Chapter 47

Their friends began to notice that the atmosphere between Xia Xifeng and Qin Lang had turned a little strange.

Taylor was about to “ascend” to the Divine Domain. Seeing that his very first pair of young-couple friends in this new world were now having some kind of lover’s spat, he started to grow a bit worried. He consulted Leo, the couple’s long-time friend, asking whether they should do something for them.

Leo said flatly, “If you can just suppress the corners of your mouth a little, I might actually believe you’re genuinely worried.”

Wiping the corner of his mouth with a hand, Taylor said with rigid seriousness, “I really am worried.”

Eigg, who had finally started talking a little more and was less consumed by bitterness ever since meeting a very cute, sister-like descendant of his sister, interjected. “He’s not very worried. But I actually am, somewhat.”

Leo thought for a moment, then looked toward Perila. “If we’re telling the truth, the whole truth, then it doesn’t count as gossiping behind our friends’ backs, right?”

Perila replied, exasperated, “You’re already saying that, do you really still need to ask?”

Leo chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Then I’ll assume it doesn’t.”

Taking advantage of the fact that they were still marginally more powerful than Xia Xifeng and Qin Lang, he had the Warlock Perila erase all traces of their presence.

The group hid themselves not too far, yet not too close, carefully observing Qin Lang.

Perila hadn’t wanted any part of this at all. But afraid that Leo might actually provoke Qin Lang and Xia Xifeng into real fury, he had no choice but to stick nearby and keep Leo’s behavior in check.

Leo whispered, “Look at those two. Qin Lang is supposedly reading a book, right? Watch how often he lifts his head. And note exactly where his gaze darts to.”

Taylor and Eigg—who had somehow become complicit in this utterly pointless activity—paid close attention.

Following the direction of Qin Lang’s quick glances, they soon spotted Xia Xifeng bouncing energetically out from somewhere, arms laden with a mountain of items and Cat One and Cat Two in tow, before bouncing right off to some new unknown location.

Taylor and Eigg: “…” Xia Xifeng really is extraordinarily lively… wait. HOW exactly did Qin Lang predict the precise spot Xia Xifeng would burst out from?

Leo continued, “Now watch Xia Xifeng. Whenever he moves further away, doesn’t he glance toward Qin Lang?”

The two strained their eyes to track the hyperactive Xia Xifeng’s movement patterns—he who seemingly never stopped, constantly helping someone with something.

They noticed that Xia Xifeng, too, was frequently sneaking glances toward Qin Lang.

Since the two almost never raised their heads at precisely the same moment, their gazes almost never collided head-on. Without incredibly sharp observation, this subtle detail would have been nearly impossible to catch.

Suddenly, Xia Xifeng stopped mid-step.

Simultaneously, Qin Lang began putting his book away.

Xia Xifeng veered off toward a slightly further location. Qin Lang, as if coincidentally, began strolling in that very same direction.

Then Xia Xifeng started bustling about again. And Qin Lang found himself a new spot, sat down, and resumed reading.

Taylor and Eigg: “…” Their minds were filled with so many words, but their thoughts were so tangled and confused that for a long moment, neither knew what to say at all.

Folding his arms, Leo grinned maliciously at his friends. “Back when we were still in Green Sand City, they weren’t nearly this bad. At most, they’d just chat constantly. But if they ever went more than five or six minutes without hearing from each other—even if they were both in the middle of something critically important—they’d visibly start getting agitated. Now, after leaving Green Sand City… their ‘separation anxiety’ has somehow gotten even worse. Incredible. Truly incredible.”

Though mocking friends behind their backs was rather unbecoming, Perila silently, guiltily nodded in complete agreement.

Heaven only knew what these two had gone through. Even actual newlyweds weren’t this ludicrously clingy.

And being that clingy wasn’t even the worst of it. Both of them were then desperately trying to hide it. Especially Qin Lang.

On the surface, it appeared Xia Xifeng was the one constantly running toward Qin Lang. But Xia Xifeng would still sometimes shift his focus onto other things. Qin Lang’s focus, however, essentially never strayed from Xia Xifeng’s position for even a second.

Taylor’s tongue, it turned out, was even sharper than Leo’s. “Why do I get the feeling little Feng is like an overexcited large dog, and little Lang’s gaze is basically the leash attached to its collar? Is there some kind of special significance to that exact visual distance?”

