They entered a house built underground.

The house was built very deep, with only its roof exposed on the surface. The special, colorful stones had excellent heat insulation.

While the surface was a scorching hell, it was surprisingly cool underground.

The underground house Lin Yuan and the others entered was the home of the family preparing for the wedding that Green Ant had mentioned.

The house was luxuriously decorated, with long corridors and stairs leading downwards, thick carpets on the floor, and portraits of past matriarchs of the family hanging on the walls.

The current head of the family, the mistress, looked through the clothes Lin Yuan and the others brought, expressed her satisfaction, and selected several pieces, exchanging them for a type of energy stone unique to this place.

She chose a gorgeous dress inlaid with rubies and sapphires, saying she would wear it at the wedding.

Although the servants coming and going all spoke of a celebration, a wedding,

There wasn’t any joy on this mistress’s face.

Many candles were lit in the large room, the candlelight illuminating her elegant face, making her look a little pale, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“My child, Payne, is very interested in your human world. If you’re willing, I hope you can stay and attend the wedding, before the banquet, talk to that child for a while.”

She invited Lin Yuan and the others to attend the wedding.

Lin Yuan readily agreed.

Chatting with the locals to obtain more information was precisely one of the purposes of their trip.

A servant, carrying a candlestick, led the way, taking them to the room where the groom was located—the living room of the youngest son of the house.

Payne, one of the main characters of this wedding, the groom, was standing in front of a row of heavy, antique sandalwood bookshelves, using the attached ladder to reach a book high above.

Seeing the guests arrive, he smiled happily, a pair of thin wings unfolded on his back as he gracefully flew down from the bookshelf ladder.

Payne had short black curly hair, light green eyes like translucent jade, and a slightly thin, androgynously beautiful figure.

He held a book in his hand and calmly invited everyone to take a seat. His movements very elegant, not at all like a Deviant from a contaminated zone, but like a prince from a fairy tale.

“Mother actually invited humans over, I’m truly delighted,” his voice also very pleasant, like his jade-colored eyes, making one think of a gentle, rippling water surface.

“I’ve always liked your human world, it’s a pity I’ve never had the chance to see it. To meet a few human friends before my wedding is truly wonderful.”

He placed the heavy book in his hand on the table.

It was an ancient book from the old era, with a thick cover and gilded ancient text, a chronological history book about human history.

The book’s pages were curled from use, and colorful sticky notes were placed between the pages.

Among Lin Yuan’s team, including nobles like Yun Luo and Nicole, none had ever read this kind of book — the White Tower didn’t encourage people to read about history, there wasn’t even a proper national library in the empire.

The old books collected by sentinels from contaminated zones were all confiscated as contraband. The few that occasionally slipped through could only circulate secretly on the black market.

For a human, wanting to read a book about Old Era history, they could only do it in a dark room, by the light of an oil lamp, nervously turning the pages, always listening to the sounds outside, risking imprisonment.

They couldn’t, like this Deviant, openly display this thick history book on the table.

“Haven’t any of you read it before?” A look of disappointment appeared in Payne’s green eyes. “I had thought that in that human farm, I could more directly see some of the scenes recorded in these books.”

Human farm?

Lin Yuan noted this term.

Payne chatted with them about the history of humanity’s Old Era.

He mentioned the brilliance and prosperity of human civilization at that time.

At that time, the human world had almost covered the entire surface of the planet, with many ethnicities, different cultures and beliefs, different styles of clothing and food.

He talked about this like he knew everything by heart.

“I like reading human books, I often imagine what those worlds were like, it’s a pity that although many things can be imagined through written words, there are some that are very difficult to truly understand just through text,” Payne stood up and excitedly led Lin Yuan and the others to see his collection.

In a row of glass cabinets, all kinds of musical instruments from different eras were neatly displayed.

Payne opened the cabinet, his eyes shining with anticipation, “I’ve always wanted to hear how these musical instruments sounded, how beautiful the music they created. Could any of you show me? I’ll pay you. If there’s anything you want, or anything you want to know, you can ask.”

Nicole, among the group, hesitated slightly. “I know a little violin, my family made me learn when I was little, only, I haven’t practiced in many years, I’m afraid I won’t play very well.”

She chose a violin from the cabinet, its wooden body looking very old.

Plucking the strings, it surprisingly still made a beautiful sound.

Nicole tuned the violin, and applied rosin, it took a long time, Payne showed no impatience, sitting aside, watching with great interest.

Several servants came to him during this time, carrying wedding items, but he coldly dismissed them.

