Night World Players

Chapter 182 It’s a pity that I couldn’t ask you to propose to me directly (6k4)

The long time and the long years can bury many things.

The prosperous ancient kingdom, the resurrection of the old gods, the legendary wars... those epics of the Sixth Epoch, so magnificent and glorious, have long been buried in the dust of history after an entire era, leaving no traces behind.

Except for a few night travelers, no one remembers what happened.

As a witness to the glorious epic of the Sixth Epoch, Rast disappeared again after returning to the human world.

He traveled back and forth between the Mystery Tower and the Great Library of Star University all day and night, often staying indoors for days and nights. No one except Dean Yin could discover his whereabouts.

And Last's action made the members of the Star University News Club completely empty-handed.

Originally, they discovered that on the obelisk erected at the entrance of Star University, Last's name suddenly entered the top ten, becoming the second sophomore after Hiltina to enter the twelve seats of the round table... From this unexpected change, the news agency keenly caught the taste of big news.

In the night world, some earth-shattering event must have occurred - so much so that Last, a freshman who had been enrolled for less than a year, had accumulated enough merits and contributions to be eligible for a seat at the round table.

However, no matter how the news agency tried to inquire, they found nothing in the end... and their attempts to interview Last at home also ended in failure. They could only see a ferret lying on the sofa in Last's dormitory playing with his mobile phone.

"You want to get some big news out of that kid Rust? Give up. Don't you know that the extraordinary people who can enter the twelve seats of the Round Table are all reclusive monsters who haven't been seen for ten days or half a month."

"But you can't see that kid Rust, so you can ask me... I've been with him since he started school, and I know all his secrets. I even know how many girls he's dated and how many beautiful girls he's been flirting with."

"V me 50, and I'll tell you all, plus that guy's top-secret romantic history..."

"What? You're saying you've been tricked by me so many times before that you don't trust me anymore? No, I just want to eat the fish cakes that are a Thursday special at the Butternut Bakery. 40 is fine, 30 at most... 20 if that doesn't work..."

In the student dormitory of Laster, Dean Yin’s sincere sales pitch (huyou) was heard.

……

Half a month after meeting Axia again on that cliff in the present world.

Last also saw Hiltina, who had just returned from school and looked a little tired.

"I saw your experience in the Night World through my sister's video. It was truly an amazing battle."

"in addition--"

"Congratulations, Luster."

Just like the usual times when the two of them got together, there was no luxurious banquet, but just a simple meal in the room.

In the dim glow of the night light, Hiltina lifted a strand of chestnut hair from her forehead and looked at the boy in front of her with her beautiful light brown eyes.

After a moment, the corners of her delicate mouth curved into an arc. "According to my estimation, you are now only a little bit away from truly breaking through to the sixth level."

"After breaking through the sixth level, looking at the world of extraordinary people in the entire Western Continent, you are also a powerful person with a certain status..."

"In this era where legends have vanished, and even those who do exist won't act rashly—a sixth-level transcendent is like a mainstay, capable of standing on their own."

A strange light flashed in Hiltina's eyes. "With the heights you've reached now, if someone didn't know about it, who would have thought..."

"Half a year ago, you were just a newbie who had just set foot in the extraordinary world and had only a vague understanding of it."

A look of reminiscence appeared on her pretty face.

Hiltina recalled the scene when she and Last first met in a bar in the night world called "Deep Blue Harbor".

It was also a starless, extremely dark night, also in a bar's private room, with a small wooden table like this one, and the bright light on the table illuminated the eyes of the two people.

At that time, Hiltina would never have thought that the native who was labeled as the Playful Sea King in her mind would be deeply entangled with her in the days to come and become one of the most important people in her life.

"Well, I guess only about half a year has passed in this world."

Luster smiled and said, "But if you include what I've experienced in the Night World, it's probably far more than that."

The flow of time in the night world is not the same as that in the real world. Perhaps a whole year has passed in the echoes of history, but reflected in reality it is only a few days or a dozen days.

This is also the reason why the students of Fanxing University improve their strength much faster than ordinary extraordinary people.

Often, after just a few months of not seeing each other, their ranks and strengths would have changed dramatically... Because although their college life seemed to be just four years, in fact, as night travelers, the time they had experienced might be more than ten years, or even decades.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Night World is a simple and easy-to-use tool for accelerated leveling... After all, any historical echo mission in Night World is bound to be accompanied by great risks.

