Me! Cleaner!.

Chapter 1260 Fu No. 2

Wait... where did I get this?
Just as the old ox was at a loss because of Leon's disappearance and hesitated about whether to go to other worlds to retrieve another Leon, Leon, who had been pushed off the Ring Mountain by Frederica, had already climbed back up using his Roots power and frowned as he looked at the dilapidated lighthouse on the mountaintop.

Before I was pushed down, the lighthouse on the top of Huan Shi Mountain looked somewhat old, but its basic structure was still intact. However, the lighthouse in front of me looked as if it had been hit by a meteorite, and more than half of it had collapsed.

So if Frederica hadn't suddenly had the idea to play around with the meteorite and smash the tower during the few minutes she fell down the mountain, she would have been thrown out of her original world.

Good news, I'm still alive.

Bad news, but it seems like there's no going back.

After trying to climb back into the mountain pass and finding it impossible to return the way he came, Lyon pondered for a moment after climbing to the top of the mountain again. Then he started walking directly towards the dilapidated lighthouse on the other side of the mountain.

The Soil Sovereign and the Pure White Mother alone would certainly not be able to stop Frederica. Although her son was a born transcendent being, it was also unknown whether he could stop her. Therefore, the most important thing right now was to find a way back as soon as possible.

There are currently about three possible ways to return home. The first is naturally to find Frederica in this world and have her, who guards the Ring Mountain, send him back... but that is obviously unlikely.

The next step is to find the son in this world and have him ask around in the "sons' group" to see if anyone's father is missing and if they can find a way to rescue him. However, without the old ox's outstanding speed, by the time he runs back and comes back, the world in the present world will probably be completely dead.

So the only plausible way is to touch that broken lighthouse... Lighthouses have the function of guiding and leading the way, and since it stands on the top of the Ring Mountain, it is very likely a "beacon" for traveling between different worlds. If we can use it, we might be able to find a way back.

With high hopes, after bypassing the pass of the Ring of Time, Leon arrived at the foot of the lighthouse at the highest point. He squinted and looked up. The lighthouse, made of the same material as the mountain, seemed to have grown out of the Ring of Time itself. Its base and the almost crystallized rock strata at the top of the mountain were perfectly integrated.

The entire monument-like, multifaceted tower pierces straight into the dense brass clouds atop the mountain. As for the area above, where the lamp room should be, there are no light sources such as lenses or bulbs, but rather a nearly closed "I"-shaped slit.

Behind that strange slit, which resembled a giant eyelid, a deep, dark eye slowly and listlessly turned, casting an empty gaze down at itself.

"Zizi..."

[Name: Chu Shimu Pagoda (only, purpose)]

[Appearance: Standing at the pinnacle of time, a lighthouse used to mark different times, its matte black body seems to absorb all light, and even the most brilliant light cannot directly illuminate it.]

The seemingly broken and damaged bricks and stones gleamed with a strange, slightly oily iridescence, like the belly of a dead rainbow trout. They didn't resemble navigational structures; instead, they looked like a cold corpse exuding sorrow and warning.

[Ability: Unique in all realms, able to see the farthest reaches of the world]

[Cost: Can be used by the guardian who obtains the rune, and each time it takes for the guardian to see other worlds, it must exchange an equal amount of its own time. Current number of guardians: 1/1]

[Archived: This is a silent sentinel, watching over a world that has long since stagnated. After its guardian made its choice, the light of this tower, which once guided the way for everyone, no longer shines a scorching gaze upon the once-blazing room, leaving only a cold and broken gaze.]

[Comment: It wasn't destroyed; only half of it remains in the stagnant reality, while the other half has vanished into eternal nothingness.]

[Infiltration Value: ∞]

It wasn't destroyed?
After reading the extremely abstract description of the [Standing Tower], Leon was slightly taken aback. Then, as if he understood something, he tentatively reached out and touched the collapsed part of the tower.