Perila nearly burst out laughing on the spot. Only by physically pinching the back of his own hand did he manage to hold it in. “It’s the distance of Mage Hand.”

Out of sheer curiosity, he had secretly tested this exact limit many times and had arrived at this very conclusion.

Eigg’s expression went utterly blank for a brief moment. Then, with a rare stutter, he asked, “Th-that… Qin Lang’s range on ‘Mage Hand’ really is quite long. He must have… truly mastered that spell.”

Taylor clapped a hand over his own mouth, face turned sharply away from the scene.

Forcing Eigg, of all people, to sputter complete nonsense—the sheer absurd comedic value of these two’s dynamic was simply too much.

After a light, dry cough, Eigg regained his composure. “Isn’t Qin Lang’s need for control a bit too strong?”

Lowering his hand, Taylor said, “I was thinking the same thing.”

Taylor had been a family man. And Eigg, in his incredibly ancient era as a slave-holding lord, had never lacked for romantic entanglements or concubines.

These two old-timers genuinely could not comprehend this level of clinginess in young couples.

Could this even still be called “clingy”?

“It’s not really about control,” Perila said, attempting to defend his friends. “It’s more that Lang has a bit of a persecution complex. He’s convinced that if Feng ever leaves his sight, even for a moment, some catastrophe will strike. Feng likely believes the same. It was better in Green Sand City… they got considerably worse once they were outside the direct protection of Mr. Amuruo and Mr. Suer.”

Mocking grin still in place, Leo added, “Better, but not by much. I categorically refuse to call it ‘fine’ when two people, after being separated for less than ten minutes without contact, start acting like ants on a hot pan. So your worry about their relationship being strained is completely wasted effort. If you locked those two in separate, soundproofed rooms for half an hour, I’m pretty sure they’d both go insane.”

“It’s not that exaggerated.” Qin Lang’s voice was tired and flat as he turned his head to look at the group of friends who were now practically plastered against his back.

You’re gossiping about me behind my back… and you’re doing it literally glued to my back?

Draping an arm over the seated Qin Lang’s shoulder, Leo leered down at him. “Oh really? Want to test that?”

Qin Lang: “…”

Before, in the old world, half an hour of no contact? Half a year of no contact wouldn’t have bothered him.

But in this crisis-filled, danger-ridden world, he genuinely feared that if they were separated for even half an hour, he’d have to search the heavens, dig through the earth, and dive into the deepest oceans just to find Xia Xifeng’s scattered remains.

Leo turned toward his old and new friends, still snickering at Qin Lang’s plight. “See? He’s too scared to take the test.”

The corner of Qin Lang’s mouth twitched. “Right now, it genuinely is extremely dangerous.”

Leo pointed a thumb at his own chest. “Look around you. Four Legendary Class holders. You, who hasn’t even touched Legendary rank yet, actually think you’re better equipped to protect Feng than we are?”

It’s not the same. He and I have the System.

The System had “bound” them together for a reason. As long as the two of them remained together, even if they faced the most impossible of odds, there would always be a way to survive. This was a Transmigrator’s—a Player’s—absolute, unshakable confidence.

But this particular brand of “confidence” was obviously not something he could explain to others.

Qin Lang could only deflect. “Believe whatever you want. Are you that bored? Didn’t the Church of the Silver Moon headquarters publicly declare they refuse to recognize you and Perila simultaneously as the ‘Twin Suns’ Divine Sons’? Don’t you have a mountain of trouble to deal with?”

Leo scoffed. “A true god stands above us. What need is there for a mortal church to ‘acknowledge’ anything? The Church of the Silver Moon is the Church of the Silver Moon precisely because they profess faith in the Silver Moon. Your attempt at changing the subject is pathetically weak.”

Qin Lang silently raised his book, covering half his face, making it abundantly clear he had zero intention of engaging with the previous topic.

Seeing a crowd gathering around Qin Lang, Xia Xifeng immediately dumped his armload of items onto Cat One and Cat Two and came charging over at full speed.

Just a hair’s breadth from crashing bodily into Qin Lang—as he used to do, forcing Qin Lang to brace a hand against him to stop the collision—he abruptly skidded to a halt.

Instead, he slowed to an easy stroll, coming to stand neatly beside Qin Lang. “What are you all doing?”

The four friends—old and new—exchanged loaded glances.

