After lunch, Sehir and Loman stood on the planks early in the morning.
Sesil's golden hair was ultimately too conspicuous, so the two of them had no choice but to shamelessly borrow two hats from the people in the cabin.
At first, Sehir wasn't quite used to it, but in the end, when they were almost on the shore, Sehir put his hat on.
East Asia is indeed much colder than West Asia; even the snow on both sides of the streets is a thick layer.
The snow had stopped, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining down like holy light. Cecil took a slow breath, as if expelling all the stale air from his lungs over the past few days.
Loman clutched Cecil's clothes like a newborn child. Although he had been here before, the scene before him was completely different from what he had seen before.
It seems like everything is getting better.
It was as if everything was under God's protection.
—
But after Christmas Eve, the West Asian continent was shrouded in what seemed like the claws of a demon, with the largest fog ever seen.
Unable to see clearly or find their way, the people who believe in divine authority have begun to kneel and beg for mercy.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
They discovered that their holy son was missing!
It all happened so coincidentally, it was almost like a play orchestrated by someone.
When the Holy Son appeared in the world, divine light reappeared from the clouds; when the Holy Son fell, the light vanished without a trace.
These pedantic people gathered in front of the church, criticizing the high and mighty priest, who had once been worshipped to the heavens, but had now become the object of their curses.
The Holy Son, who should have been below the priest, was instead pushed to the top.
The priest, holding his forehead, hid in the deepest part of the church. The gunshot wound on the goddess Greenland had not yet been repaired, and the church floor still reeked of disgusting blood.
No matter how many times you clean it, those disgusting things will still remain on it.
This is no longer a sacred church; the goddess Greenlanda has fallen. This is hell, a hell of the human heart.
Suspicion, slander, and abuse are all on full display in this hellish place.
It's ruined. The church, which has been passed down for thousands of years, has been destroyed by its own hands. The person in the dark black robe jumped from the top floor, his silver hair spreading out in the air, as if weaving the crimes of this group of people.
The priest's eyes will never close. He wants to tell everyone who sees his body that they are the culprits who killed him. They are not gods, and they cannot control everything!
——
Deep in the forest, in a castle, the demon is building his own cage—a huge, bright golden cage that stands in the center of the room.
Each railing has a different pattern, as if countless thorns are wrapped around it, making it look luxurious and gorgeous.
The cage was covered with a snow-white blanket, as soft and pure as the first snowfall, with a few golden roses scattered sparsely on it.
It was folded by hand, rolled up little by little with copper wire, so that it would neither deform nor wither.
The demon was preparing a welcoming ceremony; this would be the final resting place of the god he had long awaited, and he would lock the god he had worshipped for so long to his side forever.
Even if one's own god hates them forever.
Isri brushed the hair from his forehead. His amber eyes had lost their former luster; the dark pupils were unfathomable, as if a single glance could completely suck a person in.
The further away his god was from him, the more his sanity collapsed. He wished he could directly knead his god into the palm of his hand and completely possess him.
He couldn't wait any longer.
—
The sun had risen to its highest point, and the residents of East Asia were already preparing for the work after Christmas. Christmas trees and Santa Clauses were everywhere on the streets, and Loman was almost dazzled by the sights.
"Do you know the way?" Sesil had just stopped when Loman bumped into Sesil's back a second later.
Loman, clutching his aching nose, looked up at Cecil and grinned, "Know the way!"
Where is the hotel?
Loman blinked, his expression even more surprised: "Brother wants to stay at a hotel?"
Cecil's brow twitched slightly. This was the best solution he could think of. The two gems had already been given away, and he simply didn't have enough money to buy a new set here.
Thinking of Cecil, Loman's brows furrowed involuntarily. Seeing the change in Cecil's expression, Loman immediately changed the subject: "Brother, the inn is over here."
As he spoke, he grabbed the person and pulled him aside. Cecil stumbled as he was grabbed, and followed Loman into the crowd.
Christmas had just begun, and it was noon, so the streets were packed with people, all jostling each other as they moved forward. There were even large circus performances that were stretched across the street.
In an instant, the street shrank by half. Loman pulled Cecil along without stopping for a moment until they reached their destination, at which point Cecil finally caught his breath.
Sehir looked up at the sign above him, still breathing air into his lungs.
“Is it here?” Sehir turned and asked.
Suddenly, Sehir froze on the spot, and Loman, who had been standing beside him, had disappeared.
Sehir straightened up and turned around, searching for Loman. He tried to squeeze into the crowd, but couldn't even get past a single person.
Sehir was thus marginalized.
With no other option, Sehir turned around and went into the hotel. Since almost everyone was gathered outside, there weren't many people inside, and it was rather deserted.
Sehir walked to the front desk, pulled his hat down a little, and said, "One room, please."
