After finishing their conversation,
Tilis nestled affectionately against Luo Wei's chest, just like she used to do when she would lazily nap on him.
"Luo Wei, I really, really love you so much..."
"I heard later that Gould chased after my teacher his entire life, even leaving his homeland. After achieving fame in Saint Callen, he never married, and my teacher remained single all her life..."
"We must not end up like them!"
"We must stay together forever!"
Luo Wei gently stroked her hair and caressed her pale, tired face, worn out from overexertion.
As his fingers brushed against her eyelashes, Tilis felt ticklish and giggled, lifting her head.
"I used to scoff at this word, thinking it was just some biological instinct between men and women."
"But now I understand!"
"This must be love!"
She looked up at Luo Wei's face and softly asked, "Do you love me, Luo Wei?"
"I do."
Tilis smiled sweetly.
"Luo Wei, since you love me, let me kill you!"
Luo Wei gazed at her calmly. "You've decided to go through with it, then?"
Tilis nodded firmly, smiling happily. "After I kill you, I'll extract your spiritual essence. Together, we'll open the gate. That way, we won't have to fear the Hunters of Time and Space because we'll be immortal!"
"And then..." she continued excitedly, imagining the future, "we can go to your world and leave everything here behind—the Secret Order, the Church, the mage's curse, the revival of the Old Gods. Let them all perish! We'll live our own lives, together forever!"
"What if my world isn't as wonderful as you think?" Luo Wei countered.
Tilis seemed to consider this for a moment, then smiled. "Then we'll go to another world. There must be one out there that suits us!"
"Even if you find your ideal world, your plan still has flaws," Luo Wei pressed, staring into her eyes.
"Who told you that just having a spiritual essence would protect us from the gate's guardians?"
"That's just your assumption. You've never tried it before."
Tilis frowned slightly, her smile fading.
"Luo Wei? Are you doubting my abilities?"
Luo Wei shook his head gently. "No, I'm just pointing out potential flaws in your plan."
Seeing Tilis's puzzled expression, he smiled and added, "As a magic researcher, you need rationality, patience, and careful verification. You've never tested the feasibility of this, have you? It's still just a hypothesis. Why are you so certain it will work?"
Tilis immediately retorted, "Who says it's just a hypothesis? It's completely feasible!"
Luo Wei pressed further, "Have you tried it?"
Tilis explained, "Someone has tried it, and it worked!"
This time, it was Luo Wei's turn to be surprised. "Who?"
Tilis smiled. "Not just one person, but an entire race."
She recounted an experience from her travels. "Two years ago, I reached the Storm Sea at the edge of civilization. In that strange and mysterious sea, I encountered an ancient race called the Great Race."
Tilis grew excited again. "They have a unique ability to transfer their consciousness to other races in different timelines! This allows them to avoid extinction when their world is destroyed. They've achieved true immortality by stealing the bodies of other races!"
She looked at Luo Wei with excitement. "That's where I got the idea. If they weren't hunted down by the Hounds, then of course we can do the same!"
At this point, she sighed wistfully. "It's a pity my teacher knew nothing about the Hounds back then, which is why she died..."
"If only she had done this too..."
"But!" Her eyes lit up. "Since we can travel through time, can't we save her too?"
Tilis fell into thought again. "Let me think about how to do this. It seems a bit complicated... But no matter what, I have to kill you first..."
After hearing this, Luo Wei's expression was a mix of disbelief and amusement. He truly hadn't expected...
That someone—no, some creature—had actually succeeded in this.
He looked at Tilis helplessly. "You really have prepared thoroughly, haven't you?"
"Of course!" Tilis grinned proudly. "How could I not take something so important seriously?"
"By the way," she looked up at Luo Wei, "you've asked so many questions. Are you done now?"
Seeing Luo Wei shake his head, she frowned. "Are you still unsure? Luo Wei! Please believe me, there won't be any flaws. I'll make sure your death is peaceful!"
Luo Wei couldn't help but feel the absurdity of the situation. Here they were, seriously and earnestly discussing how to kill him...
"Not done, of course not done..." Luo Wei quickly replied.
Tilis was finally in a "stable" mood and truly believed he was willing to die for this. He had to get to the bottom of it.
Every "save point" was precious!
Luo Wei looked at Tilis, whose expression was growing suspicious, and said seriously, "Even if you can do it, have you considered that I might not need to be turned into a spiritual essence? That I don't need to hide from these so-called 'Hounds'?"
Tilis looked puzzled.
Luo Wei gradually let go of her and pointed at himself, his expression earnest. "I've already traveled back and forth twice. Have I ever encountered any Hounds? Am I not standing right here in front of you? Have I been torn apart?"
Tilis's mouth opened slightly, her eyes filled with doubt.
Luo Wei continued gently, "And don't forget about my old house. Without my permission, no entity in this world can cause trouble there. How about this: if you're worried about the Hounds, we'll choose my house as the location to open the gate. What do you think?"
Tilis shook her head. "No."
Luo Wei was taken aback. "Why not?"
Tilis looked at him calmly. "So you can lure me to your house and imprison me? You never really trusted me, did you?"
Luo Wei's heart tightened.
He quickly waved his hands.
"No, no, that's not it. I truly want to run away with you."
"Really?"
Tilis gave a faint smile. "But I feel like you're just stalling."
With that, she tensed up and grabbed Luo Wei's hand again.
"No, I can't keep talking to you. You're too good at manipulating people!"
"I almost fell for it again!"
"Come with me now. Let me kill you quickly!"
"Before anything else happens..."