https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-769-Lanchi-Returns-to-Little-Stone-City/12585312/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-771-Sybrian-Feels-Like-She-s-Repeating-History/12585314/
Chapter 770: Lanchi Begins to Understand Hei Ri
Chapter 770: Lanchi Begins to Understand Hei Ri
The vehicle traveled along the roads paved with blue stones, passing through bustling low-rise buildings on either side. Humans bustled about day and night, and occasionally, a member of the Mozu could be spotted among them. The downtown area always shone brightly, illuminated by the ever-present lights.
After a long journey, they finally arrived at their accommodation for the night—the luxurious Snow Bear Palace Hotel, the most impressive building in the small city.
"The Snow Bear Palace is undoubtedly the most eye-catching building in this city. It's a shame we didn't pass through this place the last time you, I, and Huberian went from the Demon World to the Polante Empire. I've always wanted to bring you on a tour of this snowy city-state." Sigure said enthusiastically as she introduced Talia to the area, leading her forward with quick steps.
The Snow Bear Hotel stood majestically, resembling a grand palace. Two huge white bear statues guarded the entrance like loyal sentinels, adding to the building's imposing presence.
"Sigure, slow down. I won't get lost," Talia said gently as she kept pace with Sigure.
Sigure's treatment of Talia made her heart warm, as if she truly had a daughter of her own. If only Huberian were also by their side; then, Talia's happiness would be complete.
"Even though Kaliyra is getting on in years, she's still very capable and won't get lost on her own," Lanchi said to Sigure and Talia as he finished paying the driver.
The two women in front turned to look at him but remained silent.
"You really are something," Talia said, not knowing how else to respond to Lanchi.
This was the reason why, despite being her teacher for so long, she had never thought of him as a son. He was always more concerned with his rebellious disciples than with being a good son to his mother.
"Only Kaliyra, with her good temper, would not take offense at the way you speak. If it were any other female Mozu with a fiercer temperament, they would have likely knocked you down by now," Sigure remarked.
After speaking, she turned her head to scan the surroundings before once again leading Kaliyra toward the hotel.
Pushing open the heavy oak door, they were greeted by warm lighting and cozy heat that instantly dispelled the chill from outside. In the center of the lobby stood a unique fireplace from the Land of Eternal Night, its orange-red flames dancing merrily within the hearth and casting a vibrant glow throughout the entire hall.
Sigure went to the reception desk alone and quickly completed the check-in process, reserving an apartment-style suite for the three of them.
"It's an apartment-style room, just like last time," Sigure said as she handed the key cards to Lanchi and Talia.
The last time she and Lanchi stayed here, they had a suite with multiple bedrooms and a shared living room.
The Pope was surprisingly poor and had very little personal wealth. However, Sigure had saved up a significant amount over the years, so supporting the three of them in luxury for these twenty days would not be a problem.
After all, once they left the shadow world, the currency of this world would be useless. Lanchi and Talia could treat her as a wealthy patron and spend her money as they pleased.
"It's really embarrassing to make you spend your money when I'm the one who hired you," Lanchi said as he took the key card.
"Then, how about you help me carry the luggage upstairs? I'll go buy some delicious food and ingredients from Gret Stone Castle. It's a fair trade for me to spend a little money to buy a Pope's identity from you," Sigure said, handing her luggage to Lanchi and joking with him.
"No problem," Lanchi replied with a kind smile.
He sensed that after so many years, Sigure no longer saw him as a noble young master. She now treated him with a casual familiarity.
As Sigure strode toward the exit of the hotel lobby, she noticed that Lanchi was following her.
"Is there something else you want to tell me?" She turned her head, curious to hear what he had to say.
Lanchi's pace was leisurely, indicating that he didn't intend to accompany her but rather wanted to take a casual stroll, chat, and perhaps convey some instructions.
"Remember to buy enough food," Lanchi said quietly, his hand covering his mouth.
"How much exactly?" Sigure took out a small notebook, jotted down a few notes, then looked up at Lanchi, awaiting his answer.
"Buy enough for the two of us for a week," Lanchi said after a moment's thought.
"Okay, I won't ask further," Sigure said, making a quick note before putting away her notebook. "I'll be back within half an hour. I won't let you two go hungry for long."
With a wave, she stepped out of the glass doors of the Snow Bear Hotel lobby.
"..."
Lanchi smiled as he watched Sigure leave, then turned and walked toward Talia, who was sitting on a sofa in the lobby, waiting for him.
"Is it really alright to let that child go out alone?" Talia asked, her face filled with concern as she looked up at Lanchi.
