Chapter 163: A Hundred Stories in the Mist and the Moon (4)
...Mr. Shanshi knows Fan De?
The ancient being guarding the abyss knew their pet?
Rather than surprise or bewilderment, the majority of people were baffled. It was like the Emperor of the Empire of Truth came over to say hello. Instead of "How could I have such honor?" or "What are you talking about?", there were probably more questions like "What are you talking about?" Not only Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu, but everyone in the research institute stared blankly.
Vander's expression was identical to everyone else's. He waved his tentacles around in a foolish manner. "Ah...? Ah? I... I... I actually have the honor of meeting you?"
"Have you forgotten?" Shanshi Weng said playfully, "The last time we met was in the library."
"Oh, you've been to my alma mater?" Vander trembled non-stop, "I'm sorry, I was studying at the time and might not have seen it..."
The benefactor slapped his thigh, overjoyed. "No, no. That's absolutely impossible. Because the time I went there...
It’s to attend your graduation thesis defense!”
Fander was horrified: "Eh~~~?!!"
"You even forgot your own graduation thesis?!" Chu Hengkong couldn't stand it anymore.
"No, no, this... you understood this when you were defending yourself!" Vander hurriedly explained, "Whether our undergraduate thesis can be passed depends entirely on whether the instructor is willing to give us some slack! During my defense, I was so focused on the director's expression that I didn't pay attention to the other experts' opinions..."
Ji Huaisu joined the fray with full force: "What the hell are you talking about! Even such an old man can forget me. I think you've become senile from reading too much! And what kind of books do you teach in your library? Why did you invite an old man to participate in the defense?!"
"If the old man says so, he would be happy to go no matter which invitation he receives," said Chongming.
"That's not the point. You're not allowed to join the discussion! Old man, please don't nod in agreement!" Vander scratched his head vigorously. "No, no, the point is that I really don't have any recollection of it. I shouldn't have forgotten such a big thing..."
"Fander," said Shanshi Weng, stroking his beard, "Do you still remember the title of your thesis?"
"From Primordial Spirit Worship to Meaning--On the Free Pursuit of Universal Individual Life Based on a New Contractual Technique," Vander said fluently. "That's definitely the title, but the content was so overwhelming that I forgot about it right after graduation."
Chu Hengkong let out a silent wail. He understood Fan De's idiotic personality and knew what incredible things this idiot was capable of. But... if he could even forget the content of his graduation thesis, what good would a diploma do to him? Besides, this was an important topic for the old man to review! He threw away his most valuable project and only got a diploma. Was he looking for death in the Shendong world?
"I forgot. Oh, that's it." The old man smiled and said, "You haven't been in good shape these past two days."
Fander was stunned: "How do you know?"
"Because you're constantly deleting your memories." The old man drew circles beside his temples. "The environment behind the fog reminds you of too many things, but these are all things you shouldn't know at the moment. You have no choice but to keep deleting your memories, deleting them and then remembering them, remembering them and then deleting them again..."
"...Ah." Vander suddenly realized, "Oh my god! I deleted myself and made myself stupid!!!"
"You really are a huge idiot, Fan De..." Ji Huaisu couldn't bear to look at him.
The old man flipped his hand, and the travel guide that Chu Hengkong had put away suddenly appeared in his palm. He produced a quill pen, wrote a few words on the blank page, and handed it back to the bewildered Fander.
"Memory is a precious treasure, and forgetting it is not a good thing. I will give you part of the content of the thesis... After all, this is information you should not forget."
Fan De hurriedly thanked him and immediately dove into the manual, engrossed in it. Chu Hengkong glanced at it a few times, only to see words like "contract" in the magic circle that made him dizzy. He wanted to tell Fan De to be careful, but he didn't have time to speak.
The philanthropist has turned his attention to them.
Any energy left for conversation and laughter vanished instantly. The moment my eyes met the old man's, an indescribable pressure gripped my body, making time feel almost frozen. My blood froze. My heart stopped beating. My thoughts faltered. My body movements all but ceased. It wasn't an attack or a threat, merely the instinctive reaction of my tiny self before an overpowering being. Like mountains and oceans gazing back at us, the vast difference in status made even the mere thought of speaking seem like a delusion.
