Night World Players

Chapter 176 "Amys" will always stand on "Last's" side (5k)

The pale golden sunlight, the melodious birdsong outside the window, and the dewdrops reflecting the sunlight on the treetops...

It was a sunny morning, a morning that belonged only to Canaan.

Rast slowly sat up in bed and stared out the window at the border town that was gradually waking up.

The collapsed Paradise Royal City, the crumbling abyss of corpses and blood, the desperate battle with the remnant spirits of ancient gods, and the shattered coastline paved with the bones of legendary masters...

Everything that happened in the night world, whether it was a magnificent epic or a replay of the mythological era... everything became infinitely distant and no longer important.

There was a daze in Rast's eyes, as if he had just woken up from a dream, and for a moment he could not distinguish between the dream and reality.

Until his eyes accidentally fell on the white bed sheet beside him, the trance in Last's eyes faded a little.

There was no one beside the pillow, only the traces left by the folded sheets.

The neatly folded quilt still carried the unique sandalwood scent of a young girl.

Outside the closed door, the gurgling sound of boiling soup and the light humming of a country song by a girl could be faintly heard.

Last knew that Xiao Ai was preparing breakfast for the two of them in the kitchen downstairs.

This border town called Canaan is not like the big cities of today. There is no electricity and no internet. There is nothing to do even if you stay up all night. Naturally, morning and night come earlier than in the city.

But there are very few people like Amys who get up before five in the morning when it is still light.

According to Xiao Ai, she really enjoys waking up early in the morning, staying by the bed, and quietly watching Rust sleeping beside her.

In her own words, on weekdays, Rast always likes to put on a pretentious and erratic attitude...but when he falls asleep, Rast is more like a child. His sleeping face can be described as innocent and even cute, making people want to tease him.

Of course, Last himself does not agree with this statement.

But... this feeling of someone always waiting for you to come back is really special.

From now on, no matter where you are, whether it is the purgatory of time loops or the abyss that devours light, you will never get lost.

Because when you look back across the vast wilderness, you can always see that quiet town, where the melodious sound of bagpipes echoes day and night... and the girl with long light golden hair is waiting for you to come back there, smiling like a flower.

This feeling is hard to describe in words. It's as if they have lived in this small town for a very long time, so long that they have grown old and gray.

……

When Rast finished washing up, got dressed and went downstairs, the gurgling sound of steaming in the kitchen had disappeared.

The tableware was already laid out on the simple but tidy wooden table. Breakfast consisted of creamy mushroom porridge and papaya milk. The latter was also Xiao Ai's favorite drink in Last's impression. He loved it so much that he had to have it with every meal, and even had a cup of it for afternoon tea.

Last once asked Amys why she was so fond of papaya milk, but the girl always evaded the question in various ways.

It was not until Last left the cycle of Deep Blue Harbor and entered the real world that he got the answer from Dean Yin, a man who did nothing but knew all sorts of gossip.

"According to rumors, papaya milk can increase breast size."

"But why do you ask this question? Those women you've interacted with in this life, whether it's Little Tina or Little Xia, are all very tolerant in that regard. They shouldn't have similar problems at all."

At that time, Dean Yin was lying on Last's head, with suspicion flashing in his ruby-like eyes.

After a long moment, it nodded as if suddenly realizing something, and patted Rust's cheek with its furry tail: "I understand, so that's how it is... Are you finally no longer satisfied with your identity as a man and want to try a more diverse life?"

"So, the sixth-order ability of the Fertility Sequence, 'Mother Earth,' seems to have a side effect of turning the holder female. You need to achieve Legendary status before you can change back... and it just so happens that you still have that 'Copy Eye' Night Blade, which can replicate other people's Sequence Skills for use."

"Would you like me to introduce you to a sixth-order Abundance Sequence Transcendent? My reward isn't much, just a month's supply of grilled fish cakes..."

Before Dean Yin could finish his words, Last crumpled it into a ball and threw it out of the window like a shot ball.

But having said that...it's no wonder that Xiao Ai is so fond of papaya milk.

After all, this childhood sweetheart of mine is impeccable in other aspects, whether it is appearance or personality, but if there is one flaw, it is probably his figure.

And if we use the most appropriate word to describe Amy's figure——

That is the "steel plate".

Memories flashed through his mind, and a softness flashed in Rust's eyes.

but.

When he walked down the stairs and wanted to go into the living room to start enjoying breakfast on the dining table with Xiao Ai.

Rast's footsteps couldn't help but pause at the edge of the stairs.

