Chapter 325: I Have Been Here Before

This novel is translated and hosted only on BCaTranslation

In the heart of Denmark, a country often celebrated as the fairy tale kingdom due to its rich history of myths and legends, the night began to cast its veil. Amalienborg Palace, renowned for its architectural grandeur, stood solemnly beside the statue of Frederick V. Both were shrouded in layers of darkness, a sight that marked the onset of twilight.

As the surroundings became enveloped in darkness, a singular, striking light pierced through the shadows. This light did not come from any lamppost or window but from the intense, azure eyes of Yellow Finch. Her eyes sparkled with a brilliance that resembled shards of shattered glass, capturing flecks of light in a mesmerizing dance. They held a focused, unwavering gaze akin to a hunting owl poised in the silent night.

Yellow Finch was not a predator here, nor was she native to these lands. She was merely a visitor, a tourist who had wandered far from her usual haunts. Yet, her presence in this enchanting environment wasn’t without purpose. As she stood there, her eyes locked onto the dark, mysterious expanse of the forest bordering the quaint city, a question lingered in the crisp evening air:

What exactly was she searching for in this tranquil realm of fairy tales?

After leaving Amalienborg Palace, Lin Xian and Yellow Finch had a simple meal of local cuisine before heading to their hotel to rest. Their luggage had already been transported from the airport to the hotel by a special shuttle bus, making things very convenient.

Initially, Lin Xian had planned to book the best hotel in the center of Copenhagen, but Yellow Finch pointed to a more suburban location and insisted on staying there.

“It’s a bit out of the way,” Lin Xian explained. “Even though it’s still Copenhagen, it’s like staying in a small town compared to the city center. While the suburbs of a capital city aren’t bad, the living conditions and surroundings won’t be as good as the hotel I initially chose.”

Yellow Finch shook her head. “This area will do. I don’t like crowded places. Just find a decent hotel around here.”

Seeing her insistence, Lin Xian didn’t argue further. Yellow Finch always seemed like a solitary person who didn’t enjoy crowds. Did the hotel’s location really matter that much? He couldn’t understand but decided to go along with her choice.

So, Lin Xian booked a hotel in the western suburbs of Copenhagen. It was a decent hotel, and he reserved two suites.

Shortly after, the taxi pulled up in front of the hotel. Lin Xian paid the fare and opened the door for Yellow Finch. Stepping out of the car, Lin Xian looked around.

The architectural style and the ancient feeling of the place reminded him of a European street from the last century. There were no high-rise buildings; everything was old and filled with the traces of time. The area had a strong sense of life, with small shops, couples strolling, and families with children.

“Is this... an old town?” Lin Xian asked, looking at the surroundings.

Yellow Finch shook her head. “I’m not sure, but Copenhagen probably doesn’t have any old towns. This city has been famous since the Industrial Revolution, hosting many important conferences worldwide. Unlike many cities in our country, which were just starting to urbanize when the third information revolution began globally, resulting in incompatible old towns due to rapid development.”

Lin Xian agreed with Yellow Finch’s reasoning. He had traveled to many cities in X Country, and old towns were an unavoidable presence due to the rapid development demands of urbanization. Roads were always crowded, the widest being two lanes, and many small paths could only be described as sheep trails. Residential areas lacked underground parking, and cars parked one after another on the ground, making it a hassle whenever a vehicle in the innermost spot needed to leave, resembling a game. Markets, breakfast streets, and morning markets seemed to be standard features of these old towns.

As Yellow Finch had said, it was difficult and expensive to rejuvenate an entire old town amid rapid urban development. Demolition and resettlement were complicated and challenging tasks. Instead, it was easier to plan a new district as the center, stimulating the surrounding economy—a strategy that had proven effective in many X Country cities. Looking at the suburb now, it might have remained unchanged for many years—old, quaint, and full of the warmth of life.

“It’s a good place by chance,” Lin Xian said, opening the hotel’s door for Yellow Finch as they walked in. After checking in, they each took their room keys and headed to their rooms to rest.Gét latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

The hotel wasn’t big, with only six floors. The suites, spacious and well-equipped, were mostly on the sixth floor. Taking the elevator to the sixth floor, they found their rooms next to each other—606 and 608.

As they opened their doors, Lin Xian looked at Yellow Finch. “We walked around all day today, so let’s get some good rest. We just wandered around nearby attractions today. Tomorrow, we can visit the famous museums, art galleries, and theaters in the city. If there’s anywhere else you want to see, you can check online.”

