The Wedding Dress / The Hero's Sword

"I haven't felt it for a long time."

"Smack!"

Lin's heartbeat quickened, but this time, she didn't hear the strong thumping from her own chest.

He turned his head and asked gently, "Does it hurt?"

"...Um."

Chapter Seventeen: Wedding Dress

We met again.

Lin met the gaze of those merciless Prismatic Eyes at eye level. Golden chains bound them together. This time, the Prismatic Eyes no longer ignored him but stared intently at Lin, radiating a dazzling light.

He was prevented from surfacing by the golden chains last time, so he believes that only by completely devouring Lin can he leave this Red Sea.

Lin closed his eyes.

Just then, "he" with Prismatic Eyes spoke.

"Is being entangled with ghosts really that wonderful?"

Lin opened his eyes.

"Umm..."

Sweet breath blew in at point-blank range, her delicate nose appeared first, followed by her tightly closed beautiful eyes.

The girl curled up in bed like a wounded cub, clinging tightly to Lin's arm.

As if sensing Lin's gaze, its long eyelashes trembled a few times, and it slowly opened its eyes, revealing clear blue eyes with a deep pink hue.

"Hmm... Good morning, Lin." The beautiful girl smiled in the golden light.

"..."

As the echoes in his mind gradually subsided, Lin nodded gently.

Where should we go today?

Elysia Lin served breakfast, Alicia began planning her day. She held a spoon in her mouth and searched for fun places nearby on her phone.

"Don't eat while using your phone."

"Oh~"

After obediently finishing breakfast under Lin's supervision, Elysia and Lin washed the dishes together, when a brilliant idea struck her—

"Oh, right, let's go pick out a wedding dress."

After getting out of the taxi, Lin stood in front of a store displaying numerous wedding dresses in its window. He looked up at the store's sign, designed to resemble a silk scarf. Even without seeing the color, he knew it was the purest white.

"Let's go, let's go~"

Elysia pushed Lin from behind into the bridal shop. As soon as they entered, a salesperson greeted them with a smile. Upon seeing Lin and Elysia's appearance, the salesperson was amazed and warmly welcomed them. "Are you two here to choose a wedding dress?"

Lin glanced at Elysia without speaking. Elysia stepped forward and chuckled, "Yes, it's me."

"And this person..."

"He is my husband."

"That really is... what a perfect couple." Despite her surprise, the waitress maintained her professionalism and politely led the way. "Would you mind coming with me to take your measurements, miss?"

Elysia followed the waiter to the backstage area, while Lin sat on the waiting sofa, gazing at the numerous wedding dresses, his fingers unconsciously clenching together.

Marriage? With Elysia...

Countless faces flashed before his eyes, and his expression grew increasingly somber until...

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy about picking out a wedding dress for your wife?"

A voice came from the side, making Lin jump. He hesitated and looked up to see a man sitting next to him, turning his head to talk to him as if they were having a casual chat.

"You..."

"This is a big event in your life, a smile will make you feel better."

"..." Lin's initial surprise subsided. That's right, this man operated in the Far East and wielded considerable influence there, so his presence here wasn't surprising. He shook his head under the man's benevolent gaze. "It's not that I'm unhappy, it's just..."

"Oh, you're nervous? That's normal. I was nervous when I got married too, after all, it's like you're deciding to spend the rest of your life with another person." The man couldn't help but sigh, "It's been more than ten years since then."

"You're here..."

"I'm helping my friend's daughter choose a wedding dress."

"Oh."

The man might be naturally talkative; he can chat with even a young person whose name he doesn't know.

"Hey buddy, you're so handsome, be more confident! Can you cook?"

"Meeting."

Do you know how to make brown sugar water?

"...meeting."

"Then there's nothing to worry about. As a man, knowing these two things already makes you a great partner. If you learn a little more about women's preconception period, pregnancy, and changing diapers, you'll be perfect." The man patted Lin on the shoulder and said with a carefree laugh.

"That's not what I'm worried about..."

