Chapter 353: Chapter 353: The Golden Light That Waits Until the End of Time

Goldie remained silent, but its gaze toward the woman was clear.

“Oh? Are you asking whether the grim future surrounding Li Feng has become clearer now?”

Goldie nodded.

Everything it had done was to open a brighter future for him after witnessing the horrors through this woman.

The reason Goldie trusted her so completely was simple… because they shared the same origin and both wanted only to help Li Feng.

The woman continued looking down from above, clearly amused.

The sight of Goldie worrying seemed to genuinely fun for her to watch.

“To be honest, I don’t know.” she said casually, as if Goldie’s sacrifice meant nothing.

“…”

Goldie remained calm, its gaze steady.

Because they were connected, it already knew it had achieved something meaningful.

The woman glanced at Goldie and sighed.

“How boring. I never thought the Divine Authority of Gold would turn out to be such a worrywart.”

She jumped down gracefully and landed softly in front of Goldie.

With a small smile, she looked up at the wooden puppet form.

“Whether his future has truly changed or not is still hard to say… but I can tell you this, the most troublesome opponent he would have faced in the upcoming war is now gone.”

She placed her hands behind her back and turned, gazing at the old, worn residence with fascinated eyes.

“And you have fulfilled your role splendidly.”

“…”

Goldie lowered its head.

Seeing the puppet still looking downcast despite her words, the woman smiled gently.

“Don’t be so down. If I had left it to that… what was it called again? ’System’? Well, whatever that thing is, it might have been satisfied with just dealing with the will of the Black Sea and saving Yue Lan. But as someone who has seen far more than it has, I can say this is the true ending… and the best possible result for him.”

Hearing this, Goldie finally seemed to let go.

After all, it was no longer truly alive.

Slowly, it walked toward the door of the small residence.

Opening the old wooden door and ducking slightly, Goldie stepped inside and saw the familiar cozy space where it had been born once again.

“He actually lived here? Haha, I’ve uncovered another one of his secrets.”

Behind Goldie, the woman walked in and looked around with open curiosity.

She explored the small room like a playful cat, even crouching down to peek under the bed.

Such a regal and graceful woman acting this way was both strange and strangely beautiful.

Surprisingly, she found an old pouch there and took it.

With curiosity in her eye, she open it.

“Eh? Only ten spirit stones? Why would he even bother hiding this…” she grumbled at the miserable amount of wealth.

Meanwhile, Goldie was lost in memories as it stared at the bed, the table, and every familiar corner of the room, especially the spot beneath the old bookshelf where it had spent most of its time.

“…”

It walked over, carefully going through the books one by one.

Its gaze suddenly brightened when it found the one it liked.

It was a simple encyclopedia about ordinary flowers.

Goldie slowly took it out and opened the pages.

It began flipping through the knowledge in silence once more.

The woman quietly moved to its side and peeked at the book, blinking in surprise.

“A book about flowers? You really like this?”

She gave Goldie a strange look, as if the sight was truly inconceivable.

But Goldie simply nodded and continued turning the pages in peaceful silence.

The woman watched it, her expression growing stranger and stranger… as if she were looking at an entirely different.

But then she sighed softly.

“Well, according to the flow of time… perhaps I really should consider you a different person.”

She knew how greatly one’s experiences could shape a personality.

The woman watched Goldie for a long moment.

Her usual playful amusement gradually softened into something quieter, almost tender.

She leaned her shoulder lightly against the worn bookshelf, arms crossed beneath her chest, quietly observing the wooden puppet as it turned the yellowed pages with surprising care.

The faint rustle of paper was the only sound in the small, dusty room.

“…You’ve really changed.” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “Or perhaps… this version of you was always there, buried beneath layers of duty and divine authority.”

Goldie didn’t respond, but its movements slowed.

One wooden finger gently traced a simple illustration of a white lotus blooming under moonlight.

The woman tilted her head, golden strands of hair slipping over one shoulder as silence settled between them.

Inside the humble room, only a gentle, peaceful quiet remained as she waited patiently for Goldie to finish reading.

Soon,

An unknown amount of time passed.

Finally, Goldie closed the book and carefully returned it to its place.

Seeing this, the woman smiled.

“I see you’re done.”

