Night Journey

Chapter 122 The Reefs Washed Away by Time
The two stared at each other for a long time before Elton finally stammered out a sentence.

You must think I'm crazy, right?

“More than that,” Cillian retorted sarcastically. “Even if your life isn’t worth much, your savings are still real. There’s no need to waste them like this.”

“Ah…hahaha.”

Elton chuckled awkwardly twice, and after a long pause, he explained.

“I’ve had this idea for a long time, but I wasn’t firm in my resolve. I kept thinking about next year, the year after, or when I’d saved more money. All these reasons slowed me down.”

Elton relaxed, turned his chair around, and faced Cillian.

"Until recently, with what happened to me."

Cillian guessed what Elton was referring to almost immediately.

That night, he descended from the sky and saved him from near death.

"Only when facing death can people truly confront their inner desires. It was on that night that I finally knew what I needed..."

Elton paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Wow, that feeling is amazing, Cillian. It's like being reborn. My heart is filled with joy, and the blurry world has become real."

Cillian glanced at the still empty workstation beside him and patiently agreed.

"Is all you want to do to leave Hel City?"

"No... to be precise..."

When the core issue was mentioned, Elton became hesitant again.

Cillian disliked his evasive attitude and his tone became stern, "You're such a pain! If you don't want to talk, then don't start!"

"I'm just a little...shy."

"Huh? Why are you acting like a little kid!"

Elton touched his nose sheepishly, and finally mustered up the courage to speak.

“Cillian, I have fallen in love with a woman.”

Cillian was stunned, never expecting it to be for love.

"Wow."

He sighed and began to re-examine Elton.

Elton is a withdrawn and introverted person.

But Cillian knew that Elton had a vibrant heart, and the reason he rejected everyone was simply because he had witnessed too many partings.

The recurring pain became unbearable for him, so he simply refused all emotional involvement.

"This... reason?"

Cillian's Unbelievable Message.

"Good boy!"

He patted Elton on the shoulder hard, his eyes full of admiration.

Cillian had always thought of Elton as a coward... or rather, not a very strong person.

His heart is too sensitive and too fragile; he is always hesitant and timid.

Cillian had prophetically imagined his life, maintaining a monotonous routine day after day, until one day reality forced him to change.

The turning point might be Elton losing his job, Hull being invaded by Chaos and reduced to ruins, or even death.

In short, Cillian did not believe that a person who was not so strong would make changes on their own initiative without external interference.

Now, taking that night as an opportunity, Elton has taken the initiative to take the first step.

"Hahaha."

He gave an awkward laugh and said cautiously.

"But she doesn't live in Hel, she lives in the city of the Lonely Tower."

Cillian blinked. "How do you know a woman from the City of the Lonely Tower?"

"We met through Yanxun Technology."

Elton patted the bulky equipment next to his workstation and started talking about the past.

"By chance, I got in touch with her and began a correspondence that lasted for several years, like a pen pal in another form."

He spoke while trying to organize the jumbled thoughts in his mind, his voice breaking in fits and starts.

"At first, I just used her to test Yanxun technology. Given my current knowledge and the limitations of the hardware, it was already quite an achievement to be able to cross the vast wilderness and contact the city of the Lonely Tower."

As time went by, we became inseparable, comforting and encouraging each other late at night... It was just a very clichéd development of our relationship.

Gradually, I fell in love with her, with someone I had never met, someone who only appeared in my life through her writings.

After saying these words, Elton inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

“I had wanted to see her for a long time, but I didn’t have the awareness or the courage back then.”

Yes, Cillian.

I am an ordinary person. When I stand in front of her, her gaze doesn't even linger on me... I am an insecure person and have always suppressed my emotions.

When I faced the surrounding Chaos followers, my first thought wasn't that I was going to die, but rather... that the emotions in my heart would remain silent until my death. It was ridiculous, and it was so unfair.

After saying that, Elton's expression turned flustered as he cautiously observed Cillian's reaction.

Cillian might laugh at himself for falling in love with someone for such a reason, even to the point of leaving, no matter how he looked at it, it was too foolish and ridiculous.

“Oh, I see,” Cillian nodded seriously, then asked calmly, “So when do you plan to leave?”

