Chapter 62 World B: 7 Ethan's reaction made Yi...

Ethan's reaction made Ethan's heart leap into his throat. What did that sentence mean?

He initially thought that Ethan might not have met Lord Starfall, or that he might have been born in another city, but what did this question mean?

Does this world... not have Starfall City?

Ethan's emotions were somewhat complicated. He hurriedly sought confirmation and received an affirmative answer from Ethan: there is no Starfall City in this world.

"Starfall City...is that the city you protect?" Ethan remembered his counterpart saying that he had become a guardian and a magician in that world: "Can you tell me about your place?"

A heart-to-heart talk between like-minded people? Of course!

Ethan had just heard Ethan casually recount how, after placing Selene in a safe place, he not only erased Selene's memories but also his own, just in case he was disfigured. He spoke of his mother as if she were a stranger. Ethan, a mother-obsessed man, couldn't bear to hear this.

I thought I was already pretty ruthless by erasing my mother's memories, but his counterpart is even worse, leaving no possibility for himself.

I don't even know if I'll be able to find Selene again... It must be very troublesome to find her, after all, it's to protect her mother's life, I guess even she herself will have a hard time finding her.

Ethan felt a pang of pain in his heart at the thought of not being able to find Selene, but from another perspective, he realized that if he were Ethan, he would very likely have made the same choice.

The reason might be that he hadn't personally experienced how terrifying Tenas was. Even after listening to Ethan's description of Tenas, which tore away the gentle image in his mind, he wouldn't have a particularly strong feeling about it until he saw Tenas's true appearance with his own eyes.

Ethan suppressed the discomfort he felt for his counterpart and began to recount his life story.

An abusive father, a submissive mother, and an incompetent child.

Until one day, she could no longer resist and stood in front of the unconscious Selene, using her small body to fight against a strong, adult male.

The scumbag had been drinking and was moving slowly, which made it take Ethan quite a while to catch up with him.

Finally, he was exhausted, and the other person was also on the verge of death. Just when Ethan thought it was over, the man who was pretending to be dead slit his throat with a kitchen knife.

When she realized what the other person had done to her, she met the man's fierce gaze and her mind went blank.

Am I going to die? What will Mom do?

Mom will still be tormented by him, and losing him will be very painful... No, absolutely not! No, no, no!

He didn't know where the strength came from, but he managed to snatch the knife from his opponent and strike back, but unfortunately, the opponent dodged it, and it didn't hit the fatal spot.

The two men collapsed together, the man passing out first.

Lying on the ground and waiting to die was not a pleasant feeling. He felt life flowing out of his body, his body grew colder and colder, and his consciousness began to blur. After fighting back, he had no strength left.

He could only turn his head with difficulty, looking in the direction of Selene, a strong sense of reluctance growing in his heart.

He was about to leave his mother... His mother would be terrified when she woke up, seeing their blood all over the floor. But he no longer had the strength or time to make the scene less frightening.

I truly hope your life is brilliant, Mom. I hope you can be happy, and ideally, leave Starfall City and live a normal life without being constrained.

Without him, Mom wouldn't have tolerated it anymore, would she? She would definitely have left decisively.

Ethan remained silent throughout: "Are we having some kind of misery contest?"

Ethan almost blurted out what happened after his death, but then he stopped, scratching his head: "It seems a bit tragic, but I met Lord Starfall."

According to Ethan, the situation improved rapidly.

He encountered a meteor, who chose him as a guardian and mentored him. Moreover, the meteor was the will of a magical city, the leader of his magical world, guiding him to discover this richer and more wonderful new world.

According to Ethan, Starfall is a powerful, gentle, and considerate person with a cold exterior but a warm heart. He carefully noticed that Starfall disliked the smell of the potions used to maintain his body and even wanted to change his long-standing habit. He diligently supervised Starfall's studies and, concerned about his interpersonal relationships, even compiled a reading list for him.

When he was happy, he couldn't help himself. He would even freeze in his tracks when he hugged the other person. Ethan keenly noticed his discomfort. He was probably not used to such intimate gestures, but Ethan didn't blame him. He even seemed a little shy.

