Chapter 19 Memory is the opening line of a dream: You had a dream. ...
You had a dream.
Uh, you always dream, right? Back in the Pinocchio era, none of your dreams were useless; they always helped you get some inexplicable information, which then became the key to revealing the final truth.
In my dream, you were taking Dr. Truth's class.
After the train crew got to know him better, he offered to teach them some basic academic knowledge.
“If dullness is a chronic disease, it is the scholar’s duty to eradicate it. Besides, the train crew also needs to use knowledge on the path of [pioneering],” he said.
Those words were so harsh and targeted that they scared you and March 7th so much that you hugged each other and cried, wailing, "Was that really necessary?"
Danheng didn't care; he was actually quite interested in the teaching content.
Himeko and Walter were well past school age, and both were quite knowledgeable, so Ladio had no intention of dragging them into the conversation.
From then on, Ladio formed a temporary partnership with the train, and occasionally you, March, and Danheng would go to his place for lessons.
"Professor, how do we define the line between [genius] and [idiot]? And who decides this criterion?"
You once asked him.
Are those who possess knowledge and those who lack knowledge truly so clearly distinct and insurmountable?
He glanced at you, gave a soft hum, and closed the book in his hand. "Knowledge is always limited①. No genius, mediocre person, or fool can escape this limited framework. The world and authority set the standard of so-called 'erudition,' allowing those fools who have only read a few more books to look down on others to be arrogant, just like the fate of [knowledge] itself is illogical."
"There is no absolute boundary between genius and idiot; the two are obviously relative."
He said, “The biggest difference is that geniuses have limits, as I just mentioned, and so does the knowledge they pursue. But the erudite and the club cannot tolerate the noise of mediocre people. You don’t have to care about their judgment of you because their wise eyes are only used to explore chaos and disorder, while we still need the process of entropy reduction.”
"Would professors also need entropy reduction?"
"I'm just an ordinary person."
You can tell that although he is as sarcastic as ever, his words actually contain a hidden concern for you.
But you need different social skills to deal with different people, which is also the secret to your popularity in the universe - your charm is not just a fluke. A little sweet talk, plus a little sense of timing and the ability to read people's expressions, is the easiest way to win favor.
If it were Danheng saying these words to you, you would have already shamelessly hugged him.
Unfortunately, their opponent was Ladio.
Who could imagine themselves embracing Dr. Truth, weeping and wailing together, expressing their own emotions?
That wouldn't be a beautiful teacher-student relationship, but a dark and terrifying movie.
Luckily, you're a master of trash talk; you can just blurt it out, "Can I skip my math homework?"
"You have quite the imagination," the evil blueberry in front of me scoffed. "Hand in your workbook tomorrow."
...Those wretched little blueberries. This blueberry filling is rotten!
You instinctively blurt out, "No, Professor—"
"—MiMi!"
Just then, a soft voice came from beside me.
The doctor in front of me was still holding the book, his sharp eyes staring straight at me, but he remained motionless.
A ripple, like a water droplet, appeared before my eyes, spreading out as if from the void.
You then suddenly realize that you are dreaming.
You turn your head and what comes into view is a pink fairy... She looks similar to the fairies in the Lost Realm, but her pupils are eye-catching star-shaped, sparkling, staring at you without blinking, and she is wearing a dress inlaid with rubies in a very girly way.
"Confused?" The little fairy tilted her head, looking very interested in you. "Confused, confused, confused, confused!"
You take a step back. "Who are you?"
The voice sounded somewhat familiar... but it was completely dazed and confused; it couldn't utter a single complete sentence, and I couldn't make out anything.
"Mimi mimi mimi!" The little imp—let's call her Mimi for now—couldn't speak for some reason, but just kept repeating her catchphrase over and over again.
She flew over and rubbed her fluffy pink fur against your neck, seemingly enjoying your scent.
You always have a feeling of sadness.
It's as if the person in front of you isn't a little fairy, but a living, breathing young girl, wrapping her arms around your neck, her fluffy pink hair tickling your collarbone, and calling out to you in a coquettish tone:
"Partner—Partner—"
*
"--partner!"
You wake up with a start.
The first thing you see when you open your eyes is Bai E's magnified face. He has already dressed himself in his battle armor and is anxiously watching you from the side.
You blinked twice in a daze, and a tear slid down your dry eye socket.
"Why are you crying?" Bai E was even more worried than you were when he saw you crying. He quickly stood up and looked around for something to wipe your tears, knocking over a bunch of clutter in the process. "Did you have a nightmare?"
You took the handkerchief from his hand and wiped your tears. The teardrops soaked a small patch of the soft fabric, spreading outwards irregularly.
I haven't felt this way in a long time. It's not exactly sadness, but rather a void in my body, as if my blood vessels and organs are trembling and shifting. What fills these gaps is numbness and the pattering rain.
Fate is a ruthless butcher, always severing ties before people can react, only to have them reconnected by a little fairy wielding her magic wand.
You stare blankly at that tear stain, as if looking at raindrops on your heart.
After all this time... I haven't heard Bai E talk about the past, about Ai Li Mi Xie, about... Xi Lian.
I long to hear her whispered complaints, and I long to sit with her on a hillside covered in wildflowers, weaving a wreath.
Although this game is a [raising a white monster simulator], Xi Lian is equally indispensable.
Perhaps you and Bai E truly share a natural understanding. You vaguely guessed something, and the two of you tacitly stopped mentioning the Elegant Secret Pavilion.
“…It’s nothing,” you said. “We should go find the ring.”
...
Yesterday you searched the temple thoroughly, and today you plan to stroll around the outer perimeter—Triss is getting married tomorrow, so we can't delay any longer.
The terrain here is treacherous, with steep cliffs that rise and fall almost vertically at a terrifying 90 degrees. Walking along the cliff edge, they cleared out quite a few monsters along the way. The two, initially full of enthusiasm, quickly grew tired; even with auto-battle enabled, the seemingly endless horde of beasts was becoming tiresome.
Time passed second by second.
With a flick of his sword, Bai E killed another monster that pounced on him.
You stand with your back to him, holding a baseball bat and warily scanning your surroundings, occasionally switching to your Flame Gun to shield him from attacks. The monster's sharp claws and teeth make a teeth-grinding crunching sound as they press against the gun.
"Where could the ring be?" Bai Er wondered, frowning.
You: "I've searched the temple, the cracks in the rocks, the wooden horse... I can't possibly have it in the trash can, right? Onphalus doesn't have a trash can..."
Before he could finish speaking, a sharp bird cry suddenly pierced the sky.
When you look up, you see that the monsters around you have all retracted their claws and are retreating in unison.
One of them, which had been restless nearby, seemed to have received a signal upon hearing the bird's call. It bared its teeth at you, fiercely flicked its robe, and retreated.
"What...are they doing?" you ask, looking up in confusion.
There was no dawn machine to protect us; the sky was pitch black. We couldn't see anything.
Bai E changed from holding his sword with one hand to a more cautious two-handed grip. He frowned, observing the direction in which the monster horde had all retreated.
"Crunch".
A much larger, darker shadow emerged from the pitch-black cave. It snapped a branch in half, the poor little twig emitting its final, mournful cry beneath its feet.
You raise your phone and turn on the flashlight, illuminating the figure of the beast—a Divine Retribution Vanguard at least twice the size of its kind.
The flashlight shone slightly, revealing the monster's enraged and terrifying face, which was bathed in a ghastly white light.
It also reflects the bright health bar above its head.
Oh, health bar, a reassuring health bar.
"By Akivili." Sometimes you really want to praise your innate sense of humor, "It's a bit like choosing the wrong foundation shade."
"...You're not afraid at all?" Bai E said helplessly. "Well, that's a good thing."
The beam of light swayed aimlessly, and the monster let out a low growl, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
With your sharp eyes, you notice something shimmering and emitting a silvery light on the protruding rock on the cliff face, illuminated by the sunlight.
"A ring!" you exclaimed.
