Chapter 1163: Dinner at Riftstone Keep
Ropeni listened intently to every detail Selena explained, not daring to miss a single word. Only after Selena finished outlining the precautions did she speak up, asking, “If any of these situations occur… what happens then?”
“Rest assured, the initial mental effects won’t form a binding ‘mind seal’ like a spiritual shackle,” Selena replied with a confident tone. “We have many well-established methods to clear the shallow contamination caused by divine influence. These treatments leave no aftereffects—Patty won’t even notice anything happened to her.”
Despite Selena’s sincere tone, Lady Ropeni couldn’t help but furrow her brow slightly, concern creeping into her voice. “Are you absolutely sure there won’t be any side effects?”
Selena looked at the worried mother and suddenly smiled. “Of course not—we’ve been dealing with this kind of power for centuries. Shallow mental contamination isn’t nearly as terrifying as many imagine. Besides, Amon is no longer a god; his residual divine taint has mostly dissipated over the past three thousand years. From our perspective, it’s a very safe ‘dose.’”
“…I’ve decided to trust the professionals, Ms. Selena,” Lady Ropeni said after a brief pause, exhaling softly. “Besides, this is a choice we’ve made together.”
Selena nodded gently, watching the sunlight fall across Ropeni’s profile as the mother’s worried expression gradually softened. That was a sign her reassurance had some effect. After a moment’s thought, she broke the silence. “When I first asked for your opinion, I honestly didn’t expect you to agree… Although this project is an opportunity for Patty, I know you’ve always been very protective of your daughter.”
“Contacting a ‘miracle’ of the nature god, testing the final safety limits of the barrier system—whether it succeeds or not, Patty will come out healthier. From a rational standpoint, I had no reason to refuse,” Ropeni shook her head. “I was worried, yes, but I never let my fears cloud my judgment. Without that judgment, neither my daughter nor I would be alive today.”
She glanced at Selena again and nodded slightly. “And I also understand that you only secured this opportunity for Patty out of goodwill. This is a risky experiment, but the benefits far outweigh the dangers for her. You could have easily found other test subjects who could bear less responsibility and risk, yet you gave the spot to Patty. I’m grateful.”
“I’m glad you see it that way,” Selena exhaled, seeming a bit relieved. “Honestly… I was always worried you’d harbor resentment toward us because of who we once were, and because of what we did to Patty…”
“I did have reservations about you because of your past,” Ropeni admitted, “but when it comes to Patty, I’ve never held any grudges. No matter what, when Patty was at her lowest, it was your help that got her through those darkest days. In her difficult childhood, there were at least some moments of joy and light—her ‘Selenna sister,’ the hot-tempered but amusing red-haired uncle, the Wendy sister with the beautiful singing voice… I still can’t quite place many of them, but I know your presence meant a lot to Patty.”
“Our presence…” Selena gave a self-deprecating laugh. “At first, we were just conducting an experiment. We saw Patty’s weakened soul-body connection after her severe injuries, and her extraordinary resilience forged through repeated torment. We needed such a ‘test subject’ to trial neural interface technology and even to test sandbox system compatibility. That was our original goal. None of us imagined how things would evolve.”
“Looking back, no matter how you see it, we were hardly acting out of conscience. Most of us, even if friendly to Patty, were initially just observing an interesting experiment. I don’t know exactly when things changed… Maybe your daughter subtly influenced some of us, or perhaps the ‘Higher Narrator’ incident woke us up from our fanaticism. Who knows?”
“Even the Sleepless, masters of mind manipulation, find it hard to pinpoint the changes in their own minds.”
Ropeni listened carefully to every word from the former dark archbishop. When Selena finished, she calmly asked, “Has Patty been told all this?”
“I told her,” Selena smiled. “Shortly after the Imperial Computing Center was completed… I revealed the truth about the previous Dream City and all of us.”
“Obviously, she still chose to trust you afterward and happily took on the role of guide in the new Dream City. She’s even proud of it,” Ropeni smiled warmly. “I fully support her decision.”
