Upon hearing Cattleya's words, the " Mystery Queen " Bernadette looked at her silently for a few seconds before saying:
"This is your choice, and it's your freedom."
Cattleya met the queen's gaze without backing down, and after a long while, she pursed her lips and said:
"I know you've destroyed all the clues, preventing me from tracing your footsteps..."
"For you, this is the end of everything in the past, whether or not it returns."
Bernadette, with her chestnut hair casually draped over her shoulders, remained silent, seemingly confirming her suspicions about the " Admiral of Stars."
Seeing this, Cattleya gave a wry smile and said:
"I will no longer say that if you do not return in six months or a year, I will do everything in my power to find you. I only ask that you remember to recite the name of Mr. ' The Fool ' in your most dangerous moments."
She openly stated the title.
The " Mystery Queen," Bernadette, slowly nodded and said:
"I will remember that."
Cattleya immediately smiled, her eyes misty as she said:
"What items or tasks do you need me to handle?"
Bernadette flipped her hand and produced an item from somewhere.
The object was entirely golden, resembling a miniature kettle, its surface covered with mysterious and complex symbols, with a section of wick protruding from the spout.
"It's called the ' Wishing Lamp,' numbered '0-05.' It may have originated in the First Era, and even the true gods couldn't destroy it. Normally, it poses no harm and has no effect, but it constantly induces you to rub its surface through dreams and hallucinations, summoning the Deng Shen." The Mystery Queen, Bernadette, briefly explained the item's origin and function. " The Deng Shen claims to be eternal and can grant any ten Wishes, but this is often done in an extremely Distortion way, or with terrifying consequences. My father said that the holder can use language and preparation to avoid the harm caused by the first two Wishes, but absolutely must not make a third Wishes."
At this point, Bernadette emphasized another point:
Absolutely not!
"That sounds easy to circumvent..." Cattleya's thoughts shifted. "You make two Wishes and then give them to me, and I'll make two more Wishes, and then give them to Frank, Heath, and the others in turn. That can accomplish a lot."
She was just using Frank as an example; she never intended for that guy to come into contact with such dangerous things.
Bernadette, holding the " Wishing Lamp," shook her head almost imperceptibly and said:
"The holder and the owner are not the same. Before I die, even if you get the ' Wishing Lamp ', you will only be the owner. The first Wishes you make will be recorded as both my third Wishes and your first Wishes."
"Furthermore, although we can use language and preparation to avoid the harm that comes with making a wish, this does not mean that the Deng Shen is without Wisdom. On the contrary, He is very clever, very cunning, and has a strong sense of autonomy."
Cattleya hummed in agreement.
"Does He have Wishes that cannot be fulfilled?"
"Currently, no, but if it involves the level of a true god, the degree of Distortion of Wishes will be beyond your imagination. Simply put, if you wish to become Sequence 0 true god, then your body and soul will merge with an evil god of unknown origin. Remember, the Deng Shen's requirement is that the Wishes must be concise, otherwise He will refuse and consider it as you have already made a Wishes. Mystery Queen," Bernadette explained.
After saying that, she had an invisible servant take the terrifying Sealed Artifact "0-05" and fly it towards " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya.
After Cattleya reached out and caught the " Wishing Lamp," Bernadette continued:
"If you dreamt of the Deng Shen and were tempted by him to make a wish, it means I can no longer return, and you are now its holder. I hope your first Wishes is to retrieve all the items Bernadette Gustav took with her before she set sail, including her own Beyonder Characteristic. Well, it would be best to include a specific date when you make your wish."
Cattleya looked down at the golden lamp and blurted out:
Can I wish for your resurrection?
The " Mystery Queen " Bernadette paused for a few seconds before speaking:
"Perhaps the resurrected me is just a Monster."
"If you really want to do this, you can ask that ' The Fool ' for his opinion."
Cattleya nodded slightly:
"Good."
"These are the items I've given you and the things I want to tell you. I'll leave everything else to the Element Dawn. They will have a new leader and won't crumble because of one person's disappearance." Bernadette didn't say anything more, indicating that this was the main reason she summoned Cattleya to the Emerald City.
That " Wishing Lamp " is of a very high status and level, and cannot be delivered by a messenger.
Before Cattleya could respond, the " Mystery Queen's" expression suddenly softened a little:
"Haven't you always wanted to share with me everything that's happened to you over the years?"
" Admiral of Stars," Cattleya paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Hmm."
"Right."
She immediately went to the Queen's side, pulled up a chair and sat down, facing the azure sea beyond the emerald railings.
Bernadette sat down next to her and listened to her recount her experiences after leaving the Dawn, just as she always had.
Some of these things were mentioned by Cattleya in her letters, but she didn't describe them in detail due to space constraints. Others were being told to others for the first time.
At some point, Cattleya fell asleep and dreamed of many years ago.
At that time, she was just a young girl, stubbornly walking off the " Dawn " without looking back.
Suddenly, she woke up with a start, only to find herself all alone. She realized that it had gotten dark sometime during the day, and that dawn had even broken.
Cattleya suddenly reached out and threw out a rather unreal, illusory ball of thread.