Ethan mused, "A city with a touch of arrogance yet gentleness? Sounds like a wonderful presence."

But why does it always feel a little strange to mention him? Ethan has never had the concept of a father; he's never had one since birth, though he can still make basic distinctions.

He's old enough to be your father, so are your counterparts secretly treating each other like fathers too? However, it's not wrong to say that the city's will is like a parent to its residents.

Ethan nodded frantically, his smile wide as he mentioned Starfall: "Lord Starfall is so kind! He patiently taught me everything when I first started out! He was also very patient in guiding me even though my physical abilities were terrible."

Speaking of physical fitness, Ethan recalled the countless times he had been defeated in seconds, and the smile on his face froze for a moment: "My physical fitness is really bad... Lord Starfall is super strong, I am defeated in just a few seconds every time."

Ethan, who was also in poor physical condition, patted him on the shoulder reassuringly: "It's okay, me too, I'm training."

Damn it, every time he runs out of magic he can only fight Tenas hand-to-hand, but Tenas is the best at this, and he can barely scratch him, while he gets beaten up badly.

Ethan recounted how, when he was socially awkward, he went to register at the Wizarding Association, met Bertha, and went to the Guardian Alliance to let his colleagues know that a new Guardian had been chosen for Starfall City, but he was socially awkward the whole time, just like a real mute.

Perhaps because he hadn't left the house for several years, Ethan's social anxiety was particularly severe at that time. He didn't even dare to look at people; he only dared to look down at the ground.

I'm so socially awkward, even my combat suit is completely covered up.

Ethan then demonstrated to Ethan that with the hood up, only the lower half of his face was visible, not even a single hair could be seen; all that could be seen was darkness inside the hood.

“But wearing this makes me look really bad.” Ethan took off his hood. “The Guardians don’t really like talking to me. Oh, of course, it’s mostly because I can’t speak. But I feel like they’ve been misunderstanding me as a bad guy for a long time.”

"Were you being bullied at work?" Ethan's expression darkened as he listened to his account of the Guardians' attitude: "Those damn guys..."

Ethan was confused: Really? Isn't it just that she doesn't talk? She's a bit cold towards him.

Ethan nodded: "Passive-aggressive behavior."

Ethan: Oo

Really? I don't think so. Oh well, never mind.

Ethan also mentioned that Bertha invited him to a party, which helped him gradually overcome his social anxiety and allowed him to meet many new people.

As she spoke, she looked at the silent Ethan and remembered how, in countless battles, only a handful of mages in this world had survived. She felt a little flustered and wanted to skip over the details.

“You don’t have to skip this, I want to hear it.” Noticing Ethan’s nagging, he looked at Ethan intently: “I want to know what would happen to me if they were in another world.”

Such sad words made Ethan almost afraid to look at him. He felt the gaze falling on him become intense, a heat that he could hardly bear.

Ethan couldn't refuse, so he could only stammer out a story about the amazing magicians he knew.

The gentle Mary gave him a motherly feeling; she was overly understanding, strong and decisive, and had more experience than others.

The quirky, energetic, and lively actor is the most energetic member of the group.

Cassie, a physical magician, prefers hand-to-hand combat to magic. She is as powerful as a warrior, making people often wonder if she is a magician. Beneath her cold exterior lies a rather wicked heart.

Dan is truly cold and powerful, taciturn, and the kind of person who works silently. He grew up alone, so he doesn't know a lot of common sense, but he is also a very gentle person.

Then there are the amazing senior mages in Bertha's camp.

Lily, who initially disliked him but later accepted him and became very gentle, the older women who were so enthusiastic about feeding him that it was almost harmful, and the older men huddled in a corner, watching him with amusement, sighed how terrifying it was, as they had been through the same thing back then. But none of them had any intention of saving him.

There was an uncle who knew how to forge weapons, and he was keen on making some strange and wonderful little gadgets for him.

My sister, who is passionate about perfumery, specially blended several bottles of perfume and asked him to secretly give them to our mother.