Surprisingly, the seemingly destroyed tower structure has not actually disappeared. Lyon's hand can still touch the cold, hard exterior of the lighthouse, and his fingertips can even faintly feel the fine eye-shaped carvings on the stone bricks.

Seemingly startled by Leon's touch, the half of the building that had disappeared into the void "grew" back up extremely quickly. The originally dilapidated lighthouse was quickly repaired and returned to the simple but intact appearance that Leon remembered.

The dark doors on the side of the lighthouse, which were originally tightly closed, suddenly opened wide, revealing a spiral stone staircase inside the tower. Two rows of candles, suspended in mid-air, lit up the staircase step by step, illuminating the ascending stone steps as if extending a silent invitation to visitors outside.

"..."

Frederica!
Although he hadn't seen anyone inside the lighthouse, nor heard any sound, a strange premonition suddenly welled up in Leon's heart. If there were still people inside the lighthouse, then the person inviting him up the tower must undoubtedly be Frederica from this world!
So... should I accept her invitation and go up, or should I turn around and jump back into the Time Mountain before she comes down, and try going to other timelines?

"Come up."

Seemingly anticipating Lyon's hesitation, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from the top of the [Tower of Time]. The "I"-shaped slit in the lamp room slowly opened, and the hollow eyeball inside quickly became transparent and disappeared, opening slowly like a spherical window, revealing a woman resting with her eyes closed on a chair.

Frederica, sitting on the stone chair, glanced at Lyon below the spherical "window" and then extended the invitation again with a calm yet expectant expression.

"Don't worry, I won't harm you. I can even send you back to your original world... This is what you want, isn't it?"

"..."

Faced with an invitation from another Frederica, Leon remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and entered the open door of the lighthouse, climbing the spiral staircase leading upwards.

After Lyon reached the top floor and walked expressionlessly into the open lamproom, Frederica, who was leaning against the stone chair by the "window," stood up, turned around, and smiled gently:

"You actually made it up here. It seems that even though we are rivals, you still trust my credibility."

"..."

No, the reason I came up here wasn't so much because I believed you would take me back, but rather because I saw the root of your problems...

There are exactly fourteen complete sources, from man to god, from life to death, from good to evil, from earth to sky, from body to spirit... not one is missing, not one is missing, exactly fourteen.

"so……"

After verifying Frederica's aura and confirming that what he had just seen was not mistaken, Leon closed his eyes briefly and then asked in a deep voice:

"Is this a world where you have achieved final victory, killed all the remnants of the Root, and gathered all the Roots?"

"You can say that."

After nodding slightly, the other Frederica waved, and another stone chair arched up in the lamproom. Having prepared a seat for the guest, she sat on the stone chair by the window, looking at Leon with some curiosity, and said:
"And you? I've never seen an escapee like you before. You're not a descendant of the Roots, yet you possess more than one Root. What kind of world do you live in?"

"Let me tell you about yourself."

Without answering Frederica's question, after seeing the source of her "neatness," Leon coldly countered with:
What about you? What's your world like right now?

"..." Faced with Leon's question, Frederica's expectant expression faltered slightly, before she calmly replied:

"Me, the Ring Mountain, the Fourteen Roots... what you see is all that remains of my world."

"Ah."

After responding with an ambiguous tone, Leon didn't sit down on the stone chair. Instead, he gazed at Frederica, whose expression was complex, and asked directly:

"Then that's settled... Before I came up here, you said you could take me back. Does that promise still stand?"

"Yes, of course."

Looking up at the indifferent Leon across from her, the other Frederica remained silent for a moment before finally asking:

Is that all you wanted to ask?

"Otherwise what? Is there anything else to ask?"

"No?"

Looking at Leon, whose eyes seemed to shut everyone out, Frederica, sitting on the stone chair, sighed:

"Logically speaking, after you asked me what my world is like, you shouldn't be questioning why I did it, or asking if I regret it."

"Do not ask."

