On the Ark.

So what should be said to Liz so that she wouldn't be afraid, and to give her the strength to keep going?

Lin Ye pondered for a while and thought of the idiom "to quench thirst by looking at plums".

"Let me tell you something," Lin Ye said slowly, "Have you ever heard of a food called pineapple bun?"

"Pineapple bun?" Liz asked in a childish voice, her voice filled with confusion. "What's that?"

“It’s a delicious dessert,” Lin Ye said. “Just listen to me, don’t say anything.”

Liz fell silent again.

Honestly, I never imagined he'd bring up pineapple buns with Liz one day. Come to think of it, in his past life he didn't really like this dessert, thinking it was nothing special except for being cheap. But since coming here, it's become the dessert he knows best.

So Lin Ye racked his brains, drawing on all the knowledge he had about pineapple buns, and slowly explained it to Liz, like squeezing toothpaste. This was partly to make sure Liz heard it clearly, and partly to buy time. Thus, Lin Ye's deep voice echoed continuously in the narrow corridor, turning what could have been a horror movie scene into a food show.

"Sprinkle with sugar, cream... By the way, do you know these things? Ah, it doesn't matter if you don't, just know that they are delicious."

To be honest, Lin Ye wasn't sure how eloquent he was, nor did he know if Liz would fall in love with pineapple buns because of his description. Anyway, he had nothing better to do, so he decided to give it a try. However, Liz's lack of response made him feel a little guilty. If he didn't know that Liz was walking ahead of him, Lin Ye would have thought that Liz was asleep.

We've talked about pineapple buns, but we're not done yet.

Lin Ye then started talking about other desserts, such as tiramisu. However, he didn't know much about other desserts, and even after racking his brains, he couldn't talk about them for more than a few minutes. So he could only talk about other things, such as the food from his previous life. After talking about the food from his previous life, he started talking about some exotic foods.

For example, frying hibiscus until it turns golden brown would make the neighboring shopkeeper drool with envy.

At this moment, he finally received a response from Liz.

A slight swallowing sound.

Lin Ye couldn't help but think to himself, "This unlucky kid probably wants fried eggplant more than pineapple buns."

"Will I be able to eat these things after we get out?" Liz asked Lin Ye.

“Yes,” Lin Ye replied, “Of course, you can eat them all.”

Liz was tempted, but quickly hesitated: "But..."

"But what?"

“We can’t get out,” Liz whispered. “We can’t leave here without the chief’s permission.”

"Nonsense," Lin Ye couldn't help but say. "We're already here, we'll be out soon, and soon you'll be able to eat all the delicious food I just mentioned."

Liz didn't say anything more.

Lin Ye didn't know what she was thinking. He felt she wouldn't answer if he asked directly. He was already thirsty from talking about food for so long, but even so, a little selfish thought got the better of him, and he said softly, "By the way, do you remember a girl named Liz... no, a girl named Nightingale?"

"nightingale?"

“Yes, she’s a Sarkaz too,” Lin Ye said. “She’s a bit older than you, maybe ten years older. She lives on Rhodes Island, which I just mentioned.”

"I don't know her."

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t know her,” Lin Ye said. “I just wanted to tell you. Nightingale’s health is very poor. She has a serious illness, so we generally don’t allow her to go out. She’s like a bird we’ve caged, you know?”

"Um……"

Lin Ye then talked to Liz about the nightingale, a feeling that was actually quite subtle. He told Liz that the nightingale loved to eat pineapple buns, that the nightingale was always afraid when it slept alone, and that the nightingale sometimes even wore its shoes and socks inside out. Liz then replied that it was silly and that she herself was so young and still didn't know how to mix up her shoes and socks.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Lin Ye laughed. “She’s quite stupid.”

Then, his tone became low again.

"But I admire her so much. She's such a clumsy and timid person, yet she always wanted to run away and see the world. Even though her wings were broken and she was covered in wounds, she still wanted to fly out of that cage. And she always thought of others. Even though she's become like this herself, she still cares about those who are in the same boat as her. Sometimes I don't know if she's mentally old or young. Although she seems a bit confused on the surface, I think she lives more earnestly than anyone else, really."

Lin Ye didn't know how long he had been talking to himself, at least longer than the previous desserts, no, longer than all the food combined. Finally, he couldn't continue, and Liz asked softly.

"You cried?"

"No, I didn't cry." Lin Ye rubbed his eyes in the dark. "Even that unlucky child of hers doesn't cry, so what right do I, someone like her, have to cry?"

"She's amazing."

"Yes."

"Can I see her?"

Lin Ye was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't know."

Then came silence, a long silence, with their footsteps echoing in the dark passage.

Finally, they reached the end of the secret passage, in front of a wooden door, where light shone through the cracks in the door.

