Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

[Hint: The fifth stage of the main quest, 'Eliminate Colors,' has been completed.]

[The task is being settled...]

[The 'color' element has been completely removed. Task completion assessment: 100%]

[Reward Issued: You have been granted return privileges.]

You may choose to return to the Cycle Paradise at any time within 24 hours; otherwise, you will be forced to return.

[Hint: You have obtained 'Divine Bone (Special)' and 'Divine Soul Fragment (Pure)' x5.]

【Divine Bone (Special)】

Origin: Kiwatos

quality:? ? ?
Type: Special Material/Higher Divine Vessel

Effect:? ? ?
Rating: Unable to be evaluated

Introduction: It is not the remains of a deity that fell naturally, but rather a product that was devoured, eroded, and distorted by "color," and then stripped away and "purified" with absolute violence. Its internal structure and divine composition have undergone fundamental changes, and only those who walk a more dangerous path know how to utilize it.

Warning: This item contains remnants of divinity of extremely high rank and distorted rules. Blind use may lead to unpredictable consequences.

Price: Soul Crystal (Complete) ×20
[Soul Fragment (Pure)]

Origin: Kiwatos

Quality: Holy Spirit Level
Type: Soul Material / Special Consumable
Effect: Can be used as a source of extremely high-quality soul energy replenishment, or as a core material for certain soul repair, reincarnation, and high-level summoning/contract rituals.

Additional effect: Due to the extremely meticulous extraction process and the involvement of a special being, this fragment retains most of its original owner's personality traits, memories, and combat instincts. Under certain conditions, it may be possible to use it as a core to reshape or awaken a consciousness extremely similar to the original owner.

Rating: 950
Synopsis: The pure soul core of an excellent warrior. She was fortunate, for she was never fully consumed by "color."

Price: Soul Crystal (Complete) ×1.

The other four fragments have similar attributes, all retaining the original owner's strong personal traits.

Lin Yi quickly scanned the information, his gaze lingering for a moment on the question marks surrounding the Divine Bone.

The "compensation" given by Little Red Riding Hood was indeed not so simple.

Just as he was pondering, Little Red Riding Hood suddenly turned her head and looked at the seemingly empty space behind and to the side of the crowd.

She raised her free left hand and reached straight into the air in front of her.

The arm moved as naturally as if it were reaching into water, but wherever the fingertips touched, the space rippled violently like water waves and quickly collapsed inward.

Immediately afterwards, she withdrew her hand from the "black hole".

It wasn't empty-handed.

Her left hand was now holding both ankles.

She casually picked up the two "things" and then, as if shaking out miscellaneous items from a cloth bag, lightly tossed them to the ground.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two dull thuds.

Two figures stumbled and fell onto the floor made of black and white sugar blocks.

The woman on the left is wearing a tropical-style floral sundress and a wide-brimmed straw hat, which is tilted to the side, revealing a delicate face filled with astonishment and annoyance.

Her skin was a healthy wheat color, and she was barefoot with tiny gold bells jingling around her ankles.

The woman on the right is wearing a well-tailored dark blue casual suit with a white shirt underneath. She exudes a calm and capable demeanor, as if she is preparing to attend an important meeting.

She was wearing frameless glasses, and her eyes behind the lenses were also filled with shock.

Her hair had come loose from being dragged around, and a few strands fell across her face.

These were the goddesses of fate and fortune who had previously been hiding in the void, "watching the show."

The goddess of fortune reacted extremely quickly, attempting to bounce up almost the instant she landed, her body radiating a hazy golden aura—a sign that the power of fortune had been passively triggered—attempting to help her escape her predicament or launch a counterattack in the most "lucky" way.

But Little Red Riding Hood only glanced at her indifferently.

The golden halo that had just appeared around the goddess of fortune vanished without a trace, like a candle flame extinguished by ice water.

Her body stiffened, and the power she had just gathered instantly dissipated, leaving her only able to maintain a half-kneeling position, unable to move.

The goddess of fate, however, was more composed. She did not attempt to resist, but quickly adjusted her posture, supporting herself with one hand on the ground and adjusting her glasses with the other. She looked up at Little Red Riding Hood with deep apprehension in her eyes.

Little Red Riding Hood's gaze swept over the two goddesses, lingering especially on the goddess of fortune for a moment.

She seemed to sense something, a barely perceptible hint of understanding flashing in her deep brown eyes.

“The spy.” She spoke, her voice still flat and low. “He carries his scent. Someone you know?”

The "he" she was referring to was clearly Lin Yi.

Upon hearing this, Lady Luck's golden eyes darted around, and a fawning smile quickly spread across her face: "Oh dear! This...this powerful being! You've misunderstood! We're not spying, we're...we're here to help! Yes, to help! To see if there's anything we can do to lend a hand! This is our good friend! An old friend!"