In his heart, the hesitation that had been forcibly suppressed before once again surged into his heart and could no longer be contained.

According to the information he had read in the "Canaan Files" that he had unsealed from the Mystery Tower—

Canaan is a place name that once existed in the present world. It is located next to the Three Sages Snow Mountain in the northern border of the Western Continent and belongs to the Fares Border Province of the Holy Kingdom of Fran.

However, about two hundred years ago, an inexplicable disaster, later named the "Fares Explosion", suddenly befell that border town and completely wiped the entire town off the map of the Western Continent.

People know very little about the "Fares Explosion". From the sampling and analysis of the soil in the ruins, they have figured out that an unimaginable time and space disorder once occurred here. Judging from the traces left behind, the power and status of the instigator is at least above the legendary level.

This was information that Last could be almost completely certain of, having verified it himself in the real world.

Based on this, combined with my own past experiences and those in the Sixth Epoch Night World, and making the most reasonable inferences, I can come to the conclusion that—

Xiao Ai and I were actually both born about two hundred years ago... We were real residents of the border town called Canaan in the northern part of the Western Continent in the present world.

However, when he and Xiao Ai were about ten years old, a sudden space-time disaster occurred, and for unknown reasons, it befell Canaan.

The entire border town, as well as Xiao Ai and I who lived in it, were swept into the space-time turbulence caused by the explosion.

Perhaps it was during this time and space outburst that they and Canaan drifted to the old era, or even to an earlier time point.

This inexplicable disaster in time and space was later called the "Farewell Explosion". In the memories of Xiao Ai and I... the fire that almost reduced the entire Canaan to ruins when they were young should also correspond to the Farewell Explosion.

only--

after that……

Something must have happened between him, Xiao Ai, Canaan, and the woman who rescued him from the burning ruins with a relieved smile and called herself the "Shore Keeper".

It was during this period of time when Last lost his memory that he finally obtained the Watcher's Fire, the inheritance of the "Fool's Library"... and was trapped in the Deep Blue Harbor dungeon in the Night World, until he met Hiltina and returned to the world.

The entire Canaan town has also transformed into an extremely special existence.

It exists neither in the real time node of the present world nor in the night world of the past... but exists in the gap between the night world and the present world, the past and the present.

What exactly happened here, what led to this situation...Last is still not clear. He has some guesses in his mind, but they are not certain and still need to be verified.

However, there is one thing that is a fact that Rast cannot escape at this moment.

Judging from the information he has collected so far, there is a high probability that the real Canaan no longer exists.

What he saw might be a phantom of the past, similar to a Night World dungeon, or perhaps it was simply Last's own fantasy...

But no matter which one it is, this should not be the real scenery, and the possibility of returning to the real world has been completely lost.

And since Canaan is like this... then Ai, who lives in Canaan, should be the same. That girl with long, pale golden hair, whether it's the sandalwood scent of her hair, her warm breath... or the gentleness of her lap as a pillow, the soft touch of her cheek, everything feels so real.

But reason told Rast that this was just a real dream, a lie that could be mistaken for the real thing.

Just like Queen Helen in the underworld, who was like a bird in a cage... everything started with a lie. The characters in the play were like actors, deeply trapped in a dream woven by external forces, but they were unaware of it.

In other words, even if they knew the truth, they were unwilling to wake up from the dream.

That's why Rast made up his mind—no matter the cost, even if it meant putting himself in such danger, he had to rescue Axia from the abyss...

The motivation for all this was not because of what Noah called "the primitive reproductive impulse between male and female creatures caused by the secretion of stimulating hormones by the glands", but because of sympathy.

As characters in the same play who are trapped in a dream and unwilling to wake up, they sympathize with each other.

Last paused at the edge of the living room, hesitating a bit.

If it were in the past, the things he was just worrying about would have been forcibly interrupted by Last as soon as he started to think about them.

After all, for all machines that prioritize maximum efficiency, the entanglement and hesitation over gains and losses are nothing but meaningless self-consumption and unnecessary emotions that must be discarded.

But just as Cecil said at the beginning.

Since you have chosen to become a shore guardian and chosen to embrace human nature... then while bathing in the glory of human nature, it also means that you must accept human flaws.

Because we once had something, we are afraid of losing it, and we are worried about losing the people we cherish... This is precisely the weakness that is unique to human beings.

In the past, he would choose to deceive himself and ignore this kind of anxiety and fear of loss.

But at this moment, Rast was neither able nor willing to escape from this weakness.

