Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 99 Tianhui
Fellow countryman.

Su sat on a seven-shaped corner sofa. In front of him was a coffee table with several retro-looking tea sets on it. Klein sat down on the sofa diagonally across from Su.

"Excuse me." Klein also switched back to Chinese.

"Don't worry, visitor." Su shook his head slightly and poured Klein a cup of tea. "To you, we are just shadows of the past, and this world is just a remnant of yesterday's scenery. The past has all dissipated, and the dead no longer live. Since they no longer exist, why bother disturbing them?"

"You just mentioned the deceased? Sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean." Klein felt something was wrong the more he listened. Is this really something a dating simulator should say? Was I being tricked?

Su Duan's hand stopped at his mouth, holding the teacup. "Didn't the person who asked you to come tell you about the situation here?"

"Uh, no. He just said it's a positive, healthy, sunny, and uplifting story." Klein answered honestly.

"Story?" Su Qing took a sip, "Is that so..."

He put the teacup back on the table and said, "In that case, visitor, do you understand the purpose of your coming here?"

"I know that," Klein replied.

Klein then described the digestion and performance of the potion system. Finally, he summarized: "He said this is to help me digest and perform."

Su lowered his head and thought for a few seconds, then chuckled. "So, your friend does have a bit of a bad taste. Regarding mourning for the actor, the chronicle on the third row of the bookshelf might be helpful to you."

"Okay, thank you." Klein stood up and walked to the bookshelf and began searching.

Ignoring the books placed in the most conspicuous places: "100 Questions about the Silent Boy", "100 Questions about the Thousand Masks: From Beginner to Expertise", and "The Magic of Fairies", I directly found the "Chronicle of the Pre-Civilization".

Klein took the book, sat on the sofa, and began to read.

The book wasn't very thick, so Klein finished it quickly.

(Not water word count, specific in this paragraph comment area)

Although none of this had anything to do with him, and he wasn't about to feel deeply saddened by some data or textual descriptions, he couldn't help but sigh at how pathetic humanity truly was in the face of natural disasters or something close to them.

For a moment, he did feel as if the potion had been digested a little.

Is this an awareness of the world's sorrow? Klein tried to summarize the rules of acting.

If I can't figure it out for now, I won't think about it. Klein began to summarize the information he had just obtained.

The source material mentions that the Herrscher of Ice was torn apart by Qianjie's bare hands. The red rooms mentioned by Paduo earlier belonged to "Brother Jie," so perhaps that person was Qianjie. Therefore, the people here are from a "previous civilization." This also aligns with Su's previous self-proclaimed "shadow of the past."

Tear it apart with bare hands... Maybe he decided to stay away from the man called Qianjie in the future. After all, he is also a Herrscher now.

The Ruler of Rule has paralyzed multiple countries. I didn't know I could be this powerful. Klein pondered, so how did he do it?
"They lurk among the crowd, turning people into puppets, and infecting them to become Rulers of a Thousand. Then they disintegrate from within bit by bit." Su's voice came from the side.

Klein looked at Su and blurted out, "You can read minds!"

"That's not the case. You're just being too obvious." Su pointed at the content Klein was reading about the Ruler of Rule paralyzing several cities. "As a fellow Ruler of Ruler, it's relatively easy to guess what you're thinking about while staring blankly at this content."

"Is that so?" Klein put the book aside. Having already obtained the background information he needed, he planned to discuss it with the heroes. "Do you have the ability to see without opening your eyes?"

"Yes, I'm more accustomed to seeing the world without my eyes. This allows me to see more things that I can't see normally. For example, I can see that your spirit and body are not completely in harmony."

Klein's body suddenly tensed up and his pupils suddenly contracted.

This is his most important secret.

"Don't be nervous. If I were in the outside world, the real me might not be able to detect me." Su seemed to feel something was wrong and added, "If I haven't made any progress in these years."

"But this is paradise, a world made up of memory and cognition. After you set foot here, your cognition becomes part of this world. And you are very clear that you are not the original owner of this body, and this manifests as a slight disharmony between spirit and flesh."

"Is that so?" Klein relaxed a little. "So every Hero can actually see it?"

"Not really. I'm a fusion warrior who excels at spiritual things, so I can see things more clearly. Those who aren't so adept at this might not notice anything. At least, Padu knows nothing about your situation."

Klein completely relaxed because he didn't sense any malice from the person in front of him.

"You're still confused and haven't properly understood yourself." Seeing Klein relax, Su continued the conversation. "You may need to play a role in the 'potion,' but you should also understand yourself. While not everyone can see through their own egoistic views and preconceived notions, it's precisely because of this that you are truly you, and you won't be replaced by the 'potion.'"

A golden leaf appeared out of thin air in Su's hand: "If you really want to recognize yourself, then touch this Bodhi leaf."

