To be honest, after sending Qin Yue away, Gu Zhan let out a sigh of relief.
Without a little shadow following him around asking questions, it was indeed much easier.
With many speculations, he could experiment one by one.
When An Heyan pushed him just now, he had smiled at him. Gu Zhan certainly didn’t think that he and Xu Ke were good people, but he also didn’t believe they would easily kill someone. Their action of pushing him showed they understood that falling into darkness would only result in being confined at the entrance.
The library would close at dawn, and with a limited number of Ferdinand Milner’s works, the longer one was trapped, the less advantageous it would be for finding books.
Sure enough, by the time Gu Zhan emerged from the blue shield, over two hours had passed.
The outside world was beginning to lighten, and he had little time left.
The remaining people had completely grasped the rules of the library. They were stalling each other, waiting for others to search for books, hoping the books would fall to the ground…
No one wanted to be the one who vanished after letting go of a book.
Who knew if disappearing meant being taken elsewhere or simply dying.
However, Gu Zhan’s choice was different. As soon as he left the blue shield, he began to frequently pull and flip through books.
The people around him looked at him as if he were a fool, but Gu Zhan paid them no mind.
He wasn’t panicking; he simply felt that looking through books was inevitable.
If the issue lay with the book written by Ferdinand Milner, wouldn’t they still have to browse it once they brought it to school? The teacher had clearly instructed them in class to borrow books from the library and study them together at school.
Wouldn’t those who would disappear still vanish by that time?
Rather than passively waiting until Monday to see what happened, it was better to take the initiative now.
Although he didn’t know what would happen from actively searching through the books, Gu Zhan was certain that returning to school empty-handed would be the worst choice.
So far, everything they encountered was designed to prevent them from finding Ferdinand Milner's book.
The library opening at midnight was meant to keep them out.
The book covers being changed to unrelated designs aimed to prevent them from discovering the connection to Ferdinand Milner.
The fact that people disappeared when they opened the pages was meant to instill fear and slow their progress in finding the book.
From Gu Zhan’s experience in clearing game chapters, the more something was discouraged, the more important it became.
He quickly searched through the library, and after flipping through more than a hundred books, he found one with a completely black cover.
The moment he held the book, he felt something extraordinary; an inexplicable premonition arose within him. He knew this was the one.
He had found Ferdinand Milner's book.
Without hesitation, Gu Zhan opened it, and as soon as his eyes touched the black text on the pages, everything went dark…
“...Ferdinand Milner's life was fraught with difficulties and sorrow. If only someone could help him...”
That was what the book said, but he hadn’t had time to read more.
After the darkness came an overwhelming brightness that hurt his eyes. He squinted and took a moment to adjust before he was able to see normally again.
He found himself standing in the middle of a road, not far from an intersection.
But there were no traffic lights at the junction, and judging by the architectural style on either side, it didn’t seem modern.
There were many people on the street, all dressed in a style reminiscent of the 19th century. The women carried baskets filled with bread and pastries they had purchased from the shops lining the street.
The road was paved with asphalt, and occasionally, a black Volkswagen Beetle would pass by. Gentlemen in tailcoats walked by, leaning on canes.
The clothing, buildings, and people seemed to belong to different eras, creating a bizarre and chaotic scene.
Amidst this confusion, Gu Zhan's attention was suddenly drawn to a man in a black suit standing by a newsstand, reading a newspaper. But Gu Zhan noticed that the man’s gaze didn’t seem to be focused on the newspaper.
Instead, he was looking at a girl at the flower stall nearby.
The girl wore a pure white dress, her golden hair shining brightly in the sunlight, standing out in the grayish scene.
She was selecting lily of the valley flowers, her gaze gentle and warm, a slight smile on her lips.
It was a picture that brought a sense of happiness and beauty to anyone who saw it.
Gu Zhan quickly concluded that the man in the suit had feelings for the girl picking the flowers.
The book’s cover had been swapped, leaving Gu Zhan in the dark about what kind of story it contained. The only clue he had was the line he saw upon opening the book: “If only someone could help him…”
After a moment of hesitation, Gu Zhan approached the man in the suit and asked softly, “Excuse me, sir, you look troubled. Do you need help?”
Hearing Gu Zhan's voice, the man turned, startled, and replied, “No… it’s nothing.”
Gu Zhan borrowed the name Garen from the last copy and introduced himself: “Hello, I’m Garen. You’ve been standing here for quite a while.”
“Hello, I’m Mike.” The name the man gave had no connection to Ferdinand Milner, indicating that this was a novel written by him, and Mike was likely a character—perhaps even the protagonist.
Gu Zhan tried to look at the character with genuine sincerity, and Mike seemed to be moved by his sincerity.
He put away his newspaper and said, a bit embarrassed, “I’m sorry, I must seem foolish. As you can see, I really like the girl next door.”
At this moment, the girl selecting the lily of the valley had finished her purchase and walked past the two, carrying a large bouquet.
Mike’s gaze followed her, his eyes filled with fervent emotion.
Gu Zhan followed his gaze, noticing that the girl was oblivious to Mike’s attention; her focus was entirely on the flowers she had just bought. She seemed to adore the lilies, inhaling their fragrance as she walked, a satisfied smile on her face.
