Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Ira Song knew that Susanna liked the golden rose.

Gently putting his arm around Susanna's shoulder, Irason drew circles in the sand beside him.

"Does Susanna really like these remnants of souls? Brother Morokui told me that these things are either dangerous or useless."

“He’s right. For you, the strong will of the past can distort your thinking. That’s the mark left by life when it was born in this world and came into this world. Humanity is the most profound of these. It has a strong attraction for us.”

"The nascent evil god likes...humanity?"

"To us, it's like a sweet poison."

"Can the will of humanity kill an evil god?"

"No, humanity will corrupt us and make God no longer God. To an evil god, humanity is like the residue left by a tick, harmful to our 'growth'. No god would pursue the essence of an ant; that would weaken Him, corrupt Him, and turn Him into a lonely monster. It is wrong, yet it shines like gold. Beautiful yet illusory, confusing yet dreamlike."

“It’s not a good thing to be obsessed with memories that don’t belong to you, Irason.”

Irason nodded, feeling a little dizzy, while Principes pondered Susanna's words.

"I'm starting to get curious about the origin of this golden rose. Maybe we can try to trace its history."

Susanna slowly turned her head, looking at the blurry shadows deep in the jungle not far away.

"Looks like I don't need to make a trip."

"Who's there!" Priscilla's ice blade gleamed in the sunlight. The Little Mermaid was somewhat angry that her friend had trespassed on her territory.

Dragging his damp steps and breathing in the stale air, the figure dressed as a captain exposed his decaying body to the scorching sun. He removed his tricorn hat, revealing a wrinkled, slightly swollen face with a cat's-eye prosthetic eye in his right eye socket; the only fresh thing about him was his small, unremarkable eye.

A faded, tattered overcoat draped over his gaunt frame, with a gaping hole in his right chest. Swelling, rotting flesh had settled to his abdomen, and his entire body was a dark, unhealthy bluish-green. He wore wrinkled leather boots and stood at the edge of the white sand beach, bowing with a composed expression.

"Hello, ma'am."

This is a drowned corpse, or a water ghost, a living corpse of a human who once drowned in the water, a unique monster found around the sea.

"The pirate captain is here for his treasure! We're in trouble!"

Ira Songn screamed in fear, but she was actually role-playing. The three women were far stronger than ordinary creatures. They were monsters left over from the previous era and were not afraid of any pirate captain at all.

The captain was aware of this as well.

“Noble, powerful, beautiful and charming ladies, I only ask that you return the cursed treasure to me, which was once a precious possession of Alexsan Alonso.”

"Cursed?" The three women exchanged glances. Susanna held out her palm, revealing the golden rose. "You mean this?"

The ugly, dead captain saw the golden roses, and a hint of nostalgia appeared in his eyes. He bowed again and said, "Indeed, those golden roses are my treasure."

The drowned corpse's respect earned him the favor of several people, and his refined manner of speaking was quite different from his first impression.

"Then tell me the story of the golden rose, to prove that you are its owner."

This is exactly what they have been hoping for.

Alexander moved his arms and legs slightly, then sat down cross-legged on the spot. The oil from his body dripped onto the grass, which he wiped clean with a leaf he casually picked.

"This is not going to be an interesting story."

“I am not the owner of this golden rose; I am merely its current owner.”

"Once upon a time, there was a young man who fell in love with a rich young lady. They shared similar interests and would stroll through the fields, telling each other interesting stories, including one about a golden rose. The story said that a rose made of gold could bring happiness to ordinary people."

"Later, the young man went to fight in the war, and that story became a memory that he sealed away in his heart."

"The war was brutal. The young man returned intact, but he was left with a body full of injuries and illnesses. He wandered to a foreign land and became a poor and thin town cleaner."

"The wonder of fate is also revealed here. He met her again, and she was still as bright and beautiful as he had seen her, with a captivating radiance. They both remembered each other, and even more so, the story of the golden rose."

"After parting, Xia Mi realized that her infatuation with her had not diminished at all, but she no longer had the courage and strength to stand by her side."

"[How wonderful! If I could have a golden rose, I would surely be happy.]" This innocent childhood remark became a new belief for this man. Creating a golden rose was a pipe dream for a cleaner.

"But Shami found his way. Instead of throwing away the dust from cleaning the gold shop, he took it all back to his shack and, day after day, sifted through the dust in the darkness for the gold dust that the goldsmiths had polished. He succeeded. When he was old and gray, and had become a lame and ugly old man, he had his golden rose."

"Select gold nuggets from the sand and melt them into a golden rose that brings happiness."

"Unfortunately, this gift can never be given to the one Xia Mi loved, for she has gone to a place beyond his reach."

“A gaunt old man gave me this golden rose and the story, because I was the first person to pass by that shack under the bridge that day, and I shared my joy of becoming a captain and about to set sail with everyone I met that day.”

"Take her to a more beautiful place." That's what the old man said, leaving himself in the past.

"The Golden Rose That Cannot Be Conveyed," is the name of this cursed treasure. It can sense the wearer's feelings and tries to find that beloved, but it will never fall into that person's hands.

"To me, the golden rose is a precious treasure that is easily lost."

……

The story of the golden rose received a satisfactory response from the three women. Susanna stood up, ready to return the golden rose to the polite captain, just as he had said, this golden rose would only fall into the wrong hands.

Ira Songen squatted down with her knees drawn up, watching Susanna's back as she pondered.

“Wait a minute,” Principes said, pulling on Susanna’s shoulder and smiling at Captain Alexon. “We will return the Golden Rose to you, but we would like to ask you for a small favor.”

