Chapter 267, Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Six: A Scene of Harmony in the Human World
Outsiders are generally not allowed to enter the Elven Temple, especially its backyard. This is where the Elven Mother Tree resides, the heart of the Forest of Life, and the place where the Elven Mother Goddess's protection is strongest.
However, when Yan Shi was young, he often went to the Elf Temple to play with Ishmere.
This place is protected by the Elf Mother Goddess and is one of the very few places that can be shielded from the detection of laws.
As a child, Yan Shi was very lively. Even in the Elf Temple, she would jump around and run around. Naturally, she was very familiar with the small doors and shortcuts inside.
Yan Shi followed his memory almost without any hindrance, passing through the corridor, garden, and trellis, and smoothly arrived at the backyard.
The backyard was quiet, with the wind rustling softly through the leaves.
The boundary gate leading to Guixu Town stands next to the swing in the backyard.
Yan Shi raised his hand and took the Tide Blessing off his neck.
It still retains the style of a longevity lock, radiating a soft glow and carrying a slight coolness.
Yan Shi condensed a wisp of water spirit and infused it, causing the Longevity Lock to shed its metallic appearance and reveal its translucent true form.
The familiar voice rang in my ears once again.
"Lan, the fearlessness of the tide. Let's call her Lanlan."
"Are you really going to give her the blessing of the tide?"
"Yes. I hope Lanlan can live a fearless, peaceful, and joyful life."
Yan Shi could clearly distinguish that one of them was Shan Fengyang's voice, and the other was a soft male voice.
As for who it is, it's no longer important.
Throw it away.
The Tidal Blessing traced an arc in the air before disappearing into the gate and vanishing without a trace.
Shui Ling paced around dejectedly, and in the end, she could only sadly lick Yan Shi's fingernails.
Yan Shi stared at the boundary gate, exhaled softly, and took out his wooden hairpin from his pocket.
The broken end of the wooden hairpin embedded itself in my palm, causing a dull ache.
"Yanshi?" Ishmael's voice suddenly came from behind her. "What are you doing here?"
Yan Shi turned around and saw Ishmael standing at the backyard gate, her hair seemingly having grown longer, the ends almost touching the ground.
He was much more composed and calm than Ish, the brother I remembered.
Yan Shi said calmly, "Can't I come to see my home?"
"Your home?" Ishmael frowned slightly. "It's Lanlan's home." He corrected her, but his tone was light, because his attention had been drawn to something else. "Yanshi, where did you get so much faith?"
The elven priests, or light spirits, can clearly see the faith of every living being.
The more faith one carries within, the brighter one shines. The last time Yan Shi came, he was only slightly brighter than those around him.
In Ishmael's eyes, Yan Shi was no different from a blinding ball of light.
With so many beliefs, even the Fairy Mother Goddess couldn't brighten Yan Shi's day.
“Oh,” Yan Shi replied, “my work has made good progress recently, and this is my reward.”
Ishmael: ?
"What reward is given to so many believers?" he wondered.
Yan Shi raised an eyebrow: "Work of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs."
Ishmael: ...
That's a lie.
He stopped talking.
Yan Shi laughed: "You didn't expect that, did you?" Her eyebrows relaxed, revealing two canine teeth.
Ishmael stared intently at Yan Shi.
When Yan Shi smiles, he really looks like Yan Lan.
The same bright, flamboyant, and unrestrained style.
But Ismail is certain that in his memory, there is only Lanlan.
He had never met Yan Shi.
Perhaps due to poor health, or perhaps for other reasons, Shan Fengyang has never mentioned his other child to anyone.
It's just that Ishmael finds it hard to like Yan Shi, even though they are both Shan Fengyang's granddaughters.
Because Lanlan was abandoned.
Mingming made a promise while drunk, but in the end went back on his word and only took Yanshi with him.
It was hard for Ishmael not to be angry, even though the fault did not lie with Yan Shi.
He avoided Yan Shi's gaze: "How has Lanlan been lately?" Ishmael asked.
Yan Shi: "...Is everything alright?"
Sometimes, she still had to marvel at the unique nature of the position of Director of the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs, which truly concealed her past completely.
Even Ishmael couldn't see the slightest clue.
"That's good." Ishmael nodded. "Is there anything else?"
The meaning is clear: if you don't have it, leave quickly.
He welcomes Lanlan to visit the Elf Temple anytime, but he doesn't really accept outsiders from the Bureau of Alien Affairs standing in the backyard of the Elf Temple.
Yan Shi: "Yes."
She reached out her hand to him and slowly opened her palm.
The broken wooden hairpin lay there quietly.
Ishmael was startled and hurried over: "What happened?"
Yan Shi: "I've come to return the Scepter of Life to the Forest of Life."
"Are you alright?" Ishmere didn't care about the broken Staff of Life. He looked Yan Shi up and down, even extending a few wisps of light to probe him.
Only after realizing that Yan Shi's vital signs were normal, his breathing was steady, and his faith was strong did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
"How did the Scepter of Life get shattered like this?" Ishmael looked down, picked up the Scepter of Life, and asked with heartache.
