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Why did he distort his perception like this?
Lin Ruo couldn't understand.
Lin Ruo knew himself; he had never been someone who cared much about his appearance. Although his facial features had changed from an Eastern to a Western style, which caused him some regret, this did not affect Lin Ruo's clear understanding of his own belonging.
He didn't know what meaning his actions held.
—Self-deception!
For some reason, this idiom suddenly popped into Lin Ruo's mind, making him blink his eyes in confusion:
"Am I... deceiving myself?"
He murmured almost instinctively. Even at that moment, Lin Ruo himself didn't know what he was saying.
"Am I deceiving myself... that nothing has changed?"
"I... I am still me, I am still Lin Ruo."
"I am Lin Ruo, I am not, not..."
Not what?
Lin Ruo stood there in a daze, feeling as if a name was caught in his throat, but he couldn't utter it, and his memory of it was a blank.
Not only that, Lin Ruo suddenly gritted his teeth, because his instinct told him—no!
You cannot remember it, you cannot say it!
You cannot become Him!
You are only Lin Ruo!
"I cannot forget my name, this is my anchor!" Lin Ruo almost squeezed out these words through gritted teeth. He closed his eyes, his brows furrowed in pain, and an unfamiliar sensation churned in his heart, as if something was about to awaken.
"Calm down!"
He told himself.
"Calm down, Lin Ruo."
His ability took effect, and Lin Ruo's mind instantly became incredibly calm. The unfamiliar sensation disappeared, and Lin Ruo breathed a sigh of relief.
Lin Ruo opened his eyes again, finally having time to care about the outside world, only to find that his shoulder had been grabbed at some point. Medici was looking at him with a frown, his brows still showing unscattered anxiety and worry.
Lin Ruo didn't know why he smiled, and said, "Yo, Medici, did I scare you? Do you need me to comfort you?"
"You little lunatic!" Medici irritably released his hand that had been gripping his shoulder, and retreated a few steps. Lin Ruo glanced and noticed some scorched marks on Medici's palm.
He paused, then immediately understood that this was due to the Unshadowed Crucifix.
Although the Unshadowed Crucifix would not harm people from a distance when not activated, when he held it, Medici, in his evil spirit state, would naturally be affected by direct contact.
However, the Unshadowed Crucifix, only at the Sequence 4 level, obviously could not cause any fatal damage to Medici.
"Tsk!" Lin Ruo pouted, unable to pretend he hadn't seen it. He bent down, picked up the box containing the life scepter, and threw it to Medici, saying, "The life scepter is inside, heal yourself."
Medici took the box but didn't rush to open it for self-treatment. Instead, he looked at Lin Ruo irritably and asked, "What was wrong with you just now?"
"Hmm..." Lin Ruo paused, recalling everything that had just happened. He lowered his eyes and said with a smile, "Perhaps it's similar to... the original being awakening within me?"
Medici's breathing hitched, and the next second his tone was already tinged with anger: "Don't make such jokes!"
"I'm not joking." Lin Ruo shook his head, still smiling, "I think I understand why I sealed my past memories."
Just as those at insufficient Outer God levels would be corrupted if they knew too much, just as the Celestial Worthy and God have remained undead for so many years, even causing trouble, leading to the Ancient Sun God's fall and Klein's slumber.
There was probably a similar existence within him!
Lin Ruo curved his lips. Although he thought of this terrifying matter, Lin Ruo himself felt no fear, but rather some pleasure.
He finally understood the meaning of everything he was doing now.
It was to stabilize his humanity, to suppress Him!
This Him was not the person he had seen in Roselle's memories, but another indescribable existence.
As for who that was... well, it wasn't important!
Lin Ruo, who had no intention of recalling or guessing who that was, then looked at Medici and said, "Aren't you going to continue? The story after you and I became partners."
"You—" Medici seemed to be angered. After all, such a thing had just happened, and Lin Ruo, smiling, had dropped the bomb of "the original being awakening within me." And now, after all that, he was so calm about wanting to continue listening to the story?
Is this something a normal person would do?
What is your attitude towards your own life?
"I'm not telling, I'm not in the mood!" Medici said word by word, looking at the still smiling Lin Ruo. After speaking, he leaned against the tree trunk and directly began to rest with his eyes closed, looking like he was too annoyed to bother with him.
"Ah, this..."
Lin Ruo blinked, not intending to force Medici to continue. He actually knew that his current state was somewhat abnormal.
But did that matter?
Actually, it didn't matter much!
Lin Ruo simply leaned against the tree and sat down, pulling out the previous book and beginning to read it with great interest.
So, the surroundings became quiet, with only the occasional rustling of wind through the leaves.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but it was a considerable amount, because Lin Ruo had already read half the book and the characteristics within him were on the verge of precipitating when he heard Medici say:
"Lin Ruo."
This was the first time Medici had seriously called Lin Ruo by his name since they met. The meaning behind it made the latter look at him, waiting for Medici's next words.
"I don't know what you truly are, nor do I know what you truly want to do..." Medici also looked at Lin Ruo. As he spoke, he walked step by step in front of Lin Ruo, looking down at him.
They looked at each other, and then, without warning, a hand chop landed on Lin Ruo's head.
"Ow! Pain—what are you doing?" Lin Ruo covered his head, looking at Medici with anger and confusion.
"But if you treat your life so lightly next time, see if I can wake you up!" Medici said word by word, his expression slightly terrifying.
"Who's treating their life lightly? Are you sick!" Lin Ruo cursed, but he immediately shook off his previous slightly abnormal state.
He rubbed the spot where he was hit, even wondering if a bump would swell on his head.
"Who's sick, who knows." Medici took a step back, crossed his arms, and replied sarcastically.
"Medici, you just wait for me. When I recover my strength, the first thing I'll do is beat you up." Lin Ruo, feeling that a bump really would form on his head, fiercely issued a threat.
"Heh!" Medici sneered, seemingly unconcerned.
"Hiss..." Lin Ruo then simulated the abilities of the Moon Pathway to heal himself. During the healing process, he couldn't help but think about what had happened earlier.
Crap, what is all this!
Mystical World tradition: "XX has awakened within me"?
Lin Ruo felt like cursing, but he ultimately held back, deciding to urge Klein to advance later and also increase his own Sequence.
He would not joke with his own life!
Regarding why Lin Ruo is still called Lin Ruo in the Mystical World - it's an anchor!
Lin Ruo's name is an anchor he absolutely cannot forget!
It is also the only thing his hometown left him.
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