https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-782-Hiberlian-s-Recap-after-Twelve-Years/12585508/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-784-Lanchi-s-Black-Day-Lord-Experience-Card-Part-1-/12585510/
Chapter 783: Lanchi and Shubelian's Memories
Chapter 783: Lanchi and Shubelian's Memories
Shubelian shook her head, no longer hesitating, and walked back to the sofa where Lanchi was seated.
Kaliera always looked aloof, but occasionally, she would surprise them with a quirky idea, delivered with a straight face. The last time, she had suddenly referred to herself as "chen qie" (a humble way of saying "I" when addressing the emperor) in front of Lanchi, flustering even Shubelian.
It had been twelve years, and it was understandable that she would pick up some odd quirks now that she no longer served as the regent.
"Lanchi, is this Shadow World coming to an end soon?" Shubelian asked as she sat down beside Lanchi.
Every time Baby Bus encountered Lanchi, it meant skipping the battles and proceeding straight to the end.
"Meow-t it's just me, but this Shadow World seems a bit too easy," Meow Boss emerged from the shadows and leaped gracefully onto the sofa.
While the strength of this Shadow World wasn't particularly low, its biggest issue was its simplistic mechanics. There were no intricate traps along the way, and they had a straightforward path to the final boss.
It felt like a disservice to the Defiler, Merogass, who, despite being far stronger than the previous final boss, the Tenth Ancestor Ulysses, had to contend with Lanchi's powerful teammates.
"Meow Boss, I've missed you so much," Shubelian picked up the little black cat beside her and whispered softly.
After not seeing each other for several months, she had grown especially fond of Meow Boss.
Unlike Tamisha, Meow Boss was the type of cat that quickly became a close companion.
"I've missed you too, meow!" Meow Boss replied cheerfully.
It had been a while since he last saw Shubelian too.
"Hmm?" Shubelian paused slightly, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
Something felt a little different from the last time she heard Meow Boss over the communication channel.
If she had to describe it, Meow Boss over the communication line had seemed a bit more shy and demure.
But now, Meow Boss seemed more cheerful and outgoing...
Communication channels often altered the sound quality, so it was probably just an illusion.
Shubelian continued to stroke Meow Boss affectionately.
"To be honest, if this Shadow World were a Seventh-Rank, I doubt all the Seventh-Rank challengers combined could defeat Merogass," Lanchi answered Meow Boss's unspoken question with ease, now an expert in Shadow Worlds.
The Defiler's strength was clearly too high for a Seventh-Rank Shadow World. Additionally, without a method to subdue the insane Defiler besides brute force, a single mistake could lead to a party wipe.
Merogass, however, was indeed worthy of being the final boss of an Eighth-Rank Shadow World. Ordinary Eighth-Rank challengers were no match for her, and it would take multiple Eighth-Rank adventurers to stand a chance against her.
"The real challenge lies in the fact that there aren't many opportunities to face Merogass in a one-on-one battle," Lanchi continued his analysis. "Her true identity is the Demon Regent, and it wouldn't be difficult for her to summon other general-level demons to aid her."
Considering that Merogass also had several powerful demons under her command, even a Ninth-Rank adventurer forcefully infiltrating the Demon King's Castle, Necalis, would likely meet their end.
"Then what about the powerful demons under her command?" Meow Boss was still confused.
If the final battle involved nearly ten Eighth-Rank challengers in an ultimate showdown, then this would indeed be an Eighth-Rank Shadow World.
"Er... it's probably all because of Pranai and the others..." Shubelian began to explain the situation in the Demon King's Castle, Necalis, to Meow Boss.
Currently, Antanas and his three companions were still on Necalis Island, indulging in the decadent lifestyle of the demon world.
Instead of having the challenger demons face off against the Shadow World demons, Pranai's perfect integration strategy had turned them all into Shadow World demons.
With Pranai, Antanas, and the others on their side, Merogass believed she had a loyal entourage, and her demons also considered themselves loyal subjects of the demon realm.
There was no dissension in the ranks.
Thus, Merogass saw no need to divert her attention to rooting out potential threats.
"If Antanas and the others had followed the typical route, aiding the princess in escaping the Demon King's Castle, the likely outcome would have been a cataclysmic war in the Hell City of Pascual, with the powerful demons splitting into two factions," Lanchi admitted that he hadn't anticipated Shubelian bringing Pranai, the others, and the Ice Snow Witch into the Shadow World.
