The gentlemen in the rain continued forward, and a woman appeared at the end of the path between the tombstones.
She held a red umbrella in her right hand and a bouquet of flowers in her left, squatting before a newly erected tombstone. The woman had faded, whitish-brown hair and was dressed in thick autumn clothes, with a red scarf around her neck that looked very warm. Her hair was in a simple braid, and she appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, but upon closer inspection, there was a strange sense of agedness about her.
The woman's location was not on the direct path of Xia De and the Psychologist, separated from the path by a stretch of grass. But Xia De still stopped. The Psychologist glanced at the woman placing flowers before the tombstone:
"A friend?"
"Not exactly, just someone I know. Psychologist, wait for me."
"No problem."
So, one black umbrella stood on the path watching the autumn rain, while another umbrella walked towards Marilyn Handel.
Joey Barton's soul stood beside the woman, gazing at the tombstone, and quickly noticed Xia De's arrival. He said nothing, but turned and nodded slightly to Xia De. Xia De walked over and saw the name on the tombstone:
"Joey Desmond Barton"
"Died in the late autumn of 1853"
"For Beloved"
It wasn't until Xia De approached that Marilyn Handel realized someone was walking in the rain. She put down the bouquet of flowers and hastily wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes:
"Mr. Hamilton."
There were some almost imperceptible grey lines on her face, symbols of the death curse.
"Haven't left Tobesk yet?"
"Train in two hours. We plan to go to Carson Rick for the winter."
Xia De nodded, looking at the simple tombstone, which only bore a name and a year of death. The elegant script of "For Beloved" probably served as the epitaph:
"I didn't expect you to erect a tombstone here."
He said softly.
"Although he is with me forever, I still need to commemorate him to show that he once existed..."
Marilyn Handel was dressed very warmly and looked somewhat frail, with pale lips being the most obvious sign.
"A tombstone is good too; at least it leaves a trace."
Xia De nodded, took out his business card from his pocket, and handed it to Marilyn Handel:
"If you encounter difficulties that you truly cannot resolve, you can write to me."
He didn't agree with Joey Barton's actions, but Marilyn Handel had no grievances with him:
"I wish you a smooth journey."
"And I wish you a happy life."
Marilyn Handel bowed slightly to Xia De, then left with her umbrella. Xia De stood before Joey Barton's tombstone, watching her retreating figure, then saw Mr. Barton's soul turn and wave goodbye to him.
From beginning to end, Xia De did not communicate with Joey Barton. After all, there was nothing left to say.
On Wednesday night, Jialinna received some information about the Chosen One from Barton. In return, she gave a bearer check to Marilyn Handel, who had just been resurrected and was penniless. Xia De had no idea where this woman, burdened with a sinful soul and a death curse, would go next, but they were certainly on the path to redeeming their souls.
For those souls, and for themselves.
"She has already become a Ring術士."
The voice by his ear murmured in the rain, and Marilyn Handel's figure gradually blurred in the rain. Xia De reached out and touched Barton's tombstone. His tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he suddenly smiled, then turned and returned to the path, reuniting with the Psychologist.
The Psychologist did not ask about the identity of the person just now. After reuniting with Xia De, he continued walking forward, resuming their conversation:
"The Hamilton Detective at your home also said that all mortals must die; no one can escape it."
Xia De nodded slightly:
"But some people leave, come back, and then don't want to leave."
This referred to Count Darak.
"But some people leave and never want to look back."
This referred to Sparrow Hamilton Detective, who seemed to have shed all burdens.
"But some people would rather come back, just to redeem another soul."
This referred to Marilyn Handel, who had just left.
The Psychologist shook his head, offering no comment:
"Isn't this the story of life? Other people's lives, other people's stories, other people's choices. You are a passerby in their lives, witnessing others' stories to write your own."
Xia De sighed, and the Psychologist continued in a light tone:
"Not only do mortals eventually die, but even all things have a day when they face an end. This is the rule of this world. Although it is ruthless and cruel, it is fair."
