"Smile~"

"Even though your heart is aching~"

"Smile~"

"Even if it's broken~"

It was a light and melodious classical song with lyrics encouraging people to keep smiling even in adversity.

Several arranged versions had already been heard in several city-states of the Land of Eternal Night.

This was the oldest hotel in Xiaoye City, attracting not only generous wealthy merchants but also the Great Lord's preferred choice for entertaining distinguished guests.

The orc city-state of Hekto City, also known as Xiaoye City, located in the deepest part of the Land of Eternal Night, stood quietly on the frontier of the vast snowy night. This city seemed to be located at the end of the world, shrouded in eternal twilight.

The midday daylight was just a brief interlude in the night, fleeting.

The heavy snow covering the spines of the mountains transformed them into silent gray giants, silently witnessing the passage of time.

The city-state itself was covered in snow all year round, draped in silver, tightly embraced by the arms of the Winter Goddess.

The square, as the heart of the city-state, was flanked by towering tower-like buildings, meticulously crafted from dark stone bricks.

Snow cascaded down the conical roofs like silver-white cloaks, and crystal wind chimes hanging from the eaves swayed lightly in the breeze, playing a delightful melody.

Inside a spacious and luxurious executive suite on the top floor, no matter how rampant the wind and snow raged outside, the room was always bathed in soft light.

Occasionally, the sound of pages turning could be heard near the coffee table, as a magic-powered sound player broadcasted music.

"Today is your seventh day in the northern Land of Eternal Night..."

Cat Boss suddenly spoke.

"As long as you smile~"

"Meow, meow, meow!"

It realized that Lanqi was ignoring it. This guy simply turned up the volume of the sound player, drowning out Cat Boss's voice.

This made Cat Boss very unconvinced.

"Lanqi! Your attitude is terrible, meow! I need to teach you a lesson, meow!"

Cat Boss rolled around on the sofa in protest.

If Lanqi ignored it again, it felt like its existence would completely disappear.

"Cat Boss, you can't bully me. Is it really okay for you, an eighth-order being, to bully me, a sixth-order being?"

Lanqi stroked Cat Boss's head and began to show weakness.

"Lanqi, keep it down, meow."

Cat Boss was immediately speechless.

No.

It also wanted to write a book. When the time came, it would write a story about a scheming green tea young lady, Lanqi, who encountered a cold and aloof good-for-nothing prince, Talia, a kind-hearted half-demon duke's son, Xiu, and a domineering North Continent bishop, Siglei—a grand heroine story.

Just imagining the scene where this green tea young lady recklessly hooked up with rich guys, only to have all three male protagonists discover it, Cat Boss couldn't wait to fast-forward to the part where Lanqi was ruined, crying and begging for mercy.

This was what she deserved.

"Are you fantasizing about something very impolite?"

Lanqi turned his head and stared at Cat Boss, feeling that Cat Boss was thinking about something very chaotic right now.

"No, meow."

Cat Boss shook its head in denial.

Hearing this, Lanqi finally hesitated and started reading his book, no longer playing with Cat Boss.

In the hotel suite's kitchen, an enticing gratin was baking in the oven, filling the air with its aroma.

And Cat Boss, unwilling to be lonely, ran to the living room to chat with Lanqi again.

Because Siglei was currently sleeping in the bedroom, and Tata was cooking in the kitchen; no one could play with it.

As the city-state of Yongye closest to the Demon World, Xiaoye City was greatly influenced by Demon World magic engineering. The hotel was equipped with magic devices that blocked noise, just like in the Demon World. Whether it was the sound of cooking in the kitchen or the music and chatting in the living room, it would not affect Siglei, who was sound asleep in the room.

Although Siglei was not responsible for navigation along the way, she had been on guard in the back row, helping Lanqi watch out for road conditions and demonic beasts in the snowy plains, allowing Lanqi to drive with ease.

Only Tata had been eating, sleeping, and warming each other with Siglei along the way.

Siglei was very doting on Tata. Every time they arrived at a city-state, she would buy Tata's favorite local delicacies for her to eat on the road.

She seemed to have completely accepted this retired version of Kaliella, and even somewhat understood Lanqi's joy in raising small animals.

According to Cat Boss's observation, Siglei had been a little girl with the potential to become a female Lanqi many years ago. Lanqi was obsessed with Talia, and Siglei had indeed fallen for it as well.

"Lanqi, Lanqi, why have you been so quiet along the way, meow? When our Lan-Cat combo was relying on each other in the Northern Continent, you could chat with me for a long time every day, meow."

Cat Boss bumped its head against Lanqi and asked.

"No, I haven't. Aren't I always talking a lot?"

Lanqi felt the soft black fur ball bumping against his side and replied.

"Is that so, meow?"

Cat Boss was increasingly gratified that Lanqi was letting it not work, but it didn't know what use it was in this team now.

Could an eighth-order divine beast also become unemployed?

Tata could actually help Lanqi use the imitation stone tablet. At most, it had more high-level wind magic on its body, which could give Lanqi four extra lives, but now there was no opponent who could let Lanqi have his fill and use his second life.

*Click.*

The sound of the door lock turning attracted Cat Boss's and Lanqi's attention.