Now that he knew Pranai was in the Demon King's Castle, everything made sense.
"Meow, I understand now," Meow Boss finally realized why their victory over the Defiler, Merogass, had been so effortless.
The Shadow World probably hadn't anticipated that those four would be idling in the game.
As a result, everyone was pretending to be NPCs, and the Demon King's Castle was a harmonious place, with the other Shadow World demons following suit.
With the princess hidden in Hell City, the Defiler, Merogass, as the regent, wouldn't bring a large group of general-level demons to capture a small princess, lest she become a laughingstock for her incompetence.
Pranai truly was a master strategist!
"So, can I just slack off like that from now on, meow?!" Meow Boss asked Lanchi, feeling enlightened.
"By the time you're done with this Shadow World, you'll probably be a Ninth-Rank. What's left for you to slack off on?" Lanchi poked the black divine beast on its head.
There was indeed a hint of divine power within Meow Boss.
Each time Meow Lun revealed himself to the public, although most of the faith power went to Loren because they worshipped the High Priest Loren, the faith power of some eyewitnesses also directly condensed onto Meow Boss, as he was the one taking action.
Given Meow Boss's racial values, the amount of faith power required for it to break through to the Ninth Rank should also be relatively minimal compared to the norm. However, even if it reached the Ninth Rank, it wouldn't have the corresponding divine power and could only match Sixth-Rank challengers in strength.
"Oh yeah, meow," Meow Boss almost forgot that the story was coming to an end, and there wouldn't be many opportunities to tackle more Shadow Worlds. Even if there were future rewards, they would likely be given to a new companion of fate.
Lanchi, with his extraordinary talent and strength, would never voluntarily participate in Shadow Worlds. Back in the Northern Continent, he had gone half a year without stepping into a single Shadow World, and expecting him to reach Eighth or Ninth Rank in his story was simply impossible.
"I have a feeling that we're the only three challengers in this Shadow World," Shubelian counted with her fingers.
She clearly remembered there being nine challengers.
However, it felt no different from the three challengers in the previous Shadow World, the Umbral Day of the Eclipse.
It was the same old trio: Lanchi, Meow Boss, and herself.
"It's fine, meow. The map is so vast that the other challengers might be striving in areas we can't see.
Meow Boss suddenly realized the problem.
Although it couldn't count the exact number of challengers, aside from the four idlers from the demon tribe, the challenger Talia was disguised as Kaliera, which would naturally cause a discrepancy in the headcount.
Meow Boss didn't want to shatter Shubelian's fantasy, so it decided to help Talia keep up this beautiful lie.
"Mhm."
Shubelian dropped the irrelevant matter of the number of challengers.
She looked further down to the information about the Shadow World.
What truly mattered were the changes in the quest objectives.
As expected, the quest objectives of the Shadow World displayed brand-new content.
[Quest Objective 1: Read Old Friend Kaliera's Letter; Go to the Demon World's Inferno City Pascual & Protect the Little Spark She Left Behind; Choose Whether to Open. (Completed)]
[Quest Objective 2: Understand Black Sun Lanclos' State of Mind: 4.94%. (Completed)]
[Quest Objective 3: All Challengers Survive Until the 21-Day Time Limit Ends, Remaining Time: 6 Days, 01 Hour, 34 Minutes.]
"......"
Lanchi and Shubelian exchanged a glance.
This was a new development that occurred after their quests merged.
"Is the Shadow World ending?"
Shubelian asked, seeking confirmation.
Based on their experience, the completion of the final battle usually signaled the end of the Shadow World.
However, this Shadow World gave them the odd feeling that it had just begun.
It was evident that there was more to come, and they were far from the conclusion.
Yet, the Shadow World was already indicating that it was considered complete.
"The quest objectives should be able to continue, but no matter what choices we make, they probably won't affect the success or failure of the Shadow World."
Lanchi hadn't encountered such a situation before.
But according to the literature of the Shadow World Association in the Southern Continent, once a Shadow World quest transforms into a completed state, it is considered a success, and one only needs to wait for the time limit to end and receive the final assessment.
"It's probably like this: after you finish an exam, you flip to the back of the test paper and find some additional bonus questions. Leaving them blank won't deduct points, and answering them won't increase your total score beyond the maximum. You can choose to attempt them or not."
