Chapter 1888: Gold Coin

Aurora Domain.

Snowflakes like goose feathers drifted slowly from the sky.

On the steps of an empty station, a figure in a vermilion opera robe sat quietly amidst the heavy snow... The snowflakes dyed his black hair pale. In this quiet, cold world, he looked like the loneliest watcher.

The station steps were high, high enough to look out from afar at the faint candlelight emanating from the house in the corner of Frost Avenue.

The station steps were also low, low enough that a long, long time ago, the remains of a reporter who had tried to record this city forever in his camera had been buried here.

Seeing the candlelight in the distant house go out, Chen Ling let out a long sigh.

Chen Ling knew very well that he shouldn't have appeared in the lives of the Chen brothers at all. This day of being together was already a dream that had been out of reach for him. Now that the Red Star had arrived, his dream had to end.

He used his heart-python to swallow Yao and Chen Yan’s memories of him, paid off their rent, and solved Yao’s work problems. From now on, they would live a stable life on Frost Avenue.

But the premise for all of this,

was that the Red Star would never return.

Chen Ling stood up slowly from the snow-covered steps.

Just then, a figure came running hurriedly from the end of the road.

"Lord Red King!"

Chen Ling looked down. "...Red Heart 7?"

Jin Fugui was wearing thin clothes, carrying a broken bowl, and had come through the heavy snow to stand before Chen Ling.

He seemed to have run all the way here, and was now panting, leaning on his knees. After a while, he looked up at Chen Ling... and shook the broken bowl in his hand.

"Lord Red King... I’m suffering."

"Before I joined the Twilight Society, I lived under a bridge, never knowing where my next meal was coming from, starving until I was skin and bones... I know the Twilight Society has good benefits, but... but there’s still some time before payday, and I really can't go on."

"Look, look at how tattered my clothes are."

"And I just begged my way to the Aurora Domain when I ran into this snowstorm. I haven't seen a soul, and I’ve been starving for two whole days..."

"I have no money for food, no money for clothes, and I’m shivering so hard I can barely speak..."

"Could you..."

"For the sake of me being your society member, could you... could you spare me a little?"

Jin Fugui asked cautiously, his eyes full of expectation and sincerity as he looked at Chen Ling.

Chen Ling smiled helplessly.

The current Chen Ling was no longer the Red Heart 6 who didn't understand much. He had watched the Twilight Society members enter this world one by one, and he naturally understood the principle behind Jin Fugui’s ability...

As a beggar who was poor and thinly dressed, why would he come all the way to the freezing Aurora Domain to beg for food? Staying in places like the South Sea, Tian Shu, or Chengtian, he wouldn't have to suffer from the cold.

He ran over here mostly because he heard from Sun Bumian that he was in the Aurora Domain and knew they were about to deal with the Red Star, so he came specifically to find him.

As long as he could give him alms, he could provide a luck buff... In the end, Jin Fugui also wanted to contribute to the fight against the Red Star.

However, Chen Ling already knew the principle of his ability, so even if he gave him alms, he wouldn't be able to gain any buffs.

Chen Ling didn't expose his little scheme, nor did he say much.

He just silently took a heavy gold coin from his pocket and dropped it into Jin Fugui’s bowl with a *clink*.

"The Aurora Domain is very cold; go buy some thick clothes first."

"When you get your salary, don't be stingy and hoard it. Spend it when you need to. Regardless of anything else... be better to yourself in the future."

Chen Ling patted Jin Fugui on the shoulder.

Then he walked toward the scarlet sky without looking back.

A large red paper umbrella opened in the snow-white world, and flakes of snow slid off the opera robe. His figure gradually returned to a vibrant vermilion, like the only striking color in the heavy snow.

Jin Fugui watched Chen Ling’s departing back, and a warmth surged in his heart...

After Chen Ling had walked far away, he sat down silently on the steps and carefully took out the gold coin.

Jin Fugui prayed devoutly in the heavy snow.

"If the gold coin lands heads up, it means Lord Red King will succeed!"

"If it lands tails up, it means he will fail in the end..."

"Fate, oh fate..."

"Please favor us just this once."

Jin Fugui covered the gold coin with his hands, shook it several times in the snow, and finally tossed it onto the steps.

*Clink—*

The gold coin spun rapidly on the steps.

Fate intertwined around the gold coin. Jin Fugui watched nervously as its spinning speed slowed down...

Jin Fugui’s heart pounded, and for a moment, he even forgot to breathe. Just then, a breeze swept across the steps, blowing the gold coin, which was about to fall, toward the lower steps.

Jin Fugui was startled and immediately chased after it.

The gold coin jumped and rolled down the layers of steps...

In the dark, it was as if two forces were playing a game around the gold coin.

*Clink— clink— clink...*

When the gold coin finally landed on the ground,

seeing its state, Jin Fugui’s mouth hung open in shock... with a look of having seen a ghost.

Snow like goose feathers drifted down from the scarlet sky,

「The gold coin was standing upright on the earth」.

……

Chen Ling knew nothing of what had happened on the ground.

At this moment, he had already turned into a stream of light, rising rapidly toward the firmament.

The aura of world-ending disaster surged around him like a rich, deep crimson. His speed was so fast that he dragged a long tail through the atmosphere like a comet...

Every resident of the Eight Great Domains saw the sky reddened by the arrival of the Red Star;

they also saw the vermilion meteor flying toward the Red Star.

"Daddy, what is that?"

"I don't know... it must be someone going to intercept the Red Star."

"Is he a hero?"

"He must be."

"Then who is he?"

"...I don't know."

“……”

The public pointed at the vermilion meteor flashing across the sky, their eyes filled with confusion.

Twilight Society members scattered across the major domains also watched the sky, their palms sweating with nervousness... their Red King was chasing the Red Star.

In the Chengtian Palace at this moment, an elderly figure walked slowly out of the main hall...

"Your Majesty."

"The Star-Breaking Crossbows in all major domains have been completed on time and are in a state of alert."

A figure spoke respectfully behind him.

"Hmm."

Ying Fu’s eyes clearly reflected the afterimage of the vermilion meteor. "Tell everyone to stay alert. Once the Red Star disintegrates, make sure no fragments fall to the earth."

"Also..."

Ying Fu paused for a moment,

"Tell the dukes to be ready. If the Seven Monarchs or Chen Ling unfortunately fail... be prepared to provide support at any time."

"Yes!"