Chapter 31
Late at night, there were still people strolling around the street. Two young women dressed casually were sitting in the large glass window of the hot pot restaurant.
The piles of dishes are bubbling in the red oil, and the bubbling bubbles keep bursting, emitting the anticipated hot steam.
The two people were Amy, who had come here to attend the comic convention during her annual leave, and a local friend who had been with her since their student days and who had suggested that Amy stay at her house.
After a lazy morning and afternoon shopping, there was a movie in the evening, and then it was time for the most anticipated hot pot session of the day.
Maybe it was the second most anticipated thing. Amy waited devoutly for her friend to tell her which dish to pick, while secretly glancing at her phone beside her.
There are also a pair of small fan-made Q-version character pendants hanging on the phone, one with gray hair and blue eyes and the other with white hair and golden eyes. The former is slightly pursing his lips, and the latter is smiling, which looks very healing.
[The work you are following, "The Incomplete One", has released its 11th episode! ]
The comic update arrived as expected.
"I'll just take a look—" Amy tried weakly under her friend's gaze.
"Okay, okay, why are you still like this? Just look at it openly. I'm not your class teacher. I won't care if you play with your phone while eating. When it's ready, I'll put it in your bowl." The friend helplessly stuffed a pair of chopsticks into her hand.
"Wuwu, you are still the best!" Amy's eyes were filled with tears. At the same time, her hands kept reaching for her mobile phone, activating the software and clicking on the comic update smoothly.
In addition to the special style of the previous picture that paid tribute to the famous painting, the color style of the cover page of the "Incomplete Man" comic has always been fresh and tranquil, looking both clean and healing. The new picture Amy saw at this moment is no exception.
The picture shows a brightly lit interior with books and scrolls placed everywhere. The color scheme is harmonious so it doesn't look messy. Some peculiar decorations also allow people to see their general purpose. At first glance, there is a strong everyday style of a scholar's residence in another world.
Sitting at the desk on the right was a young man with dry leaf hair - no, he should still be a teenager, even his profile looked a bit immature.
Amy zoomed in on the page carefully, looking at this Lazarus who was not exactly the same as the one that came later.
At this time, he had the candle-shaped horns with thin round cross-sections that were common among the deer tribe. His hair was similar in color to the fur of wild deer and only reached past his shoulder blades. He wore a simple robe with a student-like style over a short shirt and long pants.
His profile, his unadorned left hand pressing on the large open book, and his right hand holding a feather pen against his chin, the only visible parts were not his pale skin. His dark eyes were illuminated by the light, revealing a clear and gentle feeling that matched his temperament.
In terms of both appearance and aura, this young Lazarus was completely different from the lich that came later, but one could still tell it was him at a glance.
[Ahhh, who is this boy who made the wish? I’m fine, I’m fine.]
[A different flavor from the powerful teacher! He is a top student brother! ]
[It turns out that Lasi has always liked this kind of forest style decoration, so cute! ]
[This hourglass timer on the brushed table is so unique, I want it around]
[I understand Belu. Every group here has its own white moonlight...]
When Amy saw the bullet screen flying by, she remembered that there was another person on the cover page, and she moved her finger.
On the left side of the title page, which is also the left side of the desk, a blond boy leaning on a not very spacious single bed comes into view.
Unlike his friends who sat properly, although he was still young, his face and posture were already bold and even a little arrogant, with a genuine dragon attribute.
Bernaludos, who looked like a teenager in human form, leaned casually against the head of the bed. It was obvious that he was used to doing this, because his crown-like horns had already made a small hole in the corresponding position of the wooden headboard, and the edge of the bed was also smashed by some objects to create a gap that could not be covered by the sheets, which was just enough to accommodate the dragon's restless tail.
[Good buddy, perform steadily hahaha]
【It was so warm back then】
[Some dragons may appear to be in a daze, but their eyes are actually on their friends. I won’t tell you who they are!]
Amy also liked this cover page. She liked a few of the exaggerated comments and continued to flip through the pages.
The door of the bright little room was opened, revealing Xiaoman's sleeping face.
