NOVPUBChapter 65: Chapter 64: A Different World on the Tip of the Tongue
Chapter 65 -64: A Different World on the Tip of the Tongue
As twilight spread over the sea, the evening breeze threading through the streets was already whistling.
But Magnificent Castle was not a city that quieted at sunset, despite the recent hit to people’s enthusiasm for outings due to a succession of events like the theatre fire and the attack on the rich manor. However, as things calmed down, the streets of the Inner City District gradually regained their former bustle.
For instance, Central Street, which Chaoyang was now touring, was at the heart of this place’s nightlife.
“Guest, why not take a bath? We’ve got top-notch services here!”
“Would you like to dine? Golden Pomfret Restaurant welcomes you! Our fish are fresh deliveries of the day, guaranteed not to disappoint!”
All along the way, one could see barkers everywhere, and the storefront signs were also made to stand out impressively. Even without electric lights, they used various methods to make their shop names glitter, making the whole street shine brightly.
“I can hardly tell if this is modern life or the Netherworld,” Ailuodi couldn’t help but remark.
“Leaving aside technological differences, there’s not much difference between the two—of course, I’m specifically referring to people,” Chaoyang said as he walked. “Everyone wants a better life, but not everyone gets what they wish for. As for the differences in the worlds themselves, those are quite significant, like… that!”
He pointed to a street food stall.
“New Continent’s specialty: Wuling Meatballs?” Ailuodi frowned, “What’s that?”
“What it is doesn’t matter; what’s important is that it’s a specialty!” Chaoyang said, pointing to the skewers on the grill, “Boss, I’ll take two!”
“Coming right up, please take them!”
Chaoyang held up the Wuling Meatballs in his hand. They looked like skewered, grilled octopus tentacles, except they were ball-shaped, each with a head and eyes, and looked quite bizarre.
“Here, yours.”
“Uh… are these really edible?”
“Everyone is eating them.”
“Well… okay then,” Ailuodi took the skewer of meatballs, tentatively biting into one, “Mmm—! Delicious!” Her blue eyes slightly narrowed, emitting a sound of satisfaction.
“Oh? Is that so?” Chaoyang then confidently took a bite. As he pierced the skin of the meatball, a multitude of soft granules burst forth into his mouth, bringing with them a strong taste of freshness and a hint of saltwater. The initial taste was somewhat like caviar, but as the granules popped, an indescribable creamy flavor unfolded, becoming the dominant taste sensation.
“Indeed, not bad.”
“You were actually waiting for me to try it first!” Ailuodi sharply noticed, “Demon!”
“Not at all, you just ate too quickly,” Chaoyang finished off the meatballs in no time and quickly set his sights on the next target, “Look, there’s juice over there!”
“You try it first this time!”
“Sure, hmm… it’s like coconut water with added salt soda, quite refreshing,” he commented.
Chaoyang specifically chose the busy roadside stalls, strolling and sampling this world’s specialties. Along the way, he filled his stomach quite thoroughly.
Towards the end, the issue of who ate first went from each taking turns to deciding by rock-paper-scissors, and Ailuodi’s face also showed a rare relaxed expression.
“Weren’t you quite reluctant to come out and stroll earlier?” Chaoyang teased, “Turns out it’s quite fun, isn’t it?”
“I—” she hesitated visibly, “I am constrained by the contract, and had to follow! Try dissolving it and see!”
“Why would I dissolve something signed with skill?”
“Demon!”
When she said the word, Ailuodi couldn’t help but crack a smile. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand to prevent him from seeing her relaxed expression.
But… it had been a long time since she had strolled through a night market like this.
Most of the time, she was running around for various organizations, never having a moment to rest. After the Skeleton Hand was established, she even forgot what it was like to wander leisurely, pouring all her energy into the first round of action against criminals, subsisting entirely on fries and burgers. It’s not that she minded eating fast food with her companions, it’s just… occasionally, to be able to take a break from work and responsibilities like this and slowly savor the taste of the food in her hands, the feeling wasn’t too bad either.
