Upon hearing Cattleya's words, Queen Mystic Bernadette looked at her silently for a few seconds before saying, "That is your choice, and also your freedom."
Cattleya stared straight at the Queen before pursing her lips and saying, "I know. You must've destroyed all the clues that will allow me to pursue your tracks...
"To you, this is to end the past—all of it—regardless of whether you return."
The chestnut-colored hair casually draped over Bernadette's shoulders as she maintained her silence as if she was using this method to confirm the Admiral of Stars's guess.
When Cattleya saw this, she smiled bitterly and said, "I won't harp on how I'll do everything I can to find you if you were to remain lost for half a year or a year. I just want you to remember to recite Mr. Fool's honorific name when the danger is gravest."
She said that title frankly.
Queen Mystic Bernadette slowly nodded and said, "I will keep that in mind."
Cattleya immediately revealed a smile as she said with misty eyes, "What items and matters need to be handed over to me?"
With a flip of her hand, Bernadette took out an item from somewhere.
The item was entirely gold in color, like a miniaturized kettle. Its surface was covered with mysterious and complicated symbols, and a part of a lamp's wick extended out from the mouth.
"It's name is the ‘Magic Wishing Lamp.' Its serial number is 0-05. It might've originated from the First Epoch, and even a true deity can't shatter it. Normally, it wouldn't cause any harm, nor would it be of any use. However, it will constantly tempt you to rub it through dreams and illusions, to summon the Genie." Queen Mystic Bernadette simply introduced the item's origins and effects. "The Genie claims to be eternal and can grant you any ten wishes, but often, they are fulfilled in an extremely warped manner or with terrifying consequences. My father told me that the holder can avoid the harm brought by the first two wishes through proper wording and preparations, but the third wish is absolutely forbidden."
At this point, Bernadette emphasized, "Absolutely forbidden!"
"It sounds easy to get around it..." Cattleya thought for a moment before saying, "Can't you make two wishes before giving it to me. I'll make another two wishes, then give it to Frank, Heath, and the others. This will allow for many things to be done."
She was only using Frank as an example. She had no intention of letting him come into contact with something so dangerous.
Holding the Magic Wishing Lamp, Bernadette shook her head indiscernibly and said, "The owner is different from the wielder. Before I die, even if you obtain the Magic Wishing Lamp, you will only be a wielder. The first wish you make will also be counted as my third wish and your first wish.
"Also, although we can craft our words and make preparations to avoid the damage caused by the fulfillment of the wishes, this does not mean that the Genie isn't intelligent. On the contrary, ‘He' is very smart, very cunning, and has a very strong sense of autonomy."
Cattleya tersely acknowledged.
"Then, is there any wish that ‘He' cannot fulfill?"
"Nothing at the moment, but if it involves the level of a true deity, the distortion of the wish will exceed your imagination. To put it simply, if you wish to become a Sequence 0 true deity, then your body and soul will meld into one with an unknown evil god. Remember, the Genie's requirement is that the wish has to be simple and concise. Otherwise, ‘He' will reject it and treat it as if you have already made a wish," Bernadette explained.
With that said, she got an invisible servant to fly towards Cattleya with the terrifying Sealed Artifact 0-05.
After Cattleya reached out her hand to grab the Magic Wishing Lamp, Bernadette continued, "If you dream of the Genie and are bewitched by ‘Him' to make a wish, that means that I can no longer return. Following that, you will be its owner. I hope that your first wish is to retrieve all the items that were carried on Bernadette Gustav's person before she headed out to sea, including her own Beyonder characteristic. Yes, it's best to add the exact date when making a wish."
Cattleya looked down at the golden lamp and blurted out, "Can I make a wish to bring you back to life?"
After a few seconds of silence, Bernadette said, "The resurrected me might just be a monster.
"If you really wish to do so, you can ask Mr. Fool for ‘His' opinion."
Cattleya nodded slightly.
"Okay."
"This is the item I'm giving you and the matters I need to settle. I'll leave the rest to the Element Dawn. They will have a new leader and won't collapse because of a person's disappearance." Bernadette didn't beat around the bush, indicating that this was the main reason she had summoned Cattleya to Emerald City.
The level of the divine lamp was extremely high, making it impossible to pass it through a messenger.
Without waiting for Cattleya's reply, Queen Mystic's expression suddenly softened.
"Haven't you always wanted to share what happened all these years with me?"
Cattleya was taken aback as she nodded.
"That's right."
She then walked to the Queen's side, pulled a chair over, and sat down, facing the blue sea beyond the emerald railing.
Bernadette sat beside her and listened to her talk about all the encounters after she left the Dawn.
These matters had been mentioned in the letter by Cattleya, but due to the limited length, she didn't provide any detailed descriptions. There were some that she was sharing for the first time.
At some point in time, Cattleya fell asleep and dreamed of a time many years ago.
At that time, she was just a maiden who stubbornly left the Dawn without looking back.
Suddenly, she woke up and realized that there was no one beside her. She realized that it had already turned dark at some point in time, and dawn was even approaching.
Cattleya suddenly reached out and threw out an illusory ball of yarn.
The ball of yarn rolled into the void, leaving behind a bright-colored thread.
Following this thread, Cattleya walked through the spirit world as though she had mastered "Teleportation" and arrived at the periphery of La Cha Island.
She stood at the edge of the cliff and cast her gaze into the distance. She saw that on the dark blue sea, a gorgeous and huge sailboat, which was tinted with an orange glow, was steering towards the horizon.
Cattleya slowly sat down and leaned forward slightly. She hugged her knees and looked in that direction for a long time.
The sun gradually rose and shone on her.
...
In Backlund, at a soup kitchen.
The veil-wearing Stelyn Sammer no longer lowered her head like the previous few months, afraid that others would recognize her. The only worry on her mind as she anxiously looked ahead was if the free food would last until it was her turn.
She could vaguely hear gunshots echoing in the distance. She didn't know if the armies of Feysac, Intis, or Feynapotter had breached the final line of defense, or if the police were dealing with a looter.
Please end it... Please end this war quickly... Stelyn, who had gone to three soup kitchens, silently prayed.
At this moment, a staff member raised his voice and said from a few meters away, "All the food here has been handed out!"
Stelyn's face turned ashen. She looked up at the dark sky and dragged her feet in despair and numbness before returning to the house at 17 Minsk Street.
The moment she opened the door, her two children rushed over and raised their innocent faces.
"Mommy, did you get any bread?"
"Mommy, I'm hungry..."
They were twins, a boy and a girl. Both of them were very adorable.
Stelyn held back her tears and forced a smile.
"Yes."
She then entered the house, took out some pieces of bread she had stashed, and split it among the two children.
As she watched the two children eat the bread without any regard for etiquette, Stelyn's expression kept changing. It cycled between sorrow and pain.
Not long after, her husband, Luke Sammer, returned home, but he, too, didn't have any food in his hands.
Ever since the Coim Company was taken over by the military during the war, this former manager had lost his job. He could only rely on their past savings and maintain his family via government aid.
"I didn't manage to..." Seeing his wife's hopeful gaze, this burly man with a messy beard lowered his head in shame.
Stelyn, who still looked rather pretty while in her thirties, took a deep breath and said, "Me too... I'll go out and queue again. There should still be places that haven't finished distributing food!"
Without waiting for her husband to respond, she rushed out of the door.
Luke immediately turned around and said to her back, "I'll find another one too!"
Stelyn didn't stop. She walked two streets and arrived in front of a house with a garden.
Not long after, she saw the owner of the place, a tycoon in his fifties.
"I want to buy some food." Stelyn took out a stack of crumpled bills.
The grizzled elder smiled and said, "And why should I sell it to you?
"I remember that you rejected me last time."
Stelyn's face paled. Without a word, she lowered her head and unbuckled her belt with her other hand.
With a snap, the leather belt that was originally very exquisite but now had quite a few stains fell to the ground.
...
Luke Sammer wandered aimlessly on the streets, unsure where he could find food.
Looking at the small number of pedestrians passing by, and the bags that they were trying their best to protect, the scholarly gentleman's eyes gradually turned red.
Unknowingly, he followed someone and turned into a street.
In less than an hour, the curfew would begin. This was a rare opportunity for him.
That person stopped outside a house and walked towards the door feebly.
At this moment, the person suddenly fainted and fell to the ground.
Luke subconsciously took a few steps back before quickly approaching to test the pedestrian's breathing.
His gaze unconsciously fell on the paper bag in the man's embrace, and he could smell the aroma of bread.
Luke gulped and reached out for the bag.
As he moved his hand, he looked back in fear at the house that this pedestrian was trying to enter. He saw a child's drawing pasted on the oriel window.
Luke's actions stiffened. A few seconds later, he stood up, walked to the door of the house, and rang the doorbell.
The house's mistress and child quickly opened the door and saw their weak father and the bag of bread.
The curfew arrived very quickly, and Luke returned to Minsk Street dejectedly.
Just as he opened the door, he saw his wife smiling at him.
"I got food!"
That's great... Luke heaved a sigh of relief and hugged her tightly.
...
Audrey walked along the streets and alleys, with no one capable of seeing her.
She didn't say anything and walked back to Empress Borough, all the way back into the luxurious mansion where she smelled the aroma of pan-fried foie gras and other delicacies.
After staring silently for a while, she saw the maids coming and going. Finally, she headed upstairs to her room.
In the middle of the night, she wore a cloak and entered her parents' bedroom before arriving at their bed.
After staring at them for a long time, Audrey knelt down on one knee and pressed her forehead against her father's hand.
Beads of water dripped onto the carpet.
Then, the blonde, green-eyed noble lady slowly raised her head and said to her sleeping parents, choking, "Daddy, Mommy, thank you. Thank you for teaching me what pity, kindness, and virtue are."
As soon as she finished speaking, she closed her eyes and stood up abruptly. Turning around, she walked towards the door, no longer wearing the slightest emotions on her face.