“Prince.” Susanna glanced at her.

The White Dragon Priest continued, "Captain, you must have a large ship. How about we exchange the Golden Roses for two tickets to the deck? My two friends would like to experience what it's like to sail on the high seas."

Princess patted Susanna's hand. "The original plan was for Poldris to take you surfing, but I personally think that riding a boat gives you a better feeling of sailing the sea than riding a dragon."

After thinking for a moment, the cursed captain nodded. "I can agree, but madam, my ship..."

"What, is it so difficult to give us a ride?"

"No, my ship is a ghost ship. If you're looking for a tour, wouldn't boarding a ghost ship spoil the atmosphere?"

Susanna smiled. "A ghost ship, wouldn't that be even better?" Irason nodded, his eyes shining.

The White Dragon Priest shrugged and returned the golden rose to Alexsan, who placed it in a small wooden box wrapped with coral and carefully put it in the notch on his right breast.

"Alright, here's your Golden Rose back, Captain. Where's your ghost ship? Has it landed yet?"

Alex's eyes showed some embarrassment. "Actually, this is the second reason I came to see you. My ghost ship has been seized."

"Huh? You don't mean to say..."

Alex looked miserable.

“My sailors and ship were dragged into the deep water by a white, long-legged serpent named Poldris. I was thrown ashore by him, and he asked me to consult the Dragon Priest to decide what to do with my crew. Your Excellency, I am very sorry for trespassing into your waters. Please forgive our ignorance and rudeness.”

Irason looked at Susanna, who cautiously stuck out her tongue.

"I did ask Little Pol to help protect the beach."

Princess covered her cheek, a relieved smile on her face.

"Poldris has finally stood up. He's a worthy student of mine!"

……

Priscilla and Alexander swam ahead, diving to search for the White Dragon Poldris and the captured ghost ship. Susanna and Irasorn swam hand in hand; both were beginner swimmers, Susanna having never even been to a lake before, but she appeared more composed than Irasorn.

Irason tapped on the wooden armor plates on his companion's body and communicated inside a diving helmet made of live seaweed.

Why can wood sink?

"Wood floats because it contains air and has a low density. I can control the internal density of plants."

“You seem to be unafraid of water now, Susanna. You’ve never even been in a pond before.”

“I’m not afraid of water, but I’m afraid of what’s hidden in the water. But this body of water doesn’t give me that indescribable feeling of closeness.”

"Because this is the waters guarded by the White Dragon, the whispers of the Sleepers cannot reach here."

Susanna poked the Green Dragon Priest's side waist, and his waist, without an ounce of fat, writhed in the water like a lobster.

"So you found out what I was afraid of. I thought I was hiding it very well."

"No matter how well you hide it, we've been together for decades, and it'll all be exposed. Don't always treat me like an idiot, you idiot Susanna!"

"Okay, you idiot."

The two continued their descent into the lightless depths of the sea. The beautiful outlines of the coral reefs under the sunlight had been forgotten. In the empty ocean, the ice crystal buoy left by the white dragon priest guided their way. They could feel the warmth of each other through physical contact; in the void, only mutual comfort remained.

"It is my happiness to have met Susanna."

"They accompanied me when I was lost and supported me when I was discouraged."

"When I was tormented by the nightmare of the evil god and was on the verge of madness, you saved me and led me away from that nightmare."

"Susanna, you're the best."

The tall tree doll cradled the elf in its arms.

"Fool, I'm the one who was saved."

"Born into nightmares with the chaotic soul of his father, he howled in confusion and tormented his own kind."

“You have an appealing charm, Irason. You helped me find my humanity and made me realize what I truly want. I also want to be liked, to be relied upon, to be accepted and loved like you, instead of fulfilling the fate bestowed upon me by my foolish father as the evil of the world. You let me know that I am needed.”

"Actually, you can do all those things, right? You just pretend to be an idiot all the time. How can an idiot become a dragon priest, the great enemy of the evil god?"

Irason let out a light laugh.

"That's right! I'm not stupid, it's just that Susanna is too capable! All I need to do is eat, drink, and have fun! Please, Susanna, keep supporting me!"

"Fool."

Their confessions seemed to have reached the ears of even the sea, causing undercurrents to gather. The two experienced seasickness in the deep ocean as the seawater around them suddenly began to vibrate. Unfortunately, they lacked the mermaid's hearing organs and could not hear the white dragon priest's words.

Fortunately, there was no need to listen. The turbulent current pulled their bodies like ropes, and a huge white phantom kept appearing in the darkness of the deep sea. The white dragon Poldris stirred up the waves, his contracting wings cutting through the water, leaving swirling trails behind him. On his dragon spine, a ghost ship emitted a ghastly green light, like a lantern returning from the underworld.

Adjusting the water flow, the ghost ship on the dragon's back deftly caught the two women.

"Grab the mast!" Alexsan, having swallowed a bellyful of water, watched his ghost ship groan in alarm as the white dragon accelerated. Only one person cheered throughout: the white dragon priestess, clinging to its horns. She sang excitedly, repeatedly slapping Poldris's head.

"Great! Faster, Boll! Faster!"

The ram pierced the water's surface, and amidst the splashing water, Irason and Susanna clung to the railing, watching their long hair float in the air, casting streaks of water on the clouds after the sunlight.

……

After a day of playing around, the elven governor returned to the Dream Forest and spent two hours sprinting through government affairs to regain his composure. He then returned to his secluded treehouse amidst the grateful farewell of the elven queen, Tiffany.

Immersed in a dream.

In the land of dreams, all the beauty and sorrow of dreams are gathered.

But today, there seems to be one more good thing.