Nightmare Despair

Chapter 45 The Church of Twilight
Zhou Kai's major was Western ancient writing and classical studies.

It's practically impossible to bypass the Twilight Church.

Therefore, he was not entirely ignorant of this faith group that called itself "light".

For example, Morning Star, the author of Morning Star's Journal.

In the cultural sphere of the Twilight Church, this name carries considerable weight; legend has it that it refers to an archangel who waves a banner and leads the dawn.

And now, the message from Flash Diram is dismantling and reassembling this, adding bricks and tiles to it.

Shining Dillam: "The Twilight Church believes in light itself, but the Limpini believe differently."

"They worship the Son of Light, the Son of Twilight... the Savior."

The message from Flash Diram was interrupted for a moment, and when it reappeared, it was a long paragraph of text that almost filled the entire screen.

"The Church of Twilight may have originated from an ancient apocalyptic panic, where people believed that a twilight light would save lives before the end of the 'long day' of life's growth."

“The Limbini school has a different view. They believe that the world will not be saved by light, but by the agents of the final light.”

"The so-called 'Incarnation,' 'Last Light Saints,' and 'Saints of the Past'... are said to be accompanied by auspicious signs at the birth of each generation of saints. The existence of these signs leads Limpenean churches to cultivate plants corresponding to the signs of these saints."

"The 'Gastrodia elata' representing Akana II, and the 'Dwarf Tree Fern' and 'Butterfly Moon Orchid' representing two sages whose identities have vanished from history."

Zhou Kai stared at the reply on the screen, which resembled a short academic paper. His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long time before he finally typed a few words: "Butterfly Moon Orchid? Are there any other translations? For example..."

Before he could send the message, another message popped up on the other end.

"These three plants are all scientific names; they used to have other names."

"For example, the tree fern is called the Pipeng tree, and the butterfly orchid used to be called the moon-shine orchid... By the way, the butterfly orchid is extinct."

Zhou Kai's eyes flickered, he deleted the words in the input box, and replied with two short words: "Thank you."

He leaned back in his chair and smiled thoughtfully.

Extinction?

I still have more than a dozen live seedlings in my hand, and dozens of seeds as well.

Now the clues match up.

If he wasn't mistaken, planting Gastrodia elata and Cyathea spinulosa in the nursery should yield profits without consuming experience points.

It seems I'll have to put in some effort to find these two plants in the future.

Zhou Kai still had questions, while the other side was clearly still enjoying the conversation.

He then continued typing.

Zhou Kai then posed another crucial question: "So, does this Limbini school still exist? Where is it now?"

Flash Diram: "There used to be quite a lot of them, and they probably even reached your Red Star. But now... they've probably disappeared."

Zhou Kai: "Disappeared?"

Flash Diram: "The last of the three sacred flowers is the Moon Orchid, which represents moonlight, the only light in the night after dusk... For the Limpini, the world has been destroyed, their salvation has failed, and they have no reason to continue existing."

"The final outcome... is that it might be reabsorbed by the Church of Twilight, or it might suddenly disappear for some reason, or perhaps both? It's hard to say."

Zhou Kai: "One last question, you seem to know more than I thought..."

Zhou Kai pondered, could this forum's "water god" be some kind of professional scholar?
But the other party's answer was different from what Zhou Kai had expected.

Flash Dillam: "Nothing is surprising. I just said what I wanted to say. I just didn't want some meaningful history to continue to be tarnished."

……

Zhou Kai lay on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling, lost in thought.

New knowledge acts like lubricant, getting some gears in your mind that were previously stuck back into motion.

"is it possible……"

"The town of Soraka in that short film was indeed rebuilt on the original site."

"And the original town, its residents, and that Limpinian church... were all dragged into a nightmare for some reason?"

Zhou Kai's brows furrowed into a knot, and similarly, as he pondered further, goosebumps rose all over his body.

Indeed, while you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

"The long day is about to end, does that mean the nightmare is coming? Does that mean the Church of Twilight discovered the nightmare disease thousands of years ago?"

The thought had barely formed when a chill ran up my spine. If the nightmare had been brewing for thousands of years, eroding this world...

what about now?

How far has the Nightmare Invasion progressed?
Is it a moonlit night, or endless darkness...?

Nightmare's Despair?

In short, it was all far more complicated than he had imagined.

"This world is far more complex than I previously knew."

The town of Soraka is based on reality, which means that extraordinary forces exist in the real world itself.

"It seems that besides nightmares, in reality, one can also steal other people's marks to improve oneself..."

There was no trace of the Twilight Church in Xishan City, and it was impossible for Zhou Kai to go and provoke a group of complete strangers just to improve his mark.

With that thought in mind, only one idea remained.

"I hope no one will come after me to improve their markings."

"If the Western Hemisphere has a transcendental system centered around 'marks,' what about Red Star?"

"Ancient martial arts..."

"It's probably much stronger than I imagined."

Zhou Kai had a strong premonition that the few peculiarities Chen Ping displayed might only be the most insignificant aspect of the Crimson Star Ancient Martial Arts.

……

After thinking it over, Zhou Kai took a short rest.

Before his phone alarm even went off, Zhou Kai's biological clock had already woken him from his light sleep.

I need to go to the boxing gym to see Chen Ping later.

As dawn broke, Zhou Kai glanced at his control panel before heading out.

[Character: Zhou Kai]

[Status: Erosion, Clear Mind]

【Scars: Chariot - Part 1 (0/100)】

【技能：综合格斗lv3（1/50），轻盈步伐lv3（13/50），索拉卡剑术lv2（12/25），神秘学lv2（0/25），隼击术Lv1（10/15）】

[Items: Residence Permit, Bloodstained Axe, Morning Star Notebook (Part 3, Part 2), Moonshine Orchid Seed (Full), Exquisite Moonshine Orchid Amulet, Sturdy Two-Handed Greatsword]

[General Experience Points: 14]

Even with his mind clear in both directions, he didn't sit idle during the few hours he stayed at the shelter.

Several key skills have seen a slight increase in experience points.

"My Falcon Strike Technique is about to level up... I can't waste the experience points, I need to practice to break through first."

The remaining fourteen experience points will be kept as a backup, just in case.

The city has begun to awaken.

The lights were already on at the breakfast shop run by the Liu couple downstairs. The steam from the steamers, mixed with the aroma of noodles, swirled in the cold early morning wind.

In an era where pre-cooked meals are ubiquitous, this persistence may seem somewhat clumsy, but it has earned them a loyal following.

Sanitation workers, earning less than half of the minimum wage in Xishan City, also began their day's work.

Some retired elderly people, who have nothing to do after retirement, have already gone out to exercise. The sound of them patting their bodies and the sound of their mobile phones playing on speakerphones seem to be urging the young people coming and going not to be late, because the good days are yet to come.

Regardless of gender, age, height, or weight, for most people, an ordinary day begins.

However, Zhou Kai stopped abruptly as soon as he stepped out of the residential compound.

That kind of monotonous ordinariness seems to be becoming rare.

"Sirens? And the sound of an ambulance?"

Zhou Kai followed the sound and walked towards the street corner on his right.

(End of this chapter)