Phainon slowly opened his eyes.
His vision captured the familiar Ms. Herta's office.
He was back.
Phainon slowly sat up, pressing his fingertips to his temples.
Everything in the Simulated Universe—every face, every sword swing, every promise—felt like a reality that had just happened, seared deep into his mind.
"Awake? I thought you planned to live in there forever." Ms. Herta's voice rang out beside Phainon.
"How long… was I in there?" Phainon had already regained his usual calm.
"From the moment your vital signs plummeted, to the main server crashing three times, to you sitting up like this—exactly ten minutes."
Ms. Herta stood with her arms crossed, her purple eyes scanning him back and forth.
Ten minutes.
Phainon's pupils reflected the futuristic ceiling, but his thoughts churned with the days and nights he had spent in the Simulated Universe.
"Tsk."
Ms. Herta walked around him, making a clicking sound with her tongue.
"For just one person, the entire Space Station's main energy was almost drained, and the main server crashed three times."
"But you're lucky. The core database was stable enough not to let you turn into a string of meaningless garble in there. It's a good thing you gained the ability to reconstruct data."
After her scolding, her tone shifted, and the arrogance of a genius was replaced by something else.
"However, you did provide some… rather novel data models."
"The process, well, it was moderately interesting."
Phainon understood the subtext of her words; it was Ms. Herta's unique, awkward way of offering comfort.
"All data, I've made a complete backup." Ms. Herta slightly raised her chin, speaking in a serious tone.
"Including the world you stayed in."
"Don't misunderstand, I just found the evolutionary logic of that world very interesting and academically valuable, so I saved it to avoid wasting resources by burning it."
Phainon quietly looked at Ms. Herta.
This woman, with her sharp tongue, difficult personality, and pointy hat.
But she was an impeccable genius, hiding a delicate human touch.
Ms. Herta had accurately perceived his reluctance to let go.
And then, she preserved the data of that world for him.
Phainon remained silent for a long time.
He gave Ms. Herta a solemn thumbs-up.
"Ms. Herta, peerless in the world!"
Ms. Herta's mouth twitched visibly.
"…Give me a compliment I haven't heard before. This one's old, boring."
Phainon nodded slightly, lowered his hand, and his expression became more serious than ever before.
"Thank you, Herta." This sentence was delivered with conviction.
"Sigh…"
Ms. Herta seemed a bit uncomfortable with Phainon's sudden solemnity, actually sighing and shaking her head.
"How rare. I remember when we first met, you looked like you wanted to burn the whole world down. You're like a completely different person now."
Phainon thought back to their first meeting and, for once, replied:
"Didn't you plan to dissect me for research back then? I was just reminding you to be gentle."
"Forget it." Ms. Herta waved her hand impatiently, "Your data samples have been collected. This genius has lost interest in you."
She paused, and a pure thirst for knowledge ignited in her eyes, "However, I have developed a slight interest in 'Amphoreus'."
She stared at Phainon, more giving an order than asking, "Remember, when you're ready to step into Amphoreus, you must notify me."
"I wouldn't want to miss such an interesting moment."
Phainon nodded slightly, "Certainly. But before that, can you give me the data for the white uniform I wore in the Simulated Universe?"
Ms. Herta raised an eyebrow, "Did your aesthetic change?"
"Not really, I just miss the old style."
"Data has been sent to your terminal. Alright, your utility has been squeezed dry. Turn right out the door and find Asta; her fleet is just about to head to Xianzhou Luofu."
Ms. Herta returned to her desk, not forgetting to add, "Remember to close the door."
Dong—
The office door closed with a thud.
"Quite efficient, aren't we?"
Ms. Herta brought up the data stream named "Phainon," looking at a section of orange code emanating "Eternal Serenity," and let out a soft chuckle.
"Hello there, beautiful and charming Lord of Silence."
— —
Central Starskiff Haven.
The scent of human life wafted over.
Phainon, following the navigator arranged by Asta, once again stepped onto the land of the Xianzhou.
Every brick, every laugh and conversation of the passersby, felt reassuringly real.
Not far away, two familiar figures were vigorously waving their arms at him.
"Phainon! Over here, over here!"
March 7th and Stelle rushed over from a distance, while Dan Heng, as always, remained quiet, following behind.
The Express crew reunited at the ferry terminal.
"You're finally here!"
Stelle came closer, examining Phainon's white and blue uniform from top to bottom, "Oh? Why did you change into a white outfit? Where's your black robe?"
Phainon pondered for a moment, "I wore the black robe for too long; sometimes I want to try other styles."
Stelle nodded thoughtfully, "Alright, you look much more cheerful and outgoing."
"By the way, did anyone bully you at the Space Station? If they did, did you mention my name?"