He relaxed, offering an analogy as he rubbed his sore eyes.
Supporting Talia in her all-out battle, he had been driving non-stop along the way and barely rested. Now, he felt he was reaching his limit.
[The gift left by Kaliera, you've probably guessed, won't be something pleasant. If it truly were a gift, she wouldn't have mentioned in her letter that you have the choice to open it or not.]
Staring at the quest information, Lanchi's gaze turned slightly dazed, as if he could see those words.
"Then let's forget about the quest for the remaining six days and have fun at the Inferno Corridor Academy, meow!"
Meow Boss excitedly proposed.
It didn't care about whatever came next.
It just wanted to have fun in the legendary Inferno Corridor Academy.
From here on out, no matter what they did, these remaining six days probably wouldn't make much of a difference.
At most, completing the quest would earn them better rewards.
"You two can rest at the school. I'll continue tomorrow."
Lanchi pinched the space between his eyebrows, voicing his thoughts.
To continue the quest, according to the initial quest information and the overall flow of the quest, they would likely need to open Kaliera's gift.
After briefly investigating the Inferno Corridor Academy, Lanchi basically understood the recent incident that caused the students and faculty to fall asleep—it was undoubtedly Kaliera's doing. She probably left her "gift" deep within the Hanging Mirror Corridor.
To open Kaliera's gift, Tamisha was the key, both overtly and covertly, throughout the entire quest.
She was probably the child of the Mist Lord and True Night Lord that Kaliera mentioned in her letter, the one who inherited her final life soul.
He himself needed to rest for a while.
He could ask Tamisha about it tomorrow when she woke up.
However, unlike Lanchi's decisiveness, Shubelian furrowed her brows with concern.
"Lanchi, I have a bad feeling about what comes next in this Shadow World."
Shubelian held onto Lanchi's wrists.
Ever since she witnessed Lanchi's understanding of the Black Sun Lord increasing day by day over these two weeks, she couldn't shake off her worry.
Now that she saw the Shadow World could be concluded and that Lanchi was still fine, she finally felt relieved.
Let the era of the Blood Moon Calamity end here.
It was enough; there was no need to continue any further.
From any perspective, this was a beautiful ending.
Even if history recorded that the Black Sun Lord Lanclos would pass away six days later, he would do so having achieved glory and eternal fame.
Compared to his pitiful life, this ending was rather perfect.
"......"
"Shubelian, imagine if you could connect your brain to a magical terminal machine that would bring endless joy to your remaining life, only happiness without sorrow. If given the choice, would you want such a machine?"
Lanchi smiled faintly, feeling the warmth from Shubelian's hands,
"Note that once you enter this experience machine, you will forever depart from reality and never return. However, you yourself will hardly notice this fact. You won't be able to distinguish between the real world and the virtual world, and the ups and downs that should have been in your life will be replaced by smooth sailing."
This was a question he once asked Meow Boss in the Flower Capital of Parieth.
At that time, they were discussing whether it was right for him to deceive Christina, the young mistress of the Baptiste Earl family, by telling her that Innoan was still alive, sparing her from heartbreak. In the end, they didn't reach a conclusion.
"This is probably what they call the [Gentle Descent into Debauchery], but a version without side effects."
Shubelian stared at Lanchi, not letting go.
She understood the implication behind Lanchi's words.
In Lanchi's description, this hypothetical machine didn't have the negative effect of soul dissipation; it was purely harmless.
"That's one way to interpret it."
Lanchi affirmed.
"I don't want it."
Shubelian answered decisively, her expression bitter as she averted her gaze.
Even she knew how contradictory she sounded.
Realizing the depth of her immersion in the gentle descent into debauchery, Shubelian strongly resisted the idea of the machine. She yearned for authenticity, even if it meant embracing a cruel truth rather than settling for an illusory bliss.
For someone as lucid as Lanchi, who wouldn't hesitate at the threshold of such a descent, the answer was obvious. He would strive to understand what Black Sun Lanclos had witnessed at the end of his life.
"But Lanchi..." Shubelian struggled to find the right words, her tongue feeling heavy. "In this Shadow World, does it really matter whether you seek the truth or not? You have to think, really think, why would you want to open a gift box that is obviously not pleasant?"