As she spoke, she desperately tried to wink at Lin Yi, the meaning in her eyes was crystal clear: say something for us!

The goddess of fate twitched her lips, seemingly ashamed of her companion's shameless performance, but she did not expose her.

Lin Yi was speechless as he looked at the two gods who had suddenly appeared in such a "unique" way.

He did indeed "have dealings" with Lady Luck, but he had only seen Lady Fortune in a swimsuit in photos.

Little Red Riding Hood seemed unconvinced by Lady Luck's explanation; she simply glanced at Lin Yi again.

Lin Yi nodded slightly: "We know each other, we've traded before."

"Hmm." Little Red Riding Hood, having received confirmation, then ignored the two goddesses.

She didn't seem to have intended to really "add these two to her diet" in the first place; her actions just now were more like casually cleaning up "flies" hiding in the shadows that might affect her.

Since he was an acquaintance, and Lin Yi's acquaintance at that, she lost interest.

She released her right hand, which had been gripping the short-handled axe. The seemingly ordinary axe transformed into a dark red streak of light and disappeared into the leather tool bag at her waist.

For the first time, she truly turned her attention to this candy castle that had been transformed by absorbing the essence of "color".

The original light source inside the castle seemed to come from the eerie fluorescence of the candy material itself, but now, the afternoon sunlight seems to be pouring down from somewhere, evenly covering every corner.

Light shines through the stained glass made of colored sugar threads, casting dappled and dreamlike shadows on the ground.

The entire castle has been transformed from a nightmarish, terrifying house into a sweet palace full of fairytale romance.

Although the materials are still strange, they no longer feel dangerous or fake.

Little Red Riding Hood stood quietly in the center of the castle hall, looking up and surveying her newly renovated home.

She seemed to enjoy the change.

After observing for a moment, she looked away and turned her gaze back to Lin Yi.

She reached into the pocket of the stained leather apron, rummaged around, and pulled out three items.

There are three hats.

One of them was a dark red hood similar to the one Lin Yi had worn before, as well as the one she wore herself, only slightly darker in color and with less wear on the edges, making it look newer.

The second hat was a cowboy hat made of some kind of soft, dark gray leather, with a somewhat rugged design.

The third hat was a simple, plain black bowler hat.

The three hats all looked ordinary, and no energy fluctuations could be detected.

Little Red Riding Hood handed the three hats stacked together to Lin Yi.

"The reward," she said succinctly, "three times."

Lin Yi took the hat; it felt slightly cool to the touch, with a different texture.

He looked at Little Red Riding Hood, waiting for an explanation.

"When you're in trouble, put on a hat."

“I will sense it. As long as it’s not separated by a ‘forbidden zone’ or deliberately blocked by a power of the same level, and as long as it’s within my reach, I will come over.”

She paused, then added, "One at a time. Once it's used up, the hat disappears."

Lin Yi was shocked. He had three chances to summon an extremely powerful being to make a move!

This is practically equivalent to three ultimate trump cards that can turn the tide of any battle below the absolute strongest level!

Seemingly noticing the surprise in Lin Yi's eyes, Little Red Riding Hood spoke a few more words, though her tone remained calm, as if she were recounting a trivial matter that was related to her but not particularly important.

“This stuff,” she gestured with her chin toward the castle, indicating the absorbed colors, “is useful to me. It fills my ‘gap.’”

She stretched out her pale finger and gently tapped her chest: "My 'life' is short. Compared to those old guys, my foundation is shallow. I grow by eating 'dreams,' but my 'foundation' is unstable. 'Color' itself is 'illusory,' but it has consumed a lot of 'real' things. Those 'real' remnants that it couldn't digest can fill some of my 'voids.'"

She looked around the newly renovated castle: "This place now feels more like a real place. It's a good thing for me."

She turned her gaze back to Lin Yi, her deep brown eyes looking directly at him: "Abyss Doctor, I've met others."

"Your 'profession' is troublesome, but also... has great potential. Dealing with you is more interesting than dealing with those guys whose minds are only on 'eating' or 'rules'."

“This time, you helped me find suitable prey, saving me a lot of searching time. It’s only right that I reward you.” She tilted her head slightly. “Besides, I think there might be times when I need your help again in the future. You Abyss Healers can sometimes find some very special things.”

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear: this was an investment, a gesture of goodwill, built on the success of this collaboration, and aimed at potentially longer-term interactions in the future.

For someone like Little Red Riding Hood, this logic is very simple. "I understand. I'll accept this reward. If there's anything I can do to help in the future, within reasonable limits, I will do my best."

There were no exaggerated thanks, nor any insincere promises; the communication style seemed to be exactly what Little Red Riding Hood appreciated—frankly accepting and responding accordingly.

