"Huh? Brother Kalpas? Fancy meeting you here…" Lin Wei, freshly returned to the "real" hall from the memory terminal, was surprised to see the tall figure standing in the distance.
Is he seriously striking a pose with his back to me? Lin Wei rolled his eyes. Bro, the brooding act is so last era.
"What did you call me?" Kalpas turned slightly, peering at Lin Wei through his strange mask, his tone unfriendly.
"Brother Kalpas, what's wrong? Pardo calls you that, why can't I? Don't tell me you're actually fifty thousand years old and I shouldn't call you 'bro'?" Lin Wei remained unfazed by the man's reputation, even venturing a playful jab. "Seriously? I consider you a friend, and you want to be my elder? That's a bit much, don't you think?"
"Hmph, you want to be my junior? You're not worthy!"
Lin Wei chuckled. Kalpas's implication was clear. He hadn't rejected the word "friend."
He took two bottles of water from the refrigerator, walked over to Kalpas, and offered him one. Kalpas refused.
Lin Wei wasn't bothered. He put one bottle back, opened the other, and took a long swig.
"Visiting that new recruit again? Hmph, just some basic martial arts. He still can't get it after all this time. What, planning to learn it for the rest of your life?" Kalpas sneered, still not turning around.
"You mean Hua? No, it was SAKURA today. She was teaching me… how to chop wood…" Lin Wei's expression turned bitter.
SAKURA's teaching was incredibly strict. Every swing, every pause, every exertion and withdrawal of force had to be precise and consistent.
She had given him a demonstration, setting up a wooden post, making a single cut, leaving a shallow mark. Then, she struck the same spot a thousand times in rapid succession, each strike leaving an identical mark.
Such exquisite control was simply breathtaking.
The next moment, Lin Wei felt numb.
Because SAKURA had told him that was his training for the day. He could move on to the second stage of basic swordsmanship training only when he could replicate her feat.
You call that basic training?
Just recalling the nightmarish experience made his arms ache.
Hearing it was SAKURA, Kalpas's tone softened slightly. "SAKURA? Hmph… What about the little girl who came with you? Isn't she with you?" Kalpas's conversational style was always odd, his tone stiff and interrogative, even when asking casual questions.
"Well, some people are just naturally gifted. Yae Sakura's talent is incredible. It hasn't been long, and she's already holding her own against SAKURA. Hua thinks her resilient personality is a good match for the [Vicissitude] signet. They're currently in another area, undergoing a trial." Lin Wei's expression was a mix of awe and self-deprecation.
Compared to Yae Sakura, he felt incredibly inadequate.
And compared to his own laid-back, almost vacation-like approach, Yae Sakura's method seemed to be the correct way to experience the Elysian Realm.
One word: grind.
Two words: grind relentlessly.
And the results spoke for themselves—
Lin Wei: failing student…
Yae Sakura: star student…
ε=(´ο｀*)))唉
"Hmph, what a waste. Boring. I'm leaving." Kalpas scoffed, turning and vanishing.
"That guy…" Lin Wei muttered under his breath. Could you at least finish your sentences?
"I saw everything! You're the first successor to get along so well with Kalpas. Very impressive! Let me give you some praise~" Entering the lounge, he saw Elysia sitting on the sofa, beaming at him.
"It was alright. Kalpas is pretty easy to talk to," Lin Wei said noncommittally. It wasn't exactly "getting along well," but Kalpas seemed to tolerate him.
"Oh, and thank you for taking me to see him the other day."
"Oh my? Why are you suddenly being so forward? That's unfair, I wasn't prepared~" Elysia said coyly, her smile bright and cheerful. "And I only showed you the way. You earned his recognition on your own!"
...
Twisted, broken remains and corpses.
Rubble reduced to dust, its original form unrecognizable.
Ashes, flames, scorching heat, crimson.
The air was thick with uncontainable rage and hysterical madness.
Even with Elysia's help, reaching Kalpas's domain wasn't easy for Lin Wei.
Relying on his limited training, he carefully navigated the burning inferno.
Thanks to Pandora's protection, he hadn't encountered too much danger. There was always a suitable Divine Key form to deal with any enemies that appeared. Right now, he was holding the pistol form of Judgment of Shamash, carefully considering how to escape his current predicament.
They were a frenzied mob – some were twisted monsters, some resembled Honkai beasts, and some looked like ordinary humans, but all of them had bloodshot eyes and were screaming hysterically.
A meteor crashed down nearby, obliterating a large group of the screaming monsters. A masked man, wreathed in smoke, emerged from the resulting inferno.
He didn't even glance at Lin Wei, his voice dripping with disdain. "Oh? An ordinary human? Since when do insignificant ants dare approach this battlefield?"
Lin Wei remained calm. He switched off the portable fan he had bought from Pardo, letting the waves of heat wash over him, and walked towards Kalpas.
"I came to see you, of course, Brother Kalpas. You weren't easy to find."
"See me? A joke! Didn't that woman tell you to 'stay away from Kalpas'?" Kalpas sneered. He wasn't stupid. He knew Elysia must have been involved in getting Lin Wei here.
"Elysia did warn me to be careful when talking to you. But she didn't say I couldn't approach you." Lin Wei smiled. "I can tell she's quite fond of you."
"Hmph, how troublesome…" Kalpas's tone grew increasingly irritable. "Fine, you've seen me. You're lucky, successor. I'm in a relatively good mood today, so I'll give you a chance to speak."
"Before my patience runs out, say what you have to say, and then get lost."
What a grumpy guy.
