderness, you would always see that tranquil little town, where the sound of melodious bagpipes echoed day and night… and the girl with golden hair was waiting for you to come back, her smile radiant.
This feeling was hard to put into words, as if they had lived in this little town for a long, long time, long enough to go gray.
…
When Rast finished washing up, dressed, and got ready to head downstairs, the bubbling sound in the kitchen had already disappeared.
On the simple yet tidy wooden table, the utensils were set up, and breakfast consisted of creamy mushroom porridge and papaya milk, the latter being Xiao Ai’s favorite drink, so much so that she had to have it with every meal, even often sipping it during afternoon tea.
Rast had once asked Emis why she adored papaya milk so much, but she had always sidestepped the question in various ways.
It wasn’t until Rast left the cycle of Deep Blue Harbor and returned to the real world that he received an answer from Mr. Silver, the house ferret who knew various little secrets but spent all day doing nothing.
“According to rumors, papaya milk has a breast-enhancing effect, you know.”
“But why do you ask this question? Clearly, the women you have interacted with in the real world, whether it’s Young Tina or Young Xiya, have ample figures and shouldn’t have similar worries.”
At that time, Mr. Silver was perched on Rast’s head, with a questioning look flashing in its ruby-like beast eyes.
After a long while, it seemed to have a moment of realization, nodding and patting Rast’s cheek with its furry tail: “I get it now… it turns out you’re finally dissatisfied with just being a man and want to try a more diverse life, huh?”
“Speaking of which, the sixth-level ability ‘Mother Earth’ of the Bounty Sequence seems to have a side effect that turns the holder into a woman, and one can only turn back after achieving legend… Just right, you also have that ‘Copy Eye’ Night Blade which can replicate others’ sequence skills.”
“Would you like me to introduce you to a sixth-level extraordinary person from the Bounty Sequence? As for the reward I expect, it’s just one month’s worth of grilled fish cake…”
Before Mr. Silver could finish, Rast had already crumpled it up and tossed it out of the window like a solid ball.
However, thinking about it… it was no wonder Xiao Ai loved papaya milk so much.
After all, this childhood friend of his was impeccable in other aspects like looks and personality, but if there was a flaw to mention, it would probably be her figure.
If one were to use the most fitting word to describe Emis’s physique—
That would be “iron board.”
As memories flashed in his mind, a gentleness passed through Rast’s eyes.
However.
As he walked down the stairs, intending to enter the living room and enjoy breakfast with Xiao Ai, his footsteps unexpectedly paused at the edge of the stairs.
Within his heart, the confusion that had been forcibly suppressed before surged once more, impossible to contain.
According to the information he had seen in the “Canaan Files” released from the Tower of Secrets—
Canaan was a real location that once existed in the present world, situated next to the Three Saintly Snow Mountains in the northern region of the western continent, belonging to the Falan Holy Kingdom’s Fares Border Province.
However, about two hundred years ago, a disaster named “Fares Great Explosion” suddenly befell that border town, completely erasing it from the map of the western continent.
Little is known about the “Fares Explosion” to the world; only by analyzing soil samples from the ruins did they determine that an unimaginable space-time distortion once occurred, and judging by the remaining traces, the strength of the perpetrator must have been at least above legendary.
Having personally verified this in the present world, Rast could almost completely confirm the information.
Based on that, if he combined his own past experiences with those in the Sixth Epoch’s Night World, he could draw the most rational conclusion—
He and Xiao Ai were both born about two hundred years ago… actually lived in that border town called Canaan in the northern region of the western continent.
Only, when he and Xiao Ai were about ten years old, a sudden space-time disaster descended upon Canaan for reasons unknown.
This disaster swept the entire border town, pulling the both of them into the space-time turbulence caused by the great explosion.
Perhaps it was during this space-time rampage that they drifted into the bygone era of old, or even a time even further back.
This inexplicable space-time disaster would later be referred to as the “Fares Great Explosion,” and in their memories… the great fire that nearly turned all of Canaan to ruins in their childhood corresponded to the Fares Great Explosion.
However—
Later on…
Something must have happened between him, Xiao Ai, Canaan, and that woman who saved him from the burning ruins with a comforting smile, calling herself the “Guardian.”
It was within this part of Rast’s memory that was missing that he ultimately obtained the Guardian’s Flame Seed, the inheritance known as the “Library of Fools”… and became trapped in the Deep Blue Harbor replica of the Night World, not returning to the present world until meeting Hiltina.
And the entire town of Canaan had become a very special existence.
It neither existed in the real world’s timeline nor in the past Night World… but in the cracks between the Night World and the present world, between the past and the now.
As for the specific events that led to such a situation… Rast still did not fully understand, holding some conjectures in his heart but unable to confirm them, awaiting further investigation.
However, one fact was unavoidable for Rast at this moment.
Based on the information he had gathered, there was a significant probability that the real Canaan no longer existed.
What he was seeing might be some kind of bygone illusion similar to a Night World replica, or it could simply be Rast’s own daydream…
But regardless of which it was, it should not be real scenery and had completely lost any chance of returning to the present world.
And if Canaan was like this… then Xiao Ai, who lived in Canaan, should be the same.
That girl with the light golden hair, whether it was the scent of sandalwood, the warmth of her breath… or the tenderness when resting on his knee and the soft touch on his cheek, all felt so real.
Yet reason told Rast that this was merely a real illusion, a deception that could easily confuse the genuine.
Just like Queen Helen in the Netherworld, like a caged bird… everything began with a lie, the players were deeply trapped in an illusion woven by external forces, yet unaware.
Or perhaps, even if they knew the truth, they were unwilling to wake from the illusion.
