Lin Qingyue watched this scene, the corners of her mouth curving slightly upward.
There's hope!
She looked expectantly at her quest panel.
However, the progress bar for the quest [Fulfill the Inner Desire of the Celestial God, Black Tortoise] remained at a glaring 0%.
It hadn't budged in the slightest.
The curve of Lin Qingyue's lips gradually collapsed.
Providing a pillow for physical comfort might be a decent "service" for the Black Tortoise.
But it was nowhere near touching the "Core" of His "Desire."
The real reason this Celestial God couldn't sleep soundly wasn't the lack of a good pillow.
"It's really not that simple..."
Lin Qingyue muttered softly to herself.
Her gaze swept over the three Gods not far away, who were almost escalating from a civil brawl to a full-scale martial arts fight, before falling back on the Black Tortoise, who was sleeping even more soundly.
She turned and made a gesture to her three teammates, who were equally clueless.
"Xiyue, Su Wan, Xia Lian, come over."
"Let's have a meeting."
In a corner of the White Tiger Temple, the four girls quickly formed a circle.
Their background noise was the increasingly fierce argument of the three Celestial Gods in the Main Hall.
It was mixed with the White Tiger's shriek, "Do you even understand numerical aesthetics?" and the Vermilion Bird's roar, "I'm definitely adding full-screen explosion effects to you today!"
The scene was filled with the colors of magical realism.
"The situation is as follows,"
Lin Qingyue explained the previous attempt and failure in concise terms.
"The physical peripherals have been maxed out, but the quest progress bar hasn't budged. This proves that Big Sister Black Tortoise's insomnia is not physiological, but psychological, or rather... on a soul level."
"Like a programmer who must bring their laptop even on vacation."
The usually dignified Su Wan's analysis was now piercingly accurate.
She adjusted a pair of nonexistent glasses, her eyes gleaming with the light of wisdom.
"Even if given the most comfortable bed, He cannot truly sleep soundly. Because His spirit is always stretched taut like a string."
"Celestial God Black Tortoise's laziness might not be true laziness, but a hidden fatigue that has lasted for ten million years."
Su Wan's words instantly cleared the fog in everyone's minds.
"A responsibility that cannot be set down?"
Lin Xiyue frowned, gripping the edge of the [Blackstone's Protection] shield and feeling the heaviness it conveyed.
"As the Celestial God of the North, what is His responsibility? Guarding the Northern Territory?"
"I'm afraid it's more than that."
Xia Lian softly added, her voice very light, yet everyone heard her clearly.
"The existence of the Celestial Gods of the Four Directions is not merely to maintain the elemental balance of the world, but also to suppress the seal of that Ancient God."
"Every Celestial God is a 'Warden'."
"Warden..."
Lin Qingyue chewed on the word, countless clues in her mind instantly connecting.
White Tiger's "Envy" stemmed from his role as the "Overseer," an obsessive-compulsive need for all things in the world to be perfect.
Azure Dragon's "Pride" stemmed from her role as the "Recorder," an absolute confidence in knowledge and Law.
Vermilion Bird's "Wrath" stemmed from her role as the "Guide," a furious punishment for all destroyers of Order.
Then, what about Black Tortoise?
From the previous manifestations of Authority, He should be the "Guardian."
His "Sloth," His state of sleeping at all times, that domain of "Absolute Slowness"...
That perhaps was not a character flaw, but a working state!
He poured all His energy into the eternal suppression of a certain being.
So much so that in the surface world, He could only manifest this extreme "laziness," where even moving a bit was too tiring.
His sleep itself was a type of seal.
His fatigue stemmed from an eternal, unknown war.
This thought gave Lin Qingyue goosebumps all over her skin.
This seemingly harmless Goddess was actually bearing the heaviest of shackles.
"So, Her greatest wish, 'to sleep comfortably and do absolutely nothing,' translates to..."
Lin Qingyue took a deep breath, voicing the desire hidden deep within Black Tortoise's heart.
"...I want to cast off this damn responsibility and truly, completely, take a vacation."
The arguments in the Main Hall seemed to fade away at this moment.
The four girls looked at each other, seeing shock and a hint of pity in each other's eyes.
After a few seconds of silence, Lin Xiyue stood up with a "shing."
She hoisted the heavy Blackstone Shield onto her shoulder with one hand, her black ponytail whipping out a crisp arc in the air.
"What are we waiting for?"
Her voice held no hesitation, but was instead filled with high-spirited fighting spirit, like a sword drawn from its scabbard.
"Let's just go and purify that Ancient God's heart! Let this Big Sister retire for good!"
"Isn't that the ultimate mission of our coming to this Dungeon? Kill two birds with one stone, let's do it now!"
Lin Xiyue's words were like a fire, instantly igniting everyone.
Su Wan tightened her grip on her staff and murmured, "Exactly. Instead of guessing here, we should act to prove it. Even if there's an Abyss ahead, the four of us together can fill it in."
Xia Lian also gripped the [Fangs of Shadow Strike] twin swords at her waist. Though still a bit shy, her gaze was firmer than ever before.
"I... I'm ready! My traps should come in handy."
Seeing the light in her three companions' eyes, Lin Qingyue smiled.
This was her team.
A bunch of crazy girls who could always explode with astonishing action at critical moments.
"Good."
She said only one word, then turned and walked without hesitation toward the black-haired Goddess who was still snoring softly.
This time, she didn't lower her voice. Instead, she spoke in a clear, steady tone that could pierce through a Dreamscape:
"Celestial God Black Tortoise, we've made our decision."
"We are going to purify the World Heart."
As her words fell.
Black Tortoise's steady snoring instantly ceased.
At the other end of the Main Hall, the fierce debate over whether "numerical inflation equals late-game enjoyment" also came to an abrupt halt.
Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger, the three Celestial Gods, turned their heads in unison. Three distinct yet equally sharp gazes fixed themselves squarely on Lin Qingyue.
The entire hall fell into a dead silence.
Black Tortoise, who had been half-reclining, sat up straight for the first time.
He slowly opened his pure black eyes.
Gone was the grogginess of having just woken up, and gone was his usual laziness.
Those eyes were as deep as the night sky of the universe, reflecting eternal stars and the sands of time.
He gazed silently at Lin Qingyue, as if weighing the soul of this mortal.
A full half-minute passed before the depth and heaviness in those eyes slowly faded, replaced once more by a layer of soft drowsiness.
Black Tortoise let out a yawn, and a physiological tear even welled in the corner of his eye.
"Oh, so you're going..."
He mumbled, his tone carrying the annoyance of "I knew this would happen," along with a faint, imperceptible sense of relief.
"You should have just said so. Going in circles like this is such a hassle."
He waved his hand casually in the air, as if swatting away an annoying fly.
An ink-like halo condensed at his fingertips, transforming into a palm-sized black talisman covered in flowing, profound runes. It drifted lightly and slowly before Lin Qingyue.
"Take it,"
Black Tortoise's voice returned to being thick and drowsy,
"Just crush it when you want to go."
"Don't make me wait too long... I'm still waiting to get a good night's sleep."
After speaking, he seemed to have exhausted all his energy for the day. His head tilted, and he fell into a deep sleep once more.
It was as if his moment of clarity just now had been nothing but an illusion.
But everyone knew it wasn't.