Chapter 90: Trampling the Waves

The morning light is like the end of a curtain.

The mornings of stepping on the sand are always shrouded in the thunderous purple morning light. As the moisture gradually recedes, the voices of people gradually rise.

Niwa Hisahide was dazed when he saw a figure in the mist outside the window and subconsciously called out, "The one who loves strange things?"

He turned around, his bag on his back, and smiled, a smile as stunning and fleeting as morning dew. The curious man waved gently at the stunned Niwa Hisahide. The sound of the bells tied to his veil, accompanied by the clear, young voice, was indistinct, as if still in a dream, effortlessly crossing the distance and reaching Niwa Hisahide's ears.

"Niwa, I'm about to embark on a journey of my own. Don't worry." A sense of tranquility shone through his features. "I'm just temporarily not traveling with you. I want to focus on observing and taking care of myself."

"...I'm always hanging out with my first friend. I'm getting tired of that clingy me. We all need to be our own separate selves."

Although he hadn't finished reading many books yet, the curious person was already trying to express that he was going to start studying an obscure book called "Self".

Not far away, but with the morning mist reducing visibility, Niwa Hisahide quietly watched the curious person. Today, he even brought a bamboo hat. It looked like the one Katsuragi had given him and A-Chong to dress up as warriors when they played house...

He couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, I'll wait for you to come back and share your experience with everyone."

The curious person's expression twisted for a moment, then he felt touched and happy, and finally his brows relaxed and he nodded with a smile.

…

Before deciding to set off, the curious one had already met A Chong. As expected, he sighed, "It's good to be young, and you can run around everywhere with full of energy." But in fact, logically speaking, A Chong is obviously in the period of running around now.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone from Liyue to Xumi and then to Inazuma.

And the curious also knew that, just like the countries he had visited before, A Chong would probably not stay in Ta'esha for too long, and he would always continue his journey.

What about yourself?

The curious one plucked the bell on his veil. He thought, although A Chong always did things that were very troublesome for others, he could actually handle things on his own.

——"Such works can enter thousands of households. There will always be people who like them. It just needs to wait for those who will appreciate it."

Because A Chong only found those people who liked him and appreciated him, and interacted with these people, so those aspects of him that he was not good at and were clumsy could be easily expressed.

So, the curious ask themselves, what about me?

Most people who choose to step on the sand early in the morning pack their bags and go out alone without waking up. It is for this reason that A Chong will respect his choice, because he thinks this is not a bad thing.

But the curious man didn't know whether Niwa and the others would agree. After all, he knew that he still had too little experience. It wouldn't be surprising if someone with a little more careful thought discovered his identity. If he ran into a bad person, he might be sold and even have to help count the money...

The normal growth cycle of life follows the rules of childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

In childhood, most children are supported and taught survival skills by their parents; when they become teenagers, they begin to try to support themselves, and their parents will look after them at this time; until they grow up, they will enter adulthood.

The life that is created is contrary to the understanding of the self by the creator, which violates this law.

When he was born, he was in the size of a young boy. However, because he did not meet the requirements and sealed the power he was given, his [Mother] abandoned him in the [Borrowed Scenery House].

For a long time, the curious person maintained a nearly blank state like a child.

Nowadays, he has barely managed to push his studies to adolescence that is similar to his appearance.

But that blank sheet of paper still persists.

This was the greatest feeling that arose in the heart of the curious person when he faced that man.

Maybe it was because Ta'esha protected him too well, maybe it was because A Chong's color was too strong, maybe... he was still trapped in his non-human identity and felt a little uncomfortable.

The first time I was led out of the cave and under the sky was because of the sound of the hands of a pocket watch turning;

The first time his identity was revealed, he was the owner of the pocket watch;

The first friend took him to various places in Talingsha to see and play...

His color is so strong that those who are curious can easily obtain many beautiful things such as happiness, freedom, friendship, acceptance, etc. by just following his footsteps.

But there is no self in this.

There is no thinking that belongs to the curious person himself.

——I seem to have been accepting what the outside world has given me...

What kind of person am I?

What kind of things do you like?

What would you be interested in?

Like Niwa, what methods would you use when facing troubles alone?

Like Guimu, what kind of logic would you use when walking alone outside?

Like Ming Chong, when you are in an unfamiliar place, do you have your own preferences when interacting with people?

…

The curious person had many questions about himself and was eager to know the answers. Ah Chong laughed and said that he finally wanted to grow up, because every child would imagine what he would look like when he grew up.

Yesterday, A Chong said that as long as he didn't decide to take this step because he thought he should grow up, then no matter what he did, it would be meaningful.

In fact, there is still a little bit of this kind of thinking in it, but the person who is curious wants to understand his true self rather than the qualities he sees in A Chong and yearns for.

That's not right.

The curious one said to himself.

