Late at night, during the rest period.
The person in charge of the Cretton Caravan had only assigned Hastur and Sharron a single waterproof outdoor tent. Inside were merely two simple sheepskin blankets laid out for them, already mottled with black spots and stained with murky yellow marks.
They also gave off an exceptionally strong odor.
Sharron had no complaints about this. She only needed to stay inside the mirror to easily pass the night.
"..."
Hastur stared at the sheepskin blankets spread over the wooden boards and truly had no desire to lie down and sleep on them.
"Not sleeping?"
Sharron's figure appeared on the mirror's surface as she deliberately looked at the conflicted expression on Hastur's face.
"Sigh, I've gotten too used to the life of a noble." Hastur sighed and looked toward the mirror placed on a wooden stool. "Is there much space inside the mirror?"
"Not much."
"It shouldn't be difficult to fit one more person in there, right?"
Sharron did not answer him directly. She merely said, "You need to stay outside to prevent any accidents."
"I believe no one will disturb us tonight." Hastur looked eager to give it a try.
He genuinely wanted to experience what it was like to spend an entire night inside a mirror.
"What about that unfamiliar visitor?"
"I'm not familiar with him anyway."
Hastur was just about to say something else when the voice of the young man from earlier that night came from outside the tent.
"Looks like you won't get the chance tonight." After saying that, Sharron completely disappeared into the mirror, leaving behind a clearly displeased Hastur.
It wasn't easy to get an opportunity to be alone with Sharron inside a mirror, yet someone just had to come over and disturb them.
I really want to beat him up.
Hastur sighed, composed himself slightly, then stood up, lifted one corner of the tent, and walked outside.
Before the young man could say anything, Hastur spoke first. "Do you know how I feel about having to come out on such a wonderful night to deal with an unfamiliar stranger?"
"I have indeed been paying particular attention to you. You could even say that I came here tonight specifically for you." The young man nodded with a smile. "How rude of me. I haven't introduced myself yet. Ross Hurley. That's the name I use while traveling."
"So?"
Hastur was not particularly surprised. The man's behavior tonight had already revealed his intentions several times.
"Would you be willing to join the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun?" Ross Hurley lowered his eyes and sincerely extended the invitation.
"Huh?" Surprise appeared on Hastur's face.
He genuinely had not expected this man to be here to invite him to join the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun. Was it because he also had a head of dazzling golden hair?
Considering his relationship with the Eternal Blazing Sun... He probably wished He could send down judgement and strike Hastur dead.
Hastur had helped the Supernova Dominator several times, causing the Eternal Blazing Sun to suffer severe damage. Even His divine kingdom had nearly been smashed apart, and now He had directly shut the gates of His divine kingdom.
Barring any accidents, the Eternal Blazing Sun would inevitably be the next true god to fall.
Joining the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun at a time like this would be like joining the German Army at the end of World War 2.
"Please forgive my refusal. I have no interest whatsoever in the faith of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun. Nor am I a citizen of your Republic of Intis. I'm merely a Loenese who happened to come out for some sightseeing and relaxation."
"I guessed you would refuse." Ross Hurley showed no disappointment and continued smiling. "I have never met anyone as fated with the sun as you."
Fated? Does he mean the fate of me helping the Supernova Dominator bombard the Eternal Blazing Sun's divine kingdom again and again?
Then we really are quite fated.
"Forcing someone to change their faith isn't something a qualified believer should do." Hastur continued to refuse with a smile.
"If you were willing to join the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, I believe that in the future, you could become the new Pope of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun."
Hearing this, Hastur couldn't help but ask, "Just what exactly did you see in me?"
"A sun."
"??"
Hastur froze slightly, then chuckled and shook his head.
When it came to concealing his true self, unless a Great Old One descended personally, it would be very difficult for any existence to see through his true identity.
Much less see a sun within him.
"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough." Ross Hurley smiled as well. "Everyone gives off a completely different impression due to all sorts of reasons. When I said I saw a sun in you, I meant the feeling you give me, not that I literally saw something."
"Looking at you is like looking at a newly risen sun. So dazzling, so captivating."
Ross Hurley had appeared here and was now saying things that could easily be misunderstood, drawing the gazes of quite a few night watchmen who had yet to rest.
Please, no. I'm not Emperor Roselle. I respectfully decline anything between men.
"Mr. Ross Hurley, I don't think you should discuss topics that are so easily misunderstood with someone you've only recently met." Hastur stopped him from continuing. "That's enough for tonight. I'm going back to rest. Please do as you wish."
