The Twin Goddesses should be figures that people are intimately familiar with; even if you've never seen them, you’ve surely heard mentions of them on television, in movies, in games, or even in novels—there should be some lingering impression.

In truth, Lin Luo wasn't surprised that the Guardian Seals for Yomi and Kagura were the Twin Goddesses.

After all, their attributes inherently involved duality; it was unlikely their Guardian Seals would manifest as single entities. However, the twin goddesses Fina and Leah had absolutely no connection to them. Fina and Leah actually existed in some other world; they weren't guardian seals purely born from power. To become a Guardian Seal, one required an extremely deep bond with the host. Even for the close friends Kinomoto and Setsuna, where Kinomoto wished for Setsuna to become her Guardian Seal, Kinomoto herself had to construct the bridge. Yet, Fina/Leah and Yomi/Kagura were worlds apart—they had no business being linked. If their seals were the Goddess of Black or the Goddess of White, purely products of power, it wouldn't be strange. Even the Black Beast and the White Beast would fall within the normal scope.

But... for Lin Luo, it was nothing but jarring dissonance, an utter incongruity.

The reality, however, proved that some connections aren't apparent on the surface. Sometimes, even the individuals themselves wouldn't know the extent of their bonds with others. Take Yakumo Yukari and Kazami Yuuka; though they seemed worlds apart now, they might have been inseparable best friends eons ago. Or consider Alice and Hinaichigo; they appear to exist in separate worlds, but perhaps they share the same progenitor.

And so, Yomi/Kagura and Fina/Leah, despite their apparent lack of connection, harbored an incredibly deep link between the four of them—a bond that had even spanned worlds.

As is widely known, the Earth Consciousness of the Shokume world, in its effort to maintain the planet's health, periodically commanded the Black and White Maidens to cleanse the Earth—which meant eradicating all life upon it.

Yomi and Kagura were not the first generation of Black and White Maidens. The true first generation were Fina and Leah!

While the Black and White Maidens were always chosen from among humanity, the first generation was an exception; they were not human but the winged beings, Fina and Leah. The complication was that their world-ending mission didn't proceed smoothly. Not only did they fail to cleanse the world in a short time, but to some extent, they broke free from the World Consciousness's constraints and established the legendary kingdom of Ise as goddesses.

Of course, back then, Earth wasn't called Earth; it was known as the [Specific Continent Name] or something similar, and even the continental plates were entirely different. As for whether Fina and Leah ever completed their extermination mandate, given that Yomi and Kagura, the subsequent Black and White Maidens, eventually appeared, the result was self-evident.

Yomi and Kagura inherited the legacy of successive Black and White Maidens. Although several generations of ordinary Black and White Maidens were utterly erased, the unique case of Fina and Leah persisted. When they reached the level of Rong Xin (Heart Fusion), this pair of Twin Goddesses manifested directly within their power, becoming their Guardian Seals.

"To think such a thing exists; I've truly broadened my horizons," Lin Luo remarked, speechless after hearing the explanation from several people. With such a bizarre plot twist, even if someone told him later that Misato Ashina was Yakumo Yukari’s long-lost sister, he wouldn't be shocked anymore.

"We beg your pardon for alarming you, Master," Fina and Leah, truly embodying the perfect goddesses—upright, refined, dignified, and loving—immediately bowed in apology upon seeing Lin Luo shake his head and sigh.

"No, no, this isn't your fault, and I wasn't startled, so there's no need to apologize to me." Lin Luo felt somewhat flattered that a casual complaint earned him a bow from two goddesses. He said kindly, "By the way, from now on, we are comrades fighting together. There’s no need to be so formal; just treat me as a friend." "Understood, we look forward to your guidance in the future," the two goddesses nodded politely.

"Mm," Lin Luo replied, highly satisfied, and chuckled, "You've just arrived in this world and might not be familiar with things. I am the master here, so feel free to ask me anything... Oh, regarding your accommodation, if you don't mind, you can stay in the room next to mine..."

Crack!

Lin Luo exposed his unrestrained side before he could even finish speaking. Yomi, standing nearby, unsheathed her precious sword, Shishiou, by an inch, releasing a chilling sharpness.

As for Fina and Leah, this was their first exposure to Lin Luo's lack of restraint. They froze momentarily before bowing again, "You are a good person; thank you for your kindness, but we already have lodging." Tsk, they’ve even mastered giving out the 'good person card' now, Lin Luo grumbled inwardly. He abruptly noticed Kagura's disappointed expression and Yomi's sharp gaze. To avoid lowering their favorability scores, he immediately ceased his teasing remarks directed at the two goddesses.