So they naturally understood that the old man had no ill will towards them. Even if he had only had such a thought, at this moment the two of them would have joined the blood pool of the fallen.
Then, a second fact came to mind.
——They couldn't possibly afford the old man's gift.
Even a single word from such a powerful being can forever change the life of the listener. The moment one receives this gift, their journey as a human ends.
"Next, it's Ji Huaisu's turn."
The old man produced a large, opaque cloth bag and reached into it to pull something out. "You've also provided an interesting story. What kind of gift would you like?"
Chu Hengkong was unable to speak. The old man smiled faintly, blocking out all the sounds except those from the wisher. He slowly dug into the bag, and the muffled sound of meat colliding could be heard from within.
"If you can't think of a wish for the time being, I can also give you some ideas. For example... sending you to meet your real father and mother."
“——!”
Ji Huaisu clenched her fists as she was about to speak. Shanshi Weng's casual words directly touched upon the deepest desire in her heart. She had always longed to reclaim her past and was concerned about the safety of her biological parents. And before this powerful heretic, all she had to do was bow her head in pleading, utter a single word... and her wish would surely be granted!
She grabbed her arm with one hand, tried to look up and look at the smiling old man.
"Old man, do you like greedy children?"
"What do you think?" The old man said with a smile.
"I believe gifts are a response to another's feelings. I've only told you a few stories, so I don't deserve such a generous gift," the knight said loudly. "I want to make a selfish wish. There are many newcomers arriving in the wilderness this time, and I beg you not to give gifts to anyone other than me!"
The old man stroked his beard and laughed like thunder. The fallen laughed along with him, and the laughter turned into a bloody mouth, floating in the air and constantly opening and closing.
"Grandpa, she's breaking the rules!" shrieked the newly converted Ral, the slug-like Fallen. "She's trying to refuse your gift!"
Ji Huaisu's nails dug into her flesh, but she stubbornly held her neck high, refusing to argue. The old man's laughter subsided, and he looked deeply into the stubborn girl's eyes.
"Children, you don't understand this decision because you only care about yourselves!" the old man said. "She was willing to take risks for herself to benefit others. Even if this is just a small loophole, how can we say she broke the rules?
Little girl, I am happy to fulfill your wish. But..."
He pointed at Chu Hengkong and winked: "This child won first place this time, and I still have to give him his gift."
The Great One's gaze shifted, and Ji Huaisu felt a sense of relief. She knew she was out of danger, but her quick thinking hadn't helped those most in need. Now, she was speechless and could only anxiously gaze at her partner, hoping he could come up with a solution.
Chu Hengkong was thinking about the choices everyone made in this event.
The dog-like man, Wolfka, was the most senior and one of the most knowledgeable of the Hundred Tales. He sought the old man's aid, asking only for a good night's sleep and nothing more. Besides his unwavering resolve to fight the heretics, there were likely other reasons.
Ji Huaisu's comment that gifts are a response to emotion sparked his reflection. Gifts from outsiders are never easy to accept. The more one receives from the old man, the greater the price one must pay in secret. Ji Huaisu traded her gift for the safety of others, ultimately "gaining" nothing. This choice may have even saved her life.
Vander and the old man clearly had a history, so the old man offered to give him his own research results. Giving one's own results back to oneself wasn't really a gain. Thus, both Vander and Ji Huaisu were relatively safe, and by the time he made his wish, the same trick wouldn't work a second time. The old man had clearly stated that Ji Huaisu was "taking advantage of a loophole," and repeating it knowingly was disrespectful.
This time, he couldn't escape the consequences of his wish. In this case, the researchers' situation was worth considering. They were only slightly contaminated by the outside world, so it was time to make a wish that was just enough...
Chu Hengkong came up with an idea. He wanted to make a wish to get his "left arm" back. It was just as difficult for a person to get back his hand that originally belonged to him. He was about to speak -
"—Do you want to bring the dead back to life?"
Then, the old man's words pierced into his chest, like a poisonous arrow, piercing into the softest part of his heart.
"Let me ask more clearly," said the Benevolent Man, "Do you want to bring 'Boss' back to life?"
Chu Hengkong immediately covered his mouth, his fingertips digging into his flesh from the excessive force. He forced himself to swallow the air, using the feeling of suffocation to force out the words that were about to come out. If he didn't do this, he would speak his heart out, and if he didn't, he would soon lose control of himself.
