Grin wanted to see Dolores.
Deep down, he knew the current Dolores was a completely different person from the “Dolores” in his memories. This was because the current Dolores lacked the experiences that had shaped her personality. However, no matter what, Grin still harbored extremely complex feelings for “Dolores.”
He had been in the Ancestral Land for almost 10 hours. Time passed much faster in the Dreamscape than in reality, though he couldn’t tell if the “fast” part was his conversation with Doroth or his memories while avoiding the storm.
It was now early morning.
After walking for a while down a marble-paved corridor, Grin spotted a familiar figure.
“Viseliane, what are you doing here?”
Grin was somewhat surprised that she would leave Dolores’s side.
“The Princess just fell asleep, so I came out to get something to eat… Don’t worry, I set up a magic circle to maintain a lookout.”
Viseliane gave a small bow. Grin didn’t see any issue. The plate Viseliane held contained several pieces of toasted biscuits, and she was currently nibbling on a small piece.
Viseliane invited him to eat with her, placing the plate and biscuits on the railing before leaning back against it. She was over 5 feet 7 inches tall, which made her a bit taller than Dolores, Alberke, or Hilberu. She was even slightly taller than Doroth, yet in front of the 6-foot-7-inch Grin, she still looked like a child. This disparity in body size became even more apparent as he drew closer.
Viseliane continued eating, and Grin, having no reason to refuse, picked up a piece and took a bite. It tasted good, was flawless, and was still warm.
He was also slightly curious about Viseliane, especially after meeting Doroth in the Dreamscape of the Ancestral Land. Mostly, he was curious about what had happened in his past life.
Doroth’s side of things was a very complete and clear line. Starting from Doroth, it went from her meeting Viseliane and Hagel, to her marriage to Felts IV, and then to her disappearance after giving birth to Dolores.
Information about Doroth had been too scarce in his previous life. Even Dolores herself lacked the obsession to seek out the truth. Therefore, Grin hadn’t deliberately looked for it, and he never knew that things related to Doroth would be such vital clues. Even if he had looked, he wouldn’t have found anything.
The most important thing this information gave the current Grin was a way to string together many half-understood pieces of intelligence—which were like scattered beads—using the thread-like clues Doroth provided.
Grin hadn’t tried to solve many of the tragedies that occurred in the Land of Land in his previous life because he lacked an understanding of the “reasons why they happened.” Take the **[Elf’s Last Wish]** he had just obtained. If not for the System Task guiding him to take it, even if Grin had experienced the Soul Plague it would trigger in the future, he wouldn’t have taken it in advance in this life because he didn’t know the full scope of the event.
After all, if he had known that the source of power for the Soul Plague originated from the item **[Elf’s Last Wish]**, he could have traced its origin and found it.
Many events that were shrouded in mist during this period of his previous life—or even for the next dozen years—now had clear outlines in Grin’s mind. Once he used the “Threshold of Touching Divinity” mentioned by Doroth as the ultimate goal for certain people, and combined it with various symbols and legends, then many of the nonsensical things done by organizations and cults in the Land of Land could be explained.
The people hidden behind many disasters now had shadows.
Seeing Viseliane again made Grin think of many things. He had seen Viseliane’s name on the **[Elf’s Last Wish]**. There was no possibility of it being a different person with the same name, as that Elven name had a special mark.
Viseliane was a very special existence, but in his past life, she had died in the Capital far too early, carrying many answers and mysteries with her. After seeing her in person and having a good first impression, Grin felt pity for her past life.
“…”
Viseliane took small bites of her biscuit. She noticed Grin’s gaze observing her. However, unlike Dolores, she wouldn’t speak up to remind him. She simply continued to nibble on her biscuit.
Her presence here was entirely intentional. Just as Grin thought, she would not actively leave Dolores’s side unless there was a very important reason. Thinking about this, Viseliane took a heavy bite of her biscuit.
*Crunch.*
“Viseliane, I met Doroth in the Dreamscape of the Ancestral Land…”
“You… What did you say?”
The half-eaten biscuit in Viseliane’s hand fell to the floor, and her entire body began to tremble slightly.
Grin thought about it carefully. This wasn’t something that needed to be hidden. Viseliane was an insider and a trustworthy companion. Since she cared so much about Doroth, she would surely be happy to hear any news about her.
Grin could probably guess why Felts IV hadn’t told Viseliane. Unlike himself, the King couldn’t cross the Swamp to see Doroth. Communication between them must have been extremely blurry and difficult.
Furthermore, Doroth was clearly hiding things, never mentioning her “disappearance in reality” at all. The current Grin couldn’t guess what she intended to do. Ultimately, what remained in the Ancestral Land was only a portion of her soul. There was wear and tear, and consumption involved. Not to mention, Doroth’s location was so special that communication with the outside world was restricted.
From various perspectives, there was actually no need for Viseliane and Hagel to know. They couldn’t enter the Ancestral Land, and even if they did, it would be difficult to talk to Doroth. Most importantly, they wouldn’t learn what they wanted to know—the whereabouts of the real Doroth—from the Doroth in the Dreamscape.
It would only add to their worries. Additionally, the person controlling access was Felts IV, who harbored feelings no less intense than theirs. So, there was no need for Viseliane and the others to know.
After withholding the vital intelligence involving the secrets of the gods and the Mythical Era, Grin briefly explained Doroth’s situation. He also told Viseliane about the Dreamscape. Since the Doroth in the Dreamscape had seen him landing on the island in another area, there was no need for him to hide it.
Since Felts IV likely knew, there was no point in hiding it from Viseliane. Grin watched as Viseliane’s face lit up with genuine joy. Perhaps out of pity for her early death in the previous life, or perhaps because his love for Dolores extended to those around her, Grin made a suggestion:
“If you want to see her, we can take Dolores with us and enter the Dreamscape when there’s a storm in the regional dream of the Surand Region.”
“Perhaps then she can see you through the storm. After all, what you want right now is likely just to confirm where she is… even if it’s in a dream. And… to confirm that Doroth’s sudden disappearance wasn’t an accident.”
Through Grin’s words, Viseliane could judge for herself that Doroth had expected her own disappearance and situation. It wasn’t a departure without a word. Grin’s words hit the mark perfectly. At the same time, the other party’s proposal was so reasonable and so considerate of her and the Princess.
“What do you think?” Grin instinctively reached out.
But Viseliane bent down as if to avoid him, reaching to pick up the biscuit that had fallen on the floor.
“That… is a good suggestion…”
Viseliane answered somewhat guiltily. When Grin casually picked up another biscuit, her fingers moved imperceptibly a few times. She narrowed her eyes slightly.
‘Grin really is like a clumsy good person. Yes, a good person…’
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