Continuing from the scene in the previous episode where Xiaoman’s key memory was erased, Lazarus sent his disciple back to the bedroom and closed the door again.
A few scattered dialogue bubbles separate this still warm picture from the next one.
"Bloodline awakening? Prepared for your disciples?"
"Yes. I wanted to see if this could be used for her talent."
"Can you still finish it in time?"
"...I will try my best."
Then Amy saw the familiar dim laboratory.
In the previous episode, Lazarus stated that he could no longer use the life box to prolong his so-called "immortality", and readers also learned from the perspective of the Dragon King that his soul fire was on the verge of collapse, so it was natural for him to fall into a longer hibernation.
The lich's long dark red hair sank under the almost transparent liquid in the large container, and his entire body was almost immersed in it. Although his expression was calm as if he was just asleep, the color tone was darker than the previous bright and beautiful cover page, like a corner behind a staircase that would never be illuminated.
The one who took his place at the desk to study and modify the ritual materials was Bernaludos, who looked like a complete melee fighter.
[What long legs, what amazing muscle lines! My friend, are you still in need of a follower? I want to be your employee! Lick lick lick]
[Fuck, what's the point of calling a friend brother? I have a name! ]
[Belu is not a nickname that mortals like us can call casually, it's too ambiguous]
【？ 】
[Oh wow, the composition is exactly the same as the cover page... I thought it was normal at the time! ]
[Friend brother——(screaming)]
【Who cried? I cried】
[Although not happy, but helping, cute]
[Belu: Even though he doesn't listen to me or try to coax me, this little thing is not difficult for me. I will find the steps and help him! So he started working with a cold and arrogant face.jpg]
[Ahhh, this is completely original, I am laughing so hard, Tsundere has already left the environment! Loud voice]
[Don't expect a dragon that is at least 800+300 years old to catch up with the version...]
[But I still have to say: Sir, times have changed! ]
A netizen reminded Amy that the composition here is similar to that on the cover page and the relationship between the characters’ positions is opposite, and she felt like she was stabbed in the heart.
Damn the warm and beautiful painting style! It's clear that there are many sewing needles hidden in the warm coral fleece pillow! Burying a razor blade every day to target readers, pink star is bad!
She said to her friend who was picking up food: "Be sure to call me before six o'clock tomorrow!"
"Does it have to be that early?"
"Because I must get the new free materials from the painter teacher!" A tired office worker's eyes became sharp as her will was aroused. She raised her mobile phone to show the pair of little figures hanging on it and began to talk incessantly.
"Look! Isn't it cute? It's the teacher who made this. The drawings are so cute that I will get the courage to live after just one look at it. Even if I have to work overtime, my heart will be warm. It's so, so good! The teacher lives near the printing factory. A few days ago, he said that he had already drawn two new characters of bean figurines and sent them for production. I watched the proofs with my own eyes. There are only 200 in the first batch. I must get them and reunite them in my palms!!! Otherwise, when the days of circulation are so long, I will simply not be able to breathe, my heart will ache and tears will flow, and I won't be able to see the report with my eyes! Wuwuwu babies, you are a group of cute bean figurines with short arms..."
In the end, the steel-strong adult who could squeeze on the subway for two hours held a pair of small pendants in his hands, curled up his limbs fragilely in the seat of the hot pot restaurant, and muttered incomprehensible words such as "Fenxing, you are hurting people", "Can't I just spend money to push me back to a way out", "Where are my subscription coins that the dump truck takes away every time for the 80-page serial? It's obviously my life".
My friend, who was already used to it, still remembered the state of mind of Ms. Amy when she first saw the Saint. She only showed a little sympathy and put the fat beef that had just been thrown in the bowl: "Okay, I'll call you. Eat something. Only when you're full will you have the energy to rob your little man."
The reader, whose vitality was both fragile and tenacious, immediately got up and continued to read the rest of the story while eating the meat.
——"So what do you need? My blood."
After completing the remaining revisions for Lazarus, Bernaludus said these words to his friend who had just woken up after a long, oppressive silence.
