Chapter 118: The Final Breakfast

Outside the Fog Inn, silver serpents of lightning frenziedly bit at the darkened sky, as if tearing it asunder. The torrential rain fell like the blood and tears of the heavens, seeping into the boundless graveyard and nourishing the restless spirits hidden deep within the shadows. Atop the largest burial mound, a figure in white held his white lantern, gazing toward the Fog Inn. From a distance, the vast expanse of graves appeared to form a massive black ship.

The reaper in white, clutching his white lantern, piloted his dark vessel toward the Fog Inn.

"It is time to return. Everything must come to an end."

...

Seeing Luo Hanyi emerge from the room carrying Xiao Feng, Shi Can sprang up like a rabbit whose tail had been stepped on. His hideous, terrifying face twisted into a knot, resembling a demon spreading profound dread.

"Shi Can, why don't you lead the way?" Observing Shi Can's panic, Luo Hanyi shook his head. He did not know why Shi Can feared Xiao Feng so deeply, but some horrific event must have occurred between them, planting the seeds of terror in the man's heart.

Shi Can nodded as if granted amnesty, hunching his back and scurrying ahead like a wretched rat. The dim lantern in his hand swayed incessantly, echoing the tremors in his grip.

Luo Hanyi followed, carrying Xiao Feng through the dim corridor and stepping down the creaking staircase. With only five or six steps left to reach the inn's lobby, he squinted slightly—perhaps due to an illusion, or perhaps because the lobby lights were exceptionally bright—adjusting to the starkly different environment.

"Shi Can, why were you gone so long?" Before Luo Hanyi could reach the lobby, a warm voice drifted out to greet them.

*Is that Macarius? Isn't he supposed to be an outsider?* Luo Hanyi felt a surge of disappointment, followed by fear. He was unsure if Macarius was friend or foe. The thought of someone whose intellect could crush his own suddenly turning into an enemy sent a shiver down his spine; the prospect was too harrowing to contemplate.

Shaking off these negative thoughts, Luo Hanyi took a deep breath and stepped into the lobby. The previously empty table was now occupied by a man with a kind expression and a faint smile—it was indeed Macarius.

"Sir, please, have a seat," Shi Can said, gesturing toward the table. He glanced at Xiao Feng, who lay with closed eyes on Luo Hanyi’s shoulder, then immediately lowered his head as if avoiding a plague.

The table, once barren, was now laden with a sumptuous breakfast. Slices of golden toast were wrapped around tender, succulent slices of meat. In the center of the table sat a massive platter featuring a sea turtle egg, garnished with numerous small, translucent buns stuffed with what appeared to be delicious shrimp. Crisp, vibrant lettuce leaves cradled enticing red apples... Milk, soy milk, tea, wine—a variety of drinks lined the edges of the table, awaiting selection.

"Such a lavish breakfast; it feels like a farewell meal. Surely this isn't my last breakfast, is it?" Luo Hanyi could not help but let the thought cross his mind.

"Yo! The protagonist of the day has arrived," Macarius remarked, his eyelids drooping. He did not look at Luo Hanyi, instead swaying his head as he savored his fog tea, acting like a boisterous, eccentric old man.

"Why call me the protagonist?" Luo Hanyi sat down next to Macarius, carrying Xiao Feng, and stared directly into his eyes.

"Heh, it cannot be said, it cannot be said. My apologies for the slip of the tongue. More accurately, everyone who arrives here is a protagonist." Macarius opened his eyes slightly, smiling warmly, his words leaving no room for rebuttal.

"Then you are a protagonist as well. I wonder what role you are playing?" Luo Hanyi pressed, seeking the truth.

"I am responsible for this part," Macarius said. Without explaining further, he pulled a card from his pocket. "This is my role."

It was a tarot card. On it, a young man was petting a large dog—a creature so robust and tall, with such a heavy bone structure and a short muzzle, that it looked more like a bear than a dog.

"This is..." Luo Hanyi pondered for a moment, then gave Macarius a long, searching look. "A Caucasian Shepherd?"

"Indeed." Macarius smiled, leaning his head back slightly, closing his eyes, and humming the Anhui folk song *Jasmine Flower* like an ordinary old farmer.

Luo Hanyi exhaled a breath of stale air, his heart finally settling. It was clear that Macarius bore no malice; the act of petting a Caucasian Shepherd symbolized friendship. The righteous never stooped to petty deceptions; they preferred to let their opponents willingly walk into well-laid traps, defeating them with grand, upright strategy. Macarius was evidently one of those "pedantic" righteous figures—brilliant in intellect, yet open, honest, and forthright.

...

"Creak..." A long, drawn-out sound of wood rubbing against wood came from the door. Someone had entered the inn.

"So many people already," the white-clad figure muttered. He hung his white lantern on the wall and took his seat, completely indifferent to Luo Hanyi’s complex gaze.

"Who exactly are you? Even now, you still won't show me your true face?" Luo Hanyi looked at the figure, whose face remained shrouded in mist, feeling a headache coming on. He could not understand why the man insisted on this.

"I am faceless, bodiless, and soulless; that is why you cannot see my face," the figure replied, offering a cryptic smile.

"Can you at least tell me your code name?" Luo Hanyi shrugged, abandoning the name and asking for a designation instead.

"A code name? Hah! I am faceless, bodiless, and soulless—how could I have a code name?" The figure shook his head, laughing as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Then what should I call you? Lord Reaper?" Luo Hanyi stared at him, unfazed, even finding the humor to tease him.

"If you insist on giving me a name, you might as well call me Mr. Fog."

Luo Hanyi carried Xiao Feng to the side of the man in white and asked in a whisper only they could hear, "Why did you make me go there last night?"

"You will know in time." The figure picked up an apple from the table and took a large bite.

"Is it not late enough already?"

"Of course not. It is still very early. Someone will tell you, but that person will not be me."