She walked back toward the door and extended her hand toward Goldie.

“Come… let us depart. Our time in this world has come to an end.”

Her hand remained outstretched, palm open and steady as her body bathed in the soft, dusty light filtering through the small window.

Her golden hair caught the faint glow, giving her an almost ethereal halo within the humble room.

Goldie stood still for a moment longer, its gaze lingering on the old bookshelf.

The encyclopedia of flowers sat neatly in its place, as though it had never been touched.

After one final, lingering look at the worn books, the simple illustrations, and the quiet corner where it had once spent so many peaceful moments, the puppet slowly turned.

Its heavy steps creaked across the wooden floor as it approached her.

Without hesitation, Goldie placed its large wooden hand into hers.

The contrast between the rough, aged wood and her smooth, flawless skin was striking… yet the grip was gentle and trusting.

The woman’s smile deepened, warm and genuine.

“Good.” she whispered.

Together, they stepped out of the small residence.

The old door closed behind them with a soft, final click… almost like sealing away a Chapter that would never be opened again.

In the next moment, they appeared on a bustling city street.

Lanterns flickered like distant stars and the faint, comforting scent of white lotuses drifted on the night breeze.

They walked side by side through the familiar streets, hand in hand, like old companions on one final stroll.

The woman glanced at Goldie occasionally, her expression soft.

“You know… in all my long years, I never imagined the Divine Authority of Gold would find peace in something so ordinary,” she said lightly, though her voice carried deep affection.

“A tiny room. Ten spirit stones. A book about flowers… I never would have imagined that.”

She paused for a moment, then added with a gentle smile,

“But at least one thing hasn’t changed… you still love him.”

“…”

Goldie offered no reply, but its posture seemed lighter somehow, as if a heavy burden was slowly lifting from its wooden frame with every step.

They eventually reached the edge of the residential district, where the path opened onto a quiet hillside overlooking the city.

Moonlight bathed the landscape in a soft silver glow.

Below them, the lights of the mortal world twinkled peacefully, completely unaware of the silent farewell unfolding above.

The woman stopped and turned to face Goldie fully.

She raised her free hand and gently pressed it against the center of the puppet’s chest.

“Our time is truly over…” she said softly.

“You have done more than anyone expected. The threads of calamity you severed and the fortune you bestowed upon him will protect Li Feng far longer than you know. The war will still come… but he will face it with his own strength. And hopefully, this time, the result will be different.”

“…”

Goldie seemed lost in thought at her words.

The woman leaned forward and gently rested her forehead against the puppet’s worn chest in a gesture of deep respect.

“Thank you… for choosing kindness this time. And for choosing him again.”

The woman kept her forehead pressed lightly against Goldie’s chest, eyes closed, whispering her final words of gratitude.

A warm, golden light began to emanate from within Goldie.

It spread slowly through its body, turning the old cracks into glowing veins of light.

The wood started dissolving into shimmering particles that rose gently into the night sky like fireflies ascending toward the stars.

But then… Goldie’s hand tightened around hers.

Not violently.

…Just a quiet, stubborn squeeze.

The kind of grip that said: Not yet.

At this, the woman’s eyes opened slowly.

She lifted her head and saw that Goldie was hesitating.

The golden light that had begun dissolving its body dimmed.

The shimmering particles that had risen from its shoulders and arms slowly drifted back down, as if unwilling to leave.

One of its hands rose shakily, not to push her away, but to rest heavily on her shoulder… trembling, almost pleading.

“…”

There was no voice… only silence.

But the intent was painfully clear.

I don’t want to disappear.

The woman stared at Goldie, her expression a mix of disbelief and deep affection.

“…You stubborn old fool.” she whispered, her voice thick with rare emotion.

“Even now? After everything?”

Goldie’s head lowered slightly.

Its gaze drifted back toward the old residence where Li Feng lived, now visible once more beside them.

The hand resting on her shoulder tightened, loosened, then tightened again.

Its wooden fingers creaked, as if fighting against the pull of fate itself.

It didn’t want to go.

Not because it feared oblivion, but because it still worried.

What if the war still twisted everything? What if the threads it had severed weren’t enough? What if Li Feng needed it one more time?

