Chapter 127 The Man-Made Chosen One
"Me?" Lin Cai stared at Yan Shi for a long time, her eyes filled with complex emotions that Yan Shi couldn't understand. After a long gaze, Lin Cai suddenly laughed.
He laughed so hard he bent over, and then covered his eyes with both hands as he laughed.
Tears welled up and rolled down her fingertips. Lin Cai's laughter gradually faded. "Me? I succeeded."
"I succeeded."
But Lin Cai showed no joy of success.
Yan Shi was silent for a moment, then asked, "After you succeeded, what happened to the world?"
“The world has become worse.” Lin Cai tried her best to suppress her sobs, her voice muffled as it rolled out from her fingertips. “Director Yan, I thought that after the direct barrier was rebuilt, everything would return to normal.”
"But why?" She looked up at Yan Shi, "The inner world can't be changed back, and the outer world can't be changed back either?"
All that remained in Lin Cai's eyes was bewilderment.
"The outer world is empty and desolate, with only ruins and cries carried on the wind as you walk through the streets; the inner world is divided among different factions, with constant warfare between different territories and races."
No one thanked Lin Cai for rebuilding the world's barrier. And the companions who once shared Lin Cai's joy and laughter had long since disappeared or perished along the way.
She had nothing.
Therefore, all methods hidden in ancient books and not put into practical application inevitably have some problems.
After listening to Lin Cai finish explaining everything, Yan Shi came to a thoughtful conclusion.
Furthermore, Lin Cai's mental state in the future is worrying.
It seems that being a savior can easily drive people crazy.
"Where is Yanlan?" Yanshi asked.
In Lin Cai's brief description, there was neither Yan Lan nor Director Yan.
It's easy to understand why Yanlan isn't there. As long as Yanshi doesn't take the job of director of the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs, he won't lose his real name, so naturally there's no Yanlan.
However, in the comic, the forum analysis suggests that Lin Cai's gaze towards Yan Lan contains both longing and self-reproach.
Therefore, in that story, Yan Shi used the pseudonym Yan Lan and had interactions with Lin Cai.
“Lanlan…” Lin Cai slowly froze.
She found it difficult to discuss Lanlan's possible future in front of Lanlan's twin sister.
Lin Cai bit her lower lip, feeling that she had nowhere to hide under Director Yan's gaze.
In the future, Lin Cai initially had no obsession with Yan Lan.
They brushed past each other on the street like ordinary people, passing through each other's worlds in an ordinary way.
The real reunion took place two years later.
When Zhanzhou Floating Island crashed, Lin Cai became an orphan overnight.
It was Yanlan who took Lin Cai in and taught her how to survive properly in this broken world.
It was Yanlan, the one who always said that all living beings are subject to fate and have nothing to do with her, who, when countless ordinary beings were in despair and speechless, transformed herself into law and became the only law in the chaotic world.
Every effect has a cause.
No living being may cause injury or death to other living beings without subjective cause; otherwise, they shall be directly deprived of their abilities and perception of spirit. Those who are deprived of their abilities and perception of spirit shall be deprived of their five senses.
It is an extremely strict rule, unreasonable and indiscriminate, regardless of whether it offends a powerful family or a prodigy; anyone who violates it will be stripped of everything.
The day Yanlan sacrificed himself to become a Dharma was a lucky day for countless living beings to begin to breathe, but it was the biggest nightmare of Lin Cai's life.
In the countless days that followed, whenever Lin Cai felt she couldn't go on, whenever she found herself in a dead end, whenever she was wanted throughout the entire Inner World by the authority of the spirit, Lin Cai would look up at the sky.
Lanlan is on top.
After that, Lin Cai gritted her teeth and made a comeback.
Rebuilding the world's barriers was never Lin Cai's goal; it was Yan Lan's.
After finally achieving this goal, but the world didn't return to normal and there were no new goals for the future, Lin Cai sat on the street in the surface world, holding the cake she had made and lost in thought.
"Lanlan, happy birthday." Lin Cai gazed at the sky.
The wind howled. The firelight on the cake flickered.
