Early the next morning, Caelus said goodbye to his roommate, Xie Huanyue, at the dormitory entrance.
"I have to head back to help out at my family's restaurant. Take care on the road."
Xie Huanyue patted Caelus's shoulder. His family lived in Shrek City, where his parents ran a restaurant.
"I will. Have a great break."
Caelus replied with a smile.
After saying goodbye to his roommate, he walked straight to the girls' dormitory.
Before long, three beautiful figures emerged together: Ye Guyi and the Lan sisters, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo.
"Caelus."
As soon as Ye Guyi saw him, she jogged over, her face wearing a pouty expression of complaint.
"Gu Yue is so inconsiderate. She left last night without even telling me. Next time I see her, I'm definitely going to make her pay through the nose."
Caelus chuckled. He knew very well that to a little foodie like Ye Guyi, "making her pay through the nose" just meant extorting a big meal out of Gu Yuena.
The four of them chatted and laughed as they walked through the academy in the early morning, arriving at the bustling city gates.
Just then, Ye Guyi's eyes lit up. She pointed to a figure standing quietly in a corner nearby and said to Caelus and the others:
"That's my teacher. She's here to pick me up."
Looking in the direction she pointed, they saw a person completely shrouded in a voluminous black robe. Her presence was restrained, making her seem out of place amidst the surrounding hustle and bustle, like a solitary shadow.
Ye Guyi pulled them over and affectionately hooked her arm through the black-robed person's, introducing Caelus and the others.
"Greetings, Senior."
Caelus and the Lan sisters bowed slightly and greeted her in unison.
"Mhm, hello."
A voice came from beneath the black robe, crisp and pleasant yet carrying a certain maturity that made it impossible to discern the owner's age.
"Little Guyi often mentions you. Thank you for looking after her at the academy."
At that moment, the Ice Empress's voice rang out in Caelus's mind with unprecedented vigilance:
"Caelus, be careful. This person... I can't see through her at all."
Inside the Sea of Consciousness, the manifested modern room presented a completely different scene.
Istaroth, wearing silk pajamas, was sprawled lazily on a soft sofa like a cat, engrossed in a melodramatic soap opera playing on a giant screen on the wall.
Hearing the Ice Empress's exclamation, she didn't even turn her head, saying languidly:
"Relax, he's much smarter than you think."
The Ice Empress was stunned. Seeing Istaroth's nonchalant attitude, most of her tension immediately dissipated.
True, if a real Divinity wasn't worried, she was indeed worrying over nothing.
Thinking this, she sat down with a clear conscience, grabbed a handful of potato chips from the coffee table, munching with a "crunch-crunch," and picked up a bottle of chilled "Fat Otaku Happy Water," staring intently at the screen alongside Istaroth.
These novel gadgets and dramas from the human World were truly too interesting.
Sensing the degenerate daily lives of the two shut-ins in his Sea of Consciousness, Caelus was speechless.
He felt like he was about to spoil these two into uselessness.
Ever since they discovered the wealth of entertainment options in his Remembrance, happiness had become so simple.
Relying on his memories and imagination, the various novels, TV series, movies, and anime he had seen in his past life could be perfectly recreated here. Even details he himself had forgotten could be unearthed from the depths of his Soul by Istaroth.
Of course, he had still placed strict Restrictions on some memories.
For instance, those shady favorites in his past life's browser; if they were discovered, it would be an immediate social death.
His cool and aloof persona in front of them couldn't be shattered.
In the outside World, Caelus composed himself and bid a brief farewell to the black-robed person Ye Guyi called teacher—Qian Renxue.
They watched as Ye Guyi, arm-in-arm with Qian Renxue, quickly merged into the crowd and vanished.
Afterward, Caelus led the Lan sisters to a carriage waiting by the roadside.
The carriage was understated in style, but both the materials used and the Star Luo Imperial Family emblem branded on the cabin displayed its extraordinary status.
The three of them boarded the carriage, and as the wheels slowly began to roll, they set off on the journey back to Star Luo City.
The wheels rolled, and the sound of horse hooves was crisp.
After several days of travel, the magnificent giant city that dominated the center of the continent—Star Luo City—finally revealed its towering silhouette at the end of their vision.
Completely different from the academic atmosphere of Shrek City, everything here exuded the majesty and prosperity of the Empire's heart, with streets as wide as rivers and crowds flowing like silk.
The carriage passed through the heavy city gates and traveled smoothly through the city.
Following the address, Caelus first safely escorted the sisters, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, back to their home.
After a round of polite goodbyes and holiday wishes, the carriage turned around and headed toward his own residence—the Snow Listening Pavilion.
In front of the Snow Listening Pavilion, an old plum tree stood with gnarled branches in the winter.
Beneath the tree, an old man dressed in simple gray clothes stood quietly, hands behind his back, his gaze frequently casting toward the end of the street.
The cold wind whipped at the corners of his clothes, but he was completely oblivious; the persistence in his waiting was self-evident.
The carriage came to a halt, and Caelus lifted the curtain, spotting the familiar figure at a glance.
"Grandpa Hui."
He quickly stepped out of the carriage, a warm current welling up in his heart, which then turned into a hint of reproach.
"It's so cold. Why are you waiting at the door? What if you catch a chill and get sick?"
Grandpa Hui turned around, and a smile like a blooming chrysanthemum immediately spread across his aged face, his eyes filled with unconcealed joy and excitement.
"Young Master, you're back."
He looked Caelus up and down. Although it had been nearly a year, and the youth before him had grown much taller and his temperament had become more calm and reserved, he would never mistake the spirit in those eyes.
"These old bones of mine aren't that useless yet."
Grandpa Hui waved his hand with a chuckle.
"Besides, this old servant is a Soul Master after all. This bit of cold can't do anything to me."
"Still, no."
Caelus stepped forward to support his arm, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"I'm counting on you to stay healthy and strong to accompany me for a few more years."
He supported Grandpa Hui, feeling the slightly frail touch beneath his arm, and secretly made a decision in his heart.
He would make sure Grandpa Hui lived healthily until the day he possessed enough power, until the moment he truly reached the Domain of Divinity.
At that time, he would give Grandpa Hui a choice—an Opportunity to step into eternity.
Of course, that was merely a choice.
Caelus knew the cruelty of time better than anyone.
As the controller of time, he knew that eternal life was not necessarily a blessing for a Mortal.
When friends and family turn to dust one by one, and the familiar World becomes unrecognizable, that ancient loneliness is enough to wear down even the strongest Soul.
Time is the most ruthless erosion; even gods grow weary over the long years.
Only those Souls who can truly endure this wear and tear and find meaning in endless solitude are qualified to speak of eternal life.
Otherwise, longevity is nothing more than a magnificent and protracted curse.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"