"I came to thank you on RIN's behalf, Kalpas," Lin Wei said, his voice clear and steady. "From what I understand, you were one of the few who stood up for her after that incident fifty thousand years ago. And Su told me it was thanks to your protection in the depths of the Elysian Realm that she was able to reunite with her sister."
"As RIN's… friend… she's currently unavailable, but I couldn't pretend I didn't know." Lin Wei felt his relationship with RIN went beyond "friendship," but he couldn't find a more suitable word, hence the slight hesitation.
"…Finished? Get lost!" Kalpas's irritation grew.
"One more thing. Thank you for saving me just now." Lin Wei gestured to the burning wreckage behind Kalpas. His smile was genuine. "You're a kind person, Brother Kalpas. Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lin Wei."
"Heh… Hahahahaha…" Kalpas let out a short, hysterical laugh, then his voice turned sharp. "Don't use such weak words to describe me, pathetic little thing. And I'm not interested in your name… Kind? Hahahaha, kind people don't last long on the battlefield!"
"Only rage and hatred allow survival! Only killing! Killing! Endless killing! Until everything is dead!"
"Is that how you sought justice for RIN? I rather like it." Lin Wei mercilessly exposed Kalpas's bluster. He could fool others, but not himself.
"Honestly, I would have done the same. And…" Lin Wei's smile turned dangerous, his eyes icy.
Having spent his life fighting against fate, he loathed those who toyed with the lives of others.
That arrogant, condescending attitude… he wanted to crush it under his heel.
"Oh? Heh, interesting. HAHAHAHAHA! That's very interesting!" Kalpas, as if recognizing a kindred spirit, roared with laughter. Then, he suddenly waved his hand.
When Lin Wei woke up, he was back in the hall.
"That guy…" he muttered, exasperated.
After that, Lin Wei occasionally encountered Kalpas during his Elysian Realm trials.
And every time, Hua would protectively step in front of him…
(°ー°〃)
...
Lin Wei had known for a while that Flame-Chasers couldn't freely enter the main hall of the Elysian Realm.
Or rather, the "Golden Courtyard where the successors reside" and the "Golden Courtyard where the Flame-Chasers rest" weren't exactly the same place.
It was like two different dimensions superimposed on each other.
Only by using the memory terminal, interacting with a Flame-Chaser in the depths of the Elysian Realm, and inheriting a portion of their signet, could he encounter that Flame-Chaser in the "real hall" after exiting the terminal.
Only the Flame-Chaser who initially greeted him was an exception.
This interaction created a bridge between his consciousness and the Flame-Chaser's consciousness, with the [signet] serving as the medium and manifestation of this connection.
That's why Mei could only "encounter" and interact with a Flame-Chaser in the hall after meeting them and obtaining their signet—
Before that, the hall would be empty.
After Mei's temporary departure, Raven had also mentioned the hall becoming deserted.
Lin Wei suspected this was one of the reasons why World Serpent successors couldn't leave until they completed their trials.
After all, his consciousness was already entangled with the consciousness and memories of several Flame-Chasers. How could he simply disconnect unilaterally without their consent?
But he couldn't bear signets, could he?
Lin Wei was puzzled. His stigma was external, currently undergoing its own trials within the Elysian Realm's data space.
Yet he could still encounter Hua, SAKURA, Su, Elysia, and even Pardo, who had been avoiding him lately, in the hall.
"Something on your mind? You can tell me," Elysia offered, noticing his confused expression.
Lin Wei shared his thoughts and doubts.
"What a thoughtful boy! Good job!" Elysia leaned in and ruffled his hair, then sat back down.
She was so fast he couldn't even dodge.
"While that interpretation isn't entirely wrong, it's not completely accurate either. A signet is more than just a transfer of power. It's an imprint of a Flame-Chaser's soul, a proof of their existence~"
"Alright, I think I understand." He had indeed been overthinking it. This "connection" didn't necessarily require inheriting a signet.
After all, Jackal had also completed the trials, and she was still a hopeless newbie~
Clearly, there was more than one way to "graduate" from the Elysian Realm.
"Mm-hmm, glad you understand~" Elysia said, nodding smugly.
Then, her smug expression vanished, replaced by an innocent smile. She looked at Lin Wei with wide, pleading eyes. "Since I answered your question so diligently, will you answer one of mine? Just one?"
"What is it? I'll try my best. Preferably something within my capabilities," Lin Wei replied, already having a pretty good idea what she was going to ask.
"Don't worry, it's nothing too difficult~" Elysia's smile turned mysterious, her eyes glinting. Her voice softened. "I want to know… what's it like to be friends with a Herrscher?"
"…Why would you ask that?" Lin Wei's expression turned odd. Why not ask Eden?
She'll shower you with flowery prose!
"A girl's gotta be curious! You know, in our time, Herrschers were always enemies that had to be eliminated. So, for me, and for the other Flame-Chasers, it's quite unusual to see someone befriending a Herrscher~ Just tell me! Indulge my curiosity, pretty please?"
You're pulling my leg! Lin Wei rolled his eyes inwardly, feigning contemplation. Then, he answered gravely, "It's a… heart-to-heart experience, I suppose."
"Wow, really? You and RIN were that close?" Elysia's expression was a mix of surprise and disbelief, though Lin Wei couldn't tell if it was genuine.
"Yeah, back in the consciousness space, when we were enemies, she pinned me down and gave me a thorough 'heart-to-heart' with her claws," Lin Wei said with a dramatic sigh, recalling his past struggles.
"Oh… uh… well…" Elysia's cheerful expression faltered, her bright eyes blinking rapidly.
"But you became good friends in the end, right?" She quickly recovered, a bright smile returning to her face. She pointed at Lin Wei's chest.
"Pandora. Such a beautiful story…"