"Then what are you worried about? Will your wife fall for someone else? There's even less to worry about. A girl who lets you choose the wedding dress instead of choosing it herself absolutely loves you."

"..."

"Lift your head, smile. Instead of thinking about so many irrelevant things, things that are so far away that they might turn you from a handsome young man into a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and an uncle-like appearance, why not look at your wife looking beautiful in her wedding dress?"

Another waiter came over and said something to the man. He nodded, stood up, and patted Lin on the shoulder one last time. "Then I'll be going now. Remember what I said, this is the experience of someone who's been there."

"By the way, I haven't asked your name yet. It's quite a coincidence that we met at the wedding dress shop."

"Lin."

"Oh? Then we're even more destined to meet, we even have the same name, hahaha..."

Lin watched the man walk away. His laughter was devoid of any extraneous emotions. As he walked out the door, he even turned back to give Lin a thumbs up and pointed in another direction.

Lin looked in the direction he was pointing, and with the crisp sound of high heels clicking on the ground, a pure white figure came into view.

Supported by two people, a girl with long, soft pink hair wore a white headscarf adorned with a crystal flower. The flawless hem of the headscarf swayed slightly, and her tall figure was even more eye-catching against the backdrop of her tightly bound white dress. From her smooth, uncovered thighs down to her delicate little feet in crystal high heels.

She was like a girl who had stepped out of a painting, but now, the girl in the painting was smiling vividly at him from the side.

"Is it pretty?"

The girl blinked her right eye, and after the others let go, she lifted the hem of her skirt and twirled in front of Lin.

Like a blooming yuri, spinning beneath a grand stage.

There may be other viewers, but the person she most wanted him to see was right in front of her.

Perhaps the light was too dazzling, Lin subconsciously looked away, but halfway there, his face was touched by a slender hand wearing a white gauze glove, making him look at the other person's face.

Even without makeup, the young girl was dazzling.

"Don't look away." Elysia was unusually firm as she spoke to the stunned Lin. "You have to answer me. Although I know I look good in anything, but..."

She lowered her head shyly, her gaze darting around, and spoke in a whisper like a mosquito.

"But it's your decision..."

This time, Lin didn't avoid his gaze. After watching for a long time, he nodded almost imperceptibly, then sat back on the sofa. Watching the girl smile and walk back to the fitting room to change into another wedding dress, he closed his eyes, his heart filled with tranquility.

Chapter Eighteen: The Hero's Sword

As the days went by, as if they had forgotten that Lin would leave sooner or later, the two of them traveled around everywhere, basically visiting all the fun places in the Far East, and later even traveling all over the world by plane.

Lin hadn't actually been to many places. He spent the first half of his life in the Far East. After joining the Fire Moth, he focused on carrying out missions in three main areas: Shenzhou, the Far East Mu Continent. Moreover, he didn't have the habit of taking a break while carrying out missions. The three points of headquarters, branch, and mission location constituted the second half of his life.

In contrast, Elysia had already traveled the world before joining the Fire Moth, and even Elysia from different worlds had similar experiences before joining the Fire Moth.

So throughout the trip, Elysia acted as Lin's guide, introducing him to the local customs and culture of various places around the world. From the fairy-tale-like Titlis snow mountain to the blood-red Crimean salt lake, and then to the warm and romantic Santorini black pebble beach, Elysia's camera recorded countless memorable moments.

"Hahaha, Lin, look at this photo!"

The other passengers on the train couldn't help but glance at the vibrant young woman, who was resting her chest on the silver-haired man's head and waving a photograph in her hand.

The man in the photo is standing in a square with towering statues, with three pigeons perched on his head and shoulders, making him look like a scarecrow for the pigeons to rest on.

Combined with his expressionless, sour face, it became even funnier.

"..." And he looks exactly the same as in the photo now.

When Elysia was too tired to laugh anymore, she lay down in Lin's arms, stretched comfortably, and flipped through the thick photo album in her hand. Inside were photos she had taken of Lin, photos Lin had taken of her, and of course, photos of the two of them taken by other people.