Taylor had compared Xia Xifeng to a wildly energetic large dog. Once that metaphor sank into the brain, watching the “awkwardness” in their interactions seemed to take on a very different flavor.

Before, Xia Xifeng would sprint over at full tilt and launch himself directly at Qin Lang, who would catch him.

Now, Xia Xifeng had learned to brake. He’d brake and then gently lean against Qin Lang’s side.

Was there really that much of a difference?

Quarreling and “growing distant”… was this the extent of it?

Alright, nothing to see here, let’s all just disperse.

“We were discussing how the Church of the Silver Moon is disobeying the Silver Moon’s Oracle,” Qin Lang jumped in before anyone else could speak.

The others all shot him a sidelong look but decided to humor him.

“Yep, that’s exactly it,” Leo confirmed.

Xia Xifeng dragged over a chair and sat down next to Qin Lang.

The group exchanged another round of glances.

Before, Xia Xifeng would have physically shoved Qin Lang aside, forcing him to Mage Hand another chair over. Now he was actually dragging his own chair.

This was the extent of their so-called relationship crisis, apparently.

With a deeply serious expression, Xia Xifeng declared, “I think the Church of the Silver Moon has a very serious problem!”

The group all nodded in agreement. Openly defying a divine Oracle was obviously a problem.

Xia Xifeng gave the table a light smack. “No, this isn’t just about defying an Oracle. Leo, Perila, you two are unique Oracles—your connection with the Sun runs incredibly deep. If anything happens to the Sun, you’ll be affected too. And conversely, if something happens to either of you… it would also affect the Sun Itself.”

Sighing, Leo admitted, “Yeah. That’s exactly why we’ve both been so careful lately. Taking a page from you and Qin Lang, we don’t even dare go out alone anymore.”

“What does this have to do with me and Qin Lang?” Xia Xifeng grumbled under his breath, before continuing with the main point. “The Silver Moon was being eroded from a very early stage. Supposedly, the upper echelons of the Silver Moon Church always included God’s Favored who could receive vague divine Oracles. How could they have been completely oblivious? Back then, the ones who deceived Taylor and Eigg were also Silver Moon God’s Favored. Were those so-called ‘Favored’ simply deceived themselves… or did they have ulterior motives?”

After their “awakening,” Taylor and Eigg had extracted the faces of the high-ranking members of that secret Silver Moon Church from their memories.

Though by all normal logic, after so many centuries, those individuals should have long since returned to dust. But when gods were involved, things that defied common sense were all too likely—especially the founder of that secret Church, one of the many, many children of the Eternal King: a noble, silver-haired Elven princess.

With her Elven heritage and power that had already broken past the Legendary threshold, if she had drawn upon the power of an Evil God, it was entirely possible she could have survived to the present day.

Xia Xifeng had examined the faces in Taylor’s and Eigg’s memories.

He didn’t recognize a single one.

That wasn’t surprising. Players had only descended into the Dream World after the Doomsday Era had already begun. All native-born denizens who served Outer Gods were twisted beyond recognition—both in body and soul.

These natives, who had been “captured” by Outer Gods long before recorded history, likely hadn’t left behind a single shred of identifying information. Even dedicated player archaeologists couldn’t dig up anything on them.

However, the Blood Moon’s primary worshiper base was now concentrated within the Human Empire, and the first outbreaks of the “Blood Moon Frenzy” had erupted within Human Imperial territory.

The current headquarters of the Church of the Silver Moon was also located inside the Human Empire.

Perhaps the Blood Moon’s tendrils had first reached out to the Elves. But its main seat of power had now shifted squarely into the hands of humanity.

“Qin Lang, our next destination: The City of Radiance, capital of the Human Empire.” Xia Xifeng said. “As humans ourselves, it’s only natural we’d want to visit the capital of the Human Empire.”

“Alright. We’ll take the slow route. Good for leveling,” Qin Lang agreed.

Even if they did absolutely nothing else, the Apocalypse Era was still five years away.

Now that the Sun god had realized He’d been completely played, even if the Apocalypse wasn’t delayed, it certainly wouldn’t arrive early. Rather than recklessly charging headfirst into every major crisis, they should slow their pace and focus on grinding levels first.

“Good! We’ll travel and sightsee our way there,” Xia Xifeng said, already mentally ticking off landmark locations along their intended route.