A Madman’s Guide to Chapter 3: Heaven

Looking at the gradually increasing content in the Travel Guide, Samuel blinked.

The two perspectives of his main body and the black cat overlapped before his eyes. Having allocated nearly four-fifths of his brain's processing power to the cat for the sake of watching the show, it took Samuel a few seconds to understand the Travel Guide's update rules.

"So, it only updates when I see sothing with my own eyes?" Samuel's finger lightly traced the page. "That's not very useful, is it? If I've already seen it myself, what do I need you for?"

"Trash."

He flipped through the Travel Guide. The next few pages were still empty, blank.

He flipped further, all the way to the end. There, only his own file remained.

Suddenly, Samuel subconsciously raised his right hand, wanting to casually slap the book onto the floor.

But he restrained himself.

Theoretically, right now, four-fifths of him belonged to the cat, so it was natural to carry so "cat" habits.

Like pushing everything off the table.

This wasn't about the body, but the mind.

An excellent actor always imrses themselves in their role when performing.

Even if he was just playing a cat, he would still imrse himself.

And since he had concentrated four-fifths of his ntal capacity on the black cat Samuel, naturally, the cat part was greater than the human part.

"Why hasn't it updated?" Samuel tapped the page and asked. "He's already entered the rules-based anomaly ahead. Shouldn't you record his file? What? You won't show

the panel because I didn't trigger a strategy side quest?"

No new text appeared on the Travel Guide to answer.

…………

anwhile, on the other side.

"Do you wish to go to Heaven?"

This question stunned the boy who had just regained consciousness. His mouth hung open, unable to speak for a mont.

The religious mythology of this world also had the concept of "Heaven," not much different from what Samuel knew in his previous life. It was described as beautiful and desirable, but it was indeed a place one only went to after death.

This made the boy sowhat afraid.

He didn't believe in religion, and he certainly didn't want to die.

Although life was painful for him, no matter what, it was still better than being dead.

Black cat Samuel crouched on the roof of a low, old house opposite the bridge underpass, watching all of this, swaying his tail, looking quite leisurely.

Seemingly recognizing the boy's misunderstanding, the Priest explained gently, "You may have misunderstood. The Heaven I speak of is not the sa as the one you imagine."

A gentle, guiding voice with a slight harmonic resonance echoed under the bridge underpass, causing the temperature within to rise quietly by a few degrees. The boy stopped shivering from the cold.

"The Heaven you imagine is a place conjured by human fantasy, a resting place for souls. But souls actually have no such resting place. They are conceived, born, grow, and die within this world, ultimately returning to silence."

The Priest's hand gently stroked the top of the boy's head. The boy's visible sores began to improve noticeably, and his complexion looked much healthier.

The boy's gaze was drawn to the Priest. His attention was gradually captured, anticipating what would co next.

"Actually, death is not terrifying. It is rely silence and stillness. But it is also not happiness. Death signifies the end of possibility. It is conclusion. It ans everything from that point onward ceases to have aning."

Samuel noticed that as the Priest's words fell, subtle ripples stirred in the air. Within this section of the underpass, tender sprouts grew from the cracks in the stone, though the boy did not perceive it.

The Priest likely wasn't actively doing anything. He was simply gently explaining reason to a child, yet the surrounding environnt changed.

Law.

This word appeared in black cat Samuel's mind.

It was a proper noun he had seen in the Travel Guide not long ago.

So this is Law?

"Really curious, what is this Priest's 'Law tendency'? Heaven Law?" Black cat Samuel swayed his tail.

Of course, a Priest is ant to go to Heaven.

While Samuel was still letting his thoughts wander, the Priest's explanation continued.

"True Heaven is 'continuation.' It is the continuation of life, the continuation of the soul, and also the continuation of thought."

The tender sprouts grew more and more nurous, slowly, almost filling the entire space under the bridge underpass. After the newborn sprouts reached a certain number, they stopped increasing. Buds began to erge from the grass.

"To live, this is the foundation of everything. Only when a person is still alive does the so-called 'Heaven' have aning for them. This is the continuation of life."

"And when that person's thoughts and wishes can be realized, when sins and karmic debts can be repaid, then their purest 'spirit' can continue. This is the continuation of the soul."

"At this point, the most pure thought held by this pure spirit becos part of Heaven. It will continue in the eternal, harmonious paradise alongside one pure spirit after another, passed down, immortalized. This is the continuation of thought."

"This is the true Heaven. It is eternal harmony, happiness, and continuation."

The temperature under the bridge underpass beca warm. The cold of late November was dispelled. The entire interior of the underpass beca as comfortable as a greenhouse. The buds growing from the tender sprouts trembled lightly but did not open.

The Priest lowered the hand stroking the boy's head and opened his arms. Suddenly, pairs of illusory hands extended from behind the Priest, weaving into a pair of wings behind him. They reached towards the boy, yet there was no sense of coercion.

Those hands were long and short, thick and thin, so rough, so delicate, belonging to people of different ages, different genders.

"I will not force you. But if you are willing, I will lead you to Heaven."

The different timbres mixed within his voice grew more nurous—resonant, gentle, llow, clear, steady, lodious, deep, high-pitched—yet strangely harmonious. It wasn't uncomfortable in the least. Instead, the boy couldn't help but beco entranced, feeling as if he were wrapped in a warm quilt on a soft bed in winter.

A wind blew in. Upon entering this area, it imdiately transford into a warm breeze carrying a hint of spring.

Although the boy had never felt such warmth before, he instinctively, intuitively believed that the so-called "happiness" must feel like this.

The boy's eyes gradually widened. Subconsciously, he extended a hand, hesitated for a mont, and then grasped a translucent, illusory palm extended before him.

Relief.

An unprecedented sense of relief surged into his heart in that instant.

From childhood until now, he had never felt so relieved. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted all at once.

Behind the Priest, the wings composed of those illusory arms slowly closed, drawing the boy into the Priest's embrace.

The Priest's opened arms closed. The boy revealed a blissful smile as he was gently embraced by the Priest.

Embraced... his remaining head, bearing that blissful smile, with blood continuously dripping from below the neck.

Thud.

The headless corpse fell backward, landing heavily on the ground amidst the newly sprouted shoots. Blood sprayed from the neck, splattering on the grass. Those half-open buds slowly blood.

The flowers opened.