Only hope was priceless

Klein turned around and looked at Lin Chuan, ready to speak. At last, he had the time and energy to tackle the questions that had left him utterly baffled.

Lin Chuan was still floating on his side, basking in the sunlight streaming through the window, which was still reasonably warm. The feeling reminded him of the time, over ten thousand years ago, when he had accidentally crashed into the sun while traveling through space.

That had been a one-time-only event, never to be repeated. At the thought, he couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Klein. After all, no authority in this world could truly reverse time. Klein would never get to experience that exquisite sensation again.

While his mind wandered, his eyes happened to meet Klein's. Almost without thinking, he blurted out:

"Is your next line going to be, 'Master Lin'?"

"?"

The corner of Klein's mouth twitched slightly. He hadn't wanted to respond when Lin Chuan was being inexplicably ridiculous, but curiosity got the better of him.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because a sadly thick barrier has already grown between us."

Lin Chuan left the rest of his reasoning unexplained: it was actually because Klein couldn't enjoy sunbathing.

But on second thought, maintaining a Historical Projection of the sun for a while shouldn't be difficult for the Lord of the Mysteries. There was no need to worry too much about little Zhou.

"Sigh." Klein let out a deep sigh. He had originally thought that Lin Chuan must have transmigrated many years before him, which would explain why he knew so much secret Beyonder knowledge.

He had also worried that the other man's personality might have changed completely. But from what he could see now, Lin Chuan... was still the Lin Chuan he knew, at least for the most part.

He just seemed even more unrestrained than before, to the point that his antics could practically be called deranged.

He had clearly acted so inscrutable at the Tarot Club. Temperance's image as knowledgeable, ancient, and powerful had left such a deep impression that a few casual pieces of "common knowledge" had made that dark-blue-haired man exclaim, "Your hints are more precious than my life."

Could those two personas really belong to the same person? But considering that he himself was also the Fool, perhaps it wasn't so hard to understand.

Lin Chuan suddenly lowered his voice, leaned closer to Klein, and spoke in a peculiar tone:

"You're wondering why I'm acting like a completely different person from the one at the Tarot Club, right? Don't underestimate my intelligence network!"

"Huh?" This time, Klein really was stunned. His mind raced, and recalling how familiar Lin Chuan had been with the Spectator Pathway earlier, he asked tentatively:

"You know what I'm thinking? So you used to be a Beyonder of the Spectator Pathway?"

After all, Beyonder abilities capable of reading minds really did exist in this world. Klein could hardly be blamed for thinking that.

As for why he said "used to," nothing about Lin Chuan's current condition seemed normal. He looked more like the lingering soul of a powerful figure from a novel, retaining some of the abilities he had possessed in life.

"No, and no," Lin Chuan answered candidly.

"It was just a reasonable guess based on your emotions. All Beyonders have Spirit Vision. They can judge someone's health and current emotions by seeing the colors of their Ether Body. It's just stronger in some and weaker in others."

Klein fell silent for two seconds.

Then he slowly raised his hand and pressed firmly against his temple. He felt he needed a little time to process this. Even if it was only reading emotions and assessing health, that was already very much beyond the ordinary.

He had originally thought that Beyonders, at least Sequence 9 Beyonders, weren't all that extraordinary. After all, abilities like a Sailor's balance or a Spectator's enhanced observational skills could also be acquired by ordinary people through practice and training.

Now it seemed the Beyonder world might be far broader than he had imagined. Of course it was. Klein smiled self-deprecatingly. Gods existed in this world. How could anything involving Beyonders possibly be weak?

"...Never mind. Forget I asked."

Klein lowered his hand and sat back down in his chair, deciding to approach from another angle. He cleared his throat and tried to sound a little more serious. After all, whatever fooling around they had done, he still hadn't gotten answers to the truly important questions.

"Let's talk about something serious."

"All right. You ask, I'll listen."

Klein straightened his back, his gaze resting on Lin Chuan. He had so many questions that he didn't know where to begin, so he simply decided to ask whatever came to mind.

"Um... what's your current situation? You're just a spirit now, right? Is there a way to recover?"

"How did you transmigrate here? You used to say you'd transmigrated from another world. Was that the same sort of thing as this?"

"How long have you been here? Which pathway are you a Beyonder of? What Sequence? Who could beat you into this state?"

Klein paused, his voice growing a little quieter and carrying a trace of uncertainty. "And... was my earlier guess right? Have you found a way back?"

Floating on his side in midair, Lin Chuan tilted his head slightly to look at Klein. Klein stared steadily back at him, waiting for an answer called "hope."

The sunlight from the window fell on Lin Chuan's translucent outline, casting an unreal halo around his edges. He looked as though he might vanish at any moment, yet also as though he would remain there forever.

He didn't rush to speak, instead looking thoughtful. The room fell quiet for a moment, with only the faint clatter of carriages from the street below and distant voices breaking the silence.

Then Klein saw Lin Chuan give a gentle smile.

"Your questions are pretty well organized, Comrade Zhou Mingrui."

"But let's take them one at a time. There's no hurry. Before I answer, though..."

Lin Chuan rolled over and stood firmly on the floor again-or rather, mimicked the motion. Then he straightened his Warlock robe, whose workings were anyone's guess, and solemnly extended his right hand to Klein.

He said, "It's good to see you again, my friend."

For a moment, Klein felt his heart skip a beat.

He froze, looking at Lin Chuan's outstretched, translucent hand, at the faint glow along its edges in the sunlight, and at that familiar yet unfamiliar smile.

The exhaustion that had piled up since his transmigration, his fear that there was no hope of returning home, and the faint, elusive doubts about Lin Chuan buried deep in his heart seemed to melt a little in the sunlight, silently fading away.

Klein slowly breathed out, the corners of his mouth lifting despite himself. He stood up, reached out, and clasped Lin Chuan's right hand.

His fingertips passed through that illusory light and shadow. There was no tangible sensation, yet a strange warmth spread through his palm.

"Although the way you look right now

really is pretty strange." Klein gently shook the hand that had no physical substance. "Still... yes, it's good to see you again too, Lin Chuan. Really good."