Chapter 6 Rest in Hekto

A few days later.

The Orc city-state of Hekto, also known as Little Night City, lies deep within the Eternal Nightlands.

On the edge of this snowfield, Little Night City stands serenely in perpetual twilight, as if at the world's end.

Here, at noon, daylight only faintly appears, a brief interlude in the night.

The city-state is located closest to the entrance to the Demon Realm in the vast snowfield, surrounded by majestic mountains like guardian gods, their spines covered in heavy snow, transforming them into a group of gray giants.

The city-state itself is often covered in snow, embraced by the eternal winter.

The core of Little Night City is a large plaza, next to which stands a towering tower-style building, carefully constructed from dark stone bricks. Its conical roof is often covered in snow, like a silver-white cloak, and crystal wind chimes hang under the eaves, swaying in the wind, accompanied by light sounds.

This is the most famous hotel in the city-state, used not only by wealthy merchants willing to pay high prices to stay here, but also by the Great Lord to entertain honored guests.

A spacious executive suite on the top floor.

No matter how harsh the wind and snow are outside, the room is always bathed in soft light.

Occasionally, the pages of a book on the round high-legged wooden table are gently turned, accompanied by subtle sounds.

"Today is the thirteenth day of your new job."

"News of the battlefront in the neighboring Kingdom of Bliss has arrived, and you are anxious."

"But you know, you have no choice but to focus on the work in front of you."

Suddenly, Lan Qi gently pressed the Cat Boss's head, and it fell silent.

Now the Cat Boss broadcasts once a day.

The baked pasta was in the oven, and the Cat Boss ran over to talk to Lan Qi again.

Although Lan Qi felt that the Cat Boss's functions had increased again, which was good, he was currently reading a book.

Moreover, on the other side of the round table.

Sigrid was sitting, slumped on the edge of the table, fast asleep, occasionally emitting slight snores.

The Cat Boss nodded its head.

It hadn't even noticed that Sigrid had fallen asleep so quickly.

Throughout their journey, Sigrid had little sleep, and most of her waking hours were spent driving through the snowy night with intense concentration. An ordinary person would probably have collapsed long ago.

Yet she was still able to maintain her focus.

Only during this kind of leisure time would Sigrid seize the opportunity to rest for a while.

This morning, Lan Qi had successfully repaired the statue of the God of Night and Silence, which was also the last of the six relatively prosperous city-states in the Eternal Nightlands.

Now Lan Qi and Sigrid were resting in this Little Night City. After lunch, they would embark on their final journey to the Demon Realm.

They wouldn't encounter any city-states where they could stay along the way. They would probably arrive at the Demon Realm by dawn tomorrow.

"I didn't expect your affinity for small animals to be effective on the Orcs as well."

The Cat Boss climbed onto Lan Qi's shoulder and whispered in his ear.

That way, it wouldn't wake Sigrid.

"..."

Lan Qi tilted his head, looked at the little black cat, and smiled slightly.

Perhaps it wasn't affinity, but that they naturally liked him.

For example, Great Lord Algom of Little Stone City wasn't very close to him at first, but later he felt that the Great Lord became as cute as a little bear in front of him.

Having arrived in this area, the rabbit-Orc residents of Little Night City were accustomed to the long nights and short days, and their pace of life was also accustomed to the darkness. However, due to the city-state's unique geographical location and abundant natural resources, it still attracted scholars, hunters, explorers, and travelers to find temporary refuge here.

In addition to the rabbit-folk who controlled this city-state, the figures of demons could also be seen in the city-state.

And here, far from human kingdoms, it would be very dangerous for humans who weren't strong enough, or who didn't have bodyguards.

Fortunately, Lan Qi had initially formed a good relationship in Little Stone City, and each subsequent lord had a much better first impression of him. And after he repaired the statue and communicated with the Great Lord, the Great Lords became very fond of him, and gave him a lot of help.

Thus, the six days from Little Stone City to Little Night City could be said to have been quite smooth, with almost no accidents or storms. At most, there were more mountains in the latter half of the journey, and the two of them and the cat encountered a sudden blizzard and were forced to briefly avoid an avalanche in a cave.

Perhaps it was because Sigrid had seen him repairing the statue that day that she became curious about his painting tools and sculptures when organizing her luggage.

Lan Qi also patiently introduced her to the uses of each tool and his experiences using them, as well as the appreciation of artworks.

Anyway, the two of them spent most of their time chatting on the road, whether learning or teaching, which could speed up the perceived flow of time for them.

Sigrid wasn't as averse to learning as she appeared. She was merely pursuing efficiency in many things, such as her speaking habits and her working style.

Lan Qi thought.

"Meow meow, what are you looking at?"