Yan Shi felt a little guilty: "It was just a minor accident. It will be fine if we put it back in the suppression area for a while."
"That's quite an unexpected turn of events," Ishmael said irritably.
After picking up the Scepter of Life, he walked a few steps to the Mother Tree of the Spirits in the center of the backyard.
The branches of the mother tree trembled slightly, as did the white flowers among them; the leaves rustled, like the soft murmur of elves, and the bark shone with a golden light, as if flowing with life.
Ishmael held the wooden hairpin in both hands and attached it to the trunk of the mother tree.
The tree trunk was trembling slightly.
From the broken ends of the wooden hairpin, fine, dense golden rays flowed out, countless strands intertwined, the fine lines at the two ends extending and entwining towards each other. The light stretched inch by inch along the broken surfaces towards each other.
The two broken hairpins drew closer and closer in the light until the broken ends pressed tightly together, leaving only a conspicuous crack.
The mother tree emitted a soft hum, as if responding to its long-lost child.
Warm golden light spread along the tree trunk.
The leaves trembled, the branches swayed gently, and the earth responded.
The next moment, the Scepter of Life merged into the trunk of the mother tree.
The instant the wooden hairpin disappeared, golden light burst forth from the Elf Mother Tree, rapidly spreading in all directions.
The mother tree lit up, from its roots to its tip, like thousands of flowing golden rivers. The rivers converged in the sky, projecting a golden canopy that grew larger and larger until it covered the entire sky.
The clouds were tinged with a warm, pale gold.
All authority has been returned to its rightful place.
The world is buzzing.
It was not the wind, nor any living or non-living thing that caused the noise; it was the world itself that was humming.
The surrounding air suddenly became light and dense, and became lively, with colorful light spots surrounding Yan Shi.
Yan Shi looked up at the sky.
She heard a very faint, very short "click" quite clearly.
Like fastening a lock again.
The laws awakened completely in an instant, opening their eyes. Their gaze fell upon every corner of the world, calm, clear, and impartial.
Immense pressure descended from the heavens, gazing upon every living being. But the next second, an invisible barrier pressed Him back into slumber.
The world's barriers are beginning to be restored.
Countless transparent light membranes slowly contracted from the broken edges towards the center, the cracks closed segment by segment, and the traces of the stitching faded away from the air little by little until they disappeared completely.
The world's barriers have been reopened, now stable and intact.
The entire Forest of Life was surrounded by the shattered spirits.
Warmth emanated from the radiant heart in Zi Yanshi's chest, and light spread from her chest.
With each heartbeat, the surrounding spirits respond with joy.
Then, the warmth emanating from the Heart of Light gradually faded until it returned to normal.
Ishmere looked up at the projection of the Elven Mother Goddess's canopy in the sky, and made a complex gesture with his hands in front of his chest: "Mother Goddess," he murmured, "we are with you."
Yan Shi withdrew his gaze from the sky: "That's all, I'm leaving."
it's all over.
Ishmael looked at Yan Shi with a complicated expression: "You are a competent director of the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs."
Yan Shi laughed: "I hope I can always be."
“Back to the headquarters of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs,” she said softly.
The space around her cracked open, and Yan Shi could feel the barrier of the world becoming stronger; tearing it apart required more power.
She touched her nose guiltily, deciding that from now on she should use the boundary gate to return home in a more official and dignified manner.
The world barrier has been repaired, but the spirits that spilled into the surface world through the shattered gate will not flow back, and all the anomalies will not be resolved overnight.
Yan Shi had barely stepped into the office when he wanted to leave.
It was the dead of night in the world at that moment.
To be precise, it was late at night again.
The General Administration remained brightly lit as usual.
During the half-day Yan Shi was away, Xie Sheng was finally able to extricate himself from the Bai Yujing incident, and Shu Zhijing had already clocked in at the headquarters.
The two acted swiftly, reviewing nearly a hundred recent work reports from the execution department and the task records of each execution team, and re-compiling the reports based on the severity of the actual situation.
They were all piled up on Yan Shi's desk, several thick stacks.
Yan Shi felt a sudden darkness engulf his vision.
I often hope my subordinates are highly efficient, but I don't need them to be that efficient.
Yan Shi casually pulled out a book and opened it.
A few seconds later, her expression froze completely.
In places like the old town of Tonghai, non-harmful unusual incidents are ultimately extremely rare.
The spirits and monsters showed no mercy to humans; they ran rampant in the surface world, slaughtering ordinary residents.
Page after page, even official announcements are generally restrained and straightforward.
[Missing]
[Murder]
No one survived.
...
The residents of the entire building, a school, half the city...
The words, densely written on the paper, cannot conceal the cruelty within.
Yan Shi closed her eyes, crumpling the report paper in her hand, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force.
She suddenly realized that what Ishmael had just said was wrong.
She is not a competent head of the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs.
Yan Shi stood there blankly.
A somewhat familiar voice suddenly came from behind her: "Let me see who has so much faith." The voice rambled on, "Tsk, I'd be happy to get a little bit!"
