IWOL Chapter 369: Arrow of Revival

Finally he reached Chang Hui and stopped. There weren’t very many people on top of the magnificent and tall Gates of Heaven.

The Arrow of Revival was a special place, similar to Hell Circus and Chaos Library. Other pilgrims had said that this was the place where most opportunities could be obtained. But in order to obtain these opportunities, the most important thing was to preserve one’s own life first.

The top of the Gates of Heaven was nearly fifty meters wide. It was curved with a bulge in the middle. The smooth surface of the stone made people nervous, giving them the sense that they would slide down off of it at any moment if they weren’t paying attention. In the center was a row of blue crystals. If these rare minerals could be collected and given to the NPCs in the Arrow of Revival, the person would not only earn a lot of points, but could also enter the Church of the Arrow of Revival and accept the Heavenly Father’s baptism to remove physical pain and repair disabilities.

Therefore, inside the box, pilgrims who were disabled strove to come here, yet only a few could push to the very top.

Chang Hui was sitting at the edge of the Gates of Heaven, which was half a meter wide. Cerberus also came to stand at the edge. Hearing the sound of someone approaching, the little beast beside her stood up vigilantly and growled at him.

Chang Hui raised her hand and lightly patted Dophie’s head. The dog calmed down, but it’s blue eyes continued to stare at their uninvited guest.

“Hello, my name is Cerberus,” Cerberus said. He was just an NPC in a box, unlike the pilgrims who could awaken their abilities. It took him seventeen hours to climb from the bottom to the top. Therefore, he could not avoid looking dusty and worn. The stubble that appeared on his jaws suggested that he had not slept all night, but other than that, it was impossible to tell that he had not rested at all.

“I remember you.” Of course, Chang Hui remembered him. From him, she got the part of the power of space that was condensed into a key and worn at his neck.

When she arrived, he was covered in blood and injuries, so desperate, so humble like an insect in the dirt. But now, although his appearance had not changed, the way he held himself was quietly different.

“I want to ask you, can I return that part of the space power to my master?” Cerberus finally told her the purpose of his difficult journey.

Chang Hui looked at him. Her face was still pale, but no longer felt like she would be out of breath at any moment, and her voice was stronger than before. “Do you want to terminate the transaction?”

“Yes.”

“Initially, you used that portion of space power as a bargaining chip for me take you out of the box, but now you want it back.” Chang Hui smiled slightly. “This time, what will you give me in return?”

“My soul,” Cerberus said solemnly. “After I die, my soul will belong to you.”

Chang Hui did not answer, but said, “Is it worth it? As far as I know, you were driven away by Fu Zhe. Don’t you think it’s too much of a loss to use your own soul in exchange for a power that already belongs to him?”

“Okay, how about you give me your soul, and I will help you separate Morality from Fu Zhe’s body. Isn’t this more cost-effective than exchanging your soul for the space power?”

It was indeed a tempting deal, and Chang Hui was confident that her every word would hit the point of desire in Cerberus’ heart. Even so, it was out of the question for her to do so. Unexpectedly, after a brief silence, Cerberus answered, “No. I just want to return the power of space back to my master. My master now is how he should be.”

Chang Hui narrowed her eyes. “Isn’t it Morality that you’re looking for?”

“I don’t know clearly, but I will never let my master’s soul break again. Do you agree or disagree to the deal I proposed?”

“I have long lost the power that the evil god had given me. So I can not continue to trade souls like I did before. What I said just now was a lie to you.” As Chang Hui spoke, she held up the white paper umbrella beside her, and Cerberus clearly saw that the countless blood handprints on the inner wall of the umbrella was now gone. It had become extremely clean, as if it had never sinned.

Cerberus only cared about one point. “That is to say that my soul cannot be used as a bargaining chip, right? I have nothing except my soul.”

“I don’t want it. The space power was originally yours and I planned on giving it back when I get the chance. If different original powers are contained inside a single person, they will end up repelling each other. It’s fine for a short period of time, but it won’t be tolerable for long.” Chang Hui stood up, raised her hand, and gently touched the brass key that hung on the man’s chest.

The space power, repelled by the power of chaos, immediately rushed into it. Once the last lavender light spot had merged into the key, Chang Hui breathed a sigh of relief as the turbulent forces inside her finally calmed down. She sat back where she was, and said, “Okay, you can go now.”

“Thank you.” Cerberus bowed to her, stuffed the key back under the neckline of his shirt, and turned around. It took him 17 hours to go back the same way.

The brass key that had just been infused with a fragment of the power of space still had residual heat. Space power could help him teleport and leave the Gates of Heaven more quickly, but he didn’t use it.

This power belonged to his master, and so he would not use it rashly.

Half of the slowly setting sun had sunk into the horizon. The sky on the west was stained dark blue, and the stars gradually became clearer. Overhead, orange, red, and dark blue converged into a deep purple. The invasion of night was flowing over him, and Cerberus could not find the words to describe the beauty of it. He only knew that, if his master was with him now, he would definitely stop and raise his head to look for a while.

