Chapter 186#
The Price 09#
After meeting the Little Master at the center of the arcade, they left the building side by side.
On the way back, they passed through a stretch of collapsed ruins. It was said that the previous Lord of the Temple and Knight Commander had fallen out to the point of blows, and the temple hall was damaged during that time. The damage was so thorough that it hadn’t been fully repaired even now.
Yet, bound by the rules of the Temple, even with their relationship deteriorated to such an extent, they still spent long years together within the Temple. After the previous Lord passed away, the Temple erected a new obelisk, and the Knight Commander guarded his tomb for life.
After both died one after another, the Evernight Flowers bloomed and withered many times before the Temple finally had a new Knight Commander and welcomed the young Little Master.
The elder Temple Handmaiden once mentioned an old tale, saying that the relationship between the Lords of the Temple and the Knight Commanders across generations would always tend toward extremes.
Those with a bad relationship would glare at each other as if swords were crossed, seemingly harboring a hatred deeper than life and death, which would only dissolve upon death.
Those with a good relationship were often lifelong best friends, never exchanging a single quarrel throughout their lives.
In the end, she sighed about this: Perhaps it was because time stretched too long, and the Temple was too vast.
Memories flickered past like floating light and fleeting shadows. Yu Feichen’s peripheral vision caught sight of his priceless sword, then turned to the Little Master walking into the Evernight Flower grove.
They should belong to the latter, he thought.
Even in the dim environment unique to resonance, the Evernight Flower buds had already shown a pure white base color, ready to bloom.
The faint, ethereal scent of the Evernight Flowers had begun to permeate the air.
“The Sabbath is approaching,” the Little Master said.
When the vast ocean of knowledge had been learned to its end, it was time for him to preside over the “Sabbath” grand ceremony.
Only after the “Sabbath” concluded successfully would it prove that he had mastered the power of the world’s source. At that time, the true authority of the Temple would be in his hands, and he would receive a title more formal than “Little Master.”
With no one else around, a trace of worry appropriate for his age finally appeared in the Little Master’s silent green eyes.
Yu Feichen organized his language for a few seconds.
Before he could think of comforting or encouraging words, he saw the young man reach out and curiously touch an Evernight Flower bud. That trace of worry had long since vanished.
He looked at Yu Feichen and said, “Where shall we go?”
The youth’s voice was clear and elegant, light and soft in texture, like Evernight Flowers swaying gently in the wind. It was the pace of someone who had been pampered all his life, used to having others listen to whatever he said. As for that bit of unease, not even a shadow of it remained.
So it was just a polite show of concern. What he cared about most was still what to do after class.
Yu Feichen asked, “Where do you want to go?”
The Little Master thought for a moment where he stood, then looked down the mountain.
With the Sabbath approaching, the Holy City was filled with guests from various kingdoms, bringing many activities and spectacles that wouldn’t usually appear.
As if reaching some silent agreement, after leaving the Evernight Flower grove, they returned to the hall where they usually lived.
Regarding what the Little Master did after finishing his daily classes, the old priest had observed for a while. His conclusion was that the Little Master was very quiet and undemanding—either reading in the hall, reviewing the day’s scriptures, or resting obediently. The Knight Commander, too, was very diligent, protecting the Little Master closely and even supervising his studies.
Once he confirmed this, the old priest rarely came to inspect. He trusted both the Little Master and the Knight Commander. Every time he saw the two return to their living quarters, he would rest easy and immerse himself in temple affairs and scripture compilation.
In the living hall, the Temple Handmaiden brought out a cloak for going out. Like a quiet doll allowing herself to be dressed, the Little Master slightly lifted his chin to Yu Feichen’s movements, making it easier for him to fasten the cloak’s strings.
Just as they were about to leave, the Little Master raised his face and said a sentence to Yu Feichen, who had changed into casual clothes.
“Er said you have no money.”
Yu Feichen: “.”
Knight Er, standing guard at the door, rolled his eyes, pretending nothing had happened.
Yu Feichen thought for a moment.
“I still have some,” he said slowly.
Then, he took out from his pocket…
A copper coin.
The copper coin was placed into the Little Master’s hand.
“Hold it,” he said. “Don’t lose it.”
The Little Master didn’t understand his intention but accepted the copper coin anyway. With a calm gait, he followed Yu Feichen down the mountain path.
After walking a distance, Yu Feichen heard the whispered conversation between Knight One and Knight Two.
“No money? What can you do downhill with no money?”
“I heard there are many gambling dens in the Holy City lately. Maybe they bring out one copper coin and bring back a silver one.”
“? The Temple forbids gambling.”
“What are you saying,” the Temple Handmaiden said leisurely. “The Knight Commander is clearly taking the Little Master personally to experience the hardship of earning money.”
“You’re right.”
“Learned something.”
This resonance lasted especially long, Yu Feichen thought.
In the real world, he couldn’t remember the things in the mist. Here, everything from the real world also seemed veiled by a layer of fog.
Both felt like dreams, only the forms remained, and he couldn’t remember who he was.
In the Holy City, the sky hung low. Under the gloomy sky, streets with indistinct faces shuttled about, filled with the sound of horse hooves and laughter.
Time passed in floating light and fleeting shadows. The Little Master then arrived at the Entertainment District.
The Sovereign Chess hadn’t officially begun yet; it was in the initial selection phase, with martial contests happening in every arena. It seemed to have already started.
The golden-haired youth’s gaze fixed on a warrior who walked into the arena carrying a sword on his back.
He first looked at the warrior and his sword, then at the Knight Commander and his sword, blinking. It was unclear whether he was comparing the people or the swords.
In any case, he was clearly very interested in the arena.
The Temple forbade gambling, but considering the two of them only had that one copper coin with almost no purchasing power, Yu Feichen brought the Little Master into this gambling den.
One copper coin could be exchanged for the smallest red-and-white chip.
After entering, they found an inconspicuous seat. The croupier brought over a black and a white betting tube.
Soon, two people took the field to face off. One wielded an axe, the other a sword. Yu Feichen tossed the chip to the Little Master and said, “You choose.”
At this moment, the Temple’s Little Master was lounging in his seat with a languid air. Having dealt with chaotic and disorderly forces all day, he should have been tired.
He took the chip, carefully watched the two in the arena, then shook his head, extending the chip toward Yu Feichen and saying frankly, “I can’t choose. You choose.”
Since he still let him choose, today probably wouldn’t end with them losing their last copper coin. Yu Feichen leaned over to take back the chip from the Little Master’s hand.
Then the young man lazily half-closed his eyelids again, his pale green eyes tinged with a faint golden hue, like cat’s eye stones.
But he heard him mutter softly, “Neither of them seems like they could beat you, though.”
From his tone, he was already disdainful of the contestants in the arena.
Actually, being able to win would be strange. But Yu Feichen said nothing, waiting for the person to see for himself.
Then he heard a few rustles of clothing—perhaps feeling the seat uncomfortable, the Little Master leaned closer to him.
The golden curls brushed Yu Feichen’s shoulder. The croupier began the countdown; the time for placing bets had arrived.
Only then did Yu Feichen shift his gaze to take a serious look at the two contestants in the arena, seeming to toss the chip without any deliberation.
The mist surged. Under the dim, ambiguous candlelight unique to gambling dens, the red-and-white chip was swallowed by a black demon’s mouth.
Like waking from a long dream, past events vanished in an instant, and he was once again in the underground casino of the City of Mist.
The fight in the arena had already begun, but he didn’t watch.
Taking advantage of the lingering impression, Yu Feichen tried his best to recall the events in the mist.
This time it was a bit clearer than before; he vaguely felt like he had encountered a small money-eating monster.
Yu Feichen: “?”
What would such a thing look like?
Almost instinctively, Yu Feichen glanced toward Amphitrite.
—Like the kind that floors a place with Glacial Ice Stone?
