Chapter 199: The Protector of Children, Wanderers, and Bards.

Chapter 199: Shelter for Children, Wanderers, and Bards.

"Papa..."

In the dark, rocking car, the girl's voice trembled with tears. "Papa, where are we going? Where’s Mommy? Didn’t Mommy say she was going to get the birthday cake?"

"We’re going... to the ocean."

The man in the driver’s seat answered, then fell silent, gripping the steering wheel tightly as he drove onward.

In the dim light, the girl could only see her father’s rigid, unmoving back, reminding her of the expressionless store mannequins—unable to smile, unable to comfort her, frozen in the same stiff posture.

Why had Daddy... become like this?

The girl nervously glanced around, her heart filled with confusion.

As the car sped past a streetlamp, the orange light briefly illuminated the interior.

With sharp eyes, the girl noticed tiny, round, scaly patches like fish scales covering her father’s arm. They reflected the light outside, resembling fish eyes with blank stares.

These strange, scale-like things made the girl feel uneasy, deepening the cloud of dread in her heart.

She called out a few more times, but her voice was swallowed by the darkness. Gradually, she grew too afraid to speak, curling up on the backseat.

Today was her birthday, but she didn’t feel happy at all.

The girl vaguely sensed that something beyond her understanding was happening in the world...

Earlier that afternoon, her father had suddenly rushed home from work and handed her a capsule—it looked like medicine, but he told her it was candy.

"Just take it, and we’ll be the same..."

His eyes glazed over, her father mumbled incoherently, his breath reeking of a strange, foul fishy odor that made the girl shrink back.

Under his relentless urging, she nearly gave in.

She was about to swallow the seemingly harmless little "candy" when her mother, who had come home early to celebrate her birthday, caught sight of it.

"What are you doing?"

The overstuffed shopping bag in her mother’s hands fell to the floor as she screamed and lunged forward, knocking the capsule away from her daughter’s lips.

Like a mother lion defending her cub, she shouted at her husband, "Haven’t you seen the videos and rumors online? How dare you give our daughter something so unsafe?!"

Then, her parents erupted into a fierce argument.

Left in her room alone, the girl couldn’t make out their words, but through the wooden door, she caught bits like "Universal Capsule" and "the Founder's warnings."

Eventually, her father relented, admitting he’d been foolish and just wanted to celebrate her birthday happily with his daughter... He mentioned he had ordered her a cake and asked her mother to pick it up from the nearby bakery.

Before this, her father had always been a good husband and father.

One argument about the Universal Capsule didn’t seem enough to shatter their trust in him.

In this world, those easiest to fool are often a liar’s own family—

Not because the deception is flawless, but simply because... they love and trust him.

True enough, neither the mother nor the girl suspected anything, deceived by his usual earnestness.

But as soon as her mother left, the girl—who had just happily sat at the table, kicking her legs excitedly in anticipation of cake—was coaxed and practically dragged into the car, torn away from her familiar home and streets.

The car kept driving endlessly, never stopping.

From dusk into night, from the city onto a lonely highway.

Gripping her seatbelt, the girl felt like Alice from *Alice in Wonderland*, being whisked away by a crazed, runaway car down a rabbit hole into a bizarre world...

No, perhaps somewhere far more terrifying than Alice’s Wonderland.

After what seemed like forever, a red warning light lit up on the dashboard—low fuel.

The girl heard her father curse under his breath before slowing down and pulling into a gas station.

While he stepped out to talk to the gas station attendant, she quietly opened the door and slipped away.

She knew... that man wasn’t her real daddy!

Her real daddy wouldn’t take her to such a remote place without a word, nor would he ignore her tears without comforting her!

Wiping her tears, the girl had only one thought in her young heart: She had to go back to Mommy and find her real daddy.

The highway gas station was almost deserted, with only a few cars around.

Naive and oblivious, the girl wandered into the blind spot behind a parked car. The taillights flickered on, but she paid no mind, assuming the car would only move forward. She huddled behind it.

