Countdown to the End of the World!

The fireplace burned, wood crackling behind the metal grate. Orange sparks leaped and swirled like graceful dancers, sending a gentle warmth across Xia Lun's forehead and nose. He sat in a chair before the fire, quietly considering what to do next.

Though the atmosphere was peaceful, if Feilier's rumor was true, only ten days remained before the Planet exploded. If it did, Xia Lun would die too. In other words, he had to reach the New Royal Capital within ten days, find and destroy the Forgotten Saint, and save the world.

Crack!

A spray of sparks vanished as quickly as falling blossoms, like a Planet fading into the lonely universe.

Xia Lun took a deep breath. The cool, delicate scent of irises filled his nose.

He turned and found Renee awake. She sat on the bed with her knees hugged to her chest, staring fixedly at the bedroom door. She looked as tense as a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Don't worry," Xia Lun reassured her. "I'm keeping watch. It's safe here, so get some rest. You've had a hard few months." With his Perception at twenty-four, he could hear a heartbeat through a wall. He was certain no one stood outside the door. The nearest people were two maids at the end of the corridor, at least twenty meters away.

Renee slipped quietly out of bed and came over to him.

The flickering firelight played across her face. She lowered her voice, speaking as though she were telling a ghost story in a graveyard at midnight. "Xia Lun, do you remember how strangely they acted?"

"You mean how they froze whenever we asked where the books came from, then went right back to how they were before we asked?" Xia Lun raised an eyebrow.

Renee let out