Chapter 193: You're Not Nightworld's Biological Son, It Is Your Biological Son
As night fell, it gradually condensed from illusion into reality, enveloping Rast within.
Beyond the veil of darkness as thin as gauze, whether it was that pitch-black Epoch Stele or the hall of the Arcane Tower, all scenery was fading and receding.
It was about to sever Rast from the Present World and take him into the Historical Echo.
And what was also being separated along with him was, of course, a certain snow ferret Dean that Rast was carrying in his hand.
This was a matter of course. When Black Night Travelers entered the Nightworld, they could retain only the most basic clothing and items, but could never bring any other living beings with them. If it weren’t so, then the restriction that the Historical Echo could not be entered in teams would naturally cease to exist.
However, just as the night truly touched Rast’s body, that substantial night veil suddenly shattered.
It became illusory and indistinct, unable to affect Rast in the slightest.
【Origin of Fate: You are the source of all fate. The flowing time and years diverge before you, turning into two completely unrelated straight lines; you are both the creator and the ender of stories; countless worldlines are born because of you, and shall also end because of you.】
【As the Origin of Fate, you exist independently of time, and your resistance to time-based skills is greatly increased.】
This was the inherent skill from the Fate Sequence that Rast obtained through the Fool’s Library after establishing a bond with Grey.
The grimoire of this inherent skill had been permanently solidified on Rast’s body—it could not be turned off, nor could it be replaced.
And the effect of this skill could truly be described as a double-edged sword.
The negative side of the sword was that every time Rast cleared a Historical Echo, the "Rewind" from the Nightworld would not affect him.
Other Black Night Travelers, no matter how battered they were in the Nightworld, as long as they were still breathing, would be completely restored by the Nightworld's Rewind after clearing the instance. Their injuries would be healed, and they would be lively once again.
But Rast could not enjoy the healing effect of Rewind. So every time he made some big news in the Nightworld, he would have to lie like a corpse in the school infirmary for a long time afterward.
That VIP hospital bed by the window in the school infirmary—he was almost more familiar with it than his own student dormitory.
But at this moment, the other edge of the double-edged sword, "Origin of Fate", revealed itself.
The mandatory scan and separation that other Black Night Travelers experienced upon entering the Nightworld had completely lost its effect on Rast.
In the next instant, that dense night shade flashed and vanished from the hall of the Arcane Tower.
And the figures of one man and one ferret by the Epoch Stele had also disappeared without a trace.
“Dean Silver, your tea is here.”
A few minutes later, Professor Barbalossa pushed open the door, holding a pot of red tea as he stepped into the Epoch Hall.
But after glancing around, he never caught sight of that snow ferret.
“She just said she wanted to have tea with me and wait for that brat Rast to come out, and now the ferret’s gone in the blink of an eye?”
Professor Barbalossa reached out his furry paw and scratched his head, but didn’t take it too seriously.
Considering that snow ferret’s capricious and fickle personality—doing anything with only three minutes of passion—she probably found having tea with him too boring and ran back home to continue being a shut-in ferret.
He set down the pot of red tea in his hand, took out a massive customized thermos filled with goji berries, and sipped from it as he walked out of the hall.
Well, life as a security guard at the Arcane Tower was just that simple and plain.
He had skipped fifty years of life detours altogether.
……
Perhaps it was due to the continued unlocking of the Fool’s Library as Rast’s own strength grew stronger.
This time, upon entering the Historical Echo, Rast didn’t feel the spinning dizziness or the recovery of consciousness from blackout like before.
As the gauze-like night before his eyes slowly dispersed, what came into view was already a completely new world.
He seemed to be in a rather modernized room—white and bright lighting, a soft large bed, a massive projection screen...
Through the large floor-to-ceiling glass window, he could see towering skyscrapers, heavy traffic, and the glitz and glamor of the city outside.
For a moment, Rast almost thought he had returned to his previous life—a modern metropolis built purely by technology, without swords, magic, Nightworld, or the extraordinary.
But he quickly regained his senses.
