Night World Players

Chapter 131 No matter what you do, I will stand by your side (5k)

The white skirt fluttered in the breeze, and the morning light shone through the leaves on the treetops, casting fine shadows.

Looking at the long light golden eyelashes that rose and fell with her breathing, Last realized that the girl in front of him was using the softest skin on the inside of her thighs to bear the warmth of the back of his head.

"Good morning, Xiao Ai."

Luster sat up from his soft lap pillow and greeted the blonde girl who was smiling peacefully in the morning light: "Long time no see... No, it should be half a day no see."

"To be more precise, it was one night."

Amy's voice intertwined with the sound of bagpipes in the distance, equally melodious and graceful: "However, for you, Rust, it should have been a very long time ago."

She suddenly leaned down and looked into Last's eyes seriously. Her long light golden hair fell as Amys moved. A few strands of hair fell on Last's cheek, causing a slightly itchy feeling.

The two pairs of eyes looked at each other at a very close distance... After a moment, Amys breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems that your mental state is better than I thought, Rust."

"He is no longer self-destructive like he was at the beginning in Deep Blue Harbor. His self-destructive tendencies have also been suppressed. He seems to be much more energetic."

Looking at the girl's expression changing from nervous to relaxed, Last couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"Have I changed in any noticeable way?"

"Ah."

Amys nodded gently: "Laster, you are very good at disguising and concealing yourself. If it were someone else, they would not be able to notice the difference."

"But I can understand."

"Because I've seen you at your most vulnerable, like a cracked porcelain on the verge of breaking, almost losing all your humanity."

"At that time, you still had a living body like a human, with breathing and heartbeat... but whether it was your eyes or your words, you didn't look like a living human, but more like a—"

"mechanical."

A hint of fear could not help but show in Amys' beautiful sky-blue eyes.

"It has lost its humanity, and also lost its sense of being a human being... and like a machine made of steel, only the burning core is left to drive the broken body, following a certain preset program and moving."

"Once the burning core goes out, or the preset program is interrupted, the only thing that awaits the machine is gradual cooling and self-destruction."

As if she was relieved, Amys patted her flat chest gently: "But, you look much better now, Rust."

"Although due to inertia, Rust, you are still used to keeping such a cold face, not letting others know your true feelings..."

"But now, I can feel from you, Rust, that it is not a machine, but a real human feeling."

She pursed her cherry-colored lips: "Although I am a little unwilling..."

"But is it because of Miss Hiltina?"

"It's probably partly due to Hiltina."

Luster sat up from the girl's soft lap pillow: "But, there are other reasons."

He sat side by side with Amys on the lawn, gazing at the scenery in the distance.

The silver mirror-like lake, the slowly rotating white windmill, and the quiet town at the foot of the mountain... everything seems like the scenery described in a fairy tale, with a dreamy color.

"Xiao Ai, you are right."

Last's voice was calmer than ever before: "In the world outside Canaan...there really is an endless golden grassland where you can see cattle and sheep when the wind blows the grass low."

“There, I encountered many people and things that I had never seen before.”

"Now that I think about it, maybe the transformation in my heart started because of the encounter with those people and events..."

"Even though, I myself have never noticed this before."

Listening to Last's words, Amys's sky-blue eyes lit up slightly.

"Well, can you tell me about it?"

"The story of the world outside Canaan..."

"Also, Rust, the people and things you encountered there."

"Ah."

Luster nodded slightly.

"Where should I begin..."

He looked into the distance, at the end of the mountains, at the snow-capped peaks.

"Xueshan... Then let's start with Dean Yin."

"Xiao Ai, do you still remember the Starry University that Xiltina once mentioned? Dean Yin is a professor in this college."

"but……"

A slight curve appeared at the corner of Rast's mouth.

"It's actually a talking, homebodied, lazy ferret that likes to act cute even though it's hundreds of years old."

……

In the distant sky, the sun slowly moves from the east to the highest point of its arc.

The slanting sunlight shines through the leaves on the treetops, casting mottled shadows.

I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but in Last’s impression, the sky in Canaan seems to be always blue... The sun is shining, and there are no clouds in the sky. There has never been any depressing weather with continuous dark clouds.

Rast sat leaning on the grass and talked, while the blonde girl sat beside him and listened.

She was indeed a good listener. When Last started talking, she would listen carefully, nodding and asking questions from time to time, never being perfunctory.