"I... I've only made up my mind about this idea; I haven't decided on a specific time to leave yet." "So, you're just saying it?"

Cillian's words became sharp, "Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after, maybe some day so far in the future that we can't see the end."

"Damn it, Elton, are you telling me all this just to vent your emotions, to tell yourself you're a brave person, and then go back to your daily grind because of these ridiculous procrastinations?"

Elton sat up straight, remaining silent, like a child being scolded by a teacher.

"Don't give me such a vague answer, I need a specific date."

Cirien's face was grim, and his grey-blue eyes were particularly terrifying at that moment.

"I……"

Elton racked his brains but couldn't come up with a concrete answer.

Which day was it?

Whether it's receiving next month's salary, waiting for a certain tour group to set off, or dealing with one's meager personal assets...

Cillian interrupted his reverie.

"Elton, you want to see her, don't you?"

"Yes."

"So what are you waiting for?"

Cillian was inexplicably angry and rebuked, "Wait for the day she suddenly appears before you, or for some seemingly fateful twist of fate to miraculously bring you together?"

"Damn it, Elton, reality isn't a novel. No matter how long you wait, how enthusiastically you anticipate, or how much you hope, what you want won't just come to you!"

Elton turned pale after being scolded by Cillian.

Cillian is usually friendly and approachable, but when he gets angry, he can intimidate anyone.

What Elton couldn't understand was why Cillian was so angry, as if it was he, not himself, who was going to the Lonely Tower City.

"call……"

Cillian took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and said calmly.

"Elton, often the impulsive decisions we make in the heat of the moment are what we really want. Once we cool down, we get stuck in the same place because of all the weighing of pros and cons."

"You must have read descriptions like this often: we travel through the river of time..."

Cillian then changed the subject and started talking about literature.

"I don't think this metaphor is appropriate. People are more like standing still, like a reef, standing firm in the torrent of time."

Let the icy river water wash over our bodies, taking away all the passion in our hearts, smoothing out our rough edges until we become empty, listless corpses, mingling with the sand and gravel at the bottom of the river.

Elton remained silent for a long time, pondering Cillian's words and examining his own heart.

"Don't blame me for being so harsh, I just don't want you to regret it."

Cillian spoke with the air of someone who had been through it all.

"The feeling of regret is terrible; death seems much more merciful in comparison."

The conversation was almost over, as if nothing had happened.

Cillian wondered why Mefuni hadn't arrived yet, as he wanted to ask about the components. Elton, however, kept his head down, seemingly deep in thought about Cillian's words.

As more and more staff arrived at their posts, the city sanitation bureau became noisy.

Amid the hustle and bustle, Elton whispered.

“You’re right, Cillian. Some things are done on a whim. Thinking too much will only lead to hesitation.”

"Decided?"

Cillian turned his head, his eyes filled with a smile.

"More or less, but..." he said with a wry smile, "the time of departure is not something I can decide; I have to travel with the tour group."

"Um……"

Cillian suddenly moved closer to Elton and invited him.

“Elton, I’m planning to leave Hull City. Perhaps we can travel together.”

Elton was stunned, completely unexpected that Cillian had such a plan.

Immediately afterward, he realized that, regarding something as important as leaving the city-state, something that concerned his life and his desires, he did not question its authenticity, but instinctively believed that Cirien could do it.

It was as if, in his subconscious, the man in front of him, who had just come of age, was omnipotent.

After a brief silence, Elton didn't ask Cillian how he planned to leave or whether he had enough strength and confidence. Instead, he asked a more fundamental question.

Why help me to this extent?

Ultimately, the two were merely colleagues, and their few private interactions were only during team-building activities organized by Meifuni.

Given Cillian's style of doing things, Elton didn't think he would be that kind of enthusiastic, so he must have some other purpose.

"It's simple, I have ulterior motives towards you."

Cillian's candid answer caught Elton off guard.

"Just like the rumors say, I'm a somewhat bloodthirsty guy who derives extraordinary pleasure from killing."

Cillian recalled Paul and Wensey's kiss that night, looking slightly bewildered.

"But recently, I've discovered that my pleasure comes from more than just killing."

Cillian said expectantly.

"Perhaps, helping you will help me to figure out what kind of person I really am."

(End of this chapter)