Chapter 652: Is There A Difference?

Chapter 652 Is There A Difference?

Looking into Sister Yun’s eyes, Chen Xiaolian’s body suddenly trembled.

He recalled the tone in Mr San’s voice when they had that conversation.

“When you’ve managed to do that, remember to go back, find some wax, set this lamp wick on it and lit it up – let it be lit, let it continue burning. 

“As for how long it should keep burning, I don’t know either. At any rate, just keep it burning.

“Compared to my gift to you, this little help of buying some wax should be just a small favour. I believe you won’t refuse.

“Right?”

Back then, the two of them were communicating with each other through the Guiding Link Fire. Although they were able to see each other, they were unable to get a proper look at each other’s facial expressions.

Not to mention, back then, Chen Xiaolian was mostly occupied with thoughts on how to break through the wall and leave the strange painting.

At present, as Chen Xiaolian recalled the events back then, he found that, back then, Mr San’s tone was very peculiar.

When he said those words, the feelings he conveyed out toward Chen Xiaolian were that of sadness, regret and bleakness.

By the time Chen Xiaolian raised his head, he saw that Sister Yun had become a small black dot in the faraway sky.

Even if there was something he wished to ask of her, he no longer had to chance to forward his question anymore.

However, Chen Xiaolian had already made up his mind. He will never ask either of them.

Since neither wished to mention it… … whatever it was that had occurred between them, just let it go.

“Mr Bluesea, how are you now?”

Chen Xiaolian turned to look at Bluesea, who had been seated on the ground, resting himself.

“I am 80 per cent restored.” Bluesea stood up and stretched his hands and feet. Then, he nodded. “Participating in a fight should not be a problem. What about you?”

“I had once taken a serum to allow the gradual recovery of my basic attributes. Right now, however, I have only recovered roughly half of my attributes. There is no way I can recover them all before leaving this place. Besides, the power that Skyblade gave me is lost as well. Those will not be recovering.” Chen Xiaolian sighed. “Still… … at least I got this.”

He patted the Sword in the Stone hanging off his waist. “If necessary, I can use this to restore my attributes to their peak state. Unfortunately, this skill can only last for 15 minutes. I must only use if when it is absolutely necessary.”

“This is the exchange condition for returning the child first?”

“Of course not.” Chen Xiaolian smiled and shook his head. “Sending him back will not lead to you getting killed. Even if this sword is not here, I would still suggest sending the child back first.”

“Truth be told, even if doing that will not lead to the restoration of the refreshing mechanism of World’s End, you should not have sent him back first. By doing so, the amount of risk you shoulder will only grow bigger. Aren’t you the least bit worried about that?”

“Risk?” Chen Xiaolian knitted his brows. “What risk?”

Bluesea said coolly, “Going from a situation where you only need to flag down a cab to leave to a situation where you need to arrive at the station punctually to get on a train means more trouble. Especially when… … you know that there are pursuers coming after you.”

Chen Xiaolian forced out a smile. “I do not understand what you are saying, Mr Bluesea.”

“Enough. I know you are trying to comfort me, but there is no need for you to do so.” Bluesea smiled in response and continued, “Just now, when you were talking to your companions through Toto, you had instructed them to inform that Roddy fellow to not resurrect you in advance nor spend points to extend your stay here. Once the timer is over, you want him to immediately activate the Lifehymn Music Score. Am I wrong?”

“… no.”

“Additionally, you had just mentioned that you cannot fully recover before you return. Putting those two together proves that… … your return time is fixed. It cannot be changed, am I right?”

Chen Xiaolian sighed. He did not answer.

“When you realized that you can contact your companions in the outside world through Toto, you had considered changing your original plan.” Bluesea ignored Chen Xiaolian’s state of silence and continued, “Originally, your time here is fixed. Because the one to determine how long you stay here is the one called Roddy and not you. As this place is the land of the dead, you, a dead person, have no way of contacting your companions. Thus, you can only first determine a fixed time to leave. However, with a means of communication in your hands, you can arbitrarily choose when you want to leave.

