CH 133

When Xiao Lan goes back to bed.

Luo sits alone in an empty and silent living room.

Outside the window is a blaze of lights that looks a little like a realistic city night scene, but it is clear to anyone that it is all just a false appearance.

Hidden beneath it are players struggling between life and death.

His eyes were cast out of the window and he seemed to be gazing out into the night.

Only if you look closely will you see that his eyes do not fall anywhere, but merely rest in a void.

In the silence, Luo slowly recalls the two first meetings he had with Xiao Lan.

At their first meeting, although he erased Xiao Lan's memories, he hid them again in a copy of Corrieff College.

Even his own scattered fragments subconsciously guarded these memories.

Perhaps, in his heart, he had secretly expected that the young man he had met only once would not forget him.

When they met later that time, he remembered his name, although he had forgotten much of it, and also subconsciously sold out to the man who saw him, so smoothly that he felt surprised himself.

Now that I think about it, it's really very interesting.

Luo also remembered that he had mentioned the word "gardener".

He was not supposed to be a player at that time, nor did he look like an unusual NPC.

A gardener is a person who is responsible for the cultivation, pruning and care of plants.

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What is it that he is cultivating? The players?

Why did he do this? And what purpose does he have?

In addition to the memories of Xiao Lan, the memories he recovered included a vague conversation.

It was in a space of darkness and emptiness.

Luo is in the darkness, and not far ahead of him is an unreadable white glow.

The light was bright and blinding, as if it could pierce through all the fog.

Luo heard his own voice, coming through a darkness deeper than darkness: "How many of them do you think don't actually want the power?"

Bai Guang's voice was cold and mechanical: "No."

Dark Shadow: "Oh, why?"

Bai Guang: "No being can resist the force, it's their instinct."

Dark Shade: "Don't you go and ask their opinion?"

Bai Guang: "They are lucky to be selected, we don't have to give them extra options."

Black Shadow: "The Advent World exists to make them stronger, not to die from needless consumption and killing."

Bai Guang's tone is unruffled: "The pressure to survive is the best motivation to become stronger."

Black Shadow: "I don't disagree with that, but I think it's possible to categorise such pressures and guide them to find the right path for them more quickly."

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Bai Guang was silent for a moment.

A moment later, its flat tone rang out again, "Been reading any more strange books lately? You're always intrigued by the superfluous information and their opinions are influencing you."

"Oh ......" Luo heard himself laugh, "We're not perfect beings either, it's interesting to see more other points of view isn't it?"

"I think the Advent world needs a bit of a change, just think of it as trying."

"For example, the difficulty of the game could be graded, with people of different strengths entering different playing fields, so that talented players could be prevented from dying prematurely by accident."

"Secondly, players could also be given more time to rest after completing a game, as the human mind can develop serious psychological problems if it is constantly strained."

......

"Well? Wanna try?" The voice of the dark shadow ended the narrative of its plans.

Its tone, although calm and literally saying try, does not in any way back off.

It's like--

it did not actually consult the other side very carefully, the

Bai Guang: "......"

Once again, Bai Guang fell silent.

Light and darkness confronted each other in such a silent manner that the space seemed to stand still in dead silence.

I don't know how long it took before the undulating voice rang out, "Don't go too far, there are limits to my tolerance."

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The dark shadow's tone took on a smirk, "I know."

After that, the light and darkness slowly begin to separate and go in different directions.

The dark figure added faintly, "By the way, I have a name, remember to call me from now on - Luo ."

Bai Guang's tone was unmistakably emotional: "The name ...... is superfluous."

The dark figure did not refute Bai Guang's words.

After all, the name really wasn't of much use, and there was no being in the world who had a need to know its name, except for the white fellow not far away.

Bai Guang, on the other hand, is clearly not interested in calling it by its name.

In its eyes, all this is superfluous.

The name, for the Black Shadow, is more like a flashy ornament indeed.

But sometimes these impracticalities can be amusing, can't they?

Especially one, exclusively for your own luxury.

That's where the recollections end.

Luo, who had watched the conversation, repeatedly recalled the emptiness of the space in which he had appeared.