Perhaps her worries were unfounded, but just like when she had first met Huberian, she found it difficult to let go. She wanted to keep the child within her sight at all times and protect Sigure.
"Don't worry. She was already very strong at eleven years old, and now her abilities are probably even more impressive. Aside from the city-state's protective barrier, there probably isn't anyone in this small city who could match her in a fight," Lanchi replied as he picked up Talia's suitcase.
"Well, let's head upstairs then."
Talia was quite pleased with Lanchi's boyfriend-like habit; when she was with him, she didn't have to think about anything.
Before Lanchi had left for the Northern Continent, he wouldn't even offer to carry things for her.
"You know, back when we were in the South Ventina territory, I offered to treat you to a meal, and you would only give me cold looks. How could I dare to help you carry your suitcase then?"
Lanchi reminisced.
"That's true. I'm sorry, I won't treat you like that again."
Talia thought for a moment, and a slight smile appeared on her face as she spoke to him.
"Huh?"
Lanchi was taken aback and turned to look at her.
He must have done something right, as Talia was apologizing, and she seemed to be in a great mood, even going so far as to smile instead of her usual stoic expression.
"I'm Kaliyra. Is it strange for Kaliyra to be gentle?"
Talia said matter-of-factly.
She had grown quite fond of the identity of Kaliyra.
She wanted to become a great Mozu like Kaliyra.
"When you donned the Veil of Fallen Heaven and became Kaliyra, only your appearance changed, but you were both already very beautiful, so it's as if nothing changed."
Lanchi voiced his doubts.
Although Talia's skin had become even paler.
He considered it an invalid skin change.
"Are you saying that there's no change in my inner self? I won't hold it against you, considering that you always sincerely think I'm beautiful."
Talia gave a soft humph and walked forward.
"What's with you today..."
Lanchi was puzzled.
Talia's response was so unlike her, and she almost seemed to be channeling the aura of the ruler of the Demon World, Kaliyra.
The two of them walked past the reception desk towards the magic-powered elevator.
Lanchi looked around, briefly scanning all the employees he could see in the lobby.
"What's wrong?"
Talia sensed that Lanchi's behavior was out of the ordinary.
"Back then, Little Stone City stood at the southernmost tip of the Land of Eternal Night, with winters all year round. The vast land was covered in snow, and it was a community mainly inhabited by beastmen, exuding a raw and rugged beauty while also incorporating the modern feel of human cities."
Lanchi explained, pausing and stroking his chin in thought.
His eyebrows furrowed, not only with concern but also with a hint of nostalgia.
Among the six city-states along the way, Little Stone City, as the southernmost independent city-state in the Land of Eternal Night and the closest to the Polante Empire, had the most normal relationship between beastmen and humans, and they often traded, heavily influenced by human culture.
As one ventured deeper into the Land of Eternal Night, the environment became increasingly harsh, until they reached the last city-state, where humans were rarely seen, and even members of the Mozu could be spotted.
"!"
"Yes, Little Stone City is a beastman city-state. Why haven't we seen any beastmen at all, not even a single bear person?"
Talia also realized the discrepancy.
She understood why Lanchi had felt something was off when they first entered the city and were waiting for the carriage.
They hadn't seen a single cute little bear.
It would have been understandable if they were in the outskirts, but even as they traveled to the central district, there was no sign of the bear people, not even in the Snow Bear Hotel, of which the bear people were so proud.
"I'll go ask."
Lanchi said to Talia, and with her nod, they turned around.
They walked back towards the reception desk in the hotel lobby.
There stood a young woman in a uniform, focused on sorting through some documents.
The approach of the two distinguished guests caught her attention.
"Good evening, sir, madam. Is there anything I can help you with?"
The receptionist looked up, a professional smile on her face.
"I'd like to ask about the bear people in this city... Why is it that we haven't seen any of them at all?"
Lanchi asked thoughtfully.
The receptionist's smile gradually froze, and a hint of pity flashed in her eyes.
She hesitated for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully.
"Sir..."
She took a deep breath and slowly said,
"The bear people... they've long been extinct."
Lanchi felt as if he had been struck by lightning upon hearing this news.
"What? How is that possible?"
He looked at the receptionist, his heart clenching as if an invisible hand were squeezing it.
"Six years ago, the Honing Empire and the Blood Clan launched an attack on Little Stone City. The bear warriors led by the Great Lord Argom resisted to the death and refused to betray their allies. But the consequence was that after the city fell, the invaders carried out a massacre. Both the bear warriors and civilians were subjected to the gut-wrenching punishment by the Blood Clan, their bodies hung on the city walls to intimidate the other beastman city-states..."
The receptionist recounted the history of six years ago to Lanchi.
