Chapter 107 Interlude (Part 1) [Post-Chapter Side Story] Painful-Clad Jepard, ...
"The Sky Festival? A celebration! And games and prizes!"
Beside a bench in the administrative district, March 7th showed Qiong and Danheng the promotional advertisement that had just been handed to him.
"There's even a commemorative camera specially made by Bellenberg, plus tons of shows and beautiful scenery!"
Of course, none of that mattered to March 7th. Pointing to the silhouette on the poster, she said, "I heard there are also various paintings left behind by Mr. Heyuan. I definitely have to go see them!"
Upon hearing the familiar name, Dan Heng's eyes trembled, and he nodded gently.
Qiong saw the Starry Sky rewards above and chose to join without hesitation.
Seeing that the two had agreed, March 7th was a little surprised, but didn't think much of it. Instead, he pointed to the facilities at the top and said, "Let's go to the museum first! I heard there will be a quiz later, so let's brush up on our knowledge!"
She looked at Qiong and asked, "I heard you helped Pera upgrade and manage the museum. Did you see any exclusive scoops?"
Qiong furtively pulled a stack of photos out of her pocket. "Photocopies that Pera gave me."
All of these are photos that He Yuan didn't exhibit. They look much more approachable than the ones on display. In one of them, a young man is seen being hung on by several cats, smiling as he watches these mischievous little creatures.
March 7th cupped her face in her hands, "He's so handsome."
"I always felt that she was the type who would look good no matter how she was photographed; she was simply the photographer's chosen model."
Although Dan Heng remained silent, he carefully looked through all the photos and even messaged Qiong privately: "Could you make a copy for me?"
Qiong: ?
Qiong: Danheng, your account wasn't hacked, was it?
Something's not right. Danheng's personality and appearance are completely unlike the type of person who is obsessed with beauty, like him and Sanyueqi.
Dan Heng paused for a moment before replying: No, I... had contact with him a few times before.
Asking for photos after only a few meetings is quite invaluable, considering how high the quality of Mr. Danheng's interactions was.
Out of loyalty to the train crew, Qiong didn't ask any further questions and said he would give it to Danheng when he got back.
Danheng silently put away his phone and followed March 7 and Qiong to the Winter City Museum.
On March 7th, I went straight to the Historical Figures section and found the section dedicated to Crane and Kite.
"I know Mr. Heyuan is still alive, but going to a museum... it just seems a bit ridiculous..." March 7th remarked casually.
Qiong stared at the painting, which was full of Belloberg's style, and fell into deep thought.
In this painting… isn't the artist's personal emotions too strong?
Why dress the young man in a white robe, make him walk barefoot on thorns, and put a golden crown on his head?
This is a naked dream, isn't it?
Damn it, this is a museum, how can they put up paintings like this!
Qiong slapped the painting at Pella with a straight face, "Is it really okay for a painting like this to appear?"
Pera replied: Isn't this a way of showing our respect?
I almost forgot, Pera likes good-looking people.
Qiong thought this after having read Pella's fan works.
Pera continued: "Moreover, the artist of this painting is very famous. He obtained permission to paint it, and it is based on Mr. He Yuan's personal experience."
In short, I agree.
Qiong stared at the painting, and the more she looked at it, the more beautiful it seemed...
The ankle, bleeding from the thorns, meandered with red sap, yet the artist remained oblivious, his face filled with compassion as he resolutely walked forward.
It's obvious that they've suffered trauma.
But didn't March say that He Yuan's life is a wish-fulfillment story?
Qiong asked the question and led the two people to the painting.
On March 7th, he organized his thoughts: "Well, in terms of his career, Mr. Heyuan has indeed had a smooth and successful life, but in terms of his love life, the only one who has had a good ending so far is General Jingyuan of Xianzhou Luofu."
"It's said that the others... were either dead or injured. When we were looking through the anonymous traveler's log, it said that after he got on the train, he stayed in Pinocchio and came back to continue his journey. None of his companions who got off the train with him came back."
"Later, he took a section of the train to explore the unknown world, but after returning, he was distracted and eventually went back to the Immortal Ship to recuperate?"