The quiet time filled with golden colors passed by quietly bit by bit.

During this time, Rast said a lot.

From Ishtar who wanted to do a psychological measurement on herself but was killed in return, to Barbarossa, the ape professor wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

From the Starry University located on the endless golden plains, to the Mysterious Tower in the heavily guarded military restricted area, where the Sword of Judgment always hangs high in the sky.

From the name Grey that he gave to the little animal-like girl in Frozen Water Town... to everything that happened in Paradise, the hug in the sunset, and the betrayal in the rainy night.

The mask that Rust was used to wearing was not the type that would talk endlessly and reveal his true feelings easily.

However, only in Canaan, in front of the blonde girl, could he completely take off the mask and disguise he had worn for so long... and reveal his true feelings.

"Then, I chose to leave the night world..."

"However, the story in the remnant of that era has not yet ended."

He looked at the blue, cloudless sky and said, "Next time I enter."

"This should be the beginning of the Battle of Broken Coast..."

Luster stopped talking.

Obviously, his experiences were so bizarre and fantastic that those who had never known about night travelers and the night world would probably just regard them as fabricated stories.

However, Amis was completely immersed in the story told by Last, feeling happy with him and sad because of him.

When Last mentioned Dean Silver, Amys's eyes were also sparkling, as if she also wanted to reach out and stroke the talking little ferret and feel the furry touch of the snow-white fur.

However, when Rast's story progressed to the point where he entered the Echoes of the Era and began to implement the Paradise Plan...

Amy's attention was completely attracted by this part.

Obviously, Last's story had ended, but there was still a hint of unsatisfied feeling in Amys's sky-blue eyes.

"Fairy tales are fake, but love is real..."

Amys murmured to herself.

There was a glitter in her eyes.

It was as if following Last's narration, I had arrived at the top of the cliff under the setting sun and witnessed with my own eyes the selfless declaration made by the queen of the underworld with long ice-blue hair.

Amys suddenly turned around and stared into Luster's eyes again.

"But, Luster, what about you?"

"Even false seeds can bloom into beautiful flowers. This is the answer given by the Queen of the Underworld, Miss Axia."

"So...Last, what is your own answer?"

"In your eyes, what kind of person is Miss Axia?"

Her voice was pleasant, reminding Rast of the sound of wind chimes at midnight.

"Is he an ordinary classmate from Star University who I have met once before? Or is he a descendant of the God of Death who stands on the opposite side of the Shore Guardians and must be eliminated?"

"It is to exercise the justice in your heart, Last, that these are the victims that must be sacrificed for a longer-term goal..."

"Or are you like the hero and heroine in the fairy tale of the book Silver Wing Chronicles, the only one who must be protected at all costs, even if it means giving up past justice and beliefs?"

The girl's voice was very soft and faint, but every word was distinct and echoed in Rast's ears.

Listening to Amis's questioning voice, which seemed to be transmitted directly to his heart, Luster hesitated and was unwilling to answer the question directly. Because he was worried that if his final answer about Axia did not meet Xiao Ai's wishes...

Then, the blonde girl in front of me might be disappointed.

however.

The only response to Rast's hesitation was the soft touch on his head.

"No, that's not the case."

"No matter what path you choose, Rust, I will not be disappointed, nor will I be angry about it."

A cool and soft touch came from the side of his face, and Rast raised his head in surprise.

Amy's fair and slender fingers were resting on the side of his face, gently stroking the contours of his face.

"I know, Rust, you are also confused and bewildered at the moment."

"If we want to find a way to rescue Miss Axia from the underworld and reverse her fate of being sacrificed as a sacrifice in the gravekeeper's ritual... then we will inevitably need to take on additional risks."

"There is a high possibility that it will affect your plan with Chief Cecil."

"Even being distracted by this could change the outcome of the upcoming Broken Coast battle."

As if she could see through all the thoughts in Rast's mind, the girl in front of him whispered softly in his ear with a gentle voice.

"The justice of the Shore Watcher is the ideal you have held since childhood, Rust, and you are willing to pay any price for it."

"It is the belief that has kept you alive. It is because of this belief that you have persisted through the infinite time in Deep Blue Harbor and finally walked out of the cycle of despair."

"And now, if we continue to hold on to this belief and are willing to do it at all costs..."

"Then ruthlessly sacrifice Miss Axia in exchange for powerful strength, and then participate in the battle of the Broken Coast that will decide the fate of the shore defenders after obtaining the strength... This is the least risky and the most rational choice."