The ball of yarn rolled into the void, leaving behind a bright red thread.
Following this thread, Cattleya, as if she had mastered " Teleportation," strolled through the Spirit World and arrived at the outer layer of Lashia Island.
She stood on the edge of the cliff, gazing into the distance. On the deep blue sea, still tinged with black, a magnificent and enormous sailboat, bathed in the orange Dawn of dawn, sailed towards the horizon.
Cattleya slowly sat down, leaning slightly forward, hugging her knees with both hands, and gazing in that direction for a long time.
The Sun gradually rose, casting its rays upon her.
Backlund, a food distribution point.
Wearing a veil Starling Summer no longer bowed her head frequently as she had in the previous months, afraid of being recognized. She anxiously looked ahead, worried that the free food would be distributed before it was her turn.
She vaguely heard gunshots echoing in the distance, but she couldn't tell if they came from the troops of Feysac, Intis, and Feynapotter who had broken through the defenses, or from the police dealing with those who were stealing food.
"Let it end... let this war end quickly..." Starling prayed silently, having already visited three relief points today.
Just then, a staff member a few meters away raised his voice:
"The food here has run out!"
Starling's face immediately turned ashen. She looked up at the already dimming sky, and dragged her feet back to the house at 17 Minsk Street, feeling dejected and numb.
As soon as she Door Opening, the two children rushed over, their innocent faces beaming:
"Mom, did you buy any bread?"
"Mom, I'm hungry..."
They are twins, a boy and a girl, and they are both very cute.
Starling's nose tingled, and she forced a smile, saying:
"Have."
She then went into the house, retrieved a small amount of bread from a hidden spot, and divided it equally between the two children.
As she watched her two children eat bread without any regard for manners, Starling's expression changed constantly, sometimes sad, sometimes pained.
Not long after, her husband Luke Summer, also returned home, but he, too, had no food.
Since the Coim Company was taken over by the military due to wartime laws, this former manager has been unemployed and has had to rely on his past savings and government relief to support his family.
"I didn't receive it..." Seeing his wife's hopeful gaze, the burly, bearded man lowered his head in shame.
Starling, in her early thirties and still quite beautiful, took a breath and said:
"Me too... If I go out and queue up again, there should still be places that give out food!"
Without waiting for her husband's response, she rushed out the door.
Luke immediately turned around and said to her back:
"I'll go look again!"
Starling didn't stop; she walked two blocks and came to a house with a garden.
Not long after, she met the owner of the place, a wealthy man in his fifties.
"I want to buy some food." Starling pulled out a wad of crumpled banknotes.
The elderly man with gray hair smiled and said:
Why should I sell it to you?
I remember you rejected me last time.
Starling's face turned extremely pale. She didn't speak, lowered her head, and used her other hand to unbuckle the belt at the waist of her skirt.
With a snap, the once exquisite but now stained calfskin belt fell to the ground.
Luke Summer wandered aimlessly through the streets, wondering where he could find food.
As he watched the few pedestrians passing by and saw the bags they were trying so hard to protect, the eyes of this knowledgeable gentleman with a passion for mechanics gradually reddened.
He unknowingly followed someone and turned into a street.
With less than an hour to go before curfew begins, this is one of his few remaining opportunities.
The person stopped outside a house and walked unsteadily toward the door.
Just then, the person suddenly fainted and collapsed to the ground.
Luke instinctively took a few steps back, then quickly moved closer to check the pedestrian's breath.
His gaze unconsciously drifted to the paper bag the other person was clutching tightly in their arms, and he smelled the aroma of toasted bread.
Luke swallowed hard and reached for the bag.
As he moved his hand, he glanced back fearfully at the house the pedestrian wanted to enter, and saw a child's drawing pasted on the bay window.
Luke froze, and after several seconds, he stood up, walked to the door of the house, and rang the doorbell.
The housewife and children inside quickly Door Opening and came out, seeing the weak father and the bag of bread.
Curfew soon arrived, and Luke returned to Minsk Street, feeling both frustrated and ashamed.
As soon as he opened his front door, he saw his wife smiling and saying to him:
"I got my food!"
"That's good..." Luke breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Starling tightly.
Audrey walked through the streets and alleys, and no one could see her.
She didn't say anything, and walked all the way back to Queens Borough, back to that luxurious villa, where she smelled the aroma of fried foie gras and other delicacies.
After gazing silently for a while, watching the male and female servants come and go, Audrey went upstairs to her room.
In the middle of the night, she put on a cloak and went into her parents' bedroom, coming to their bedside.
After gazing at her father for a long time, Audrey knelt down on one knee and rested her forehead against his hand.
Droplets of water slid down and soaked into the carpet.
Then, the blonde, blue-eyed noblewoman slowly raised her head and, sobbing, spoke to her sleeping parents:
"Dad, Mom, thank you, thank you for teaching me what compassion, kindness, and virtue are."
As soon as she finished speaking, she closed her eyes, stood up abruptly, turned and walked towards the door, her face no longer showing any expression.
P. S.: Wishing everyone a happy Lunar New Year's Eve!