The setting sun sank into the distant mountains, dyeing the veil-like cirrus clouds crimson, as a snow-white steed trotted across the straight flagstone path.
The rider approached against the glow of the sunset, his slender, tall figure edged in a halo of golden-red. His silvery-white curly hair was tied into a high ponytail, the braid swaying gently in the air.
He looked like a gleam of moonlight that had spilled forth just before the fall of night.
He possessed a flawless face that seemed meticulously carved; the lines of his brow bone and the bridge of his nose were as sharp as a sculpture, and the sharp curve of his jawline accentuated a certain aloof, unapproachable coldness.
Yet, his lips were rosy, flush with a healthy pink, and seemed to curve upward slightly in a good mood.
Those deep-set eyes reflected the twilight, taking on a peculiar grayish-blue hue.
The rose-colored sunset burned across his irises, blending into a brilliant fiery glow, like a glacier ignited by the sun.
Su Cheng stared at him blankly.
The silver-haired young man lowered his head slightly to dodge a low-hanging oak branch, his thick, curly braid slipping over his broad shoulder.
As he tilted his head, a lake-blue diamond stud on his ear was revealed. The tiny gem resembled a star embedded in the Milky Way.
Approaching the courtyard gate, the silver-haired young man leaped lightly from his horse.
He wore a light riding outfit—a slim-fitting short trench coat whose hem revealed a glimpse of his lean waist, while breeches and leather boots outlined his long, muscular legs.
"Good evening—"
The young man took off his gloves, revealing a gentle, friendly smile. After greeting his younger sisters, his gaze fell upon the face of the young woman standing before him.
Though he had a face that made people hesitate to strike up a conversation, his voice was deep and soft, and his demeanor was quite warm.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, miss. Are you a newly arrived traveler?"
Su Cheng had still been staring at him in a daze.
But he was probably used to this sort of reaction, so he didn't take offense in the slightest, merely smiling as he waited for her response.
Su Cheng: "...It's a pleasure to meet you too, sir."
Damn.
This face!
Over a thousand years later, the silver-haired man she had seen in the back garden of the Holy Church's temple in Iron Cage Town had this exact same face!
The man who had claimed his surname was Vane back then!
She had always thought that guy looked like the God of Purity, but since she had never looked the man himself straight in the eye, she couldn't be entirely sure.
Su Cheng: "I'm not a proper person... uh, I mean, I'm not a regular traveler."
The two children beside her couldn't help but lower their heads and giggle.
The silver-haired young man also seemed unable to hold back a smile. His long, curled eyelashes were steeped in the twilight, looking like two rows of heavy, translucent golden threads, adding a touch of color to his snow-white skin.
His entire being became more vibrant with the shift in his expression.
"Anyway," Su Cheng pretended nothing had happened, "I actually ended up here because of a magic accident—"
She was quite sure the two kids didn't understand what she was talking about, but she had to be careful when facing this man.
More importantly, what was the deal with those holy clerics from the Church earlier?
They had called her a Folded One.
What was that?
—Before that, they seemed to have some way of confirming that she possessed the power of the Void False God.
Did this mean she had established some sort of connection with that "door," or did it refer to the fact that she had once been intimate with the False God's avatar?
Of course, judging from the term "Folded One," it sounded more related to spatial magic.
Su Cheng truly hadn't expected the Void False God to be such a taboo existence in this era over a thousand years ago.
It might still be taboo in the future, of course, but the feeling was different; after all, the future was more focused on combating the power of the Dark God.
Even though the two sides hadn't formally torn up their relations yet.
But regardless—
Spatial magic itself could absolutely not be a forbidden practice, because the Church's internal teleportation arrays were a type of spatial magic.
That stuff had a history of several millennia.
"...Anyway, we were adjusting a broken magic array," Su Cheng explained briefly. "Its secondary core anchor and the middle-inner ring rune link bundle snapped due to a change in the energy source. It's all my fault for trying to swap out those crystals. In short, that's how I ended up here."
She and Gerald had done a lot of messy experiments.
Never mind spinning a few lies; even if someone actually gave her a magic array to fix, she could do it hands-on.
Su Cheng wasn't intimidated in the slightest now. After finishing the story of her experience, she sighed in distress.
"...So that's what happened."
The silver-haired young man frowned slightly, showing a bit of sympathy, but his eyes held even more admiration.
"To have achieved so much at such a young age, conducting such profound research in the field of magic—"
He praised her very sincerely, "Please do not blame yourself. I believe these accidents are all stepping stones on your path to true success."
Su Cheng: "..."
She didn't know if this guy was actually the future God of Purity.