"Although this is Lanlan's birthday wish, I'll only borrow it once, just this once." She finally made up her mind, turned her gaze from the sky to the cake, and slowly and reverently closed her eyes. "In exchange, all my future wishes will be for Lanlan."
She knew that no living being in the world would unconditionally grant her wish, but that didn't matter; she would grant her wish for herself.
"I wish I could go back to the time when I first met Yanlan."
When Lin Cai opened her eyes again, she was greeted by a lively crowd that she hadn't seen in a long time.
The surroundings were noisy, filled with laughter, conversations, and arguments.
It was the human world that Lin Cai hadn't seen in a long time.
She became a transparent soul, floating beside her past self.
No one can touch it, no one can see it.
Ahead was Yanlan, her face pale, hurrying past.
The future Lin Cai suddenly became anxious. She tried to keep up with Lan Lan, but was pulled away by an invisible force, unable to leave the present Lin Cai by even a meter.
Follow them!
'Quick, go and hold her hand.'
'Lin Cai, go and hold her hand!'
Lin Cai couldn't hear her calls now, yet she seemed to sense something. She looked around and only saw Yan Lan's back.
The future Lin Cai was even more anxious. She pondered for a few seconds, and using the immense merit of reshaping the world barrier that her soul carried as a guide, she deeply engraved the two characters "Yan Lan" into the present Lin Cai's brain, and then fell into a deep sleep.
Lin Cai noticed Yan Lan.
She hurriedly tried to find them, but was quickly separated by the crowd.
Memories of Lanlan and Lin Cai's childhood flashed by in an instant. Without hesitation, Lin Cai used up both of her abilities.
"I hope that Lanlan will be free and unrestrained, and that all her wishes will come true."
"I hope I can spend more time with Lanlan."
As the gears turn, everything leads to different futures.
These are all stories that Lin Cai couldn't tell in front of Director Yan.
Finally, she found the words, "Lanlan is exceptionally good," she said dryly.
Yan Shi: ...
Why would Lin Cai look at her with such an expression?
Yan Shi could roughly guess Yan Lan's future; he would ultimately perish.
But death is the destiny of all living beings.
She stopped provoking Lin Cai and instead asked, "What is your relationship with the current Lin Cai? Symbiosis? Split personality?"
Lin Cai's tense nerves relaxed: "None of that. I am just a soul that recently woke up and can briefly possess Lin Cai with her consent."
"Does this brief possession specifically refer to ring impersonation?" Yan Shi asked slowly.
Lin Cai: ...
Of course she knew that using her years of life-and-death combat experience to fight on the Zhanzhou Newcomer Arena was bullying the youngsters, but neither of the Lin Cais wanted to win that much.
The future Lin Cai had suffered a crushing defeat in the ring, and if she were to fight again, she would only want to crush him mercilessly.
Lin Cai is now eager to prove her strength and catch up with Yan Lan. She also wants to crush her and become the first freshman chief, a talent that has never been seen before or since.
Yan Shi sighed and stated the facts: "If you continue like this, Lin Cai's skills will never improve. What belongs to others will never truly be yours."
The future Lin Cai will be able to win with her meager talent and profound wisdom, but the current Lin Cai cannot.
Lin Cai: "I will teach her and give her special training."
“If Lin Cai cannot maintain her position as the top student in the first year, I will explain to Zhan Zhou that the top spot will be passed on to Libertas,” Yan Shi said, looking at her.
As expected, it was Director Yan.
This result is already considered lenient.
So, Lin Cai stared at Yan Shi, and finally, unable to hold back her trembling voice, asked, "Director Yan, why am I not in your world?"
This is also the question she most wants to ask after returning to the past.
The future Lin Cai awakens from her slumber once more and finds herself in the familiar Zhan Zhou.
She immediately communicated with Lin Cai and asked her to seek the authority of the spirit.
It's not too late for everything.
But all he got in return was Lin Cai's puzzled reply: "Why didn't you report it to the Bureau of Dissidents?"
"The Bureau of Foreign Affairs? Which branch do you want to report to? Those people don't care about such trivial matters. They need to weigh the pros and cons, and telling them would only hasten the collapse of the world's barrier."