The Cat Boss saw that Lan Qi was ignoring it again, so it leaned close to his cheek and looked in the direction of his gaze.

Lan Qi was still reading *The Book of Genesis* from this era.

There was no suitable environment for him to read while traveling in the Eternal Nightlands, so the comfortable time spent staying in the inn and waiting for the meal to bake was very rare.

The little black cat also leaned over to watch.

The translated version of *The Book of Genesis* from this era still has many man-made interpretations different from those of the present world, although more of them are fairy tale-type stories, unrelated to divine arts themselves.

For example, *The Book of Genesis*, in any version, has thirty-three chapters, of which the first chapter is the Chapter of Origin and Blank, and the last chapter is the Chapter of Fate and Reincarnation. Neither of these two chapters has left any divine arts, and the remaining thirty-one chapters all record divine arts that can be interpreted.

But the last chapter mentions that the Goddess of Fate sometimes bestows gifts upon the children of those who have prayed to her.

This was exactly what Lan Qi had heard from the three clergy members at the Saint Hall banquet—

The divinity of the Goddess of Fate lies in the fact that as long as you pray to her, she has the power to slightly interfere with your fate, and the more devoutly and persistently you pray, the more your heart's voice will be conveyed to her.

Oaths to each god must not be spoken randomly. Regardless of whether these gods still exist or whether they can interfere in the world, they may form karma.

Therefore, legend has it that there is a kind of amulet called the Reincarnation Gem.

It may be any stone associated with the Church of the Goddess of Fate. As long as it serves as a medium, the gods can weakly interfere with the world from the conceptual side.

And the Reincarnation Gem is a gift for those who are destined. As long as you sincerely pray to the Goddess of Fate, she may let you have a sweet dream, perhaps by chance, perhaps a dream of a past life.

But this kind of thing is, after all, mysterious and unprovable, so it is more often regarded as a legend and a fairy tale.

"Meow meow meow, will there really be reincarnation?"

The Cat Boss looked at the translated version of *The Book of Genesis* that Lan Qi was about to finish reading and asked softly.

It didn't understand these things very well, but when it didn't understand something, asking Lan Qi was never wrong.

"Believe it, and it exists. Don't believe it, and it doesn't. Whether there is reincarnation mainly depends on your personal thoughts."

Lan Qi replied in a voice that wouldn't disturb Sigrid's sleep.

"Even if there really is a previous life, the so-called letting go of attachments means not dwelling on the past self, not being anxious about the future self, not being swayed by emotions, and not disrupting your sense of propriety by the things of the present. When you understand this, why should you leave half a shadow in the old dream?"

Of course, this is only the absence of self, doing as one pleases, without overstepping the boundaries. It is not the absence of desires, but the control and transcendence of desires.

Don't be obsessed with other people's opinions, others are hell, this is the absence of others.

The absence of sentient beings is for the equality of all beings.

The absence of a life-span is for understanding life and death and finding the meaning of living.

"If you can comprehend the absence of the Four Marks, you will find that it makes no difference whether reincarnation is true or false."

"Stop reciting, stop reciting, I'm going to be converted by you, meow."

The Cat Boss raised its paws to cover its ears and muttered.

It was just a little kitty, and couldn't understand what Lan Qi was saying.

Soon, the Cat Boss jumped off Lan Qi's shoulder again and went to the kitchen nimbly, leaving only the sound of Sigrid's slight breathing audible as she lay on the table.

Her face looked unusually peaceful in the tranquility, no longer as guarded as when she was working. Her eyelashes fluttered gently, as if lingering on the edge of a dream.

Until she sniffed and slowly opened her eyes.

To be honest, she hadn't been to Little Night City before.

The interior decorations she saw were all warm-toned natural wood, bringing a unique warmth to this harsh winter.

Sigrid's gaze quickly fell on the figure in the chair not far away.

It was a man as elegant as a headmaster, holding a book in one hand, his posture dignified and serene.

In the dim light, his figure appeared particularly tall, wearing an unconventional dark suit, his collar crisp.

His eyes were deep, with a vicissitudes of life and wisdom, as if gazing at a deeper world. His left hand held the spine of the book steadily, immersed in the ocean of words, and the sound of occasionally turning the pages was particularly clear in the wooden room, like the whisper of time.

"Awake? Dinner will be ready in a little while."

Lan Qi asked softly.

He slowly turned his head, his eyes reflecting the warm light of the room and Sigrid's sleepy gaze.

"Sorry, I fell asleep."

Sigrid felt cold when she woke up in this weather and just wanted to crawl into a warm quilt, but she couldn't be willful. Her work required her to stay awake, even in this safe place.

She shook her head hard, trying to wake herself up.

(End of this chapter)