"Although we don't know the details of this, it's true that later on, some professors and company directors pursued him, but he didn't accept them much. So, people speculated that he probably suffered a lot of heartbreak..."
I gave a brief explanation of March 7th.
In fact, it wasn't just the professor and the board members; it's said that Screw's king, Screw Goom, members of the Genius Club, and many other people who came and went also publicly expressed their love for him, but he remained unmoved.
Qiong stared wide-eyed, looking utterly shocked.
He had only been on the bus for a short time, and with his amnesia, he didn't have much information in his head. He knew very little about He Yuan and was still in the stage of being infatuated with her beauty.
Unexpectedly...
It's said that beautiful women often have tragic fates, but I never expected that it would be the men who have such tragic fates.
Qiong's heart leaped with joy.
He is the core of the star! He will not die young!
If we round it up, he and He Yuan are a match made in heaven!
Qiong looked at March 7th, "Do you think I have a chance?"
The train's next destination was the Luofu Fairy Ship. Pam and her parents were preparing jump supplies, which is why the three of them had time to come down and participate in the festival.
What a coincidence!
He Yuan is currently recuperating on the Luofu Immortal Ship, and they are about to head there again.
Isn't this a match made in heaven?
March 7th looked speechless. "I don't really want to undermine your confidence, but He Yuan's first husband was Bai Ye, the only short-lived species in the Immortal Ship's eight thousand years of history. After that, she had a Dragon Lord and a General, and a genius who pursued her for hundreds of years... You—what did you use to impress him and get the chance?"
Danheng, who had been listening for a long time, couldn't help but interject, "He doesn't just look at these things."
When Danheng talked about her two ex-husbands on March 7th, her expression was strange, as if she was reminiscing, heartbroken, and also reluctant.
When the conditions were listed later, Dan Heng seemed a little distracted.
March 7th put her hands on her hips and looked at him, "Then tell me, what was he looking at?"
Undeniably, these people are exceptional individuals, far surpassing ordinary people, and each of them can even be considered a genius.
but--
"As far as I know, her third husband, General Jingyuan, was her childhood sweetheart, and when she was very young, she didn't care about such things when making friends."
Later, as my abilities improved, I came into contact with these same people, and I occasionally stopped hearing voices from those below.
Qiong's eyes lit up, "Then I still have a chance!"
Dan Heng didn't respond to that, his eyes darting around.
He didn't know if He Yuan would like someone like Qiong; in his fragmented memories, He Yuan seemed to prefer mature types...
Qiong looks a bit silly.
March 7th shrugged, "Then you can give it a try."
"But I must add that General Jingyuan has been outstanding since childhood and has been able to stay with Heyuan for so many years. No one can match the bond he has for her."
There are even rumors circulating that the two have already remarried, but Jingyuan doesn't stop Heyuan from going out to find some wildflowers.
—This rumor was debunked on the same day.
In short, Qiong silently made up her mind.
As an indestructible star core spirit, he would never let He Yuan be sad!
He...he wants to become the second Jingyuan!
They moved on to the next location, which contained photos from the front lines.
Crane Kite was completely encased in armor, with only her heroic figure and the cloak billowing behind her in the wind and snow creating a dashing impression.
Qiong: "What do you guys think? Should I get a red cape too?"
March 7th: "..."
March 7: "Please don't say you're an anonymous passenger on the Star Train."
Danheng sighed, "Are you going to cut the hat off?"
The atmosphere became a little awkward, so March 7th changed the subject, "Did you see the sword in his hand? It is said that it was specially made for him by his first husband, Yingxing. It is the most suitable weapon for him. Mr. Heyuan took it with him to fight everywhere, and he would wipe the blade with great care and maintain it frequently."
Dan Heng remained silent.
Fortunately, the two were already used to his silence and didn't think too much about it.
Qiong looked at the sword and thought: If I go to Luofu Immortal Ship, will I unlock the Hunting Destiny and get a sword as cool as this?
It would be even better if it were a matching set for couples.
After all, he is now a Star Core Spirit possessing both the powers of [Destruction] and [Preservation]!