That was why Rast made the determination—no matter what the cost, even putting himself in such danger, he had to rescue Akshia from the Abyss…
His motivation did not stem from Noah’s mention of “the primal reproductive impulse arising from the glandular secretion of stimulating hormones between male and female,” but was out of shared empathy.
As fellow players trapped in an illusion, unwilling to wake up, they empathized with each other’s plight.
Rast’s steps paused at the edge of the living room, carrying a measure of hesitation.
The matters he had been entangled in just now, in the past, would likely have triggered a forced interruption by Rast as soon as he began to associate.
After all, for a mechanical being that prioritized efficiency above all else, the turmoil of worry and hesitation amounted to nothing more than meaningless self-exhaustion, an extra emotion that must be discarded.
But just as Cecil had once said.
Since he chose to become a Guardian and embrace humanity… while basking in the light of humanity, it also meant accepting human flaws.
Because they once had, they feared losing their precious joys and the agonies of cherishing… that rightly belonged to the weakness unique to humanity.
His past self would have chosen to deceive himself and turn a blind eye to such emotions of doubt.
But at this moment, Rast could neither escape nor was he willing to avoid this weakness.
…
“Rast.”
“Rast…”
The sandalwood fragrance wafted in, along with a sound as melodious as midnight wind chimes, pulling Rast back from his daze into reality.
Before him, Emis had unknowingly moved closer, staring into Rast’s eyes from a very short distance.
Her long light golden hair bathed in the morning light, slightly swaying in the morning breeze, her voice, clear as silver bells, carried a hint of concern: “Did something happen in that dream world?”
“I’m fine, Xiao Ai, I’m just a bit sleepy, haven’t fully woken up yet.”
Rast smiled a little, forcibly gathering all the stray thoughts in his heart.
He waved his hand and walked towards the nearby dining table: “Come on, it’s time for breakfast… If we don’t eat the mushroom porridge soon, it’ll cool down, and that would waste your effort of waking up early.”
However, Rast immediately felt his hand being held, a soft touch.
He turned back to find Emis gently holding his right hand with her delicate, white-skinned hands.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s breakfast or creamy mushroom porridge!”
“More than those, I care about you.”
The blonde girl, usually gentle as water, now had a determined look in her sky-blue eyes: “Rast, you can’t hide this from me.”
“I know every habit, every detail of your actions… so I can be a hundred percent sure that you’re different from before.”
Her words slowed down a bit, becoming softer: “In that dream world where I couldn’t know anything, nor accompany you, so many things must have happened, right?”
“So, you must have undergone significant changes, unprecedented changes.”
Seeing the girl who was seriously looking into his eyes, without the slightest sign of retreat, Rast couldn’t help but let out a gentle sigh.
He considered himself the perfect actor, able to switch seamlessly between various personas without revealing a flaw… but he also understood that he might deceive the whole world, yet he could never hide from the blonde girl in front of him.
Emis had genuinely witnessed the side of him that was most lost and timid, without the masks he wore.
In Emis’s eyes, Rast did not possess the mysterious filters and halo he had in front of others.
They had lived together for such a long time, long enough to go gray, long enough to need no words—just a subtle gaze, an unintentional action, and they could understand each other’s feelings.
So Rast naturally could not hide from Xiao Ai; no matter how peak his acting was, it wouldn’t work in front of his closest person.
Moreover, he really had no need to hide in front of Xiao Ai…
With such thoughts, Rast softly spoke:
“Indeed, many things have happened, and my heart has changed a lot.”
“Only—”
He looked out at the undulating mountains, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes: “To be honest, I’m not sure if this change is good or bad…”
“After accepting the weaknesses of humanity, sometimes I feel that I’ve become a selfish person who worries excessively, wasting my time and energy on meaningless inner turmoil—”
Rast smiled: “From being a righteous partner who would sacrifice everything for my beliefs, an ideal martyr, I’ve turned into a coward who worries day and night, unwilling to let go of the things I treasure…”
“If you knew this, Xiao Ai, perhaps you would also despise this version of me…”
“No, I won’t.”
Before Rast’s softly self-deprecating words could finish, Emis’s sincere reply interrupted him.
She extended both her hands, gently cradling Rast’s face with her soft, pale hands: “How could I ever despise you, Rast?”
“If you are a righteous partner, a martyr who walks to the end for ideals… then I will accompany you to be nailed to the cross, to perish in the sea of fire together.”
“If you are a remorseless criminal, killing at will, then I am your most loyal accomplice… just like you once told me about the Joker and Harley Quinn.”
“If you fall into the Abyss, then I will fall into the Abyss with you… If you choose to give up on yourself and just lounge around, then I too will lounge around with you.”
“If you have become a cowardly, selfish person who fears for your life, then I will accompany you to hide in the mountains, enjoying a carefree life… No matter how the floods rage outside or if humanity is wiped out, it has nothing to do with us.”
Emis’s clear voice paused slightly.
She gently caressed the boy’s face with her slender white fingers, speaking softly: “I said, I am willing to accept and embrace everything about you, Rast.”
“No matter what choice you make, what transformation occurs, becoming something grotesque and vile, even if you are betrayed by all your former companions and pointed at with disdain…”
“But ‘Emis’ will always stand by ‘Rast’s side.”
“So—”
The golden-haired girl leaned down to his ear, whispering.
Her warm breath against Rast’s neck brought a sense of warmth and moisture, along with a slight tickle.
“Tell me about it.”
“Everything that happened in that dream world…”
“And the story of you, the Queen of the Underworld named Helen, and the Guardian.”
(End of Chapter)