Yellow Finch nodded, tiredly entering her room. The doors closed with two soft thuds. Lin Xian and Yellow Finch were now in adjacent suites, each preparing for bed.

Lin Xian glanced at the electronic clock by the bed, which read 9:30 PM. This was Danish time. He raised his left wrist and looked at his smartwatch, which showed 3:30 AM—X Country time. The time difference between the two regions was six hours, with X Country seeing the new day six hours earlier than Denmark.

“So... at this time, I probably won’t dream,” Lin Xian yawned.

After receiving the invitation to join the Genius Club, he had specifically entered the dream the next night after parting ways with Yellow Finch in Liu Feng’s lab. As expected, the fourth dream remained unchanged. But that was to be expected. Receiving the Genius Club’s invitation was only the beginning. He still had a long way to go before officially joining the club and forming an irreversible anchor point.

Any wrong answer to the three exam questions would result in the club rejecting him, making him the first to receive an invitation but fail the exams. The members of the Genius Club would laugh at him. After all, Yellow Finch had said no one else had ever failed. All those who received invitations passed the exams, proving they were true geniuses and gaining entry to the club.

So, Lin Xian accepted that receiving the invitation without triggering changes in the fourth dream was normal. Besides, the possibility that the fourth dream was fake, a simulated world, or a film set had not been ruled out. The items were already in place—Time Bank, the aluminum alloy safe, and the secret note Chu An Qing wrote. All that was left was for him to verify them.

The current challenge was the mysterious old man blocking his path to Time Bank. He had to deal with the old man to move freely in the fourth dream. But the key question was... Who was this mysterious old man? Kevin Walker? Elon Musk? Or someone else, known or unknown? Regardless, the old man had the same catchphrase as Kevin Walker. Starting with Kevin Walker was the safest bet.

Lin Xian and Kevin Walker had more than one score to settle. There were many unresolved issues between them. If eliminating Kevin Walker didn’t change the fourth dream, he’d have to consider other suspects.

“Ughh...” Lin Xian sighed, thinking about the situation.

Having wandered the dreams for so many years, he hadn’t expected to hit a dead end. He couldn’t open the safe, read the note, or verify the thousand-year-old stake with CC. It was frustrating.

When Lin Xian first received the invitation from the mirror, he had hoped to join the Genius Club directly, find Kevin Walker, and eliminate him. But now, it was unclear which plan would come first. Killing Kevin Walker was necessary to change the fourth dream. Without changing the fourth dream, the numbers on the time-space clock wouldn’t change. Without those numbers, he couldn’t study the time-space coordinates.

Without the specific laws and values of the time-space coordinates, passing the Genius Club exams was impossible. Everything was interconnected, and he was stuck.

Lin Xian yawned again. After a full day of walking, he was exhausted...

“Let’s sleep first. At least I can sleep until morning.”

In X Country, he always woke up at 00:42 every night. But now, he didn’t need to.

“Good night.”

Yellow Finch looked taken aback, blinking at Lin Xian with a mixture of surprise and amusement. “Are you inviting me? This invitation seems quite informal.”

Lin Xian chuckled, stepping back and bowing slightly in a more formal manner—a gesture he had practiced numerous times at Donghai University, especially when inviting fellow students to dance at university events. “May I have this dance, my lady?”

Amused by his ceremonious approach, Yellow Finch glanced at the moonlit sky, perhaps seeking approval from the stars. After a brief moment, she returned her gaze to him, her eyes warmer. She extended her right hand, her fingertips lightly touching Lin Xian’s palm. “Now that’s more like it.”

The music from the street’s loudspeaker softened, turning into a gentle melody that seemed to lull the city to sleep. The rhythm was perfect for a slow, four-step waltz.

They stood on the roof of an old building, bathed in moonlight rather than under the chandeliers of a grand ballroom. Lin Xian wore simple sportswear, and Yellow Finch was wrapped in a casual coat—hardly the attire for a formal dance. Yet, none of that mattered.

As they began to dance, Lin Xian reflected on his earlier thoughts about the universal nature of art—how dance and music transcended societal boundaries, creating a pure, unfiltered form of expression. Leading Yellow Finch gently under the moon, their shadows mingling with the clouds, he felt their isolated sorrows intertwining, finding solace in each other’s presence.

There was no applause, no audience, and even the music was borrowed from someone else’s celebration. But none of that diminished the moment. Yellow Finch’s smile, lighter than usual, confirmed that.

