Chapter 393: When the Stars Arrive Beyond the grey fog
Spirit Realm.
A black castle stood silently, and Reinette Tinekerr, who was as tall as the castle, wore a complex and luxurious yet dark and somber black dress.
Originally, she had no head, with a neat cut at her neck, and her drooping hands held four identical heads with blonde hair and red eyes.
But at this moment, the four heads she was holding had merged into one and were accurately placed on her neck.
Apart from her body still being as gigantic as the castle, the rest of her looked no different from a normal person.
When Hastur and Sharon entered the Spirit Realm and arrived here, they saw Reinette Tinekerr's current appearance.
"Sharon..."
Seeing Sharon and Hastur suddenly arrive, Reinette Tinekerr slowly uttered Sharon's name, and the light in her eyes had a bit more wisdom than the last time they met.
"Teacher, have your injuries completely healed?" Sharon asked incredulously, moving closer.
The last time she saw her teacher, she was still holding four heads, and her body was severely damaged, making it impossible to recover in a short time.
"A mysterious being helped me." Reinette Tinekerr extended her palm, allowing Sharon to stand in her palm, then retracted her hand and examined Sharon closely.
"You've grown a lot."
"Teacher..."
Hearing her teacher's gentle voice again, Sharon's eyes reddened, but thinking of Hastur watching from behind, she quickly stabilized her emotions.
"Why did you come to the Spirit Realm?"
"We are planning to pass through the Spirit Realm to the Republic of Intis and thought we would stop by to see you." Hastur, standing behind, looked up at the towering Reinette Tinekerr and said.
"Not just stopping by," Sharon added deliberately.
She had come specifically to check on her teacher's condition.
"That's nice."
Reinette Tinekerr smiled warmly and then rapidly shrank down to a normal human size.
She appeared slightly taller than Sharon, with beautiful golden hair that looked like it was poured from gold, and her eyes had changed from red to green.
To describe her, she was a stunning big sister with blonde hair and green eyes.
"Since you're here, come in and sit for a while," Reinette Tinekerr invited Sharon and Hastur into the castle.
"Okay."
Sharon responded and followed Reinette Tinekerr inside, with Hastur also entering the castle.
The dusty castle doors slowly opened, welcoming its owner, Reinette Tinekerr, back inside.
Upon entering the castle, Hastur was slightly surprised. He thought there would be something different about this castle, but its overall structure and decoration style were not much different from a castle in the real world.
"Sharon loved living in this castle when she was little," Reinette Tinekerr indicated for Hastur to sit on a red-cushioned sofa, her eyes seeming to reminisce.
"Every morning when she woke up, she always liked me to call her 'little princess.' Whenever I did, she could be happy all day."
"Teacher..."
Hearing this, Sharon's thin face couldn't help but blush, and the tips of her ears turned faintly red.
"Please continue, I enjoy listening," Hastur smiled and indicated for Reinette Tinekerr to continue.
"Sharon, are you angry?" Reinette Tinekerr looked at Sharon sitting beside her and asked deliberately.
"..."
Sharon didn't answer, just glanced at Hastur with calm eyes, then took a deep breath, seeming completely calm.
Reinette Tinekerr glanced meaningfully at Hastur, smiled, held Sharon's small hand, and gently patted it, then began to talk about Sharon's childhood.
Hastur listened intently, and with Reinette Tinekerr's additions, he naturally imagined Sharon's childhood appearance in his mind.
Having a teacher like Reinette Tinekerr, who was gentle and loving, and living in such a castle, Sharon was raised like a true princess.
If not for the upheaval of the Rose School of Thought, Sharon might have become a woman like Audrey or Bernadette.
Hastur tried to imagine it but still found the current Sharon more adorable.
Reinette Tinekerr seemed to see through Hastur's thoughts and asked casually, "Is Sharon cute now?"
"Yes, very cute," Hastur naturally nodded in agreement.
As the center of the conversation, Sharon's face showed no obvious expression, just calmly watching the two.
"I always hoped someone could take good care of Sharon in my place..."
"Teacher!"
Sharon, who had been silent, finally couldn't help but interrupt Reinette Tinekerr.
"Ah, little Sharon is angry," Reinette Tinekerr sighed, her tone slightly wistful, as if lamenting that her beloved little girl was growing up.
"..."
Sharon couldn't bring herself to speak harshly to her teacher. She looked at Hastur, who was smiling at her, signaling him to change the topic.
Hastur earnestly said, "I will do my best."
"That's good," Reinette Tinekerr nodded with satisfaction.
"..." Sharon maintained a calm expression and said, "You two talk."
With that, she ignored Reinette Tinekerr and Hastur and went upstairs alone.
Reinette Tinekerr smiled and indicated for Hastur to stay a while.
"I know you have many secrets. I just hope you won't hurt Sharon in the future," Reinette Tinekerr's face turned serious. "Humanity is the pillar against chaos and pollution. I hope you never lose yourself."
...
When Sharon came down from her childhood room on the second floor, Hastur was no longer in the hall, only her teacher.
"Where is he?"
"He went to see an old friend and asked you to wait here for a while."
Sharon sat beside Reinette Tinekerr in silence.
"Do you want to know what I said to him?"
"No," Sharon replied firmly.
"I thought you would," Reinette Tinekerr smiled, gently stroking Sharon's head.
Sharon's body stiffened at first, then leaned on Reinette Tinekerr's shoulder, as if reliving the old days.
After leaving Reinette Tinekerr's castle, Hastur began summoning Gregory.
A giant undead bird soared through the Spirit Realm, causing all nearby creatures to tremble.
In the absence of the Lord of Mysteries, it was the ruler of the Spirit Realm.
As it approached Hastur, it transformed into a smaller firebird and landed on his shoulder.
"Looks like you're doing well lately."
"Chirp," Gregory responded happily.
Perhaps due to the approaching apocalypse, it was recovering faster than before.
"I want to go somewhere, and I need you to accompany me."
"Chirp!"
Gregory patted its chest with its right wing, indicating it could walk sideways in the Spirit Realm.
"Really?"
Hastur smiled and looked up at the direction of the Seven Lights of the Spirit Realm.
He had been thinking of talking to the Fool, and now passing through the Spirit Realm was a good opportunity.
With Gregory, neither the Seven Lights nor Fugen's Hound could stop him from approaching the grey fog and the door of the Source Castle.
To avoid triggering the Source Castle's self-defense, Hastur only planned to knock on the door of the Fool's divine kingdom.
Seeing the interesting scene in his mind, Hastur felt much happier.
Gregory looked at the space above the Seven Lights and fell into brief contemplation.
It had tried to approach that place before but couldn't even reach the door.
That was the fortress of a pillar, only accessible to those invited by it.
Otherwise, no matter how many true gods came, they couldn't pass through the fortress gate.
It had spoken with the Seven Lights of the Spirit Realm and knew that the pillar was called the Lord of Mysteries, also known as the King of Time and Space, the Beacon of Destiny, the Embodiment of Source Castle, and the Ruler of the Spirit Realm.
It seemed to be asleep, but recently, especially in the past few days, the grey fog shrouding it had started to stir.
Could it be that the Lord of Mysteries had awakened?
"Seems like you know where I want to go."
"Chirp."
Gregory responded, its body suddenly enlarging into a giant undead bird, indicating for Hastur to sit on its back.
"Remember to be polite later," Hastur reminded, floating onto the bird's broad and soft back.
"Chirp."
Gregory let out a long cry, flapping its wings and carrying Hastur towards the Seven Lights of the Spirit Realm.
The Seven Lights, which usually stood tall in the Spirit Realm, now appeared unstable, as if in fear and vigilance.