Chapter 17
Prince Regas◎
A moment later, he received a reply: I'm coming to pick you up. Lan Hua thought for a moment, then didn't reply, but he didn't turn off the communication device either. He casually found a chair and sat down, his fingers touching his personal computer bracelet, his eyelids slightly lowered, and the corner of his mouth curled up in a chilling smile.
Soon, a spaceship roared in from afar and hovered not far in front of Lan Hua. The hatch opened, revealing a tall and imposing figure standing in the doorway. As the hatch fully opened, light dispelled the darkness, revealing the figure's full appearance. The man had an extremely handsome face, with eyes of the unique purple of the Gamondon royal family. His expression was gentle, but his aura was incredibly imposing, compelling people to submit to him unconsciously. These two qualities were not contradictory on him; rather, they blended together to form his unique charisma.
Lan Hua glanced up at the figure, but made no further move. Instead, she continued to look down at the bracelet, concealing all her expressions.
The spaceship's gangway descended, and the man stepped down, walking towards Lan Hua. He knelt slightly before Lan Hua, bringing his gaze to hers. A smile played on his lips, and his usually composed voice unconsciously carried a joy he himself didn't realize, a warmth he couldn't conceal, "Long time no see—"
Lan Hua stood up, looked down at the man, and smiled coldly, "You're planning to never see him again in this lifetime, aren't you, Regas?"
If Lan Hua was previously filled with despair and a faint hope, constantly struggling just to find a reason to keep going, then after meeting that money-grubbing prophet and receiving some information he had never known before, his mindset became extremely complex.
Regas was someone he absolutely had to find; after all, he'd even ventured into a black hole, and his goal was within reach. Not going would be a waste of all his previous efforts. However, he needed to reassess and reconsider his feelings towards Regas. That guy—deceiving him, flirting with him, and then running away—was the epitome of a scumbag. Lan Hua felt his feelings had been wasted on a dog; no, worse than that. At least a dog knows loyalty and honesty.
Regas stood up as Lan Hua did. He reached out his right hand, cupped the left side of Lan Hua's face, and gently stroked her lips with his thumb. "I'm sorry." He didn't deny Lan Hua's words, because that was truly what he believed. He was a man without a future, and he hadn't planned to go back. In fact, he came with the intention of dying; it was his destiny. Born in darkness, he was meant to be alone. Even though he was drawn by the firelight, he shouldn't have provoked it. But he couldn't control himself; ultimately, it was his selfishness.
Hearing that Regas didn't deny it, but instead admitted it, Lan Hua couldn't help but get angry again, even though he had already guessed it. He impatiently slapped Regas's hand away and said, "I came here to see how ridiculous I am."
“I understand how angry you are.” Regas put his hand on Lanhua’s shoulder. “Let’s talk somewhere else, okay?” The Crown Prince, who was always composed and never lost his composure under any circumstances, spoke with a cautious plea. Only when facing Lanhua would Regas act like this.
Lan Hua said with a half-smile, "Alright, I'd like to see what kind of explanation you have for me." He reached out and brushed away Regas's hand that was on his shoulder, and said coldly, "If your explanation doesn't satisfy me, I think we need to settle things once and for all."
Regas nodded and said, "Okay." His heart, which had been dead, began to beat again the moment Lan Hua arrived. Now that she was here, he had no intention of letting go again.
Regas's manor, located near the ruins of the "Ancient Gods," was originally the residence of the governor of the North Gate system. However, after a large number of researchers from LM68 who were studying humanoid corpses withdrew, the Cali Federation ceased maintaining the interstellar living environment, causing the living conditions on LM68 to deteriorate. The governor, who needed to be stationed there long-term, could not tolerate the environment and moved to a more habitable planet. The once luxurious governor's manor was left vacant and eventually changed hands several times before being purchased by Regas.
Lan Hua nestled comfortably on the sofa, holding a teacup in her hand, and lazily yawned, "I thought you were eating dust in outer space, but I didn't expect you to be enjoying yourself so much."
Since arriving in this universe, he had never truly felt at ease; both his body and mind were constantly tense. Although he was dissatisfied with Regas's concealment because of the money-grubbing prophet's words, his original goal was simply to confirm Regas's life or death and to find him, and now he had essentially achieved that. The moment Regas arrived, his mind and body unconsciously relaxed. As soon as he relaxed, he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. Lan Hua had always been a person who took things as they came, so he didn't force himself, and his whole demeanor became listless.
Looking at Lan Hua's lazy appearance, Regas couldn't help but think of a cat gracefully licking its paws. His usually gentle gaze turned warm with genuine emotion, becoming soft and tender.
"May I sit here?" Regas gestured to the seat next to Lan Hua and asked gently. This was clearly Regas's manor, but Lan Hua's arrival seemed to have given it a new owner. However, the true owner seemed perfectly content.
"Please sit down."
Regas sat down next to Lan Hua. His posture was in stark contrast to Lan Hua's. Even when sitting, Regas maintained an upright posture.
Lan Hua sipped his tea and said, "Speak." He was curious to hear how Regas would explain everything.
Regas longed to hug Lan Hua, just like they had back in the Silver Glow Empire. But he knew that without giving Lan Hua an explanation, he would never be able to hug her. Only those close to her truly knew how stubborn Lan Hua was.
“I’ve come here to find the Philosopher’s Stone,” Regas said.
"The Philosopher's Stone?" Lan Hua put down her teacup and looked at Regas with disbelief. "You believe in this stuff? Besides, even if it really could turn stones into gold, you're not short of money, are you? You wouldn't take such a big risk to come all the way here to look for it."
The Philosopher's Stone originates from an ancient Earth legend of turning lead into gold. In the Middle Ages, alchemy was prevalent, and alchemists believed in a magical substance with mysterious and powerful abilities. Transforming elements and turning lead into gold were merely minor functions of this substance. It was said that finding the Philosopher's Stone could unlock many mysteries and even grant immortality. Therefore, it was called the Philosopher's Stone. In ancient Greek mythology, the material world was composed of four elements: earth, water, air, and fire. Since the Philosopher's Stone could transform elements, it was also known as the fifth element.
However, the absurd notion of the Philosopher's Stone has long been discarded with the development of human industry and technology. Even before humans left the ancient Earth, they had already regarded the Philosopher's Stone, a product tied to alchemy, as an imagination arising from limited human understanding during a certain stage of development.
"Even if you're a donkey, there should be a limit," Lan Hua said, pointing to her head, speechless. "Do you think there's something wrong with me here?"
Regas reached out and grasped Lan Hua's hand, which was pointing to his head. He really wanted to kiss it, but he held back and continued to explain, "There is indeed a Philosopher's Stone, but it's not used to turn stones into gold, nor is it for immortality. However, it is indeed related to the so-called 'mythology.' I'll explain the 'mythology' to you later. You can think of this Philosopher's Stone as our universe and the fulcrum or connector of this universe."
"Continue." Lan Hua picked up his teacup again. He seemed to have a hunch about Regas's purpose in coming, but if that were the case, Regas truly couldn't go back. Lan Hua tried to use drinking water as a cover to ease his complicated feelings, but the cup was empty. He gripped the cup tightly, his knuckles appearing slightly bruised from the force.
Regas took the cup from Lan Hua's hand and coaxed her gently, "If you keep squeezing it, the cup will break. Don't hurt your hand."
"Go on, I'll continue." Lan Hua gritted his teeth, glaring hatefully at Regas. This kind of thing was definitely not a responsibility or plan made in a short time, and Regas probably already knew this would happen when he met him. And yet, he still tried to seduce him! Now he's acting like he has some kind of excuse, even more shameless than Lan Hua himself!
“There are eight Philosopher's Stones in total, four in our universe and four in this universe. With the Philosopher's Stones, and the transformation of the universe's rules, the humanoid beings in this universe—the ‘gods’ of ‘mythology’—can come to our universe again, just like billions of years ago, to consume the universe's energy until all life is destroyed.” Regas’s voice was calm as he briefly explained his purpose for coming. “So, I came here to destroy the Philosopher's Stones. But once the Philosopher's Stones are destroyed, I will not be able to return.”
He looked at Lan Hua gently and said, "I didn't expect you to come."
"So, you mean I can't go back either?" Lan Hua asked.
"Yes." Regas didn't want to lie to Lan Hua.
"Is this the responsibility you bear?" Lan Hua stared intently at Regas and asked, "You knew this before you even met me, didn't you?"
Regas only explained why he came here and why he couldn't go back, but Lan Hua knew that there were many more things that couldn't be explained in just a few words.
“Yes,” Regas said. “I’m sorry.” It was because of his uncontrollable feelings that he later developed feelings for Lan Hua. He knew there was no future for them, but he still couldn’t help getting closer.
Lan Hua was furious. "Stay away from me. I don't want to see you right now."
Going out now would be foolish, absolutely adding fuel to the fire. Regas, of course, wouldn't be stupid. He remained silent for a moment, then said, "You can do whatever you want, but I don't want to be separated from you again." The last separation had exhausted all his reason. No matter what happens in the future, he will never let go again.
A note from the author:
Note: The concept of the Philosopher's Stone is based on Tatsuhiko Shibusawa's "Black Magic Notebook".
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