She nodded and said no more.

Then, her figure began to fade.

Like a faded ink painting, it starts from the edges, gradually becoming blurred and transparent, and then spreads towards the center.

She stood there, still calmly watching Lin Yi, watching the new castle that belonged to her, until her figure gradually disappeared.

There were no words of farewell.

A few seconds later, her figure completely disappeared into the warm light, as if she had never existed.

At the very moment she disappeared, the entire fairytale-like candy castle began to collapse.

Everything made of candy melted quickly, like ice and snow under the sun, turning into countless shimmering, colorful particles.

The warm light faded, and the sweet scent dissipated.

Everyone felt a violent shaking and blurring of the ground and the surrounding scenery, as if they had experienced a brief spatial displacement.

The next second, a feeling of solid ground came through, and the surrounding environment had changed drastically.

They returned to the underground church of Arius.

Broken stained glass windows, collapsed benches, charred ground, and the air filled with the smell of burning and a faint stench of blood.

Above them was a rock dome cracked from the aftershocks of the previous battle.

In the distance, the crackling sound of flames burning in the town ruins could still be faintly heard.

Everything seemed to have returned to reality.

The hunt that just took place in the Candy Castle seemed like nothing more than a brief and absurd dream.

However, the divine bones and soul fragments in Lin Yi's storage space, the three realistically textured hats in his hand, and the lingering shock and palpitations in the hearts of everyone present all clearly proved what had just happened.

The church fell silent for a moment.

Hina slowly folded her slightly spread wings, which she had been keeping on guard. The sharpness in her purple eyes softened slightly, but she still vigilantly scanned her surroundings to make sure the environment was safe.

The members of the Justice Fulfillment Department and the Disciplinary Committee also adjusted their condition, treated their injuries, and regrouped.

And the two goddesses...

The moment Little Red Riding Hood disappeared and the castle was lifted, Lady Luck scrambled to her feet, moving with such agility that it was as if the previous confinement had never existed.

She quickly brushed off non-existent dust from her skirt, straightened her straw hat, and put on that overly bright smile again, though a trace of lingering fear remained deep in her eyes.

The goddess of fate, on the other hand, appeared much more composed. She rose gracefully, carefully adjusted her suit and hair, put her glasses back on, and resumed her calm and capable goddess demeanor.

However, the look in her eyes as she gazed at the three hats in Lin Yi's hand was filled with undisguised amazement and deep thought.

Lin Yi did not immediately pay attention to his subordinates around him, nor did he rush to check the chaotic situation above Kivotos.

He carefully stored the three hats in the safest place in his storage space before turning around and walking toward the two goddesses who had just experienced an undeserved disaster.

He walked up to the two goddesses, stopped, and calmly looked at them, especially the goddess of fate.

He didn't speak, but tilted his head slightly, his eyes conveying a clear meaning: You two, explain yourselves? Did you come here specifically to watch the show? Or do you have ulterior motives?
Lady Luck felt a little uneasy under Lin Yi's gaze, especially considering that Lin Yi might have seen her embarrassing performance just now.

She coughed lightly twice, straightened her chest, and tried to regain some of her dignity and composure as a deity.

"Ahem, this was purely accidental, an accident!" She waved her hand, her smile a little forced. "We were just... uh, happened to be having an... um, academic exchange about fate and luck nearby! Yes, an academic exchange! We also sensed some unusual ripples of fate and... uh, intense fluctuations of luck and misfortune around here, so we came to check it out. We absolutely did not intend to spy! It was purely an academic observation!"

As she spoke, her eyes darted around, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her skirt, clearly indicating that she herself didn't quite believe her own explanation.

The goddess of fate standing next to her couldn't stand it any longer and reached out to tug hard on the sleeve of the goddess of fortune, whispering, "Enough, stop embarrassing yourself."

Her voice carried a hint of helplessness and exhaustion.

The goddess of fortune was pulled so hard she stumbled, glared at the goddess of destiny with displeasure, but then reluctantly shut her mouth.

Lin Yi ignored the Goddess of Fortune's flawed performance and turned his gaze to the Goddess of Destiny, nodding as a greeting: "Lady Destiny."

His tone was flat, as if he were addressing a neighbor he knew but wasn't close to.

The goddess of fate paused slightly. She adjusted her glasses, her eyes behind the lenses scrutinizing Lin Yi, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

She was certain that she had never had any direct contact or formal meeting with this Abyss Doctor in "reality".

So, how did Lin Yi recognize her and address her so naturally?
Seeing the clear doubt in the goddess of fate's eyes, Lin Yi's face revealed an expression that could almost be described as "amused".

He didn't explain immediately, but slowly reached into his personal storage space.