Some seemingly cold but actually awkward seniors, who were talking about "trash," stuffed some good things into his hands, leaving him bewildered.

They were all very kind people who warmed his heart and transformed him from someone who was so socially anxious he was about to faint to someone who, at most, would scream internally about social anxiety when encountering strangers, but whose behavior remained normal.

Only at the very end did she remember to check Ethan's expression, worried that she might upset him, so she secretly glanced up.

Ethan didn't look at him, but stared blankly at the table in the corner piled with all sorts of things, his eyes red-rimmed.

His expression was somewhat dazed, and the sadness in his eyes was almost overflowing. He pressed his lips tightly together, as if he was suppressing something.

Mist condensed in his eyes. Ethan blinked several times, but he still couldn't hold back the tears. Finally, his eyelids couldn't bear so many tears, and large teardrops rolled down his cheeks.

Seeing him cry made Ethan want to cry too; the sadness seemed to be contagious to him.

“That’s good.” His older counterpart said in a light tone, “They’re all still alive.”

Ethan's nose stung with tears, and he didn't dare ask who was still alive. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to bear the answer and would burst into tears, even though he was already close to crying.

What a heavy atmosphere! Why is this meeting between counterparts only reopening old wounds? Ethan is really in such a terrible state, leaving Ethan completely bewildered. What should he do?

"Continue." Ethan wiped away his tears, and with those tears gone, he returned to the indifferent Ethan that Ethan had seen at the beginning.

Ethan opened and closed his mouth, but couldn't utter any words of comfort. Ethqn didn't seem to need any comforting words.

Ethan then started talking about the many missions the five of them had undertaken, and even mentioned Cassie's amazing script.

For example, Ethan seemed to have been tricked into a streetwalking script, but ended up meeting Tenas in Starfall City. Tenas imagined a whole scenario of a fallen girl and rescued him from prostitution.

Yes, they initially mistook his gender, but after learning about the script he had imagined, even Ethan couldn't help but marvel at his imagination and thought he should become an editor.

Ethan brought up this embarrassing incident that made him cringe so badly he could barely stand, mainly to ease the tension. Ethan seemed calm, but who knew what kind of torment he was going through inside? It would be great if he could relax a little.

“It’s the kind of script Cassie would like.” Ethan nodded in agreement.

Ethan then recounted the period when he was outwitting and outmaneuvering Turner, who was constantly checking his attendance, even when he was very busy with work.

Although he loves school, he doesn't have time. At most, he'll take a day off to go to school after he finishes his business. It's a good way for him to relax.

Then, during a battle, due to carelessness, he failed to transform into his combat suit and did not realize that the large group of dogs left on the battlefield were his guardian colleagues. In front of so many colleagues, he transformed into his cloak and went to fight the monster.

After finishing the treatment, he was still wondering where his colleagues had gone. He searched around and then consulted a fortune teller in front of the dog. He was still somewhat unwilling to accept the fact that he had just given the golden retriever its medicine and even petted it.

He felt overwhelmed by the presence of so many colleagues, and his explanations were hesitant and stammering, his eyes constantly darting around. The colleagues behind him were also very enthusiastic, to the point that he felt somewhat uncomfortable.

After spending some more time together, I got used to it. I've been a Guardian for several years now, and I'm good at everything. That is, until I encountered a situation where all the cities were in that state. The will of the cities had completely disappeared, and everything seemed to be suspended. Only the Guardians could move.

Moreover, many countries have already begun internal conflicts, and the fighting is fierce, resulting in heavy casualties.

Then he joined forces with some guardians from other countries who were willing to find a way to break the deadlock, and traveled through time and space to borrow power. After being stranded in this world, he was deceived by Tenas and signed a magical contract to help the two men mend their relationship. However, he did not expect that the two men were mortal enemies in this world.

“Wait a minute.” Ethan stopped Ethan from accusing Tenas of lying to him: “What magic contract are you talking about? The magic contract I know?”

“That… that magical contract that you can’t get what you’re promised if you don’t fulfill the agreed-upon terms, and that protects the contractor…” Ethan’s eyes darted around: “That… that one.”