The death of the night travelers in the night world also means that they will actually die in reality. Otherwise, the obelisk standing at the school gate would not be so bright and brilliant, like the stars in the night sky.

Danger and opportunity coexist. Behind the seemingly rapid growth of strength lies the necessity of walking alongside death. This is the price that the night traveler must bear.

"Moreover, the reason I was able to break through so quickly was mainly due to my previous accumulation in Deep Blue Harbor."

Last said, "The time I spent in that port was too long."

"The foundation accumulated over three hundred years of cycles, although it cannot be directly manifested in my body due to the backtracking, has given me a mental strength far beyond that of ordinary people."

"Compared to you ordinary people who haven't experienced a time loop, I'm essentially born with a cheat. Using it, I've gained a superior status... Actually, there's nothing to be proud of."

As he spoke, he took out two silver goblets and four wine bottles of different colors from the small refrigerator in the dormitory.

The next moment, the wine bottles of different colors began to fly and move rhythmically between his fingers, as if they were given life.

"Compared to me, the one who deserves more praise should be you, Hiltina."

"after all--"

Luster paused for a moment.

"If I'm not mistaken, while I'm still at the final stage, you've truly broken through to the sixth level and stepped into the highest realm below Legend."

His fingers stopped.

pat-

A crisp sound rang out on the table.

Luster pushed a silver goblet in front of Hiltina. "Try it, 'Amber Love,' the version you didn't get a chance to try last time in Deep Blue Harbor."

Hiltina reached out to take the wine glass. The liquid in the silver goblet was dim and heavy, as if twilight was spreading and flowing in the glass.

"If anyone could be thrown into a looping dungeon in the Night World for three hundred years and emerge as someone like you, Last... then the Empire and Starry University would have already begun mass-producing genius transcendents."

"As for my own strength—if you compare the mental strength I cultivated in the time loop to a cheat, then I also possess a cheat, a cheat that is even more superb than yours, and even more unfair to ordinary people."

She shook the wine glass in her hand slightly and whispered softly.

The wine swirling in the glass really took on an amber color.

Hiltina still remembers it clearly. When they first met, Last introduced her to the two most profitable liquors, "Karma Fire Flowing Sand" and "Amber Love". However, in the end, he only mixed "Karma Fire Flowing Sand" for herself, so the other liquor only existed in Last's description. She didn't expect to have the opportunity to see it in person today.

In Rast's words, being a gigolo and bartender in a bar is just a way for him to kill time and entertain himself.

But in fact, as the first person in the world to come into contact with Rast, he may also be the one who knows Rast best in the world.

Shiltina had witnessed Rast's original appearance with her own eyes... and had also briefly glimpsed a corner of the boy's true heart.

Therefore, Hiltina knew better than anyone how broken and desolate Rast's mental image was, and how difficult it was for him to survive the long three hundred years.

The same day repeating endlessly, with no way to move forward, is tantamount to hell for humans... and the only ones who can return from hell are the evil spirits who live for their obsession.

Such a desolate, dilapidated and empty soul is the product of forcibly transforming oneself into an evil ghost in order to survive in hell.

If it were an ordinary person, he would probably collapse within a few decades. Even if his body could still be revived through cycles, his mind would have collapsed and become a vegetable like a walking corpse.

Last compared the three hundred years he spent in Deep Blue Harbor to a plug-in that allowed him to be different from ordinary people.

But in fact, it was Rast himself who was able to maintain his self throughout those three hundred years, and his heart as tough as steel, that was the so-called real plug-in.

Hiltina closed her eyes, raised her glass, and drank the "Amber Love" in it in one gulp.

To Hiltyna's surprise, although it looked like it was made with strong liquor, the Amber Love didn't actually taste as strong as strong liquor. Instead, it was unusually sweet, leaving a lasting aftertaste...

This taste was completely different from the "Infernal Fire Flowing Sand" that Hiltina had tasted in the bar at Deep Blue Harbor.

The flowing sand of karma fire is as hard as iron sand, just like the blazing firewood on a winter night, fierce and brilliant, with the determination to not stop until it burns itself out.

But Amber Love is quite soft and peaceful, reminding Hiltina of the gentle night sky.

