Chapter 57 – The Land Where the Moon Never Sets

It was dim here, dim like the dusk when the seasonal tide arrives, heavy and oppressive.

The box was covered in dust on the outside, yet its interior was spotless and brand new—someone had once carefully lined it with soft fabric, placed something inside, and fastened it with a heavy copper lock, shielding it from the passage of time.

And many years later, an outsider finally intruded into the slumbering hall, touching a buried secret.

The snow-white skull, with its hollow eye sockets, was tightly clutched in Lin Wei’s arms. His body trembled slightly, as if the sorrow could no longer be suppressed, threatening to burst out of him.

A mage’s spiritual energy gently enveloped Lin Wei. The owner of this energy was generous, surrounding him in a gentle, pale golden sea. His turbulent white spiritual energy quieted down a little.

“I’m here,” the mage’s tone was as gentle as the hand that wiped away his tears. But then, with an unyielding force, he made Lin Wei lift his face, forcing him to meet his gaze.

In the dim hall, Lin Wei saw those eyes and felt everything around him dissolve into a blur of light and shadow, like the intertwining of night and dawn in the early hours.

The mage with dark golden eyes continued, “You are not Katanaphia, and you have no connection to Elvis.”

Lin Wei’s gaze was lost as he murmured, “I have always been alone.”

“You are not alone,” the mage’s voice was calm and reassuring. “I am your companion. We walked here together from the edge of the swamp.”

“Someone will always die first,” Lin Wei continued, looking down at the skull.

The white spiritual energy began to stir once more, but the mage’s next words miraculously calmed it.

“You will die first,” Duan Yu said. “I will watch you take your last breath, then draw a magic array for your eternal life.”

“I allow you to do this,” the man, whose mind was lost in the Goddess’s world, smiled with a hint of pride, though his eyes were still slightly red from tears. “Shall we continue forward?”

“We will continue—but not here. We must return.”

Lin Wei’s gaze fell on the seven-stringed harp as Duan Yu pulled him up from the corner. “Return where?”

Duan Yu didn’t answer directly, only saying, “Put down the skull.”

Lin Wei didn’t move. He frowned, uncomfortable with the commanding tone.

“I want to take it with me.”

The mage, who was not skilled with words, knew that this man responded better to softness than force. Keeping his expression cold, he finally came up with a clumsy attempt at coaxing: “You are disturbing its rest.”

“I am selfish,” Lin Wei immediately retorted. “If I put it down, I will not rest.”

“You will still find rest,” the mage continued. “I will be with you.”

…

No matter how difficult the process, after a short while, the mage’s handsome appearance shifted his focus, and the promise he made bewitched his heart. Reluctantly and hesitantly, Lin Wei finally locked the skull back into the box, confirming with the mage, “Now, the past, and the future.”

“Now, the past, and the future,” the mage repeated.

They approached the harp. Lin Wei picked up the plectrum and was about to pluck the second string. “I want to take you to see my homeland.”

“No… not here,” Duan Yu grasped his wrist. “The first one.”

“The first one?” Lin Wei looked at Duan Yu with suspicion. “Why would we go to the island where Kui Ling is hiding? Do you have something to ask him?”

“There is no Kui Ling. It’s a thousand years later now,” the mage whispered in his ear.

“So much time has passed,” his gaze grew lost again. “And what about Dirichlet, Asa, Eisenstein, Aisa Yivis, Yucarius, and his knights…?”

“No,” the mage’s voice was cold, like a stream hidden beneath winter ice. Yet when he spoke to you with focus, no one could be distracted, even if his tone had nothing to do with tenderness or affection. “Even if there were, they have nothing to do with you.”

After putting down the skull, Lin Wei’s emotions had calmed considerably, showing that this influence was not permanent.

He closed his eyes, as if recalling something. “That’s right. I am just… an outsider.”

When Lin Wei opened his eyes again, he seemed much more lucid and moved the plectrum to the first string. “What is this place now?”

