Mason's office is a troubled place.

Ever since the Kite Man reserved this place for him as a testament to Mason's extraordinary identity, the place has suffered strange encounters including but not limited to being blasted, experiencing the Batman invasion, superhero mayhem, and being placed with an Outer Gods.

Tonight, the hapless office experienced another energy blast, and the scattered space-time energy destroyed almost all the furniture that existed here.

The explosion immediately alarmed the bar's security staff.

When more than a dozen 2077 androids dressed as Terrorists kicked open the office door led by Judy and Barbara, they were greeted by an embarrassed Mason sitting cross-legged on the ground with a silver-haired woman lying on her stomach.

This scene made Judy and Barbara look at each other.

Didn't Mason just finish her kissing ceremony with Hallie? Who is this silver-haired woman with a good figure from behind?

Good Mason!

Looks innocent and actually plays a game of stepping on two boats, right?

I should have let Harley let the dog bite you to death!

"I know what you're thinking, but it's not a case of you thinking about it, this is my colleague who can't explain anything right now, let's get out.

Don't disturb the rest of the conversation. ”

Mason looked at the wonderful expressions on Judy and Barbara's faces and knew that the two sisters had begun to stage a "little theater of rape" in their minds, and he sighed and drove them and the android elite guards out, and then helped Ciri, who was gasping in his arms.

Mr. Reckless Hunter is really out of luck this time.

She was inflicted [Wisdom Punishment] almost made her brain mess into a pot of porridge, but fortunately she didn't belong to the scheming role, so it was just the sequelae of sore skulls and numbness all over her body.

If the old black Falk man was hit head-on just now, given the activity of his brain, which is full of hearts and dark secrets, it is estimated that he will become an idiot on the spot.

This made Mason have to sigh, this thing given by the warlock is really TM evil.

"I've seen that thing."

Ciri, who was being supported to sit on the half-torn sofa, rubbed her head and made a grunting sound, and pointed to the Starry Sky Eye Disc that fell to the ground and said:

"That's a strange thing that the warlock found a few years ago when he was exploring a dark sea of stars, why is it in your hands? Mason! Tell me honestly, did you defect to the Warlock's side? ”

"It's complicated."

Mason picked up the disc and looked at the crack on it with some distress.

This thing is powerful, but its fragile body is its biggest weakness, and it can make cracks when it is smashed on the ground, and if it is punched hard, it will definitely be shattered.

This is also the result of Mason adding the [Rugged] trait to it.

He grabbed the wreckage of the twisted metal display rack at hand, and the magic fire turned it into a sturdier sealed protective table before putting the disc back in.

"I was going to ask you to take me around the secret treasure trove of the Star Castle and help me choose a treasure to hide, but you were on a 'business trip' so I had to find it myself.

It was a real accident to meet the Warlock on the way, and I don't know what kind of mentality he gave me this.

Don't you say this thing is pretty good, even you've been so embarrassed, it seems I don't have to worry about me being raided by Doctor Fate in this half-plane. ”

Mason knew that his boss loved coffee, so he took a handful of coffee beans out of his bag and used the ingredients to make a coffee machine on the spot to make drinks.

While he was busy, he said jokingly:

"What? Finally done with a business trip? ”

"Can't you just stop talking about it? You bastard, and I'm really on a business trip, and I've just gone to mediate a private fight between two B-Class squads on a war world front.

They each pulled a few hundred servants to prepare for the opening of the film, just because they were fighting for control of a relic of an ancient civilization.

There's really too much like that.

Compared to them, you are a good employee who follows the rules. ”

Ciri is going to have a headache to death, and he really doesn't have the energy to fight with Mason anymore.

She leaned back on the sofa and wiped the blood from her nostrils, although she looked embarrassed, but with the strength and vitality of the Great Mentor, she would not even be a minor injury.

It's just a headache

"Why are you angry?"

Mason quickly made a steaming cup of coffee and brought it to Healy, and he asked:

"Wasn't it okay before?"

"Who was that woman next to you when you were communicating before?"

The Hunter asked:

"Did you know that having a third person while we're talking will reveal my identity? You really don't respect me at all, Mason. ”

"That's Hallie."

Mason felt that Heri's anger was definitely not just because of the revealing of his identity, but he explained it anyway:

"It's my new team member and girlfriend."

"Huh?"

Ciri, who had just taken a sip of coffee, instantly narrowed her eyes, making Mason feel cold, but the next moment, Miss Hunter said in a strange tone:

"Halle Quinn, the famous assistant of Zhou Keer, is an evil crazy beauty, and she is also among the best among the famous neurotics of the entire parallel world system.

Turns out you like this genre?

Tsk, Mason, you're a bit weird, and I'm starting to wonder if you're not in your right mind. ”

"Hallie's mental state is indeed unstable, but I think having me by her side will ease her condition, but I don't think you're coming all the way here to talk to me about Harley's problems, right?"

