Chapter 631: Te Li Er

A flash of astonishment flickered in Cha Latu's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, maintaining a calm demeanor as he watched the figure on the opposite sofa become gradually clearer.

He had a rectangular face, wore a white hairpiece, sported two tufts of slightly upturned beard at the ends, thick eyebrows, relatively large eyes, bearing a resemblance to the characters on playing cards.

Dressed in formal wear, draped in a great coat, with extremely long shoe tips, his attire was completely out of sync with the current era, like an antique from a century ago.

"Prince Su Ni Ya of the Luen Kingdom, Ge Luo Fu·Ao Gu Si Du."

Lei Ke Dun whispered the other's identity, then the radiance flowing in his eyes contracted, and the figure reflected in the starlight swiftly faded.

Lei Ke Dun withdrew his gaze, looked at Cha Latu and sighed:

"I didn't expect Mr. Cha Latu's friend to be a prince."

He paused, then added, "Next time you needn't take such a long detour from your own doorstep; it wastes time entering and exiting."

As the words fell, his body abruptly disintegrated into streams of invisible information, surging into the spirit realm and rushing outward.

Watching Lei Ke Dun's figure vanish, Cha Latu let out a light sigh: "This is somewhat like the 'Insight' of the 'White Tower' path, but to easily see through the 'Veil' I imposed, even fully deciphering a 'Seer''s extraordinary ability wouldn't suffice, unless one gains the support of a certain angel."

"His fate seems to intersect with mine little; why do I always feel uneasy?"

Muttering two sentences softly, Cha Latu rose from the sofa, and as he stepped forward, his figure quietly vanished within the room.

Soon it was noon, and Lei Ke Dun returned to Lun Na De's home.

Sitting on the living‑room sofa was a middle‑aged man with obvious Yin Ti Si lineage; his features were sharp, eyebrows tawny, and his posture on the sofa was decidedly casual.

Lei Ke Dun raised an eyebrow; a deep, faint violet hue flashed in his eyes, and the Yin Ti Si figure lounging on the sofa faded from his sight, reverting to Lun Na De with black hair, green eyes, a white shirt, black vest and black trousers.

He nodded at Lun Na De, his voice calm, "It seems you're ready; let's set off."

Heh— a long exhale, Lun Na De rose from the sofa, took two steps toward Lei Ke Dun, and casually asked, "Shall we wander the spirit realm?"

"Yes." Lei Ke Dun extended his left hand onto Lun Na De's shoulder; the two silhouettes quickly faded to transparency, vanishing silently from the living room.

In the western district, on King Avenue, a young courier riding a bicycle suddenly slowed his pace, lifted his hand to press the monocle perched over his right eye, and sighed softly:

"Pa Lie Si hasn't switched hosts; is he trying to play a psychological game with me, or does that Night Watcher's body possess something special that makes him think he can leverage the host's identity for support, thereby increasing his bargaining chips against me?"

"Bei Ke Lan De's fate has accumulated too much chaos; it will erupt soon, and things are becoming increasingly interesting."

"I am here, Cha Latu is here; if Pa Lie Si doesn't change hosts, He will still return here, then will that 'Fool' also be drawn here?"

"Perhaps I need to inherit that paranoid's relic, so my true self can slip into Bei Ke Lan De; when Pa Lie Si returns to Bei Ke Lan De brimming with harvest, I can give Him a surprise."

He curled the corner of his mouth, and the young courier pedaled again, swiftly weaving through the crowd on his bicycle.

In Te Li Er, the capital of the Yin Ti Si Republic, situated in the Plaza District on the north bank of the Sai Lun Zuo River, Lei Ke Dun and Lun Na De's silhouettes were outlined in an empty alley.

Lei Ke Dun glanced around, then walked toward the street beyond the alley, chuckling lightly:

"This is still my first time in the sunny, bustling Te Li Er; the atmosphere here is indeed different."

"You've just arrived and can already tell the atmosphere?"

Lun Na De questioned, then followed Lei Ke Dun out of the alley, curiously surveying the metropolis unlike Bei Ke Lan De.

Unlike the perpetually smog‑shrouded Bei Ke Lan De, Te Li Er enjoys fine weather, bright scenery, roses of many colors lining the streets, and a faint floral scent in the air that seems to clear inner gloom and lift spirits.

Taking a deep breath of Te Li Er's clear air, Lun Na De looked around curiously and said, "I've heard this place is a hub of culture and art—a sanctuary for painters, musicians, novelists. It does seem so, yet it doesn't appear that bustling."