"You mean, the other party somehow found out about this, and then demanded that you sign a contract with them, and you happily signed it? To ease the tension between us?" Ethan stared at him with a deathly gaze: "Are you serious? Haven't you been a Guardian for years?"

Ethan said with a long face, "Everyone is quite friendly. I don't actually go out very often except for missions, especially in Starfall City."

The guardians wouldn't lie to him, the mages wouldn't lie to him, and Starfall certainly wouldn't lie to him. During the mission... who cares what the mission target is saying?

So... after being a guardian for several years, he's still a rookie when he returns?

Ethan: "QAQ He initially wanted me to help him [return] to the Guardians, to give up your [side job], but I thought I couldn't just control other people's work, so I refused. Then, in his description, you and he just had some misunderstandings, and we really desperately needed to borrow power..."

"So you agreed," Ethan said for him, finishing his sentence.

“I’m sorry…” Ethan said sincerely.

“Listen, even if Winter suddenly starts loving peace and the world, saying he wants to make the world a better place, and then commits suicide, I still won’t join their guardians.” Ethan stated his attitude coldly: “At least in this world, I absolutely—will not join that guy.”

“Ethan, you can’t be so careless.” Ethan’s attitude became serious: “You just told me that you had a divination before the journey started that it would be very dangerous, but as soon as you arrived in this world, you were deceived by Winter and signed a magical contract. Fortunately, the contract only asked you to help us repair our relationship and did not mention any punishment for failure. Otherwise, you might have to stay in this world.”

Ethan, with a bitter face, admitted that he had really been careless. He shouldn't have so easily placed his trust in Tenas just because Tenas was his counterpart, since every world is different.

“You’ve made more mistakes than just this. You’re still too trusting. Even with your own counterpart, you can’t trust me so easily. Do you think I won’t hurt you?” Ethan’s voice turned cold. “What if I started deceiving you from the very beginning? I just pretended not to be hostile, and you couldn’t wait to tell me everything about yourself. Your city, your relationships, your hobbies, your immortality.”

Ethan's face began to turn pale again.

“Fortunately, I have no ill intentions towards you, no desire to use you for anything, and no intention to kill you.” Ethan’s expression softened, the suffocating look from before seeming like an illusion. “You must not be careless again, but I still have to teach you a lesson. I just heard you mention that the Starfall City Will has a large collection of books, and you have learned a lot from them. Could you write some down for me?”

Ethan blinked.

That's right. Since I don't have Master Starfall in this world, I've probably only studied the books from the magicians' collection, and I don't know how many there are. They're very likely not as many as Master Starfall's collection, so it's normal for Ethan to want them.

“Of course, of course, I also brought some potions.” Ethan took out a bottle of healing potion from his personal space and handed it to Ethan. It was a potion he had made for his Guardian and mage colleagues. Since they didn’t need it, he made a lot for them in case of emergency: “Take care of your scars first.”

Ethan hesitated for a moment, then decided to uncork the bottle and drink it. Seeing him drink, Ethan excitedly grabbed paper and pen to write, and Ethan watched his busy figure.

So, her name is Selene?

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Author's note: The next chapter should be about Tenas...

Ethan was indeed too careless. His counterpart was momentarily stunned, but he wasn't so careless afterward. Before writing this, I did anticipate that the Guardians might bully or ostracize Ethan in the workplace [like giving him the cold shoulder or not being friendly], but I don't know why it turned out this way. Maybe it was because Selene or Starfall stole the pen.

I had writer's block a couple of days ago, so I switched to making a hand-drawn animation. It was so bad that my friend was furious and drew a new one for me, but that one didn't pass the review. [Wait, should that even be considered a hand-drawn animation?] Anyway, it's a video of the Nadia trio from this world. You can check it out on lft.

I'm going to drag my best friend down with me, whether she likes it or not [kiss]

I saw some stars today, things I don't usually see...

I've been quite busy lately because I'm about to start my internship. Once I've been interning for about a week, I should be able to get a more consistent update frequency.