Human beings often grow when they lose their support. Bai Cha knew she couldn't live, for she was the leader. As a shadow, the premise of completing the succession must be death, a rule everyone tacitly abided by.
Lucifer hadn't gone far, for chaos had erupted behind him.
Screams, exclamations. Lucifer had a bad premonition. Turning back, he saw Bai Cha slump softly.
Without a second thought, Lucifer transformed into a mass of black smoke, like a black whirlwind, instantly catching Bai Cha. He pushed everyone aside and held Bai Cha in his arms.
"Master!" Lucifer was startled. Bai Cha had never been so weak, bleeding from all seven orifices, her breath extremely faint.
"Lucifer... take me away."
This single sentence had exhausted all her strength. If not for Bai Cha's weak pulse, Lucifer might have truly believed she had perished. Without hesitation, Lucifer rushed out.
Annoyance and sorrow were left behind. Everything in the new world was so alluring, with the calls of birds, the scent of greenery and sunlight.
Awakening from a dark dream, sunlight streamed into the bedroom from outside the window.
Such clear perception was something Bai Cha had never experienced before. Her damaged heart and broken will could no longer obstruct her emotions. Everything made Bai Cha yearn.
It turned out that what she had longed for was something a normal person could achieve so easily.
Bai Cha sat up in bed. The blanket was a bit thick, and it took her some effort, but she actually smiled, feeling like crying.
The intense discomfort in her body had disappeared. It seemed she had successfully entered the stable period, but her shattered heart still made Bai Cha's steps unsteady.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The door was pushed open.
"Master, Major General Gong is in the reception hall."
Lucifer's expression was as usual. Bai Cha hesitated and tentatively asked, "What did Major General Gong say?"
"Major General Gong said he will wait until you see him," Lucifer replied gently, his tone flat and unremarkable.
Bai Cha nodded. The poison and her damaged heart had almost drained all her strength. Pushing the door open, she frowned upon seeing Gong Yuechen with his hair disheveled.
"You are a Major General, what kind of state is this?" Bai Cha sat down, her tone habitually carrying a hint of reprimand. "You are to help the leaders guide the people. If you fall into chaos, what will happen to Country Z?"
Gong Yuechen remained silent, unsure of what to say.
"You wanted to see me, what is it?" Bai Cha asked again. She felt a bit awkward. Her perception of emotions had become more sensitive, and Gong Yuechen's overwhelming sadness made her restless. "Speak your mind. I'm about to leave, so just say it directly."
"Where... are you going?" Gong Yuechen looked up in surprise, finally speaking his first words.
"Freya and I bought a small island a few years ago. We planned to settle down there after the world competition," Bai Cha paused. "I don't want to stay here anymore."
"Including her share?" Gong Yuechen said glumly.
Bai Cha pursed her lips, a tacit admission.
"Mermaid landing experiment plan, arrangements and development for the shadows, management and personnel changes for the neutral faction, a list of trustworthy personnel from the light faction—a total of twenty-three items... Did you plan all this long ago?" Gong Yuechen murmured.
Bai Cha froze for a moment, instinctively looking back. Seeing that Lucifer was not in the room, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"This is not a plan I gave you. This was originally an outline I drafted for myself. After Freya died, I revised it into two versions. The information accuracy should be over ninety-eight percent," Bai Cha said. "Also... did you tell Lucifer?"
About me being poisoned.
"...No," Gong Yuechen replied quickly. His expression was relaxed, and Bai Cha couldn't discern anything unusual.
"Bai Cha, come back with me for treatment. We have Saint Dragons and the most advanced medical equipment," Gong Yuechen ran a hand through his hair, saying irritably. "Can't you cherish yourself?"
"...Gong Yuechen," Bai Cha said in a low voice. "White Mandragora was discovered and named by you and the light faction. You understand its potency better than I do. I don't want to waste time."
Gong Yuechen: "..."
"Rather than merely surviving, I want to pursue my own endeavors," Bai Cha sighed softly, resting her chin on her hand and smiling faintly. "They were right; I've never grown up. Now I can consider attending to my own matters. A fledgling bird locked in a cage will never grow, will it?"
Not grown up yet, how else do you want to grow?
Gong Yuechen didn't understand. He felt that instead of saying Bai Cha hadn't grown up, it was more like Bai Cha was the opposite of others. Others grew up, while Bai Cha regressed.
"When are you leaving?"
"Now."
Compared to the vast ocean, this floating island was not very large.
The island was not too far from Country Z. After Bai Cha slept, Lucifer had brought her down.
The villa was exquisitely decorated yet not large, its exterior appearing luxurious. The garden's plants and branches were in disarray, but the flowers still bloomed vibrantly. The milky white pebble path was laid neatly, and the color coordination of the furnishings perfectly matched Freya's aesthetic.
Or rather, Freya had excellent taste. When Freya had shown Bai Cha the blueprints, Bai Cha, Meng Qinghuan, and Xiang Nan hadn't found any flaws.
"Ah, speaking of which, there are no cleaning robots here," Bai Cha suddenly realized something and reacted. "Also, this is just an empty shell; there's no furniture."
She had left in too much of a hurry, and Bai Cha lacked life experience. In the Bai family, everything was prepared by someone. Suddenly coming to a primitive life on the island was a bit difficult for her.
"It's alright. I'll take care of the plants and trees, my master," Lucifer smiled helplessly, carrying Bai Cha towards a sturdy-looking swing. "I've prepared all the furniture and supplies, so you don't need to worry."