But from this moment on, she decided to temporarily separate the two identities.
Because he truly looked like a kind, enthusiastic, and good person.
Those words probably weren't hypocritical pleasantries either. She could tell he was being genuine; from his eyes to his expression, everything radiated a heartfelt, pure kindness.
Su Cheng: "Thank you, sir. How should I address you?"
The silver-haired young man held out his hand. "Charles Vane."
A dime-a-dozen name, just like his sisters'.
Su Cheng shook his hand.
The Vane siblings warmly invited her to stay for dinner. She had originally wanted to decline, considering she had just scarfed down a bunch of pies not long ago, but she realized she was actually feeling hungry.
Su Cheng: "..."
It might be because the distance crossed in this teleportation was too vast.
She had gone straight from the heartland of the Anser Principality to the southern part of the Empire.
Although she was a bit confused as to why—could it still be because of protagonist halo, causing her to encounter special people under certain circumstances?
"Come on, Sir Mage, dinner should be ready by now—"
The two children seemed even more excited about this.
Perhaps it was rare to meet someone who was both versed in advanced magic and so friendly. They couldn't wait to grab her, one on the left and one on the right, pulling her into the house.
The Vane family's house had three floors above ground. The children lived upstairs. The first floor featured an elegantly decorated large living room, and the dining area on the other side was also very spacious.
A silver-haired boy was just coming out carrying a dish.
He was handsome, looking no older than thirteen or fourteen. Seeing a stranger, he blushed a little and then said in a fluster, "Do we have a guest today? Then I'll go get—"
"Don't trouble yourself," Su Cheng said hurriedly. "I'm actually not that hungry, but the food you cooked smells delicious, so I kind of want to have a few bites."
The boy's face turned even redder. He turned back to the kitchen and brought out a set of plates, bowls, cutlery, and a wine glass, briskly setting them on the dining table covered with an embroidered linen cloth.
A vase on the table held a bouquet of dew-kissed lilies, and several sets of silver tableware were neatly arranged on both sides.
In the center was a large pot of mutton stew, its milky-white bone broth dotted with floating oil drops and vibrant green chopped scallions. Next to it was half a roast goose with golden, crispy skin, served with sweet and sour plum sauce.
There was also a pot of mixed grain porridge, with thick milk drizzled over the dense oats, corn, and red beans, along with a large bowl of creamy mushroom soup, a plate of toast fried to a golden crisp on both sides, and various small portions of fruit jam.
Soon, another child came down from upstairs, looking about seven or eight years old. He greeted the guest very obediently, then pulled out a chair to sit down, quietly waiting for the meal to start.
"Mother has gone to the village in the east again," Charles sighed softly. "There are some magical beasts over there..."
"She hasn't had dinner with us for many days," Carol puffed out her cheeks. "It looks like she won't be coming back today."
"Maybe tomorrow night," Charles comforted his sister. "Anyway, when the Harvest Festival dance comes around, Mom will definitely be back."
After everyone took their seats, the children all buried their heads in their food.
Charles asked Su Cheng about her plans for the evening. "Mercenary groups often stop by here to rest, so the good rooms in the inns are usually booked out. However, I know the owners, so if you need..."
He paused. "Of course, if we have the honor, I would prefer it if you stayed in our guest room. There are a lot of people in town lately—"
The children's eyes lit up, as if they were all hoping she would stay.
Su Cheng: "...If it's not too much trouble. Also, I can pay."
Although their family certainly wasn't short of money and must be considered wealthy among the locals, plus the mayor of this kind of town usually held a knight's title.
To put it bluntly, they were low-ranking aristocrats.
While that wouldn't mean much in a place like the imperial capital, compared to commoners, a family like this should still have quite a substantial fortune.
Charles neither refused nor directly agreed; he just said he would take her to see the room later and to let him know if she needed anything.
After dinner, the children scattered, and the oldest went to fetch water to wash the dishes.
The stone sink in the kitchen was filled with freshly drawn well water, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of mugwort.
Su Cheng had offered to help, but was firmly turned down.
She leaned against the doorway, watching him work. Charles placed the utensils into the water one by one, carefully washing them with a brush made of coconut shell.
Su Cheng: "...I can't help but ask. I understand your younger siblings, but haven't you ever thought that I might be a bad person?"
Charles tilted his head and looked at her. "Are you?"
The town outside the window had completely sunk into the night. The dim yellow oil lamp in the kitchen flickered, its light falling into his pale eyes, making his irises look almost transparent.
Su Cheng blinked. "Even if I were, I wouldn't have to admit it, right?"