The old man looked down at the silent man, his words filled with pity: "Don't be so hard on yourself. All the living long for the return of the dead."
He pulled a piece of flesh from the bag and rubbed it in his hands like mud. The mud gradually took shape, resembling a human form. The benefactor carved the features with his fingernails and said, "You should know that I don't give a false gift. Not a clay dummy, not a string-controlled puppet. If you make a wish, I will use my power to bring it back to life... in both mind and appearance, just as it was in life!"
Through the cracks between his fingers, he saw the features about to take shape. They were so familiar, so kind, just like when they first met. His thoughts were read, and memories from the distant past were revived. Before the god above the black moon, he was like a transparent man, without any secrets.
The old man could easily control not only his life and death, but also his thoughts and emotions. Everything about him could be manipulated like a lump of flesh and blood. But the most terrifying thing was not this. It was that in the face of such incredible power, even the life and death of the deceased could be easily toyed with.
A person, a once vibrant life, can be molded like a toy in a few strokes. An object that was once rotting flesh and poisonous blood can be transformed into a "resurrected" life, and flesh and blood endowed with power can be transformed into a completely identical human form.
Creating life is so easy.
Even the deceased themselves cannot choose their own destiny.
"That's amazing, Grandpa." "What kind of person are you going to resurrect?" "Make one for me too." The fallen laughed at the power of the gods. The black mud-like bodies surged like insects. "I want a living toy too!"
The killer silently loosened his grip, and memories melted into a warm stream, flowing into the wound pierced by the arrow in his heart. It spread and trembled with his heartbeat...
Into boiling rage.
"Please stop." Chu Hengkong said.
The old man stopped and said, "Don't you want to think about it again?"
"I've already thought of a wish. I wish for the answer to a question from you."
The man raised his head, letting everyone see the anger in his eyes. His roar echoed like thunder in the cave: "In this hopeless wilderness, is there any way to defeat you heretics?"
The onlookers' thoughts were frozen in shock, and any desire to mock or sympathize was lost amidst immense fear.
How dare he.
How dare he ask such a question.
How dare he roar at the guardian of the cradle of oblivion!
Then, fear became a reality. The black sludge of the Fallen burst forth in fear, and nightmares howled in response to the crowd's emotions. The cries materialized into a thousand lips, dancing wildly in the moonlight. Amidst this chaotic riot of demons, the killer stood tall as a stone, the old man across from him roaring with laughter.
"Hahaha! Hahaha! You're so young and full of energy... You're braver than everyone here combined!"
"Answer to your question exists. In this wilderness, there is indeed hope for your victory!"
He lowered his huge head and talked face to face with the tiny human, his terrifying smile seemed as if he could swallow all living things in one gulp.
"Travel through the deep sea valley and through the Lost Forest, and you will reach the Allied village. Set out from the north of the village, across former battlefields, and journey to the mountains strewn with corpses. Deep within those mountains lies the weapon that once slew the evil god. That is your hope for victory."
"But that hope is a cruel and brutal weapon. If you hold the weapon tightly, you will surely face a painful death!"
"I'll try it myself." Chu Hengkong said.
The onlookers stood trembling with fear, motionless, awaiting the coming wrath... or perhaps divine mercy... But the old man just smiled, a smile of great joy. He leaned against the wall, scratching his round belly, as if thinking about something.
"I've kept this answer in my heart for a long time...but I never expected that only now would someone dare to ask it.
You are all courageous children, and I will reward you doubly!"
He fished in his cloth bag and pulled out a handful of beautifully coated candies. He unwrapped each one, letting the coating fall. The candies danced in his palm, their true form revealed in the moonlight. They were rotten, blackened flesh, oozing with filth. Worm eggs nestled within the decaying fibers, tiny maggots wriggling within the flesh.
The old man squeezed the rotten meat tightly, and when he opened his hands, it became two round and beautiful candies. He handed the candies to Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu, smiling kindly.
"Want some candy?"
Ji Huaisu took a deep breath and reached for the candy. But her wrist was stopped by the tentacles. Chu Hengkong grabbed the two candies with one hand, threw them into his mouth without even looking at them, and swallowed them in front of the old man.
"Thank you very much!"
(End of this chapter)
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