“The Magic Academy—where we live together,” Duan Yu said to him. “And Haitie and Daniel.”

Lin Wei repeated the names of his two companions, then suddenly said, “The red one and the green one.”

He muttered to himself, “Then let’s go back… It seems Kui Ling’s wish has come true. He wanted to build such a place.”

His gaze shifted between the two strings, and finally, as if making a decision, he gently plucked the first one.

A cold, piercing note from the harp pierced through the dust of the ages, landing on the plucked string. The single string vibrated and hummed for a long time, and a black crack appeared in mid-air, jumping back and forth on the string, as if an endless abyss lay beneath.

The cracks grew denser and eventually coalesced into a gray-black vortex, churning wildly—still in its familiar shape. It spanned half the continent, and all they needed to do was step into it…

Lin Wei—the black-haired, purple-eyed summoner and Young Duke—straightened his collar and sleeves, brushing off the dust he had gathered in the corner. As if leading a guest into his courtyard, he stepped into the soul passageway.

Duan Yu followed, catching Lin Wei as he began to fall.

Everything in the passage was isolated from the outside world, free from the Goddess’s influence. Lin Wei’s gaze at this moment was the clearest it had been all day. He whispered in the mage’s ear, “The Land Where the Moon Never Sets… Remember this place.”

Duan Yu wanted to ask more to confirm if he was truly lucid, but in the next moment, the man closed his eyes and made no further movements—he had fainted.

The color of the soul passageway grew lighter, a sign that they were nearing the end. The entrance was already visible, and a slightly salty scent drifted in.

It reminded one of storms and rolling waves.

Duan Yu’s intuition led him to make the most correct decision at that moment—he covered Lin Wei’s mouth and nose.

Then, in the next moment, the two passed through the entrance of the soul passageway and plunged straight into the cold, turbulent waters of the sea, stirred by the seasonal tide.

Even then, Lin Wei did not wake up—Duan Yu carried him as they bobbed in the water. Thunder roared in the sky, and lightning tore through the night, illuminating the rain pouring down.

Perhaps the location the Goddess had originally marked was correct, somewhere on the island—but this solitary island in the sea had slowly drifted toward the endless ocean over a thousand years, carried by currents and tides.

Fortunately, this place was not too far from the island, and Duan Yu’s spiritual energy quickly received a response from the magical beast guarding the island.

The massive shadow, half-submerged in the sea, slowly sank down, creating a small whirlpool. Once it was fully submerged, it swam toward the two, surfacing at a certain point and placing them precisely on its back.

Teacher Ansel, whose sleep had been interrupted once again, was furious on the shore: “Why—you reckless young people, two more of you have come!”

When he saw who it was, his anger only grew, cutting through the heavy rain without losing any intensity.

“So it’s you two! The two of you! Your classmates came here on a Magic Wheel—that’s one thing!” Teacher Ansel paused, took a few breaths to calm himself. “But you two, you actually—swam here!”

During Ansel’s outburst, the magical beast had already carried the two into the protected area, untouched by the elemental storm.

Duan Yu, holding the unconscious Lin Wei, floated in the air. He said a quick “sorry” to Ansel and flew off toward their house without looking back.

Only Ansel was left standing alone, facing the lightning, thunder, rain, and night sky, stomping his feet in disbelief. “They’re still alive! I must tell everyone—they swam here, these incredible young men!”

In fact, more than just Ansel had been awakened on the island—there was also President Sylvester and Lin Wei’s teacher, Adele. One was a great mage who had spent years studying the laws of space, and the other was a spirit channeler with soul powers.

In the house belonging to Lin Wei, Duan Yu, and Haitie, the lights in the first-floor hall were also brightly lit.

The rescued members of the Empire were staying in the house with the most empty rooms, and Daniel had not returned to his own house but had stayed here instead—since all of them were men, he couldn’t leave the female mage Haitie alone.

“The night is already deep. I think we should all go to our rooms and sleep,” Haitie said to the group.

