Chapter 60 Asahi's Friend 3

Are Number Two, like Asahi, a person from the apocalyptic era?

Moreover, according to Number One, Number Two is not even "someone who traveled from the apocalypse to modern society", but "someone who is still living in the apocalypse".

My gaze immediately fell on Number Two, who timidly shrank back into the rock seat, seemingly startled by my stare.

Although I really want to ask about the giant first, I'm more focused on Number Two than on someone who doesn't respond at all.

"Is what Number One said true?" I asked.

"Yes, it's true..." Number Two said nervously, like a timid young animal, "Although you probably wouldn't believe it..."

"The idea that the world is on the verge of destruction, or that a wish-granting machine can grant all wishes, is nothing but wishful thinking," Number One said calmly. "If you really want others to believe in such far-fetched concepts, you'd better produce evidence; words alone are not enough."

Although he's currently in an unbelievable dream world, he seems to hold onto an unyielding mindset. But is that really what he thinks? Perhaps he doesn't completely disbelieve. Show me the evidence—that might be his core demand.

I feel the same way. To truly convince me, I must see it for myself.

I asked Number Two, "Could you describe to me what the post-apocalyptic world is like?"

"Uh..." Number Two was a little embarrassed.

Is it that I can't answer? No, perhaps my question was too abstract. If someone from another world suddenly asked me to describe the world I live in now, I wouldn't know where to begin either.

"If the doomsday prophecy circulating in Luoshan is true, then after the apocalypse, all life and matter will vanish, and everything will return to nothingness," Number One said. "How could humanity possibly survive in such a world?"

"But there are still people living in the world I live in..." Number Two said weakly, "Although there are very few of them, and it is difficult for them to meet each other, there are still some people struggling to survive in the ruins..."

"...It's not impossible." Suddenly, Number Four spoke up, shifting his attention to our conversation. "Everything has a process, just like the world goes through four stages from birth to death: formation, existence, decay, and emptiness. The end times should also have a phase."

"The time period we are in is merely the beginning of the end times, and the great calamity has not yet truly arrived; while the time period she is in may be after the great calamity has arrived, but has not yet deteriorated to the point of complete emptiness."

"Finally snapped out of it, Number Four," Number One said. "What, are you going to believe Number Two's ridiculous stories?"

Number Four seemed to straighten his clothes and introduced himself in a serious voice: "There's no need to give me a numerical code name; you can call me 'Xuanming'."

"—Xuanming?"

Number One and Number Two reacted to the name at the same time.

The former openly expressed apprehension, while the latter subtly revealed fear.

Does the name Xuanming have any special meaning? I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before. After racking my brains to recall it, I could only find some ancient allusion.

The story is called "The Black Bird Gives Birth to the Shang Dynasty".

Legend has it that in ancient times, in a primitive tribe, a woman named Jian Di swallowed an egg laid by a black bird and gave birth to a son named Qi. This Qi was the ancestor of the Shang tribe and the ancestor of the founder of the Shang Dynasty. He was a contemporary of Yu the Great, who is said to have tamed the floods.

Qi, also known as "Ebo," invented a calendar based on the star Antares (the Big Dipper) and was skilled in managing fire. In ancient times, preserving fire was extremely difficult, yet he was able to repeatedly reignite flames. Therefore, he was revered as the God of Fire by later generations.

During the Song Dynasty, he was also known as "King Xuanming".

Could this self-proclaimed Xuanming No. 4 be connected to the legendary Xuanming King? Or is he the Xuanming King himself? Perhaps because this is a dream, I even had such an absurd idea.

However, the emotions that Number One and Number Two showed towards Number Four's declaration were clearly not the kind of reactions one would expect towards a distant mythological figure.

"Are you Xuanming?" Number One asked in a complicated tone.

“It seems you two have both heard of me, so I’ll get straight to the point. You both have fragments of the Divine Seal, right? Could you trade them to me?” Number Four, Xuanming, displayed a straightforward attitude. “I’m willing to pay whatever reward I can within my means for this.”

“I refuse,” Number One answered without hesitation. “Since we were pulled into this dreamlike realm by the fragments of the Divine Seal, it means we’ve already formed a bond with them, and a trade is impossible. Even if we throw the fragments into the sea, they will only automatically return to us.”

"More importantly, I don't want to have any private contact with someone as dangerous as you, or for you to know my true identity. As for Number Two..."

"I don't seem to be from the same time as everyone else..." Number Two observed our conversation, then said dejectedly, "And I can't say my real name like Mr. Number Four, I'm sorry."

I was initially curious about Xuanming's identity, but upon hearing the second half of Number Two's sentence, I immediately made a connection: "Why can't he give his own name?"

“Isn’t it obvious? Who would reveal their true identity to a stranger in such a suspicious place?” Number One said matter-of-factly, adding, “Except for some incredibly naive guy.”