Hearing this, Dan Heng, who was nearby, couldn't help but rub his forehead and let out a soft sigh.
Phainon's gaze swept over the chattering duo, then landed on Welt and Himeko walking side by side in the distance.
The familiar concern relaxed his taut nerves.
"Hmm, everything's fine."
Welt spoke up at the right moment, his mellow voice breaking the brief silence.
"Let's go find a place to sit. I also want to take this opportunity to properly savor the tea of the Xianzhou."
— —
The Sleepless Marquis Tea House.
A storyteller was spitting tales of the legendary black-robed swordsman.
In the window-side booth, however, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.
"…You wouldn't believe it, but if I hadn't sacrificed myself to hold them back, whether the Martial Arts Ceremony could have opened smoothly would still be unknown!"
March 7th described her experiences on the Xianzhou, her small hands gesticulating continuously in the air.
Stelle snorted and replied, "If I had been there, and pulled out my baseball bat, ten Hoolays wouldn't have been enough for me to beat!"
But Phainon just listened quietly. His gaze passed through the window, looking out at the bustling market in the distance.
"Hey! Phainon? Are you listening?"
Stelle's voice pulled his thoughts back to reality.
Phainon looked at Stelle's expectant eyes and subconsciously nodded, "Right, right, right."
"Hmm?"
"Great, great, great."
The air was silent for a moment.
Stelle looked at Phainon's perfunctory response and pulled out a book, "Partner, are you really going to brush me off like that? And here I brought you a gift."
"Oh?" Phainon's gaze fell on the book.
Several large characters came into view—«Stelle's Journey to Save the World».
In the author's column, there was a familiar name: Pela.
"Luka brought this from Belobog," Stelle explained. "He said this book is currently the number one bestseller in Belobog, almost everyone has a copy, and Boulder Town even spontaneously organized reading clubs."
Phainon took it, his thumb brushing over the title, and simply said, "I'll read it."
"Oh, speaking of novels." March 7th suddenly clapped her hands, "I also read one at the Divination Commission, it's just… I can't quite remember the content."
She scrunched up her face, trying hard to search her memory.
Stelle spoke for her: "It was a novel about a swordsman."
March 7th was surprised, "How did you know?"
"Did you forget? I was with you then." Stelle shrugged helplessly.
"Was I?"
"Yes, sister, you were."
Stelle took this opportunity to recount the novel's content.
"It tells the story of an ordinary young man who, deeply regretting accidentally injuring a righteous warrior, began to madly pursue the profound mysteries of martial arts. However, he gradually became trapped by the Way of the Sword, eventually transforming into an emotionless Sword Devil."
"At the end of the story, he had no friends or family left, only himself and a cold sword. He sat alone by a sword mound for thirty years until he died."
Phainon's hand, holding the teacup, paused in mid-air.
Alone, with only a sword.
This sentence, like a needle, precisely pierced the deepest part of his soul.
How similar.
He finally showed a little interest and asked, "What happened next?"
"Then," Stelle's eyes lit up, and she continued, "it was thanks to Qingque; she told us a method."
"She said that the author can decide the content of the book, but the author cannot decide the order in which readers read the book."
"So, Qingque had March 7th start reading from the last page of the book, backwards."
"From the ending, slowly reading back to the beginning."
Stelle looked at Phainon, speaking clearly, word for word.
"This way, the story completely changed."
"It became a story about a peerless swordsman, alone in the world, who, during his long journey, gradually shed his extraordinary martial arts. He regained companions and made new friends."
"Until the very last page of the story, he transformed back into an ordinary young man, surrounded by all who loved him."
"And then, he went home."
Phainon's breathing hitched for a moment.
The sounds of the world receded at that instant.
He wasn't alone, walking towards power and solitude through thirty million endless cycles.
He was walking backward from the end of those thirty million cycles, from that loneliest, coldest peak.
Step by step, descending from the altar, returning to the human world.
He met Stelle, met March 7th, met every member of the Express crew.
He was no longer the Kaeruslana who existed only for anger and destruction.
He had found his home.
Everything became clear.
Phainon let out a long breath and set down his teacup.
Ding—
The bottom of the cup clinked against the table, making a crisp, light sound.
This soft sound drew the attention of everyone in the booth to him.
He looked at his companions before him.
He saw the unadulterated joy on March 7th's face.
He saw the pure curiosity and concern in Stelle's eyes.
He saw Welt's gentle and understanding gaze.
He saw Dan Heng's silent guardianship.
He saw Himeko's warm, parental care.
A faint smile appeared on Phainon's face,
"My memories have fully recovered."
His voice was calm, yet incredibly solemn, "Now, I want to tell everyone a story."
"A story… about Amphoreus."