Actually, deep in Notch's heart, that possible answer had already surfaced, yet he still could not firmly believe it.
Maybe it was because a trace of wishful hope still remained in his heart, or maybe he truly did not want to easily accept this fact.
In short, he was eager to hear a definite answer directly from someone else.
Even though Notch still could not remember exactly what those two friends were called, he clearly knew they meant something very special to him.
Because of this importance, he became even more anxious to get an accurate and unmistakable answer.
When Notch threw out the question, Black Blade froze instantly as if struck by lightning.
He never expected Notch to ask so directly, without any detours, and to hit the key point at once.
For a moment, Black Blade felt completely at a loss and silently groaned in his heart, 'Tsk… why did I even start talking to him!!!'
Right now Black Blade deeply regretted it. It was also because the trial was almost over that he had relaxed a lot. Seeing Notch looking depressed, he somehow just started chatting with him.
He never expected that one casual chat would lead to something this big…
Although Black Blade knew very little about the specific conversations between Xu Yuan and Notch, there was one thing he could be sure of, Xu Yuan had not completely told Notch everything about the void.
Otherwise, Notch definitely would not be asking such a question now.
Since Notch had already spoken so plainly, it meant he had basically guessed the truth deep down.
At this moment, what he desperately wanted was simply someone to step forward and completely tear away that thin veil covering the truth.
However, Black Blade was full of struggle and hesitation about whether he should be the one to break the deadlock and expose the truth, and he found it hard to make a decision.
After all, guessing the truth yourself and hearing someone confirm it directly are completely different things.
Black Blade clearly understood this subtle difference, which was exactly why he became so indecisive at this crucial moment.
The trial grounds were about to reach the end, and everything seemed to be steadily moving in a good direction.
If at this time Black Blade rashly pierced that seemingly fragile but actually crucial final layer, triggering unexpected changes or even disasters, then the serious consequences would definitely be something he could not bear.
Black Blade's face looked heavy, his lips tightly pressed together, and he stood there silently for a long time.
Time passed second by second, yet he still could not decide whether he should respond to Notch's expectation.
In fact, Black Blade's long silence itself already carried a suggestive answer, but Notch clearly was not willing to give up.
Even knowing what Black Blade was hesitating about, he still looked at him full of expectation, stubbornly insisting, only wanting to hear the truth from Black Blade personally.
Only then could he truly accept and face this cruel reality calmly.
At this moment, Grayfist, who was standing beside Black Blade, finally could not hold back when he saw the state of the two. He stepped forward, stood in front of Black Blade, looked at Notch, and spoke, "I'm saying, do you really have no sense at all?"
At this point, Grayfist pointed at Black Blade and continued, "He does look a bit handsome, but there's no need to stare like that, right?"
Hearing Grayfist' words, Notch was about to explain, but Grayfist interrupted him.
Grayfist waved his hand and said, "You already have an answer in your heart, yet you insist others give you confirmation. Isn't that obviously putting pressure on them and making them take responsibility?"
At this point, Grayfist let out a long sigh and continued.
"Instead of pressing Black Blade like this, you might as well ask someone closer to the source of all this, or go find out yourself."
After speaking, Grayfist patted Notch's shoulder. His eyes looked firm as if he were about to join a party, and he said earnestly, "No one can help you. You have to take this step yourself."
Grayfist showed absolutely no restraint toward Notch. He went straight into lecturing him, leaving even Black Blade stunned beside them.
But what Grayfist said did have some skill, especially the last sentence.
Just as Grayfist said, this final thin layer could only be pierced by Notch himself. Even if Xu Yuan were here, he could not help.
He had to discover the truth himself and bear all the truth himself.
At this moment, after hearing Grayfist' words, Notch finally gave up. He let out a long sigh and finally withdrew his gaze from Black Blade.
"I understand."
After saying that, he stayed silent for a moment, then looked at Black Blade and Grayfist and said, "I'll leave first."
"Before the trial grounds end, I'll figure out all the truth as soon as possible."
After speaking, Notch suddenly disappeared from where he stood.
It was possible to leave freely while in the waiting area, and Notch had clearly left early.
It seemed he had finally prepared himself to face the void.
Seeing this, Black Blade let out a long breath. The nerves he had kept tense finally relaxed.
Seeing Black Blade like this, Grayfist raised an eyebrow and joked, "Your mental strength is really poor. You got scared like that?"
Seeing Grayfist' carefree, casual expression, Black Blade could not help rolling his eyes at him.
"Even my king didn't fully tell him about the void. How would I dare act recklessly?"
Hearing Black Blade's words, Grayfist shrugged, looking unconcerned. "That's where you don't get it. I'm pretty good at judging people."
"For someone like him, giving him a good scolding works best. Yelling him awake is the easiest way."
"I already held back a lot considering his identity!"
At this point, Grayfist patted Black Blade's shoulder and smiled. "Relax, it's all good!"
———
After Notch exited the trial grounds, everything in front of him fell into darkness. A moment later, when he regained awareness, he had already arrived in the main world.
After confirming there was nothing unusual around him, Notch let out a long breath. Just as he was about to reach out to open the game forum to check what had happened in the main world during this time, something unexpected occurred.
A dialogue box suddenly popped up automatically without any warning, and the sudden change made Notch freeze.
Before he could react, a line of striking text suddenly appeared in the box, the letters flickering on the screen like ghosts.
"Long time no see… do you still remember us? ...D."
This line hit Notch's heart like a heavy hammer, making his heart suddenly tighten…