Alien Hotel.

Chapter 453 A Blind Journey
It was dark and chaotic, as if heaven and earth had not yet been separated. All around was an endless, hazy mist. The figures walking were unsteady, walking in the depths of the endless fog, completely unaware of their own location.

How long have we been walking like this? How much longer will we have to walk like this? Why did we embark on this path, and when did we begin it?
The traveler was somewhat bewildered, feeling that he had forgotten many things. He had even forgotten his own name and origins, as if he had been walking on this endless foggy path since the day he was "born," with the destination being the end of oblivion and the starting point seemingly from another life.

But suddenly a gentle breeze blew by, slightly dispersing the surrounding mist. In the cool breeze, the traveler felt a moment of clarity. He looked up and saw the thin mist drifting by, and the previously blurry path became clear. Unidentified wild grasses swayed in his field of vision, some taller than his knees.

The grassy path was gray and colorless, the sky was gray and colorless. In this chaotic world, all colors seemed to be soaked in some kind of hazy "gray", and their boundaries became blurred.

What was I supposed to do?

Oh, keep going...

The pedestrian subconsciously took a step forward, driven by a force he himself had forgotten, and continued walking.

Another figure seemed to appear in the mist, swaying unsteadily, following him forward. The figure was similar to his outline, but appeared exceptionally faint—the traveler, in a daze, paid no attention and simply walked forward a little longer.

Then the phantom silently merged into his body.

He suddenly remembered that he seemed to have done something great, something he had been planning for a long time, something that could almost be considered a matter of saving the world.

What about that major event? Did it succeed? Or did it fail?
He suddenly felt a little bewildered and hesitated to move forward, but then a gentle breeze blew by, further dispersing the surrounding fog.

He saw that the area on both sides of the grassy path had expanded, the fog had dissipated further, and the whole world had become clearer. In the distance, there seemed to be an endless gray wilderness, but at the end of the wilderness, there seemed to be the shadow of some kind of man-made object standing.

He felt himself taking another step, walking forward aimlessly.

Is it going to rain?

The traveler was puzzled. He looked up but saw no sign of rain. He wondered why he had suddenly thought of rain. After thinking it over, he realized it might be because he had lived in a place where it always rained for a long time...

Unbeknownst to him, another illusory shadow emerged from beside the path, quietly merging with him as he walked.

He recalled more things.

His plan seemed to have failed, at least... it didn't go as he had hoped, but at the same time he felt a strange sense of relief, as if the big event had finally been resolved peacefully, and someone else had stepped in and helped him a great deal.

I should have thanked them, but it seems I didn't have the chance.

The traveler continued on his way, and after walking for a while, he saw a large bonfire.

The bonfire roared, its light shining through the thin mist and wild grass. Around the large bonfire, there were many magnificent and exquisite stone pillars. Upon closer inspection, there were twelve pillars in total, each with a knight in full armor carved on its surface. Above the bonfire was an arched dome, simple and solemn, exuding a certain dignified and majestic atmosphere.

Who built this?

The travelers unconsciously walked over and came to the huge dome, where they sat down to rest by the campfire.

He thought this must be a place like an altar, and the people who built the stone pillars and vaults clearly regarded the fire as something sacred and solemn to worship and revere.

Another shadow emerged from nearby, merging with him in the flickering firelight.

The passerby paused for a moment, staring at the firelight before him, then seemed to suddenly remember something.

He reached into his pocket and touched something cold and icy.

When he took it out, he found that it was a small crystal seed—actually just a crystal clear, irregularly shaped stone, but for some reason, he knew it was a seed.

He stared blankly at the seed for a long time, then seemed to suddenly understand something, and a smile appeared on his face: "Oh, you're still here."

The seeds shimmered faintly in the firelight, silent as if communicating with the traveler.

The passersby seemed to "understand" the meaning of this seed—because for a long time, they had been of one mind.

"In that case, come with me." The traveler smiled and nodded, rising from the campfire and looking up into the distance.

The firelight conveyed to him memories and information about this wilderness—

Those who find refuge can rest by the large bonfire called "Hope," fueled by "Suffering." By the fire, travelers can unload their burdens and continue their journey into the wilderness. Further on lies the path called "No Return," hidden deep in the tall grass, visible only to the chosen ones and the knights who guard the fire. Beyond that, there is a great cathedral of refuge, which serves no one but shelters travelers from the wind and rain in the wilderness. The traveler turns back to look at the bonfire and finds that the flames seem even brighter than before. The warmth emanating from the fire nourishes his spirit, as if urging him to continue on his journey.