They looked towards the distance and saw the door of a bedroom open. Siglei walked out with slightly upturned hair.

She was sleepy-eyed, wearing a camisole nightgown. She walked to the dining table, picked up a bottle of Snowy Plains Ice Spring, and began to gulp it down, looking like she had just woken up.

"Siglei, how many times have I told you? You're a big girl now, you need to be a little more careful."

Lanqi could only maintain his etiquette, stare at the book, and say to Siglei.

Siglei's overly casual and revealing clothing was as if she didn't care that he was sitting here at all.

"What's wrong? Kaliella and Little Black Coal Ball wouldn't care about anything."

Siglei put down the water bottle, looking revived, and asked Lanqi,

"Or is the Pope going to admire me with that kind of gaze?"

She deliberately came over and sat next to Lanqi, clinging to him like an innocent little girl, not caring at all that they were male and female.

"Meow..."

Cat Boss couldn't tell whether Siglei was deliberately testing Lanqi or seducing him, or if she really hadn't thought about it, still treating herself as the little girl that Lanqi could easily pick up twelve years ago.

Even though Siglei's proud figure would make Lanqi feel an undeniable softness, he quickly avoided it and sat on the other side of the single sofa, giving the seat to Siglei.

"Siglei, in my eyes, you're always a good child, but you also need to consider some objective factors. For example, now you're a complete beauty, and correspondingly, you need to maintain the etiquette that is worthy of this beauty and talent."

Lanqi said to Siglei.

"Mmm."

Siglei wanted to refute something, but after hearing Lanqi's high EQ words, she didn't want to tease Lanqi anymore.

She casually waved her hand, went back to the room to change her clothes, and came out again with her hands in her coat pockets.

"Speaking of which, the last time we came to Xiaoye City, did we also stay in a similar room?"

Siglei leaned on the side armrest of the sofa, looking at the snow falling in the night outside the window.

In her dream, she was sitting on a chair at the end of the round table, dozing off with her head on the edge of the table, while Lanqi sat quietly beside her, reading a book.

Coming to this area, the rabbit-beast residents of Xiaoye City were already accustomed to the long nights and fleeting days, and their pace of life had completely adapted to the rhythm of the darkness.

Due to the city-state's unique geographical location and abundant natural resources, it still attracted scholars, hunters, explorers, and travelers to seek temporary refuge.

In addition to the rabbit people who controlled this city-state, demon figures could also be seen in the city from time to time.

Far from human kingdoms, it was undoubtedly full of danger for humans who were not strong enough or did not have bodyguards.

Fortunately, Lanqi had established a good relationship in Xiaoshi City from the beginning, and the initial impression of each lord he visited afterward had undergone a qualitative leap.

After he repaired the idol and communicated with the Great Lord, he invariably gained their favor and full assistance.

Therefore, the six days from Xiaoshi City to Xiaoye City could be described as smooth sailing, with almost no accidents or storms encountered.

The only small episode was in the second half of the journey, in areas with gradually increasing mountains, when the two of them and the cat encountered a sudden blizzard and were forced to take brief refuge in a cave, avoiding the threat of an avalanche.

Perhaps it was on that day that Siglei witnessed his work repairing the idol, and began to develop a strong interest in his painting tools and sculptures while sorting out his luggage. Lanqi introduced the purpose of each tool and his own experience in using them with great patience, as well as how to appreciate the mysteries of artworks.

Anyway, they spent most of the time talking along the way, whether learning or imparting knowledge, which could speed up the passage of time in perception for them.

Now, looking back, Siglei only felt infinitely nostalgic.

And embarking on the journey again at this moment was particularly reassuring and pleasant.

This trip was not as rushed as the last one, and there were no two million troops in the south and the precarious battle situation. There would be no blood races in the snow, and it was already peaceful. There was no sense of urgency along the way.

Her full-strength physical strength was much better than that of the ten-year-old girl in the dream, and Lanqi didn't have to visit the lord and repair the idol every time he arrived at a beastman city-state. The entire itinerary was very relaxed.

Just like them at this moment, they could hide in a warm hotel in the middle of winter, chatting idly while waiting for Kaliella to cook.

Everything was a feeling of happiness.

"Yes, last time the Great Lord of Xiaoye City arranged the room for us. There was no place to live at all."

Lanqi put down the book, rarely showing a little smile, and looked at Siglei and replied.

Xiaoye City, an independent city-state close to the Demon World, was very popular with Demon World merchants and was also the starting point of the Demon World merchant route and the end point of the Polant Empire merchant route.

He was very memorable and touched by the trip with Siglei.

"I really didn't expect your affinity for small animals to be equally effective on the beastman race, meow. They all like and trust you very much."

Cat Boss climbed onto Lanqi's shoulder and sighed.

"..."

The living room fell silent again.

When Cat Boss looked at Lanqi's expression again, it only found that his smile was slowly disappearing.

It suspected that it had said something wrong, and shook its head back and forth, looking at Lanqi and Siglei.

Siglei looked at Cat Boss helplessly.