"I can't tell what material your necklace is made of, but I'm guessing it's worth more than everything in this house—plus the house itself."
Charles said in a gentle voice, pausing before adding, "Besides, if you really had bad intentions, there's nothing I could do. I can't beat you in a fight anyway."
Su Cheng: "..."
Su Cheng desperately wished she had a phone right now to record this scene. If he were the God of Purity, she could use this quote to show off.
Assuming she ever had the chance to return to the other timeline.
Su Cheng: "Your battle aura strength is pretty good too. Just looking at battle aura, we're about evenly matched, right? Right? I'm not very good at sensing this."
She wasn't entirely sure about this either, but she had only been training for a few months at most, whereas these people probably started in childhood.
If she had a slight edge, it was probably because her leveling method was rather unique, and her battle aura itself was even more special.
Charles was noncommittal. "You're also a mage, and I don't know any magic."
Su Cheng's eyes widened. "You don't know magic? You don't know any magic at all?"
The silver-haired young man looked a bit bewildered, as if startled by her. "Yes? Why are you so surprised?"
Su Cheng: "..."
Even she knew that before becoming a god, the God of Purity had cultivated both magic and martial arts, reaching the absolute pinnacle in both.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have become the most formidable fighter among the Seven Gods of Glory.
Su Cheng: "Because just now when I was talking about my experiences, you listened very carefully and seemed to understand. Some of the vocabulary I used isn't something people unfamiliar with the field would comprehend."
Charles nodded in understanding. "Oh, that's because I've read some books. I'm also very interested in magic."
Su Cheng waited quietly for him to continue, but he stopped talking.
Helpless, she had to press further: "So you haven't tried teaching yourself? Or, um, hiring someone to teach you?"
"I tried self-studying," he sighed softly, "but I wasn't successful, regardless of the magical field. There's no magic academy in our town. If I went to Golden Amber City, there would be no one to take care of my younger siblings. If we hired a mage to come to our house, the expenses would be a bit too much. Although Mother is the mayor, her salary isn't actually that high. Our family has some rental income from properties, but Father fell ill a few times before and we spent a lot of money. After Father passed away, Mother also occasionally subsidizes some people in the village. Some people's orchards and vegetable gardens were destroyed by magical beasts, and some were injured by them..."
Charles placed the last piece of cutlery back on the rack. "So we skip unnecessary expenses. It's not like I absolutely have to learn magic right now; waiting a while is fine too. After all, in this life, there will always be many regrets and all sorts of things we can't achieve. Satisfying one need might just give rise to another."
Su Cheng tried to make herself look a bit calmer.
He couldn't teach himself?
She had thought that since this guy was some kind of peerless genius, he would be the type to instantly comprehend things just by flipping through a book. It seemed that wasn't the case.
She had even taught herself some elemental magic—although she had the corresponding foundation in her memories, magic was always something that got harder the more you learned.
There were quite a few self-taught, unorthodox mages out there, because for people with a bit of talent, the early stages could actually be relatively simple.
Su Cheng's understanding was a bit upended. "...Are you an elemental resonator?"
"No," he said casually. "I was tested once when I was ten, and there were no results."
"Do you know that test results for minors can change?"
"I've read similar statements in books, but those are extremely rare cases. I don't want to..."
He took a deep breath. "...be disappointed again."
Su Cheng couldn't help but facepalm.
This person was completely different from what she had imagined!
Charles looked at her in total confusion.
Su Cheng: "...It's nothing."
Charles frowned slightly. "You clearly want to say something."
Su Cheng shook her head. "I don't want to preach, so I'm not going to share my opinion. Whatever you think, I respect you."
He looked somewhat astonished. "Preach? Aren't we having a discussion? I hope you can share your viewpoint."
Su Cheng took a deep breath. "I just think, what if it actually works? If we end up disappointed, then so be it. Compared to the chance to learn magic, what does a little disappointment matter? Of course, it might turn out to be impossible. But even if you do become a mage, you will constantly be facing all sorts of risks. You know that many people have died researching magic, right? Back when I... when I was doing research with my friend, we narrowly escaped getting hurt several times. Or we would get so absorbed in a certain state that, with just one careless mistake, we could have been lost in the unknown forever. We knew the consequences, but we did it anyway. That is why I think having the courage to face failure is crucial. I mean, I am not saying you lack courage or anything—"
"No, you are right," Charles said after listening earnestly. There was no trace of anger on his face; instead, he looked rather agreeable. "I really do lack that kind of spirit and courage."
He lowered his head, looking a little embarrassed, a faint blush even creeping up his cheeks. "You are truly amazing."
Su Cheng: "..."