He nodded and continued walking forward with the tiny seed in his hand.

……

Eileen sat cross-legged on the coffee table, her hands supporting her knees, swaying back and forth aimlessly like a roly-poly toy.

The small, grayish-white "stone ball" floated just a few centimeters in front of her, swaying slowly from side to side as she moved.

After a while, the stone ball started to "spin" again, while also "revolving" around the little doll's head.

“I still think this ball is a bit ugly,” Eileen suddenly looked up at Yu Sheng, who was typing on his phone. “Can I paint it pink?”

“You can paint whatever color you like,” Yu Sheng said casually, “if you think it looks good to have a pink Omen Yusei Youth Edition circling around you all day long.”

The little doll imagined the scene for a moment, then immediately broke into a groan: "Ugh—it feels kind of disgusting..."

Then she turned to Hu Li beside her and said, "Hey, silly fox, your hometown is also into cultivation, what do you do if your magic weapons aren't pretty?"

"If it doesn't look good, it won't sell," Hu Li said casually.

"...Asking you is pointless."

Eileen pouted, then suddenly stood up, reached out and grabbed the stone ball that was floating around beside her. The two of them held it in their hands, examining it closely, and muttered to themselves, "What use do you think this thing is... It's hard as a rock, but we can't just throw it at people, can we? Sigh, it used to be able to talk, but now it can't even speak."

Yu Sheng didn't even look up: "We already have enough trouble with you, who keeps nagging. I think it's good that this one can't talk."

Eileen thought for a moment, then casually threw the Ominous Star (Youth Version) at Yu Sheng. However, the latter didn't even look at it and simply raised his hand to stop it, then threw it back to her along the same path.

“Looks like throwing it at people isn’t very effective,” Eileen said angrily, catching the stone ball and placing it next to her head to continue its orbit. Then, she looked curiously at Yu Sheng, who was holding his phone, and finally couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing? You’ve been busy there since just now.”

“I was just messaging Baili Qing about the ‘Star Spectrum’ incident. I told her about the progress of the resolution, and she asked me when I was moving back. I told her I would have to stay here for a few more days to handle the aftermath,” Yu Sheng finally looked up at Eileen. “And now I’m chatting with Little Red Riding Hood. She finished her college entrance exam and is looking for people to chat with. She seems to be very free.”

Eileen was poking at the ominous wandering star that was circling past her eyes when she heard Yu Sheng's words and her eyes lit up immediately: "Hey? Little Red Riding Hood finished her college entrance exam? How did it go?"

“I didn’t ask, but judging from her condition, she should be doing well,” Yu Sheng said casually. “After all, she studies diligently, unlike those with long hair who just drift through life.”

"Be careful, the long-haired girl might climb out of the basement soon. She's always appearing and disappearing like a ghost..."

"I said the same thing to her face. She's about to be a senior in high school, and she can't even write an 800-word essay. She even expects me to write it for her. She gets nine out of ten multiple-choice math questions wrong, and she has to ask Bai Xue, a freshman, for help with the parts she doesn't understand. All she thinks about is going out and having fun during the holidays. There's no need for her to wreak havoc in this big valley..."

Yu Sheng couldn't help but ramble on about the leader of the problem children in the valley, which made the carefree Eileen laugh. Hu Li, who was sitting next to Eileen, looked up and stared at the ominous star that was orbiting next to the little doll's head. No one knew what the nine-tailed fox was thinking, but she suddenly reached out and grabbed the stone ball from mid-air.

"Ah, you silly fox, what are you doing..."

Eileen was startled. She had only spoken halfway when she saw Huli reach into its tail with its other hand, pull out a few walnuts, place them on the table, and then grab the Ominous Wanderer and smash them down on the walnuts.

A few snaps, quick and clean.

"Hey," Hu Li beamed, looking up at Yu Sheng, "My benefactor! This thing works really well for cracking walnuts!"

Yu Sheng was dumbfounded: "...You used the Nightmare Star to crack walnuts?!"

Hu Li didn't feel anything was wrong. He took out a few more walnuts from his tail, cracked them all, and then casually put the Ominous Wanderer back into its orbit next to Eileen's head. He then picked out a few of the best walnut kernels and brought them to Yu Sheng: "My benefactor, have some walnuts."

Eileen only belatedly realized what was happening and quickly grabbed the stone ball, holding it in front of her for a careful examination. As she examined it, she muttered to herself, "No, it's ugly, but it's still a 'magic weapon'... huh?"

She tilted her head in confusion.

She wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but she felt like this ugly stone ball had just... opened its mouth a little?
(End of this chapter)