"..."
"..."
Before the tea table at Never-Ending Night, the Express crew members and Acheron sat facing each other wordlessly, exchanging glances. Only awkward silence permeated the air. Finally, to break the suffocating awkwardness, Welt spoke first. "Miss Acheron, why did you come to the Luofu?"
Acheron blinked, distinct bewilderment appearing in her usually cool expression. "Because... you're here?"
This somewhat nonsensical answer puzzled Welt slightly. "You came looking for us?"
Acheron tilted her head, her confusion deepening. "You were the ones who called me..."
As if remembering something, Acheron paused, a trace of embarrassment appearing on her face. She spoke somewhat apologetically, "Apologies, I am indeed a bit late... There were some unexpected incidents. Penacony is quite far from the Luofu; halfway through, I got a little lost—"
Clang!
The sound of a chair falling instantly drew everyone's attention. The source of the noise was Caelus, who had abruptly stood up. His eyes were now fixed deadly on Acheron, filled with incredibly complex emotions, but the dominant colors were undoubtedly excitement and agitation.
Ignoring the puzzled gazes of the others, Caelus leaned forward, hands planted nervously on the tabletop, using all his strength to keep himself from getting too excited, his voice trembling as he asked, "Is it because of that blade...? Because that blade was drawn, so you came to help us?!"
"That was our agreement," Acheron nodded, then dipped her head apologetically. "Apologies, I arrived late..."
Being late was a terrible habit. After all, who knew if someday she might miss the most crucial moment, leading to an irreversible tragedy? Acheron disliked being late too.
The moment she sensed the blade she gifted the Express crew being drawn, she immediately set off towards the Xianzhou where the signal originated... But unfortunately, due to getting lost, the journey wasn't smooth. She accidentally boarded the wrong Xianzhou and, thanks to a kind soul giving her a ride along the way, finally reached the Luofu.
Only upon arriving at the Luofu did she discover the Express crew had just left. After some inquiries, Acheron learned the Luofu seemed to have recently experienced a Borisin riot, but it had now been suppressed.
Feeling like she arrived too late and everything was already resolved, Acheron wanted to find the Express crew but worried about getting lost again, leaving her to wander aimlessly on the Luofu for a while. But this time, she felt her choice might have been correct, because the Express crew had run back again.
Seeing Caelus's agitated state, Acheron couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. Because she was too late, it seemed she had driven the person Twilight entrusted to her care insane...
"Blade?"
Welt and Himeko exchanged glances. This sounded like something similar to the Xianzhou's alliance jade tokens, but they didn't seem to recall Acheron gifting the Express crew such a useful item?
"Hehehe... Hahahahaha! I knew it! I knew it!!!"
The next moment, under the astonished gazes of the others, Caelus burst into wild laughter without any regard for his image. "Twilight is real! The original worldline was the correct one!"
"He... What's wrong with him?"
Acheron looked towards the other members of the Express crew with difficulty. Things didn't seem right; she seemed to have genuinely caused the person Twilight asked her to look after to become mentally unstable...
"It's a long story; probably can't finish explaining it in a short while..."
Hearing Himeko's helpless words, Acheron gave up understanding very quickly. If it couldn't be explained temporarily, better to just drop the topic. She scanned the surroundings, confirming she didn't see that familiar figure before asking with slight confusion, "Isn't Twilight with you all?"
The moment Acheron uttered this sentence, the members of the Express crew instantly understood why Caelus was laughing like a madman... Twilight. This name, they finally heard someone other than Caelus mention it proactively. What he had insisted on all along was proven true at this moment; it would be impossible for him not to be happy.
Acheron, walking the Path of Nihility and eroded by it, could, to some extent, be considered a self-annihilator. For Acheron, even her own causal existence was fading, gradually turning into nothingness. Thus, causal changes originating from the outside world found it difficult to affect something nihil.
While nihil existence struggled to change the world, the world also couldn't easily change her. Now that everyone else had stepped into the new timeline, Acheron remained a person left behind in the past. What she remembered was the same as Caelus.
Therefore, she naturally wouldn't forget Twilight either.
"Twilight..."
The others were also somewhat speechless, starting to think about where best to begin explaining the matter to Acheron. Seeing them unsure how to start, Acheron paused, then seemed to understand something, her eyes showing a hint of loss.
Yes, Twilight could only live for a year. Calculating the time, it seemed indeed...
"Don't worry, Twilight is just temporarily absent," But at this moment, Caelus suddenly waved his hand confidently, smiling. "Rest assured, we'll be able to bring her back soon!"
Yes, everything was moving in a good direction!
The Express crew didn't dismiss his words as mad ramblings; they all trusted him. Jing Yuan of the Xianzhou didn't make things difficult for them, instead willing to give them a chance to contact the Ambrosial Arbor. Now they even met Acheron, confirming from her that the past with Twilight truly existed!
So now, all that remained was for him to put in a little more effort. As long as he successfully reached the Ambrosial Arbor and brought Twilight back—
...
Reaching the Ambrosial Arbor, could he really find Twilight and bring her back?
A momentary blankness flashed through Caelus's mind. But the next instant, an incredibly strong obsession forcefully pushed his doubts aside.
It must be possible... It has to be! Just like in those plays, after overcoming various difficulties, the hero always receives a reward! Deceased companions can be resurrected! The protagonist always gets the girl!
As for where Twilight was now, why Twilight disappeared, who harmed Twilight, whether Twilight was still alive... Don't think about these questions, don't ponder them anymore, Caelus! If he continued thinking too much, thinking everything through too clearly, he himself—
In a daze, Caelus even seemed to hear someone laughing heartily beside his ear. But listening closely, there seemed to be nothing, and everyone around hadn't noticed anything either.
Must just be overthinking. There was nothing laughable about the current situation, and he himself certainly wasn't laughable. Caelus felt inexplicably relieved, comforting himself.
After all, he wasn't some fool, knowing despair lay ahead, yet still insisting on walking forward with eyes covered, self-hypnotizing all the way...
Just need to do it. As long as he did it, he would surely get what he wanted in the end.
Otherwise...