After fumbling around for a moment, he pulled something out.

That was a... photograph.

The material is some kind of magical photographic paper, with neatly cut edges, and it is very well preserved.

Lin Yi held the photo between two fingers, facing the goddess of fate and tilting it slightly to ensure that the goddess of fortune next to it could also see it clearly.

The photo shows sunshine, sand, and waves.

The backdrop is a clear, jewel-blue sea and a pristine white sand beach, with coconut palms and brightly colored parasols in the distance.

In the center of the image is a woman wearing a floral two-piece swimsuit.

She had long, smooth, dark blue hair, which was now wet and draped over her shoulders, with water droplets still dripping from the ends.

Her skin was fair and seemed to glow in the sunlight.

She wore a pair of slightly playful cat-eye sunglasses that covered half of her face, but her straight nose and slightly upturned mouth were still clearly visible.

She has a beautiful figure and is full of health and vitality.

She was facing the camera, one hand on her hip, the other making a silly "V" sign that didn't match her composed demeanor at all. Her face was beaming with a slightly goofy, bright smile, revealing her white teeth.

Her entire demeanor was completely different from that of the well-dressed Goddess of Fate standing before Lin Yi, except for their similar appearances.

In the photo, she looks like an ordinary girl who has sneaked out on vacation and is having a blast, radiating a kind of "not-so-bright" happiness.

The moment the goddess of fate's gaze fell upon the photograph, it was as if the entire person had been put on pause.

Her expression froze.

Calm, composed, wise... all the qualities that belong to the "Goddess of Destiny" crumbled in a fraction of a second.

Instead, there was a mixture of shock, bewilderment, disbelief, and a rapidly building sense of shame and gloom.

Her eyes widened slightly, and you could see the pupils contracting even through her glasses.

A faint blush rose to her fair cheeks at a visible speed, spreading all the way to her ears.

She remembered.

This photo was taken the time before last, when she was tricked and lured by Lady Luck to a remote planet famous for its sunny beaches for a vacation.

That day, she was unusually relaxed and drank a few glasses of local fruit wine, getting a little tipsy. Then, encouraged by Lady Luck, she took a bunch of "embarrassing" photos.

She remembered checking later and confirmed that all the "indecent photos" taken by Lady Luck should have been destroyed by her! Not even the negatives!
How could... how could one of these cards have ended up in Lin Yi's hands?!

She turned her head sharply, her gaze like two icicles, piercing the Goddess of Fortune who was standing beside her, already realizing something was wrong and quietly taking steps backward.

The smile on Lady Luck's face was now as stiff as a stone sculpture, her eyes were unfocused, and cold sweat seemed to be seeping from her forehead.

She felt a chill run down her spine when she saw the murderous gaze of the goddess of fate sweep over her, and she gave a dry laugh: "Heh...heh heh...fate, let me explain, this...this photo...it's actually..."

She couldn't finish her sentence.

Because the goddess of fortune has already made her move.

This goddess, known for her wisdom and composure, seemed to transform into a primal, furious female leopard at this moment.

She stepped right in front of Lady Luck, and as Lady Luck exclaimed, "Wait! Let's talk this out!" a hand precisely pressed down on the back of Lady Luck's head.

With his other hand, he held Lady Luck's chin.

Then, cross your arms and twist hard—

"Ah ah ah ah ah--!!!"

It was a noise that came from the creaking of the cervical spine and muscles as the head was forcibly twisted in two different directions, mixed with the heart-wrenching wail of Lady Luck.

"Let go! Let go, fate! It's going to split open! My head is going to split open! I was wrong, I was so wrong! That photo was an accident! It was a backup! It was something I used to remember our beautiful friendship! Ouch—!! Gently! My cervical spine! My cervical spine!"

Lady Luck struggled wildly, tears welling in her eyes, but the hand of Goddess of Fate remained as firm as an iron clamp, resolutely carrying out the punishment of "skull-crushing with a strong hand," her face covered in frost.

"Nostalgia? Backup?" The goddess of fate's voice was squeezed out from between her teeth, so cold it could freeze the air. "How many more did you sell? To whom? Tell me!"

"No...not many! Just...just a few! Really! He got that one by luck in a lottery! It has nothing to do with me! Oh dear—!!"

"A lottery?!" The goddess of fate tightened her grip even more, twisting the goddess of luck's head to an even more exaggerated angle, and her scream rose an octave.

Lin Yi silently put away the swimsuit photo that caused the "bloodshed," and looked at the chaotic scene in front of him.

Well, at least now he understands where those supposedly "rare and exclusive" photos of goddesses from all walks of life that he bought from Lady Luck came from.

I also understood what it meant for fate to be capricious and shameful. (End of Chapter)