Among the lush green bushes, the flagstone path in the woods wound its way. The surrounding air was fresh, carrying the fragrance of soil and the moisture of the lake.
Su Cheng walked over with complicated feelings. "...What are you doing?"
Unicorns as creatures could no longer be considered mere magical beasts. Although most of them could not speak, their intelligence was on par with wyverns.
Therefore, they were not easy to fool.
Moreover, unlike the dragons' usual standard of appreciating strength, unicorns inherently did not care much for humans or any other intelligent beings.
So only a few people with noble moral character and pure hearts could possibly gain the favor of a unicorn.
This favor referred to spending a little time with someone, with a certain chance of accepting food, provided it suited their taste.
If one wanted to establish a contract with a unicorn, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
And the most contradictory part was that if anyone approached a unicorn with such a utilitarian mindset, they would sense it and leave immediately.
Those who were allowed to interact with unicorns usually had no such thoughts.
Among the odd-toed ungulate magical beasts, the ones that most often formed contracts with races like humans, beastmen, and elves to become their companion mounts were various types of horses.
Those winged pegasi were especially beloved; they had excellent stamina, mostly good temperaments, were very smart, and were not picky about food.
Thus, normal people who wanted a unicorn would give up due to the extreme difficulty and seek other targets instead.
However, in order to obtain certain special and precious materials, or to seize massive profits...
Some mercenaries would even harm unicorns or capture young unicorns to forcibly imprison them.
It was said that such people would suffer the vengeance of the God of Purity, as this was an act of absolute blasphemy.
However...
To deities, unicorns might just be a type of magical beast with unique attributes.
Su Cheng also understood this reasoning. "I can imagine, you definitely have many ways to make them follow you willingly without harming them at all..."
She said while her mouth twitched, "But if you are going to give this to me, they wouldn't be willing to be raised by me, right? I remember unicorns are like this: unless raised from a very young age, and even then, one usually has to enclose the territory of several mountains..."
Ian raised his eyebrows slightly. "I don't want to cause you trouble. I just thought that seeing this, your mood might improve. Don't you like them very much?"
Su Cheng recalled that agreement about a surprise and could not help but cough dryly. "Who told you I liked this?"
Ian said in a joking tone, "I remember in the temple of Golden Amber City, you said that..."
Even though he said that, the expression on his face was not particularly happy.
Su Cheng touched her forehead. "Alright, alright, that was a misunderstanding."
But then again...
She still could not help but look at the unicorn.
Compared to the majestic pegasus statue in the temple, this unicorn looked slightly smaller because it had no wings, but its physique was still incredibly robust.
Its coat was a flawless snow-white, shimmering with a hazy, mist-like glow. Every inch of muscle on its body was ready for action, and it had a pair of gentle gray-blue eyes.
Su Cheng locked eyes with it for a second.
She suddenly remembered a twilight sky filled with rosy clouds, remembered the rose-colored sunset burning in that person's irises, and remembered the bonfire party full of laughter and fireworks.
The unicorn turned its head, caught a willow branch in its mouth, and tore at it a couple of times as if venting its anger.
Su Cheng suddenly snapped back to reality. "...Thank you, I think he is very beautiful, but I am not you after all."
She looked at Ian. "You are a god, you have ways to make them not reject you. As for me, I am obviously not the pure and flawless kind of person that unicorns appreciate."
Ian looked at the unicorn that was gnawing on the branch.
Ian: "..."
Ian turned his head back. "What do you think counts as pure and flawless?"
Su Cheng gazed at the unicorn's silhouette. "...Having no malice in one's heart, no greed, always being able to tolerate and understand others, having no selfish thoughts. Something like that?"
"Is that so," Ian asked in return, "You have seen the former God of Purity. Do you think he was that kind of person?"
"Is he not... wait," Su Cheng froze for a moment. "If he was, he shouldn't have said those things to me..."
He once said he hoped his mother was also a person like her.
If he were completely selfless, he would surely only feel that his mother, as a mayor, sacrificing herself to uphold her duties was very great, and he would not have such resentment.
"Hmm? What things?"
"He said," Su Cheng was about to answer but suddenly stopped. "That is his privacy, right? Even though our relationship is very bad, I don't want to go around talking about his affairs."
Ian glanced at her. "Then you don't need to tell me. I guess you already have the answer in your heart."
He looked toward the boundless lake ahead. "The peak of a snow mountain has no distinction between good and evil, yet it is still the cleanest existence in people's eyes. You see, when some people see a blooming flower, they want to snap it off and put it in a vase, while others just want to let it stay on the branch. The former may not harbor malice, they just love its vibrant colors, but the latter understands that possession will destroy this beauty. When you see a unicorn, what are you thinking?"
Su Cheng: "..."
"You feel that unicorns are not used to being kept. Your first thought wasn't that you liked him and wanted to forcefully keep him by your side, after all, it's not like you couldn't do it."
"Alright," Su Cheng nodded helplessly. "I understand what you mean. Fine, but... let's not talk about these rather idealistic things. Don't unicorns also dislike dark-type powers?"
Ian looked at her with interest. "Dark-type?"
"Yeah," Su Cheng spread her hands. "I won't pretend in front of you. At the end of the day, the God of Purity must be the person who hates those auras the most, right? Since his avatar forms include the unicorn, I assume that unicorns as creatures should also have some similar traits. So, even though I really want to pet him right now, I think he will most likely refuse."
Ian was silent for a while. "Although his temper isn't very good, I don't think there will be an overly extreme reaction. After all, he is already here."