Klein hesitated for half a second before reaching out and grasping the leaf.

He felt as if he was floating in endless darkness.

White dots of light flashed around him, like stars surrounding him.

He reached out and touched it, and memories flashed through his mind.

There are memories from Zhou Mingrui and memories from Klein.

They intersect and blend, weaving into the threads of memory.

So, who am I? Zhou Mingrui or Klein?

If I were Zhou Mingrui, then what was Klein? A pitiful figure I had replaced? If I were Klein, then what was Zhou Mingrui? A shadow from the past?
He began to revisit his memories: the time he spent with his parents and friends in his past life, and the time he spent with Benson, Melissa, and even his teammates in his present life. Suddenly, Klein realized something.

The past paradise is back, and today I know who I am.

No, I am neither Zhou Mingrui nor Klein. I am a completely new individual, a fusion of Zhou Mingrui and Klein.

Suddenly, everything became clear. Klein felt his body, mind, and spirit become transparent.

The darkness dissipated and the sun came out.

His spirituality increased rapidly, vigorously, and dramatically.

Klein opened his eyes again, and what he saw was the hanging lamp on the ceiling.

He sat up and a blanket slipped off him.

He was lying on the sofa and seemed to be asleep.

Klein looked around blankly, but there was no one.

"Are you awake?" A strange voice came from the side. Klein looked down in the direction of the voice. It was a little man with green hair.

"Hello, my name is Klein, and I'm Dr. Mebius' assistant." Klein introduced herself. "Have a glass of water."

A bottle of water was handed to Klein.

"Thank you. What a coincidence! My name is Klein. Our names are very similar." Klein also introduced himself and reached out to take the water glass.

"Excuse me, do you know how long I slept?" Klein took a sip of water.

"About three days," Klein replied weakly.

Klein almost spit out the water he drank. He could only stay here for a total of five days at a time, and he was about to fall asleep?
But he recovered quickly and gained a lot this time.

"It seems you've come to your senses. Now your mind and body are no longer in harmony." Su's voice suddenly appeared. "Congratulations."

Klein saw Su walk out of a door and sit down on the sofa.

“Thank you very much,” Klein said gratefully.

Suddenly, a slight stinging sensation came from the palm of his hand. Klein looked down and saw a strange pattern in the center of his palm, like a leaf with an eye in the middle.

"What is this?" Klein looked at Su.

"This is the mark of Heavenly Wisdom," Su explained to Klein. "It's mine."

"It seems that Padu didn't explain to you what the Mark is. It is a blessing and recognition from Yingjie. In the words you most want to hear, it is a 'blessing' that you can take away from here."

Klein lowered his head and looked at his right hand again. The mark gradually faded and merged into his body. "You said approval, but isn't there a test or something like that?"

"Suffering is a trial, and tranquility is also a trial. My testing of you has already begun and will continue." Su answered Klein's question, then looked down at Klein.

"Feel sorry."

Klein sighed helplessly, "I don't know why you apologize every time you see me, but since you're unwilling to explain, forget it."

This was not the first time Su had apologized to her, but whenever she asked why, Su was always reluctant to give a direct answer.

"Now that you're awake, I'll go back and tell Dr. Mebius," Klein nodded to him and turned to leave.

Watching Klein leave... though I'm not sure if it counts as a farewell. Su looked up, seemingly gazing at the chandelier on the ceiling. "Actually, I rarely come here. After all, what exists here is just a fleeting illusion of 'Heavenly Wisdom'. There's no need to interfere with the judgment of real people."

"While there are certainly things we can learn from the experiences of our predecessors, those who come after us are destined to forge their own paths." Su turned to Klein again.

"I understand." Klein looked in the direction Klein left. "Why do you want to apologize to her?"

"Because that's my heart knot."

"How could someone as insightful as you actually have such a knot in their heart?" Klein took another sip of water.

"From a rational point of view, this wasn't my fault, and I should have let it go long ago. But humans aren't completely rational creatures. Most of the time, we're dominated by our emotions. You need to understand this."

Klein nodded humbly. Su continued, "Having the ability to save someone but not doing so is also a form of karma for me. As you mentioned, your Sequence Eight is called 'Strange Doctor'. Perhaps this insight of mine will be helpful to you in the future."

Klein didn't know how to thank Su for a moment. It was just their first meeting, and he even gave him advice on how to digest the potion at Sequence Eight.

"Why are you helping me like this?" Klein asked.

"You will know it in the future, but you must remember that there is no help without reason in this world. All the gifts of fate have already been secretly marked with a price." This was Su's last words, and after that, he left as well.

　Do you remember Gornez? It's okay if you don't, because I forgot about him too. Should I just write him off or add a plot later? What do you think, readers? Do you want to read it?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)