"Cackle! Cackle!!"
*Pfft! Pfft!* ...
"Miss, have we met somewhere before?"
Indigo walked past A Hua and the other, stopping in front of Liya, a look of confusion on his face.
"You are, you are, you are..."
Liya looked at Indigo, then suddenly took a step back, a flicker of memory in her eyes.
"The deputy to that old man who had a ship's rudder stuck on his head."
"I think his name was, was, Golden Lion, right!"
She stared at Indigo with curiosity.
The impression he left was quite deep. After all, those unique footsteps and that laugh, it was hard to forget.
And for Golden Lion to be able to... with her father...
"Father?"
She then shivered, clutching her head, her face suddenly streaked with tears.
"What's wrong?"
Gu Yina asked with concern, looking at Liya.
"I don't know, I just thought of someone, and suddenly it was like this."
"I have no impression of that person in my mind, but I! I just want to cry, and I don't know why I'm crying."
Liya looked up at Gu Yina, trying to stop her tears, but she couldn't.
She didn't understand why. Every time she thought of her father, whom she had no memory of, she would feel an overwhelming sadness.
This sadness, erupting from the depths of her heart, would always bring tears to her eyes.
And she herself had no idea what was happening, as if another personality within her body was crying.
Gu Yina looked at Liya, a flicker of heartache in her eyes. She wanted to reach out and hug her, but then stopped herself.
She could feel Liya's helplessness and sadness, but this inexplicable emotion didn't seem to originate from the Liya in front of her at all.
She then turned to look at Indigo. Since Indigo knew Liya, perhaps he knew Liya's past and could understand why she was like this.
Indigo stared at Liya for a moment, then looked up at Ba Da.
"Should I call you Ba Da, or Bass?"
"Bass?"
Everyone looked at Ba Da in surprise.
Kong Tai looked at Ba Da with curiosity.
This guy was truly extraordinary. He had noticed something different about him the moment they were on the dock.
However, from Indigo's words, his guess might have been an understatement.
He had previously thought this guy was at most a noble.
He hadn't expected him to be the king here.
For a king to show them such deference...
"A true man."
Those were the only three words that came to his mind.
"I don't know why I can't remember you at all, but my heart tells me I must know you."
Indigo glanced at Liya. "When I saw this princess, I knew."
"You must have been the former king here."
"Because I've only met two people in the Kingdom of Bass. One is your daughter, Princess Bass Liya, and the other."
He then looked at Ba Da and said with certainty, "is you, am I right?"
Ba Da ignored Indigo and looked at Liya with affection. He slowly walked to Liya's side and, much to Liya's disbelief, hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry, my princess, my daughter. It's my fault for being useless, for making you and our people suffer so much."
His voice was deep and filled with sorrow.
Since he had brought Kong Tai and the others back, he had already planned to reveal the truth.
Since his identity had been exposed by Indigo, there was no need to hide it anymore.
Kong Tai and his group were the only people with true justice in their hearts that he had encountered in the past two years.
He was willing to gamble on Kong Tai, to gamble the fate of the Kingdom of Bass.
Because of him.
Because he didn't have much time left!
He could already feel the crisis within him, gradually consuming him, leading him to the abyss, to death.
The moment he died, this place would surely become a living hell.
And Liya, and the people...
"Father?"
Liya lay in Ba Da's arms, stunned.
"Mhm!"
Ba Da released her and looked at Liya, reaching out to caress her face.
"I'm sorry, Liya. I, your incompetent father, have made you suffer so much."
"Today, I will return everything to you!"
With that, he extended his right hand and lightly tapped his own head.
*Dong—!*
The air rippled.
Everyone felt as if something had happened, yet as if nothing had happened.
Then they looked at Ba Da.
In an instant, Ba Da transformed into an illusion, and from within the illusion, a burly man emerged, wearing a crown, a golden-yellow cape, and with fiery red hair that blazed as if aflame.
The man was around 40 years old, exuding an aura of supreme dominance.
The aura flashed and vanished, and everyone snapped back to reality, staring at the man blankly.
Then, shouts erupted from the surroundings.
Ba Da's subordinates, seeing Ba Da's dramatic transformation, were momentarily stunned, then all knelt down.
"Your Majesty."
They all remembered.
Who else could this person before them be but their king?
Even though they had only seen the king from afar in their childhoods.
They would never forget their king's appearance in this lifetime.
This was the king of Bass.
A king of righteousness, kindness, and love for his people.
How could they forget their king!
Thinking of this, all the subordinates couldn't help but burst into tears.
Amidst a flurry of hurried footsteps, the surrounding elders all gathered around.
Their eyes widened as they looked at Ba Da, the dimness in their eyes replaced by excitement, fervor, and of course, resentment.
One elderly man, who clearly held great authority, suddenly pushed through the crowd, rushed to Ba Da, grabbed Ba Da's collar with both hands, and shouted loudly.
"You still know how to come back!"
"You still know how to come back!"
"Bass, Bass, the Kingdom of Bass is gone, what are you coming back for!"
With that, he released his grip and collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably.
"We really thought, we really thought our king, our king of Bass, would never return!"
"You scoundrel, what are you coming back for!"
"Ah..."
Ba Da let the old man vent his emotions, standing there with an expression of profound sorrow.
"Father."
Liya looked at Ba Da, her eyes brightening, her mind clearing. The shadow that had always lurked in the darkness of her mind gradually merged with Ba Da before her, finally becoming him.
At that moment, scenes of her time with her father flashed through her mind like a movie.
She remembered. She remembered everything. This man before her was her father, the one who made her cry whenever she thought of him.
Looking at Ba Da, Liya could no longer contain her surging emotions. She stepped forward and hugged him tightly, tears erupting from her eyes like a volcano, quickly soaking a large portion of his chest.
Ba Da embraced Liya, his eyes reddening.
When does one truly die, in the eyes of others?
Is it when their heart is pierced by a bullet?
No!
Is it when they contract an incurable disease?
No!
Is it when they drink a poisonous mushroom soup?
No!
It is when they are forgotten.
Kong Tai looked at Ba Da and recalled this saying.
This guy, through some means unknown, had made the world forget him, creating the illusion of his complete death.
It was this illusion of being utterly forgotten that had allowed this guy to escape death.