Don't confiscate my identity as a human race

Chapter 585 - 551: The Gentle Town That Siegler Dreamed Of

A few days later.

In the deepest reaches of the Land of Perpetual Night sat the Beastmen City-States of Hektor City, also known as Little Night City.

On the outskirts of the snowfield, Little Night City stood serenely in perpetual twilight, seemingly at the end of the world.

Here, at high noon, the daylight would faintly emerge, a brief interlude to the night.

Situated on the vast snowfield closest to the entrance of the Demon World, the majestic mountains encircled it like guardian deities. Their spines were covered with thick snow, turning them into a group of gray giants.

The city itself was often covered in falling snow, embraced by an eternal winter and painted a brilliant white.

At the heart of Little Night City was a large plaza, flanked by a towering, tower-like building constructed from dark stone bricks. Its conical roof often shed its load of snow, resembling a silvery-white cloak, while crystal wind chimes hung beneath the eaves, swaying in the breeze and chiming lightly.

This was the most renowned hotel within the city-state, catering not only to wealthy merchants willing to pay a high price to stay but also used by the Lord to host honored guests.

An expansive executive suite on the top floor.

No matter how harsh the weather outside, the room was always bathed in soft light.

Occasionally, pages on the round, high-legged wooden table would be gently turned, accompanied by a faint rustling sound.

"Today marks the thirteenth day of your new job," someone said.

"News from the frontlines of the neighboring Briss Kingdom makes you anxious," came the observation.

"But you know that, apart from focusing on the task at hand, you have no other choice," was the conclusion.

Suddenly, Lanci softly pressed the Cat Boss’s head, and it was silent.

These days, the Cat Boss would give a report once daily.

While Lanci was baking casseroles in the oven, the Cat Boss trotted over to talk to him again.

Even though Lanci found that the Cat Boss had even more functions now, which was good, he was currently reading.

And on the other side of the round table, on a chair,

Siegler was sitting, leaning on the edge of the table, fallen into sleep, occasionally uttering faint cries.

The Cat Boss nodded its head.

It hadn’t even noticed Siegler had fallen asleep so suddenly.

Throughout their journey, Siegler had little time to sleep, spending most of her waking hours focused on driving through the snow at night. If she were an average person, she’d likely have collapsed from exhaustion by now.

Yet, she managed to remain completely focused on her work.

It was only during such moments of leisure that Siegler would seize the opportunity to rest a bit more.

This morning, Lanci had successfully restored the statue of the god of night and silence, which was also the last city-state’s statue among the six more prosperous city-states in the Land of Perpetual Night.

Now, Lanci and Siegler were taking a brief rest in Little Night City. After lunch, they were to set off on their final leg towards the Demon World.

There would be no city-state to rest in along the way; they were expected to arrive at the entrance of the Demon World by dawn the next day.

The Rebirth Jewel is a gift for the one with destiny, and if you pray devoutly to the Goddess of Destiny, she may allow you to have a wonderful dream, whether by chance or a reminiscence of former lives.

But such things, after all, are mystical and not verifiable, so they are often regarded as mere legends and fairy tales.

"Meow meow meow, is there really such a thing as reincarnation?"

The Cat Boss, looking at the "Genesis" translation that Lanci was about to finish, asked in a soft voice.

It didn’t understand these things, but asking Lanci was always the right move when puzzled.

"Belief makes it so, disbelief otherwise. Whether there is reincarnation depends mainly on one’s own thoughts," Lanci replied in a voice that wouldn’t disturb Siegler’s sleep.

"Even if there were a past life, to ’let go of obsessions’ means not to dwell on the past self, not to be anxious about the future self, to be unaffected by current affairs, not to allow emotions to disturb your measured response. When you understand this, why should there remain even a shadow of old dreams?"

Of course, this refers merely to the concept of selflessness, following one’s heart without overstepping bounds—not devoid of desire, but controlling and transcending desire.

One should not cling to the opinions of others; the saying "others are hell" is the principle of selflessness.

Selflessness to all beings means equality for all.

Selflessness to the living means penetrating life and death to find the meaning of life.

"Once you comprehend the Four Absences, you’ll find whether reincarnation is real or not becomes irrelevant."

"Stop preaching, stop preaching, you’re going to convert me, meow," the Cat Boss said, covering its ears with its paws and grumbling.

It was just a little cat and couldn’t understand all that Lanci was saying.

Shortly, the Cat Boss hopped off Lanci’s shoulder and scurried to the kitchen, leaving only Siegler’s gentle breathing by the table.

Her face, relaxed in tranquility, appeared comfortable, devoid of the vigilance she showed at work; her eyelashes trembled slightly as if she lingered on the edges of a dream.

She took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes.

To be truthful, she hadn’t visited Little Night City before.

The indoor decorations she saw were all warm-toned wood, bringing a unique warmth to the harsh winter.

Siegler’s gaze quickly fell on a silhouette in the chair not far away.

It was a man as dignified as a principal, holding a book in one hand, his posture stately and serene.

Under the faint light, his figure seemed especially tall, dressed in a non-traditional dark suit, his lapels neatly pressed.

His eyes were profound, shining with the glow of experience and wisdom as though gazing into a deeper world; his left hand held the book’s spine steadily, immersed in an ocean of text, occasionally turning a page, the sound crisp within the wooden room, like whispers of time.

"Awake? We’ll be eating soon," Lanci said softly.

He turned his head slowly, his eyes reflecting the warm light of the room and Siegler’s sleepy gaze.

"Sorry, I fell asleep," Siegler said.

Waking up in this weather made her feel cold and she wanted nothing more than to burrow into a warm quilt, but she couldn’t indulge herself; she was supposed to stay alert for her job, even in a place as secure as this.

She shook her head vigorously, trying to wake herself up fully.