"This is it..."
Lin Fan gazed at the building before him, lost in deep thought. It felt both familiar and unfamiliar. Familiar because the furnishings and decorations were all crafted by his own hand. Unfamiliar because such a dilapidated place existed within this bustling city.
The Dragon God said, "This place seems important. A rundown blacksmith's shop in the middle of a prosperous city, with a large empty space surrounding it, no other buildings daring to encroach. I think this holds a special meaning."
"This is my home," Lin Fan stated.
The Dragon God asked, "Really?"
Lin Fan nodded. "Yes, definitely. I used to support my daughter by blacksmithing. Actually, my blacksmithing skills are quite good, all honed here."
Old Zhang remarked, "Lin Fan, your living environment was so poor, incomparable to the surrounding houses."
Lin Fan replied, "It wasn't as bad as you think. Back then, my dwelling was decent, considered quite good locally. Only the village chief's house was slightly better."
The Dragon God said, "Since this is your home, would you invite us in to sit for a while?"
Lin Fan smiled. "Of course."
Just as they were about to enter, a group of people approached.
Leading the group was a beautiful woman, followed by a group of children in matching uniforms, seemingly on a field trip.
The woman smiled. "This is the former residence of the Goddess of Light. The Goddess of Light lived here as a child."
Lin Fan, who was about to lead the Dragon God and the others inside, paused, wanting to hear what the woman would say.
"Teacher, isn't the Goddess of Light a deity? Why would she live here?"
Children are often full of questions.
They often ask questions that adults wouldn't think to ask.
The woman explained, "The Goddess of Light is a deity, but also a member of the human race. According to the scriptures of the Goddess of Light, she was born sixteen thousand years ago."
"Wow! That long ago!" the children exclaimed.
Hearing this, Lin Fan's heart jolted, as if struck by a heavy blow.
He stepped forward, grasping the woman's hand. "You're saying Ke Lan lived alone for sixteen thousand years?"
His voice trembled.
Impossible.
It hadn't been long since he awoke from the dream and began searching. It should have only been a few days. How could so much time have passed?
Lin Fan's sudden action startled the woman, but her professionalism helped her regain composure.
"Please calm down. This is all recorded in the scriptures of the Goddess of Light, written by the Goddess herself. It absolutely cannot be wrong."
The woman soothed him.
Although there's no danger in Bubble Village, she was still afraid of encountering someone mentally unstable, like a chaotic individual. Mentally disturbed people often lash out unexpectedly.
The Dragon God muttered, "Sixteen thousand years? That means she's lived longer than I have."
The Dragon God was powerful, but even he hadn't lived for sixteen thousand years.
"Teacher, this is a blacksmith's shop. Was the Goddess of Light a blacksmith?" another child asked.
The woman smiled. "Of course not. The Goddess of Light's father was a blacksmith. He had the most profound influence on her. He was a great and powerful being who guided her growth. You can refer to the scriptures of the Goddess of Light that you carry with you. There's a passage written by the Goddess to her father."
"Page one hundred and thirty-two, you should all have memorized it."
"Father, where are you? I've waited for you for three thousand years. Have you forgotten me?..."
The woman had long memorized the scriptures and could recite them without looking. As she recited, her emotions were palpable, as if she were the one longing for her father.
"Teacher, why does the Goddess of Light call her father 'Dad'? What does it mean?"
"Haha..."
"'Dad' means father. The Goddess of Light was the first to use this term."
The other children laughed, as if the one who asked the question was a bit slow-witted for asking such a simple question.
Lin Fan felt distressed. He only wanted to find Ke Lan and explain that it wasn't that he didn't want to find her, but that he had been searching from the beginning. But time had flown by too quickly.
Sixteen thousand years?
How did that happen?
He looked up at the sky, wanting to ask the Will, but suddenly realized that there was no Will in this world. The once foolish Will had vanished.
He felt lost, without even anyone to ask for directions.
The woman continued, smiling, and reciting, "Father, it's been ten thousand years. You said you would bring Mother to find me, but I've been waiting and haven't seen you. Uncle Ak told me you wouldn't lie to me, and I know you wouldn't, but I really miss you. I want to find you, but something happened here. This world needs my protection. Evil forces have pierced through the river of time, and countless otherworldly demons have arrived..."
"Children, this is the last passage of the Goddess of Light longing for her father. The Uncle Ak mentioned is the Abyss Lord Archimonde. Speaking of Archimonde, we must mention two important figures."
"One is the thirteenth Pope of the Church of Light, and the other is the father of the Goddess of Light..."
"Next, let's talk about how the Abyss Lord Archimonde unified the evil Abyss and ultimately became a great legend."
The woman was telling the children history, a history with deities, conveying the message that their world was protected by the Goddess of Light, and they should be grateful for her protection.
Lin Fan felt dazed and distressed. He didn't linger, leading the Dragon God and the others away.
He now intended to go to the Church of Light.
If there were no clues there, he would go to the Abyss to find Archimonde.
At that moment, a chubby child stared at Lin Fan until he left, then slowly raised his hand.
"Teacher, I noticed that the older brother who was talking to you just now looks like the person on the first page of the scriptures of the Goddess of Light."
The woman laughed at the child's words, thinking it was impossible, but still opened the first page and carefully examined the portrait.
Suddenly, as she looked at the portrait, her pupils dilated, and the image of the man from moments ago flashed in her mind, overlapping perfectly.
Thump!
As if realizing something incredible, the woman collapsed onto the ground, screaming.
"Ah! I saw him, I saw him..."
Her frantic behavior attracted onlookers. Someone asked what was wrong.
"I saw the Father of the Goddess of Light! He looks exactly like the portrait on the first page of the scriptures: short black hair, black eyes. It's the Father of the Goddess of Light!"
"He's back, he's come back to find the Goddess of Light!"
"I've witnessed a miracle, felt divine grace..."
The crowd stared at her, a single thought echoing in their minds:
She's crazy!!!