Chapter 1488: Misalignment

“Is the ‘acquaintance’ you mentioned… actually yourself?”

Amber’s sudden question silenced Wilde instantly. Though the great adventurer now existed only as a black leather-bound book resting on a stone pillar, Amber seemed to detect a bead of cold sweat on its dark cover. This only strengthened her suspicion. “Then it must be true—the ‘acquaintance’ you referred to is none other than you.”

“Why would you think that?” Wilde’s voice finally emerged from the book, tinged with surprise and frustration. “I don’t believe I’ve revealed any useful information to you—I’ve only said a few words since the beginning.”

“Violet Kingdom vanished amid supernatural phenomena. The mists at its borders and the shadow-dwelling inhabitants emerging from them point to Lady Night. Before that, I overheard some intriguing information from those shadow dwellers,” Amber said calmly, her gaze fixed on the black leather tome. She had no intention of hiding anything from the adventurer. “You told me the Shadow Divine Realm is gradually merging with the real world, which means the two realms are intersecting somewhere…”

She paused, spreading her hands. “Right now, an expedition team is operating near the Violet border. One member of that team has a very special identity—in a sense, he really is your ‘acquaintance,’ someone you know intimately. And, from another perspective, Mr. Adventurer, who else could you possibly know in this world?”

“…An impressive deduction,” Wilde sighed. “Seems I don’t know you well enough, young lady.”

“That’s what I do,” Amber replied casually, then fixed her gaze intently on the book’s cover, her expression curious. “More than this trivial reasoning, I’m actually more interested in something else… Mr. Adventurer, your state seems to have changed. You shouldn’t have known about Modir before—just as he didn’t know about you. I’m certain I never told you anything about that. Could this… be another effect of the ‘boundary convergence’?”

“To be honest, I don’t know,” Wilde said slowly. “When I realized the change had happened, some long-forgotten memories returned to me. The same seems to have happened to the ‘other me.’ As you said, it might be related to the ‘boundary convergence,’ but the underlying mechanism is a mystery. Even Lady Night… doesn’t seem to fully understand it.”

Amber frowned, then involuntarily glanced back at the towering, empty throne and the black-and-white scepter leaning against it. After a moment’s thought, she turned back to Wilde. “Where has Lady Night gone?”

“I don’t know. She’s been leaving the throne frequently lately, as if preparing for something very important. But as I told you before, I’m just a visitor here—I have no right to inquire about the mistress’s affairs,” Wilde said helplessly. “I once overheard her mention that she’s preparing a grand ‘coming-of-age ceremony’ for this world.”

“A grand ‘coming-of-age ceremony’?” Amber’s heart skipped a beat at those words. The phrase carried a weighty significance, especially coming from an ancient god in this context. Even the Shadow Assault Goose felt a mental shock. “What does that mean? Did she say what the ceremony involves? When it will happen?”

“How should I know? She’s always cryptic about everything,” Wilde replied helplessly. “She said there are many things she cannot reveal to mortals—at least not until a certain ‘moment’ arrives. I feel Lady Night carries some secret, ancient mission, one she values more than her own existence.”

Amber frowned at the black leather book before her but knew better than to blame Wilde for being unreliable. Lady Night—the ancient god—had her reasons. If she chose to keep secrets, it was best not to pry recklessly.

Though Lady Night’s affairs were off-limits, something else caught Amber’s interest.

“Mr. Adventurer,” Amber said after a moment’s thought, “may I ‘open’ you again? Like last time.”

Wilde’s current form was a book—a book that could be opened. Some things even he didn’t know, but his pages recorded hidden secrets. The last time Amber visited, she saw the entire book filled with the phrase “Beware the Sentinel”—an experience that left her breathless to this day.

But now the sentinels were gone… What would the pages reveal this time? Did this mysterious “Adventurer’s Book” change with the shifting reality? Amber’s curiosity was piqued.

“Of course,” Wilde laughed, his voice carefree and cheerful. “I’m curious too—what’s recorded on me right now. Just promise to tell me what you see, as long as it’s ‘harmless.’”

“Sure.” Amber agreed casually, then rubbed her hands together with anticipation and reached for Wilde’s heavy cover.

A faint shimmer appeared on the black leather surface, and the mysterious “Adventurer’s Book” gently opened. Amber’s eyes scanned the text—no longer the alarming “Beware the Sentinel” filling every page.

The first line was a bold heading: “The Emperor excels at using marvelous metaphors to explain principles. He once compared Princess Rebecca to a steel ball of the empire, explaining: a pearl shines brilliantly but is fragile, and many nations have their ‘pearls’ exalted to the skies. But only the steel ball is unique among princesses—hard, tough, and able to fit into bearings. Besides, that silly deer (see Chapter 7, Section 4 for definition) also likes bearings…”

Amber snapped the book shut with a loud clap, visibly shaken and unable to calm down. This was even more mind-blowing than the previous “Beware the Sentinel” pages.

Because she knew this all too well—this was the latest issue of The Holy Words of Emperor Gawain Cecil. She could recite it in her sleep, after all, two-thirds of her side income came from it.

Wilde immediately noticed Amber’s unusual reaction, his voice tense. “What’s wrong? Did you see something terrifying in my pages?”

“No… not terrifying, but this is just too bizarre…” Amber struggled to compose herself. She had no idea how to explain The Holy Words to the adventurer. Then she glanced again at the black leather book on the pillar. “No, I have to look again.”

Nervously, she reached out and flipped the book open again, leaning back as if about to defuse a Rebecca crystal bomb. Then she read another bold line: “…The Emperor also invents new words to describe the empire’s novelties. These terms may seem strange at first, but upon reflection, they are precise and fitting. For example, he called the Holy Light Church’s battle nuns ‘beautiful warrior maidens,’ a compliment that greatly inspired them…”

“The famous battle nun Theresa was inspired by this praise to creatively propose mounting grenade launchers on the nuns’ staves, greatly enhancing the spread of the gospel…”

Amber thought for a moment, expressionless, then slammed the book shut and gave herself a hard slap across the face—ouch, that really hurt.

“Hey, are you okay?” Wilde was startled by Amber’s reaction, his voice unusually anxious. “Why did you suddenly hit yourself? What exactly did you see?”

Amber’s mind was a whirlwind of confusion and countless swirling guesses. Wilde’s voice briefly snapped her out of the chaos, but she realized she couldn’t explain what she’d seen—not even if she wanted to.

How could she explain it? “Sorry, but you have about two hundred pages of ridiculous ramblings written all over you.” And if he asked where those ramblings came from—did she sell out the old wizard or herself? Thinking it over, it seemed she’d have to say herself… Otherwise, if this ever got out, the old wizard might not just put away his pioneer sword—he’d probably smash her against the wall with a table.

Still, she needed some excuse to smooth things over, and she wanted to know why The Holy Words appeared in Wilde’s Adventurer’s Chronicles. After a moment’s thought, she cautiously asked, “Have you ever heard of a book called The Emperor’s Holy Words?”

Wilde thought for a moment. “No, what’s it about?”

“…It records the sacred deeds and words of the great ruler Gawain Cecil the Emperor,” Amber said, trying to look serious and upright. “The exact content isn’t important, and you don’t need to worry about it. What matters is that it’s a book from the real world, and it’s only been around in recent years. But I just saw its contents inside you. That’s why I reacted so strongly.”

“A real-world book? Its contents appear inside me?” Wilde was genuinely shocked but didn’t seem to care much about the book’s content. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I’m quite familiar with that book’s contents,” Amber nodded, thinking that this “familiarity” was probably the same as the “acquaintance” she mentioned earlier. “So you don’t know how this change happened either?”

“I’ve never really understood what’s recorded on me. It feels like… I’m just a vessel, and the information in the pages is merely a shadow projected onto this vessel,” Wilde said calmly (fortunately, he didn’t know what was written on him). “But I guess… since the book you mentioned comes from the real world, this might also be related to the recent ‘boundary convergence.’”

“Also related to the boundary convergence?” Amber frowned, suddenly thinking this might really be the explanation. “Wait, that makes sense. If you and the ‘other you’ are exchanging memories because of the boundary convergence, you might also be exchanging some… subconscious elements. You might not be aware of them, but they’re recorded in your pages.”

Wilde immediately found Amber’s explanation very reasonable.

But as Amber finished speaking, a new puzzle popped into her mind—if the contents in Wilde’s pages come from Modir, then where did Modir’s memories of The Holy Words come from? He must have had a source to read it, right? And it’s the latest issue, which isn’t publicly distributed. The old mage wouldn’t have easy access to it…

After a few seconds of thought, Amber’s eyes sharpened: Could it be that Grant Duchess Victoria buys every issue?

Wilde had no idea what Amber was thinking. He only saw this strange “visitor” suddenly fall silent again, her gaze sharp and piercing. Finally, he couldn’t help but speak up. “Is there anything else you want to ask? It’s rare to have a guest I can actually talk to around here. If there’s anything you want to know, just ask—though I can’t promise I’ll have all the answers.”

Amber snapped out of her daze. She thought for a moment, then instinctively cast her eyes toward the distance.

Toward the direction of the “City of Silhouettes.”

“I want to know if any other ‘people’ have come here recently,” she said quietly. “I’m not talking about visitors like me, but those ‘lost souls’ who might have arrived in phantom or similar forms. There could be quite a few of them.”

Though she asked, she didn’t hold out much hope. Even if it was confirmed that those who disappeared during the Violet Mist incident were connected to the Lady of Night’s transformation, this so-called “great adventurer Wilde” was just a resident of this divine realm’s space. The Lady of Night held many secrets. As an ancient god, she might be the most secretive deity in this world. And Wilde, this resident… seemed always excluded from those secrets.

Yet, to her surprise, after a brief silence, she heard Wilde’s low voice. “I know who you’re talking about. I know where they are… but I’m afraid no one can bring them back to your world.”

“They really were brought here?!” Amber’s eyes widened instantly, but then her brow furrowed at Wilde’s next words. “What does that mean? Why can’t I bring them back? Could it be…”

She suddenly stopped herself.

Looking at Wilde, sprawled on the stone pillar like a black leather-bound tome, Amber seemed to piece something together.

“Are they, like you, transformed into some abnormal state, trapped here forever? But that can’t be… you can still go see your ‘acquaintances’ now…”

Wilde remained silent. That silence finally set off alarm bells in Amber’s mind. She vaguely sensed this matter was beyond anything she had imagined.

“Have you noticed the city at the edge of the desert?” Wilde suddenly broke the silence.

“Of course,” Amber nodded immediately. “And I’ve noticed it’s changed a lot…”

“The person you’re looking for is in that city—or rather, used to be,” Wilde said slowly. “Strictly speaking, the last ‘lost soul’ in that city passed away a hundred years ago.”

(End of chapter)