Tempat ini sunyi sebagaimana dilihat di Lautan Air, dengan awan gelap yang menutupi langit hingga habis penglihatan. Tak jelas lagi apakah sedang siang atau malam, sebab mendung sudah berhari-hari berkobar. Kadang hujan turih hebat, kadang sekadar gemerisik guntung mendung. Suchowan hujan ini tiada anehnya pada musim ini, justru inilah sebabnya warga tak tabuh ke luar kota, desa, atau kampung-kampung. Hujan bisa menyebabkan banjir, putus sungai, tanah longsor, dan lain sebagainya yang tak terhitung. Bahayanya tak terkira. Namun, justru karena gelap dan bahaya inilah River dan Pearl akhirnya berhasil meloloskan diri dari pengejar mereka. Di balik rumbiaan beringin, River memandang Pearl dengan mata lembut sementia ia membetulkan kakinya dengan pita kain dari kemejanya yang terurai. Sinar lembut dan hangat dari kalung Pearl-lah cahaya tunggal di sekitar, memberi cahaya baginya untuk melihat. Meski kekurangan baju ini bisa membuatnya terserang penyakit bila hujan turih kembali, tanpa pembalut, kaki yang berdarah ini merupakan hal yang lebih mendesakkan. Tubuhnya pula penuh dengan memar, segala-galanya dari perkelahian dengan mereka yang mengejar. Akan tetapi, meskipun tubuhnya penuh dengan luka, tangan tangankasih Pearl yang lincah ini tak pernah memberi rasa sakit sedikit pun saat membetulkan. Ia seolah... sudah sangat terbiasa melakukannya. "Aku janji padamu, Pearl," suara River tiba-tiba memecah ketenangan. "Aku menjanjikanmu. Suatu hari, aku akan memberimu segala seseru yang kamu layangkan. Suatu hari, kami akan berkelana di tanah ini, tangan bersendikan tangan, dan kami akan memiliki tempat yang bisa kita sebut rumah, dikelilingi mutiara agar seluruh dunia tahu siapa yang menghuni sana. Matahari akan bersinar untuk kami, dan kami akan memiliki perut kenyang dan hati lega, tak perlu lagi lari bersembunyi." Pearl mendengarkan janji muliana River, yang terlalu megah untuk dianggap fantasi, namun ia tak menghentikan pekerjaannya. Kata-katanya keikat mengalir seperti hujan di atas batu datar, tak menimbulkan jejak apapun, sebab tidak ada sudut marah tersisa dalam dirinya untuk dikasihkan. River tersenyum melihatnya u2014 wajah kotor, berparau medan yang berharap melihat cahaya di matanya, senyum yang dulu membuatnya jatuh cinta dulunya. Namun tak ada tanggapan darimu. Kata-katanya tak menggerakkan seutas tetes pun di hatinya. Kata-katanya tak disambut kecuali oleh senyuman, dan kegelapan semasa, hingga pekerjaannya selesai. "Aku rasa... kujadi puas hanya jika kita bisa dikubur berdampingan," katanya dengan lembut dan penuh kekalahan, matanya tetap turun lantang karena tak lagi sanggup mengangkat kepala atau menatap ke depan. "Tiada harapan hidup lagi diriku pada kehidupan ini. Mungkin... bahkan meminta hal itu pun terlalu banyak. Mereka pasti akan menggulung kubur kami, tak peduli di mana pun kami terkubur." River menekan matanya erat-erat, bila ia membuka, ia tak pasti bisa menahan tangisan. Kekekalan dalam suaranya ini menyakitkan hatinya lebih dari sekadar luka di tubuhnya, atau tetesan darah di kakinya. Malu yang tak bisa ia lindungi, tak bisa ia limpahkan, menggerogoh jiwanya jauh lebih dahulu dari racun Seribu yang melecek meridiannya. Pearl telah begitu suci, dilahirkan di dunia ini untuk dicinta, dilindungi, dan namun ia hanya membawa penyakit untuknya. Rasa bersalah inikah yang lebih dahulu daripada segalanya. "Tidak, Pearl, tidak, aku menjanjikan! Aku menjanjikan!" kata River sambil gemetar, tangannya mengerut karenapunya erat. "Aku akan menemukan caranya. Kami ditakdirkan untuk lebih dari sekadar kubur. Kami akan