"Please find Mud and bury him." Nikolai Tesler looked at Sean seriously. Xiao Xiao did not hesitate and nodded: "Yes. If everything is safe in Maze Island, I will take you to his tomb."
"Thank you, Sean." It seemed that Tesler really cared about this matter. He seemed to want to shake Sean's hand, but he still opened his arms and hugged Sean tightly.
Before dinner, Sean took advantage of his alone time to report to Aaliyah that he was safe through the Blood Rose Brooch: "I'm fine now, don't worry about it. I'll be back in about a week, take care of yourself." Conveying more words is in vain. Precious divine power, so the sentence is short.
After a while, a response came to Sean's ears, which was Aaliyah's voice sent back through the brooch: "Okay." Although the response was brief, Sean could hear Aaliyah's voice being hoarse and her obedient promise. There was a feeling of relief, followed by a faint sound of sobbing.
There has been no news from her for nearly two months, and all kinds of messy news came from the continent she went to. During this period, she contacted her with a rose brooch but got no reply... It seemed that she was really worried this time.
Sean felt a little distressed and didn't know how she spent this time. He secretly made up his mind to spend the next time back with his poor sister... As the host, Tesler prepared a perfect dinner for all the friends. The food was exquisite and delicious, and everyone had a great time talking.
Of course, the meat at this banquet was imported and no longer the suspicious product of that terrible processing plant.
After drinking some white wine, Arthur, who has always behaved freely and casually, once again brushed off the secretive style of the explorers and showed their biggest gain from this trip at the dinner - Clark Stella's notebook.
When everyone realized that it was a travel diary and guide about Raleye, they all held their breaths and stared straight ahead.
The travelogue about R'lyeh is nothing less than someone's detailed account of the real hell. Of course, although everyone knows that this text is rare and precious, ordinary people have no idea of seeing it - after all, even if they just read the words written in green ink, they may be trapped in their dreams that night. Entered that big city by mistake.
No matter how crazy you are, you will never allow yourself to have such an impulse. Everyone looked at the ancient notebook with awe and curiosity, and raised glasses together to congratulate Lalye for his return and the great achievement of fulfilling Stella's last wish... After the dinner, those who were still lingering behind Smoking, drinking and chatting continued in the living room.
Sean went back to his room first. He was a little tired and wanted to have a good sleep. After washing, he saw Olivia sitting facing the blue sea water.
The slender girl turned her head: "Reader, please." She lowered her head slightly, lifted her white hair, and revealed the keyhole on the delicate back of her neck.
Sean understood, took out the bronze key, carefully inserted it into the keyhole, and then turned it gently - the Seiko Girl's core flywheel would be wound up every once in a while.
The initial rotation feels very loose, and as the tail of the pendant moves through every angle, there is a continuous clicking sound, like a music box being tightened, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.
Sean's eyes fell on Olivia. The translucent seawater illuminated the petite body, and Sean could see scars like river veins on the surface of the alchemical metal that reflected the restrained light.
There is also the latest one, which runs through the left shoulder and right abdomen like a ribbon, and the healing line is like a slightly raised pale golden mountain range.
They are all traces of healing after Olivia was injured. Even though those magical metals have self-remembering and restorative properties, every restoration still leaves scars.
"Olivia, do you feel any pain?" Every time her body was shattered, she remained expressionless. Sean never had the heart to ask this question.
She raised her head, blinked, and said, "Yes.
"But pain is necessary," she added. As if noticing that the reader was silent, she turned her head, her red pupils brightening slightly, like some kind of innocent cub: "Sean, don't worry about the pain I feel.
"Olivia is very happy to be the candle bearer." Sean was still turning the key - the resistance coming from his fingertips became stronger.
档
"As I said before, when I sit quietly in the museum, I can hear the ticking in my heart."
"Tick, tick..." Olivia imitated, as if imitating a second hand.
"Maybe at that time I was just a desk clock, beating sixty times per minute. I spent my time counting it in the dark. When I counted to more than 6.2 billion, the door opened and there was a bang on the back of my neck. I opened my eyes and saw you..." She turned her head happily, as if she must look at Sean when she said this.
"I have become your candle bearer..." It seems to be describing a good dream,
"Because of being with you, I stood on the stone platform in the Night Wind Temple and became a goddess.
"I stood behind you during the initiation ceremony, watching your back, with all the people in the reading club."
“What’s the pain compared to counting ticks in the dark and wondering if my heart is rusty?
"Pain is necessary, even painful...
"It turns out that you can also be happy." She seemed to say something a bit explicit, and she turned her head away in embarrassment.
“Besides, Sean will feel sorry for me.
"The meaning of the Candle Bearer is obviously to sacrifice for the readers, but it's so ridiculous - Sean actually told me not to always be at the front, and always protected me...
"It's like buying a book but being reluctant to open it and read it." Click. The clockwork is full. He put the bronze key away safely.
"Olivia, you..." She turned her head in confusion and blinked her eyes in confusion as usual: What's wrong, reader?
"You are becoming more and more like a real person." Sean stared at her, as if he saw Aaliyah, a bunch of flowers swaying in the wind, and the most beautiful things in the world.
"No, I said it wrong-" He shook his head again,
"You are already a real person." Olivia's eyes widened in surprise, because she saw Sean approaching, and her forehead felt slightly warm.
Sean had never acted like this before. Sean... She hugged the reader. Two years ago, she never thought that she could hug someone.
That feels so good. Solid, spacious and warm, like a bird flying back to its nest. In her nest, the candle bearer closed his eyes.
Tick, tick, she could still hear the sound in her chest, but the sound was no longer cold.
Time went from endless falling sand to a gift. She was grateful for every second of this gift.