These photos are a gift that Elysia prepared for Lin, so that even if he goes to a place he can't find, he can remember her through these photos.

Turning to the last page, there's a large blank space; the largest photo is still missing.

Elysia looked at this page with gentle eyes.

She already knew what photos to put in this most important spot.

"This is so blissful, Yan Luo- chan! Can you give me a blissful life where I can sleep and travel with beautiful girls every day?"

"Shut up."

Yan Luo scolded impatiently. This guy was really annoying. Not only was he a chatterbox, but he also liked to use strange nicknames to address others. What was Yan Luo- chan? Did he want to mash her into sauce?

The man didn't care about being yelled at. He sat on the mechanical arm, gazing at the sunrise. "You went through so much trouble to find that world, but you let him live in it. To be honest, I don't understand your thought process. You could have killed him three years ago when he fell into the Quantum Sea. At that time, he had lost his will to fight, Pseudo-Herrscher abilities could be sealed by the Oath of Judas. Killing him would have been easy."

"Besides, think about it again. Ever since you met him, you've never hunted any other Parallel World forests. Even if you don't admit it... he's changed you, hasn't he?"

Yan Luo raised his head, his silver hair cascading down his back, his cold pupils staring at him. "Does it matter whether it is or not?"

"Of course... it's not that important anymore. I just need your help. What you do now is irrelevant." The man curled his lips into a playful smile. "There are two special 'Lin's, aren't there? Whether you die or he dies, it doesn't matter to me. I only need one of you."

"It's my turn to ask, why does it have to be the special kind of 'Lin'?"

"Judging from the way you're asking, you're not misunderstanding 'us,' are you?" The man scratched the back of his head and gave an incredibly innocent smile.

"The answer is very simple, because 'I' am special too."

"You must have heard countless stories of the Hero's Sword, which only a hero can wield, right?" He held up a finger and smiled. "Does the Hero's Sword only pass on power? No, it also carries willpower. The previous generation of heroes passes the Hero's Sword to the next generation of heroes, and only when the next generation of heroes possesses an unparalleled willpower can the power of the Hero's Sword be unleashed. Therefore, the most important thing in wielding the Hero's Sword is that 'willpower'."

Yan Luo listened to the man's words with a frown, then coldly replied, "Don't worry, the Hero's Sword will not be passed on to me."

"You will." The man's smile turned sinister as he looked at Yan Luo. "Just as you are certain he will want to return to his Intrinsic World, just as deep down you have already accepted his ideals."

After saying all this, he became harmless again and waved to Yan Luo: "Then let's say goodbye for now, Yan Luo- chan."

"Finally home! Ah, my big dragon..."

Elysia pounced on the dragon plush toy, rubbing her head against the comfortable fabric like a koala.

Lin put down his luggage, picked up the groceries, and prepared to go into the kitchen to prepare dinner. He had only taken two steps when he was stopped by Elysia, who jumped down from the dragon doll. She said to Lin with a serious expression, "Today, I'll cook."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to try it once, to let Lin eat the food I cooked."

"... but I can't taste it."

"It's not a matter of whether you can taste it or not!"

Elysia always does things that are unexpected. For example, if Lin said that to Vill-V would stop doing such meaningless things... Rather than Vill-V having the idea of "making a delicious meal for someone who has no sense of taste" in the first place.

But Elysia will, and she will definitely do her best.

Perhaps because she was used to Elysia's various nonsensical behaviors, or perhaps because she simply didn't want to think about anything, Lin never objected to her behavior most of the time.

Hearing Elysia bustling around in the kitchen, Lin leaned back on the sofa and slowly slid down to sit on the floor.

The wedding is set for the day after tomorrow, and this is Lin's first time attending a wedding... whether it's someone else's or her own.

Even if a woman gets married while chasing a fire, very few people will hold a wedding ceremony, firstly because it's too much trouble, and secondly because it's unnecessary.

Because no one knows when they will die on the battlefield, weddings and balls are different in nature. Balls are meant to help people forget their sorrows, while weddings are meant to help people remember the good times. When the pain resurfaces later, these good times will be even more painful.