With that, Hastur ignored Ross Hurley, pulled open one corner of the tent, and walked inside.
"Sigh, I was too impatient, but there really isn't much time left." Ross Hurley sighed and muttered softly.
Not far away, someone beside the bonfire whistled and pointed at his companion, who was built like a black bear, joking, "What do you think of my friend? You don't need to worry about his stamina. He's quite the expert in that particular field."
The burly man who had been singled out stood up at just the right moment and even thrust his hips toward Ross Hurley.
Ross Hurley merely smiled at them without showing the slightest trace of anger.
After he left, the burly man suddenly felt as though a ball of fire was burning inside him. His eyes gradually turned bloodshot, and he began panting slightly.
"What's wrong with you? Don't tell me you really took a liking to that guy? I was just making a casual joke."
...
Inside the tent, Sharron, who had already hidden herself within the mirror, revealed herself once again. She glanced at the contemplative Hastur.
"He's very interested in you."
She deliberately paused on the word "interested."
"Sharron, you've actually learned how to joke." Hastur stopped pondering and walked over to the mirror, a helpless smile appearing on his face.
"He's not simple." Sharron calmly changed the subject.
"I know." Hastur thought for a moment before saying, "I'm very good at attracting other people's attention because I'm simply too dazzling."
"Narcissist."
"Tsk, Sharron, you seem much more cheerful than before on this trip. Is it because you're close to fully digesting the Puppet potion?"
"Mm. I'm very compatible with this Sequence."
Hastur chatted with Sharron for a while longer, then persistently pestered her to let him enter and spend the night inside the mirror.
Unfortunately, he was mercilessly refused in the end.
The next day, Hastur was awakened by a burst of commotion outside the tent. When he came outside, he discovered a crowd gathered around the entrance to the dense forest, apparently admiring something.
Curious, he walked over to take a look as well.
Tsk. What an eyesore.
The burly man built like a massive black bear was leaning against a tree trunk with his eyes closed, sleeping soundly with a thoroughly satisfied smile on his face.
Resting on his thigh was the friend who was usually quite close to him. At the moment, the man's face was deathly pale, his eyes vacant and unfocused, and drool trickled from the corner of his mouth, as though he had been overstimulated.
After the surrounding people enthusiastically explained what had happened, Hastur finally understood the sequence of events. Supposedly, the man had eaten something he shouldn't have, causing some mental abnormalities, after which certain pleasurable yet painful events occurred.
The person in charge of the Cretton Caravan flew into a rage over the matter. In the end, he had two people remain behind to temporarily look after them while everyone else continued toward the capital, Trier.
As for the young man named Ross Hurley from the previous night, no one had seen him again after waking up that morning.
The rest of the journey went very smoothly, without any more strange or troublesome incidents. Before the sun finally set, the Cretton Caravan successfully arrived at the capital of the Republic of Intis.
To thank them for taking care of him along the way, Hastur deliberately gave them another 10 gold coins as a token of gratitude.
Whenever he thought about how these gold coins had been earned by Mr. Fool through all his desperate struggles out there, Hastur found spending them especially satisfying.
After parting ways with the caravan, Hastur and Sharron first found a fairly decent hotel to stay in.
...
Republic of Intis, southeastern coastal port.
At the bustling and prosperous docks, Cattleya accompanied Bernadette as they arrived.
Neither of them had set foot in intis for a very long time, and each wore a different expression.
Ever since the incident at the White Maple Palace, the political landscape of the Republic of Intis had completely changed.
The Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun had joined forces with the Sauron family and seized the throne that should have belonged to the Gustav family.
At the time, Bernadette had been far away at sea. Although she still hated her father, she had secretly returned to the Republic of Intis several times, yet had never found the answers she sought.
During one of those secret returns, she was discovered by members of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun and the Sauron family and was pursued relentlessly. From that point onward, she had never again set foot in this country.
"Do you miss it?" Bernadette suddenly asked as she looked at the familiar architectural styles lining both sides of the street.
Cattleya remained silent for a moment before shaking her head. "I can barely remember it anymore."
She had been very young when she left Intis, departing alongside Bernadette.
Back then, because Bernadette hated this place, she had also hated the place where she had once lived. There were not many memories here that she considered worth remembering.
All the beautiful memories of her childhood were connected to the person before her.
"Let's go. It's about time we returned to meet some old acquaintances."