Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 620 The Possibility of Transforming into Lamps

Sitting around in the Zero One Agency's meeting room, Zheng Fan used his fantasy phone to turn on speakerphone to ensure everyone could hear him before starting the meeting, placing the small prototype lighthouse on the coffee table in the middle.

“This is so small,” Gao Song said.

Tao Zhi carefully examined it and said, "I can't feel any power at all; it's exactly the same as a regular model."

"What special method is needed to awaken them?" Mora was a little nervous. She couldn't help feeling uneasy about meeting the old senior. Although she didn't know why the other party wanted to see them, their current stance was, to some extent, a betrayal of Dadu, or at least a betrayal of the Lighthouse.

Although this is a problem with the lighthouse, what was this senior think?

She was already preparing how to deal with this old monster if the other party spoke rudely. She was nervous because she was afraid she wouldn't be able to win the argument and would upset everyone.

"The prototype lighthouse is indeed very mysterious," everyone exclaimed.

Doris tilted her head, looked at Zheng Fan, and didn't say anything.

"Sorry, I took the wrong one. That was just a regular toy." Zheng Fan reached out and took the small lighthouse again, then placed another one that looked exactly the same on the table.

The members of the monastery band: "..."

Mr. Music definitely did it on purpose!

Looking at the small lighthouse that still seemed to have no clue whatsoever, everyone dared not speak out or make any comments, for fear that Zheng Fan would make a second comeback.

Based on their understanding of Zheng Fan's character, this was not impossible.

"You guys really have no trust among band members, Doris, light a lamp." Zheng Fan said, skillfully turning the tables on them when he saw their "crying wolf" attitude.

Amidst the even more speechless exchange of glances from the others, Doris nodded and extended her hand, gathering a bit of the power of the Seed of Light at her fingertips before touching the small lighthouse model.

Instantly, the small amount of power of the Seed of Light given by Doris was taken away and used in reverse, unfolding a layer of mental imagery that covered the entire office, casting a somewhat pale filter over the surroundings.

Even Zheng Fan's figure was revealed on this occasion.

A humanoid light source, devoid of any gender characteristics, floated out from the coffee table: "Children..."

The prototype lighthouse was introduced with a compassionate and resonant atmospheric voice.

Then he suddenly realized that apart from the little girl named Doris, everyone else's attention was not on him at all, but on Zheng Fan, whose figure had been revealed.

"Is this what Mr. Music really looks like?" Gao Song said.

“Aside from a few distinctive features, he’s actually quite ordinary, just like a person.” Tao Zhi scrutinized Zheng Fan repeatedly.

Mora looked at Zheng Fan and then at Doris: "So it's true that Doris always said he was very handsome."

Mo Mang, who was taking care of her child behind her, glanced over and remained calm—she had already seen it on subway line zero, so why was she making such a fuss?

"Mora, you've actually been questioning my image all this time?" Zheng Fan crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Well... we've never actually seen her, we can only hear Doris's description. It's just that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so there's a filter involved..." Mora said guiltily.

I think you're secretly trying to smear the handsome music artist with ulterior motives!
Zheng squinted, trying to guess Mora's thoughts.

"I didn't describe it with any filters." Doris's attention, which had been focused on the prototype lighthouse, shifted when Mora said that.

"But you said back then that the music master was amazing and had unparalleled talent, and that you fell in love with him at first sight..." Gao Song said.

Zheng opened his mouth.

He himself wouldn't dare to admit to these words.

Seeing Zheng Fan's gaze, Xiao Yang's eyes darted around, and she stubbornly said, "That's exactly how it is."

"No, forget about the ones before, how could you even say 'love at first sight, Little Sheep'?" Zheng Fan couldn't hold back anymore. Of all the mechs, Little Sheep was the one that was most wary of him at first.

Zheng Fan suspects that, without his knowledge, Xiao Yang and her teammates are fabricating a romantic tale about Zheng Fan and herself.

"Ahem." The prototype Lighthouse cleared its throat awkwardly but politely, reminding everyone to care for elderly people living alone. Shouldn't it be the core of this meeting?
Then everyone turned their attention from Zheng to the person in question.

She picked up the pieces of her mind that had been scattered because of Zheng, but now even Mora wasn't so nervous anymore; to be precise, she couldn't find the feeling of nervousness anymore.