Lin Ye stared blankly at the wooden door.

Even though he was almost at the finish line, he felt no joy, only exhaustion.

The faint light shone on Liz's small face, allowing Lin Ye to see her unease and fear.

Lin Ye took a deep breath, stepped forward, and patted Liz on the shoulder.

"Go open the door," Lin Ye said.

“But, but…” Liz lowered her head, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes. “The leader said that we have no way to leave here.”

“Your leader is lying to you,” Lin Ye said. “Push open this door, and everything will be resolved.”

"……Really?"

"of course."

Liz stepped forward, raised her hands, and slowly placed them on the wooden door, but instead of immediately applying force, she asked in a low voice, "Will I have the courage of that sister?"

Lin Ye was stunned.

"That sister named Nightingale."

It turns out she listened to everything.

Although he felt exhausted, Lin Ye forced a smile and said to Liz, whose face was full of anxiety and panic, "Don't worry, you are a strong person just like her."

Lin Ye's words were like a shot of adrenaline. Liz pursed her lips, then turned around and slowly exerted her strength.

That frail body suddenly seemed to exert immense strength, pushing open the heavy wooden door. As the light shone on her and Lin Ye, Lin Ye wondered, "Is this finally going to end?"

Then she gently closed her eyes.

"You brat! You dare come back!" A rough male voice boomed in Lin Ye's ears.

Lin Ye was startled, then suddenly opened his eyes.

This wasn't a sanatorium, nor was it the ground. It was the dungeon plaza that was all too familiar to them, where dozens of Sarkaz warriors were gathered in the center, their terrifying faces illuminated by the firelight.

What... is going on?!

Lin Ye never expected this situation to occur.

How could this be?! Why didn't we reach the surface, but instead returned to the dungeon plaza?! Did he take the wrong path?! Impossible! He had traversed the secret passage at least twenty times, and he knew very well that the passage had no forks and could only lead straight to the surface.

So what exactly happened?! He was clearly still standing at the end of the secret passage, with the wooden door separating the passage from the ground right in front of him, so why was the exit of the passage leading to the dungeon plaza?!

Lin Ye couldn't figure it out, but he didn't have time to think about it. While he was still in a daze, a Sarkaz warrior had already walked up behind him and then chopped an axe into his back. He immediately fell to the ground, the pain almost making him faint.

Liz was also subdued by the Sarkaz warriors, who pinned her to the ground and whipped her emaciated body mercilessly.

"You think you can run? You think you can run!"

"You betrayed your people!"

They pinned these charges on Liz, who dared not resist or even cry out in pain, but simply curled up, letting her body be torn and bleeding.

what is going on……

Lying in a pool of blood, Lin Ye gritted his teeth. He knew very well that if he "died" here, everything he had done before would be in vain.

Therefore, I cannot die, I absolutely cannot die.

"Mad, don't kill him!" someone shouted to the Sarkaz warriors who had ambushed Lin Ye. "Bring the torture instruments, let's skin him alive."

The demons' conversations were already indistinct to Lin Ye's ears.

He was still desperately trying to figure out the reason when he suddenly remembered what the white-faced owl had said.

“Miss Liz’s dream is not a real world, but a figment of her imagination, so it is uncontrollable, even though the previous thirty times were very stable.”

Fantasy...uncontrollable...

"Liz of the Sarkaz has been trapped in that underground passage for so many years, unable to get out." These are Kal'tsit's words.

Trapped underground...

“The chief said we have no way to leave here.” These were Liz’s words.

I understand now, I understand everything.

At this moment, Lin Ye finally understood.

Deep down, Liz never believed she could escape this underground prison, so no matter where she went, she would always end up back there. But Liz also knew about the outside world, which is why Lin Ye was able to leave alone.

What trapped Liz was never a dungeon or Sarkaz warriors, but Liz herself.

She locked everything about herself away in the dungeon.

Lin Ye struggled to lift his head and looked at Liz, who was lying in a pool of blood, sobbing.

What should he do?! Who can tell him?!

Lin Ye felt his consciousness becoming increasingly blurred. He knew that as soon as he closed his eyes, he would be back in the sanatorium when he opened them again.

But he cannot go back, he will never go back no matter what.

Think of a way... think of a way...

"Please remember, whatever you encounter in your dream, it is Miss Liz's dream, not anyone else's."

This is the white-faced owl's final hint, but what should we do?! The white-faced owl didn't explain it clearly!

Just before he was about to lose consciousness, Lin Ye seemed to hear the words of the white-faced owl again.

What should you do if your dreams become uncontrollable?

"Then please set aside all data and plans, and trust yourself."

Forget all the data and plans...believe in yourself...

Yes, I believe in myself, so what should I do? What do I want to do?

Lin Ye slowly clenched his fist.