It had just rained, and a wet and cold water mist was suspended in the air.

The church gate moved, and a creaking sound rang out, and William stepped into the high hall of the dome.

The interior is very quiet. The deacons are busy with plague prevention and control, and most of them are running around. The residents are also afraid that the gathering of people will cause the epidemic to spread, so they suspended their weekly services. Now half of the people who live here come from Cambridgeshire to avoid disasters.

William followed the stairs and turned into the second floor corridor. At the end of the corridor, a large compartment consisting of several dormitories is the Grantham Town Public Library, which is now allocated to professors at Cambridge University as a temporary residence. He hopes to find Isaac here, even if it is very likely to meet the uncomfortable Alphons.

He was determined to knock on the door, but he couldn't wait for someone who answered the door for a long time.

"The professors packed up the things a few days ago and are going to London today." A resident pastor was attracted by a knock on the door. He made a gesture of prayer on his chest, "God blessed, now is not a good time to set off. People in London are eager to escape."

"Already gone?"

"I left in the morning." The pastor looked at the boy in front of him, "William Thomas?"

William nodded in surprise: "I am."

"A gentleman left you a message-"

"Alphons?"

"No," the pastor smiled gently, and shook his head, "It's a black-haired gentleman, about the same age as you."

It was Isaac William who jumped and urged, "What did he say?"

"Before midnight, he will wait for you on the other side of the shallow stream last time."

William turned around and ran downstairs: "Thank you!"

The humid air is thick and sticky, making people unable to breathe freely. But William doesn't want to slow down. He has many questions to ask in person, and time won't stop waiting.

Before that, he went to the Clark pharmacy shop on the high street, and Anne was not there. Although he was not hopeful, he decided to go to the church to try his luck. It seemed that Isaac had already expected this section.

The water vapor condensed into dew and rustled down from the leaves and fell on William's shoulders. His brilliant blonde hair was soaked, and strands were attached to his forehead.

William stepped through the flowing stream and plunged into the dark deep forest that was looming in the rain and fog.

A gray owl was alarmed by the running boy, flapping his wings and making a few low chirpings, which spread far away in the quiet night. The birds that had originally hid in the tree holes to comb their wet feathers also poked their heads to respond. The silent forest seemed to suddenly wake up, and the chirpings from all over the world came one after another.

William left the noise that he was startled behind, and he didn't care about the splashing mud, and he just regretted that he was not running fast enough.

Bypassing the two airtight ash forests, he finally turned into a small open open space.

William suddenly stopped and stared in shock: "Isaac-Anne!?"

The girl who heard her name did not look back, but said loudly, "He is leaving- leaving Grantham!" She tried her best not to let her voice tremble, and asked the black-haired boy angrily, "If I hadn't followed him quietly, would you have planned to leave without saying goodbye like this? When everyone needs you so much!"

Isaac looked down at his feet without answering.

Anne wanted to rush over, but was pulled by William. He tried to make his voice sound calm enough: "When did you decide?"

"Two days ago."

"Must leave?"

"Must leave."

The words have come to this point, and there seems to be no need to continue. Based on my understanding of Isaac over the years, everything he decides to do must be accomplished.

William originally planned to ask what agreement he and Alphons had reached, but because Anne was by her side, she couldn't tell anyone about her questions.

"I saw you with them!" Anne couldn't hide her disappointment in her words, "They are using you!"

"That proves that he is still valuable."

A lazy voice rang behind Isaac, and a person gradually emerged in the smoke and mist. Alphons - who should be called "Smiling Man" - walked slowly, standing side by side with the black-haired boy.

The silver-beaked bird mask reflected a dull metallic luster in the mist, like an old god hidden in the darkness. He stroked the ebony silver stick in his hand: "We never destroy anything valuable."

The cold wind flowed, blowing away the endless water vapor, showing more masked people in the distance. They were silent, like a group of ancient stone statues that were creepy.

The smiling man gently put his hand on Isaac's shoulder and whispered softly in an encouraging and bewitching tone: "There are all you want to meet. Your wish is over, and there is not much time."

Isaac lowered his eyes and nodded with a very slight amplitude.

A brand new silver-beaked bird mask was handed over from the smiling man's hand, covering Isaac's wooden face little by little. Immediately, more masked people approached through the mist. They held dark wool cloaks and wore black-haired teenagers, as if some mysterious acceptance ceremony.

The huge and loose hood finally completely obscured Isaac's face. The talented boy who was always stubborn, paranoid and unyielding completely melted into the darkness.

"Then..." The smiling man took off his hat and gave a gift, "There will be no future."

They retreated with the boy shrouded under the black burqa and walked into the white mist suspended in the deep woods. Then there was the sound of boarding the bus, the horses sniffing, and the sound of the wheels turning after the whip slashed through the air.

"Isaac...Isaac--"

There was only a vast white area left in the field of vision, and Anne's crying was also swallowed by the regained fog.

The wet and cold air fell on his shoulders, as if it made people's blood freeze all over his body. William gently hugged Anne, hugged her and patted her back. He clearly heard his heart beating wildly, getting faster and faster.

No...it won't be too late...

It won't be too late. He said to himself in his heart.

William patted Anne, let go of her hand, turned around and ran towards the direction where Isaac left.

He burst out with a force he had never had in his life to run wildly, chasing the carriage carrying his friends away. The night fog was heavy, like an invisible tentacle that blocked him, unwilling to let him chase him. Obviously, he was close at hand, and he even heard the light sound of the wheels running through the gravel, but he could not penetrate the white fog separated in front of him.

His heart was beating almost to explode, and he completely lost his perception of the world around him, with only the blurry outline in front of him.

"Isaac!"

He didn't know how he shouted it out, and even breathing was a difficult thing during the violent running.

A faint silver light flashed in a flash, like a shooting star on a summer night.

He would never misunderstand that—it was the reflection of Regulus, the small and dazzling star created by Isaac, which was telling William that his friends were also responding to his call.

It's already very close.

The carriage began to accelerate and would shake off the young man who was chasing him again.

"William!"

Isaac struggled to poke his body out of the car and held the Regurus pendant in his waving hand.

He took off the mask that others put on him, and his black hair fluttered like a flying wind.

William understood, jumped suddenly, and reached out to hold the black-haired boy with his hand!

When he landed on the ground, he rolled all over the mud, and carefully cared for a small piece of faint silver light in his arms.

"Isaac!"

He stretched out his hand in the direction of the carriage running away, holding the pendant tightly in the palm of his hand.

Although it was getting farther and farther away, he could clearly hear what Isaac was shouting at him.

"I will become very famous!" The genius boy waved his fists vigorously, "Everyone will read the books I wrote! The whole world will know my name!"

This is the boy's naked ambition, like a thriving flame.

"I will become the greatest navigator in history!" William also raised his fist from afar and smiled hard, "Draw the whole world for you to see!"
Chapter completed!