We wouldn't mind having a lot more!
On March 7th, it was decided to skip this place and move on to the next one.
There are many close-up views of cranes and kites here, as well as a lot of written materials from that time.
Back then, without the dangers of the rift and the snowstorm, Beloborg was in dire need of reconstruction. It was He Yuan who led the people from the Immortal Ship to help them with infrastructure construction, charging a small fee, and transformed Beloborg into a brand new city.
Therefore, there will be a special section on Fairy Boat and a special section on Crane and Kite.
The most regrettable thing is that He Yuan came as promised, but the person he made the promise with was no longer there.
Upon reading this historical material on March 7th, a sad expression appeared on his face.
"Alas... Mr. Heyuan's curse has come true here as well."
According to historians, Igor, who made a pact with He Yuan, was in love with her. However, at the time, Beloberg was facing a life-or-death crisis and had no time for love. He had to give up this relationship and return to Yalilo VI.
Fortunately, they also had a wonderful time together.
In his written record, Igor described in detail the guidance and help that Crane Kite gave him, as well as the farewell that followed.
If we're really talking about dream men, Igor is the number one Berloberg.
He boldly wrote directly in his diary:
“I wanted to touch his cheek, stroke his spine, and feel all his body temperature and emotions.”
"But I have no choice. I can only despicably write down my thoughts here."
"..."
"How long until it arrives? My teacher, my dearest friend, the lover in my heart."
Qiong: ...
Seriously, you Belloberg guys are even putting this kind of thing up here? Are you really not leaving Igor any shreds?
Pera replied again: This is a beautiful unrequited love, what's wrong with it?
Qiong:
Qiong: No, but I was very shocked.
The fact that Igor could move even a well-traveled, nameless traveler shows how touching his emotions were. Pera thought.
She replied: Thank you for your compliment.
Qiong: ...
Qiong put away her phone and left the museum when she had finished looking around.
"How much have you remembered?" March 7th asked, looking expectantly at Danheng. "Teacher Danheng, quickly use your brain, which is comparable to a think tank, to memorize it!"
Dan Heng: "..."
I'll try my best.
Hopefully this excuse will fool them, otherwise what if they get all the questions right later...?
Danheng decided to loosen the reins a bit.
The next stop is the market surrounding the administrative district.
During festivals, various stalls are set up here to celebrate.
They first arrived at a stall selling toys.
There are many Cloud Cavalry and Crane Kite dolls here, some of which can be dressed up. March 7th hugged one and couldn't put it down, so he immediately used the Winter City Shield to take it down.
Qiong carefully selected half of them and then gave away the money she had earned from completing commissions over the past few days.
Dan Heng sighed, "You guys need to be more restrained."
March 7th clung to him tightly, refusing to let go, exclaiming, "Restraint? Teacher Danheng can actually restrain himself! As expected of Teacher Danheng!"
Qiong said, "What's the use of being sober and restrained! Youth waits for no one, I'm going to take it now!"
Danheng typed out what number ellipses were today.
The next stall was also in the surrounding area, but this stall offered a discount for answering questions. If you answered nine questions correctly, you could enjoy a 90% discount.
On March 7th, Qiong immediately launched Danheng.
"Excuse me, what is Mr. Heyuan's birthday?"
"March 3rd".
"Your favorite food?"
"There are many options, but they're not too spicy, and I prefer rice and noodle dishes."
"His position in the Cloud Cavalry?"
"Cloud Cavalry and Valiant Guards".
...
By answering a series of obscure and ordinary questions, I successfully helped March 7th and Qiong get a discount.
They grabbed a bunch of keychains and medals, and Qiong happily pinned them to her chest, probably already using the outfit as her anime costume.
When March 7th teased her, Qiong proudly put her hands on her hips and said, "I'm going to get a pain bandage when I get back!"
“Really? But you’ve already been surpassed.” March 7th pointed to a customer at the stall across the street.
This customer was covered in He Yuan merchandise from head to toe. His bag contained dolls of various sizes, dressed in all sorts of outfits. It looked quite heavy, but the person carrying it didn't seem to find it difficult at all.