The former's style, as hard as iron, unwilling to bend but willing to break, and determined to burn himself out... was undoubtedly more in line with Rast's past image as a bartender.

Mysterious, cold, erratic yet extremely powerful. Once he formulates a plan, he will accomplish it no matter what the cost, setbacks or pain he suffers.

But at this moment, after personally tasting the "Amber Love" concocted by Rust, Hiltina had a vague feeling—beneath the seemingly impenetrable wall of the boy's heart, built with layers upon layers of masks of personality… that gentleness, like the night sky, was closer to his true heart.

“It really is a very moving smell.”

Closing her eyes and savoring the "Amber Love", the corners of Hiltina's mouth sometimes curled up and sometimes twitched.

After a long moment, her beautiful eyes finally opened again, glittering and bright like the full moon. "If you, Last, weren't a Transcendent, I believe my father would have invited you to serve in the royal family just based on your bartending skills."

"Is that all?"

Luster shook his head with some regret. "I originally thought that after tasting it, you would say, 'Luster, please make me a drink every day from now on.'"

"It seems that my bartending skills need to be further refined. I haven't reached the point where a girl would be completely captivated and propose to me just by tasting my drinks."

"The stuff you're talking about isn't alcohol at all, it's a drug, right?"

Hiltina laughed silently, but after laughing she couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

This kind of teasing joke would never be uttered by her if it were the person she had previously known as Rast.

"It seems that what Dean Yin said is not wrong... After returning from the Night World this time, Last, you have really changed a lot."

“It has become more like a living, flesh-and-blood person, rather than a cold, mechanical one.”

Hiltina smiled and handed the silver goblet back to Rast: "Well, Mr. Bartender—"

"I'm still a little unsatisfied, could you please have another drink with me?"

……

It was already late at night when the simple dinner ended.

"It's getting late, Luster. I'm going back now."

"Also, please give my regards to Dean Yin."

Hiltina stood up from the wooden table, her long chestnut hair fluttering in the evening breeze passing through the hall.

She put on the coat that was draped over the chair and walked towards the door of the student dormitory.

However, just as Hiltina pushed open the door and was about to step out of the entrance, her footsteps suddenly paused.

"Hiltina, do you really have nothing to tell me?"

Luster's voice echoed through the hall and rang clearly in Hiltina's ears.

"What's the matter?" Hiltina stopped but didn't look back.

"Senior Ingrid... and the imperial family is currently purging those imperial aristocratic forces associated with the Bronze Rose and even the Gravekeepers."

Laster's voice remained calm. "The royal family of the Granville Empire, in collusion with secretive organizations abroad, and the nobles who attempt to split and even overthrow the sovereignty of the entire country... This is a war that will never end, and it has been raging in secret for nearly three months."

"And now, this war for power at the top and to determine the ownership of the entire empire is nearing its end... The vast majority of the nobles involved with the secret organization have either chosen to negotiate surrender or evacuate from the border with the help of the secret organization. Only a very small number have chosen to fight to the end."

"However, in order to maintain stability within the empire and prevent the enemy from resorting to desperate measures and causing irreparable damage... the empire had to divide its attention to protecting its various territories, leaving its pursuit forces stretched thin. Even you, worried that the Forest Ranger family's territory, Qiuye Territory, would be affected by these desperate individuals, chose to join the battle."

"If the information I've gathered is correct—"

Last paused for a moment. "Senior Ingrid, she's also deeply involved with the secret organization... and as a peak-level sixth-rank transcendent, someone who rose from the bottom through military exploits, her strength is among the best in the entire empire."

"She could have chosen to evacuate from the empire's borders to other countries with the help of a secret organization, but she chose to stay and fight to the death."

Luster's voice mingled with the whistling evening breeze, each word distinct and clear: "Hiltina, you've been busy with matters concerning Senior Ingrid, right?... Your searches and escapes, battles and confrontations, have spanned the historical echoes of seven night worlds."

"And now, you've finally forced her into a desperate situation with nowhere to escape. You're anxious to leave the academy, and the mission you're about to carry out—"

"It's the final battle with Senior Ingrid, right?"

Hearing Rast's question, Hiltina didn't turn around, but just nodded.

"This is a civil war within the empire. Those nobles and secret organizations have been infiltrating the empire for a long time, and their roots are deep within the military, the governing bureau, and other institutions... In order to suppress the nobles and prevent their desperate counterattack, the entire country is stretched to its limits and can't spare any extra manpower."

