Chapter 146
Chapter 146
“How long has Taoyuan existed?” Wei Sen asked instead of answering.
CC paused for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m not sure. No one knows Taoyuan’s past.”
“Not even the residents here?”
“They obey the Elder.”
That one sentence from CC said everything.
Taoyuan still hid many secrets, but as long as the Elder did not reveal them personally, no method they used would ever uncover the truth.
Xu You licked her fingers and said, “Sister Sen, don’t overthink it. Now that we’ve joined Taoyuan, getting a Merit Points bonus and Anomalous Artifact is enough. Our goal is to meet God and have our wishes granted anyway.”
After saying that, she raised her brows slightly and stared straight at Wei Sen. “Unless that isn’t your goal.”
Wei Sen did not answer.
Chen Lin picked up the conversation. “Let’s talk about what we should do after we go back. After learning all this, I don’t even know how to face them anymore.”
Lin Xiaoxue’s expression darkened as well. “I’m still having a hard time accepting it.”
CC said, “Since you’ve joined Taoyuan, you need to learn how to deal with these things on your own. If anyone finds out you know the truth, then if you’re lucky, you can escape to Taoyuan, but you’ll never be able to go back again. If you’re unlucky, you’ll be ‘executed’ by the people above before The Organization can come rescue you. So after you return today, you’d better think through the consequences before you act.”
As she spoke, CC took four pairs of sunglasses from the case she carried with her.
“This is what I said would help you see the truth. Put them on and try.”
The four of them each took a pair of sunglasses and put them on.
“Look at me first.”
Xu You said in confusion, “Nothing changed. They’re just ordinary sunglasses.”
“Then look at the people on the street.”
Wei Sen wore the sunglasses and looked at a man walking along the street. Through the lenses, she could clearly see a round green glow radiating from the position of every man’s heart.
“Is that [Heart]?”
CC said, “Mm. You can take them back and look at the men and women on the Surface, then see whether the difference between them is the same as the difference between me and those people outside.”
Wei Sen removed the sunglasses and examined them.
Perhaps she could use the System Space to bring this thing into the Eerie World. When she saw Lin Ze again, she could put them on and find out once and for all!
Lin Xiaoxue and Chen Lin fell into a long silence. They had no choice but to accept reality.
Xu You, meanwhile, took off the sunglasses and looked at the food on the table with a sigh. “Dishes aren’t dishes, people aren’t people. What in this world is even real anymore?”
“Love.” CC looked firmly at the scene on the street. “Whether on the Surface or in Taoyuan, whether in the Eerie World or the Real World, love must be real.”
“Pfft-” Xu You nearly spat out a mouthful of cola. “Then I’m done for. I don’t have love.”
CC frowned at her. “The love I’m talking about doesn’t just mean romance between men and women. The emotions you have for family, friends, or even pets-those feelings that can’t be explained yet truly exist-are all love.”
“That’s true…” Lin Xiaoxue nodded slightly, as if she had figured something out, and murmured, “Love must be real. Knowing that is enough. I think I know how to face them when I go back.”
As she spoke, Lin Xiaoxue handed the sunglasses back to CC. “Big sister, I don’t need this. Thank you.”
The others looked at Lin Xiaoxue in some surprise.
She took a deep breath, smiled, and said, “I don’t want to know these truths, and I won’t keep investigating these things after I go back. All I know is that I need to work hard to clear Instance, earn more Merit Points, meet God, and fulfill my wish. Then… return to the most ordinary, most normal, happiest days of my life!”
“Hiss-Xiaoxue, not to be rude, but you might have some misunderstanding about what ordinary, normal days are,” Xu You said, shaking her head.
Chen Lin also handed her sunglasses back and said quietly, “I feel the same as Xiaoxue. I think… the grudge between Taoyuan and Nüwa doesn’t have much to do with someone like me, who makes three thousand a month. I… just want to do my own thing.”
CC smiled faintly and took back the two pairs of sunglasses, unsurprised by their choice.
Changing the world or saving humanity-things like that were indeed far too distant for ordinary people. Not everyone was willing to hold the life script of a ‘superhero’ in their hands.