Lei Ke Dun walked at an even pace, a deep blue‑purple radiance flowing in his eyes as the myriad bits of information floating around were captured and swiftly assimilated.

A moment later, he spoke as if reading a prepared promotional report: "This is the Plaza District, a town‑type area named after Emperor Luo Sai Er's Triumph Square. It boasts extensive suburban forests and is a prime wine‑producing region; its Summer Pact Wine is globally renowned, second only to Ao Er Mi Er Red Wine."

"If you want to see skyscrapers, head to Area 2 and Area 3; those are Te Li Er's art, finance, and administrative districts, where you'll find a bustle akin to Bei Ke Lan De's Hills Town district."

"Isn't this your first visit? How do you know all this information?" Lun Na De asked, turning his head at Lei Ke Dun in surprise.

At his ear, Pa Lie Si's hoarse voice echoed: "While speaking with you, He has already, through his unique reception, gathered most of this city's information; his knowledge of the city even surpasses that of most Te Li Er residents."

Lun Na De sighed to himself, "He can still do that."

Being away from Bei Ke Lan De lifted Pa Lie Si's spirits; his voice continued to echo in Lun Na De's ear, explaining, "This is a specialty of the 'Kui Mi Ren' path; upon reaching the angelic tier, they can transform themselves into information beings, naturally able to readily read and absorb surrounding information."

"Do you know why the followers of Mo Si's asceticism propose the doctrine 'All things are numbers, knowledge supreme'? In their view, the world is a product woven from countless complex, tangled pieces of information, and that 'Hidden Sage' is the embodiment of spiritual numerology, that is, knowledge itself."

Lun Na De clicked his tongue, "That sounds somewhat reasonable."

Pa Lie Si snorted disdainfully, "Each secret organization's doctrine has its own merits; otherwise, how could they attract followers?"

Having finished scanning the surrounding information, Lei Ke Dun's radiance gradually dimmed. After listening to Lun Na De and Pa Lie Si for a while, he interjected, "The 'All things are numbers, knowledge supreme' doctrine only partially interprets this world; it is neither perfect nor complete, otherwise there wouldn't be so many sequences beyond the 'Kui Mi Ren' and 'Generalist'."

He paused, then continued, "Whether it's the Orthodox Divine Church or a secret organization, their doctrines view the world from a single perspective, so the conclusions drawn are inevitably incomplete."

"Yet precisely because they are incomplete, they are safer and easier to comprehend, just as ordinary people cannot gaze directly at mythic beasts; you too cannot behold the true nature of this world."

"Why us?" Lun Na De asked instinctively.

"Because I'm not in that line," Lei Ke Dun chuckled, then quickened his pace toward Triumph Square.

Falling behind, Lun Na De muttered under his breath, "Old man."

Before he could finish, Pa Lie Si cut him off:

"I've said it before: you must reach Sequence Four and attain divinity before you're qualified to learn more; to truly understand this world, you must at least become an angel."

"Unfortunately, the 'Night' path makes even becoming a demigod difficult, let alone an angel; your competitors are far too many."

"Unless a large‑scale war breaks out, forcing the Church under pressure to mass‑train newcomers; otherwise, advancing to demigod via the Church's path would require decades of waiting."

"If there's truly no chance to ascend to 'Watchman', I could at most find a way to slay a demigod of the Spirit Sect and switch to the 'Corpse Collector' path."

Lun Na De murmured softly, then quickened his steps, catching up with Lei Ke Dun ahead.

On Triumph Square, the crowd was dense, with many out‑of‑town tourists, local merchants, pedestrians, couriers; around the square were painters engrossed in their art, wandering poets playing music on the streets, and a few constables interspersed among the people, maintaining order.

After receiving enthusiastic invitations from an unknown number of ladies and gentlemen, Lun Na De sighed, a bit uncomfortable:

"People here are truly uninhibited, unlike Bei Ke Lan De; it shouldn't be so different from Luen's atmosphere."

Lei Ke Dun glanced at the still‑disguised Lun Na De, his tone flat, saying:

"That shows your charm has been fully recognized, Mr. Wandering Poet, or, say…"

"May I, old man?" Lun Na De whispered to the old man inside him.

Pa Lie Si snorted coldly, his tone displeased, "You're becoming increasingly impolite."

Sure, but it's not necessary. This is the enthusiasm of Factoris. As long as you're not hideously ugly, someone will like you and come over to flirt. People here really enjoy physical pleasures. Of course, they're more interested in the Fereng in your pocket, and they'll happily spend a pleasant night with you.

"Grandpa knows Factoris very well." Rexton tilted his head slightly, looked at Leonard, and chuckled.

(End of chapter)