Chapter 62: The One True Thing in This Fake World (3)

The air in the bookstore instantly froze. Not only the four people gathered there, but even the “background characters,” the groups of chatting and laughing people in the box, also froze for a moment, then almost simultaneously turned their gazes towards them—if those cold, emotionless things could be called gazes.

A chill crept down the backs of the three.

Selene couldn’t help but frown. It wasn’t because of fear, but a strange feeling that arose in her heart. It was a mix of familiarity, disgust, and numbness. The only thing she didn’t feel was fear… Like a butcher seeing the carcass of a lamb or a cow, there was no reason for fear.

She unconsciously clenched her hand, the cold, hard sensation startling her. She looked down and saw that her hand was empty… But she had clearly felt like she was holding something just then.

Was it something she originally had, something she couldn’t access because she lost her memories?

…Why did she lose her memories, anyway? According to Richter, he had entered shortly after her. Theoretically, the time they spent in this world should be the same, but why was her situation so much worse? If he’d had time to prepare, then what about Louise? She should have entered even earlier than Selene.

Did she really have some kind of amnesia setting?

While she pondered, Selene completely ignored the people in the box, who seemed ready to attack at any moment.

Her two trustworthy companions were right beside her.

Richter apologized, slightly guilty,

“Sorry, I didn’t know…”

He had also felt the change in the surroundings. He was surprised, but not truly shocked. In his mind, the core of this world in the box was undoubtedly “Jose,” the man in front of them. Whether he was the Jose who had faked his death in the real world, or the Jose who was created in the box, he undoubtedly had the ability to control this world.

His superhuman senses as a “Sage” gave him several suspicions, but he couldn’t deduce anything further due to the lack of clues… After all, blindly rushing in without knowing anything wasn’t his style. Logically, even if he wasn’t planning on seeking help, he should have spent a few more days investigating, gathering information, making preparations. But Selene hadn’t given him that opportunity, and he couldn’t just leave her alone, so he had no choice but to follow.

Sighing inwardly, Richter saw Jose shake his head.

“It’s been more than ten years. Those nobles were all executed. I don’t really care about it anymore.”

Richter could tell he wasn’t lying. Though his mood was a little down, he remained calm… But the strange things around them didn’t seem to be returning to normal. In fact, it seemed as if Jose’s words had only made things worse. A few people who were cooking stood up.

Louise, also noticing this, narrowed her eyes and explained,

“We’re all companions. We were just chatting.”

In the previous instances, the anomalies only appeared when those who didn’t belong to the caravan were present. As long as they identified themselves, things would return to normal.

But unlike before, after hearing Louise’s words, the anomalies only paused for a moment before continuing their slow, imperceptible movements, subtly encircling the four of them.

“It’s kind of like a timed event in a horror game,” Selene stroked her chin, saying something vague.

“What?” Louise was taken aback.

“What I mean is… we need to make time jump to the next stage before they can attack us one by one. After the bonfire party, everyone usually goes to sleep. They’ll go back to their tents and carriages. Didn’t that ghost say we should get some rest?” Selene explained.

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“That’s a possibility, but how do we do that?” Louise pondered, turning her gaze back to Jose. “If the key is Jose, then we just need to make him fall asleep? Would it work if I just chopped off his arm?”

Though he couldn’t hear their whispered conversation, Jose still felt a chill down his spine. He tried to comfort Richter awkwardly, his movements clumsy but gentle.

“Don’t worry about me. You’ll definitely meet more people and see more things in the future. It’s not good to be sad every time you see someone’s highs and lows… Besides, we’ve both told our stories. Shouldn’t it be your turn?”

“Us?” Louise, surprised that the topic shifted to them, hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Richter didn’t object, she nodded. “Alright then… Selene probably doesn’t have much of a story.”

To be honest, her story was far richer than hers and Richter’s, but people had a habit of forgetting things.

“Ahem, where should I start?” Louise, using her spare eye to observe the restless figures on the ground and estimating that they had about ten minutes, paused, before beginning, “Since Mr. Jose started with his birthplace, I’ll do the same.”