hidup bahagia, lama, kau akan lihat!" Namun Pearl tak mendengar dan tak merespons. Tak memiliki tenaga lagi untuk melakukannya. Ia tak ingat terakhir kali ia makan. Ia hanya menggulung dirinya di sampingnya yang dudang di tepi beringin itu, dan menutup matanya. Seraya indah bila tubuhnya sedikit hangat setidaknya. Itulah sebabnya Pearl pun tidur, dan River berusaha keras menahan air matanya sambil merenungkan betapa ia sudah berada di dalam sebuah soap opera. Ainai menilai penderitaan mereka begitu tulus, dan cukup menyedihkan. Tetapi saat ia mengirim kalungnya kejauh, tak meninggalkan jejak yang dapat ditelusuri antara dirinya dan kalung itu, bertindak sebagai asuransi nyawa terakhir, sebab memastikan tidak akan ia menemukan Nexus dan menyiapkan basis rahasianya begitu mudahnya, ia tak pernah mengantisipasi kalung itu akan berada di leher seorang wanita biasa. Baiklah, untuk adil, ini amat jauh dari tempat terburuk untuk ia muncul. Berdasarkan nasib buruknya, Lex sudah siap untuk kalung ini akan berada di inti bintang yang tak hanya hidup, tak hanya vulkan yang tak hanya musuh lamenya yang hilang. Dibandingkan hal di atas, bangun dan tengah mengelilingi leher seorang wanita biasa ini, amat tak terlalu buruk. Lex menahan diri untuk tak teriak, tidak mengeluh, dan justru mulai menelusuri situasinya. Ia tak tewah, jadi itu bagus. Namun, tubuhnya terjebak di tangan seorang pemuda yang mengerikan, jadi itu tak begitu bagus. Jauh sebelumnya, jelas, lelaki ini sangat berbahaya. Untung bagi Lex, ia telah menderita begitu banyak kehidupan sebelum titik ini, ia telah belajar bertahan dengan hati-hati, dan memiliki cukup kartu tersembunyi untuk dipakai. Semoga ia tak mengecewakan, sebab bila terjadi, tak hanya tubuhnya yang akan hilang, sistemnya pula, dan mungkin identitas Innkeeper. Jika hal itu terjadi, ia mungkin juga akan kehilangan semua orang di dalam Inn, dan itu tak dapat diterima. Lex mengalihkan perhatian dari dirinya sendiri ke sekitarnya. Yang terpenting, ia melihat River, seorang yang berjalan, berjalan dan berteriak seperti tokoh utama dari novel novel chinese berkualitas rendah. Untung baginya, karakter tokoh utama berkualitas rendah memiliki armor plot yang luar biasa ampuh. Dan Lex tidak keberatan untuk memperolehnya sekarang juga. Di akhirnya, tak dapat menahannya. Ia tahu, ini berarti ia kini harus mengambil peran kakek... tidak eh, lelaki berusia 25 tahun di dalam kalung ini. Siapa yang bisa memrediksainya?
Bab 2249: Siapa yang bisa memrediksainya?
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It was dark in the Land of a Hundred Rivers, with thick, black clouds covering the sky far as far as the eye could see. Whether it was night or day could no longer be determined, for the clouds had been there for days already, sometimes breaking into furious rain, and at other times calming down and simply rumbling with thunder.
Such downpour was not uncommon during this time of year, which is why it was rare for the citizens of this land to go outside their cities, towns or villages during this time. The downpour could cause floods, river breaks, landslides and any number of other natural disasters. The danger was incalculable.
Yet it was because of that very darkness, and that very danger that River and Pearl had finally escaped the pursuit of their attackers. Beneath the shade of a banyan tree, River looked at Pearl with tender eyes as she wrapped his feet with strips of cloth she had cut his shirt into. The soft, warm glow of Pearl’s necklace was the only source of all around, allowing her to see what she did.
Although the absence of a shirt might cause him to fall sick if the rain should start again, without being bandaged his bleeding feet presented a much more urgent obstacle. The rest of his body was covered in bruises too, all from fighting off those who had pursued them.
Yet despite his bruised state, Pearl’s nimble hands caused him not a lick of pain as she bandaged him. She seemed like... she had practiced it much too often.
"I promise you, Pearl," River’s voice suddenly broke the silence. "I promise you. One day, I will give you everything you deserve. One day we’ll roam these lands, hand in hand, and we’ll have a place to call home, wreathed in pearls so that the whole world knows who lives there. The sun will shine on us, and we’ll have full stomachs and full hearts, with no need to run and hide."
Pearl listened to River’s noble promise, one that seemed too grand to even be considered a fantasy, but she did not stop her work. His words washed over her like rain on plain stone, leaving not a mark, for there was no edge left in her to polish.
River smiled at her, his dirt covered, bruised face hoping to see the light in her eyes, to see the smile which had caused him to fall for her all those years ago. Yet she showed no response. His dreamy words caused no stir in her heart. His words were met with only silence, and gloomy darkness, until she finished her work that is.
"I think... I will be content if we can be buried beside each other," she said in a soft, defeated voice, her eyes continuing to look down for she could no longer will herself to look up or look forward. "I have no more expectations left of this life. Maybe... even asking for that might be too much. They’ll surely dig up our graves no matter where we are buried."
River squeezed his eyes shut tight, because if he left them open he might not be able to stop his tears from flowing. The defeat in her voice pained his heart so much more than the bruises on his body, or the cuts on his feet. The shame of being unable to protect her, to provide for her ripped at his soul far more than the Sawdust poison which had ripped the meridians in his body.
Pearl had been such a pure soul, born in this world to be loved, to be protected, and yet he had only brought her suffering. The pain of that was so much worse than anything else.
"No Pearl, no, I promise! I promise!" River said as his body trembled because of how tightly he was clenching his fists. "I promise, I’ll find a way. We’re destined for more than just a grave. We’ll live happy lives, long lives, you’ll see!"
Pearl heard his words, but no longer responded to him. She no longer had the energy to do so. She didn’t even remember the last time she ate.
She just simply curled up next to him as he sat pressed up against the banyan tree, and closed her eyes. It would have been nice... if his body was at least warm.
Thus, Pearl slept, and River did his best to stop his tears, and Lex wondered how he’d ended up inside this soap opera. Not that he was looking down on their suffering or anything - that was quite genuine, and quite pitiful actually.
But when he sent his necklace away, leaving no traceable ties between himself and the necklace, to act as a last-ditch life insurance treasure because there was no way he was going to finish finding the Nexus and establishing his secret base any time soon, he did not expect it would end up around the neck of a random, mortal woman.
Well, to be fair, this was far from the worst place it could have shown up. Based on his luck, Lex was completely ready for the necklace to end up inside the core of a star that was somehow alive, and also somehow a volcano, and also somehow his long lost enemy. Compared to that, waking up inside a necklace around the neck of some girl was not so bad at all.
Lex resisted the urge to groan, or sigh, and instead started to take stock of his situation. He was not dead, so that was great. However, his body was trapped in the hands of a creepy Sovereign stalker, so that was not so great .
Jokes aside, whoever that guy was, he was definitely, extremely dangerous. Fortunately for Lex, he’d suffered so much in life leading up to this point, that he’d long learned to take precautions, and had enough hidden cards for him to use. Hopefully, he wouldn’t screw up, because if he did, not only would he lose his body, he would lose his system, and possibly the identity of the Innkeeper. If that happened, he might also end up losing everyone inside the Inn, and that wasn’t acceptable.
Lex turned his attention from himself to his surroundings. More importantly, he looked at River, who was a walking, talking template for a main character from a low-quality chinese Fortunately for him, low-quality writing template main characters had tremendous plot armor - and Lex wouldn’t mind getting his hands on some of that right now.
In the end, though, Lex could not stop himself from sighing. He supposed this meant he was now supposed to take on the role of the old grandpa - no, eh, the young 25 year old inside the necklace.
Who could have seen that coming?
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