“Now, however, you have chosen to send Toto back. This means you can only continue on with your original plan. There is no way for you to return the exact moment you meet up with Qiao Qiao. So… … maybe your time of departure will arrive before you could find Qiao Qiao, or perhaps it will arrive long after you have found Qiao Qiao, meaning you will have to overcome enemy pursuits, leading to the possibility of your rescue plan failing.

“Am I right, Chen Xiaolian?”

Chen Xiaolian listened to Bluesea. There was no frown on his face. Rather, there was a soft smile.

When Bluesea was done talking, Chen Xiaolian finally laughed out. “Mr Bluesea, although you have lost your memories and abilities of your time as an Awakened… … the wise Bluesea is still the wise Bluesea! Just from the few titbits in my words, you could surmise all of that. Truly worthy of admiration.”

“Thus, I want to know why you made such a decision.” Bluesea smiled as well.

“It is very simple.” Chen Xiaolian shrugged. “Earlier, I had conducted an experiment to confirm my speculation. Although Toto cannot be harmed when he activates the Guiding Link Fire function, at the same time, he can no longer move about freely. In that state, his movements will be affected by the Guiding Link Fire in the outside world. He can only move around in places illuminated by the lamp. That means Toto must choose between moving or protecting himself from harm. He can only choose one. Given the circumstances, be it with me or Sister Yun, Toto will be facing a high level of danger.”

“By sending Toto back first, are you not fearful of her going back on her words?” Bluesea cast a calm gaze at Chen Xiaolian.

Chen Xiaolian shook his head, “I believe in her.”

“Why?”

Chen Xiaolian replied with a calm smile, “No particular reason. I just believe in her.” 

The two of them exchanged glances for some time. Then, Bluesea smiled. “Brother Qiao’s daughter has a good eye. Just like her old man.”

He raised his head to look up into the distance. Seeing as nothing was happening yet, he sat down. “Since the restrictive barrier has yet to be broken, tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“About us.” Bluesea’s eyes looked far into the distance. “Brother Qiao, Cui Yunyan and Liang Feng. You said that the four of us established a guild of our own. What then?”

“Truth be told… … I do not know that much about the internal matters of your guild.” Chen Xiaolian revealed a wry smile as he sat down beside Bluesea. “Among the four of you, I have only met three before. I have never met the one known as Thunderflame. Qiao Qiao’s father died a long time ago. I mean, the him as an Awakened had died.”

“In other words, he had been refreshed as an ordinary human?” Bluesea nodded.

“Yes. However, his life is pretty good.” Chen Xiaolian smiled and continued, “You fellows went to find him, told him everything and helped him establish a vast enterprise in the secular world. He has become your representative in the secular world. At any rate, even Awakened ones need to eat, bath etc. There is a need to enjoy life as well.

“As for Skyblade, he went missing a few years back and you all had not been able to find him. Losing the only [S] class in the guild, your guild gradually declined.  Later on, thanks to a fortuitous encounter, I found him. By then, however, he was already on the verge of death. 

“Before his death, he passed his strength to me. Through me, he helped Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild though a crisis. The power he gave me is the one you saw me using against Wu Ya.

“Thunderflame, she had long since…”

Chen Xiaolian cast a troubled look at Bluesea. “She had long since left Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild.”

“Why?” asked Bluesea with a frown.

“Firstly, there was a conflict between her and Qiao Qiao’s father. Before Qiao Qiao’s mother died, he was constantly… … mm, fooling around outside, a lot. He even has an illegitimate daughter. Secondly, according to you, since Skyblade’s disappearance, she had constantly disagreed with the way you constantly compromised with others to the point of puking blood. She was unwilling to lay low. In the end, she left in a fit of rage. However, not many people know of that.”

Bluesea sighed and lowered his head, not saying anything.

After some time, he raised his head and said gently, “When you put it that way, the four of us have become utterly split. Now that I am dead, is there no one left to support Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild?” 

Chen Xiaolian smiled bitterly. “Zero City has been destroyed. Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild… … whether there is anyone left to support it, is there a difference?”

Bluesea sighed. No more words came from him.

It was at that moment that a loud crashing sound echoed out from the back of the mountain.

…