The Psychologist gave an example:
"For example, I don't want my boots to last forever; that way, I'd have no excuse to buy new ones."
"Actually, even if the boots aren't broken, you can still buy new ones... Never mind, that's not important."
After bidding farewell to Marilyn Handel, Xia De felt a little better for some reason:
"But it is indeed a good thing that all things have a beginning and an end. The world is not static; some come, some go. This is a dynamic Balance, and it is truly fair."
The Psychologist agreed deeply:
"Just like you and Sparrow Hamilton. That Hamilton Detective left, and you came. Perhaps our City truly needs a Hamilton Detective!"
The blue-eyed Psychologist joked, and Xia De also smiled as he looked at the autumn rain:
"Although you all call me a Detective, this autumn, I haven't completed many proper commissions. I plan to rest well in Tobesk during the winter and expand my career plan so as not to be so busy."
Although a Ring術士 earns much more than an ordinary Detective, the identity of a Detective is essential for an Outsider to live in the civilized world. Even if he earned less or had to pay pounds, he couldn't abandon it.
"Winter is coming again, and this is also the end of the year. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, it has always been this way."
The Psychologist nodded.
"Winter has arrived; can spring be far behind?"
Xia De said, then realized it was a poem from his hometown world. Unfortunately, he only remembered this one line; otherwise, when Angelina invited him to a salon, he could have written it down to prove he wasn't illiterate.
"So, are you?"
Her voice chuckled in the rain. Xia De thought for a moment:
"Of course. Even if I have an intimate relationship with a famous Writer, the cultural level of this body is still 'Sparrow Hamilton Detective's tutoring' level."
He slowed his pace because they had finally arrived at Mr. Sparrow Hamilton's resting place. The Psychologist stopped first, letting Xia De go forward to clear the wet fallen leaves from the tombstone.
The Outsider crouched slightly, running his left hand over the cold, damp stone surface of the tombstone, thinking of many things in the moment. It had been nearly half a year since he arrived in this world in the midsummer of common era 1853. The Outsider had changed a lot, but the Detective still rested here.
Raindrops struck the umbrella, and rainwater slid down the tombstone, finally falling into the deep autumn soil. In this atmosphere, Xia De wanted to say a few appropriate words, but they caught in his throat.
But fortunately, the Outsider still had a friend in this world:
"The loyal Sparrow Hamilton rests here."
Bill Schneider said, standing behind Xia De:
"Forever loyal, he persevered for his duty until the very last moment."
Xia De stood up, took a step back, and stood with the Psychologist in the rain, looking at the letters on the tombstone.
"At this moment, he rests here. Even if he cannot return to his hometown, his soul has found peace."
Although only a few short sentences, they perfectly expressed Xia De's feelings:
"Psychologist, you could actually try submitting articles to newspapers."
He said with a smile.
"Oh, Detective, don't joke with me. Where would I get the literary talent of Louisa? Though, when I was young, I did consider a career as a Writer or a civil servant."
And so Bill Schneider became a very successful Psychologist.
After joking, Xia De, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his umbrella, suddenly asked softly:
"Psychologist, since all mortals must die, and all things in the world have an end, will this world also have a day when it reaches its end? Not destroyed by some conspiracy, nor by forces we cannot imagine, but truly just naturally reaching its end."
He asked this question because of Sister Devlin's statement that "the fire has gradually gone out," and because Mr. Edmund of the Order of the Guiding Light often mentioned things like the destruction of the world to Xia De. He was uncertain if and when the end of the world would come, and this became his new secret to uncover.
The Psychologist was silent for a moment, listening to the rain and thinking carefully:
"I think it probably will, but I can't imagine such a scene. The destruction of the old world will lead to the birth of a new world; that much I can confirm."
Xia De nodded, wanting to ask what they would do if the end of the world was next year. But then he thought about the question and felt ridiculous, so he shook his head:
"What you just said is very true: all mortals must die. Although the end is destined, one can find ways to extend the length and make life more meaningful. If the world will also eventually come to an end, I think there will surely be many people who will pay the price to extend the life of the world, making our world more meaningful, right?"