At this,

The woman let out a soft, shaky laugh that bordered on a sigh.

She placed both hands over Goldie’s, gently cradling the large, weathered wooden one still holding hers.

“I know…” she murmured. “I know you want to stay. You want to watch over him until the very end. You want to protect him with your own hands again…”

She stepped closer, resting her cheek against its chest, listening to the faint, fading hum of its golden core.

“But you’ve already given him everything you could. If you stay any longer, you’ll only become a chain instead of a shield. The Divine Authority no longer has a place in this world… You will only suffer here… alone.”

She pulled back and looked up at Goldie with serious eyes.

“So let us depart… and find a new home.”

Her hand remained pressed gently against Goldie’s fading chest, waiting for the golden light to resume its work.

But Goldie did not move.

Instead, its grip on her shoulder tightened with surprising strength for a being already halfway dissolved.

The golden particles that had begun rising once more slowed to a stop, then reversed, sinking back into its wooden frame until only faint veins of light remained beneath the cracks.

“…”

No sound came from Goldie, yet the refusal was louder than any words.

Goldie slowly lifted its head.

Its gaze locked onto the direction of Li Feng small residence.

Then, with quiet resolve, the puppet took a step backward, pulling away from her embrace.

Its wooden hand slipped from hers… heavy, reluctant, but resolute.

The woman’s eyes widened slightly.

“Goldie…”

It shook its head in a single, slow, stubborn motion.

Then Goldie raised one trembling arm and pointed firmly at the ground beneath its feet.

Here.

This world.

This small courtyard.

This place where it could still watch over him.

It was choosing to stay.

Even if its existence would no longer be whole.

Even if it meant suffering in silence, watching from the shadows, unable to speak, unable to help directly and slowly eroding away with each passing day until nothing remained.

With Goldie making it choice,

The scenery around them began to dissolve, fading into a vast, white empty space.

And only Li Feng’s old, small courtyard remained.

Goldie turned and walked back toward the humble room.

It stepped inside and closed the door behind it without looking back.

BANG!

The woman stood outside, watching with a wry, bittersweet smile.

“So stubborn… why am I not surprised?”

…After all, no one knew herself better than she did.

After a long moment of thought, she let out a soft sigh.

“If that is your wish… then let me help you.”

She raised her hand toward the closed door.

Motes of golden light gathered in her palm as her own hand began to slowly dissolve.

“Since you’ve already bestowed all of your fortune upon him… take what’s left of mine.”

Her body gradually turned blurry, her entire existence growing unstable.

After the last traces of light left her fingertips, she exhaled slowly and looked up toward the sky.

“…I also hope you have a happy and a… different future.”

She began walking away into the distance.

Her body broke apart into drifting particles of empty light.

“…I guess I’ll go wait for him there first… so he won’t be too lonely.”

With that final murmur and a soft, familiar melody only she knew, the woman vanished completely.

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Inside Li Feng’s room, a heavy silence hung in the air.

Goldie sat on the floor with its knees drawn to its chest, head lowered.

It wasn’t reading or doing anything.

It simply waited.

Suddenly, countless motes of golden light drifted in from outside, flowing gently toward the wooden figure.

The moment they touched its body, faint cracks began to spread across the wooden surface.

Crack…

Crack…

Crack…

The outer shell slowly peeled away, dissolving into sparkling fragments of light.

What emerged was a young girl with long, flowing blonde hair that shimmered as if woven from pure light itself.

Her skin was smooth and flawlessly pale, glowing with a soft, ethereal radiance.

A delicate dress made of condensed silk-like light gently draped over her small, fragile-looking body.

For a brief moment, the girl’s body trembled.

She felt it… the familiar presence that had always accompanied her had vanished.

“…”

The small figure now looked incredibly lonely inside the quiet, empty room.

Even so, she made her choice.

She would wait here.

No matter how much time passed.

No matter how heavy the loneliness grew.

No matter how painful the silence became…

Even if the very last fragment of her being scattered into the wind, she would continue waiting.

Because for this version of Goldie, protecting Li Feng’s future was no longer just a duty.

It was love.

And love… even when painful, even when lonely was worth staying for…

…until the end of time.

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End of Volume 1: The Phoenix Secret Realm.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep