Chen Xiaolian and Qiao Qiao walked side by side on the streets of the ancient city.
Just passing through the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem, the crowd here was becoming denser. Chen Xiaolian and Qiao Qiao walked hand in hand, bathed in the sunlight. It seemed like this was not a mission at all, but a simple outing for a couple.
Chen Xiaolian could feel Qiao Qiao's slender and delicate fingers, could feel the young girl leaning against him. With a slight turn of his head, he could see the smile on Qiao Qiao's face and the gentle look in her eyes.
"It feels like we're on a vacation," Qiao Qiao whispered softly.
"Yeah," Chen Xiaolian nodded.
Qiao Qiao gazed at Chen Xiaolian, then suddenly said in a low voice, "I wonder when we can truly be carefree, go out together like ordinary people, without thinking about life and death, without worrying about any dungeon missions."
Chen Xiaolian opened his mouth, looked into the girl's eyes, and took a deep breath. "There will definitely be that day, I promise!"
Qiao Qiao suddenly reached out and gently touched Chen Xiaolian's face, saying softly, "I believe anything you say."
A few minutes later, they arrived at the world-renowned "Wailing Wall."
Here, it had been transformed into a square.
Today's weather is nice, so the square is bustling with tourists.
Chen Xiaolian and Qiao Qiao walked hand in hand into the square, standing at a distance, gazing at the white wall...
"So, this is the Wailing Wall," Qiao Qiao frowned, "It seems... well, I thought it would be larger."
"Shh," Chen Xiaolian gestured for her to be quiet and whispered, "Don't speak recklessly here. In their eyes, this is a holy place." Chen Xiaolian pointed to the Jewish people around, wearing circular hats.
Around the Wailing Wall, there were many visitors, not just local Jews, but people of various ethnicities. Many would approach the wall, bow down, and pray softly. Some would take out little notes with their wishes and tuck them into the crevices of the wall.
Qiao Qiao seemed visibly curious, and she glanced at Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian sighed.
However, Qiao Qiao took out a piece of paper and a pen from her bag, smiled at Chen Xiaolian, and he reluctantly turned around, letting her write on his back.
Qiao Qiao quickly finished writing the note and folded it.
"What did you write?"
"I'm not telling you. Speaking about wishes makes them less likely to come true."
Chen Xiaolian blinked, "It's not like making a birthday wish. I don't think there's so much ceremony when making wishes at the Wailing Wall."
"Regardless, I still won't say it," Qiao Qiao's cheeks were slightly flushed. Then, she held Chen Xiaolian's hand and walked towards the Wailing Wall.
According to local customs, men must wear the round-crowned Jewish hats when approaching the Wailing Wall. Chen Xiaolian naturally followed suit and obtained one from a nearby kiosk provided for tourists. After putting it on, Qiao Qiao couldn't help but giggle and was about to take out her phone to take a picture. However, Chen Xiaolian stopped her, saying, "Put it away; photography isn't allowed here."
"You wearing this looks a bit comical; I want to take a picture when we get back."
The two approached the Wailing Wall, waited patiently in line until there was an available spot, and then stood together in front of the wall.
Qiao Qiao reverently touched the wall with her hands, murmuring something quietly. Then, she took out the note and tucked it into a large crevice in the wall.
Chen Xiaolian stood beside her, gazing at his girlfriend with tender eyes.
"Aren't you going to make a wish?" Qiao Qiao looked at Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian thought for a moment, walked over, and also touched the wall. Then, he softly made his wish.
After both of them had made their wishes, they left quickly. It wasn't until they were more than ten meters away that Qiao Qiao turned to look at the Wailing Wall.
"Do you think... our wishes will come true?"
"People need to have some faith, right? If you firmly believe, there's a possibility it might come true."
Qiao Qiao tilted her head, blinked her eyes, and looked at Chen Xiaolian. Her black hair floated in the breeze. "Tell me, what did you wish for just now?"
"You said we shouldn't talk about it."
"You said there's no rule against it here." Qiao Qiao began to act coquettish.
Chen Xiaolian, unable to resist, took a step closer, wrapped his arm around Qiao Qiao's waist, and pulled her into his embrace. They drew close, and in a soft voice near Qiao Qiao's ear, he revealed his answer:
"I prayed to the gods: Whatever Miss Qiao Qiao wished for, I hope her dreams come true."
Tears welled up in Qiao Qiao's eyes as she stared at Chen Xiaolian. She leaned her head on his shoulder and looked back at the ancient Wailing Wall.
"How many years of history does this wall have?"
"I'm not sure, but it should be over a thousand years old."
"I can't help but feel... standing here, it's like we've known each other for over a thousand years," Qiao Qiao said.
Chen Xiaolian chuckled at her words, then suddenly reached out and lightly patted Qiao Qiao on the buttocks. The girl made a playful sound of complaint, raised her head, and gave Chen Xiaolian a blush-faced glare.