Su Cheng looked at him suspiciously. "What? Did you hypnotize this unicorn? Or use some other mind control technique? Aren't you afraid the God of Purity will come looking for trouble with you?"
Ian could not help but laugh. "Haven't you also done some things he didn't quite like? And they were even related to him personally."
Su Cheng looked up at the sky. "That's different. I don't work with him. Besides, my experiences are very complicated..."
"Oh? I thought you were still afraid of him."
"Who said that?" Su Cheng immediately retorted. "If we are talking about my experiences in the Echo Realm, I've fought with deities more than once. I even danced with a certain Supreme God."
Ian: "You did what with..."
Ian: "?"
Ian: "......When did this happen?"
Su Cheng blinked. "Right after you stopped talking to me, the next day was Twilight City's Carnival. That festival..."
"I know what that is," Ian interrupted her. "...So it was that day."
He appeared fairly calm, but a storm seemed to surge within his golden eyes. "How dramatic. I guess he was the one who ended your trial."
Su Cheng pondered that since the God of Darkness's memories were included, given his personality, he definitely wouldn't want anyone else prying into this story.
So it was perfectly normal that Ian didn't know.
Su Cheng: "Yes?"
Ian gave a soft, mocking smile. "Of course. Of course he would do that. Otherwise, you and I might have met again—"
Then he fell silent.
The atmosphere suddenly felt a bit stifling.
Su Cheng silently turned her head, gazing at the clear, sparkling lake under the sunlight. Drifting clouds, forests, and the spires of the city walls were all reflected on the mirror-like water, wrinkling as the wind stirred up ripples. Occasionally, a few snow-white swans would flap their wings and land, swimming leisurely across the lake.
She saw two swans swimming toward the shore. "Hey, they look hungry. In my experience, they're probably looking for food. Did you bring any fruit?"
The next second, a slender hand, fair as jade, reached over from beside her, offering a plump red apple.
The apple was vibrantly red, like fire burning in honey, and even just holding it, one could smell its rich, sweet fragrance.
The swans seemed to catch the scent as well. They waddled over, stretching their necks to fight for a bite.
"Don't rush, don't rush—"
Su Cheng broke the apple into small pieces and tossed them to the birds. The juicy flesh exuded a sweet, almost fermented aroma.
She couldn't help but take a deep sniff. "My god, you didn't steal this from the Divine Garden, did you?"
The swans happily ate the apple, even letting out joyful honks and flapping their wings, splashing tiny drops of water.
"...No."
A low, cold voice sounded from beside her.
Su Cheng stiffened all over.
She turned her head in shock, meeting a pair of long-lost grayish-blue eyes.
The months spent in Iron Cage Town rushed back to her, like a roaring train speeding through the silent world of her memories.
She stared at him blankly.
The silver-haired young man looked back at her in silence, as if they were still practicing swordsmanship on the sandy ground of the backyard, or fighting in that secluded valley—
"...I grew it myself."
He said calmly.
Su Cheng hesitated, words on the tip of her tongue.
His hair was like a frozen river in deep winter, shrouded in the luminous mist of a lunar halo, curling in elegant arcs and casually tied behind his waist.
His sharp, deeply contoured face carried the edge of a glacial ridge, the curves of his brow, cheekbones, and jawline as perfect as ever.
It completely overlapped with a certain face in her memory.
Perhaps because he wasn't in a state of divine descent, or perhaps he did it intentionally, or maybe it was because her own strength had grown significantly.
Su Cheng was hardly affected by the deity's power; she was as clear-headed as she could possibly be right now.
"In the real world where I wasn't involved..."
She slowly began, "Did the apple trees you planted on the back mountain of the mansion in Iron Cage Town ever bear sweet fruit?"
The silver-haired young man's expression remained unchanged. "I don't know."
Su Cheng: "?"
Su Cheng: "You gave up? You never went back to taste those apples?"
He glanced at her, unspeakable emotions tangling in his grayish-blue eyes, then turned his head away.
"...I replaced my memories," he said slowly. "What you did in the trial has become a part of my past memories."
Su Cheng looked at him in disbelief. "Honestly, I can understand Gerald doing that, but why you?"
After all, she had supported the God of Jealousy and beaten up his disgusting father. Plus, he didn't seem to have any good friends originally, and his relationship with his family was a total mess.
A heaven-sent companion like herself—one who even developed an ambiguous romantic connection with him—was definitely hard to come by.
The God of Purity originally had a happy life too. Even if he had some regrets about not learning magic, he still had kind and lovely younger siblings and a mother who loved him.
Did it really matter whether she was there or not?
Su Cheng: "Or Mr. Chef, since he didn't get along with his family either—"
"That's enough," the silver-haired young man closed his eyes briefly. "I don't want to hear another filthy name from your mouth."
"Hah, how interesting," Su Cheng sneered. "Since you have those memories, you must know there's no difference between the Church and the Secret Cult. They are all murderers who killed your entire family."
She thought he would fly into a rage, and had even prepared herself to teleport away, or die once right here.
However, he just looked at her quietly. "Then let me rephrase. I don't want to hear any names from your mouth."
Su Cheng: "..."
So he was just jealous after all.
Su Cheng: "What you want is your business, and what I do is mine. Are you someone I have to obey? I don't want to hear you say things like that anymore either."
He turned his head. "Mm, if it will get you to do so."
Su Cheng: "......"
As long as he didn't put on that expression like everyone owed him a million coins, he seemed much more like Charles than the God of Purity.
Su Cheng: "So why did you replace that memo—"
Before she could finish her sentence, the deity in front of her suddenly turned his head back, leaned down, and kissed her.
