“Roses bloom in every corner of the Rose Kingdom’s capital. Red represents the life of the kingdom, pink represents its romance, and yellow stands for its hope…”
Arriving at the Rose Kingdom’s capital, Lin Qiyou gazed at the city walls adorned with roses, resembling a wall of flowers.
These were the words Qingmu had told her in stories before, leaving an impression on her just like every other tale.
Back then, she thought those stories Qingmu told were strange and interesting fabrications.
But now, every time she saw the places and things Qingmu had mentioned, she felt as if she were right there with him.
The capital had several gates; half allowed entry only, the other half exit only.
Lin Qiyou stood on one side inside a city gate with Xiao Ya by her side, surrounded by a continuous stream of people entering the city.
There were merchants, citizens, travelers, and even candidates for the Hero’s selection.
“But it’s not like the stories said. Roses don’t actually bloom in every corner.”
Xiao Ya chimed in beside her, interrupting her thoughts.
“Mm.”
Lin Qiyou nodded.
Dressed in white, with black hair and black eyes, she might have been unique elsewhere, but in the Rose Kingdom’s capital, she was not.
On the bustling streets, a glance at the crowd revealed several people with features exactly like hers, though upon closer observation, their attire differed slightly.
She felt a contradictory mix of joy in being unique and loneliness in being alone.
It was indeed contradictory. If she could find Qingmu, would she still feel lonely?
It had been nearly a year since she crossed over here, though how long she had been lost in the space-time rift was unknown.
Her original world’s search was supposed to take about 374 years, but half of that time seemed lost due to her time travel.
So, counting everything, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to say she had been searching for Qingmu for four hundred years…
She really wanted to know why Qingmu was in this world!
Did he still remember her?
Or, more precisely, did he know her?
Her mind was full of questions, but she felt that if she actually met Qingmu, she’d be tongue-tied.
Strangely, she felt so calm.
“Lin, why are you trembling?”
“Eh?”
Xiao Ya’s question snapped Lin Qiyou out of her thoughts again. Had Xiao Ya not said anything, she might not have noticed.
She looked down at her body and realized she was shaking like a sieve. Feeling her heartbeat, it pounded like war drums, incessantly.
So she wasn’t calm after all—just numb from fear?
Lin Qiyou shook her head, trying to shake off the panic.
“Xiao Ya, Lin.”
Several Hero candidates approached from behind.
They were the ones Lin Qiyou had once tried to kill to seize treasure, but due to a monster attack, she hadn’t acted on it, and now they had become comrades.
But arriving at the Rose Kingdom’s capital meant it was time to say goodbye:
“We’ve already found a place to stay. We’ll meet again at the Hero selection site.
Hey, if there’s a chance, let’s meet at the Big Bird Turn-Turn-Turn Tavern east of the capital for a drink.”
“Sure!”
Lin Qiyou and Xiao Ya nodded and watched the group leave.
“That’s great. Luckily you didn’t rob them back then.”
Xiao Ya’s face was full of relief. Lin Qiyou said nothing.
By the time Lin Qiyou lost patience counting whether this was the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth candidate, Xiao Ya suddenly said:
“Oh, here come the Church people!”
Lin Qiyou turned her head. Several priests from the Church approached them, first chanting like monks or Taoist priests, then leading them into the city.
“Look, that’s Rose Square. Its busiest moment is during the King’s coronation ceremony…”
One of the priests introduced the Rose Kingdom’s capital to Lin Qiyou and Xiao Ya. Lin Qiyou realized she already knew much of what he said, even more intimately.
Because Qingmu didn’t just talk about the good parts when telling her these things.
For example, Rose Square had been the site of several massacres against non-human races.
The streets were filled with beastmen, long-eared elves, dwarves, and others. Not long ago, the Rose Kingdom was a very nationalist state, but now it was, on the surface, a tolerant and free melting pot.
Passing through a main street in the capital, Lin Qiyou acknowledged there were indeed some sights worth a second glance. Xiao Ya constantly praised them.
After a long journey, they finally stopped in front of a grand cathedral.
Its name was also Rose. The stained glass was filled with saints, brilliantly colorful under the sunlight.
Even before entering the city, its twin spires soared toward the clouds. Up close, the gray stone cathedral, covered in roses of all colors, looked majestic and magnificent.
“This is the Rose Kingdom’s blood and history over hundreds of years.”
Both the priest and Qingmu had described it this way, and so far it was the most beautiful and largest building Lin Qiyou had ever seen in this world.
Inside the cathedral, Lin Qiyou was even more astonished.
But she had little patience left. While Xiao Ya prayed before glowing statues and worshipped floating saintly images, Lin Qiyou directly asked the priest, “When can I meet Yue Lan?”
“Huh?” “Mm?” “What?”
The devout believers in the vast cathedral were shocked by Lin Qiyou’s words.
How dare someone address the Saint by her given name?
Lin Qiyou frowned, her black eyes scanning left and right, her expression clearly saying, “I understand, but I’m not afraid.”
The priest was slightly displeased and said, “Follow me.”
Lin Qiyou grabbed the apologizing Xiao Ya and followed the priest.
In a reception room filled with countless religious artifacts, Lin Qiyou crossed her legs and rested her chin on her right hand, waiting for Saint Yue Lan.
Xiao Ya was lecturing her: “Lin, you can’t do that again. This is the Rose Cathedral, one of the Church’s core places. Even if you’re not a believer, you must show the Saint the utmost respect on the surface, or it will cause trouble.”
“I once slayed dragons and demons. The world calls me the Ghost Sword Immortal. A mere little god’s… alright, I get it.”
Lin Qiyou’s grand cultivator pride was smothered by Xiao Ya’s pitiful look. She sat up properly, listening to the half-elf priest’s words.
Creak—
After a while, the reception room door gently opened, and first a pair of long legs clad in white stockings stepped in. On her feet were transparent high-heeled sandals, followed by a black nun’s habit bearing the Church’s holy light emblem.
Saint Yue Lan.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a face that instinctively radiated danger to Lin Qiyou.
This danger came from a female instinct of hostility, not something Lin Qiyou’s grand cultivator status could neutralize.
It was like two wild cats meeting in a narrow path, their blood surging.
Yue Lan clasped her hands gently and devoutly, looking at Lin Qiyou warmly: “May the Holy Light bless you… I am Yue Lan Fengling, the Saint of this age.”
Danger!
Lin Qiyou’s cultivator instincts screamed this warning.