On the computer desk in the room sat a virtual reality headgear with a strong science-fiction design.
And outside the window, manned flying vehicles occasionally zipped through the air between skyscrapers...
All of this indicated that what he had arrived at wasn’t his former life’s modern city, but a genuine sci-fi world—perhaps near-future.
“Holy crap holy crap holy crap holy crap holy crap!”
“What’s going on? You actually managed to bring me in?”
The noisy voice rang in Rast’s ears.
Dean Silver broke free from Rast’s demonic claws and leapt onto his shoulder, her face filled with astonishment as she looked out the window at the bustling traffic and towering buildings of the technological metropolis.
She had thought this was merely another whimsical attempt of Rast’s—just a new way to torment her. She never imagined it would actually succeed.
Yet to her surprise, this guy truly managed to bring her into the Nightworld—something Dean Silver had tried to achieve for hundreds of years without success.
“And you still dare say you’re not Nightworld’s favorite child!”
She stared at Rast, her eyes filled with increasing suspicion. “No, this goes beyond just being a beloved child.”
“I think you’re practically Nightworld’s father. Without you, there wouldn’t be a Nightworld!”
“But since I’ve been successfully brought into the Nightworld…”
“Doesn’t that mean I can also be recognized as a Night Traveler and legitimately receive Nightworld’s experience points and Crest Equipment rewards?”
The moment this possibility occurred to her, Dean Silver could no longer be bothered to argue over whether Rast was Nightworld’s child or its parent. She immediately began examining her spirit.
As the dean of Starfall University and an ancient relic who had witnessed countless students rise like comets, Dean Silver had long coveted all things related to Nightworld.
Though Nightworld was certainly dangerous—death within meant eternal oblivion—it also contained infinite opportunities hidden amidst the Historical Echo. If one could survive its trials, it was possible to grow rapidly in a short time, leaving other transcendents far behind.
If not, how else could freshmen entering Starfall University, who usually began at merely First or Second Tier, ascend to Fifth or even Sixth Tier within just four academic years—emerging as powerful individuals capable of standing alone?
Without the opportunities of Nightworld, ordinary transcendents would be left with nothing but steady, painstaking accumulation and role-playing… Referencing the powerhouses from civilizations before the Bygone Era, even reaching the peak of Sixth Tier often took close to a century of grueling cultivation—let alone breaking into the Legendary Realm.
Those legendary sorcerers from the Second Era’s Wizard Civilization, or the legendary mediums from the Fourth Era’s Virtual Realm Civilization… which of them didn’t reach the Legendary Realm after centuries of meticulous and unceasing effort?
Many sorcerers were already on the brink of death when they finally broke into the Legendary Realm and established their Mage Towers, soon kicking the bucket after their accomplishment.
They were simply no match for the cheat-code Night Travelers of the Present World.
And the reason Dean Silver had to constantly seek SR and SSR meal tickets—shamelessly acting cute before Rast and Shiltina—was because she couldn’t enter Nightworld, and thus couldn’t take the shortcut available to human Night Travelers. Hence, she had no choice but to rely on the most honest method: finding a meal ticket.
Now that she had entered Nightworld and could receive mission rewards, everything was different.
“Nightworld!”
“System! Light screen!”
“Main God! Giant light sphere!”
“Lincoln, you big-headed fool!”
“Deep Blue, add skill points!”
Dean Silver stood atop Rast’s shoulder, waving her fluffy snow-white tail, mumbling various incantations in a mystical tone, trying to activate her Night Traveler interface.
But no matter how she chanted, none of her charlatan-like attempts bore fruit.
“Dean Silver, I used my own ability to bypass Nightworld’s detection and forcefully brought you in—or in other words, smuggled you in.”
“Since you’re a stowaway, you’re basically a total undocumented ghost in Nightworld. Naturally, it’s impossible for you to have a Night Traveler identification.”
Rast spoke, interrupting Dean Silver’s next attempt at chanting incantations.
She was already reciting “Open Sesame.” He feared that if she went any further, she might even chant “Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun” and “The Fool of this Era, Master of Fortune and the Yellow-Black King.”
Upon hearing Rast’s words, Dean Silver finally gave up on trying new chants.
Her fluffy tail drooped dispiritedly for a moment, but soon began wagging cheerfully again, making Rast suspect whether she was truly a snow ferret or secretly a dog.
“Fine, an undocumented ghost it is. Missing out on rewards doesn’t matter—it was a pleasant surprise anyway.”
Dean Silver’s spirit brightened again.
As a snow ferret, she had a very flexible expectation threshold, and her specialty was self-amusement and spiritual victory.
“No matter what, being able to personally enter Nightworld and witness these Historical Echoes from another era… that’s already quite an enjoyable form of entertainment. Far better than staying home and napping.”
“For example, that ‘fully immersive virtual reality game that swept across the entire continent’ mentioned in the intelligence reports from others earlier.”
Regaining her energy, Dean Silver looked around and soon spotted two Virtual Reality headbands neatly placed on the table.
However, just as Dean Silver’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, ready to try out this entertainment from the era of the future, a flash of suspicion suddenly passed through her gaze.
“Speaking of which, why did you suddenly think of bringing me into Nightworld? It couldn’t have just been some impulsive whim of yours, right?”
“Did you simply want to repay your dear Dean by letting me travel through Nightworld and experience the customs and scenery of other historical eras?”
Dean Silver looked at Rast, who stood calmly at the side, her gaze becoming increasingly suspicious.
As the person… ferret… who had been by Rast’s side the longest, Dean Silver was perhaps the one in the Present World who knew Rast the best.
She was very familiar with this brat’s personality and methods. Stripping away the Mask of Personality he wore as disguise, he was, in essence, a textbook energy minimalist—cold and mechanical, prioritizing efficiency above all else.
To achieve his goals, he would do anything, unrestrained by moral or legal considerations.
Conversely, if something had nothing to do with Rast’s objectives, he wouldn’t lift a finger.
There was no such thing as a free favor from this guy—even seemingly spur-of-the-moment acts always had a motive behind them.
“Didn’t expect Dean Silver to be so perceptive—truly worthy of being a holder of the ‘Moon’ Sequence of the Higher Sequence Tiers.”
Rast praised her calmly.
“In fact, the reason I brought you here, Dean Silver, is to have you serve as my bodyguard...”
“After all, based on the intelligence we previously gathered, this Sixth Era near-future Science-Fiction Era has background events like the ‘Artificial Angel Project’... which could very well involve Eighth Tier powerhouses—Demigods and Angels at that level of peak combat power.”
“If I happen to stir up any trouble in this Historical Echo and end up being hunted down by angels, I hope you can get me out of there when needed.”
“Also—”
Rast’s voice remained calm: “Lately, I’ve sensed that my progress along the Higher Sequence Tiers has stagnated. So I wish to ask you, here in Nightworld, to help me find my path to the Legendary Realm—”
“The direction for breaking into the Legendary Realm, and even stepping into the domain of angels.”
“Stop, stop, stop! What nonsense are you talking about?”
Dean Silver’s mouth hung open in shock.
“Be your bodyguard in front of Eighth Tier angels? Help you perfect your path to the Legendary Realm?”
“Why do you have such ridiculous expectations for a snow ferret? Have you considered the possibility that I’m just a ferret… and that the Moon Sequence is non-combat in nature? That sort of thing, you should ask the old principal!”
She looked at Rast with her ruby-like beast eyes, pitiful and teary.
Weak, pitiful, and helpless.
“Is that so—”
“But I’ve always felt that you’re deliberately playing dumb and hiding your true capabilities, Dean Silver. For example, if you really didn’t want me to discover anything, then my ‘Eye of Secret Insight’ wouldn’t have been able to find you.”
“Your Higher Sequence Tier might not be combat-oriented, but I believe escaping with me from an angel shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Rast showed a bright smile:
“After all, if I really die, then you, Dean Silver, as an undocumented stowaway, wouldn’t be able to exit Nightworld and return to the Present World.”