Late Arrival (Thanks to Alliance Leader Moyu LIKE

"Come on, don't be so cold."

Russell shook his head helplessly. "Can't we be like we used to be?"

"Decades ago, you held the Book of Destiny in your hands, yet stood by and watched the last institution of Utopia be struck from the roster. You did nothing. You didn't even say a word. And now you come back wearing that old face of yours to tell me, 'Yoko, we were comrades, we had a bond'... So who exactly is the cold one here, Russell?"

The old woman retorted, "Letting you enter my home and sit across from me at my table is already the last courtesy I can offer. Are you going to demand even more from me?"

In the silence, Russell said nothing. Huai Shi's movements paused for a moment, and he glanced at Russell, but Russell did not look back at him. He merely continued gazing at his old friend across the table.

"Then and now are always different, Yoko. Whether Utopia existed was never determined by the Book of Destiny. No matter how loudly I spoke, it would have been useless."

He said, "You should know that after Heavenly Kingdom Fall, the collapse of Utopia was already inevitable."

"After all these years, what are you even coming back to say?" Yoko shook her head. "It's like some old lover wanting to get back together, showing up at his ex-wife's door and saying, 'We can start over.' You really do live in the world of morning dramas, Russell."

"It's not too late, Yoko. At least we're both still alive." Russell shook his head. "As long as we exist, Utopia still has a chance to be rebuilt. Before that..."

"No. It's already too late, Russell."

Yoko cut him off expressionlessly and told him, "You came too late."

She