Then, she began to tell her story in a different language— unlike human speech, it sounded like a chant, or a song, beautiful, and melodic. It was Elvish.

Surprisingly, everyone present understood and could keep up with her storytelling. They had all, to varying degrees, learned Elvish. Some had learned it in school, some had taught themselves, and some had been taught by Louise herself.

“Everyone knows the Elven kingdom is in the west of the world, in the vast forest that covers half the Divine Construct. But as for our daily lives, our homes, our food, our customs… Most people know absolutely nothing. Those who know a little have wildly different ideas, and their claims are often contradictory.”

Jose nodded, sighing,

“I’ve heard several versions of the story. Some say you live in trees, wear clothes made of leaves, and eat only vegetarian food. Others say you live in cities like humans, except that your houses grow out of the ground. Some say you live in the sky, in a floating city like a fog fortress…”

“People who are idle and have vivid imaginations tend to make up stories to fill in the gaps in their knowledge,” Richter said, his tone rather sharp, before switching back to a softer voice. “Brother, those kinds of rumors might make Sister Louise angry.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“…It’s fine.”

Louise, slightly annoyed by Richter’s feigned naiveté, coughed lightly and continued,

“Actually, those stories aren’t entirely wrong. Elven history is much longer than human history. Over the course of our long history, we’ve had many different cultures and customs, and they’re completely unrelated… You’ve probably heard of the Flourishing Star City, right?”

Selene, who had never heard of it, and Richter, who clearly knew what she was referring to, but whose attempt to be casual was interrupted, both nodded without wasting time.

Richter had a hunch that this world in the box was “replaying” past events. Ten years ago, in the real world, when he had joined the caravan, he must have met someone—someone he talked to, someone he learned painting from, someone he shared stories with by the fire… Without considering the person’s identity, based purely on the mechanics of this world in the box, having someone retell their story would be a reasonable way to move time forward.

There were several reasons for this conclusion. For example, Jose would occasionally say things that were seemingly normal, but didn’t make sense in the context of the conversation. It was as if he were completing some necessary tasks. Also, he’d used magic on Jose several times without being noticed… This wasn’t logical. Jose was a third-tier “Seeker.” He should have noticed.

Though there were other explanations, “replaying” was the most logical one. Theoretically, in real life, that person wouldn’t have used magic on Jose, so he wouldn’t have reacted to the magic… Though he acted normally, almost like an ordinary person, Jose was clearly still very restrained.

Also, when he met Selene, he vaguely heard people in the caravan talking about “two outsiders.” But he, Selene, and Louise were considered “insiders” by those people, meaning there must be someone else who, like Jose, had joined the caravan. It was unknown why this person hadn’t appeared yet. But assuming the identity of this other person would be the most logical choice other than resorting to violence.

“Flourishing Star City is our… well, you could call it our capital. It’s an incredibly large city, much larger than the Holy City of Lanstier, the Imperial City of Mittal, and both the old and new Summit City of the dwarven empire. In fact, it’s larger than some small countries,” Louise said slowly. Her long, melodious tone and the slow pace made people sleepy, “Deep in the forest, under the giant trees, beneath countless crystal objects, through rocks and the deep green sea, Flourishing Star City is beneath our feet.”

Selene’s eyes widened slightly. Richter sensed something was wrong. Jose, however, unusually began to nod off, as if he were listening to a very long, boring lecture but had to force himself to stay awake. He nodded off like a student falling asleep in class.

“Twenty thousand years ago, the stars were above it. It was born from the dome of the previous era. It bore the spirits of that time. Under that unchanging sky, clouds and birds flew. Mountains and rivers flowed. The ancient buildings echoed day and night, their towering spires piercing the clouds…”

Jose finally succumbed to sleep, and as everything turned black and white, the world being reshaped, Louise’s voice continued,

“Different elves were born there, races born to suffer and cry out in pain—ah, those pitiful beings, those who deserve compassion are still struggling, still praising…”