How was Master at this moment?

It had been a month, and he always carried the key with him. He could open any door and return to the castle anytime he wanted. But he dared not.

Master had asked him not to return until he recognized the feelings in his heart. Currently, Cerberus could not guarantee that he would meet Fu Zhe’s requirement. He needed a little more time.

Since Master had brought him back from the arena, he had never left his side and had been living under his care. But now he was forced to be alone, and it gave him a lot of time to think about all these problems that had been bothering him all the time.

He would unconsciously compare his master with the one from the past. Cerberus had to admit that Fu Zhe was more morally complete than his previous master. His previous master was the incarnation of tyranny and arrogance. He was cruel and cold-blooded, lazy and irritable, like a snake, with murderous intent hidden in his smiling eyes anytime and anywhere. He would not hesitate to kill Conscience, who was the same as him and looked exactly like him. And he would sit in the audience box of the arena, sipping tea leisurely, watching the people and beasts fighting until bloodied and torn apart.

Only when he was with Cerberus, would he show a little softness.

Cerberus once believed that his master’s character had always been like this. Later, he realized that almost all of his gentleness and softness had been left in the original Fu Zhe’s body.

Fu Zhe was so good, so good that it was difficult for Cerberus to describe what he felt in his heart. He could not help but take the initiative to approach Fu Zhe several times and act offensively, because he knew that even if Fu Zhe blamed him, he would not be like the past master, who would punish him without hesitation.

He had always unhesitantly loved the violent side of his master’s character, and naturally he would not defy his personality to attract a more complete personality.

Cerberus took a deep breath. He closed his eyes but still couldn’t suppress the missing he felt for Fu Zhe. They were so familiar with each other, familiar enough to know every little mole on each other’s bodies, but also unfamiliar, so unfamiliar that even their feelings could not be clarified.

The sky was completely occupied by the deep blue, and the crystal rocks on both sides of the Gates of Heaven glowed brightly, illuminating the climbers on the road. Cerberus held the blue crystal that he’d just broken off and thought about going to see the Church of the Arrow of Revival.

————

31 days after Cerberus left, Fu Zhe’s mechanical kingfisher arrived with a letter from outside.

At that time, Fu Zhe had just returned from a box, and while unlocking the seal he’d placed on the power of space, he took off his dirty clothes. He wanted to take a shower as soon as possible.

The mechanical kingfisher penetrated space and appeared in the castle with a letter in its beak. With flapping wings, it landed on Fu Zhe’s shoulder.

Who would write to him?

Fu Zhe’s hand paused from undoing the clasp of his pants and he took the letter, a little puzzled.

He opened the lacquer seal and took out the paper and unfolded it. The handwriting on the white paper was a little strange. Every stroke was very powerful, and although it was far from perfect, he could see that the writer was trying hard to write well.

Cerberus.

The moment Fu Zhe glanced at it, he knew who the writer was. Cerberus, who had been a slave since he was a child, had never been educated systematically. After arriving at the casino, Morality had taught him to read, but he was still not skilled enough when it came to writing.

His originally calm heart began to ripple again due to the letter’s arrival. For a moment, Fu Zhe didn’t know whether he wanted to read it or not. What would Cerberus tell him? Did he finally want to give up, or does he still want to persist?

He suppressed the desire to read it, put the letter on the table, finished taking off his dirty clothes, and took a shower. Fu Zhe would usually take a good soak to relieve his fatigue from the box, but this time, he washed quickly and came out. As he was wiping his hair, he picked up the thin paper and sat down on the bed to read.

Mr. Fu:

How are you doing recently?

Recently, I went to the Arrow of Revival. The Gates of Heaven was very high, and there were a lot of people climbing. It was difficult to climb, but I succeeded. I even got a crystal from the top and gave it to a man climbing with his daughter with disabled legs clinging to his back. I think he is probably a very good person.

I went back to grab another crystal, went to the Church of the Arrow of Revival, and watched the Heavenly Father pray. He asked me if I needed to confess or wanted to pray, and I told him that I hope to return to you as soon as possible.

Today, I started from the Arrow of Revival and am heading toward District IV. I don’t know what it would be like there. During this time, I’ve met some very wonderful people and saw some very wonderful things. When I come back, I will tell you more about it in detail.

By the way, I helped you retrieve the part of the space power that was missing. I’ve kept it on me, and after I come back, I will return it to you. Please don’t worry.

I’m doing well now, but I will often miss you like crazy. I haven’t really understood the question you asked me yet, but I should very soon.

I look forward to seeing you again.

–Your most sincere Cerberus.

In the letter, there was no typo. Although the words were all very common, they were arranged neatly. It was clear that each word was carefully transcribed after an initial draft.

It was obviously just an account of his days, but Fu Zhe read it over and over and over again.

Did it take him a long time to write this letter?

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