Gu Zhan said, “She’s a beautiful and kind girl. If you like her, why not pursue her?”
Mike immediately grew flustered, exclaiming, “No, no, no... She doesn’t know me. That would be too forward.”
Just then, Gu Zhan heard the system’s notification sound.
[Congratulations, player! You have accepted the side quest: “Mike’s Romance.” Poor Mike is an introverted person who cannot take that first step. As the protagonist of a love story, if his romance doesn’t progress, it means the plot cannot move forward. Hurry and help him; helping him is also helping yourself.]
Gu Zhan understood immediately and said, “I’ll help you. How does that sound?”
Mike looked at Gu Zhan in surprise.
Gu Zhan continued, “If you like her, you should make an effort for your feelings, shouldn’t you?”
“But...” Mike hesitated, “won’t that disrupt her life?”
Gu Zhan replied, “You’re only expressing your feelings for her. That won’t disrupt her life.”
“Alright.” Mike was finally convinced by Gu Zhan.
Gu Zhan asked, “Could you tell me a little about her?”
Mike replied, “Her name is Jane. She lives next door to me. Her parents have passed away, so she lives alone. She loves lily of the valley flowers, enjoys croissants, and likes to paint. She goes to church every Sunday…”
It was clear that Mike genuinely liked Jane.
He rambled on about her, and Gu Zhan found it hard to keep up.
“Wait a minute,” Gu Zhan interjected. “You seem to know a lot about her, but when she passed by us just now, she didn’t seem to recognize you as her neighbor.”
Mike whispered, “I just moved in recently… I’m quite introverted and not very good at greeting people around me. I haven’t visited her yet.”
Gu Zhan said, “Okay, so it sounds like she doesn’t know you yet. Our first plan is to make sure she gets to know you.”
With that, Gu Zhan looked in the direction where Jane had left.
Love takes time to develop, but Gu Zhan didn’t have that luxury.
As expected, during the time he had spent in the book, time in the library had continued to pass.
Before dawn, he needed to leave the book, return to the library, and exit it.
Mike was very attentive to what Gu Zhan said. When he mentioned the need to get acquainted, Mike nodded earnestly.
Gu Zhan suggested, “Maybe we should create an opportunity for a chance encounter. The next time she goes out, you can casually greet her and introduce yourself as her neighbor, okay? Do you know where she usually goes?”
Mike nodded repeatedly. “Yes, I know. She goes to town in the evening to get milk. She likes to play with the little dog in front of the dairy stand, so that would be a good time to approach her. When she’s petting the dog, she’ll be in a good mood.”
Gu Zhan couldn’t help but glance at Mike.
This guy said he was too shy to talk to Jane, yet he knew all her preferences so well…
“Then let’s wait by the dairy stand,” Gu Zhan said, turning to lead the way.
---
Across from the dairy stand was a café, and for the entire afternoon, Gu Zhan and Mike spent their time there.
After chatting for a while, Gu Zhan asked Mike what his job was. He replied that he was a lawyer who traveled around helping people with their cases.
Gu Zhan said, “Isn’t being a lawyer about interacting with many people and having good communication skills? I wouldn’t have guessed you were such an introverted person.”
Mike chuckled and said, “Everyday life and love are different. I only feel my heart race when I see her. As soon as my heart starts racing, I forget everything I had planned to say and get too nervous to speak.”
Gu Zhan, having never experienced love himself, found it hard to comment on that.
He gazed absentmindedly out the window at the passersby. Even though this was a novel and the author hadn’t described this city corner, the characters would still find their own lives within the text.
Suddenly, Mike said, “That man seems to like Jane too.”
“What?”
Mike pointed out a man in a tailcoat outside on the street, leaning on a cane. His face seemed to be powdered, and he wore curly yellow wig.
It was an utterly disturbing sight.
Mike said, “Several times at night, I’ve seen him standing outside Jane’s window, staring into her bedroom.”
Gu Zhan found it hard to comment, saying, “The customs here seem quite simple.”
Mike frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with that remark.
Just then, Gu Zhan noticed Jane's white dress appearing on the street. He exclaimed, “Here comes Jane.”
Mike immediately forgot about the man who had been spying on Jane, turning crimson as he looked in her direction. “Is she coming?”
Gu Zhan: “…”
Seeing his innocent demeanor, one might think he was going to confess his feelings.
Wake up, dude; today you’re just supposed to get acquainted.
Mike nervously wrung his hands. “What should I do? Should I just go up and say hello? Introduce myself as her neighbor?”
Gu Zhan rubbed his temples in frustration.
What was he doing?
Wasn’t he supposed to be clearing a dungeon? Why was he acting like a lousy strategist here?
It was hard to even begin to articulate how strange Mike’s previous comments were.
Gu Zhan said, “Don’t you think it would be more appropriate to greet her as a neighbor right at her doorstep? Why would a neighbor travel all this way just to say hi?”
He took out the sausage roll he had prepared earlier and handed it to Mike. “You can casually pass by with these things, pretend to drop the sausage on the ground, and the dog will come over to eat it. That way, you can strike up a conversation without mentioning that you’re neighbors. Just get to know her a little.”
“Okay.” Mike took the sausage and bread.
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