"Huh?" Lin Cai sized up the unfamiliar soul; it resembled her quite a bit. But this unfamiliar soul looked incredibly weary. "Just tell Headquarters directly. Director Yan will take care of it."
"Director Yan?" The future Lin Cai realized that everything was different.
The General Administration still exists here, and the director is a big shot that Lin Cai has never heard of before.
She is powerful and omnipotent, overseeing the Bureau of Extraterrestrial Affairs. Under her management, the world barrier has no cracks or loopholes, and the inner world is even getting back on track.
The pensions for the victims of the Great Jaw Plains were paid on schedule, and the Mithril Merchant Guild, which would later bring disaster to the world, has been imprisoned.
Everything is different now.
But Yanju will not be in Lin Cai's future world.
“Director Yan,” Lin Cai’s gaze fell on the face that was almost identical to Lan Lan’s, “Why am I not in your world?”
Yan Ju's gaze sharpened: "Lin Cai, don't be blinded by the past."
Lin Cai murmured to herself, "Lin Cai here is so lucky."
She has a bright world and a promising future. She doesn't have to bear the pain of losing a close friend, nor does she have to struggle forward with heavy responsibilities.
"That's good," Lin Cai said with a sense of relief.
Seeing that she had recovered, Yan Shi nodded slightly: "Now tell me what you know about the authority of the spirits."
Lin Cai clearly felt a weight lifted from her heart: "I only collected the authority of three spirits. The remaining four were collected by my partner."
"Your business partner?" Yan Shi asked.
Lin Cai: "Hmm. I don't know her, but she's my partner. I provide the ritual array and the authority of three spirits, and she provides the authority of the remaining four spirits. The faith of all living beings comes from despair."
She explained in detail, “The three spiritual authorities I found are the Crown of the Sun, the Throne of Death, and the Heart of Light.”
"The Crown of the Sun was auctioned on the black market before. The auction went smoothly in my world, and in the end, the Crown of the Sun belonged to the Phoenix."
“I’ve been looking for the Death Throne for a long time. It was originally the base of the floating island of Zhanzhou. When the floating island crashed, the Principal’s Sacrifice Island perished, and the Death Throne was taken away by the deceased. It should still be in Zhanzhou now.”
“As for the Heart of Light,” Lin Cai paused for a moment, “it is my heart.”
Yan Shi: ...?
Does the authority of the spirit reside within the living?
This is a story from hell.
Lin Cai was clearly no longer surprised by this, and she said calmly, "Director Yan, you know about this, right?"
Yan Shi: "The chosen one?"
“As expected,” Lin Cai said with a bitter smile, “Yes, I am an artificial chosen one.”
She touched her chest. Her heart was pounding.
Inside lies the Heart of Light. Countless people flock to it, for it is said to have the power to bring the dead back to life.
“If you need it, I will take out my heart and give it to you,” Lin Cai said.
Yan Shi: "What is the price?"
In Lin Cai's future story, she survives after successfully rebuilding the world barrier, which shows that Peeling Heart didn't take her life.
But it's impossible to do it without paying a price.
Lin Cai: "The price isn't high. It's just that I can't sense the spirit."
She was originally just an ordinary person who couldn't sense spirits.
It was the Heart of Light that allowed her to perceive spirits and become compatible with all elemental spirits, thus becoming the Chosen One.
Taking out the Heart of Light was simply returning everything that didn't belong to her.
"I'll have to trouble the Bureau of Extracurricular Affairs to transfer my student status back then," Lin Cai shrugged.
Yan Shi suddenly raised her hand, and flames leaped from her palm, wrapping around her fingertips.
"Your future self doesn't cherish this world. Have you ever asked Lin Cai's wishes?" The flames condensed into a beautiful star. Yan Shi stood up, walked closer to Lin Cai, placed the star in her palm, and then closed her hand.
"Lin Cai, the Lin Cai here is still a cub. Don't be too hard on yourself."
After saying that, Yan Shi didn't say anything more and left Lin Cai's house directly.
The door was closed gently.
Lin Cai looked down at her palm.
Although the stars are made of flames, they do not burn. All the intense heat is contained within the stars, giving them a cool, warm feel to the touch.
"This world is wonderful."
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