“I didn’t expect you to ever invite someone to dance,” she remarked quietly.

“It’s a first,” Lin Xian admitted with a chuckle, releasing her hand briefly to let her spin gracefully in her heels before pulling her back into the dance.

“I’m not very good at it,” he confessed.

“So, have you always been invited by ladies to dance? That’s not very gentlemanly. You should never let a lady invite you,” she teased, her eyes twinkling in the blue moonlight.

“But I invited you tonight, didn’t I?” Lin Xian retorted with a smile, stepping closer.

“Isn’t it strange to dance in such a place?” he questioned playfully.

Yellow Finch laughed softly, her laughter echoing slightly in the open air as she stepped back into his hand, completing their dance with a smooth glide. “I read somewhere that no matter how embarrassing or ridiculous something is, if someone is willing to be embarrassed with you, then it isn’t embarrassing. Similarly, no matter how bad something is, if someone is willing to be bad with you, then it’s not truly bad.”

“You always speak in riddles,” Lin Xian murmured, clearly impressed.

“But you’re a good dancer. I didn’t expect you to dance to this tune... it’s relatively new, only a few years old, yet you keep perfect time.”

“Because I watched the movie,” Yellow Finch revealed with a smile, referring to the familiar tune from “Captain America.”

“Even though I’m not a fan of superhero movies, I watched several sequels,” Lin Xian admitted, a bit surprised by her admission.

“If you don’t like them, why watch? Why torture yourself?” he asked, puzzled.

“That’s not the right way to look at it, Lin Xian,” Yellow Finch replied as they finished their last turn. The music dwindled to its final notes and stopped abruptly, signaling the end of their dance.

Yellow Finch gently released Lin Xian’s hand and took a step back. She regarded him thoughtfully, a soft smile playing on her lips. “You didn’t like Copenhagen, but you still came, didn’t you?” She adjusted her coat and smoothed down her hair, preparing to leave. “Thank you for dancing with me. I’m very happy.”

“It’s getting late. Let’s go rest. We have many places to visit tomorrow,” she suggested.

With a graceful turn, she walked towards the stairwell leading down from the rooftop. Pausing at the door, she looked back at Lin Xian. “Good night, Lin Xian... sweet dreams.” Then, she disappeared into the stairwell, leaving Lin Xian alone under the vast, starry sky.

The next morning dawned just like any other day, yet it held the promise of new explorations. Lin Xian and Yellow Finch spent the day touring various cultural spots around Copenhagen, from art galleries brimming with masterpieces to historical museums showcasing the city’s rich past. They even managed to catch a mesmerizing performance at the national opera house, where they absorbed the intricate beauty of classical music and powerful vocal performances.

As evening approached, they decided to try a local restaurant that had received rave reviews online. Lin Xian found the meal surprisingly better than the previous day’s, savoring each dish with a newfound appreciation for Danish cuisine. However, he couldn’t help but notice that Yellow Finch seemed preoccupied. She picked at her food and made several trips to the restroom. Her gaze frequently wandered to the window, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Putting down his fork, Lin Xian finally addressed the elephant in the room. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked, his tone laced with concern.

Yellow Finch seemed to snap back from her reverie, her eyes meeting his. After a moment of silence, she spoke, “I have one more place I want to see.”

This novel is translated and hosted only on BCaTranslation

“Sure,” Lin Xian responded with a shrug, assuming it was just another site on their tourist map. “Now?”

She nodded affirmatively.

Without further ado, Lin Xian wiped his mouth with a napkin and suggested, “Let’s take a cab then. There’s one right outside. By the way... which place do you want to visit?”

Considering the size of Copenhagen, Lin Xian thought they had covered most of the major attractions. He wondered if there was a spot they had overlooked.

“The Little Mermaid statue,” Yellow Finch replied, referring to the iconic sculpture they had seen the previous day on the seaside promenade.

Lin Xian raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Yeah... we saw it yesterday. Do you want to see it again?”

“Yes,” she affirmed with a gentle smile. “I mentioned it back at Andersen’s cemetery, remember? I’ve always loved the fairy tale ‘The Little Mermaid.’ So... let’s see the statue again. It’s rare to come to Copenhagen. Wouldn’t it be a pity not to take a photo?” She looked up at him, her blue eyes gleaming with a mixture of earnestness and excitement. “When we get to the Little Mermaid statue, could you take a picture for me? At least as a keepsake, to show that... I’ve been here.”

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation