Chapter 60: Traversal (1)
60 – Traversal (1)
Admittedly, programmers do not lie.
But keyboard cultivators can.
Old Man Huo’s gaze softened with affection. “Indeed, you’ve had it rough.”
Thus, Lin Xun received a pair of cufflinks blessed with protective talismans by a Nascent Soul stage master.
According to Old Man Huo, these would be more than enough to withstand attacks from the Golden Core stage, and could even hold up for a while against Nascent Soul stage threats. The capital was now fraught with danger, and demons could appear anywhere. Lin Xun had already installed firewalls around everyone close to him to ensure their safety.
Tomorrow, he was meeting Dong Jun at the amusement park. He had already planned it out: he would trick Dong Jun into walking through the maze and pulling the sword. If Dong Jun could pull it out, that would prove he was the Emperor, unafraid of demons. In that case, the cufflinks would remain with Lin Xun, or he could give one each to Anquan and Jia Gou. But if Dong Jun couldn’t pull the sword—meaning he wasn’t a cultivator—then Lin Xun would give him these two protective talismans. That way, he could at least ensure his idol’s personal safety.
Truthfully, deep down, Lin Xun didn’t want Dong Jun to have any connection to these supernatural and chaotic forces.
Lin Xun’s mental calculations clicked away like an abacus. Once finished, under the benevolent gazes of his elders, he left the fourth floor and returned to his room.
After washing up and changing into his pajamas, he read a research paper for a while before shifting his gaze to the cufflink box on the bedside table. The black box was exquisite and luxurious. Inside, the silver cufflinks were elegant and beautiful, and the flowing silver river under the light matched the name “Galaxy” perfectly.
Dong Jun often wore shirts, so the cufflinks wouldn’t just be left to gather dust. Holding the two small items in his hand, Lin Xun pondered how to present the gift.
Thank you for coming to the amusement park with me?
Thank you for taking care of me these past few days?
Or maybe just say I happened to see them and thought they’d suit him.
For a moment, his mind wandered, thoughts swirling chaotically. In a daze, it almost felt as if he were really picking out a gift for Dong Jun.
A slight dizziness washed over him. He snapped back to reality, the cufflinks still in his hand. Strangely, he felt a bit down and decided to go to sleep.
As expected, the dreams returned—he had been dreaming every night these past few days.
Blurry, a room of white and silver. The sunlight outside the window was pleasant, and the ceiling was bathed in light.
A white robot approached his hand.
A mechanical compartment opened, revealing a black box.
From somewhere in the room—or perhaps from the void—a clearly synthesized electronic voice spoke: “Your order has arrived.”
“Thank you.” He picked up the box and opened it. Under the sunlight, the Galaxy sparkled brilliantly.
“He invited you,” the mechanical voice stated flatly, its logic rigid and inflexible. “Location: the amusement park. There’s a fireworks show at seven in the evening.”
“I know,” he replied calmly.
The next moment, he closed the lid of the black box. The magnetic clasp clicked as the lid met the base, emitting a soft “snap.”
He placed the box back where it was. “They might not be needed anymore.”
In the light, all was silent. A feeling akin to loneliness spread like seawater. He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
The mechanical voice followed him like a shadow. “Do you regret this decision?”
“No,” he said. “I just…”
“…Never mind.”
His heart pounded violently, as if something were pressing against his chest. Lin Xun gasped sharply and opened his eyes.
Sunlight filtered through the shadows of hawthorn leaves, speckling the ceiling with dancing spots of light as the breeze blew. He took a moment to steady his breathing, picked up his phone, opened the notes app, and typed a few lines before closing his eyes again and pressing his wrist against them.
It was a sunny day today.
Perhaps due to the large-scale demon extermination, much of the gloomy clouds in the sky had finally cleared.
The dream had come abruptly, but like all dreams that appear and vanish without a trace, within just five or six minutes of fully waking up, many details had already blurred in his memory, leaving only a few brief adjectives in his notes.
Lin Xun attributed it to the recent stress—though his work wasn’t particularly busy, demon extermination was, and the Technology Expo was drawing closer day by day.
Lowering his wrist, he instinctively reached beside him—only to grasp empty air before remembering that Zhi Zhen had already gone back with Dong Jun.
He missed the feel of the little cat. Getting up, he spent an uneventful morning and half the afternoon.
He had arranged to meet Dong Jun at four o’clock that afternoon at an amusement park called “Paradise,” which had a fireworks display scheduled for seven in the evening—Lin Xun believed this was the reason for his dream.
Zhao Jiagou examined his outfit.
After a brief spell of clear weather, clouds had gathered again in the afternoon, and the temperature outside wasn’t high. Today, he wore a loose, light gray sweater.
“You’ve already got it down, you gray rabbit,” Zhao Jiagou said.
“Yesterday you were calling me an ungrateful wolf,” Lin Xun replied.
Zhao Jiagou said, “I have only one request for you: make sure you come back tonight, no staying out overnight, okay?”
Lin Xun: “I will.”
He continued, “If I have any emotional issues, can I consult you?”
“Sure. You’ve finally overcome your timid rabbit nature and chosen to face it head-on.” Zhao Jiagou waved dismissively, as if to avoid the trouble: “Go on.”
So Lin Xun left.
The journey wasn’t long, and there was no traffic. He arrived at the amusement park entrance twenty minutes early.
Over the years, holographic technology had continued to advance, with rich VR games and various simulated reality experiences attracting the vast majority of people—large-scale physical amusement parks like this had gradually declined, no longer crowded with visitors or serpentine queues like a decade ago.
Especially on a weekday afternoon, there were very few visitors, and the scattered groups entering all seemed to be couples—while seeking thrills in virtual reality might be feasible, perhaps dating wasn’t quite the same.
Lin Xun rested his chin in his hand inside the car, watching the passing visitors and trying to spot anyone who wasn’t a couple. After more than ten minutes, there were no exceptions.
Lin Xun: “…”
Just as his thoughts began to wander, someone tapped on the car window.
Lin Xun turned and saw Dong Jun looking at him with a slight smile.
He got out of the car.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Dong Jun said.
Lin Xun: “Not at all.”
He observed Dong Jun today.
A sleek black overcoat with a dark gray turtleneck underneath—a very relaxed outfit. And today, he wasn’t wearing glasses, making the contours of his features even more distinct.
His long hair was loosely tied at the ends, with a few strands falling loosely on either side of his face, giving him a softer appearance than usual—unlike the legendary Dong Jun or the cold, strict master of Galaxy, he looked more like an elegant pianist.
A pianist.
When this metaphor came to mind, Lin Xun instinctively thought of Dong Chen. To be honest, Dong Jun and Dong Chen did share some resemblance in appearance, and their temperaments were not without common ground.
However, when it came to character, Dong Chen fell far short of Dong Jun.
After swiftly dismissing Dong Chen in his mind, he turned to Dong Jun: “Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon.” Dong Jun walked alongside him toward the amusement park entrance.
Like all fairy-tale-themed amusement parks, the architecture here was sweet and dreamy. Lin Xun didn’t quite know how to appreciate it, but he wasn’t entirely indifferent either.
A light, melodious tune drifted from the carousel, relaxing him completely.
He said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a place like this.”
Dong Jun asked, “Where should we go first?”
Lin Xun replied, “The maze.”
Dong Jun: “You like mazes?”
Lin Xun: “I enjoy solving puzzles.”
Dong Jun’s lips curved slightly. “Alright.”
This was a maze with a storyline—and a puzzle-solving one at that. Lin Xun had already asked Yufeng Zhenren about it and had some understanding of the setup.
After some minor disguising, the Chixiao Longque Sword played the role of the Sword in the Stone at the center of the maze. The concept of the Sword in the Stone originated from an ancient British legend: one day, a divine oracle declared that only the person who could pull the sword from the stone would be worthy of becoming the king of all England. For a long time, no one succeeded—until the young King Arthur arrived and drew it out.
Perhaps due to the storyline or to cater to mainstream visitors, this maze only allowed two people to enter together. One would play the role of the young King Arthur, while the other would play Arthur’s close friend, the wizard Merlin. The two would search for clues in the perilous church, eventually defeat the sword-guarding knight, and reach the Sword in the Stone to succeed.
—The sword-guarding knight was played by Yufeng Zhenren.
Correspondingly, there were two props: King Arthur’s crown and Merlin’s wand.
Looking at these two items, Lin Xun asked Dong Jun, “Which one do you choose?”
Dong Jun picked up the silver-white crown.
His idol, a man who controlled everything, would naturally choose King Arthur. And he would likely pull the Sword in the Stone that no one else could draw—though Lin Xun didn’t want Dong Jun to have anything to do with Cultivation.
Then, just as he was about to reach for the wand—
“Turn around,” Dong Jun said calmly.
Lin Xun turned.
—Dong Jun placed the crown on his head.