She didn't want Lanchi to get hurt or face any negative consequences. But it seemed like he was already a bit obsessed with this Shadow World.
Just witnessing Lanchi's understanding of the Black Sun increasing, even if it was less than five percent, filled her with dread.
"Meow." Meow Boss sat on Shubelian's lap, looking back and forth between Lanchi and Shubelian.
It was the first time it had seen such a significant difference of opinion between the two.
They weren't arguing, but rather, they were too aware of each other's thoughts, trying their best to convince the other.
As someone who had experienced the journey to Parieth with them, Meow Boss understood that Lanchi's view of the 'gentle descent into debauchery' wasn't absolute.
Previously, he had deceived Christina, the young mistress of the Baptiste Earl family, by hiding the truth about Innoan's death, allowing her to live on with hope.
This showed that Lanchi wasn't bound to choosing 'truth' and could opt for 'protection' depending on the situation.
"Shubelian..." Lanchi thought for a long time before speaking again. "Some people need protection, some need the truth, and some need to make their own decisions."
He spoke slowly, his eyes as clear as a calm lake, reflecting both compassion and contemplation, and the answer lay within them.
"..." Shubelian pressed her lips together and slowly removed her hands from Lanchi's wrists, resting them back on her lap.
"Supporting a man like you is truly exhausting. You're an obstinate leader by nature." She said, looking down.
Lanchi's love was like the wind, relishing in freedom and impatience, while her love was like a kite, tightly tethered in place, contemplating.
She wanted to protect Lanchi from straying too far, yet she didn't want to hold him back. Thus, she often found herself in a dilemma, unsure of how to best support him.
"I'm sorry for always causing you worry." Lanchi fixed his gaze on Shubelian, his eyes also lowering.
He had always listened to Shubelian's words, but when it came to making decisions, he ultimately followed his own path.
Yet, he was grateful for her presence.
When there was no one to greet him in the morning.
When there was no one waiting for him in the afternoon.
When he could do anything he desired, what would he call it?
Freedom.
Or loneliness.
Only with Shubelian by his side could it be called freedom; without her, he would be solitary.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, clouds drifted silently, and the cold night was like a quiet lake, reflecting a soft glow.
Flick! Flick!
The fireplace spat out sparks, as if to fill the silence between them.
The room was warm from the fire.
"Then let's do it your way." Shubelian didn't try to hold Lanchi back this time. She gently placed her hand on his, like a moonlit ghost.
Aside from offering her support, Shubelian had no other thoughts.
She trusted Lanchi unconditionally.
There was something about him that would never change.
His passion and determination were genuine, and he always carried a sense of responsibility.
However, this long journey might have brought about a shift in Lanchi's perception.
He remained resolute, but within that resolve, he now considered more, and his demeanor was less cold.
Shubelian had always believed Lanchi to be someone who was outwardly warm but inwardly cold, capable of making decisions that went against human nature without hesitation.
Now, he contemplated before arriving at such decisions.
"Shubelian, are you thinking something impolite?" Lanchi observed Shubelian's eyes, noticing a subtle curve forming at the corners of her mouth as if she were thinking of something amusing.
It was an expression he had never seen before.
"..." Shubelian shook her head, the smile on her lips becoming more pronounced.
She didn't reveal her thoughts to Lanchi.
"If we were in that era, I probably wouldn't be by your side right now." She gazed at their reflections in the floor-to-ceiling windows, her words filled with emotion.
She imagined what this moment would be like if it were set in the actual historical context.
It would be the Black Sun Lord sitting alone in the principal's office.
The witch's phantom would be there, keeping him company.
Like the earring, she would be a gentle companion.
"..." The reflection of the principal in the glass fell silent.
"Regardless, because of your protection, I am not a phantom. I will always be by your side, so go ahead and do what you want to do. If you ever feel tired, I'll be waiting for you at home. Just turn around, and you'll see me." With her eyes closed, she leaned on Lanchi's shoulder.
"Hmm..." Lanchi let out a relieved chuckle.
Laughing made him tired, and both Lanchi and Shubelian's minds were soon clouded with drowsiness.
Even though the stars outside the window were dim, the reflections of the young man and woman on the glass remained clear.
It was as if they had returned to the time when they challenged the Inferno Corridor Academy together.
On the sofa in the principal's office, they fell asleep, leaning against each other.
(End of Chapter)
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