Holding Qiao Qiao's hand, the two of them walked a dozen steps further and stopped in a less crowded area, carefully gazing at the Wailing Wall.
"Come on, great writer, give me a lesson. Do you know the history of this Wailing Wall?" Qiao Qiao asked.
Chen Xiaolian thought for a moment and smiled wryly, "Funny you should ask, I've actually read some accounts."
After pondering for a moment, Chen Xiaolian began to explain, "So, a very long time ago, around the 13th century BCE, the Jewish people were enslaved in Egypt.
There appeared a divine figure, the prophet Moses, who was a Jew but was adopted by the Egyptian king. He sympathized with the Jewish people's enslavement and led them in an exodus from Egypt.
Well, one of the most famous legends goes like this: During their escape, Moses and the Jewish people reached the shores of the Red Sea with Egyptian pursuers closing in on them from behind.
At that moment, Moses prayed to God, and a miracle happened—the waters of the Red Sea miraculously parted, allowing the Jewish people to walk through the sea under Moses' guidance.
And the Egyptian army pursuing them from behind was all buried by the sea," Chen Xiaolian continued.
Qiao Qiao's eyes lit up. "I know this story! Disney has an animated film called 'The Prince of Egypt.' The theme song is so beautiful; it's sung by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston!"
Chen Xiaolian smiled at her affectionately, ruffled her hair, and said, "That's right."
After a pause, Chen Xiaolian continued, "After escaping from Egypt, the Jewish people have been living in this area, forming various Jewish tribes.
Approximately one or two hundred years after the events described in the Book of Exodus, in the 11th century BCE, a great Jewish leader united the various Jewish tribes and established a Jewish kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel. The capital of this kingdom was the place we are standing in now, Jerusalem."
This great Jewish king was King David.
As the founding monarch of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, he was certainly a legendary figure.
Moreover, he was fortunate to have an even more remarkable son who succeeded him to the throne – the famous King Solomon.
While King Solomon was in power, he built a holy temple in Jerusalem, known as Solomon's Temple. This temple was constructed right where we are standing now. From that time onward, this place became a religious sanctuary for all Jews."
Qiao Qiao nodded and asked, "What happened next?"
"And then... it took an unfortunate turn," Chen Xiaolian sighed. "Anyway... in general, King Solomon's reign marked the peak of the Kingdom of Israel, but later, the legend goes that King Solomon abandoned God, and the nation split into two. It became two separate kingdoms – the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom.
The Jewish Kingdom went from prosperity to decline.
After that, it was two thousand years of turmoil."
Pointing towards the distant Wailing Wall, Chen Xiaolian continued in a low voice, "The Temple of Solomon, which King Solomon built, was later destroyed by invading enemies during a conflict. However, the Jews rebuilt a second temple at the same location after the first one was destroyed... but unfortunately, the second temple was also burned down during a later conflict.
Regrettably, it was never rebuilt again.
What we see now as the Wailing Wall is the remnants of the second reconstructed temple."
Qiao Qiao focused her gaze for a moment, then whispered, "So, you mean... this place is the site of Solomon's Temple?"
"You could say that," Chen Xiaolian sighed with a slightly complex tone.
Qiao Qiao's expression turned serious. "Xiaolian, I remember you telling me that your first dungeon, the last mission boss you encountered in that deserted palace on the island... was a demon from the time of King Solomon?"
Chen Xiaolian remained silent, gazing at the Wailing Wall in the sunlight, his expression solemn.
A minute later, he suddenly smiled, putting on a relaxed tone. "I don't think this mission will involve anything related to demons from Solomon's Temple or King Solomon. The dungeon prompt is quite clear, it's only a [B] class difficulty, and we can even use firearms. I don't think our luck is that bad."
Qiao Qiao also let out a sigh. "A [B] class dungeon shouldn't have such a high-difficulty background. Let's hope so."
"Yeah, I think there might be other possibilities." Chen Xiaolian pondered for a moment and said, "In legends, Solomon's Temple housed many sacred items of the Jewish religion. The most famous among them is the Ark of the Covenant."
"The Ark of the Covenant?"
"Yes, the Ark of the Covenant."
...
"It's a wooden box containing some gold statues, but the most important thing inside it is the Ten Commandments. These are two stone tablets, a covenant given by God to the Jewish people, requiring them to obey the Ten Commandments inscribed on them."
In the hotel, Tian Lie was sitting on the couch, basking in the sun, holding a tourist attraction pamphlet that listed various ancient legends about Jerusalem.
He tossed the pamphlet to Nicole, who was drinking coffee, and said with a smile, "This thing seems interesting. Maybe our mission this time is to find it?"
Nicole gave Tian Lie a sidelong glance. "A [B] class dungeon wouldn't be so grandiose. The Ark of the Covenant has been missing for over two thousand years. It disappeared when Solomon's Temple was destroyed."
"Let's hope it's not about finding it," Tian Lie replied.