“I agree,” Daniel yawned, but he continued flipping through a thick book, skimming quickly.

“That’s true,” Gregory’s thin lips curled into a smile, softening his sharp features—he had deliberately toned down his cold, cutting demeanor, and the good manners of the Imperial family presented him as a polite gentleman. “Good night, Lady Haitie.”

“Good night, Mr. Gregory,” Haitie closed the book in her hands and looked up at him.

At that moment, the door opened—the newcomer brought with him the coldness of the seasonal tide and the storm. His long hair was soaked, accentuating his flawless face. The man he carried in his arms was also drenched, his face pale.

Haitie’s eyes widened in disbelief, unable to form a complete sentence. “Dan, Daniel, they…”

“I see…” Daniel’s astonishment was no less than hers. “This is a miracle… They appeared before us on their own. Bless the Goddess of Light, this is not a dream—like the ones I’ve been having for days now.”

Gregory, on the other hand, looked at the unconscious Lin Wei—his eyes were dark, like the night sky in a rainy night, with no moon or stars.

Duan Yu did not greet them or offer much explanation. He simply gave a slight nod and walked straight through the hall. “Daniel and Haitie, come.”

Daniel immediately followed.

Haitie was a bit slower, but only momentarily. She quickly said to Gregory, “Sorry—you should go back to your room and sleep.” She then lifted her skirt and ran up the stairs, her wooden heels clattering against the steps with a crisp, urgent sound.

Sars Angel, who was standing nearby, frowned. “If I’m not mistaken—that’s Tidis’s eldest son?”

“Seeing how concerned these two are, it’s clear he’s fully integrated into the world of mages,” Gregory sneered.

Regardless of how the Empire’s guests in the hall speculated and chatted, Lin Wei and Duan Yu had finally ended their long journey through the Death Swamp and returned to the familiar academy. Daniel and Haitie had also welcomed the return of their friends.

The initial overwhelming joy of seeing the two return was quickly overshadowed by Lin Wei’s unconscious state. Haitie chanted a spell to dry their clothes and hair—but due to her unstable emotions affecting the magic, she nearly set them on fire with flames.

Duan Yu laid Lin Wei on the bed and covered him with a blanket—his body was cold.

Daniel used his spiritual energy to carefully examine Lin Wei’s condition. “Actually, he’s perfectly fine. No wounds, and his spiritual energy shows no signs of chaos—huh, there’s something gray on his chest. What is this!”

Jerald was picked up by Daniel—the little thing was pretending to be dead with its eyes closed.

“Don’t worry about it,” Duan Yu took the elemental spirit and placed it aside. “Will he wake up?”

“From all angles, it doesn’t seem like he’ll remain unconscious—where have you been these days? What happened? Why did he faint?”

“It might be related to the soul,” Duan Yu said. “We’ll explain everything once he wakes up.”

“Wait…” Daniel looked away from Lin Wei and stared at Duan Yu. “Your eyes?”

“They’re fine,” Duan Yu said flatly.

“Tsk,” Daniel sighed. “Then you’re already a high mage… How enviable!”

“You’re not an elemental mage. What’s there to envy?” Haitie pointed out mercilessly.

“It’s just another way of praising,” Daniel retorted.

The green-robed alchemist Daniel, who had been serious and stern for many days, returned to his old self in this short span of time.

After confirming that the two, who had appeared so mysteriously, were safe and sound, they quietly left the room, allowing the two to rest for the night—they would ask the rest tomorrow. If Lin Wei didn’t wake up, they would seek help from his teacher, Adele.

And without a doubt, the fact that their companions had returned would either keep them awake with excitement and joy or fill their dreams with beauty—it was something worth celebrating and anticipating.

After the door was closed and the noisy Daniel left, the room returned to silence.

By the light of the activated magic crystal, Duan Yu quietly watched Lin Wei’s sleeping face. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something—he looked up and saw a note stuck to the headboard.

The mage read its contents and was momentarily stunned—then he read it again, word by word, carefully.