"Hello," Dolly greeted him, bowing her head.

"Hello." The awkward situation left even the original Lighthouse with only an embarrassed reply. It didn't feel like an ancient being returning to meet a junior; the atmosphere had become somewhat like a formal social gathering.

After a long silence, Doris finally spoke up: "Prototype... Lighthouse senior, why did you meet with us?"

“Call me Staratus, that’s my former name.” The prototype lighthouse introduced itself first, then said, “I know your story, your past in that monastery.”

The mention of the monastery caused a shift in the previously relaxed atmosphere among the attendees, making them appear somewhat serious.

No matter how they deconstruct it, no matter how they use band activities to process the pain of the past, that monastery will always be an inescapable shadow in their hearts, their biggest dark history.

“…Sigh.” After a pause, Staratus let out a long, heavy sigh. “You’ve all worked hard.”

His apology was worthless to them; he, an old senior who had only just awakened, did not deserve their respect.

Everything is too late.

That monastery stood for decades, burying countless skeletons, but what ultimately saved them was the black wood illusion and the mysterious black representative beside it.

This left it somewhat at a loss as it looked at the children, and in the end, it could only manage to utter a sentence that could hardly be called a word of comfort.

They exchanged glances, and Doris looked up again: "You don't need to feel sorry for what happened to us. We won't take our anger out on all the Lighthouses. Your deeds have shown us what the Lighthouse was originally meant to do... Besides, that nun herself couldn't represent the entire Pure White Lighthouse, and even the current 'Immortal Lighthouse' might not be able to."

It was simply a response so pure and noble that it was beyond reproach.

No matter how much the children complained about him, he would treat them with the utmost remorse.

Stratus's magnanimity was such that it wasn't a superficial matter of "whether there was a direct relationship" or "whether an apology was necessary." Otherwise, he wouldn't have voluntarily joined the Lighthouse when he could have remained aloof and stood at the pinnacle of Dadu without anyone pressuring him.

“Even if none of you were born with pure white genes, your character is impeccable, purer and more sincere than many of the lamplighters I know in the history of the capital. Even with the technology of the Seed of Light that came into existence, you would undoubtedly be capable of becoming independent lamplighters under a normal lighthouse organization,” Staratus said with admiration.

"Not at all, I have no desire to be a lamplighter," Gao Song said calmly, showing no fear in front of the senior.

"I...whatever." Mora considered it for a moment. This senior was quite easy to talk to, so it seemed there was no need to argue. As for the lamplighter, she didn't have any particular ideas from the beginning, but she was better at knowing how to speak than Gao Song.

"I don't think I'm capable of being a lamplighter, but I initially hoped to be one," Tao Zhi said rather boldly, perhaps a result of practicing crosstalk with Gao Song. His other companions were genuinely unaware of this past ambition; they were hearing about it for the first time today.

When it was Doris's turn, she remained calm, a gentle smile playing on her lips, and said, "I've always wanted to be a lamplighter. Even though there were many unpleasant things in the convent, I truly admired the power and responsibility of the lamplighters the nuns spoke of."

She resented the nuns and the convent for what they had done, and she faithfully followed the nuns' will, killing many children in similar circumstances who had suffered improper upbringing as a cold puppet of "restrained love." She didn't even know if she still had the right to do so, and this thought had almost died out when she came into contact with Zheng Fan. But for Doris, she never resisted becoming a "Lantern Angel" with great power, capable of protecting everyone.

It is correct not to have unrealistic expectations of the person associated with a particular identity or title.

However, many people initially embark on a certain path simply out of the purest and most essential yearning for that identity or title.

Doris doesn't dislike the way a lamplighter "should be".

"Then, as compensation for my belated awakening, I will help you. Whether or not you become lamplighters, you all need more strength, and I will provide you with more support in the future."

Although it cannot ignite the pure white factor, it is not difficult for Staratus to help a Seed of Light that was already at its peak complete the final step that had stalled due to Zheng Fan's intervention and the loss of the necessary conditions.

Even though the form of this Seed of Light has long been altered by Zheng Fan and has embarked on a path of unbridled growth, there is still that opportunity.

(End of this chapter)