The Psychologist shrugged, noncommittal, and instead brought up another matter:
"Speaking of which, I think we forgot to buy flowers and came here empty-handed. Let's ask at the small chapel over there; I think they should have fresh flowers."
"My house is actually full of flowers, enough to fill a living room..."
Then the scene from last night popped into his mind again. Xia De quickly chased those images out of his head; now was not the time to think about that:
"Wait, I have a flower."
He said, reaching into his pocket, pausing, and then pulling out a slightly wilted white flower.
This was the last flower he bought from a little girl on the street in Middlesburg, but it wasn't a rose; it was a rare white Lyon Orchid, a subspecies of orchid that blooms in autumn when planted in spring, known for its full petals.
"See, the last flower has also found its owner."
Xia De said to "her" in his mind, bending down to place the orchid on the ground before the tombstone. But before the flower touched the ground, he straightened up, looking hesitantly at the white flower in his hand:
"Breath of Years."
With a slight inhalation, a gray current flowed from the flower and entered his nose. Under the Psychologist's gaze, the bouquet slowly transformed from a flower into a single seed.
"Unable to change the ultimate death, but at least capable of extending the process, making life more meaningful... This flower, if left here, would soon wither, but..."
Xia De summoned Moonlight Greatsword and dug a small pit in the damp soil beside the tombstone, placing the seed inside. He then used his finger to leave a growth-promoting Ling Rune in the soil, before burying the finger-mark and the seed together:
"I hope a flower will grow here next spring."
The Psychologist nodded:
"It will. When spring comes next year, I'll come and see it with you again."
Having done all this, Xia De stood up and, with the Psychologist, stood on either side of the tombstone, holding their umbrellas and gazing at the letters on the tombstone.
Raindrops pattered, falling to the ground and splashing tiny droplets. The late autumn rain played a light yet sorrowful melody between heaven and earth, just like the people sleeping here, leaving lightly, leaving behind thoughts and blessings.
The cemetery in the rain resembled an old oil painting with cold tones, and the backs of Xia De and the Psychologist were frozen in the center of this painting. Xia De didn't know what the Psychologist was thinking, but he thought of his actions throughout the autumn in Middlesburg, of the diverse people, diverse souls, and diverse events.
Finally, he thought of the seed he had buried in the soil, which was like him saving Grace and Helen, and like Joey Barton finding Marilyn Handel. None of them could grant anyone immortality, but they all made life longer, more meaningful, and gave them a chance to face the next spring.
Of course, what Xia De did would not lead to disaster.
Listening to the rain tugging at his heartstrings, the slightly cold wind brought the chill of late autumn. The damp air was so real, so real that one felt as if they could reach out and touch the departing autumn of Tobesk.
All mortals must die; he could not change this, but that dying flower had indeed regressed into a seed, awaiting the next spring.
"Say something."
In the rain, her voice sounded on time:
"sixth epoch, common era 1853, autumn, withered leaf month. As the late autumn rain falls at your feet, the slightly cold wind cannot carry away the present longing. The living cling to their beloved, yet do not know that all mortals must die; the deceased sacrifice willingly, unaware that all things have an end. Sinful and noble souls, bearing curses, journey far, while the primal flame ignites new power. On the stage of unknowable fate, two Red Butterfly accompany you in flight. The third act ends, but you who have stepped into death—Outsider, do you truly understand what ultimate death is?"
"Isn't that description of the Red Butterfly a bit strange?"
Xia De asked, but received no answer.
"However, all things have... an end."
He pondered this sentence in the rain, feeling as if he had touched upon a deeper power. The Founding·Death in his pocket glowed faintly, and the Psychologist suddenly turned his head, seemingly seeing a massive golden scythe flash behind Xia De, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing:
"Another hallucination... Why did I say 'another'?"
This rain would likely last a long time. Autumn would end, and winter would soon begin. Whether Xia De liked it or not, death and time were equally fair.
Only she chuckled in the slightly cold rain:
"Outsider, you have gained new power."
(End of Volume)