Still, thinking about it, except for Railgun, Lei Wu Di, and a few others whose Guardian Seals were beast-forms or purely elemental substances, all the other hosts were already acquiring Jiyou (close female friends). How busy would he become? Moreover, even if some hosts' Guardian Seals weren't Jiyou, the seals themselves had many Jiyou—like the Archangel of the Holy War or the two dozen Misaka Sisters... This was truly terrible!

Lin Luo let his thoughts wander wildly but didn't forget the serious matter at hand: the journey to the Shokume world. This had been agreed upon from the start: the contract signing would go first with Kinomoto, and the world traversal would go first from their side.

For Yomi and Kagura, visiting the Shokume world was optional; they were essentially people of the previous generation, and even if they returned to the Shokume world, they wouldn't have any relatives or friends left. However, it was essential for Lin Luo. The most crucial factor for advancing to the Heavenly Rank was cognitive understanding of worlds. Every new world he visited added to this knowledge, and even the two previous slice-of-life worlds had provided him some benefit.

Given this, Kagura and Yomi naturally wouldn't object. Even if society had changed, revisiting their original world for a look wasn't a bad thing; it could be treated as a relaxing vacation.

Lin Luo first returned to the main hall to bid farewell to Maid Kinomoto and the others. When he emerged again, Fina and Leah were gone, likely having returned to the spiritual world. Lin Luo didn't inquire further. After Yomi and Kagura were ready, he directly activated the Starlight Avenue.

Beep... One minute later. (Removing the ellipsis would make it quite humorous.)

"I say, this situation is peculiar enough. The contract signing was special enough, but why is the Starlight Avenue like this too?" Lin Luo felt a bit odd standing at the Starlight Avenue's landing point.

"Isn't it because you didn't control the direction properly?" Yomi challenged him with a glance. Since signing the contract, she had developed a habit of arguing with Lin Luo.

"Brother couldn't possibly be that foolish, right?" Kagura expressed surprise.

"Give me a break, as if I could control the direction of the Starlight Avenue," Lin Luo rolled his eyes, too lazy to deal with their complaints, only feeling speechless about their current predicament. This was the first time the Starlight Avenue's landing spot wasn't on solid ground. What was even worse was that their footing was a blimp!

Yes, a blimp floating thousands of meters in the sky.

Standing atop the airship, feeling the "breeze" pass by, Lin Luo didn't sense danger; given their strength, they certainly wouldn't fall, nor could they fall. However, the airship wasn't moving fast, and it didn't appear to be a high-tech product. He could faintly sense a trace of magic, suggesting it was a fusion of magic and technology. Especially the exterior of the airship—it gave him a strong sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

"Yes, I am correct. This is a world combining magic and technology, and the power level isn't too low; there are even deities present," Lin Luo stated after sensing the surroundings with his eyes closed.

"Deities? Are they strong?" Kagura asked curiously.

Lin Luo shook his head and smiled, "Not particularly strong. The peak strength of that deity was at best the level of Fiarena. Now, she is slumbering, and only a slight trace of her presence can be felt through the faith of the people. No need to worry about it."

Lin Luo, being a deity connected to faith himself, could sense a degree of kinship with 'fellow races.' Overall, the power tier of this world was similar to that of the Weapon Race World; it posed no threat to them.

With this reassurance, Yomi and Kagura were put at ease.

"The timeline here is one-to-ten compared to the Spirit World. The next Host will come out of seclusion in three days; we can stay here for one month." After obtaining the precise time ratio, Lin Luo put away the 'Time in the Heavenly Realm' artifact and greeted the two girls, "Don't waste time; let's head down ourselves and see what this world is like."

As he spoke, he leaped off the airship. Kagura and Yomi followed closely behind.

The height of several thousand meters posed no difficulty for them, and they soon landed near a small town. Fina and Leah were also summoned. Due to their shared identity as Black and White Maidens, Yomi and Kagura treated them as friends rather than Guardian Seals, which delighted the two goddesses.

"Are you two planning to go like that?" Looking at the slightly excited expressions of the twin goddesses, Lin Luo pointed mournfully at the wings on their backs, "If you don't tuck those things away, we'll quickly be surrounded and treated like rare animals."

"Ah, sorry," the two goddesses blinked, then retracted their wings. Once hidden, they looked no different from ordinary people.

A moment later, the group of five entered the small town. However, they hadn't gone far when a young girl suddenly rushed out from the side and hailed them, "Hey, you people! Are you the Bracers who came to help? Time is tight, hurry up and come over here!"

"Huh?!" Lin Luo was stunned on the spot.

He recognized the term Bracers (Yūgisha). The girl before him was dressed in fitted combat gear and held a longsword; he wasn't unfamiliar with her appearance. He looked up again at the nearby building—on its door, it clearly read: Bracer Guild Branch.

Damn it! This is Trails in the Sky!