This guest has a very familiar golden retriever.
Filled with doubt, they approached the man and, in the blink of an eye, saw the profile of the Silvermane Iron Guard officer and his azure eyes, and heard him say, "Give me ten of each."
March 7th stared wide-eyed in disbelief, “Jepard?!”
She looked the guard up and down, her eyes glazed over. "Teacher Danheng, can you be sure?"
This person dressed in full-body pain relief, surrounded by cranes and kites... is that really Jepard?
He even wore a bird-face mask on the back of his head, with a blue iris hanging from it.
There are just too many elements!
Jepard cleared his throat, his face slightly flushed, paid the bill, picked up his things, and turned around. "Want to talk somewhere else?"
March 7th covered his mouth and nodded, and the three of them followed Jepard to a coffee shop.
“Four cappuccinos, please,” Jepard said to them. “Consider it my treat.”
March 7th thanked them and sat down, only realizing what was happening when he saw the poster standee and medal in Jepard's hand. "You bought us drinks for the merchandise?!"
Damn it, if I had known, he would have conscripted Teacher Danheng instead, then she could have gotten the whole set too!
Jepard tacitly acknowledged it, "Sorry, I couldn't finish that much by myself, and then I ran into you guys, so..."
On March 7th, a half-moon appeared, and someone asked, "What if I also want some merchandise?"
Qiong interjected, "We can take it back to the train and give it to Himeko or Uncle Yang, or even feed it to Shut Up."
March 7: "...That seems like a good idea."
She suddenly realized, "Wait a minute, we don't usually like drinking Himeko's coffee. Will she be upset if we bring it back this time?"
Qiong pondered, "That's true. Why don't we give it to Sangbo? I believe he won't let himself suffer a loss."
I originally wanted to find Hooker, but the caffeine in it is not suitable for children.
March 7th thought for a moment, "Giving it to Sister Natasha would be nice, and also to Shiluva!"
Jepard coughed. "Um... my sister doesn't like to drink it."
"All right."
March 7th suddenly remembered, "Oh right, you haven't told me what's going on with your outfit! I couldn't tell before!"
Jepard had always been so upright; who would have thought he'd show this side of himself?
Jepard: "Because I admire him very much."
“My ancestors fought alongside him and recorded the scene in their journals. It is said that Mr. Heyuan was capable of fighting against thousands of troops and could deal with a mass destruction army by himself. He is my goal and my idol.”
March 7: "Oh, I see."
She still found it unbelievable.
"Does Hiluva know about this?" March 7 asked mischievously.
Qiong and Danheng tied their ears up.
Jepard: "My sister knows."
Qiong looked utterly disappointed.
He thought he was going to see something interesting.
Before he knew it, Danheng had silently finished his coffee.
Qiong felt that there was a light cone that was very suitable for Danheng now.
—Only Silence
Regarding the matter of He Yuan, Dan Heng always remained silent, just like always.
No, they're not the same.
Holmes Kyon discovered something was amiss.
Danheng used to be silent, but now his silence is eerily strange.
He secretly messaged March 7th about his discovery.
On March 7th, he immediately turned his attention to Danheng.
"Teacher Danheng, have you watched any of the films I recommended before?"
Dan Heng: "...I saw it, so what?"
"If you're asking me if I like any of the main characters, I refuse to answer."
This effectively shut down any questions that March 7th was supposed to ask.
But the refusal also suggests that Danheng has something to hide.
On March 7th, feeling he had discovered some secret, he bid farewell to Jepard with satisfaction and continued his stroll.
Later, I bought irises, a kite mask, and various related products. I also watched a performance and arrived at the Goethe Hotel to rest, having made a great purchase.
This is also where He Yuan lived for a long time in Belleburg.
His room is no longer accepting other guests.
Today is the Sky Festival, and a circle of irises has been placed at the entrance.
On March 7th, following the trend, I also put my own flowers up there.
But when she went out for dinner that evening, the flowers by the door were completely gone, not a single petal remained, and a faint light shone through the crack in the door.
On March 7, he shared the discovery with the other two.
"Do you think it might be Mr. Heyuan who has arrived?"
