HLM – Chapter 16 The First Heart, Heart of the Castle

The two of them looked up and saw a white toy airplane stuck in the branches of a large oak tree nearby. It was about twenty centimeters long, with propellers on both the wings and the nose spinning uselessly, tightly wedged in place.

Charlie nimbly climbed the tree in a few quick moves and retrieved the toy helicopter. He handed it to Wang Bo before jumping down. Wang Bo then gave the helicopter to the little girl and smiled, “Here you go. Be more careful next time.”

The chubby-cheeked little girl blinked her big eyes, her small mouth curled into a sweet smile, revealing two dimples. “Thank you, big brother! Big brother is so handsome!”

Wang Bo burst out laughing, but before he could enjoy the compliment, Charlie snatched the toy away and looked at the little girl. “What did you just call me?”

The little girl blinked innocently and said, “Hello, uncle. Uncle, could you give the plane to Dai’er, please? Dai’er will give you candy in return.”

Hearing “uncle” twice in a row, Charlie was visibly frustrated. He grumbled, “Why do you call me uncle but call him big brother?”

The little girl replied with a pout, “Uncle, Dai’er is little, but Dai’er has good manners. You are an uncle, and that big brother is much younger than you, right?”

Wang Bo chuckled to himself. Charlie was the most narcissistic guy he knew—this was his Waterloo moment.

Charlie scolded, “At a time like this, you’re not trying to flatter me by calling me big brother? Still arguing with me? Fine then! I’ll just throw your plane back up the tree!” As he spoke, he made a motion as if to throw the toy.

Of course, Wang Bo could tell he was just teasing the little girl.

But somehow, the plane really did fly out of his hand, accelerated in midair, slammed into the tree, and then with a loud crack, fell to the ground. Both wings detached, and the nose shattered—a tragic crash landing.

“Whoa, was that a Malaysian Airlines flight?” Wang Bo blurted out instinctively.

The little kids didn’t get his humor at all. Their mouths curled, eyes squinted, and they looked ready to burst into tears.

Charlie was stunned, then quickly grabbed Wang Bo and ran. If they stayed any longer, they might get mobbed by angry parents.

Back at the inn, Wang Bo complained, “Why did you run? Just buy them a new one. You’ve got plenty of money for chasing girls but can’t afford a toy for a kid?”

Charlie froze and said, “You’re right, why did I run? But this wasn’t my fault! God can be my witness—someone must have messed with the remote. The plane flew off on its own!”

With nothing to do back at the inn and no internet access—his phone now just a global-calling brick—Wang Bo idly opened Lord’s Heart, his usual pastime.

Once the lord’s sandbox interface loaded, he noticed something strange: the green mist above the sandbox had vanished, and the lord’s roulette wheel had turned a light green color.

On instinct, he flicked the arrow pointer on the wheel. The pointer, which hadn’t budged before, suddenly spun rapidly. It moved so fast he couldn’t even track it with his eyes.

“Stop!” he shouted hastily.

Following his command, the pointer gradually slowed down, slower and slower, until it finally stopped—on the segment labeled “Heart of the Territory.”

Just as the pointer stopped, the words “Heart of the Territory” changed to “Heart of the Castle.” Then, slowly, the pale green roulette wheel began to twist and transform, eventually turning into a fist-sized miniature castle. It looked exactly like the large castle on the mountain range in the sandbox—just scaled down and in a pale green hue.

This tiny miniature castle should be the “Heart of the Castle.” But what could it be used for?

Wang Bo racked his brain to recall the guides he had read before. He could only remember one thing about its usage—something about merging the Heart of the Castle with a part of the territory…

But how exactly was it supposed to merge?

Wang Bo made a guess. He zoomed in on the lord’s sandbox until the castle on it was about the same size as the model in his hand. Then he placed the pale green Heart of the Castle directly on top of the castle in the sandbox.

The moment he let go, the castle model vanished, and the lord’s roulette wheel reappeared. It had changed from pale green to a semi-transparent crystal. Meanwhile, in the crystal sandbox, the previously translucent castle turned pale green!

Previously, the castle on the sandbox was just a model, but now it had become a true castle within the sandbox—albeit still in pale green. When he zoomed in, the interior of the castle was identical to the real one he had seen before.

Now he could see the weeds on the castle grounds swaying in the night breeze. A leaky faucet in the courtyard was dripping water with a soft drip-drip sound. He even saw a small gray bird fly into the main building, and could hear the faint flutter of its wings.

Entering the main building, he could see the hall, corridors, and rooms. Inside the rooms, there were wooden beds, tables, and chairs. It was like he had unlocked a god’s-eye view, or like he was playing a 3D simulation game. His consciousness could roam freely inside the castle.

This discovery gave Wang Bo a much deeper understanding of the Lord’s Heart. He began exploring the castle, hoping to find ghosts or graves or something unusual—but there was nothing of the sort.

Once he was familiar with the layout, he closed the Lord’s Heart and reached for his phone to check the time—only to find, in a comical twist, that his phone was missing!

He didn’t panic. He clearly remembered still holding his phone when he opened the Lord’s Heart. Then, suddenly, he recalled that he had absentmindedly put it down when he was merging the Heart of the Castle with the sandbox castle.

He opened the lord’s sandbox again and dialed his number using the hotel landline. Sure enough, a ringtone sounded from the front yard of the castle, and the phone’s screen was flashing—easy to locate.

After retrieving the phone, he casually placed a pillow on the castle’s grassy lawn, curious to see if it would remain visible there. Surprisingly, it could indeed be stored in the sandbox like that.

Next, he experimented with taking things out of the castle. It worked smoothly. He picked up a stone inside the castle, closed the Lord’s Heart, and found the stone had appeared in his real-life hand.

He then found the master bedroom that once belonged to the former lord, Sir Roberts. Rummaging through it, he opened a large wooden cabinet and discovered a red carry case inside.

Lifting it out, he found himself holding a bright red case inside his hotel room, dozens of kilometers away from the sandbox’s physical location.

The red case was likely made from aged pine wood, weighing two to three kilograms, with the royal British crest engraved on it, along with the name of Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Prime Minister.

The lock on the case was on the side opposite the handle and appeared to be secured. Wang Bo zoomed in on the castle again and found the matching key in the wooden cabinet. After unlocking the red case, he discovered a black silk lining and several photographs inside.

He examined the photos—each one featuring Sir Roberts, from his spirited youth to his elderly years with white hair and beard.

There were handwritten notes on the back of some photos. One picture showed the old nobleman with a blonde Caucasian woman. On the back, it read:

Thank you to my dear friend Howard for the warm hospitality. Because of him, New Zealand felt like home. May God bless him. May God bless England. — M.H.T.

Wang Bo found the woman familiar. He Googled her on his phone and, sure enough, she was the one and only Margaret Thatcher. The initials M.H.T. confirmed it—her English name’s abbreviation.

At this point, Wang Bo had gained a rough understanding of the Lord’s Heart.