It was so much like the endless darkness of the envelope connection he remembered, void, empty, as if time would not even flow.

What kind of place is this?

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For as long as he can remember, he has been in the darkness, so long that he is on the verge of forgetting his own existence.

But, if it is in a space like this.

Could it be that he hadn't actually been sealed for as long as he thought?

The corners of Luo's mouth curled up as more and more doubts arose.

In the silence of the room, his pale golden eyes glittered, appearing more dazzling than the night behind him.

He was becoming more and more interested in who he originally was, and what had happened then to make him what he was.

--

Xiao Lan spent the rest of his life training in Advent.

After all, with such a sudden increase in poverty value, it would take him time to adjust to his sudden surge in physique.

At the same time, battle power is an essential presence in order to cope with the advanced playing field that follows.

Each of the senior players Xiao Lan has encountered, whether it be Wang Ke, Qi Ning or Cheng Wenyi, has a different focus in terms of skill, but none of them is a badass in terms of combat prowess.

In the Advent world, keeping yourself in the fight is the strongest guarantee for survival.

To this end, Xiao Lan has added a lot of sparring and skill practice to his training.

These trainings are difficult to carry out in the small training ground in his room, so lately he has been spending a lot of time in the training ground in the players' quarters.

During this time, Xiao Lan would often leave early in the morning, eat at the player's restaurant, and return to her room late at night, exhausted, before falling back to sleep.

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As a result, he spends very little time with Luo, and even Luo's black-cat antics can't keep his attention.

In this way, while Xiao Lan is unaware, Luo's eyes gradually take on an air of danger.

But he was patient and kept waiting for the right opportunity.

Finally, the opportunity has come.

One day, Xiao Lan returned to her room after an intense training session.

As soon as the door opens, Xiao Lan sees Luo sitting on the sofa reading a book.

He seemed to enjoy reading and could be found reading at any time of the day, and the air smelled of black tea, the smell Xiao Lan knew best.

Today Luo looks a little different, as if he is waiting for someone.

Luo looks up and smiles when Xiao Lan enters: "Welcome back, sir."

Xiao Lan walked over to him, "You were waiting for me?"

Luo closed the book, "Sir, it's your birthday soon, any plans?"

Xiao Lan remembered that his birthday was one of these days and he had been so busy with training that he had forgotten about it.

Xiao Lan thought about it, "I don't really have any special plans, but I'd better go back to see mum for my birthday. I used to spend it with my mum, and her grave hasn't been cleaned for a while, so she should miss me."

Luo: "Why don't you leave it to me to arrange, just as an occasional break?"

Xiao Lan nodded in agreement, "Then I'll trouble you."

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--

On Xiao Lan's birthday, the two returned to the real world early.

Luo drove Xiao Lan and they headed towards the suburbs where the cemetery is located.

Luo had also asked Xiao Lan earlier if she wanted a better burial site for her mother.

Xiao Lan declined after some thought. His mother was not one to indulge in pleasure, and the cemetery was chosen by her before she died, so that in spring she could see the peach blossoms all over the mountain.

I think she would have liked it here.

Xiao Lan felt that, unless something went wrong with the cemetery, he would respect his mother's choice and did not want to give her a new, ornate but unfamiliar cemetery.

It has been a few months since this visit to the cemetery.

Just in time for spring, the hill where the cemetery is located is all covered with peach blossoms, as if in a cloud of pink, like a lost secret place on earth, very different from the last time we saw it.

In the flowering season of the peach blossom, this may be the most beautiful cemetery in the world .

Perhaps it is the peach blossoms that have made the faces of those who come and go to visit the graves here a little less sad.

When you think of your loved ones resting in such a beautiful place after their death, it makes you feel a bit lighter when you visit the grave.

Looking at the hills of peach blossoms on both sides of the road, Luo commented, "She really is a lady of good taste."

Xiao Lan smiled up, "Yeah ...... she's the best mum ever."

Perhaps Xiao Lan's mother had her son, then a young adult, in mind when she chose the grave, telling him "Don't be sad, isn't it nice to have your mother here?" I'm sorry.