I ignored his words and kept scrutinizing the child, number two.

Before the incident, it was said that she was a little girl, and after observing her, that seemed to be the case. Judging from her height and voice, she was at most around ten years old, still in elementary school.

A girl around ten years old... Come to think of it, Asaha had mentioned that her friend was a girl around ten years old...

According to Asao, in the post-apocalyptic world, "not being able to give one's real name" has a special meaning. It could very well mean that the person has forgotten their name and past, and is on the verge of becoming a karmic demon. Her friend was also in a state where he couldn't even remember his own name when he first met her.

—So, is Number Two the friend that Asaho mentioned?

I know it's abrupt for me to make this speculation so suddenly; how could such a coincidence happen?

However, since Asaha's jinx-like constitution attracts the supernatural like a vortex, and my fate is not yet free from Asaha's vortex, I must take every coincidence I encounter on my path seriously and try to connect it with Asaha. This is especially true of coincidences encountered in supernatural events.

The black jade was brought to me by Asaha's jinxed constitution, and it was in this misty dream world that I entered through the black jade that I met someone whose characteristics matched those of Asaha's friend.

Both are inhabitants of a post-apocalyptic world, both are ten-year-old girls, and both seem to have forgotten their own names...

These "coincidences" made it natural for me to ask the next question.

“It’s not that you’re unwilling to reveal your real name, it’s that you can’t, right?” I said to Number Two. “If I’m not mistaken, you’ve already forgotten your real name, am I right?”

"Huh?" Number Two seemed taken aback, then quickly admitted, "Yes, yes..."

Number One's gaze toward me instantly turned scrutinizing and perplexed.

Number Four, Xuanming, first observed Number Two's reaction, then looked at me with a meaningful gaze.

Judging from Number One's reaction, does he know that Number Two couldn't say his name because he couldn't, and that his previous attitude was to cover for Number Two? I originally thought he was just a rude person, but now it seems that's not the case.

"Why would Mr. Number Three know?" Number Two asked, puzzled.

Instead of answering her question directly, I continued, "So, you're not far from becoming a karmic demon?"

"Even the Demon King knows..." Number Two seemed to realize something and said excitedly, "Could it be, could it be that Mr. Number Three, you are..."

"Wait a minute, you still have one more question to answer." I wasn't completely convinced by her yet. "What's another name for the Demon of Karma?"

Number Two immediately replied, "It's a 'weirdo'!"

"Weirdo?" Number Four Xuanming and Number One both seemed to react to this word.

"Mr. Number Three, are you also a person from the apocalypse, like me!?"

Number Two was so excited that he couldn't help but jump off the rock seat and jog over to me.

“No wonder I didn’t know you existed. The future…” Number Four Xuanming looked at me thoughtfully. “If it’s a fragment of a divine seal, perhaps it really can connect the future and the present through dreams…”

I don't plan to clear up their misunderstanding for now, and it seems like Number Two still has something to say.

She stood before me, looking up at me. After hesitating for a moment, she finally couldn't help but say, "Mr. Number Three... could you answer a question for me? I've been looking for someone..."

"Wait a minute." Hearing this, my premonition grew even stronger.

I stopped her first, glanced at the other two, and then said to her, "Don't say what you have to say here. Let's move away and talk alone."

"Where are you taking her?" Number One asked warily.

Number Two hesitated for a moment. Even if we both came from the apocalypse, it didn't mean I was trustworthy. Rather, Asahi had mentioned that the moral standards of the inhabitants of the apocalypse weren't very high. It was normal for Number Two to be wary of me.

As for someone like Asaho, she is obviously an exception. She has both an apocalyptic style of disregarding the law and a conscience that doesn't want to get involved with irrelevant people. In some aspects, her sense of morality may be higher than that of many modern people.

Number Two finally made up his mind and said, "I understand... I'll go with you, Mr. Number Three."

Number One seemed to have initially wanted to intervene, but ultimately gave up and let me take Number Two away.

We moved to a spot where the other two couldn't hear our conversation. Thick fog surrounded us, obscuring the rock seats and the rest of the group. There were no landmarks, so I had to rely solely on my memory to recall the direction I'd come from.

"If you had any questions for me, just ask them here," I said to Number Two.

"Okay, okay..."

She was so nervous that her words were almost incoherent, but she finally regained her composure and spoke as clearly as possible: "I'm looking for someone. That person used to protect me, but we separated recently... I might turn into a monster soon, and I don't even know if that person is still alive..."

"So... I at least want to find out about that person before I turn into a monster..."

As she spoke, her voice grew increasingly sorrowful, as if she were about to burst into tears.

"What's the name of the person who protected you?" I asked.

“…Mazao,” she said. “Her name is ‘Mazao’.”

(End of this chapter)