Chapter 141

In the courtyard, a slender figure dressed in a nun's habit was diligently cleaning the yard.

Ai Yue quietly took two steps closer and finally saw the other person's face clearly. "Aponia?"

Although the face was still very young, Ai Yue was able to recognize the person's identity at a glance.

This explained his previous doubts—if Aponia was only this big at this point in time, then the nun he had just seen was probably the church administrator of Aponia in the past.

"Sir, where are you from?"

Upon hearing a strange man suddenly mention her name, Aponia's face clearly showed a hint of fear. She gripped the broom in her hand and held it in front of her, trying to appear calm. "Outsiders are not allowed to enter here. Please go back quickly."

She doesn't recognize me? Could it be that Aponia's consciousness isn't here?

Ai Yue scratched his head, feeling a little strange.

He had thought that finding Aponia would solve the problem, but now it seemed that he had been too naive.

If Aponia's consciousness doesn't exist within her body, then where is it located?

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I just wanted to use the restroom, but I got lost."

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile gently. "Excuse me, nun, do you know how to get there?"

In any case, it's definitely the right thing to do first and foremost to improve relations with Aponia.

120

Chapter 120 What a strange play this is.

Although the woman before him, Aponia, was much younger than when Ai Yue first met her, had almost no difference in personality, which made Ai Yue feel somewhat dazed during their conversation.

However, the church was not large, so Aponia quickly led him to his destination and thoughtfully told him that she would wait outside in case Ai Yue got lost again.

This made Ai Yue a little embarrassed, but he could take this opportunity to sort out the current situation.

The first question is, what kind of place is this exactly?

Ai Yue wasn't concerned about whether there was anything wrong with this Twilight Street, but rather about which level of the illusion it was within the confines that Aponia had set for itself.

He clearly remembered that he had used his Herrscher authority to break through the external blockade. Theoretically, this would have allowed him to access Aponia's consciousness and awaken her, but this was the current situation.

Although the teenage version of Aponia looked almost identical to the real Aponia, Ai Yue was certain that she was not the person he was looking for.

Could it be that only by breaking through this illusion can we see the real Aponia? Does that guy have to be so careful? Could it be that after breaking through this illusion, there's another layer behind it?

Ai Yue closed his eyes, trying to use the power of Herrscher to locate the position of Aponia's consciousness, but unfortunately he failed in the end. He could not locate it as accurately as a true psychic, and could only search for it vaguely by sensing the fluctuations of mental energy.

But Aponia's mental energy fluctuations are everywhere here, so it can't be said that she is actually omnipresent, can it?

Ai Yue sighed as he opened his eyes again and walked out of the bathroom.

Now, all we can do is take it one step at a time—the clues should lie with this teenage version of Aponia, anyway.

"Mr. Ai Yue, I'm over here."

Aponia was standing at the end of the corridor outside the restroom. When she saw Ai Yue appear, she gestured to him, "Please come with me, I'll see you out."

"I see."

Ai Yue nodded and then followed the other person, "Miss Aponia, I'd like to ask, why can't people go into the backyard?"

Based on his understanding of Aponia, Ai Yue had already dispelled Aponia's doubts with just a few words. At this moment, Ai Yue's image in her eyes was that of a curious and kind person, so such questions would not make the girl wary of him.

"That's where the nuns rest, Mr. Ai Yue,"

Aponia didn't hesitate for long before stating the facts. "Such a private place shouldn't be allowed to be entered by strangers."

"I see, I was being presumptuous."

Ai Yue paused for a moment, then scratched his head. "I'm sorry, Miss Aponia."

Is this just a place for the nuns to rest? Could it be that the church hasn't started taking in children and the sick yet?

Ai Yue, and Aponia remained silent, and the two fell into a silence.

Just then, Ai Yue suddenly noticed a hint of struggle and confusion on Aponia's face. He seemed to have thought of something, and then said casually, "But I never imagined that there were so many nuns living here."

"Huh?"

Aponia was a little confused by this statement and subconsciously said, "But there are only three nuns in the church, aren't there?"

"Huh, is that so?"

Ai Yue also feigned surprise and said, "Sorry, I saw a lot of rooms in the backyard and thought many people lived here. Does that mean those are all empty houses?"

"Yes, there are many empty houses there."

Aponia nodded, then added, "It's such a waste to leave them empty, isn't it?"

After saying that, she came to her senses and covered her mouth somewhat embarrassedly. "Ah, I wasn't complaining about anything..."

"It's nothing, Miss Aponia."

The two had returned to the church. Ai Yue smiled at her and said, "If you have any troubles in your heart, talking about them might help you find a solution."

Perhaps Ai Yue's words had an effect, or perhaps Aponia couldn't continue to hide it in front of the statue. After a moment's hesitation, she finally spoke up, "Mr. Ai Yue, do you know that there are actually many homeless children wandering around on Twilight Street?"

Once the thought in one's mind flows out of one's mouth, it is difficult to stop. Aponia paused briefly, then continued, "They have nowhere to live, but we have so many empty houses here. Isn't this an opportunity for our church to do something?"

Clearly, it was Aponia who actually proposed taking in homeless orphans.

"In that case, it's definitely something that should be done,"

Ai Yue nodded in agreement, then added, "However, in this environment, a kind heart alone cannot save so many people—even if you can provide them with shelter, what about the rest?"

In this era, housing is not even the most pressing concern, since the population is far less than the number of empty rooms; food is the most important resource.

Even if Aponia opened all the church rooms to the public, there wouldn't be enough food to feed more people, and the fundamental problem wouldn't be solved.