"Plus, Senior Ingrid has a graduate relationship with Star University...it's not convenient for other people in the academy to interfere due to Star University's independence."

"Given my relationship with the royal family and Star University, resolving this myself is the option that can minimize the impact."

"However, I didn't expect you, Last, to know so much about all this. These events clearly occurred during your time in the Sixth Epoch Historical Echoes and subsequent recuperation... To avoid disturbing you, I've deliberately avoided these topics when chatting with you."

"You know, when you have a ferret by your side, there's no gossip in the world you can't find out."

Luster said, "Don't you need my help?"

"I've seen your image in the Echoes of History, so I'm well aware of your abilities, Last. Anyone below the Legendary level, no matter how strong they are, would suffer a heavy loss if they weren't careful when facing you."

Hiltina smoothed her chestnut hair, which had been ruffled by the evening breeze, and said, "I'm very grateful for your kindness, Last."

"But, no need."

"Just as you initially refused my invitation to join you in the Echoes of History to rescue Guild Leader Axia... I, too, must fight this battle alone."

She didn't turn back, but walked out of the room step by step and into the silent night outside.

"I know that Senior Ingrid hates me. She dislikes my ideals and my dedication to justice... and similarly, I hate her ideals."

"In that case, then this battle is the only option—"

"To prove my belief, I will never be inferior to hers."

The chestnut hair fluttered in the night like the light of fireworks, and the figure of the rapier girl disappeared into the depths of the night.

"Alas, why did I agree to your request and get on board your pirate ship?"

A silver light flashed in the night sky, and a furry ferret appeared on Rast's shoulder.

Dean Yin looked at the direction where Hiltyna was gradually walking away and couldn't help but sigh. "Look, Hiltyna herself said she doesn't need it anymore. If you continue to interfere, you'll be in trouble. Why don't we just go home? The quilt is so warm in winter. Let's not get involved in that mess."

"You clearly know that's impossible, Dean Silver." Last stroked the little ferret on his shoulder. His movements were gentle, but it made the ferret's hair stand on end.

"Besides..." Last's words became a little more distant. "I want to intervene in this matter not only for Hiltina and Senior Ingrid, but also for myself."

The "Gravekeepers" organization successfully survived the end of the Sixth Epoch and has survived to this day. They have begun hiding behind the curtain of history and interfering with the course of the present world... This is a fact that Last can confirm.

However, the "Shore Watchers" organization no longer exists in the new era.

No matter how confident Last was, he never thought that he could rely on his own strength alone to fight against the mastermind who had destroyed countless civilizations since the Age of Gods.

A person's power has its limits after all.

So Rast needs companions, and more importantly, he needs an organization that is completely loyal to him.

only--

Even though his humanity has been reawakened, Rast's character is still different from Cecil's. The three hundred years in Deep Blue Harbor have made him accustomed to being alone.

For hundreds of years, Rast has been alone, so he never trusts others. Instead, he prefers to grasp the overall situation and plan the overall situation by himself, grasp all the details, and then formulate the most comprehensive action plan.

Such experience destined Rast to be unable to become a leader like Cecil who is friendly and can inspire many people with his personal charm alone.

Therefore, the subordinates chosen by Last—

The requirements and thresholds in all aspects are much higher than those of the gravekeepers and shorekeepers in the Sixth Age.

He did not need to establish a massive force like the "Shore Keepers" organization of the Sixth Epoch to maintain the social order of human civilization. Instead, he needed a small but elite group of subordinates to ensure that they could fully implement his will.

What is coming is Rast’s first attempt, but he is not sure if he can succeed.

Over Last's shoulder, Dean Yin glanced at the young man beneath him and shuddered involuntarily.

It had thought that after regaining his humanity, Rast would become more sunny and cheerful... But now it seemed that this guy had become even more sinister than before.

Rebuilding a vanished power from the old era in an alternative way in the new era... This concept sounds almost the same as those villainous cults that dream of having their own gods descend and restore the glory of the Age of Gods.

But in this way, if one day the "Shore Watcher" is really rebuilt by Rast in the present world, then as an angel investor, can I also get a position like deputy leader?
By then, I will have countless dried fish to eat.

Dean Yin wagged his big tail, daydreaming happily.

(End of this chapter)