Her stomach growled. Rubbing her empty belly, she remembered a lemon candy in her pocket and bent down to unwrap it.

Just then, the car started moving.

The red glare of the taillights fell on her oblivious face, growing brighter and closer—

The girl looked up, stunned. She tried to back away but was already pressed against the wall, trapped.

With a terrified scream, her mind went blank. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for impact.

Her heart pounded, time stretched—but the expected pain never came.

Instead, a crisp, cool embrace gently enveloped her—

Like a misty morning forest, gentle and natural, carrying the scent of grass and leaves.

Bewildered, the girl opened her eyes. The terrifying headlights were gone. Instead, a curl of golden hair hung in her peripheral vision, gleaming like sunlight, instantly capturing her attention.

She craned her neck to look up, following the cascade of golden hair, and finally saw—

A young man in gray robes, with golden hair and kindly smiling crimson eyes, held her gently.

The color of his eyes was like deep red wine or congealed blood—yet, to her surprise, she felt no fear, only awe and curiosity.

It was as if... she really had become Alice, embarking on an impossible fairy-tale journey.

"Huh?!"

The girl glanced around in astonishment.

Before she knew it, the oncoming car, her eerie father, the desolate gas station—all were gone.

—The enigmatic young man led her across the silent wilderness, beneath a starry sky.

The young man with blond hair and red eyes held the little girl in a manner akin to cradling an infant, his movements revealing a hint of unfamiliarity.

His steps were slow, yet each stride covered vast distances instantly, causing the scenes before the girl’s eyes to change rapidly, as if the earth contracted and expanded beneath the youth’s feet, performing a wondrous dance.

Perhaps only a dozen seconds had passed, but the familiar streets and reassuring lights once again reflected in the girl’s eyes.

A noisy crowd was nearby, yet no one seemed to notice their sudden appearance.

Bryce set the girl down, ruffled her hair, and then opened his palm before her—nestled in the center of his hand was a lemon candy.

The girl vaguely remembered that the candy should have been crushed by a wheel in the chaos...

But now, it lay intact in the young man’s palm.

"Is this magic?" the girl asked, taking the candy, her voice filled with wonder, "Your eyes are red, and rabbits’ eyes are red too... Are you Mr. Rabbit from a fairy tale?"

Bryce did not answer the child’s whimsical question.

He smiled gently and gave her a light push on the shoulder, the soft force guiding her like a rope pulling a small boat to shore, directing her towards the right path.

"Go back to your mother," the young man said softly, his voice like distant music, "And happy birthday."

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly heard her mother’s anxious call.

Her mother pushed through the crowd and hugged her daughter tightly: "Where did you go? I, I couldn’t find you anywhere..."

Then, the girl’s hand was clasped firmly by her mother, who murmured, "We need to get home quickly, it’s very chaotic outside... There have been reports of people going mad in the streets, and the police are trying to maintain order. I don’t know if it has anything to do with those damned capsules."

"Mom," the girl whispered, keeping pace with her mother, "I just met..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a series of exclamations coming from the distance.

The girl looked up and saw a silver, luminous star band slowly flowing across the sky, spreading out and connecting at both ends to form an “∞” symbol that spanned the night curtain.

The child stared in a daze at this scene, and for some reason, the image of a young man with golden hair surfaced in her mind.

She turned around and saw that Bryce still stood among the crowd, yet there seemed to be an invisible barrier around him, separating him from the others.

From the little girl’s low vantage point, the massive, shimmering silver symbol of infinity appeared to hover above the young man’s head, like a uniquely shaped halo.

“What did you just encounter?”

Her mother tugged at the girl’s hand, asking.

“I met…” The girl put on a serious face, speaking solemnly, “the angel from the fairy tale book!”

“Is that so?” Her mother chuckled at her daughter’s innocent words, her tense mood easing, “Your return to me does indeed feel like a blessing from an angel. You’re so lucky.”