Mason erected the chair that had been blown open and was lame, sat on it himself, and took out the medical kit to help Heery clean up the bandaged and bleeding arm, and said:

"Are you worried that my meeting with Lao A will expose your current movements? Don't worry, I just spoke to him, it was very deep, and he made it clear to me.

He wanted to prove to me that they weren't a bunch of bugs who sat back and watched bad things happen, and he revealed to me that he did have big plans. ”

"They've always had, and they've had a clear goal."

Seeing that Mason was talking about business, Ciri also became serious, and she said to Mason:

"That's why I haven't been able to make up my mind to break away from them, and I admit that I'm easily swayed by such grand goals, but after thinking about it all this time, I realized that I wasn't really seduced by the ideals described by Old A.

He should have talked to you about the establishment of the Council of Hope.

In the early days before the Stars took shape, we did do some really good things, and he proved that his ideas worked.

Especially the aid to another A-class world before the first impact, which was the first big transfer operation we undertook, and I was involved in it with my parents.

I still remember that scene vividly.

Oh, by the way, that transfer took place in the swordsman's home world.

And"

Ciri bowed her head, sighed, and said:

"My parents trusted him until that happened. Although he was not comparable in age to the witcher, there was a time when I did consider him an elder. ”

"Lao A has a feasible plan and ambitious goals, and it has nothing to do with whether he is a good person or not."

Mason said, while tying the bandage into a cute bow:

"I still don't trust him, for the same reasons as before. He can sacrifice many people for his goals, including us, of course.

He didn't even hide his utilitarianism, admitting that he met with me because Team K had found something valuable.

Plus, I signed this with him. ”

He handed Ciri the note that Old A had written when he left, and the latter took it in his hand and looked at it and frowned, and said:

"Find a real way to fight the destruction of the world before the fourth impact, and if you can't do it, you will honestly obey his command and carry out his plan.

You're too adventurous, Mason.

With so many smart people in the fox's nest unable to find a solution, why do you think you can solve this problem that is causing everyone a headache in a year at most? ”

"First of all, to correct a point, I don't need to address the shock."

Mason stretched out his finger and shook it, saying:

"I just need to find a way to save both worlds at the same time when the impact happens, and it's not as scary as you think. Secondly, do you think that with Lao A's style, he will honestly abide by this contract that has no coercive effect at all?

No!

He won't.

So neither will I. ”

"You're trying to stabilize him?"

Ciri reacted immediately, she said:

"So that he doesn't find you something to do in secret?"

"Pretty much."

Mason rubbed his forehead and said:

"He has a thousand times more resources than we do, and if he insists on 'knocking' me, even if he just has an idea, it will be enough for me to achieve nothing in the future.

Making this little contract, which is like a game for him, can really buy us a little bit of freedom and time.

At the same time, that quote from Steve Rogers reminded me.

If I want to convince you, and convince others to do this with me, I can't just tell you that Quint is going to be bad, I have to come up with evidence that will convince you.

I mean, I've gotten some before, but maybe not enough to convince you to stand on my side. ”

"It's not like that I don't have faith in you."

Ciri took a sip of her coffee.

She glanced at the messy office, and after a moment of hesitation, she decided to tell Mason something that really mattered.

"Follow me."

Ciri propped herself up, put on her starry mask and robe again, and motioned for Mason to follow her out of the half-dimensional area of the Eye of the Starry Sky, before waving her hand to open a silver arc of light that led to the unknown.

She walked in, followed by Mason.

In the next moment, the two entered an unfamiliar area, which did not seem like a complete world, as the infinite reflection of the starry sky was reflected around it.

The starlight shone all around, reflecting the strange land suspended in the invisible place under the feet of the two of them.

It was like a dilapidated and strange temple, the main body of which had been broken and scattered all around, and it was suspended here under the support of some kind of force.

Mason stopped where he was, looking at the sea of stars around him, and Ciri looked back at him after a few seconds, and said suspiciously:

"Let's go! What are you doing here? ”

"This starry sky. I've seen it! ”

Mason stopped at the entrance, looking at the starlight above his head and stroking the devil tattoo on his left hand.

He said to Ciri:

"After I joined the Stars, I came to this area in a trance when I was asking for power through tattoos! That's right, I can't be mistaken, here it is.

The endless sea of empty stars seems to be pregnant with endless darkness. ”

"It's not surprising that every member of the Star Society who has taken 'power' from His Excellency Destiny has seen the sea of stars here."

Ciri sighed and said:

"That process is the symbolic manifestation of the deep contract you have made with it, which means that you are also the 'candle' that helps it burn, but I didn't bring you here just for the stars.