……

"Last."

"Last..."

The scent of sandalwood and the pleasant sound like midnight wind chimes brought Last back to reality from his trance.

In front of him, Amis had come closer at some point and was looking directly into Last's eyes from a very close distance.

Her long, pale golden hair bathed in the morning light, swaying gently in the morning breeze. Her voice, as clear as a silver bell, was tinged with worry: "Did something happen in that dream world?"

"I'm fine, Xiao Ai. I'm just a little sleepy and haven't woken up yet."

Rast smiled and forced all the distracting thoughts in his mind.

He waved his hand and walked towards the nearby dining table: "Let's go, it's time to have breakfast... If you don't eat it now, the mushroom porridge will get cold, and then it will be a waste of your effort to get up early."

But then, Rast felt someone holding his hand, with a soft touch.

He turned around and found that Amys was holding his right hand with her soft and boneless white hands.

"It doesn't matter what breakfast or cream of mushroom porridge or something like that is!"

"I care about you more than that."

The blonde girl's usually gentle sky-blue eyes were now filled with an unyielding determination: "Laster, you can't hide it from me."

"I know every detail of your daily habits and movements...so I can be 100% sure that you are different from before."

Her words slowed down slightly and became softer. "In that dream world that I cannot understand and cannot accompany you to, many things must have happened, right?"

"That's why you've undergone such a big change, a change you've never experienced before."

Looking at the girl in front of him who was looking straight into his eyes seriously without a trace of retreat in her gaze, Last couldn't help but sigh.

He thought he was the most perfect actor, who could switch between various personality masks without revealing any flaws... But he also knew that he could deceive the whole world, but he could not deceive the blonde girl in front of him.

Amis had truly witnessed herself when she was not wearing a personality mask, her most confused and cowardly, but also her most real appearance.

And in Amys's eyes, Last did not have the mysterious filter and halo that others saw.

They have lived together for a very long time, so long that they have grown old and gray-haired, so long that they no longer need words. Just a subtle glance or an unintentional gesture is all they need for both parties to understand each other's feelings.

So of course Last couldn't hide the secret from Xiao Ai. Even if his acting skills were at the peak of his powers, it would not have any effect in front of his closest relatives.

Besides, there was actually no need for him to hide anything from Xiao Ai...

With such a feeling, Rast also spoke softly:
"A lot has happened, and I've changed a lot."

"only--"

He gazed at the rolling hills outside the window, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes: "To be honest, I'm not sure whether this change is good or bad..."

"After accepting the weakness of human nature, sometimes I feel like I've become a selfish person, worried about gains and losses, wasting my time and energy on meaningless mental exhaustion all day long—"

Luster smiled. "From a righteous comrade who was willing to sacrifice everything for his beliefs, an ideal martyr, to now a coward who spends all day and night worrying about gains and losses, clinging to the things he cherishes and refuses to let go..."

"If Xiao Ai knew this, she would probably dislike me too..."

"No, I will not."

Before Last could finish his self-deprecating humour, he was interrupted by Amys's serious answer that didn't seem fake.

She stretched out her hands and gently held Rust's face with her soft, white hands: "How could I possibly dislike you, Rust."

"If you are a comrade of justice, a martyr who has reached the end of his rope in pursuit of his ideals... then I will be crucified with you and buried with you in the flames."

"If you are an unforgivable criminal who has committed countless murders, then I will be your most loyal accomplice and partner in crime... just like what you once told me about the Joker and Harley Quinn, Luster."

"If you fall into the abyss, I will fall into the abyss with you... If you choose to give up on yourself and lie down, then I will lie down with you and lie down."

"If you, Rust, become a cowardly, selfish person who loves life and fears death, then I will hide with you in the deep mountains and forests and live freely... Even if the outside world is flooded and all human beings are exterminated, it has nothing to do with us."

Amy's clear voice paused slightly.

She used her slender white fingers to gently caress the boy's face. "I said before, I am willing to accept and tolerate everything about you, Last."

"No matter what choice you make, no matter how your mentality changes, no matter how hideous and hideous you become, even if you are betrayed by all your former companions and condemned by thousands..."

"But Amis will always stand on the side of Rast."

"so--"

The blonde girl leaned over and whispered in his ear.

The warm breath fell on Rast's neck, making him feel warm, wet, and a little itchy.

"Tell me about it."

"Everything that happened in that dream world..."

"Also, the story of you, the Queen of the Underworld named Helen, and the shore guardian."

(End of this chapter)