Danheng: "Even if I come, I won't show myself in front of others."
Given their current heightened emotions, even if He Yuan came, she wouldn't show up, let alone be seen by them.
Thinking about it, March 7th makes sense.
With this level of traffic, anyone shouting "He Yuan" in a crowd would attract a lot of attention. If the real person were to descend... it would probably paralyze traffic.
They walked along the stalls eating as they went, while Qiong was in charge of cleaning up.
The Star Core Essence's stomach is like a bottomless pit; it can digest anything it eats very quickly and doesn't gain weight.
At a red sausage rice noodle stall, Qiong ate three bowls, stretched contentedly, and drew chuckles from the customers next to her.
He looked up.
That was a guest who was beautiful in every way, from her demeanor to her appearance.
The guest was dressed in a Belobello style outfit, with a fluffy cloak draped over his shoulders. The white fur framed his snow-white cheeks, and beneath the mask that covered only the upper half of his face, half a mole was faintly visible.
His nose and neck lines were beautiful, and his lips were also extremely beautiful. His cupid's bow looked like a small tomato after the rain, so vibrant and juicy.
The soft laugh sent a tingling, electric sensation through Qiong's body, causing her to pause in her movements.
He carefully observed the guest's figure and compared it with the pictures he had seen, and a bold idea came to his mind.
Qiong straightened her clothes and, amidst the puzzled looks of San Yueqi and Dan Heng, sat down in front of the guests.
"I'm Galaxy Baseball Man, an unnamed passenger on the Star Train. Interested in... becoming friends with me?"
On March 7th, she complained to Danheng, "Isn't this just blinded by beauty?"
After all, this guest exuded an aura of "I am a beauty" from every angle, and the slightly melancholic air about her aroused people's curiosity.
"Danheng? Danheng—!" March 7th called out Danheng several times.
Dan Heng snapped out of his daze and shook his head.
March 7th: "?"
—I won't admit I'm wrong.
Danheng would never admit his mistake.
That was He Yuan, his previous incarnation—Dan Feng's wife, and also the temporary administrator of the Chiming Clan.
He didn't know what he was feeling, but his heart, which had been dormant for so long, began to pound violently, the sound of which was like thunder that could not be concealed, and even covering his ears could not block it out.
Danheng clearly distinguishes himself from his past life and feels that with such a connection, he would not like Heyuan.
This relationship is too complicated… he thought.
But he couldn't control himself.
Perhaps it was the gentle words she heard while doing a temporary job, or seeing the other person shining on stage or moving on screen... No matter which moment, it made Danheng's heart flutter.
He knew very well that the one beating was not the inherited "Dragon Heart," but his own newly generated "heart."
He whispered an apology and sat down next to the guests at the next table, joining the conversation.
"...So you're an anonymous guest. So we're quite destined to meet?" The corners of his mouth, which weren't covered, curled up, the curve like a fishhook that, without bait, hooked two big fish at once.
"I was once an anonymous visitor too."
March 7th, who had just sat down, heard this question and asked with a puzzled look, "What are you talking about?"
Completely captivated by the upturned corners of her mouth, Qiong said in a daze, "What a coincidence! How about we exchange contact information?"
The stranger smiled and said, "Sure, who knows, maybe one day I'll get on the bus and join your journey."
He stood up, went to the stall, paid his bill, and also paid for the other three people's bills.
Qiong slammed her fist on the table in frustration.
Why did they have to pay? He should have paid!
Without any prior knowledge of the situation, on March 7th, Qiong Mei happily exchanged contact information with a stranger.
After he left, under March 7's persistent questioning, Qiong revealed her guess.
"What! You added a stranger just because of an uncertain guess?!"
Good heavens, this Star Core Spirit, who is not even a year old, will not be kidnapped!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Chapter Summary: Painful Jepard, only silence Danheng, confident star core essence, out of sorts on March 7th.
(Mainly to write about other perspectives that I won't be able to cover in the main storyline later on)
I'm thinking about writing a few forum-style side stories, but if they're too superficial, I'll probably put them in a collection of side stories in my column.
We'll see how it goes!
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