Leon shook his head and retorted expressionlessly:

"Your world is already like this, whether you regret it or not, what difference does it make to other people?"
And whatever your reasons or motives for making this choice, it's none of my business. All I want now is to return to my world and prevent it from becoming like yours.

Of course, if the price of sending me back is hearing your confession and confusion, hearing your explanation of your hardships and helplessness, and finding justification for what you did to make you feel a little better, then I can cooperate. But you'd better hurry, I'm in a rush.

"no need……"

Faced with Leon's answer, the other Frederica closed her eyes, then muttered with a hint of helplessness:
"I don't need any cooperation. I'm the only one left in this world, and I usually rely on the [Time Tower] to spy on other worlds for amusement. So when I see escapees coming, I can't help but want to chat with them, but you don't seem to be a good conversation partner..."

"Because we didn't have much to talk about to begin with."

Facing another Frederica who had already completed her ultimate mission, Leon had absolutely no interest in conversation and urged her expressionlessly:
"I'm leaving now. Will you see me off or not?"

"deliver……"

Seeing Leon turn to leave, the other Frederica could only shake her head, sigh softly, and then get up to follow him.

Strangely, despite her incredibly powerful aura—far stronger than Frederica, whom Leon had seen—she was unsteady on her feet and needed the support of the spiral staircase handrail to stumble down from the top of the lighthouse.

"Sorry, I don't know when I last left my seat. I haven't walked on my own for a long time, so I'm not used to it."

"Oh."

After nodding in response, Leon completely ignored the question she had deliberately thrown out at him and asked directly:

"How are you going to get me back? Should I just jump?"

"..."

It seems that in that world, my relationship with him must have been quite bad...

Looking at Leon, who stubbornly refused to respond, not even bothering to hurl insults or utter a single sarcastic remark, Frederica couldn't help but ask helplessly:

"Does your other self have a grudge against you? Actually, I sensed some aura from you that originates from the same source as mine. Could it be that you... eh?"

No...you're being way too decisive, aren't you?
Seeing Leon leap off the mountain pass without waiting for her to finish speaking, Frederica, unable to stop him, could only halt, bend down with a hesitant expression, and gently stroke the spot where Leon had last stepped, leaving a lighthouse-shaped mark with open eyes.

As she moved, the turbulent time currents beneath the Ring Mountain seemed to receive some kind of command, spreading outwards to reveal... a vast emptiness below.

"???"

Wait! Wasn't he an escapee? Where's the passage to his original world? Why is there nothing there?

Sure enough, all that talk about sending me back was a lie.

Looking at the void created by the temporal turbulence below, Leon, who had jumped halfway, clicked his tongue inwardly. Then, he extended a hand formed from the source, grabbed the nearest inner rock wall from a distance, and pulled himself over.

Having mastered all fourteen roots, Frederica's power has expanded to an unknown extent. I probably can't handle her, and even escaping in front of her would be difficult. So the best option is to leave as soon as possible.

According to the information he heard from the Lord of the Graveyard, after Frederica gathered all the Roots and completely completed her ultimate mission, she could no longer leave the current world. Therefore, if he entered any other timeline, she would be unable to catch up with him. So...

Farewell!

"and many more!"

Seeing that Leon hadn't uttered a sound after leaving the void, and had simply jumped into a time rift, Frederica seemed to realize something and became very anxious, quickly chasing after him down from the top of the Ring of Time.

But the time turbulence itself is created and destroyed at the same time. After sending Leon, who jumped in voluntarily, away, it immediately disappeared without a trace. Where can you find his shadow?
However, just when Frederica No. 2 was at a loss, a bright yellow head emerged from the void. After spitting out the cigarette in its mouth and taking a deep breath of the surrounding "air," the old yellow ox, attracted by the soul fragments, couldn't help but let out a triumphant moo.

"Moo moo moo! (Aha! It really does have the feel of Leon! I really am a genius!)"

(End of this chapter)