“You’re right.” Shen Xue nodded gently. “That’s exactly what I was thinking about. Suddenly I felt that everything I had experienced in the past had some value, so I stopped thinking about it.”
“My past will indeed remain there, that’s an unchangeable fact. But I will continue to hone myself, trying to surpass my past self and become a better version of myself, so that I won’t let down all the hardships I’ve endured in the past.”
She scooped out another half bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and put it back on the table: "So, this soup is no longer salty for me."
As soon as she finished speaking, the icy female swordsman picked up the sword beside her and strode away with an imposing aura, seemingly to find an open space nearby that wouldn't affect us, where she could practice her swordsmanship.
This move surprised the rest of us.
After repeatedly checking the empty bowl, I realized that the half-bowl that had just been filled had indeed been completely and neatly drunk, without even a trace of residue remaining. Considering Miyuki's reaction, it was indeed as she said, that she didn't taste much saltiness.
I looked up and met Hikari's gaze, then glanced at Annie, who was also staring wide-eyed, incredulous: "So, I guessed right?"
"What do you mean 'guessed right'?!" Annie exclaimed in surprise. "So all those stories you told us were just made up to fool us?!"
"It's not just empty talk or a perfunctory job!" I looked away awkwardly. "At least the story itself exists; I just made some minor expansions and derivations in the details."
That's the truth.
I had indeed heard stories about the outer sea from my mentor during casual conversations, but the story itself only consisted of the short sentence "Different memories from all living beings flow in the Sea of Memory," and the rest was just something I made up on the spot to grab attention. I never expected that I would actually guess it right.
Annie didn't seem to buy my explanation, and looked down at me with her hands on her hips: "That's just making things up!"
I covered my ears to avoid her complaints: "Just tell me now, am I right or not?"
"That's all made up!"
Annie, still fuming, was pulled back down to sit by a helpless Hikari, who patted her shoulder and stroked her fur like she was soothing her own furry pet cat.
Avoiding any overly aggressive tone, while the two of them were resolving the issue, I turned to the young boy who was opening his book again by the firelight and flipping through it: "Aian, why don't you take this opportunity to try and recall anything you can remember?"
Although this proposal is a bit too cruel for young people, some things always have to be faced.
Rather, if it's true, as Miyuki demonstrated, that one can retrieve fragmented memories simply by drinking soup, then for the few of us still present, the biggest beneficiary would be, firstly, Aian, who lost her memory due to the accident, and secondly, Anne Farns, who is suspected of being connected to the former kingdom.
The former might be able to recover lost memories, while the latter might be able to recall the location of the hometown they are about to return to.
This is undoubtedly a huge step forward for the work we will be doing next.
The only price to pay was a slight salty taste.
However, faced with my proposal, Ai An remained silent for a few seconds, her tousled, light gray hair swaying gently: "No... I... don't have any thoughts about confronting those memories yet. At least, these days are quite nice to me..."
He shook his head slightly again, lowered his head once more, and did not answer.
Well, although it's a pity, I still have to respect his wishes.
After all, people only take the path they choose after repeated choices, and coercion is obviously not a good solution.
Moreover, judging from Ai An's sudden and strong reaction before, it might have been a very painful memory for him.
We'll collect more seawater and fish and shrimp from here later to study them.
Returning to my original position, I first looked at Hikari and exchanged silent winks with her. After confirming that Annie had indeed been calmed down, I breathed a sigh of relief and secretly observed the girl's profile.
The young girl's face, though still, took on a different kind of seriousness due to her quietness. Her dark red eyes were fixed intently on the slightly yellowish, delicious fish soup in front of her, as if she were preparing some powerful move, accumulating a strong aura.
Hikari, who had been holding Anne's waist, quietly let go of her hand and silently cheered her on from the side.
I couldn't stand this still posture any longer, so I reached out my hand: "If you don't want it, why don't you give it to me? The soup is getting cold!"
"Ugh—so nagging! Who asked you to help me? I... I can drink!"
Before my hand could even touch the soup bowl, it was swiftly knocked away.
Annie, who had been at an impasse with the fish soup, picked it up, took several large gulps, and then immediately let go, sticking her tongue out to the side: "Ah! Salty!"
"If you think it's too salty, then don't drink it."
"I just can't stand being looked down upon by you! Pfft—it's so salty!"
Watching the girl slam the soup bowl back onto the table, I shrugged helplessly.
I wonder where he learned this competitive spirit.
But another question immediately followed: "So, did you remember anything?"
The girl, with her eyes closed and her index fingers gently massaging her temples, murmured "Mmm, mmm," then suddenly let out a loud "Wow!" and jumped up from her spot, almost knocking over the table: "It seems! I really do remember something!"
Hikari leaned over curiously: "Did you remember something?"
"A mountain! A black castle! And many enormous golems, taller than towers, patrolling everywhere!"
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