Another day he should ask Amphitrite what exactly made her decide to pave Sunset Square with Glacial Ice Stone.
The disorienting feeling between reality and illusion quickly dissipated. The underground gambling den’s battle continued.
The soldiers’ fight was nearing its end. Although this tier had a large base, many died during the initial rounds of betting.
The black soldiers finished, and it was the black knights’ turn. Knights’ combat power was indeed higher than soldiers’. Seven knights entered the arena in turn and defeated over forty white soldiers on the opposing side.
Next, the white knights also began to enter.
“White Knight 523, Black Knight 437, please enter.”
There was a slight stir in the VIP seating. The Goddess of Fate turned over the base of her piece and confirmed her number—she was White Knight 523.
After confirming the number, she silently removed the heavy, obstructive dark green cloak, revealing a loose white long dress underneath.
The gauze white dress was especially flowing but also made her look exceptionally fragile, as if she would dissipate with a gust of wind.
Sheena leaned against the back of the chair, already looking like she was having a heart attack.
“You… don’t die,” she said.
Agar spoke up: “Remember not to land headfirst when you fall.”
One Black Raincoat said: “If you can roll when you fall, do a roll. Remember, remember.”
“There’s nothing else you can do…”
Even Amphitrite glanced in this direction.
The Goddess of Fate pressed her lips together, gave a low “Mm,” and stood to walk toward the arena.
Before, Fate was wrapped entirely in a cloak, so her condition was hard to gauge. Now that she had removed it, she looked utterly fragile and weak. Yu Feichen frowned slightly.
Ignoring the ability to see destiny lines left and right, the Goddess of Fate must have had some incurable problem. She was extremely weak.
The arena prohibited any special tools except cold weapons. Her crystal ball was useless; she could only rely on her physical strength. But her body was truly as fragile as paper.
The two fighters’ IDs had already appeared in the arena. The Goddess of Fate was “Claw Crane,” and the other was named “I’m the Best at Lying Low.”
The name seemed a bit familiar.
Thinking about it, the ugly “Rabbit Man” alias seemed to be what this person had first suggested.
A dagger slowly materialized in Yu Feichen’s hand. The Goddess of Fate was in great danger now. Fortunately, her opponent was quite cowardly. He needed to subtly threaten him so he wouldn’t go for the kill at the end.
“I’m the Best at Lying Low” had just left his seat and was walking toward the arena. Although the destination was the fighting pit, he couldn’t help sizing up his opponent for this match.
That was someone coming out of the VIP seating, Rabbit Man’s comrade… White hair, white clothes, the appearance of a young girl, expressionless—clearly a ruthless character. He had spent his life lying low, clinging to his little life. Would he lose it here?
Just as he was thinking this, he felt a very threatening gaze fall upon him.
With a jolt, “I’m the Best at Lying Low” looked toward Yu Feichen.
The rabbit was still that rabbit, and the person was still that person. His fate with this person was truly entangled—first witnessing him kill several people in the blink of an eye, then seeing him blow up an entire department store building, and finally catching a glimpse of him and his accomplices burning down the circus.
Now this person was looking at him. What did that mean?
He sized up Yu Feichen, and their eyes met.
“I’m the Best at Lying Low” saw Yu Feichen looking straight at him while slowly raising his hand, the dagger sinking into the table.
A textbook threatening gesture. He couldn’t help but shiver, thinking, Is this guy hinting that “if you win, I’ll chop you up”?
But even with just a little thought, he knew he couldn’t possibly beat his comrade.
Could there be internal strife between them, and Rabbit Man was hinting for him to take her out?
As he thought this, he had already walked into the arena. After the dagger was planted, that cold, threatening gaze had moved away. Yet, he still hadn’t grasped the meaning of the gesture.
“I’m the Best at Lying Low” stood in the arena, facing that seemingly world-weary and terrifying young girl. He felt both anxious and irritated, even wanting to scratch his head and ears in frustration.
What do you want me to do exactly?!
Boss, give me a clear sign!!!