Cat Boss was a master of making things worse. Lanqi seemed to have already let go of the disappearance of the rabbit people in Xiaoye City, but after hearing Cat Boss's words, he finally couldn't hold back.

Siglei clearly remembered.

Just like the Great Lord Algom of Xiaoshi City, who was not very close to Lanqi at first, but later showed a cute side like a little bear in front of him.

It was not some natural attraction, but simply that they felt sincerity and respect from Lanqi, and they responded to Lanqi with the same.

Siglei naturally understood Lanqi's mood after discovering the events of several beastman city-states along the way.

The beastman lord of Xiaoye City had been kind to the blood race many years ago. At that time, the blood race was weak, and many blood races were hunted down by wolf clan vampire hunters. It was still difficult to gain a foothold in human kingdoms that were half day and half night, and they fled all the way to the Land of Eternal Night.

Therefore, the deepest part of the Land of Eternal Night became their best hiding place.

The old lord of Xiaoye City saw these scarred blood races and felt sorry for them. At their bitter pleading, he shared the blood of the snow-covered wild animals they hunted with them, saving many blood races, including even the future eighth progenitor of the blood race, Marquis Somerset.

Marquis Somerset promised the old lord that he would repay his kindness in the future.

The ridiculous thing was that the blood race's repayment was that one day in the future, Somerset would personally kill all the rabbit people of Xiaoye City.

Lanqi had already had no reaction after seeing the prosperity of several beastman city-states along the way.

He had regained his usual calm mood.

But hearing this story, he still smiled helplessly.

When a person smiles for no reason, it is either because they are bored or because they are suffering.

"Are you okay?"

Siglei sat next to Lanqi again, but this time she didn't deliberately lean on him, but maintained a distance that made him comfortable.

If she were Sigrid, she might hug Lanqi to comfort him at this moment, but she was playing Siglei now, so let's maintain mutual respect for the time being.

"It's nothing. It's just that this Blood Moon Calamity World didn't feel like much during the darkest period of turmoil, but now, in this era of peace moving towards the light, it makes people feel a kind of absurdity, but they don't know what to say."

Lanqi shook his head frankly and smiled again.

But Siglei's concerned gaze did not move away, nor did it waver.

She still stared at Lanqi, until Lanqi began to be a little puzzled, leaned back, and leaned on the back of the sofa chair.

"You can't hide it from me. Even if I can't read your mind, I can read your eyes."

Siglei said.

This Shadow World itself didn't seem to be difficult. Perhaps because Lanqi had done everything too well in the first three Shadow Worlds, the last Shadow World had become a bonus round.

But Sigrid was sure that this Shadow World was the most difficult for Lanqi.

He, who wholeheartedly wanted to save everyone, was constantly experiencing the powerlessness of Black Sun Lanclos after discovering that the dust had settled in this era.

Even if his personal abilities had surpassed Black Sun Lanclos, and he could do better than Lanclos every time, he still couldn't fight against the entire world and the direction of the wheel of fate, just like in the real world he couldn't end the war in the Southern Continent and save all the creatures trapped in suffering according to his will.

The more persistent a creature is, the more extreme it will become once its persistence is shattered.

No one knew what kind of choice Lanclos made at the end of the Blood Moon Calamity World, or how he took his final bow.

Sigrid always had a bad feeling.

Because she felt that Black Sun Lanclos was surrounded by extreme negative emotions at the end of his life, only waiting for an opportunity to detonate them all, causing Black Sun Lanclos to completely collapse.

Lanqi was now going through such a process.

[Task Objective 1: Read the letter from old friend Kaliella; go to the Demon World Purgatory City of Pasqual. (Incomplete)]

[Task Objective 2: Understand the state of mind of Black Sun Lanclos: 4.67%. (Incomplete)]

[Task Objective 3: All challengers survive until the 21-day time limit ends, with 14 days, 02 hours, and 35 minutes remaining.]

As a challenger, Sigrid could actually see this panel, but Lanqi didn't know it yet.

Sigrid had been caring about Lanqi.

Whenever she saw Lanqi's understanding of the Black Sun become higher, she seemed to be able to empathize with the heartache. She knew that Lanqi's calm surface was not so indifferent, he was always thinking in his heart, he cared, he was sad, he was brooding.

As for what Lanqi would finally understand, it all depended on his deeper self.

"If I change, will you wake me up?"

Lanqi looked at Siglei and joked.

He felt that it was time to lighten the atmosphere. The Shadow World itself was a journey of reminiscence, and everyone should be happy together.

Even the song playing in the room was telling them not to forget to smile.

"No."

Siglei shook her head, in a tone that didn't want to joke at all,

"If the front is hell, I'll go with you. I believe in every decision you make, and I won't leave you alone."

She said, gazing at Lanqi.

"..."

Lanqi was stunned for a moment.

Those purple eyes seemed to be asking him: Don't you know enough about me?

Just looking at those bright and sharp purple eyes, he couldn't quite tell whether this was Siglei or the familiar person from the real world.

But soon, Lanqi still shook his head.

How could the original inhabitants of the Shadow World suddenly turn into real people? He must be fantasizing too much. At this time, subconsciously, he began to miss Sigrid, so he would think that everyone looked like Sigrid.