The front desk owner was also in a hurry to go out to see the show. He quoted a price and took the money in one go. After throwing the room key into Cecil's hand, he rushed out.
Sehir glanced at his boss's back, then turned and went upstairs. The room was perfectly positioned, right above the circus performance.
Sehir took off his hat and looked around the window but couldn't see Loman. The crowd in front seemed to be blocked by the window next door, so Sehir stood on tiptoe and leaned out to see further.
After carefully examining the area, there was still no sign of Loman. Just as Cecil was about to look away, his mind suddenly went blank.
Someone is watching me!
Sehir immediately turned around to look for that gaze, but after looking around, the gaze had vanished without a trace, as if it had never appeared at all.
The look in his eyes was like that of a wild beast eyeing delicious food, with drool dripping from his mouth and blood still clinging to his sharp teeth, staring unblinkingly at the prey he was eyeing.
Cecil's hair stood on end instantly. He turned and closed the window in a split second, followed by heavy breathing.
The cold sweat on my back soaked through some of my innermost clothes, and it felt extremely uncomfortable sticking to my skin.
"Thump, thump, thump"
Suddenly, there was another knock on the door. Sehir stared wide-eyed at the wooden door. Although the door was locked from the inside, in Sehir's eyes, it seemed as if the door would be pushed open at any moment.
It felt as if the wild beasts outside could devour him in an instant.
"Thump, thump, thump"
The knocking came again, another blow to his poor, weak heart. Cecil straightened up, feeling a dryness in his spine. He moved to the door and pushed the lump in his throat.
"Who is it?" Sehir's voice was very soft, but the person outside seemed not to hear him. He knocked on the door three more times.
Sehir clenched his fists, moved a little further away from the door, and raised his voice a few decibels.
Who is it?
The person outside seemed to have heard them and stopped knocking.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
In the silent room, only the heart, about to burst forth, beat excitedly.
"Hello, guest, I'm here to deliver some household items to you."
Sehir froze on the spot, staring wide-eyed at the closed door. After a second or two, he reached out and opened the door, looking at the person standing outside.
"Here are your new towels and soap," the waitress in the dark brown dress said with a smile.
Sehir awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth, stepped forward, took the tray from the waiter, and said, "Thank you."
After closing the door, Sehir breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't seen a single person when he went upstairs, and the sudden appearance of another person made him feel a little uneasy.
Sehir carried the items into the bathroom, which still seemed to smell of the previous customer's soap. Sehir frowned, then sighed and placed the items on the table.
Outside, the circus performance was still going on, and the cheers of the crowd grew louder and louder each time. The noise rushed through the shaky windows and mercilessly into Cecil's ears.
The white sheets on the bed have turned slightly yellow from being washed repeatedly with the diary entries over the years.
Sehir found a relatively clean corner and curled up on it. Having not slept all day yesterday, he was now overcome by sleepiness.
The cheers outside were still loud, but the person in bed finally couldn't resist the drowsiness and curled up in a corner, pulling the blanket over their head and falling asleep.
It was winter after all, and the hotel still didn't have heating. As evening approached, Sehir woke up from the cold.
Because of the contorted posture, my entire lower back ached when I got up.
"Isri... turn on the light."
Sesil lay on the bed, mouth agape, in a daze, but the sudden turn caused the coldness of the sheets behind him to instantly irritate the back of his neck.
Suddenly, Sehir's eyes widened as he stared at the ceiling above him, where only a small incandescent bulb hung inside a hemispherical lampshade.
I almost forgot, I've already run away myself.
Sehir raised his hand to his forehead, feeling a little dizzy. He looked around, but there was no one there, and the sounds of the circus outside had disappeared.
Loman has not returned yet.
Sehir's heart began to pound. He fumbled to turn on the bedside lamp. People on the street were wrapped in thick clothes, squatting in the snowdrifts. Some were having a snowball fight, and some were building snowmen.
But there was still no sign of Lohman.
Sehir frowned even more deeply. He put on his scarf, tucked his hands into his clothes, and opened the door to go outside to look for someone.
Below the inn was a small tavern, which was almost deserted during the day, but at night, four or five burly men would gather around and start drinking contests.
As soon as he opened the door, a gust of cold wind rushed into his clothes without hesitation, and Cecil hurriedly closed the door and went out.
Christmas Eve is always the most lively time of the year, with the stars clearly visible in the sky. Cecil stood there for a few seconds, and he had never seen such bright stars before.
Everything here was beyond his comprehension, but the most important thing right now was to find Loman, his only remaining relative.
Further ahead is the market, where there are more than twice as many people as during the day, making it difficult to even squeeze in.
Sehir held his breath and plunged into the crowd, his hat nearly being knocked off his head.