He had guessed that Bai Cha wouldn't remember.
The rattan swing was very sturdy. Though it looked like it hadn't been maintained for years, it still appeared as good as new. Lucifer tugged at it lightly to test it. While it had lost its original toughness, it was more than enough to support Bai Cha's current emaciated frame.
The pebble path looked very smooth, and its milky white color was beautiful. Bai Cha pondered for a moment, then quietly took off her shoes and stepped onto it barefoot.
It wasn't as soft as she imagined; it was a bit rough, but not uncomfortable. It was a novel sensation.
Then she was lifted again and reseated on the swing, blinking at Lucifer's helpless smile.
"Master, although the chalky gravel is fine and beautiful, the physical body will still feel pain," Lucifer carefully cleared the small stones from under Bai Cha's feet, saying helplessly. "Besides, you should at least wait for me to clean it before attempting."
"Oh..." Bai Cha nodded, not quite understanding. "Lucifer, did you bring kitchen supplies?"
"Everything is here. It's a butler's duty," Lucifer smiled, some confidence in his tone. "Is there anything special you'd like to eat, Master?"
"Uh, I'd like... I'd like to eat fried skewers," Bai Cha quietly averted her gaze, feeling a little embarrassed that she was asking a top chef if she wanted street-style fried skewers. "It's just... I rarely eat them, I just kind of want to."
"I will prepare them for you. I'm happy that you have something you want to eat, so don't be nervous," Lucifer smiled, his voice too gentle, as if every word and intonation carried reassurance. "Is there anything you want to do, my master?"
"..."
Bai Cha suddenly fell silent. She lowered her head, and Lucifer sensed a trace of emotion in her that he had never felt before.
It was somewhat like timidity.
"Lucifer, I no longer have the Dragon Mother's power... although it's temporary, it's highly unlikely I'll have it again," Bai Cha gripped the rattan of the swing on both sides, her head lowered. "A large part of the reason you resonated with me at the beginning was because of the Dragon Mother's power within me, right?"
That was Lucifer's creator, the ultimate evil power of the primordial plane, which had a fatal attraction to demon dragons. And now, the moment her heart shattered, this attraction had vanished without a trace.
Perhaps only the illusory telepathy between resonating beings remained. Bai Cha wasn't sure how much of this feeling was left; she felt that she and Lucifer were nothing alike.
Perhaps without the attraction of the Dragon Mother's power, they shouldn't have resonated at all.
No, perhaps she shouldn't have spoken, shattering this dream so easily. She should have prayed for this dream to continue until her imminent death after the short buffer period.
But she had spoken. Bai Cha didn't know why. Perhaps she was destined to be alone, to stay on the island by herself, waiting for her own end.
"Perhaps, but that doesn't matter," Lucifer's reply surprised Bai Cha. To Bai Cha's astonished gaze, Lucifer simply smiled calmly. "If you lose your power, I will protect you. You don't need to worry."
Bai Cha pursed her lips. She really wanted to remind Lucifer that he had misunderstood the main point, but she couldn't bring herself to speak a second time.
Seeing Bai Cha's conflicted expression, Lucifer finally couldn't help but chuckle. He put Bai Cha's shoes back on and hummed softly, then burst into laughter.
"You're still the same, you like to worry about strange things," Lucifer raised his hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Bai Cha's ear, smiling gently. "I told you, I will not betray you."
"But, why?" Bai Cha blinked, not quite understanding.
She had nothing left.
"Hmm... no reason."
Lucifer answered simply and then helped Bai Cha down. He could tell that Bai Cha seemed more playful now. He was in a good mood; he enjoyed the time spent alone with Bai Cha. This isolated island had only the two of them, him and her. This was Lucifer's dream come true.
If only he didn't have to consider the future.
The island had no signal, let alone internet access. The normal operation of furniture was thanks to solar energy. Bai Cha and Lucifer didn't find it hard at all, especially Bai Cha. Freed from the constant attention and service of various machines, she appeared full of spirit.
On the first day, Bai Cha excitedly explored one-fifth of the island with Lucifer. If it weren't for the darkness and Lucifer's concern that Bai Cha might be too tired, Bai Cha might have stayed up all night.
As a result, on the morning of the second day, when Bai Cha pushed open her bedroom door, she found herself staring eye-to-eye with a fluffy little creature at the entrance.
This creature was plump and resembled a cat, its fur reddish-brown. Its tail looked very pleasant to the touch, full of flesh. The key thing was that this little creature was holding two bananas in its hand.
"What's wrong, Master?"
Lucifer, who had just finished tidying up inside, saw Bai Cha standing motionless at the door and walked over. Upon seeing it, he also froze for a moment.
"Is this a red panda?" Bai Cha turned back, feeling a bit bewildered at the sight of this endangered species approaching them without fear to offer bananas.
"Hmm, it doesn't look like the one that snuck two apples from the kitchen yesterday," Lucifer was not surprised at all, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "That one seemed to have a slightly shorter tail, and its fur wasn't as long."
"Ah? And an animal stole two apples? Why didn't you tell me about this?" Bai Cha glared at Lucifer, displeased. "Such an interesting thing."
"Uh, after all, they were too quick, and you couldn't see them. Describing it is always less interesting than seeing it," Lucifer spread his hands. "I thought they might come today as well, so I specifically brought out some fruits. I didn't expect them to appear so soon."