As the words were spoken, the space was torn apart.
Claire poked her head out, a familiar smile on her face, but before she could even greet him, her smile froze on her face: "Director Yan?!"
Yan Shi turned around expressionlessly: "Long time no see, you've come at the perfect time."
Claire shrank back.
She originally intended to leave immediately the way she came, away from Yanju and misfortune.
But seeing the almost blinding light emanating from Yan Shi, she couldn't bear to abandon her overwhelming faith, so she stepped forward and said, "What a coincidence, Director Yan. Did you need something?"
Yan Shi: "You are a god."
“Yes.” Claire nodded, puzzled.
She had a feeling that something was wrong.
Yanju's expression was too cold.
She had just been locked up in a sack by Yanlan, but thanks to her "fellow inmates," she managed to escape.
I get a headache whenever I see someone with the surname "Yan".
Yan Shi smiled coldly and put her hands together. "Perfect timing, I was just thinking of finding a god to make a wish."
Claire felt a chill run down her spine.
She took several steps back, speaking rapidly: "Wait a minute, Director Yan, let me make it clear beforehand that my authority is based on history and records, not on making wishes."
“I’m not responsible for granting wishes!” Claire said sincerely.
Seeing that Yan Shi's actions hadn't changed, she hurriedly added, "If you're going to make a wish, you might as well make a wish for yourself."
Yan Shi: "Make a wish to myself?"
Claire nodded: "Yes. You have so much faith that you could become a god, as long as you have a mark of authority."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but ask, "Director Yan, since you have so many beliefs," Claire gestured, "would you be kind enough to share some with me?"
Yan Shi: "I'm unwilling."
Claire: ...
"Okay." She sighed regretfully, her face full of disappointment.
Yan Shi looked straight at her: "If I become a god, can I restore all the abnormal events in the world to normal?"
Claire shrugged: "No, you can't."
“Director Yan,” she said, her eyes revealing a rare coldness befitting a deity, “Gods are not omnipotent; they require faith to grant wishes.”
"The amount of faith required to restore all the anomalies in the surface world to normal is enough for an ordinary being to become a god. What savior would do such a thing?"
Claire continued, then regained her usual nonchalant tone: "The faith needed to fulfill this wish is probably just this much of yours. I don't know if that's enough."
She pouted and said, "I can't do it anyway, you should find another god."
I can't do it.
Yan Shi lowered his eyes.
Claire was still muttering, "If all wishes were this easy, I would have made a wish for myself long ago."
“You’re right,” Yan Shi suddenly said. “I should make a wish to myself.”
Claire: ?
So, after all that she said, Director Yan really only heard what she wanted to hear.
"Why do you want this?" Claire asked, puzzled. "You're already the head of the Bureau of Evil Affairs, and you still have so many beliefs. The Heart of Light is also within you."
Even the life of a chosen one is not as fulfilling as Yan Shi's.
“If you use your power now, you can restore everything in the real world to normal, and nobody will even know,” Claire kindly advised her. “I don’t know if your faith is strong enough. Isn’t it better to just keep your current life?”
Yan Shi shook his head.
She recalled the bullet comments in comics and the countless comments on forums;
I think of those readers on the other side of the screen whom I've never met;
I recall the pure, fervent, and unreserved emotions within the light of faith.
The world gave her faith, and she was meant to give the world a bright and clear world, a peaceful and harmonious world.
This is what she should do.
Yan Shi loves this world, the fantasy and grandeur of the inner world, and also the fireworks and ordinary happiness of the outer world.
Yan Shi said softly, "I hope that all the anomalies in the surface world will return to normal."
Her voice was firm: "Restore to a state where nothing unusual has happened."
Yan Shi closed his eyes.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Law slowly opened his eyes.
Are you sure?
A cold voice asked her.
Yan Shi: "I'm sure."
Her breathing began to quicken.
Yan Shi could feel his body growing increasingly tired, and the Heart of Light was pounding violently in his chest.
The law responded to her request and began to collect its own reward.
The next instant, a burst of light erupted from her, and sparks of faith emanated from her. The light streamed out of the window and, carried by the wind, spread to every corner of the world.
Streets, ruins, schools, hospitals, lakes, mountains...
All the hidden ghosts, the miasma attached to people;
The monsters attacking the residents all seemed to be dragged away by some irresistible force.
They screamed, trembled, struggled, and were swallowed by the light.
The night sky suddenly turned white.
Buildings damaged by abnormal events automatically reattached their bricks, and streets were restored by an invisible force.
The victim, who had stopped breathing and lay in a pool of blood, opened his eyes again.
The missing child, returned to the street where he disappeared, still clutches the candy tightly in his hand.
The whole world seemed to be exhaling a breath of stale air.
Everyone looked up at the sky.
The sky was bright for a moment, then slowly darkened, turning back into night.
It's started raining.
Fine raindrops fell, and the world was enveloped in the silence of the rain.
Author's Note: Damn it, just a little bit more left! I'll definitely finish the main text today.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com