Therefore, the barrage that should have been plentiful when Amy was muttering just now is still sparse in number.
[…My friend, you, ah.]
[You are really amazing, you can even compete for the affection of the little wolf cub that Junchun raised as his child.]
[Stretching out your hand as if inviting me (whispering)]
[How come this isn't a test... If I'm already panicking after drawing the wire, where the hell am I going to save the game?]
Fortunately, the lich was more mentally stable than them and dealt with this period calmly.
Then Lazarus left to tell Xiaoman about the awakening of talent, leaving Bernaludos alone in the laboratory.
[“Brilliant freedom belongs to that child”! Teachers and students are so happy. A teacher like Lasi is something you only see in dreams! ]
[By helping the little wolf cub, Lasi is also trying to soothe his own resentment about being limited by his life span.]
[Friend’s brother: Super angry, but obedient and not wandering around]
[Lasi, you have a cruel heart——]
[Someone is still pretending to be cool but his true colors have been exposed... Lasi, come back quickly or your house will be demolished...]
[Am I the only one who can taste the difference? Lasi is very nice to everyone else, but he is only polite to Belu while arranging things for him. How can this not be considered as double standards?]
[What a strange sense of proportion, is this the world of adults? Go back and watch the communication between innocent children and be shocked]
[The one in front, this actually has nothing to do with adults, it’s the two of them who have the problem… (eyes shifted)]
It was ten o'clock in the morning in the comic world. Yuan Qian looked at this barrage and wanted to say that he, as the person behind the two characters, had no idea about this. He really played it according to the idea of friendship that makes people feel sad. The material was simple childhood and the classic story-telling column that contrasted the classmates' reunions after entering the society.
But the emotional value is not a lie. The revenue on the day this episode was released was more than one and a half episodes higher than usual.
——As long as it can increase his income, it’s okay for him to admit that there is a problem against his conscience!
The adjutant had to stop it quickly.
[You old literary youth, stop messing around. What they like to watch is definitely not what you think... Just focus on friendship and don't think too much about anything. It's enough to mention number two occasionally. They like to be self-reliant.]
"Can you read as well as I do?" Yuan Qian asked doubtfully.
"At least my comments on the forum often get more than 100 likes. You don't even have that many combined." The adjutant said coldly.
This is a fact, Yuan Qian is depressed.
In the past, he stayed at home all day and had nothing to do. It was true that he read a lot of novels and comics, but most of them were paper books. He seldom participated in group exchanges with readers who would enthusiastically follow online updates and discussions. As a result, although he had a relatively good understanding of the story structure itself, he was really confused about what these readers who provided him with emotional value were thinking.
After all, the protagonist of the comic is still Xiaoman. This chapter focuses on a long talent awakening ceremony, and Yuan Qian was fortunate enough to learn about Xiaoman's in-depth self-analysis process.
[Oooooh, this memory scene... I miss my mom too...]
[I feel the same way. It was the same when I went back to my hometown during the Chinese New Year. It was snowing and my mom didn’t wake me up early. She just watched TV series on low volume. That’s how I felt when I woke up! ]
[Xiao Man probably misses her mother too, she just doesn’t say it… She is actually the first child to leave her mother! ]
[This consciousness is so beautiful, a vague and magnificent feeling, it's like being half asleep and half awake]
[The incomplete, the abandoned, and the undead are all right!!! Even if they are really harmful, any life with a self that wants to live is innocent in itself!!!]
[The little wolf finally has a new ability, it looks very lethal, looking forward to it]
The same blue flames that he had seen with his own eyes gradually covered the screen as the grid moved forward. Yuan Qian flipped to the moment before the end of the ceremony, pointed at the pink and purple starlight that Xiao Man saw, and asked with a hint of emotion:
"…What is this?"
[You.] As expected, the adjutant, who knew the truth long ago, said lazily, [It’s not that I want to hide it. That guy has been doing something to prevent you from hearing it. Now he can’t hide it anymore, he deserves it.]
"Me?" Yuan Qian didn't hear the second half of the sentence at all. He was just completely stunned.