The groom, his hair loose, wearing casual clothes, just wanted to hear the music from this violin.

Nicole placed the violin on her shoulder, lifted the bow, and smiled at everyone, “The piece is called ‘Erlkönig’.”

“Ah, the song written by that ancient human musician, Schubert?” Payne instantly responded. “Wonderful, I’ve always wanted to hear this piece. None of us here know how to play such a complex musical score.”

The bow touched the strings.

The dense and varied melody flowed from the violin.

A stormy dark night, a black forest, the Erlking softly singing. The overtones captivating, the melody full of change.

Nicole, with her unconventional afro, her personality usually open and bold, but the music flowing from her hands was unexpectedly delicate and rich.

In a world of oppression, the Erlking whispered, the sound of hooves like beating drums.

The dying boy, through the music of the violin, let out his last moans.

It was a fairy-tale-like song, telling the story of a dying boy and the Erlking, who tempted him into hell.

When the music ended, silence.

Payne’s green, jewel-like eyes shone brightly.

After a long while, he finally let out a soft sigh, “Truly moving. So the world recorded in books, wasn’t a lie after all.”

He thanked Nicole, and asked her, “You play so well, why did you give up? I was very touched.”

“When I was little, I truly loved it,” Nicole said.

“But my father kept telling me that my purpose in diligently practicing music was only to please my future partner.”

“He didn’t allow me to casually perform for others, he wouldn’t let me play for my friends, classmates, not even the servants at home.”

“So, I got angry, and I quit,” she lowered her head and wiped the violin with a cloth, her fluffy hair shaking, “My father even beat me for this, and locked me up for three days without food. But it still couldn’t change me.”

She put the violin away and handed it back to Payne, smiling, “I heard that it’s your wedding today, I specially made an exception and played a song. My best piece, consider it a wedding gift.”

Payne’s pale green wings extended from his back, twitching slightly.

At this moment, the simple and pure music briefly connected two beings from different races, who couldn’t truly understand each other.

Letting them experience the same joy and sorrow, the same heartbeat.

Human books had written about music being able to connect hearts, and it seemed it was true, Payne thought.

His fingers touched the pages of his book, his gentle green eyes with a hint of reluctance, that color incredibly alluring, like a hidden lake, sorrow buried deep within.

“I’ve loved reading books about humans since I was young, it’s a pity I won’t be able to read them anymore,” he said, his voice calm, a faint smile on his lips.

“Why can’t you read anymore?” Nicole sensed the change in his emotions and asked, “This is the first time I’ve met a Deviant like you who loves humans so much.”

Lin Yuan’s tentacles suddenly shot out, gently poking her lower back, and Nicole abruptly stopped speaking.

She and Lin Yuan were very close. The exchange of mental consciousness between them incredibly fast, just a light touch was enough to transmit their thoughts.

Lin Yuan’s face was expressionless, but Nicole heard what Lin Yuan said.

About this race’s bloody customs.

Nicole’s face instantly turned pale. She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“Anything else?” Payne looked incredibly excited, his hands clasped before his chest. “I really like it, could I hear a little more?”

They all looked at each other and shook their heads.

Finally, perhaps unable to bear letting the groom down, Ni Ji took out a small harmonica from his backpack.

The harmonica was only palm-sized, its appearance simple, its surface covered with scratches.

Nicole’s “Erlkönig” had been grand and powerful.

But Ni Ji played a gentle song.

Like the soft waves by the seashore, like a desolate wasteland after a battle, covered with ashes.

A lonely warrior, singing a love song for his distant lover.

The tune, lingering, without any fancy techniques, yet with a burning passion hidden within, the restrained undercurrent scorching the soul, touching the listeners’ hearts.

Rachel thought of the girls at the distant outpost, passionate and unrestrained, running to stuff love letters into the hands of the Sentinels they admired.

Du Yuanyuan thought of a young sentinel, his face red, confessing to her, only to die in a contaminated zone soon after.

Payne lowered his eyelashes, his eyes shimmering.

Lin Yuan suddenly realized at that moment that she had broken free from her complete dependence on her tentacles.

She realized for the first time that she could also hear emotions with her own ears.

That song, like waves tinged red by the sunset, ebbing and flowing, softly telling someone’s thoughts.

So, not relying on her tentacles, using her own eyes, ears, touch, and sense of smell, she could also hear, see, and touch many emotions.

Although not as convenient or clear as her tentacles, this feeling was incredibly novel, making her heart flutter.

Slowly exploring, listening intently, amidst the haziness, peeling away the fog, to understand that person.

“What’s the name of this song?” After Ni Ji finished playing, Lin Yuan hummed along and asked him for its name.

“You probably haven’t heard of it before. A very old tune, ‘By the Freshwater Sea’,” Ni Ji said concisely, putting away his harmonica without looking at Lin Yuan.

But Lin Yuan noticed that the tips of his ears were slightly red.

Lin Yuan repeated the name in her heart. She hadn’t heard it before. It must be a very old song. Could there be some hidden meaning to it?

Payne’s wedding was a grand affair.

Many guests came to congratulate him, all dressed in gorgeous attire, their faces full of smiles.

The bride was beautifully dressed, her face handsome, her body strong, holding Payne’s hand affectionately.

Payne, wearing a pristine white uniform, a gentle smile on his face, stood side-by-side with his bride.

Almost everyone at the banquet was joyful, offering congratulations.

“Such a perfect match.”

“They will definitely have wonderful offspring.”

“The family will become even more prosperous, such a joyous occasion.”

“Yes, so happy.”

The wedding lasted for a long time. The newlyweds, having received everyone’s blessings, were sent to the wedding room decorated with colorful ribbons.

Not long after, a faint singing voice came from inside.

It was Payne singing the two songs he had just heard for the first time today.

First, the tragic “Erlkönig”, then the love song, “By the Freshwater Sea”.

His gentle singing voice drifted out from the flower windows.

The lively atmosphere at the banquet intensified. Everyone was happy and cheerful.

Until Payne’s mother—the mistress who first greeted Lin Yuan and the others—couldn’t hold back her tears.

Someone immediately comforted her, patting her hunched back.

“Reproduction is a great joy, you can’t cry.”

“Don’t be sad. It’s a happy occasion. The family will have more children!”

Nicole, sitting among the guests, her face pale. Remembering what Lin Yuan had told her about the customs of this race, she wanted to cry, gripping Lin Yuan’s hand tightly.

“Is it… really like that?”

Lin Yuan beside her just sat there, her small face expressionless, like a mask.

The sentinels at the same table couldn’t bear to watch and looked away.

The singing continued, but they could already smell the blood in the air.

Groom Payne’s blood.

“Are you doing this willingly?” Lin Yuan clearly remembered asking Payne this question earlier, pulling him aside, if he wasn’t willing, if he wanted to live, they were willing to find a way to take him away from here, but Payne had nodded, a resolute look in his gentle eyes.

“Yes, I’m in love with her, I’m doing this willingly.”

His voice very soft, carrying a young and heavy life.

Lin Yuan couldn’t understand this, just like she couldn’t understand how that little deviant in the Land of No Eyes could devour his mother to inherit her power.

She sat there, her eyelashes slightly lowered, the tentacles sensing an emotion, a mixture of extreme joy and extreme pain.

Two contradictory emotions intertwined, inseparable.

The intense emotion assaulted Lin Yuan’s mind.

The most cruel and bloody act, taking place at the most beautiful and joyous wedding.

Nicole couldn’t bear it anymore and abruptly stood up. “I can’t watch this, I can’t accept this.”

“It’s too late,” someone beside her said softly. “He’s already gone.”

The smell of blood in the air intensified, so thick it was suffocating.

Payne’s singing continued, very weak, almost inaudible.

Using the last of his strength, singing for the friend who had just played for him, singing for himself.

His singing gradually weakened, until it disappeared completely.

The bloody wedding, unique to this race, ended amidst joyous celebration.

That being, with eyes like green jewels, who had smiled, who had said he liked reading, who had loved music, died at his own wedding.

“Daytime” unknowingly passed.

The last rays of the setting sun disappeared from the horizon.

The earth became cool.

Vibrant little sprouts emerged from the soil, and after testing the temperature, started growing frantically, as if trying to make up for lost time.

Lush green grass instantly covered the ground, bright flowers blooming, the colorful lights of the amusement park came on again, the giant cartoon sculptures standing smiling amidst the sea of flowers.

On the square, more people proposed to their beloveds.

Lin Yuan and the others emerged from the underground houses when the earth was still warm, and as quickly as possible, ran forward.

They had to reach a certain place before sunrise.

The location of the City of Mantis’ Pillar.

“The Pillar is very far away, I can give you a map. But you have to be quick, if dawn arrives, and the sun catches up, no one can save you,” Payne had told them yesterday.

Payne, whom they had just met, had already died at his own wedding, and Lin Yuan and the others were now running towards their own journey of death.