Follow me, be careful, don't go wrong. ”

The hunter leads the way, Mason follows, and it seems to be empty, but in fact Mason can sense something rather strange "something" in the invisible.

As long as he takes a wrong step, he will be greeted with the peep and capture of those things.

"That's it ahead."

After ten minutes of walking, the two reached the depths of this special area, which is completely incapable of outlining its form of existence with conventional spatial perception.

In front of me was a dark cavern that seemed to swallow up all light.

"Follow me!"

Ciri took a deep breath and released a spell at Mason to dissipate his breath, then reached out and held Mason's hand, and the cold of Ciri's fingers made Mason raise an eyebrow.

She's scared.

This discovery gave young people a hunch that what they were going to see next was anything but unusual.

Under Ciri's tutelage, Mason stepped into the dim place in front of her with her, and once he entered the black curtain cavern, all perception was instantly blocked.

He can't see, he can't hear, he can't smell.

Even his own mind seemed to be gradually frozen, and only the fingers in his hands were clenched to carry him forward like a guiding lamp.

Time seemed to be distorted, and he had no idea how long it had passed, and he had finally crossed the cave and stood on the edge of a suspended cliff, and Ciri was already out of breath in front of him.

She sheltered Mason from where he shouldn't have been, which meant that all the pressure on Mason had been borne by her.

"See?"

She pointed to the large space below and asked Mason.

The young man stood beside Ciri and looked down but couldn't see anything, only a fog blocked his vision, and as Ciri waved his hand, the fog dissipated, and a "starlight" appeared in front of Mason's eyes.

The sparkling flames lit up the entire area in front of him, and if you looked closely, there were delicate stone pillars scattered throughout the hollow land, and on each stone pillar there were points of light burning.

Candle!

That's what candles are.

Mason understood instantly.

The place where Ciri had brought him was the same place where His Excellency had stored the candle of his power, and the burning fire in front of him was like a starlight in the darkness.

But it makes people's hairs stand on end.

His fingers tightened, and Ciri noticed the action, and Mr. Hunter pointed high and whispered:

"Look, your candle is there."

Mason looked up, and in the candle flame of the strange stone platform suspended in the height, he clearly felt his own fire fluttering there.

It is inconspicuous among tens of thousands of candles.

"What about yours?"

He withdrew his gaze and asked, but Ciri didn't answer.

But the mood of the two is absolutely the same at this moment, they are here looking at the candle flames all over the mountains in front of them, and a sense of powerlessness rises in their hearts.

"Every fire here can give it a second life, and our burning will give it strength."

Ciri whispered:

"Every B-class member is brought into this place when they decide to participate in the A-rank promotion, they know the truth here, and there have been people who have resisted.

Their candles were extinguished.

Mason, you asked me what the hell I wanted to do. ”

She raised her hand and pointed to the tens of thousands of sparks floating in front of her.

She said:

"I took some time to rethink my thoughts, I was sure I wanted to destroy this place, I was sure I wanted to see the stars fall, I was sure I wanted my parents' souls in heaven to rest in peace.

More than once I wanted to go down and blow out those candles.

But I can't.

There is a price to be a great guru, and my existence is that price.

I am almost one with it, it sleeps for many years because it carries too much divinity, and the three gurus are its lair guards. If you want to hurt it, you'll have to kill us first.

I have not made up my mind to do these things with you, not only because I doubt you, but because I am not ready to die heroically.

The truth is, I'm not as brave as I thought. ”

"Is that so?"

Mason understood, pursed his lips, and said:

"So I've been forcing you to die, so every time I ask for it, it's definitely putting you under a lot of pressure, right?"

"I'm not afraid of death, Mason."

Ciri stared at the burning candles in front of her, and she replied to the question:

"I'm just afraid that my sacrifice is meaningless, so I want to remind you that if you really want to destroy the stars, please be prepared.

When that day comes, I'll be cold enough to kill my companion and give you my heart.

But you only get one chance.

You have to win!

I brought you here today because I finally figured out that thing, about your question, about my answer, maybe I and Lao A are really not all the way.

I don't have the intelligence to peer into the hope of finishing the impact, and I don't have that much patience to wait for the stars to get back on track.

As Barbara said, as the days passed, I lost my courage day by day

I've been putting on this revenge for too long. ”

After saying that, Ciri put her hand on Mason's shoulder, and she showed a weak smile and said firmly:

"You want me to be your buddy, you want me to be a supernumerary member of Team K, you've got what you want, Mason, between them and you, I'm starting to trust you.

But we had to come up with a foolproof solution!

I know it's hard."

"This goes beyond the definition of difficult."

Mason stared at the burning sea of candles in front of him, each dancing candle flame representing a life, he took a deep breath and squeezed Ciri's hand.

He said:

"But I'll do it! Your trust is so heavy that I dare not live up to it."

(End of chapter)