Everyone had the right to choose their own future.
And although no one said it outright, they all understood.
Whether they could survive to the very end in the Eerie World was still unknown. If they got involved in the war between Taoyuan and the Surface, their lives would become even harder to predict.
“All right. But if you want to take them with you, you can come to me anytime,” CC said.
Xu You silently tucked the sunglasses away. “These things must be worth a lot of money, right?”
CC shot her a glare. “Items from Taoyuan are forbidden from circulating outside! If you leak Taoyuan’s secrets, Taoyuan will abandon you forever. And for people like you, who already know the truth of the world, that would leave only one path-death.”
“Heh, just kidding. I’ll take them back and study them,” Xu You said with a grin.
CC shook her head, then took four more envelopes out of the case. “This reward is the same for everyone.”
Wei Sen took an envelope and opened it. Inside was still a slip of paper listing the reward item. The actual Anomalous Artifact would only be obtained once they entered the Eerie World.
[A-Rank Anomalous Artifact: Poison x1
Instructions: This Poison can kill a human or Eerie Entity without leaving any visible injury.]
The few of them looked at one another after reading the description.
“If we use it to kill someone in the Eerie World, it won’t deduct Merit Points?” Xu You asked.
“Mm.”
Lin Xiaoxue felt a lingering chill. “Thank goodness Xia Susu didn’t get this back then… Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t have made it out of the last Instance alive.”
Chen Lin nodded as well. “Exactly. Thank goodness it ended up with us. If a bad person got this kind of Anomalous Artifact, I don’t even want to imagine it…”
CC operated her Watch as she spoke. “Come on, add me as a friend.”
After they added one another, CC shared the Watch’s Anomalous Artifact Storage function with each of them in turn.
“From now on, I’ll send reward Anomalous Artifacts directly to you through the Watch. Anomalous Artifacts can only be taken out in the Eerie World. You can’t remove them from storage in the Real World, but you can view the items on the Watch.”
Wei Sen said nothing. This function was useless to her, but for the others, at least they would no longer have to carry Anomalous Artifacts around on their bodies in the Eerie World.
The System’s storage space was far more advanced than the Watch’s. The most obvious difference was that the Watch could only store Anomalous Artifacts, and they could only be retrieved in the Eerie World.
The System, however, could store anything from either world, and she could take things out whenever she wanted, wherever she was!
“All right. I’ve said everything I needed to say and given you everything I needed to give. Let’s go. I’ll show you around Taoyuan, then it’s time to send you back. If you disappear from their surveillance for too long, they’ll get suspicious.” CC stood up.
After a brief tour of Taoyuan World, the group boarded the Transit Pod they had arrived in and returned to the library.
By the time the four of them walked out of the library, it was already evening.
When the driver saw Lin Xiaoxue come out, he immediately came over and smiled with relief. “Young Miss, if the boss knew you studied at the library for this long today, he’d be delighted!”
Wei Sen looked at Lin Xiaoxue. Her expression was a little unnatural. “L-let’s go home first. You don’t need to tell Dad.”
“Of course, Young Miss.”
“Xiaoxue, get some proper rest for the next few days,” Wei Sen said.
Xu You pushed up her sunglasses and chimed in, “The college entrance exam is only a few months away. Settle yourself first and focus on the exam.”
Lin Xiaoxue nodded faintly, her gaze thoughtful as she looked at the sunglasses.
She needed some time to process everything. She definitely wouldn’t be going to the Instance World tonight.
“I’ll have the driver take you home first. We can talk about the rest on WeChat,” Lin Xiaoxue said.
…
Wei Sen and Xu You returned home together.
“Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to take a shower first,” Wei Sen said, heading toward the bathroom.
“Sister Sen!” Xu You suddenly called after her.
“What is it?”
Suspicion colored Xu You’s eyes. “Ever since CC told us the truth about men and women, there’s been one question I’ve wanted to ask you.”
Wei Sen’s expression turned serious. “Ask.”
Xu You’s gaze passed through the open bedroom door and landed on the corner of the wedding photo inside. “You knew this truth a long time ago, didn’t you? Through some method, or maybe through someone.”