Chapter 433: Sir, Would You Like to Buy a Book?

Chapter 433: Sir, Would You Like to Buy a Book?

Philip was unsure if the figure before him was truly a legendary deity, but he felt a strange sense of anticipation.

"Yes, I wish to go to Backlund..." Philip stammered out his desire.

"Backlund..." The figure seemed to murmur. 

Suddenly, Philip felt the space around him shift. He seemed to leave behind the port town where he had lived for over 20 years, flying through a strange, fantastical world. 

He clearly saw himself take flight, as if entering a shimmering, multicolored bubble. The outside world rushed past his eyes at incredible speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Was he really traveling to Backlund with this yellow-robed figure?

As hope gradually overcame fear in Philip's heart, he began to carefully observe his surroundings.

This world was far from a fairy tale. It was desolate and decaying, reminiscent of the abandoned houses at the foot of the mountain near the port - no, far more terrifying than those.

Just moments ago, a grotesque and indescribable creature had flashed by. Philip could only vaguely make out that it resembled an obese cow standing upright, its body covered in black fur and mouths.

When he looked back again, the horrifying creature's body had split apart, with slick black tentacles growing from the severed parts.

Had the mysterious figure dealt with it? 

Philip could only speculate, too afraid to look around anymore until the world suddenly changed before his eyes.

Under a dazzling starry sky, the crimson moon had disappeared. Only the twinkling stars remained, their light illuminating the dark world below.

He saw grand buildings like those from minstrels' tales, towering black smokestacks, brightly lit streets, train stations as busy at night as during the day, and steam locomotives that required no human power...

Was this Backlund? Had he truly arrived in this dream-like metropolis?

Philip gazed in awe at everything before him, momentarily forgetting the ragged yellow-robed figure beside him. It was only after a long while that he noticed the mysterious being was also looking at Backlund, though Philip could not discern any specific emotion in its blurry face.

"Thank you for granting my humble wish," Philip said earnestly, bowing despite his lingering fear.

"Your wish has been fulfilled," the figure stated.

"Yes, I've always dreamed of coming to Backlund." Philip's eyes shone as he spoke.

"You must pay a price for this."

"A price?" Philip was stunned, then gripped by an icy fear that spread from his heart throughout his body.

He instinctively backed away, afraid the figure would take his life or soul. In the ancient stories he had heard, not only gods granted people's meager wishes, but also demons hungry for souls would actively help fulfill desires. They would take your soul when you were happiest, enslaving you for eternity in a fate worse than death.

"I want your story," the figure said.

"My story?" Philip couldn't fully grasp the meaning, but felt his tension and fear ease somewhat.

"The story of what you have experienced."

"Don't... don't you have your own story?" Philip gathered the courage to ask.

In the gentle night breeze, the ragged yellow robe remained tightly fitted, not fluttering even slightly.

"I do. This is my story." 

The emotionless voice startled Philip again, but before he could say anything more, it was as if something had been extracted from his mind. Then the figure vanished from before him.

"Who... who am I?" 

"How did I get here?"

"What am I supposed to do? Am I meant to travel somewhere?"

"Is that distant city my hometown?"

Philip furrowed his brow, desperately trying to search for the treasures that had been plundered from his now-empty mind.

He had forgotten many things, including his own name. 

The only things he could remember were some common sense about the world - that stones were inedible, that money could be used to buy things, and so on.

After standing dumbfounded for a long while, he finally began walking towards the great city in the distance.

Reaching the city gates, he felt a sudden timidity, but ultimately entered and walked along the sparsely populated streets.

He curiously observed everything around him, feeling both familiar and strange.

As he examined this new world with curiosity and trepidation, a young man suddenly approached. Tilting his head to reveal a freckled nose, he carefully and mysteriously introduced his business.

"Sir, would you like to buy a book? We have all sorts of unexpected titles, with beautiful illustrations too."

As he spoke, the young man used his body to block the gazes of others while lifting a corner of his coat. The grayish-white coat was sewn with twenty pockets, each containing two or three books.

Most of the book covers depicted nude men and women in intimate poses. Some showed bound female vampires, hanged female elves, and even illustrations of animals with humans.

"I'm not interested in these books. You should find a more suitable buyer," Philip politely declined.

"Don't be hasty, sir. I have some rare collector's editions here - our best-selling titles recently."

The young man turned slightly, lifting the other side of his coat to reveal pockets similarly stuffed with books.

Philip glanced over them, his gaze landing on a book titled "Child of the Stars." He was drawn not to the content, but to the cover illustration - a figure in tattered yellow robes that seemed oddly familiar, as if he had once known them.

"How much?" Philip decided to buy the book after looking at it for a moment.

"5 soli. It's an absolute bargain - other places would charge up to 2 pounds for this!"

Philip searched the pockets on his person, pulling out five crumpled 1-soli notes that still carried a faint scent of the sea.

"Here's your book, sir. Be sure not to lose it!" 

The young man took the five 1-soli notes Philip handed over and pulled "Child of the Stars" from his jacket pocket, placing it in Philip's palm.

Philip accepted the book somewhat dazedly. Though he had lost his past memories, he still knew that 5 soli was a considerable sum. Why had he spent so much money on a single book?

"May the starlight guide you and keep you from losing your way, sir."

With a smile and these parting words, the young man hummed a little tune as he melted into the night and disappeared.

Philip vaguely made out the words of the young man's song: "Crescent moon, round head, little man, shining long knife, stabbing stabbing at the little man's round head, under the crescent moon's gaze..."

Philip stood frozen in place. The song was familiar to him as well, and he couldn't help but softly hum along:

"Full moon, little man, curved long knife, shining head, stabbing stabbing at the little man's curved long knife, under the full moon's smile..."

After finishing, he paused again in confusion. How did he know such a song?

He looked down at "Child of the Stars" in his hand. The yellow-robed figure on the cover seemed to slowly materialize from the starlight and approach him.

It was only when he blinked that he realized it had all been an illusion. He was still standing on the sparsely populated street, the yellow-robed figure remaining fixed on the book cover.

...

The sea looked particularly enchanting under the starry sky, with streams of starlight cascading down from the heavens and then flowing back up from the ocean.

On the Dawn, Bernadette was gazing out at the ink-black waters in the distance.

The wishing lamp sat quietly on the table, next to a nautical lantern emitting a soft yellow glow.

"This is definitely a trap, and you're the big fish it's trying to hook," said the lamp spirit. It added with a sneer, "There's no luck to be had when facing the Fallen Mother goddess - only death. Don't let your emotions override your reason."

"It's not time yet," Bernadette said, seemingly to herself as much as to the lamp spirit.

"To stand against the Fallen Mother goddess , the stars must be restored to a certain degree. As things are now, it won't directly confront the Fallen Mother goddess for you."

"You seem to fear the Fallen Mother goddess greatly," Bernadette said, as if deliberately provoking.

"Heh, your courage only reveals your ignorance," the lamp spirit replied, unangered.

"Your patience has improved considerably."

This time the lamp spirit didn't answer. Its patience had been honed bit by bit in the Hall of Stars. The Supernova Dominator, High-Dimensional Observer, Primordial Hunger - none of them got along with it, to the point where it was starting to view the Mother Tree of Desire more favorably.

Bernadette had no desire to continue the conversation either. She still wanted to find the island where her father was, not to rescue him, but to prevent others from landing there and spreading the contamination.

She believed the Six Churches now had the same idea.

As for how to find the island, she already had a plan in mind.

Perhaps she wouldn't even need to search actively - someone would likely deliver the information she wanted right to her.

Before the sky had even begun to lighten, Cattleya's spirit world messenger arrived with the news she was expecting.

"Tsk, someone's in quite a rush to lure you to that island. But such an obvious ploy - it seems the Fallen Mother goddess doesn't have much intelligence left," the lamp spirit remarked mockingly as Bernadette began to read through the message.