Chapter 80 Jiang Lai's Territory
"——【Zhao Zai Qian Qiu Yao】."
Jiang Lai calmly read out the name of the domain.
In a twinkling, the surrounding scene was enveloped by the boundless and vast river. It was white above and dark below. The stars, the sun and the moon were flowing in the surrounding vast river, and the light was shining and surging endlessly.
The myriad of landscapes are reflected in the warm brown eyes of the navy blue figure.
The five long-haired creatures slightly widened their six eyes, gazing at the boundless and all-embracing scenery.
He is still a teenager now and has not yet awakened to the realm.
So this moment was the first time that Rokugan was completely in a person's realm, and he was able to relax and feel it with all his heart.
In the blink of an eye, the land enveloped by the domain reverses time and space.
Dust and sawdust fluttered and reorganized into small houses and cottages, bones and flesh silently condensed and returned to their former lives, and curious, confused and painful memories were turned back to before everything began, back to the initial ignorance and fearlessness -
Amidst the heavy snow, a small town that was destroyed in an instant was rebuilt in an instant. It was like a miracle.
"...Hey, I seemed to be able to see some daylight on my way home just now, but how come it's dark in the blink of an eye..."
"Wow, the snow is getting heavier, we have to go home quickly..."
The villagers' casual murmurs could be heard, and the bustling crowd began to move around again.
The low-key [existence] wearing a mask, accompanied by a white-haired boy, walked out from an inconspicuous corner and merged into the human world that had once again returned to its daily order.
"The child and the girl on the mountain are both included in the domain, and time and space have been reversed. They are probably in the same coma as before." Jiang Lai whispered to Gojo Satoru, "I removed the monster from the domain, so it still looks like it was when it died."
"Then I'll leave the rest to you." He smiled, his voice still gentle, "Wu-kun."
The dark blue figure is a deity that disappears after performing a miracle, leaving only a few words for those who are lucky enough to see it, allowing future generations to spread imagination and legend.
Facing the black-haired young man who was about to turn around and leave, Gojo with long hair subconsciously reached out his hand.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Lai noticed the white-haired boy's actions and half turned around, dismantling the mask on his face, revealing his own face.
"Ah..." Long-haired Gojo paused for a moment, then said, "I don't like to owe favors to others, so before we leave, I'll give you something."
He reached into his purse and pulled out a small object, his expression somewhat annoyed, like a long-haired white cat that had not been able to bask in the best sunlight of the day:
"I went out on a whim this time, and didn't bring anything from my treasure chest at home. This is all I have on hand now—"
He opened his hand, revealing the object in his palm.
Jiang Lai looked over and saw a pendant in the palm of the white-haired boy's hand that looked like jade but was not jade. It was in the shape of a white feather.
...Wait, a feather necklace?!
He subconsciously raised his hand to his neck, and realized that since returning to this chapter of [Thousands of Years], his feather necklace and locust wood pendant were no longer on him, only the book was still in his hand.
In other words, in this cursed world setting, the book (cell phone) is something that comes with you from the beginning. However, the feather necklace and the acacia wood pendant were not originally carried by you thousands of years ago, but were acquired later.
"This thing was received at a festival one year. It is said that it was enshrined in some Feng Shui treasure place for hundreds or thousands of years. It has the luck of breaking it first and then rebuilding it at a critical moment."
Long-haired Gojo seemed to think for a few seconds and explained.
Then, he said in a brisk and casual voice, "Of course, you can hear these clichés on any item. It's just that the charlatans are trying to raise the price. I just thought the pendant looked more pleasing, so I took it."
Jiang Lai stared at the feather ornament that looked like jade.
The original feather necklace did not have the additional function of adjusting transparency or blurring the identity of the cursed power. It was just an ordinary pendant. Jiang Lai still remembered the beginning of the chapter of yesterday.
It was not until the One Hundred Demons Night Parade that the dirty clock was turned back to the modern era and the feather necklace acquired additional functions.
This pendant probably acquired special abilities when the divinity was damaged and absorbed some of the leaked essence of the divinity and the karma of reversing time and space - a bit like a radiation-affected item like Liquid Vulpecula.
Thinking about it this way, the feather necklace does fit the description of "luck that breaks first and then builds up at a critical moment". Jiang Lai had thoughts running through his mind. Maybe this is really an item that has been blessed and worshipped for a period of time.
"Well, there's no other way. I'll just take this with me when I go out... or I can give you the jade pendant?" The white-haired boy interpreted the silence of the person in front of him as another meaning. "Hey, hey, although it's really not a valuable thing, you shouldn't reject it, right?"
"No." Jiang Lai came back to his senses, he took it with his hand and said with a smile, "I am not a person who goes deep into the social world, so I don't care about the so-called value of things circulated among people. When a friend sends something away, what matters is the thought, and that is the best."
"You're still the one who knows how to say it. But - good, you accepted it!" With long hair and a guide stick in one hand, her tall figure exudes nobility and prestige. "It's a farewell gift and also a way of repaying a favor. I never owe anyone anything."
"Of course," Jiang Lai said with a smile, "We have always been equal friends. Thank you for your gift."
He waved goodbye to the five long strands of hair from a thousand years ago, and walked away into the distance, bathed in the moonlight and facing the wind and snow.
——
After unfolding the field [兆载千秋尧] and reversing time and space, a large amount of cursed energy was consumed, but for Jiang Lai, who had almost infinite power a thousand years ago, these cursed powers were not a problem.
The problem was probably that he had resurrected the result of extinction after the judgment of [death], and carried the sin of [existence]. This made Jiang Lai feel the fatigue spreading from the depths of his soul.