"Give up the small for the big, sacrifice one person, in exchange for the continuation of the entire civilization... This is absolutely correct, and no one can criticize it."

"But this also means that you betrayed Miss Axia."

Amys opened her arms and gently hugged his neck.

"It's normal for you to feel confused and bewildered, Rust."

"A cold machine will not hesitate."

"The confusion and pain of being lost are emotions that are unique to human beings."

The embrace was gentle, just like the one Lust had experienced not long ago on the cliffs outside Paradise.

In his arms, the girl's body was very soft, warm, and had a faint scent of sandalwood.

"So, it's okay, Rust."

"Because no matter what you do, Rust, whether you choose to sacrifice Miss Axia for the justice of the shore guardians, or choose to take the risk and go deep into the abyss..."

"I will always stand by you, Rust, and support you in everything you do."

Feeling the soft body in his arms, Last slowly closed his eyes.

"Xiao Ai."

As if he had made up his mind, he spoke softly.

"What if, I mean what if..."

"What if I tell you that the Canaan we live in, this entire world, is fake."

"Just like the fairy tales in fairy tale books, or the night world you and I talked about... everything we are experiencing at this moment, the scenery we see, is built on illusions, and is a reflection and echo of the past."

"Even you, Xiao Ai, are just a character made up by a fairy tale writer, an NPC in a virtual game, and do not really exist in reality."

“Everything is a lie, just like the bubbles on the leaves in the morning, beautiful and dreamy... But when the sun shines on the bubbles, everything will disappear.”

"If that were the case, what would you think?"

This was something that Rast had already anticipated.

Whether it is the concept of "reflections of the past" in the night world, or the entire past of the Watchers and Gray that he witnessed in the historical echoes of the Sixth Epoch.

Or maybe it was the "Canaan Files" that he witnessed with his own eyes in the Mystery Tower in the present world.

All of this showed Last an extremely cold fact.

He couldn't escape like an ostrich, nor did he want to escape.

"If, Canaan and I are both illusions."

"I am a fictional character in the book, a fictional NPC in the game..."

Listening to Last's words, Amys's sky-blue eyes flickered with thought.

Luster talked to her about everything.

Therefore, even though the term "NPC" was beyond the cognition of this era, Amys could fully understand its meaning.

However, just as Rast began to feel a little nervous and start to worry about what he had read in science fiction novels in his previous life: "After the bionic soul learns that it is not human, its personality circuit collapses and its logic program collapses"...

But he heard Amy's laughter as clear as a silver bell.

"If that's the case, then I should be glad."

A serious expression appeared on her pretty, fair and delicate face.

"I'm glad someone created such an illusory world, allowing me to meet you, Rast..."

"Let me be by your side when you are in the most pain and despair, so that you won't fall into the abyss of self-destruction."

Amys looked into Luster's eyes.

"I think--"

“This is the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life.”

……

"So, is that so?"

Listening to the girl's answer, Rast opened his eyes.

Above the blue sky, white clouds are flowing quietly with the breeze.

At this moment, there was no longer any hesitation or confusion in his eyes.

"To be honest, I do have some feelings for Axia..."

"This affection may come from her courage to risk her life for the pursuit of that vain emotion even though she knows my identity and background."

"But it's not like I was madly in love or anything like that."

Last smiled and shook his head, giving his own answer to Amys's initial question.

"but--"

"But I must bring her back from the abyss."

If the false fairy tale of Paradise City and all the emotions that arise from it are fake.

So, what about Canaan?

What if Canaan and Xiao Ai were also a fairy tale?

Various intelligence and information all suggest that there are many doubts about Canaan’s existence itself.

If one day Canaan’s illusion were to be shattered.

Then...having denied everything that happened in Paradise and all the feelings I had for Axia, how should I cope with the same disillusionment?

This isn't just about saving the Queen of the Underworld.

Too--

To save Luster himself.

"It seems..."

"Laster, you have made your choice."

Amid the gentle breeze came Amis's soft voice.

She raised the bagpipe in her hand and brought it to her cherry-colored lips.

Then, the melodious sound of the flute floated in the air and echoed over the entire hillside.

Rast was immersed in the melodious flute sound, and his consciousness was getting farther and farther away.

Far away from Canaan, far away from the night world...

Move towards the direction of the present world.

(End of this chapter)