Perhaps only those who hadn't visited Little Stone City in many years wouldn't know about these events.
The closer one was to the beastman city-states, the more heart-wrenching it would be to come to this city, now devoid of its bear people, after the war.
Hung on the city walls, enduring the agony of the extreme punishment but unable to die, their blood and intestines slowly draining away, only to be replaced by new bear people once they were empty shells. Not a single bear person had been spared.
Facing the counter, Lanchi remained silent for a long time.
A deep sense of sorrow welled up within him, and he felt his throat tighten.
What wrong had the bear people done?
Was resisting the Blood Clan a crime?
"Then, where do the departed bear people rest forever?" Lanchi asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"In the memorial park near the center of the city, there is a cemetery specially built for the bear people. Many unidentifiable bear corpses are buried there, and the Pope himself carved their tombstones. It is a place to mourn and remember them," the receptionist replied, pointing north and lowering her voice.
She couldn't forget that night when the Pope, like a madman, carved tirelessly with bloodied hands, crying with remorse as he built tombs for the fallen bear people.
"Thank you." Lanchi thanked the receptionist and quickly strode out of the hotel.
Talia followed, her worried expression unmistakable.
The cold wind and snowflakes whipped at their faces, but he paid no heed.
His steps had only one direction—toward the cemetery.
Lanchi walked through the increasingly quiet streets until he reached the Little Stone City Memorial Park.
In the pitch-black night, a white expanse of graves came into view.
Countless simple tombstones stood amidst the pure white snow, like silent sentinels guarding the eternal sleep of the departed.
Lanchi slowly made his way into the cemetery, the biting cold piercing his bones.
His eyes scanned the nameless tombstones, imagining the faces of the bear people who lay beneath.
The snowfall grew heavier, quickly piling up on Lanchi's shoulders.
He stood still as a statue, allowing the cold snow to cover him.
"As expected, the Blood Clan destroyed even the bear people's most important shrine and statue." Lanchi recalled that this used to be the location of their shrine.
The shrine in the back must have been rebuilt by humans.
He remained silent, reflecting on the bygone days that could never return.
Finally, he understood why Blacksun had been able to break through the blockade and go to the Demon World to provide support when the Blood Clan plotted to cut off the Land of Eternal Night.
If it hadn't been for the beastmen allies' desperate resistance, holding off the Blood Clan's offensive for several days, Blacksun would never have had that opportunity.
"..." Talia couldn't fathom what was going through Lanchi's mind, and she anxiously tugged at his sleeve, her eyes fixed on him.
But she sensed that Lanchi was wavering for the first time.
Perhaps he was contemplating whether this peace they were witnessing was truly fair.
Or maybe this wasn't the ending that Blacksun of Black Night, Lanclos, had wanted.
The mission information changed at this moment.
[Mission Objective 2: Understand the feelings of Blacksun, Lanclos: 2.71%. (Incomplete)]
As Talia noticed this, an unsettling premonition arose within her.
Understanding Blacksun.
Would the endpoint of understanding Blacksun be becoming Blacksun himself?
If...
If the true history was that Blacksun of Black Night, Lanclos, had narrowly defeated the Blood Clan, and the Blood Clan had chosen to surrender, resulting in a situation similar to the shadow world projection they were currently in.
This beautiful shadow world was not an illusion, nor was it a victory route uniquely created by Lanchi. Peace had truly descended in history.
There was a force causing the shadow world to revert to the historical line, moving inexorably towards an unshakable outcome.
Talia believed that Blacksun was inherently a kind person. Even from Kaliyra's shadow weave, it was evident that although his eyes had lost their youthful clarity and become clouded, his tears remained pure.
Faced with this compromised peace, Blacksun of Black Night, Lanclos, no longer wanted to create more sacrifices.
He was prepared to quietly fade away alone.
But on the brink of death, he received Kaliyra's farewell letter.
He decided to embark on a journey to revisit the places of his past.
What would Blacksun's emotions be as he witnessed all of this along the way?
"Lanchi, don't be lost in thought. When you're unsure, just listen to me." Talia raised her hand to caress Lanchi's cold cheek, hoping to impart some warmth.
However, his hair was already damp with snow, obscuring the green eyes hidden beneath.
She believed that Lanchi possessed an impeccable heart, a heart like jade, seemingly forged from something other than flesh and blood, which was why he could maintain a calm unlike that of a human.
Although Inno's death may have cracked that heart, Lanchi's excellent qualities never changed after that.
"Rest assured, Master." Lanchi shook his head and gently removed Talia's warm hand from his face.
He looked at the worried Talia, his expression as natural as ever, revealing no difference.
(End of Chapter)
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