Elden Clergyman

There was a slight sound in the air, like bubbles bursting.

Firelight emanated from his deep pupils, and lines like magma began to appear on his body. Driven by the familiar sense of incongruity, fragments buried deep in his heart began to emerge.

Turbid fog gradually spread, the surrounding space began to distort, the boundary between reality and virtuality became blurred, and chaotic, turbid, and incomprehensible whispers were heard.

At this point, even the dullest guy would realize that something is wrong.

"Hey, what's wrong with you——"

How come we're chatting and suddenly it seems like something's going to explode?

And at this moment, in the gradually distorted and collapsing world, a small hand reached out and gently held Lord's hand.

"The dungeon is finished, time to go."

The moment the two hands were held together, all the strange scenes froze.

The cold touch brought back some consciousness. After lowering his head, he saw the owner of the hand.

"Alice?"

Alice nodded and repeated.

"The dungeon is finished, we should leave."

"The dungeon... Oh, yes, the dungeon is finished."

Lord felt his mind was a little confused, and he repeated it subconsciously.

"It's all just a game, just a copy, just a simulation, right?"

"of course."

So, under Patch's horrified gaze, Alice took Lord's hand and left the Monliu Cave.

The distortions around it gradually subsided and slowly returned to their original appearance.

After leaving, before Patch could catch his breath, the blonde girl suddenly appeared in front of him again and said calmly.

"Give me the stone sword key and the crafting notes."

Because Lord will not be able to contact this person for the time being, it is better to get this limited edition item in advance.

Although he didn't know who the person in front of him was, Patch obediently handed over what she wanted. After hesitating for a while, he slowly spoke.

"Well, he..."

"He's fine, he just needs some time to adjust."

Alice looked at Patch and said calmly.

"Don't worry, I will take good care of him."

Having said that, she disappeared.

After Alice disappeared, Patch stood there for a long time, then shook his head.

"...I'm not worried."

That kind of idiot should be dead.

Chapter 5: Soul Cancel Everything

"Lord Ashes, are you tired?"

Half asleep and half awake, Lord seemed to hear a very familiar and gentle female voice.

He opened his eyes and dazedly saw the familiar figure wearing an eye mask and a gray dress.

And judging from the angle, it seems like he is lying in her arms.

But Lord didn't think any more, because he felt very tired, very tired, so tired that he was too lazy to even think.

"If you're tired, take a good rest."

She reached out and gently touched his face. The gentle touch seemed familiar.

Under the gentle touch, Lord closed his eyes, and the heavy feeling of fatigue eased, giving him the strength to speak.

"where are they?"

The gentle caressing paused, then continued, but there was no response.

But sometimes, no answer is an answer in itself.

"That's it."

Lord didn't know what he understood, and he was too lazy to think about it.

"Wouldn't it be too lonely for you to be here alone?"

"Will not."

The fire keeper raised her head and looked at the fire not far away.

There, a small, weak flame was burning, looking like it could go out at any moment.

"How could I feel lonely when you're always by my side? And..."

She turned her head and looked at the extra purple figure that was out of tune with the surrounding environment, and introduced it to Lord.

"That child got lost here not long ago. Her name is Torina. Although you agreed to come in, I guess you definitely don't remember her..."

The Fire Keeper was right, Lord really didn't remember it.

Torina......

Lord opened his eyes with great effort and vaguely saw a purple outline of a child.

It's just a little kid, why is he here...

"Because I have seen your dreams and your pain."

The voice sounded somewhat unreal, as if she herself existed.

"I know that I can't make you sleep peacefully with my strength, but at least I can help you relieve some of the pain."

The sound was a little too weak. If it were placed in the normal world, even if one were to sleep forever, only a few fragments would be heard.

But there is nothing left in this world, so even the faintest sound can be heard clearly.

But hearing clearly does not mean understanding.

What's more, even if he could understand it, Lord didn't want to think about it because thinking was too tiring.

"Then I'll give this to you..."

Although I don't understand what she is saying, since she is a child, it is always a good idea to give her a small gift.

As for what to give, Lord was too lazy to think about it, because he had given a lot of silver ears to a little girl before, and the little girl seemed to like them very much, so he habitually took out the ears.

In other words, proof of agreement.

It symbolizes protection and proof of promise.

"you......"

The purple figure seemed a little shocked.

Lord waved his hand.

"I'm so tired. I need to go to sleep."

"If you have anything to say, let's talk about it when I wake up next time."

After saying that, Lord closed his eyes.

Consciousness fell into nothingness again.

.......

"Huh? Are you awake?"

Half asleep and half awake, Lord seemed to hear a familiar cold voice.

He opened his eyes and saw a girl in front of him with long golden hair, wearing a silver-gray robe, and a pair of eyes that seemed to contain endless stars on her delicate face.

At this moment, I am holding him, sitting under the shade of a tree, with mottled light and shadow swaying gently in the breeze.

"It's Alice..."

Lord came back to his senses, and as he regained consciousness, those messy memories were buried as well.

"Why did I fall asleep?"

"I do not know."

Alice shook her head.

"I saw you clearing a dungeon, and after you finished, you said you felt a little sleepy, and fell asleep not long after."

Huh? Can Ashes get sleepy too? Is it because I've been exploring too hard these days, or is it because of the simulation?

Lord was a little confused, but soon realized another problem.

"Wait a minute, why am I in your arms?"

"The floor is too dirty." Alice said briefly, then turned her gaze to the other side: "Or, do you want to lie in her arms?"

Lord followed her gaze and saw Melina, who was also squatting on the side with a strange expression.

Feeling that the topic was a bit awkward, Lord quickly sat up and changed the subject.

"How long have I slept?"

"Not long, just about half a day."

That is not bad.

After checking his condition and talking with Melina and Alice to make sure there were no other problems, Lord took out the spirit horse whistle again and jumped on the horse.

"Okay, the break is over, it's time to get on with the journey."

On the other side, seeing Lord's decisive action, Melina was stunned for a moment and turned to look at Alice.

"he......"

Alice lowered her head and thought for a moment.

"The way he described it, he cancelled his own memory."

Huh? Can this be canceled?

Melina stood there in a daze until Lord waved his hand in front of her and she came to her senses.

"Why, are you sleepy too?"

"No."

Melina came to her senses, took the hand that Lord handed over, and sat on Torret.

But after she sat on it, and even after Torret started running, she was still a little confused.

So, what exactly is this "cancellation" that he often talks about?

How can even the memory be cancelled?

......

After 'waking up', Lord once again embarked on his journey of licking pictures.

However, the route he took this time was a bit strange, because he did not go north as marked on the map, but went all the way south, crossed the bridge, and went to another area.

As for the reason...

"Eh? At my level, I'm going to fight a demigod? Seriously?"

Yes, until now, no one has ever told Lord about Greg's true strength, which is why he is still using Alice as a reference.

Alice didn't say anything because she didn't know. Seren didn't say anything because she felt Greg's shame was common knowledge. Melina didn't say anything either because even if she simply stated Greg's experience and strength truthfully, it would feel like an insult, making her feel a little uncomfortable to say it...

And the only person who had talked about this with Lord, Kale, could not give any reasonable explanation because of his own strength. After all, to him, no matter how shameful Xiao Ge was, he was still a being with some blood of God, and it was far beyond the reach of a wandering merchant at the soldier level like him to try to scam.