“Mom, I’m not joking, please listen to me seriously!”

“…”

Bryce watched as the figures of the mother and daughter, holding hands, walked away. He thought to himself that the girl would probably soon forget his appearance.

Let all the miracles and fairy tales remain in this night.

“Your Grace, the Apostle.”

After the ordinary people had left, Meng Siyou hesitated before stepping forward to greet Bryce.

He worked overtime until the middle of the night, escorting countless drug-induced individuals who had gone berserk and disrupted order into the Anomalous Affairs Bureau for professional supervision. It was then that he happened to pass through this street and witnessed Bryce's interaction with the child.

Meng Siyou couldn't help but recall the revered name of this apostle—

"The Ever-Pure Holy Spirit."

"Protector of Children, Wanderers, and Bards."

Truly deserving of his title, a soul pure and holy.

Bryce nodded at him, his tone casual, as if they were chatting among friends: "Under the protection of fate, this chaos will soon come to an end—how do you plan to explain the anomaly in the sky?"

Perhaps influenced by the apostle's peaceful demeanor, Meng Siyou felt himself gradually relax, his weary and heavy body feeling as if it had been cleansed by clear, cool stream water, becoming light.

He thought for a moment and answered based on past experience: "If everything goes as expected, we will likely invite experts in astronomy to vouch for it, explaining it as a special celestial phenomenon."

"Thank you and Mr. Prophet for your generous assistance," Meng Siyou hesitated for a moment, then, encouraged by the other's gentle gaze, mustered the courage to ask, "Is all of this the will of His Majesty Fate?"

"Yes, but not entirely."

Bryce said, "Do not worry; you need not offer faith, offerings, or treasures with trepidation. The Lord will always protect this place."

"As for the Mother of Tides behind the 'fish'..."

When mentioning a true deity, Bryce's tone remained unchanged, as if He were merely an ordinary member of creation, a grain of sand in the countless historical dust he had witnessed, insignificant.

The apostle lowered his eyes, his expression devout: "The Lord will deal with Him."

Meng Siyou was momentarily speechless.

He was greatly shaken!

To speak so casually about the “resolution” of a deity...

The tone was so calm, as if it were just a simple problem being solved...

Was this the power of the narrator?

Meng Siyou bowed solemnly to the apostle, expressing his reverence for the deity: "We will always remember the blessings bestowed upon us by His Holiness Fate."

—And these blessings would soon be marked by the fall of a deity.

The weight of this medal surpassed anyone's imagination.

"His Holiness Fate values this world so much," Meng Siyou murmured, speculating, "because of Yi... cough, the existence of the Divine Son?"

"..."

Huh?

How does my old classmate's mind work? How did he suddenly turn to the essence itself?

Bryce paused, ultimately choosing to smile without a word.

Based on his experience, when you don't know what to say, just maintain a mysterious smile—others will naturally provide a reasonable explanation.

Sure enough, Meng Siyou didn't press further, instead wearing a thoughtful expression.

After a moment's reflection, he asked the apostle to convey his gratitude to a certain mischievous prophet.

"I will pass it on to him."

Bryce smiled and revealed, "Ursus—though his words may not be pleasant, he is actually quite happy inside."

"Of course, we can't let him know that."

As he spoke, the Apostle winked lightly.

At this moment, he no longer seemed like a great figure from ancient legends or a solemn and sacred statue in a church, but showed a bit more lively and playful side.

Immersed in such a relaxed atmosphere, Meng Siyou couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Are you and Mr. Prophet part of the same organization?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Meng Siyou felt he had overstepped and quickly added, "No, you don't have to mind my question!"

"Um, I just mean, the two of you seem to have a very good relationship, knowing each other well..."

"Yes."

Bryce interrupted Meng Siyou's nervous explanation with a firm response, "Even if we were once enemies, now we belong to the same organization, sharing similar ideals and practicing the same principles."

"We both belong to—The Decameron."