The Divine Punishment Vanguard followed the beam of light straight toward you. However, its attacks relied mainly on brute force, and its bulky body, coupled with the heavy sword it wielded, made it even more difficult to move, thus its speed was not fast.
The cliff face was smooth, suggesting that Triss may have been attacked on the upper floor of the temple, and in her struggle, the ring slipped from her hand, arcing through her fingers and eventually landing on a small, protruding rock.
Climbing down is obviously impossible; there's no foothold—besides, sometimes you really don't have knees.
Behind him was a bottomless abyss, and in front of him were enemies rushing towards him.
You and Bai E quickly exchanged a glance.
"...Do you know what I'm thinking, Xiaobai?" you said.
Bai Er laughed. "I think we're thinking the same thing."
"You're really crazy, kid."
"Likewise, after all, I owe part of my growth to your guidance."
—Accompanied by a threatening growl that grew louder as it approached, you quickly turned around and jumped off the cliff without hesitation.
As your clothes fluttered, Bai E saw your bangs being blown up by the strong airflow, revealing your beautiful, dazzling eyes.
It was a bit too dark here, but your eyes were like the sun rising unexpectedly, incredibly bright, reminding him of the golden wheat fields of Erimit and every new dawn.
His mother stroked his hair and coaxed him, "You're so big now, and you still need Mommy to tell you bedtime stories... I just can't do anything with you. What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?"
Dad picked up an axe and chopped wood in the backyard. "Watch closely, even swordsmanship requires skill... What? You say this is just an axe? So what if it's an axe? You brat, your old man can learn martial arts with an axe!"
The elderly people at the market joked with him. The auntie, who was usually quite fierce when arguing, always spoke softly and her eyes were full of gentle kindness when she was with him.
"Where did Little White go to play today? What, he went to help his parents harvest wheat again? How amazing is our Little White?!"
Raindrops pounded on the fields, pressing down the new seedlings a little, and the earth took the opportunity to breathe in and out, as if it had just learned to breathe.
The water seeped down the soil, into the roots, and into the scarecrow's body.
The wind chimes tinkled, like raindrops and rivers playing music. The scarecrow swayed and laughed, swaying back to each year's harvest, swaying back to the sweet dreams of childhood nights.
The wind blew your voice away, making it indistinct, "Little White—does this count as—we've learned to fly—?"
Bai E gave a faint smile, tightening his grip on your fingers. His cloak billowed behind him in the wind, fluttering loudly.
You summon the Flame Spear, and its body instantly bursts into a bright flame, illuminating the entire night as if to set the night sky ablaze.
"Click—"
The flaming spear penetrated deep into the rock wall, and the energy it released in an instant even softened the hard stone, slowing your descent.
Bai E's eyes hardened, and he quickly picked up the ring that was shimmering in the firelight.
[Marble Market], [Teleport].
The team is teleporting...
Darkness enveloped everything again, but the abyss beneath my feet suddenly transformed into a regular road, and the sudden bright light was so dazzling that I couldn't open my eyes.
You and Bai'er steadied yourselves with your excellent combat instincts. Not far away, under the Marriage Tree, Triss was standing there.
You put away the mud-covered fire spear, struck a cool pose, and let out a cool "humph."
Bai Er held up the ring in her hand, "Perhaps we shouldn't have missed your wedding?"
"Oh my god...!" Triss, tears welling in her eyes, almost stumbled as she ran towards you. "No, not at all!"
She accepted it almost reverently, saying, "By Kefaller... thank you, two heroes!!!"
A note from the author:
----------------------
I got so engrossed in typing that I forgot to post this chapter! Ugh!
Quotes from this chapter:
① Krishnamurti: Knowledge is always limited. There is no complete knowledge about anything. Knowledge always exists in the shadow of ignorance.
② Albert Einstein: The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has limits.
Glossary of terms in this chapter:
Entropy reduction: In physics, it refers to the process by which a system changes from disorder to order through external input of energy, etc. In sociology, it also refers to the orderly change of a system, which can affect individuals, groups, and even the world.
Schrödinger once said in "What is Life?", "Living is about fighting against the law of entropy increase; life is born with negative entropy."
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