As expected, after hearing Zong Jiu's words, the little devil pouted angrily.
"Who wants to see that scumbag's memory!"
Magician raised a brow. "But you can't deny that he is the future you."
Just as they were conversing, the nun who had settled the trainees hurried back to report.
"Your Holiness, we have followed your instructions and placed charcoal basins in every room. The doors and windows have been closed."
The little devil nodded. "Thank you for your hard work. Everyone should rest early."
As he spoke, he turned to the white-haired youth and extended his hand. "Let's go. Big Brother's room is just beside mine. Sleep early and wake up early."
Zong Jiu was surprised but did not say much as he followed the youth's lead.
The child's hand was warm as Magician's slender fingers wrapped around the ruby ring he wore. He did not have the coldness of an adult who did not resemble a human. Instead, he was like a warm little stove.
"Speaking of which …"
The white-haired youth dragged his tone, his voice carried a hint of casual inquiry. "I'm really curious. What exactly did you go through to become like this when you grow up?"
This question left Zong Jiu perplexed.
Even if Zong Jiu could see the relationship between the little devil and No. 1, he would still find it surreal sometimes, let alone other people who couldn't see it.
The six-year-old devil's personality was like a little angel. Although he had the cunning of a child, he was still very cute. He would even take the initiative to care for others and arrange everything neatly.
The adult devil's personality was bad. Not only was he temperamental and unpredictable, but he also liked to watch others struggle in the mud. He took pleasure in others' pain and was filled with malice.
Generally speaking, when a person's personality changed greatly, it was usually due to something that happened between childhood and adulthood.
Many children were mischievous and lively when they were young, but they could experience family upheavals, school bullying, social upheavals … There were many other reasons that caused their personality to change drastically in the future.
Looking at the devil's appearance, it was obvious that he had gone astray during his growth. The astray was the kind that could not be saved.
Zong Jiu guessed that something might have happened to the original world of No.1, which was the Super S Level Instance Dungeon. Not only did it allow the demon to become a monster, but it also gave him the ability to control puppet threads and shuttle through shadows. After all, the special abilities in the infinite loop ultimately came from the dungeon. Since the original world of the No.1 dungeon was a super S-rank dungeon, the abilities obtained from the dungeon would naturally be heaven-defying. Thinking about it this way made perfect sense.
The boy walking beside him paused.
The two of them walked to the corner of the church corridor.
There was a clear distinction between light and darkness. Lights were burning on the walls behind and in front of him, and the flickering light cut through the rows of iron bars on the stairs. The light and darkness intertwined and reflected on the little devil's angular face, making it difficult to see clearly.
For a moment, the little boy's side profile looked a little lonely.
It wasn't because he was sad. It seemed to be because of some future memory that existed in the six-year-old personality.
"Brother, do you want to know?"
He turned his face over. His soft black hair stuck to his cheeks, and the ahoge on top of his head stood up, revealing his usual smile.
"Yes," Zong Jiu answered readily.
It would be a waste not to take free information. While the little devil was easy to trick, he would do something first. Once the Great Devil returned, there wouldn't be a second chance.
"Okay."
The little devil smiled faintly. "If you want to know, I'll tell you. But not today."
"If the adult me finds out, it would be terrible."
He stuck out his tongue in embarrassment. "Who asked me to like my brother so much? Even if he finds out, he won't pick me up and spank me."
Magician chuckled softly.
It was hilarious to see the little devil ridiculing the Great Devil.
The adult demon was indeed detestable. Magician didn't even like him when he was young. He was a failure as a human being.
The two of them walked up the spiral staircase to the top of the church.
The top floor was the Pope's room.
The long corridor was covered with a deep red carpet. The edges were hand-woven with golden threads that wrapped around the tassels.
The lights on the walls were dim, illuminating the grayish-white granite walls.
Zong Jiu pushed open the heavy wooden door and walked in with the little devil.
The room was spacious, and there was a dazzling array of art inside.
There were carvings, oil paintings, and exquisite ornaments made of pure gold. The bed in the middle was stuffed with comfortable feathers that were unbelievably soft. A curtain fell from the highest point of the room like a skirt and surrounded the bed. It was as if a woman had taken off her veil.
Zong Jiu took out his Holy Sword of Physics, squatted down, and reached into the fireplace. He picked up the red-hot firewood below and watched the flames rise up. Only then did he let go of his hand.
The first time he took it out to use it, the Holy Sword of Physics that was used as a poker flew back to his earlobe.
"Go to sleep, I'm leaving."
After sending the little devil off, Zong Jiu put his hands into his pockets casually. He ignored the little devil's pleading and hopeful expression and turned to leave without hesitation.
"But brother, it's raining outside, and there's thunder. I'm so scared."
He had only taken a few steps when the little devil's muffled voice came from behind.
"How about this, I'll show you a magic trick."
Magician turned around, his nimble fingers dancing in the air. A toy rabbit the length of a forearm appeared out of nowhere and stuffed it into the little boy's arms. He patted the little boy's shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile.
"Good boy, hug it if you can't sleep. You'll fall asleep soon.
"You'll grow up eventually. Good luck, brother has faith in you."
The little devil was speechless.
In the end, he couldn't make Magician stay.
After the large wooden door closed with a creak, the large room once again returned to its deathly stillness.
The thick and heavy door and granite walls were enough to isolate all sounds. The closed window lattice also blocked the violent wind and rain outside to the minimum. One could only hear the sound from the smallest gap.
There was no electricity in the church, and it was pitch black at night. The room was too big, so the flames in the fireplace jumped up and then retreated, lazily burning on the firewood. There wasn't much open fire, and it was so dark that one couldn't even see one's own fingers.
The little boy stood in the same spot, listening to the footsteps outside the door. He lowered his head with an unreadable expression and hugged the toy rabbit tightly.
.....
Early the next morning, the church began its morning prayers.
The townspeople arrived as scheduled, lining up one by one to enter the cathedral from the entrance.
Everyone dipped their hands in holy water from the white holy water basin, drew crosses on their chests and foreheads, and prayed devoutly.
After waking up, the trainees went downstairs one by one. Some trainees even formed a small group to walk around the town. They stood to the side with complicated expressions.
They had already avoided thinking about the past, and they also avoided reminiscing.
But this town was really beautiful. Almost everyone could find memories of their lives in the real world in this town.
Perhaps it was an ice cream truck, perhaps it was a bakery, or perhaps it was the yard of his childhood.
Maybe it was just like what the townspeople had said. Was reality and illusion really that important?
When the illusion was real enough, how could you tell if reality was originally an illusion?
On one side was the Infinite World, where the future was uncertain and filled with ghosts; on the other side was a warm and peaceful haven with birds singing and flowers blooming. How to choose was not a difficult matter.
The bullet screen in the live broadcast room felt the same way.
[To be honest, even if there were no relatives of the trainees in this instance dungeon, as long as their safety could be guaranteed, there should be countless trainees who would choose to stay.]
[Yes, if there was a choice, who would be willing to stay in the Infinite Loop? Maybe they would be lucky enough to survive this time, but who knows if they would die in the next instance dungeon? Sigh, back then, Senior Guiguzi was so strong, but his soul was also destroyed without leaving anything behind, let alone us commoners.]
[Indeed, if it were me, I would also stay. I really feel the same way.]
Xu Su did not speak, which was rare, and he did not raise his head.
At that moment, a few screams came from the trainees.
After the morning prayer, many townspeople came forward hesitantly and asked the trainees if they wanted to have breakfast with them.
"Yazi, Mom made you your favorite rice noodles. Do you want to come home and try it?"
"Your favorite breakfast shop in town also has it. I haven't talked to you for a long time. I know you've been through a lot. If there's anything you're unhappy about, why don't you come and talk to me?"
Anthony's Golden Retriever also howled twice. Its big ears drooped, and it happily threw itself at the half-vampire's feet and rolled around happily.
In short, if they could complete the main mission, they would stay. If they could not, they would be killed immediately.
After thinking it through, the trainees' attitudes were not as resistant as before.
Then, some people realized that something was wrong.
There were fewer townspeople, and a few of the trainees' relatives did not come.
Zhong Yiyuan, who was wearing glasses, suddenly felt strange, so he asked casually, "Where did my mother go?"
As soon as he asked, another townspeople was at a loss for words. He stuttered and did not speak.
Zhong Yiyuan suddenly thought of something, and his expression became more and more anxious.
"Where's my mother? Where did she go?"
In the real world, Zhong Yiyuan's mother had passed away when he was in high school. It was right before the college entrance examination. Therefore, the villagers followed his mother's last wish, and no one said a word. By the time he finished the college entrance examination and returned to the village, the seventh day had already passed. He did not even get to see his mother for the last time. Since then, it had become his biggest regret.
Therefore, when Zhong Yiyuan saw his late mother in the small town, he burst into tears.
It was already a miracle to be able to see a dead person. Many people had tried their best to call out to her, but failed. Because Zhong Yiyuan had Yin Yang eyes, it had become an obsession for him.
"She … She …" The townspeople stuttered.
The townsfolk hesitated. In the end, he only sighed and said bitterly, "Kid, your mother did it willingly. Don't blame yourself."
That sentence was like a bolt from the blue, and Zhong Yiyuan was stunned.
His voice was trembling, and he finally confirmed his guess.
"Last night … Last night, was the person I shot my mother?"