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This time Xiao Lan did not choose the usual white chrysanthemums for the graveside.

He prepared lilies for his mother, which was her favourite flower.

Xiao Lan skilfully cleans up the weeds and wipes down the dusty headstones.

He did not ask Luo to help him, he cleaned the house himself, and the whole process was like a silent communication between mother and son.

Luo just stood by quietly, not bothering to come forward.

After cleaning up, Xiao Lan placed the lilies on her mother's grave.

He spoke softly to his mother about recent events, still omitting those that were dangerous and would worry her.

Finally, Xiao Lan looked at her smiling mother on the tombstone and said, "Recently, I have learned some things about my father, and there are still many doubts in them, which I will try to clarify later."

"It turned out that Dad was actually a completely different person from the way we knew him. While I can understand his reasons, I can't agree with what he's doing. Mum, what would you think of that ......"

"Don't worry, I've been doing well lately." Xiao Lan said and turned her head to point at Luo, "Mum, this is Luo, I've introduced him to you before, he's been helping me out, don't worry."

Luo walked up to the grave and gave a small nod to the woman in the photo: "I will always stay by your side, please don't worry."

--

After leaving the cemetery.

Xiao Lan expected Luo to take her out in the car, but instead Luo went straight home.

"Please wait a moment, I'll come out at dinner time." Luo said before diving into the kitchen and denying Xiao Lan access.

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Xiao Lan originally guessed that Luo wanted to make a cake and dinner.

But in the afternoon he signed for Luo's cake.

Not long ago, they received another order from the restaurant for Luo's meal, and the portion was more than enough for them.

Xiao Lan looked at the table of sumptuous dishes and couldn't help but be puzzled -

What exactly is Luo doing?

The kitchen door was closed so tightly that nothing could be seen at all and no smell came out.

Xiao Lan had no choice but to give up.

As long as they're not hiding and painting, otherwise Xiao Lan would have to keep smiling or struggle to keep smiling if he received a soulful painting for his birthday.

Once she accepted this gruesome setting, Xiao Lan felt that she would not be surprised if anything appeared when the kitchen was opened.

Finally, the kitchen door opens.

Xiao Lan is still surprised.

Luo's hands are just carrying a plate.

The plate was shallow and contained small, thin round slices in a lovely, regular shape, without any exaggerated images appearing.

However, the plate contained Xiao Lan's most familiar biscuits.

A biscuit that hasn't been seen since Mum died.

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As the kitchen door opens, the smell of butter spreads through the air. Little Xiao's biscuits are covered in chopped hazelnuts and chocolate, and judging by their colour, each bite is sure to be crispy and crunchy.

Luo handed the plate to a somewhat dumbfounded Xiao Lan: "Would you like to try it, sir, I tried to make it according to the description back then."

Xiao Lan took a piece from the plate and took a light bite -

It tasted the same as he remembered.

Luo was quietly relieved to observe the change in Xiao Lan's expression.

It seems to be the right thing to do.

Luo had never eaten Xiao Lan's mother's biscuits, but with Xiao Lan's descriptions and his barely discernible preference for them, he was able to reproduce bit by bit the exact taste that Xiao Lan remembered.

Meeting Xiao Lan's shocked look, Luo smiled, "We agreed to eat this biscuit together, didn't we?"

After all those years of going round and round, after everything has changed, the two have strangely fulfilled the pact they made back then.

Although the biscuits were not made by Xiao Lan, it was clearly better for the physical and mental health of both of them.

Xiao Lan couldn't help but say, "Luo, you really have a talent for cooking, I've only told you once and you managed to do it exactly the same!"

Luo smiles and says gently, "It's what I'm supposed to do."

Having said that, he glanced pretending to be unconcerned at the kitchen door which he had already closed by hand.

Inside lay nearly two thousand pieces of scrap material, plus the bodies of three ovens, and the twisted remains of failed creations that were already too numerous to fit in the trash.

As well as that, he was so far-sighted when he bought the super-suction cooker hood.

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Never, never let the gentleman see it.

Luo has quietly made up his mind.