"That's what Mother Maria said too. She said the church is already struggling to support the three of us, and doesn't have the resources to take care of anyone else,"

Aponia sighed and said with some resentment, "Even though I pray to the gods day and night, begging them to perform miracles, I have not received a response so far."

Despite having grown up in a church, Aponia began to question the teachings she had always received.

If even the gods refuse to show mercy in such difficult times, then what is the meaning of their existence?

"This is indeed a very troublesome problem,"

Ai Yue smiled. "But if we can't rely on the gods, why not try another method?"

He guessed right—the core of this illusion was Aponia's inner confusion.

So, it seems that a way to break through this illusion has already been presented to him.

Aponia looked up blankly, not knowing what Ai Yue was talking about, but at that moment Ai Yue had already taken something out of his pocket and gently placed it in her hand.

Aponia stared blankly at her hands, feeling the heavy weight emanating from them.

She had once seen something similar from afar by chance, Mother Maria, told her that it was very valuable, and that just a little bit could be exchanged for a lot of food—something called gold.

"Mr. Ai Yue?"

Aponia looked up and saw that Ai Yue had already reached the church entrance.

"I will come again."

Ai Yue turned to the side and waved to Aponia, "Maybe next time we come, we'll have more things to talk about?"

He walked out of the church and closed the door behind him.

Although this solution is a bit too simplistic and crude, this is an illusion after all, so it shouldn't matter, right?

As Ai Yue was still pondering, he suddenly felt his feet begin to shake—no, not just his feet, but the surrounding buildings also began to tremble and twist, as if they were about to collapse.

Does this mean the illusion is now resolved?

This thought crossed Ai Yue's mind, and he then closed his eyes, waiting for the turmoil to end.

Soon, the surroundings gradually returned to calm. However, when Ai Yue opened his eyes, he found that he still had not left Twilight Street.

He was still standing there, with the church doors right in front of him.

Ai Yue scratched his head, as if he had thought of something, and then pushed the door open again.

This time he clearly felt the difference—even though he had only left a few minutes ago, it felt like several years had passed here. The surroundings had become more ancient, and even the lights had become dim.

In the dim light, Ai Yue seemed to hear some music.

He followed the direction of the sound and soon arrived at the backyard.

Besides Aponia and another younger nun, there were several children standing there, both boys and girls, the older ones perhaps twelve or thirteen years old, and the younger ones even looking only four or five.

Everyone gathered in a corner of the courtyard, surrounding something. Ai Yue quietly approached and discovered that it was a simple stone tablet.

To be precise, it should be a tombstone, and it is obvious who the tombstone belongs to.

"Mr. Ai Yue has arrived?"

The first to notice Ai Yue's arrival were actually two children. They quietly tugged at Aponia's sleeve, and only then did she notice that there was another person in the yard. "Please wait a moment."

Under her arrangement, another young nun quickly led the children back to their rooms, leaving only the two of them in the courtyard.

Aponia has changed somewhat since the time of the turmoil in the illusion. Apart from the differences in appearance and height, the biggest difference is that although Aponia still maintains a gentle smile, her eyes have become more determined.

It was precisely this difference that made Aponia, the woman before him, increasingly resemble the nun Ai Yue was familiar with.

"I'm so sorry,"

Facing Aponia, who was walking slowly towards him, Ai Yue took the initiative to speak, "I'm late."

These words were not only spoken to Aponia in front of him, but also to Ai Yue, who had never spoken them aloud.

He always felt that if he had traveled back in time earlier, even just six months earlier, he could have accomplished more and changed the fate of more people.

However, he arrived too late and missed too many things.

"Please don't say that. Mr. Ai Yue has already done enough."

Aponia shook her head slightly. "Without your help, how could we have taken in so many children?"

I only gave them a small gold bar, I didn't do anything, did I?

Ai Yue was stunned for a moment, feeling that things were not quite as he had imagined.

Just as he was lost in thought, Aponia spoke up again, "Would you please accompany me for a walk, Mr. Ai Yue?"

After saying this, the nun looked into his eyes until Ai Yue nodded, then she turned and walked outside.

"My Mother Maria told me before she passed away, thank you for my persistence."

The two strolled along the quiet street. After a moment, Aponia slowly spoke, "She said that she had upheld her faith her whole life, but in the last few years, she finally did something for her faith."

"This ending gave her a sense of satisfaction."

"She is already amazing for raising you all to adulthood."

Ai Yue nodded slightly, "In this day and age, even among blood relatives, there are people who cannot do this."

"So I want to pass on this 'faith'."

Aponia continued, "I have already received the blessing of a miracle, and this miracle should be given to more people."

What are you planning to do?

Although Ai Yue had a vague idea in his mind, he still pretended to be puzzled and asked, "Adopt more children?"

"Not only that,"

Aponia looked towards the corner of the street, "I want to extend my care to even more people."

At the edge of her vision, a blurry human figure lay in a corner. The two people slowly approached, only to find that it was just a body that had been dead for a long time.

"This does not appear to be a natural death..."

Ai Yue frowned, noticing the purple markings on the corpse's arm. "Aponia, you've probably heard of it, right?"

"It's called 'Honkai Sickness'... right?"

Aponia murmured, taking off her coat and covering the body. "I want him to be laid to rest, Mr. Ai Yue. Could you please help me?"

With Aponia having somehow managed to borrow a simple straw mat, the two of them carried it to the wilderness outside Twilight Street for a makeshift funeral.

After completing the final ceremony, Aponia stood up. "Let's go back, Mr. Ai Yue, there's still a lot to do."

Are you really planning to admit patients?