Selena was silent for a few seconds, then nodded slowly. “I think I understand why Patty accepted the truth so smoothly… She inherited your wisdom—your judgment.”
She stood and glanced at the sun sinking beyond the horizon. “It’s getting late… but I suppose you won’t be inspecting the factory as planned?”
“I want to observe Patty’s condition. The factory inspection can wait until tomorrow. Are you leaving soon?”
Selena hesitated, then smiled faintly. “Would you mind if a ‘ghost’ joined you and your daughter for dinner in the castle?”
“Of course not,” Ropeni said immediately, her tone bright. “Patty will be thrilled. This is the first time you’ve stayed in the real world to have dinner with her. But I have a question… how will you eat?”
Selena’s expression stiffened for a moment, then she muttered to herself, “Ah, that is… a problem.”
Patty was especially happy today. Selena, who rarely met her in the real world, had come to visit the castle—and even stayed for dinner. This was unprecedented, rarer than “Mother not working after dark” or “Uncle Magnum returning from the academy calm and collected.”
Inside the dining room, the bright glow of the magic crystal lamps chased away the deepening darkness outside. A round table was set with a pristine white cloth, and a dinner that was not extravagant but certainly hearty was served: the South’s famed spiced stew, desserts from the Holy Spirit Plains, and baked thin pancakes. Patty controlled her wheelchair with neural links, happily circling the table as she laughed, “All my favorites!”
“Patty, don’t wheel around the table,” Ropeni immediately stopped her daughter’s impulsive move. “You might bump into someone—and we have a guest today.”
“Oh,” Patty stopped beside the table, steering her chair closer to Selena. “But I won’t bump into you, right, Selena sister?”
“In theory, no. But if I wanted, I could make it feel like you did,” Selena chuckled. “It’s an advanced magic trick. Want me to teach you?”
Patty thought for a moment, then shook her head firmly. “No, thanks. Doing homework before dinner ruins the smell of the food.”
Lady Ropeni gave a slightly exasperated look. “Patty, how many times have I told you? You should call Selena ‘Aunt’—she’s your elder.”
“No, I think ‘sister’ suits her just fine,” Selena said at once. “For a ‘ghost,’ my age stopped centuries ago. Besides, ‘Don’t argue about seniority with immortals’ is a basic rule in the supernatural realm, isn’t it?”
Ropeni opened her mouth but found herself speechless. Patty’s attention quickly shifted to the empty space in front of Selena, and she frowned in surprise. “Selena sister, why don’t you have any food?”
“I can’t eat in the real world like you,” Selena smiled, gently stroking Patty’s hair. “You should know, though I appear to be sitting here, I’m actually just a ‘projection’ created by your perception.”
“But that feels weird…” Patty frowned. “So this ‘dinner together’ means you just sit there watching us eat?”
Selena thought for a moment. “How about I create some food illusions, so it looks like I’m eating with you?”
Patty immediately pictured the scene and shook her head quickly. “No, that would be even weirder…”
Lady Ropeni watched the exchange quietly, a faint smile touching her lips.
Though Patty was always an optimistic child, the lady had to admit she hadn’t seen her daughter’s pure, happy smile in a long time. This ancient castle often felt too empty, and at dinner, the only company Patty had was her overly serious mother. The servants and maids could never be like family. For many years, Patty hadn’t experienced such joyful mealtimes.
Perhaps just this smile alone made agreeing to the “experiment” worthwhile.
Time passed pleasantly. In this once cold, silent, and somewhat gloomy old castle, warm light and easy laughter filled the air again. Patty chatted with her mother about the interesting things she’d encountered in the neural network. Selena occasionally shared little-known “secrets” about the usually stern node scholars. Even the usually stern Ropeni mentioned a few amusing stories from the government office—though not truly funny, Patty still laughed heartily.
No signs of mental fog.
No unexplained prayers.
