Solomon, a figure steeped in legend.
He was one of the four most prominent Emperors of the fourth epoch, single-handedly establishing the Solomon Empire. Even after Trunsoest's betrayal and his demise through the combined schemes of the Six Gods, he unexpectedly resurrected, making a powerful comeback to found the Second Solomon Empire.
At the same time, Solomon was one of the True Creator's few allies, a frequent visitor to Lin Ruo's small dark room, and once achieved the feat of continuously delivering painful plot twists in three books, driving Lin Ruo to "mental derangement."
Of course, what happened after that—how our great Black Emperor Your Majesty was "hunted down" by a certain Angel of Judgment—is not for outsiders to know.
This incident also tells us that delivering painful plot twists requires caution, especially when your reader is right beside you, is very capable in a fight, can rally a hundred in response, and with a mere gesture can turn most of your allies against you to "hunt" you down.
Delivering painful plot twists truly can get you put in a sack.
And for Lin Ruo now, Solomon is an old friend, an indispensable character in his unrecovered memories.
Lin Ruo had previously accessed historical records related to this old friend through various channels, and based on fragmented clues in his memories, he had speculated about his mode of interaction with Solomon.
The former painted a picture of a Black Emperor: majestic, powerful, persistent, and ruthless, exuding an inviolable sense of imperial authority everywhere. He was the ruler of the Solomon Empire and a leader with immense personal charisma.
Aside from his peculiar asymmetrical aesthetic that drove perfectionists crazy—whether due to the influence of his Sequence or his innate personality—this Black Emperor was undoubtedly an excellent existence.
As for the latter… Lin Ruo admitted that due to the information revealed in the partially recovered memories, his greatest impression of Solomon had now become—a master of procrastination, a demon of painful plot twists, and a frequent visitor to the "Stewed Pigeon small dark room."
—Black Emperor? Heh, can a Black Emperor procrastinate? Can he deliver painful plot twists? Small dark room warning!
No… I can't think about it anymore, or I'll burst out laughing on the spot.
Lin Ruo, whose thoughts had accidentally drifted off again, quickly blinked. To avoid laughing out loud during this long-awaited, surprising, and warm reunion, he pursed his lips, then drank some tea from his cup, hoping to calm himself down.
"Sir Lin, what are you thinking about?"
Suddenly, Solomon's voice echoed in Lin Ruo's ears again. Clearly, as an old friend who had suffered greatly from Lin Ruo, Solomon understood him deeply.
"Hmm, I'm thinking about how to account for your thousand-plus years of procrastination, and how long you'll need to be locked in the small dark room to make up for it," Lin Ruo's movements paused for a moment, then he spoke in his usual tone, appearing not to feel guilty in the slightest.
Solomon fell silent for about two or three seconds before he spoke, "I remember, my last book should have been finished. Since no new book has been started, how can it be considered procrastination?"
His tone was earnest, his voice deep and mellow. If one didn't listen to the content of his words, they might even mistake him for discussing a matter of national importance.
"That makes sense…" Lin Ruo nodded, showing a look of agreement, but then changed the subject, "But what conflict does that have with me wanting to lock you in the small dark room to demand updates?"
Solomon: "…"
"I've just barely woken up, are you really sure you want to provoke me like this?" Solomon's voice carried a hint of helplessness.
"Ancestor, Your Highness Lin Ruo, I won't disturb your reunion here. Please take your time talking," the King of the Five Seas Nast Solomon, who had overheard a bit and felt that continuing to listen would surely lead to him being strung up and beaten later, said quietly at this moment.
Despite looking like a tall man of 1.9 meters, Nast Solomon appeared particularly small, pitiful, and helpless at this moment.
"Yes, you may leave. Your ancestor and I do indeed have some things to discuss that are not convenient for you to hear," Lin Ruo nodded with a smile.
Solomon naturally had no objection to this.
Having received permission, Nast Solomon immediately breathed a sigh of relief, rose to take his leave, and was out of the room in two steps, then thoughtfully closed the door.
Lin Ruo watched him leave, subconsciously pinching his ring, and said, "Speaking of which, do you feel disappointed? The most promising Bloodline among your Family's descendants is only a Sequence 3, not even an Angel. Forget about restoring the Family's glory; if anything unexpected happens, the Solomon Bloodline might even end."
A Sequence 3 is indeed a significant figure among ordinary Beyonders, but compared to an Angel, or a Sequence 0, it's truly nothing.
Klein dared to hunt the God of Wishes because he had the cheat of Sefirah Castle and the help of the Miss Messenger. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, the gap between a Sequence 3 and a Sequence 2 Angel is enormous, insurmountable without cheating.
"…The worst prediction I ever made was that the Solomon surname would completely disappear," Solomon replied, his voice steady and calm. "Compared to the fate of the Trunsoest Family, this is already very good."
"Is that so…" Lin Ruo smiled. He suddenly put down his teacup and looked at his ring, saying, "I'm sorry, I just talked about some topics that made you uncomfortable, but believe me, I just didn't know how to start the conversation. Your appearance is too much of a surprise for me."
"I'm truly glad to see you again, old friend."
"You haven't changed a bit over all these years…" After a second of silence, Solomon said with a sigh, "Sometimes I actually regret believing your nonsense and starting to write books… A Black Emperor being strung up and beaten by a Angel of Judgment for procrastination and delivering painful plot twists—I wouldn't even dare write something like that in my novels, yet it actually happened to me."
Lin Ruo's smile remained unchanged, as if he felt no guilt at all, though his eyelids seemed to twitch uncontrollably.
"But perhaps I've been deceived by your nonsense too many times, brainwashed. Sometimes I feel that without those days of wits and battles with you, life seems to be missing something," Solomon continued, "Heh, fortunately, I've finally escaped your update-demanding Hell now."
"Hmm…" Lin Ruo pursed his lips, picked up his teacup, and took a sip before saying, "So you're not happy to be reunited with me?"
"Would you believe me if I said no?" Solomon countered calmly.
"No," Lin Ruo shook his head decisively. After a pause, he said, "To be honest, you're not quite what I imagined."
"What did you imagine I was like?" Solomon showed no surprise at Lin Ruo's words.
"I originally thought you would be more serious," Lin Ruo said with a smile, "But now I find that you're quite emotional."
"If I weren't emotional, could you have tricked me into writing books?" Solomon retorted, then continued, "Seriousness is for outsiders. In front of you, I would like to be serious, but would you fall for that?"
"That's hilarious, how could I possibly fall for that?" Lin Ruo shrugged with a smile.
"There you have it," Solomon said, then paused, his tone finally becoming complex, "So my judgment was indeed correct, your memories really did have an issue?"
"I did lose most of my past memories, but don't worry, I did this myself, and recovery is just a matter of time," Lin Ruo had no intention of hiding it. He nodded and then asked curiously, "So how did you figure that out? Am I very different from before?"
"No, you're essentially no different from how I remember you, which even affected my judgment at first. But…" Solomon paused here, his tone carrying a subtle hint, "The past you would not have felt guilty about demanding updates."
"After I delivered painful plot twists in three consecutive books, the past you would no longer feel guilty about demanding updates from me."