Chapter 1129: Weng Faluos 3.2 (175)

Not long ago.

"Huh..."

Nakesha raised his head, gazing at the dim, unclear sky.

Here, it was impossible to tell whether it was dusk or eternal night; only a faint cold light lay upon the ground, as if seeping up from below, barely illuminating this vast, boundless plain.

As his gaze slowly lowered, he saw countless figures clad in black robes and hoods.

They came from all directions, or rather, they had always been walking—silently appearing from the edge of his vision, from that gray haze where heaven and earth meet, and vanishing unknown whither.

"We're back here again."

He remembered this dream. The air was filled with silk-like cold mist, the land savage and harsh. Travelers thronged, their footprints covering the wilderness.

"Hey! Excuse me—what place is this, and where in Weng Faluos is it located?"

He called out to the person beside him, but the other's mouth emitted only a hoarse, low murmur.

The traveler muttered in a language he could not understand. Or perhaps he was simply inattentive, turning a deaf ear to Nakesha's question.

"Tell me, which Titan rules this land? How am I to find it?"

Accompanying another murmur, four blurred words slowly issued from his mouth: "Gray‑dark… hand…"

"Gray‑dark hand, Senatos?" Nakesha glanced around, giving a cold snort. "Hmph, could it be… this is the underworld?"

"Not… the underworld…"

Nakesha raised an eyebrow: "Then where is this? The outskirts of the underworld? The River of Forgetting? Are you drifting downstream, heading for the underworld?"

"Underworld… nonexistent… Titan… refuse… you… me…"

"Listen…"

Nakesha narrowed his eyes: "What?"

The traveler lifted his withered finger, then fell silent, saying nothing. He followed the fingertip with his gaze, prick up his ears. A great shadow from that direction sent waves of tide messages.

——

Violet Evergarden.

"Is this place really a dream?"

Xiu Taerke gazed upon this barren plain, watching the black‑clad figures wandering here, feeling it rather eerie.

"Perhaps the souls of the stars linger here; if we can pinpoint this location in Weng Faluos, Xia Die could bring the star here to look for it, and maybe we'll meet them."

"Indeed possible." Zan Yin also agreed with Xiu Taerke's speculation, "Think carefully—Nakesha is almost a corpse, the only thing sustaining his body is that fire seed. Now does he still have the ability to 'dream'? I guess his soul has reached someplace between the reality of Weng Faluos and the underworld, a crack in between."

Filien frowned: "But that black‑robed person said 'underworld, nonexistent'… isn't that denying that Weng Faluos has an underworld at all?"

"How did Wandi come back to life?" Zan Yin shrugged. "Of course, we cannot rule out another possibility: that Wandi's soul never truly reached the underworld; after death, his soul came to the same place where Nakesha now is, and from there he raced toward the living world until he returned to his body."

Zan Yin lifted the mug of ale before him, took a big gulp, then continued: "As for the underworld… it might merely be an imagination fabricated by the people of Weng Faluos, like the myths of some human nations that say, 'If someone dies in war, a beautiful goddess will descend from the heavens to receive their soul and convey it to the divine realm,' yet when they truly face death on the battlefield, they find only the cold emptiness of consciousness awaiting them."

"Their so‑called 'underworld' might just be this vast, barren plain; the truth is that no one in Weng Faluos can reach reincarnation—souls merely wander here aimlessly."

"What about the 'Gray‑dark hand'? Where might it be?" Filien asked.

"If Senatos can truly be slain by the golden‑born of Weng Faluos, then it is most likely still in the real world of Weng Faluos. Otherwise, how could we gather Senatos's fire seed? How could we send it to the Primordial Vortex Core so that Xia Die may complete her trial?"

——

"He heard it."

"He heard it, in the depths of the tide, after the gate of the nonexistent realm closed…… a voice, about to speak to him——"

"O child of man…… why dost thou hasten so to join the ranks of the dead?"

Se Xisi's voice suddenly emerged from the darkness, like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly clearing Nakesha's mind.

"...!"

Nakesha flung open his eyes; Aohema's blinding light made him involuntarily squint.

"Oh, you're awake. Welcome back to the mortal world." Se Xisi said nearby, "Your consciousness has faded faster than I expected… it seems the Titan's fire seed can never be compatible with a mortal body."

"How long can my consciousness remain in the mortal world?"

"As I see, at most until you have passed the fifteenth gate from now on."

Nakesha gave a cold chuckle: "Hah, fifteen days and nights…"

"What, now that it'scome to this, you've started to cling to the mortal world?"

"On the contrary. For solving a single problem, fifteen days and nights is simply too long."

Perhaps moved by Nakesha's unique arrogance, Se Xisi couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth, letting out a soft laugh: "Hah…"

Nakesha lazily turned his head to glance at it: "Don't smirk, let's go. The Senate's envoy should be arriving soon."

"May I ask one more thing: are you truly going to defy Aglaea's will?"

Nakesha retorted: "I have never been loyal to her, so what is there to betray?"

"What about your white‑haired disciple? Acting so recklessly… aren't you afraid of leading him into wrongdoing?"

When Bai E was mentioned, Nakesha's face quickly broke into a smile—rarely gentle and relaxed—so much that his eyes narrowed into a slit.

"Blind faith always exacts a price; that is also a lesson for Bai E."

"Hehe, you truly are a strict teacher."

"Of course, I have always been so."

Nakesha arrived at the appointed time at the Garden of Life, where not far off stood a figure resembling a human…… a sentient construct?

Its eyes were covered by a black metal shell, the most striking feature being the cavity in its chest, roughly the size of a head. He spotted Nakesha from afar and courteously bowed, saying:

"Long time no see, Lord Anakesagelasi."