Just as the appearance of Dottore suddenly made him alert - he placed his expectations on A Chong, so when A Chong did something different from what he had expected, he would feel uncomfortable.

——Because they have always been together, inseparable, Chong means a lot to him. So he always chases after Chong, attaches too much importance to Chong, and neglects himself.

But that wasn't right. Although he was a puppet, he wasn't a shadow, and Chong wouldn't always be with him. They were two different individuals.

Due to past experiences, my impression of myself is a bit vague, and I don’t know what kind of person I am.

At the same time, as an abandoned puppet, he has been struggling with the issue of a heart.

"Ouzai" was what A Chong called him. At that time, he felt somewhat repulsed and inferior about his identity, but he was also happy because A Chong did not dislike his identity as a puppet.

Once, he mustered up the courage to ask Ah Chong if he could stop calling him that. Ah Chong just looked at him quietly for a moment, then smiled and said yes.

But there was a hint of scrutiny and thought in his eyes.

"Ouzai" is a nickname, which is also a joke based on his identity as a doll.

"Since you mind, I won't call it that. A joke is only a joke if the person involved finds it funny." This is what A Chong said.

But those who are curious always feel that there is a second half to the sentence.

Later, Niwa touched his head and told him the answer with a smile, "Qiqizhe, Chong is looking at you like this, perhaps because he is worried..."

"Worry?"

"Yeah... I'm worried that you won't be able to accept yourself as a doll. If you always have a grudge against yourself, you won't be able to love yourself well." Niwa's eyes were a little complicated under the light, but in the end he said nothing.

...For various reasons that he did not quite understand, the curious one felt a little uneasy and guilty. He began to think that it was not just a way of expressing closeness, but that A Chong also hoped that he could accept himself, just like other people accepted his identity as a doll, so he kept calling him "Ouzai".

This is a good thing. It's his own fault. He failed to take good care of himself and made everyone worry.

So, the next day he awkwardly told A Chong that he could continue to call him by that nickname, and that he actually liked the word "ou" very much.

The curious person couldn't remember what happened after that, but it seemed like Ah Chong's expression kept changing, and he couldn't stand it anymore and punched him or something...

The curious person only vaguely remembers one sentence:

"Back then, I should have raised a doll like this!"

So he smiled and replied, "No, Chong has raised other dolls, so he can't raise me anymore."

"Besides, A Chong is still being taken care of by Gui Mu..."

As he was walking on the road leaving Ta'ersha, the curious person suddenly realized that he already had so many memories to recall.

Well...as expected, most of them have A Chong's figure.

And then again, he still thought of that question from time to time -

Who was the doll that A Chong raised?

Recalling so much, including the unintentional words when I first met A Chong, the curious one remembered them all.

...This is also one of the reasons why the curious have complicated feelings about Dortore.

And the last person that the curious person saw the day before was actually Dotore.

Come to think of it, what that person said to A Chong last time was actually directed at him.

——"As long as you want to find me, I will be happy to entertain you at any time."

So he was not surprised at all when the curious person found him.

That's a dangerous guy.

Thinking of this, the curious person unconsciously tightened the ore in his hand.

Ever since that man arrived, the mining team has been prioritizing Crystallized Bone Marrow. Niwa Hisahide, however, has been wary and tightened regulations... if the curious haven't noticed that Mr. Nagamasa is secretly practicing the new swordsmithing techniques that man brought with him.

The curious person thought that this mineral was very strange and he always had an inexplicable trance feeling, so he took a piece from Mr. Changzheng.

On the first night he brought it with him, he began to have intermittent bizarre dreams. When he woke up, he only remembered the sound of the wooden reed flute and the little tune that Ah Chong played with a leaf in his mouth.

And every time he woke up, he would take off the bell and shake it gently until dawn, only then would he feel a little relieved.

...This is also another reason for those who are curious to go out.

The main birthplace of crystallized bone marrow, the demon god Yuanlu Yushi who sleeps on Bayun Island.

The curious person calmed his mind and stopped thinking about what Dotore said. He would observe with his own eyes, experience and feel it himself...

The first friend of Inazuma that Ah Chong knew, the first demon, the demon of snakes——

Oropus.

"Although I still can't handle it alone right now, it doesn't matter." The curious man put on his hat and made up his mind, "I will protect myself. I will learn to think from A Chong's perspective. At least, I can gain a lot of courage!"

The veil pulled on the bells, making his head feel uncomfortable. The curious person tried to change the order of folding the veil and covered it on the hat, which made it a little better.

It was the cool feeling on the back of his neck exposed to the morning air that reminded him of his dead hair.

The doll's hair won't fall out, but it won't grow back either. If you're really bothered by it, you can only find materials to repair it yourself.

He lowered his head, "It's okay, just a little problem with the puppet."