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Chapter 68 - Chapter 68: Awakening, Homecoming, and Fire Ceremony

Simon woke up.

He found himself in a confined and damp environment.

He was completely drenched.

He patted his surroundings and then felt his own body. The surrounding structure was very solid, and his equipment was still on him.

Simon drew his Nail and gently tapped the four walls with the hilt. He discovered that the area beneath his backside was bone, while the rest was metal.

He had been awake for some time, and his thoughts were becoming clearer.

Simon recalled what had happened before he fell unconscious.

Event by event, detail by detail.

Then he realized that Hornet might have brought him here.

Simon forcefully slapped the inner wall, the sound muffled. After a while, there was no reaction from outside.

It seemed he could only break through by force.

He shattered the bone structure at the bottom and fell out.

The remaining amniotic fluid on his body immediately evaporated upon contact with the air.

Simon recognized the familiar surroundings; it was Deepnest, without a doubt.

So, where was Hornet?

...

The Abyss.

Hornet gently tossed the Little Knight's mask fragments down from above, watching the two pieces fall straight. One piece, poorly positioned, struck a step on the well wall and bounced far away.

They hit the bottom with hollow thuds, twice.

The Little Knight no longer existed in this world.

Hornet clutched the flower in her hand tightly.

...

Simon left Herrah's chambers and entered the large silk sacs nearby.

Initially, Simon had arranged for the bugs unwilling to leave their homes to take refuge in Deepnest, choosing these silk sacs. He had, however, avoided the largest one where Herrah resided, and instructed the Foolish Followers responsible for security to be vigilant and not let the bugs secretly escape their assigned silk sacs.

Now that The Radiance was dead and Dream Essence was dispersed, he believed all the bugs in Hallownest would sense this. Simon planned to bring the bugs home.

He easily notified those in Deepnest, but the team far from Hallownest posed a problem.

Before the final battle, they had likely already passed the Howling Cliffs and entered the outer regions. Now, he needed to travel frantically to catch up with the team.

Simon had the Foolish Followers lead the bugs from Deepnest to their respective homes via the Stag Beetle carriage routes, while he needed to act as a messenger.

Simon worried about the current situation of that team, hoping that all was well.

Having Quirrel, Sly, and the Mantis Tribe warriors to resist external enemies was enough. As for any infected individuals within, the cruel laws of the bug world would naturally eliminate them.

Simon rode a Stag Beetle on a nostalgic journey, arriving at the Stag Beetle's nest.

Stepping out of the nest, the mountain wind blew against his face.

Standing on high ground, he could overlook his surroundings. Darkness enveloped the land, the majestic and grand mountains buried within, with only sporadic streetlights illuminating a negligible distance.

Looking as far as he could, Simon was pleasantly surprised to see a long procession carrying lanterns in the distance, heading back.

It was the evacuated bugs!

They had returned!

...

Simon met the returning team. His appearance had changed greatly, but the pheromones on him could not be faked, and his friends all recognized him.

He chatted warmly with his old acquaintances, exchanging greetings and well-wishes.

Elderbug was still as soft as ever. He was supported by several young bugs. He was the oldest on this journey, but insisted on evacuating with the team. He said that in his youth, he dreamed of seeing the outside world but lacked the means. Now that the opportunity had come, he naturally couldn't miss this 'group tour'.

Sly, carrying a huge Nail several times taller than himself, walked with a relaxed and leisurely pace. Upon seeing Simon, he even mentioned that the Merchant Bugs were very generous.

Quirrel remained gentle, calm, and polite. He told Simon that after sensing the terrifying will hanging over the Dream World dissipate, he discussed it with a few warriors and decided to lead the team back.

"Well done, let's go home!"

...

Howling Cliffs, Simon voluntarily separated from the migrating troop.

Following an inner calling, he traversed mountains and valleys, arriving before a stone wall.

A pulsating, flame-like aura surged within this cliff face.

It was calling Simon.

And Simon had probably guessed what was inside.

It was the Nightmare, the Scarlet Flame.

Simon broke through the stone wall, entered a straight passage, and went deep inside. At the end was a Black Egg stele, inscribed with:

"Oh, Higher Being, these words are for you alone.

These scarred plains have no end.

Beyond this place, there is no other world.

Those foolish enough to cross this void have paid the price, losing the precious sanity bestowed upon them by this Kingdom."

Simon was dismissive; there was no need to believe these words. Of course, there were other bug worlds beyond Hallownest, otherwise, the Hollow Knight sequel wouldn't be possible, would it?

As for the price being the loss of sanity, it was more like an escape from bondage.

The Radiance demanded faith from bugs, while the White King demanded their obedience. Essentially, there was no difference.

This was also why Simon did not want the Little Knight to follow the Godseeker's path; the mortal world cannot accommodate too many powerful existences.

After reading the stele, he jumped down from the well opening beside it to the lower level. There was another false wall. After breaking it, he entered a new passage.

Inside was a wide cavern, with smooth stone slabs decorating the walls, clearly man-made. However, the without items in the entire cave were an iron platform and a few torch stakes.

The designs of these objects were fervent and grotesque, completely different from the style of any other place in Hallownest.

They were clearly objects from outside Hallownest.

It was ironic that the stele just now claimed there were no other worlds.

Searching the entire cave, Simon found a secret passage in a wall. He crawled into it and discovered a bloated bug corpse lying inside.

It lay on its back, propped against a pile of stones, six claws pointing skyward. On its head was a faded red cloth hood, looking like an old doll.

Simon knew that after striking this bug with the Dream Nail, the Ritual of Fire would begin, summoning the Troupe.

The Little Knight had already merged into the Void, so the Dream Nail should have returned to the Dream World.

Simon thought, it was time to find the Seer. He wondered how Nati and Paya's child was doing now.

He turned and left.

In the empty cave, the supine bug corpse emitted a faint red glow.

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