"Who… are you?"
After a brief silence, Klein swallowed and looked at the young man in the mirror with black hair and eyes, handsome features, and simple attire. He asked this question in the common language of the Ruen Kingdom, not in Chinese.
Even though Klein had guessed that the other person might be a fellow traveler, he was cautious and didn't reveal his identity directly.
Lin Ruo, however, didn't plan to let Klein keep his secret for long. Smiling warmly, he said, "Since we're fellow travelers, shouldn't we communicate in Chinese?"
This straightforward statement revealed Lin Ruo's identity as a traveler without any disguise, cleverly steering the conversation away from the fact that he couldn't understand Klein's language.
Klein seemed taken aback, his pupils dilating slightly.
Lin Ruo could tell from Klein's expression that he was struggling with his thoughts.
Finally, Klein seemed to come to a decision and exhaled, asking in Chinese, "Are you also a traveler?"
After careful consideration, Klein decided to talk to this suspected "traveler," whether he was a ghost, a mirror spirit, or something else.
"Isn't it obvious?" Lin Ruo replied with a gentle smile. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Lin Ruo. You can just call me Lin."
"Hello, I'm Klein, Klein Moretti!" Klein introduced himself, though he didn't reveal his original name, Zhou Mingrui, showing some caution.
"If you don't mind, I'll just call you Klein!" Lin Ruo decided, not caring about Klein's secrecy. He then pointed out, "Your wound has healed."
"Ah…" Klein quickly checked his temple in the mirror and found the wound completely healed, though bloodstains remained.
"Is this… a healing effect from traveling?" Klein wondered, observing his temple with disbelief, a smile forming on his lips.
Being alive was a good thing for him.
Klein looked at the other figure in the mirror, hesitant and curious but didn't ask anything.
Lin Ruo, seeing Klein's hesitation, laughed softly and said, "If you're curious about my current state, it's an accident…"
He continued, "If you're wondering why I'm here, I don't know either. I was in Backlund… you should know where that is. But a few minutes ago, I was pulled here and saw you."
"And you might not have noticed, but I can tell you that we seem to be bound together."
Lin Ruo didn't want Klein to be overly cautious and didn't reveal that he had just traveled as well.
He knew that the world of "Lord of the Mysteries" faced an apocalyptic threat. Despite the seemingly bright ending, Lin Ruo wouldn't take it lightly.
To avoid the apocalypse, the birth of the Lord of the Mysteries was necessary. Lin Ruo didn't plan to compete with Klein for anything. He had a natural fondness for Klein and didn't want to take his things. Besides, the Star of Destiny wasn't something anyone could take; Lin Ruo wasn't a member of the Cocoon Department and had no natural connection to it.
Lin Ruo was more concerned about changing his current spirit-like state and having a real body.
So he planned to help Klein, both to fight against the apocalypse and to learn extraordinary knowledge from the mysterious world, hoping to change his situation. He knew that if he became Klein's "mentor," he wouldn't lose out.
And although he couldn't become the Lord of the Mysteries, helping to cultivate one would be great!
To become Klein's "mentor," Lin Ruo needed to establish himself as an experienced traveler.
"Ah…" Klein was surprised by Lin Ruo's straightforwardness and quickly explained, "Sorry, I didn't mean to doubt you, I just…"
"It's okay, I understand," Lin Ruo interrupted with a wave. "If I were in your shoes, I'd be even more cautious."
"Sorry…" Klein apologized again, seeing that Lin Ruo genuinely didn't mind.
He then thought about the binding Lin Ruo mentioned. As an ordinary person, he couldn't sense the connection, but his imagination and understanding from reading web novels helped.
"So… does binding mean you'll follow me?" Klein asked curiously.
"I don't know!" Lin Ruo shook his head honestly. "But we can experiment."