Chapter 79: The Wilderness

The wind blew against his face, carrying the scent of desolation. Luo Ruian walked out from a nearly abandoned Pendragon Track, looking out at the boundless wilderness in surprise. He could not accurately identify the location of this Coordinate, nor could he even accurately identify if he was still on the same continent as before.

Red clouds churned above the wilderness, and as a gust of wind swept by, waves rose in the ocean of short grass. He looked all around; there was not a single soul in this vast expanse of land. He waited for a while, but his ears were still met only with the low, repetitive sound of the gale raging across the plains. There was an unusual dampness in the wind; he thought it must not be far from the sea.

He observed his surroundings with suspicion. He had gone to such lengths to shake off everyone following him, only to end up in a place like this. What kind of person would arrange to meet someone in a boundless wilderness? To show that no one could hide? For the sake of transparency?

Then why had this person not appeared yet? Perhaps he also understood some psychological tricks; if one really wanted to negotiate, letting the other party wait a while in a completely unfamiliar environment could strip away their sense of control and put them at a psychological disadvantage. But then again, the location was chosen by him—was he not already in the position of advantage?

Luo Ruian saw that the terrain ahead was rising slowly, so he walked upward, wanting to observe the surroundings from a relatively higher vantage point in this wilderness.

His leather shoes stepped on grass that reached his calves as he trekked upward. Although the slope was gentle, the path was longer than he had expected. He looked at the gray sky covering the wilderness; the sky over the open plains felt so close, and the vast, unchanging landscape was quite oppressive, much like his state of mind for a long time.

Gradually, he began to walk with his head down, intent on finishing this road that seemed to have no end, as if the depression in his heart could be eased by such a trek. He took the last step, reached the top of the slope, and suddenly looked up at the road ahead, unable to help but freeze.

Before him was an even wider wilderness, the terrain slowly descending, with a silver river winding toward the distance, and the distant horizon was vaguely a black ocean. But what stimulated his vision most was far from the wilderness, the river, or even the unknown ocean.

On this primitive, desolate land, in front of the river, grew the only tall tree, which had become the landmark of this land. Under this tree, about five hundred meters away from him, a black, rectangular leather sofa sat on the grass where the wind whistled. A man sat on the sofa, his posture leisurely, as if he were completely unaware that this was a wild land, as if he were sitting in front of the television in his own living room, lost in thought.

In this wilderness, anything could exist, but there should not be a human leather sofa and a man in a living room. This absurd scene made Luo Ruian freeze for a full minute. If he were not a Mind Mage, and if he had not experienced many absurd scenes and been able to grasp all of this, he would have certainly thought he had gone mad.

That man was either Luo Qi's enemy or Luo Qi's friend. He really did not know what his son had done out there to make such an enemy or befriend such a person. Regardless of whether the answer was the former or the latter, he was very dissatisfied.

The man had no intention of standing up either. Like the mountain to Muhammad, Luo Ruian had to walk over himself. The five-hundred-meter distance felt like a long walk. The man watched him with a leisurely posture the entire time. He looked very young, even unusually young by human standards. Not until Luo Ruian had walked completely near him and stopped at a reasonable social distance of about a meter in front of him did he look Luo Ruian over, smile slightly, and lazily reach out to the empty seat beside him, signaling for him to sit.

Luo Ruian was very annoyed by his arrogance. He did not intend to accept his invitation; besides, he had set out a two-seater sofa, which was not suitable for a conversation between strangers in the first place—the distance was too close. Since he could place a sofa here, if he really wanted a comfortable conversation, he could have placed a circle of large sofas here. His actions were still nothing more than trying to gain the upper hand in the negotiation.

Moreover, he recognized this young man's face. Even though three years had passed and this face had changed slightly, becoming more mature, more arrogant, and more indifferent, he could still find a familiar feeling in his features.

"Du—Zhengyi." He slowly spoke the young man's name.

"Apologies, Doctor Luo," Du Zhengyi said, as if he were truly somewhat apologetic. "I don't remember you. You know my condition at the time; when I left the hospital, I was almost still unconscious."

"I know," Luo Ruian said, nodding at him. "You looked like a good kid back then."

"If I weren't meeting you under these circumstances, I would hope to be more polite," Du Zhengyi said apologetically. "I actually owe you a favor; you saved my life back then. Although two other doctors performed rehabilitation on me later, and the results were good, if it hadn't been for you at the time, I would certainly have died. Regarding damage from Mind Magic, you are the most remarkable doctor in the world."

Du Zhengyi's expression was earnest when he said this, and Luo Ruian's expression also softened somewhat. "I am a Mind Mage and also a doctor; doing this is what I should do."

Du Zhengyi raised his eyes and carefully looked Luo Ruian over. This was the first time he had seen the doctor who saved his life while he was conscious. He was a rather tall man with a well-proportioned build, at least ten centimeters taller than Luo Qi. Du Zhengyi smiled inadvertently.

Luo Ruian looked closely into his eyes. "Are you wondering why someone like me, who is considered quite tall among mages, would have a son who is so short, actually twelve centimeters shorter than his old man?"

Du Zhengyi's expression changed instantly; vigilance and scrutiny appeared on his face.

Luo Ruian enjoyed his fear with satisfaction and smiled gently. "Luo Qi takes after his Mama. His Mama's family might be all right among humans, but they seem a bit short among mages."

Du Zhengyi did not speak, still staring at Luo Ruian.

"Rest assured, your Consciousness Barrier is frighteningly thick," Luo Ruian said with a slight smile. "But sometimes I don't need to use Telepathy to know what the other party is thinking. There are many things in human psychology research based on observation that are worth learning from."

Du Zhengyi nodded and said in a low voice, "I suppose so."

"But Luo Qi still has two years before he reaches adulthood," Luo Ruian said as if making small talk. "I still have some hope; perhaps he still has the possibility of growing a bit taller."

"I don't have as much confidence as you do," Du Zhengyi smiled, a hint of mockery on his lips. "But it wouldn't be bad if he just stayed a short-legged raccoon."