No sudden eavesdropping, whispering to unseen people, or softly chanting divine names.
Ropeni smiled, watching her daughter and Selena talk, noting every subtle change in Patty’s expression. Her gaze also flicked to the mechanical clock hanging on the nearby wall.
Patty carefully reached for a small plate of cake on the table. Her movements were slow and cautious but steady. Ropeni’s eyes lingered on her daughter’s arm thoughtfully. “Patty, your hand is very steady this time.”
“Huh?” Patty looked at her arm in surprise, wiggling her fingers. “Yeah… even my pinky isn’t twitching…”
At that moment, Selena’s voice came from beside them, slightly abrupt. “Patty, have you ever heard the name Amon?”
Patty, just finishing answering her mother’s question, paused and instinctively asked, “Huh? Who’s that?”
The next moment, a soft click echoed from the mechanical clock hanging on the nearby wall. Driven by gears and springs, the hammer struck the built-in steel plate, and the clear chime of the hour resonated throughout the dining room.
Ro Penny had just begun to lift herself slightly from her seat when the clock’s chime abruptly froze her in place. She stared wide-eyed at Selina Gerfen across the table, then, after a moment’s hesitation, said, “She really doesn’t know… That’s a name only professional theologians and historians would recognize. She hasn’t had that kind of education…”
Immediately, Selina’s voice sounded directly in her mind: “All tests are complete. The controllable anti-divine barrier is indeed effective. Even ‘miracle’-type direct contact cannot penetrate the protection formed by non-directional thought waves. This concludes the first practical verification of non-directional thought waves. Your daughter was unaffected.”
…
On the vast gray grasslands shrouded in endless mist and pale daylight, three figures sat cross-legged, deeply engrossed in a fierce card game.
“I just don’t believe this round!” The woman in an elaborate black court gown fixed her gaze on the cards before her. When she saw her hand, a pleased smile suddenly spread across her face. She looked up at Amon with a challenging glint. “Seventeen cards, and you think you can beat me instantly? You can wipe me out with seventeen cards today…?”
Before she could finish, Amon sighed in resignation and flicked the illusionary cards in his hand in sequence. “Mylmina, that’s enough, alright…”
Mylmina’s eyes widened in disbelief. Just when she thought victory was certain, it slipped through her fingers again. Her shock quickly turned to anger as she glared at Amon and Duvalet. “Something’s wrong, definitely something wrong—we have to start over! Again…”
“No matter how many times we redo it, it’ll be the same,” Amon said wearily. “I already regret dragging you into this game. Winning like this is even more boring than doing nothing at all…”
“Now you say that?” Mylmina immediately tossed her cards aside, scowling. “You’re the one who got me into this mess in the first place!”
Amon shrugged. “I didn’t get you into anything—you exploited a system loophole maliciously and got caught by the admins. That’s on you, not me.”
Mylmina’s anger flared even higher. She suddenly stood up, but before she could speak, a figure emerged from the nearby mist, interrupting her.
“You’re still playing cards?” Narithil, just back from the upper network layers, looked at the scene with surprise and shook her head. “Alright, I’m just here to notify you—Mr. Amon, your ban is lifted. And Ms. Mylmina, you’re both free to leave now…”
“Finally over,” Amon exhaled deeply, a relaxed smile spreading across his face as he stood. “Then let’s—”
Before he could finish, Mylmina called out beside him, “No way! It’s not over yet—Admin, add another hour!”
“Are you out of your mind?!” Amon stumbled back, dumbfounded, staring at the woman once hailed as the ‘Goddess of Magic.’ “The ban’s finally over. We can return to the normal network—why would you ask to extend it?!”
“Say what you want, but today I’m winning at least once,” Mylmina shot him a defiant glare. “And don’t think I’ll go easy on you—I might not be the best at cards, but my senses are sharp!”
Amon: “…”
And so, the smoke-filled card battles of the gods raged on fiercely today, in a realm beyond mortal perception…
(End of chapter)