Chapter 63 Old Photos Congratulations to the player for defeating the unknown entity and successfully completing the mission...
"Have you memorized everything?"
Gu Yinglan nodded, "Don't worry, sir. I will go back and organize the villagers to pray to the Lord of Hearing, and convert the ancestral hall into a place of prayer as you instructed."
"Don't call me sir, we're colleagues."
Du Yu was almost embarrassed to death by his former mentor's appearance. Although Gu Yinglan had lost her memory, the story of "Yuanfu" was clearly not something a village chief in a remote village should know. If it weren't for the company's exploitation, she should have been able to recover more of her memories.
But how did her spirit enter this spatial rift...?
A question flashed through her mind, and Du Yu shook her head. She had clearly told Gu Yinglan that she was the bishop sent here by the Lord of Listening to preach, and that she had appointed Gu Yinglan as the person in charge of the church here, but she still couldn't change her way of addressing Du Yu.
Fortunately, these were all minor matters, so Du Yu stopped worrying about them, closed the pop-up window that kept urging him to exit, and clicked the "Exit Instance" button.
Everything around her seemed to be pulled away, as if she had been thrown into a washing machine. After a dizzying spin, she opened her eyes to find herself in her familiar, cramped dormitory.
Du Yu let out a long sigh, his shoulders slightly slumped, the laptop screen on his desk glowing.
The purple pixelated figure, who had been walking forward as if the road had no end, is now standing on the mountaintop gazing at the celestial palace shrouded in clouds and mist. Above the village at the foot of the mountain, a small cluster of purple flames is burning merrily.
For some reason, even though she was just a very simple chibi pixelated figure, Du Yuleng could still see a hint of arrogance in her posture...
I'm clearly a very low-key person, but this trashy game's haphazard character modeling has ruined my reputation.
Du Yu muttered something, and as his spirits relaxed, the bloodlust he had been suppressing returned. Du Yu felt like a piece of fine beef brisket, which was finely chopped into minced meat and then kneaded together. Under the scalding heat of boiling water, it solidified into a meatball with a smooth surface and separated muscles and tendons inside.
Every part of my body ached, but after getting used to it, it felt like I didn't hurt anywhere. I took a few deep breaths and opened the dungeon rewards to distract myself.
In addition to the basic rewards for completing the mission, including 1 Unknown Soul Fragment, 2 Dark-level Element Cores, and 1 Unknown Soul Fragment as a side quest reward, the system was unusually generous, giving two extra Element Cores.
Du Yu's eyes flickered, and four black, semi-transparent crystals landed in her hand. She felt a slight unease; unlocking the encyclopedia did have its advantages, as she had already recognized the attributes of these four cores.
That's the same attribute as the Black Tai Sui: [Erosion]!
After fiddling with the elemental core in his hand for a while, Du Yu's rationality struggled to gather amidst the pain. Suddenly, a strange look flashed in his eyes. Wait, could these two extra reward items be the black Tai Sui (fake) that he had dug up extra Tai Sui meat and burned by the purple fire?
What's this? You worked so hard to dig for so long, only to find that the middlemen were making a profit.
The system coldly displayed a message: [Please do not make malicious assumptions about the system.]
Despite the complaints, there's no place to complain about the game's developers. Du Yu coldly closed the pop-up, put the element cores into his inventory, and checked the remaining rewards.
Two [Unknown Soul Fragments] each occupy one backpack slot, indicating they belong to two different people. Du Yu tried clicking on one, and a pop-up window appeared saying, "Please use it near the special crafting item [Dream Petri Dish]."
Du Yu suppressed his disappointment and took out a special reward that the system had specially noted as "can only be claimed in the current history"—a book shrouded in mist.
The sun was setting outside the window, its golden rays slanting through the glass, striking the tiles, and then scattering away, casting a hazy, soft light filter over the entire dormitory room—beautiful, but unreal.
The beauty of the sunset lies not only in its magnificent scenery, but also in the memories that will eventually fade away. Du Yu sat quietly in his old dormitory, watching the gray mist enveloping his books dissipate. The angle at which the sunlight streamed in through the window remained unchanged. In a touch of melancholy, an understanding had never been so clear in his heart: this is just the past.
The gray fog that had enveloped the books finally dissipated, and Du Yu held up the B5-sized booklet, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: it was actually a photo album.
Or more accurately, an old photo album waiting to be filled with pictures.
The two thick photo albums were blank except for the four photos on the first page.
Despite changes in clothing and age, the subjects in the photos remain the same, and even the composition hasn't changed much:
The girl in the center of the frame is smiling brightly, her medium-length hair draped lazily over her neck. She makes a bunny gesture with one hand above the head of the taller girl on her right, while forcefully hooking her other arm around the neck of the girl on her left, pulling her into the frame. Although the curly-haired girl seems somewhat unwilling, when the camera turns to her, she reflexively purses her lips and reveals a proud smile.
Shi Wei doesn't like taking pictures. Almost all the photos of the three of them together were taken by Wen Xi, who forcibly pulled her along and took them unexpectedly.
This page contains only four photos, arranged from left to right and top to bottom, leaping forward in time—
Three girls, dressed in camouflage uniforms and covered in dust from military training; in the dim light, the candles on the cake in front of Du Yu illuminated three pairs of smiling eyes; their eyes had matured considerably, but their actions were still childish, as they took their first graduation photo in front of the dormitory dressing mirror.
Du Yu tapped on the photos one by one with his fingertips. When he tapped the fourth photo, his gaze paused. