He stood in place for a long time until Yuanyuan tugged at his sleeve.

"Let's go, no need to think about those... things that can't be changed anymore," Yuanyuan said. "Art needs to be perfect, but life doesn't. You've accomplished more than expected, achieved what's beyond even the Deity's imagination. No need to look back. Let's go... on a holiday."

She smiled, her fingers tightened.

There was an exceptionally clear smile on her face.

"Do you remember the game of life?"

"Now, you have the possibility of happiness."

...

[You have walked through: over 25 years. Providing you information related to B or C.]

...

"Ding dong!"

[You have received content tips regarding the "Eleventh World."]

[World Elements: Genesis, Demon, Elves, Dragon Clan, Blood Clan, Insect Race, Tarot, Battle Royale, Multi-line Operation, Lighthouse Jellyfish, Supreme Mother Goddess, Death and End, Single-Electron Double-Slit Interference.]

[Good luck, Lord.]

...

Lights lit up one by one in the houses along the street, and the sea breeze stirred the drying clothes.

Small boats sliced across the lake, skimming past the densely packed red-tiled houses. People carried fish as they walked over the cobbled streets, shouting about today's catch.

Jiang Yin crouched down, picking up the dried fish outside the door.

She wore a large straw hat to shield against the slanting sunset, even in the evening, the sun was still fierce. She tossed the dried fish into the bamboo basket, her glossy black braids swaying, paired with clear black eyes, deeply set features, and ruby red lips, exuding an elfish aura, roughly in her early twenties.

At this moment, a small boat rowed past the canal in front of her house, and a dark-skinned fisherman shouted, "Yin, come to your shop tomorrow to get the cloth!"

"Old Lin, do you want the red one? Or the blue one?" Jiang Yin shouted as she looked up, "The blue one compliments your sister-in-law's skin. The red one is also very popular lately, many young girls like it, maybe your Qianqian would like it!"

The fisherman turned back, waving his hand, "The white one! Guang Mingli is coming soon, and my family is going to the Church of Light to offer cloth, for the God! You decide, make it good!"

"Okay!" Jiang Yin responded and mentally noted: Old Lin the fisherman by the Brow Wu River... needs two bolts of white cloth... got it, remembered.

The aunty from the tavern by the Selevy River... wants three bolts of red cloth... for the family's worship clothes for the God... then, the sailor Little Liu from Tello District... needs one bolt each of yellow and white cloth... also for the upcoming Guang Mingli, to offer to the God...

"The annual Guang Mingli, the grandest festival... I have to remember clearly, can't offend the God..." she muttered to herself.

The blood-red sunset elongated her slender shadow, casting long patches of shadow on the cyan stone slabs.

She carried the fish basket toward the three or four-story building, the vermilion eaves reflecting the sunset's blood-red light. This was the cloth shop of her family, passed down through two generations, from her parents to her. In this coastal city, transport relied on boats, and the cloth shop was a gathering place for people. At this moment, the shop was crowded with people coming and going, all carrying poles and bamboo baskets and greeting her with smiles.

A girl with a ponytail suddenly ran over, jumping on her shoulder.

"Yi Qin! Don't overturn my fish basket!" Jiang Yin was startled, it was her childhood friend, seemingly extra cheerful today.

Yi Qin pulled her into the room, weaving around the layers of cloth hanging on the wall, mysteriously saying, "Yin, I heard there's a helper living in your store? Your cloth shop has always been family-run, why hire an outsider?"

"Huh? How do you know about this?" Jiang Yin was bewildered.

A few days ago, she spotted a young man sitting alone on the eaves, gazing into the distant sea. She thought he was a thief but noticed he had fair skin and different aura from their seaside residents, like someone from the Upper Town. As she was about to speak, the young man asked if there was a place to stay.

Maybe she was enchanted by his beautiful eyes, she immediately said, "Stay at my place!" Right after saying it, she regretted. The cloth shop was big, but they never took outsiders to stay, and she had just set this precedent...

However, since the young man moved in, he remained quiet. She didn't mind, as the shop was large, having one more person didn't matter.

But... how did Yi Qin know about it?

Yi Qin glanced at the customers picking cloth in the shop, winking, "Why do you think business has been booming lately? It's because of that outsider in your house!"

"What's that got to do with him?" Jiang Yin followed Yi Qin in confusion.

She hadn't been to this side of the shop for a while, as it's managed by the family staff. Seeing that, she realized the young man was still sitting on the eaves, legs swinging in the air, quietly watching the distant sea and boats.

From this height, one could take in the entire view of Ocean City, see the crisscrossing rivers and small boats, and even the church in the distance. The sea breeze flicked the young man's black hair like a seagull in flight, and his brilliant golden eyes admired the sunset, blending into a stunning red-gold color.

The shop entrance was crowded with young girls, and even some older aunties. They seemed to be picking cloth, but their eyes kept drifting to the young man on the eaves, cheeks slightly flushed, whispering to each other.

"..."

Jiang Yin finally understood why people kept asking, intentionally or unintentionally, if she was engaged.

...This outsider living in her house, not working, just sitting there, with such handsome looks, seemed like a husband entering her household. Moreover, this guy even slightly resembled the sculpture of the Deity in the church, no wonder people liked coming to her house to order dresses.

"...Hey." Jiang Yin's cheeks turned a bit red, "Up there."

Su Rin lowered his head, gazing at her indifferently.

He pulled out several silver coins, an amount large enough to be tempting, "This is the cost for my recent lodging."

"It's not about that, I'm saying... you should clarify!" Jiang Yin frowned, she couldn't handle it anymore. This guy was too good-looking, practically ruining her reputation! When did her family start taking grooms? She's still young, even if he is handsome...

No matter how handsome, it's still...

Actually, it's...it could be...

"Clarify... what?" A slight confusion appeared in his golden eyes. Seeing these spring-faced aunties below, he suddenly realized. He was too absorbed in the scenery, didn't notice these people, "Then I shall clarify..."

"Wait—wait!" A sudden unwillingness popped up in Jiang Yin's heart, as she gazed at those sparkling golden eyes. Under the sunset, the young man's features were even deeper, like gold-sculpted jade carving.

She couldn't help blushing, flailing her hands, loudly saying, "Never mind! Just leave it like that! Just leave it like that!"

Not knowing what she was doing, but it seemed like a voice inside told her... might as well let it be.

If not for a soft feeling causing chaos in her heart, why else would she let someone stay in her home?

She blushed, coughed, "You... thank you for attracting business for my family, from now on your lodging, won't cost anything."

She swallowed the words that followed. Actually, she wanted to say... staying forever is also fine.

Su Rin said: "I didn't attract business for your family."

Jiang Yin said: "They came because of you, which counts as attracting business."

"It's a normal phenomenon, not attracting," Su Rin's eyes flashed a trace of nostalgia that Jiang Yin couldn't understand, as if he was reminiscing about something: "It used to be like this often."

Jiang Yin snorted: "What do you mean used to be? Such a young man, pretending to be deep, looks like he's two years younger than me. So young, but acting nostalgic like an old man."

The young man with golden eyes had a faint expression, seemingly indifferent to her words. He turned his head again to look at the constant scenery.

... Jiang Yin had grown tired of those views over the last twenty years. Just blue skies, sapphire seas, crisscrossing rivers, fishing boats, churches, the Royal City—what's so great about them... This person managed to watch them for days on end, truly a strange character. Jiang Yin pouted, dragging Yi Qin away.

Until the sunset descended, distant fishing boats lit warm lamps, the river reflecting shimmering waves, fishermen collecting nets singing simple yet resonant songs. Jiang Yin tallied today's sales, closed the door, locked up, and looked up—only to find the young man still sitting on the roof, unchanged in position.

... Is this guy made of wood?

Jiang Yin wondered if such a person was suitable for a suitor. But she quickly slapped herself awake... What am I thinking? The table doesn't even have one leg!

"Hey." She didn't know the young man's name, so she could only call out.

Su Rin lowered his gaze, eyes seeming empty, as if looking at Jiang Yin, yet not really seeing her, as if her figure held countless shadows.

She climbed two or three steps up the rope ladder, sat beside him, and after watching for a moment confirmed... sure enough, this guy was looking at the most ordinary scenery. Yet such a scene of fishermen coming and going, casting and collecting nets... he managed to watch for days.

"Is this scenery really that captivating?" Jiang Yin shook her glossy black braid, asking in bewilderment.

"...Mm." Su Rin responded softly.

"You must not have seen anything more magnificent! That's why you treat ordinary scenery like treasure." Jiang Yin shook her head, feeling a bit sympathetic, and couldn't help but talk at length: "When I was a child, I went out to sea with my uncle. Let me tell you, far away there's a vast, vast Empire. It has beautiful glass stones, glowing Luminous Pearls, and fabric that feels smooth, called silk! Cabinets that play pictures, and boxes that make sound with a touch..."

She wasn't actually well-traveled, but she shared every bit of her limited experience.

The young man listened quietly.

"Ah, sailing... are you interested? My uncle has many ships and a lot of nautical charts and ship construction diagrams, so complex, lots of formulas and numbers! You've definitely never seen them..." Jiang Yin's cheeks were flushed, possibly from the sun, her dark braid swaying.

"... No need, this is good enough." Su Rin said.

"Ah? Many interesting sights you haven't seen yet, let me take you to explore..." The girl was enthusiastic.

"I've seen them." Su Rin said faintly: "I've already... seen everything. Every corner, every event, every person... their birth, growth, marriage, offspring, death... I've remembered them all."

Jiang Yin was stunned for a moment, realizing this guy was truly boasting.

"I don't believe it. Such boring scenes, yet you've watched them for so long..." Jiang Yin grumbled.

They sat for a long time. Jiang Yin kept talking about her experiences, though mostly fishermen's bragging rather than firsthand accounts, some entirely inaccurate, some fantastical. But she cherished them like diamonds, cautiously offering them to Su Rin.

And he continuously gazed at the distant scene with an almost peaceful, gentle expression.

Until he saw a small boat floating on the river in the distance... Su Ming'an and Yuanyuan, sitting on the boat.

Su Rin didn't expect to see Su Ming'an here, in Heavenly Era year 35, in a common ocean city. By rights, Su Ming'an shouldn't be here.

"Is that so." Su Rin murmured softly: "You're also... vacationing? You've discovered... this place is most like Pulaya."

A thousand years ago, a thousand years after.

Things change, seas shift, yet the most reminiscent places remain, like an Eternal imprint. A desolate heart finds similar peace in the long-floating sea mist.

Because he loves this land profoundly.

Even if it's an unreachable homeland.

"And that particularly delicious tea, I had it once outside the Empire, really want to taste it again..." Jiang Yin's mouth kept on babbling.

"I can teach you how to make better tea," Su Rin said.

"Mm... Ah!?" Jiang Yin's face lit up with excitement: "You can brew tea, huh? My family took on the task of making tea for Guang Mingli, in a few days we'll divide it amongst everyone, making thousands of cups! But we've tried many times, the tea just doesn't taste good... You can make it? Wonderful! I'm sure the God of Heaven City will be pleased!"

She instinctively wanted to hug Su Rin's shoulders, the emotions of Ocean City's people are always warm and sincere, yet Su Rin dodged.

His eyes fluctuated slightly as if he finally found a hint of vivid joy.

"Is the tea something you developed yourself?" Jiang Yin asked.

"My... family."

"Would your family get upset if you taught us?"

"It's okay, because you also count as..."

Su Rin didn't finish his sentence.

Jiang Yin didn't care about his words, she immediately gathered everyone around to learn tea making.

Ocean City's nights don't feature the Soul Clan, after fishing everyone drinks and chats. Jiang Yin brought the tea leaves and asked Su Rin what name the tea should have.

"..." Su Rin's eyebrows relaxed, complex emotions flowed in his eyes. He lowered his eyes, then suddenly smiled:

"Te Ni Tea."

"If it tastes good, every year's Guang Mingli will use it as festival tea... let it be passed down."

If possible,

Until...

A thousand years later.

Please carry it on.

...

Su Ming'an walked into the Church of Light.

This ocean city is remote, the Holy Alliance Army doesn't manage it, it has no strategic value, so the deity's image hasn't been diligently erased.

He wore a cloak, concealing his face, seeing the statue inside the church - it was his likeness.

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