No, no, she couldn’t keep thinking in this direction, having delicious food was good, but after all, the other party was a Demon, and what they excelled at was corrupting human hearts.
Right… her acting this way was also to catch the other party off guard!
Ailuodi raised the half-eaten grilled fish in her hand, lining it up with the moon over the sea.
If one looked out from the base’s window, they could see a similar night sky.
If only Blan, Xi Er and the others could taste these Netherworld delicacies too.
Thinking of this, Ailuodi suddenly missed her companions, “What did you mean last time when you said that usually the Paradise game doesn’t affect real time? We’ve already spent two days in Paradise, what would happen on the other side?”
“About twenty minutes, I’d guess,” Chaoyang estimated.
“The time difference is that big? But last time I…”
“I told you last time was an accident.” He looked at her for a long while and spread his hands helplessly, “Fine, there’s no harm in telling you. This world… and Earth, there’s a passage between them. If you think of them as two flat planes, then this passage is like the axis between them.”
“And then?”
“No matter which side I’m on, the two worlds’ rotation speed is essentially the same. The difference arises with those players…” Chaoyang explained, “When I bring their souls to this world, it’s as if a thread is caught in the middle of the axis. Then the world where I am, time still flows normally, but on the other side, it’s as if it’s been caught, and the flow drastically slows down. I don’t understand the principle behind it; these are conclusions I’ve come to through observation and comparison. Also, the slowing ratio isn’t constant, the shorter a soul is brought to this side, the stronger the retardation effect.”
“So that’s how it is…” Ailuodi was quite astonished, “Then if I now return to Earth…”
“You would leave the time flow of Paradise. If I come looking for you three days later, it might be just over an hour later for you.”
“Can’t I jam that axis?”
Chaoyang shook his head, “You’re quite similar to me in that you can pass completely through the passage to arrive on the other side with your own body. So just by yourself, you can’t affect the worlds’ operation.”
“No wonder last time I spent the same amount of time as I would on Earth…” the girl said thoughtfully, “Then you staying on this side means you have practically unlimited time?”
“To an observer, that’s true. However, to someone experiencing it, it doesn’t really mean much. And I can’t stay on the same side forever because the passage is changing. I can feel it expanding and contracting; if I stay here too long, I’ll lose the location of Earth. Similarly, if I stay on Earth too long, I’ll forget where Paradise is.”
“Isn’t there something like coordinates you could record?” Ailuodi asked, puzzled.
“Actually, even creating this passage was a gamble out of desperation.” Chaoyang curled his lips, “Now if you asked me to try it again, I couldn’t necessarily do it.”
As he said this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look at a resplendent building about ten meters away. “Eh…”
“What’s wrong?” Ailuodi also stopped.
“Let me see… the name Cloud Pavilion seems familiar.” Chaoyang reached into his bosom, pulled out the card, and under the light of the street fire, he scrutinized the writing on it: No. 18 Central Street, Cloud Pavilion Hotel. “It really is this place!”
Could this be fate?
“Are you going inside?”
“Um…” he raised an eyebrow and pondered for a moment, “Since I ended up here without realizing it, I might as well…”
But the very next second, his expression changed, and he quickly grabbed Ailuodi’s hand and stepped into the shadows at the side of the street, “Don’t look over there!”
“Huh?” The latter still wore a confused look.
Chaoyang leaned against the wall, glancing from the corner of his eye towards the hotel entrance. There was a carriage stopped there, surrounded by two rows of fully armed soldiers. But that wasn’t the point; it was the two people getting off the carriage that mattered!
One of them was Shandela Allen, the Commander of the City Guard, whom he had an encounter with at Wangshui Manor.
And the other, he had never met; their attire was quite peculiar, but it was this person who had just turned to glance in their direction!