But he did not show it during the farewell conversation just now, and still smiled and said goodbye as usual. It was not until now when he walked alone into the snow that fatigue appeared on his face.
He walked forward casually, thoughts flowing through his mind.
Come to think of it, I don't know who Gojo Satoru is referring to when he says in the main story that "there may be an [existence] in the regulatory agency."
If we look at it purely based on ability, Jiang Lai feels that it is somewhat like [Death]. But after meeting [Death] not long ago, he does not think that the other party is a character who will actively participate in the human world.
[Birth] seems to have no interest in getting involved in the human world. Rather than being himself, he is more like a true bystander and outsider.
...So what is going on with the regulatory agency? If it is really a "rebirth", does the other party still have self-awareness? How can the accumulated sins of subjective interference be eliminated? What do the people used as "feed" do?
All kinds of questions came to his mind, and Jiang Lai wrote them down for the time being.
Fortunately, on December 25, the day of the reunion, when the topic of whether to snatch the godhood came up, I did not give Gojo Satoru a clear reply. I just briefly mentioned it and simply replied, "Can this thing still be snatched?"
This kind of answer does leave a lot of room for discussion. If the existence of the Regulatory Commission is really a familiar elder sister (elder brother) in the future, it will also be convenient to explain it to Gojo Satoru.
In addition, Jiang Lai now vaguely understands why the future regulatory agency will initially look for objects.
It may not be because the [existence] on the side of the Regulatory Commission is in the form of an object, but because the term mentioned in the prophecy they learned was [clock] instead of [time and space].
The regulators are likely to have some understanding of [existence]. [Clock] is a subordinate term of [space-time], so it is more like a derivative product rather than the humanoid [existence] itself.
In fact, it is possible that the "clock" itself refers to an object - that is, one's own heart.
Yesterday and the Past, he no longer has the ability to reverse time and space at will as he did thousands of years ago. The remaining time manipulation power is gathered in his heart, turning into a clock with great power that can affect the whole world but can only be used once.
Jiang Lai placed his hand on his left chest, feeling the regular, steady and powerful heartbeat beneath his chest.
The snow gradually subsided, and the bright moon hung on the branches. The tiredness after using the ability was not dissipated by the cold air.
Jiang Lai put his hands down and actually felt a little sleepy, which he shouldn't have felt.
But he did not rush to rest. Instead, he held the floating book in one hand, preparing to check the official website updates, forum information, and messages from relatives and friends before taking a break.
The official website has had new updates, but Jiang Lai first noticed the last episode released - the title noted that this was not the plot content of the Thousand Years of Time chapter, but official character information.
He clicked on the character information and prepared to take a look at this first.
Basically, there is one character per page, and Jiang Lai's eyes pass over himself and fall on other characters.
The young man with long white hair and wearing a kimono has his identity marked next to him: [Six Eyes from a Thousand Years Ago - Gojo Satoru (Uehagi)]
He has two illustrations. One shows him wearing a black and gold cloth and leaning on a cane in one hand, looking like a noble and reserved person. The other shows him without any pretense, with his beautiful six eyes fully exposed, looking extremely cool and arrogant.
Here are some thoughts on other characters.
【To others: The nobles are boring, and the common people are weak. 】
[To Ryoumen Sukuna: Although it's a bit strange, we are still friends of the same age → (after the massacre) → recognize our true nature, we are not on the same path]
[To [Existence] Lai: A mysterious young man who is shrouded in mist but can be seen clearly with his six eyes. We get along very well → (after witnessing the reversal of time and space) → A non-human with powerful powers. We cannot be related by name for the time being, but this does not affect our friendship.]
Jiang Lai frowned, somewhat surprised that the other party once considered Ryomen Sukuna a friend - but then again, Rokugan a thousand years ago and a thousand years later were both high and mighty and lonely at first, and it was rare for him to meet someone of the same age with similar abilities.
He is very cautious about his attitude towards himself and doesn't make friends easily. Jiang Lai's eyes fell on the last one. However, even if the other party doesn't know his name, they are still friends.
He turned the page and saw the two images of Sukuna on the next page. The original Sukuna as a teenager a thousand years ago, a cherry-pink-haired boy with smooth muscles and black lines on them, and four arms hanging casually at his sides.
The identity section simply reads: [Ryomen Sukuna ([Dead] Existence)]
There are also opinions on other characters below, but they are not as clear as those on Long Hair Gojo, but:
【To others: weak & food】
【To Yu Hagi: ???】
【To [Existence] Lei: ???】
Jiang Lai: "..." What is the meaning of this series of question marks after it? ! As expected, Master Sukuna's heart is like a needle in the sea.
——I didn't expect that I and Gojo would be singled out. Is that considered special?
However, the question mark may be because the content is too bloody and so it is blocked. Jiang Lai thought silently. It is better not to have some special things.
He continued walking forward aimlessly, passing a few dry trees, and was about to flip through comics and forums when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a cherry-pink-haired figure walking in front of him.
——It’s Ryomen Sukuna!
This is too much of a coincidence, meeting again not long after they separated. Jiang Lai was a little surprised, and his mood also emerged a little strange.
After all, I was told not long ago that the other party was my "younger brother" in a conceptual sense, and he had left me a big mess.
The moment Jiang Lai saw the other person, the other person seemed to have noticed something and half turned around.
Jiang Lai turned his wrist and before any possible dialogue or attack began, he used space magic to construct a transparent cat box——
Jiang Lai: I’m here to kidnap the kitten (lynx) again, family members!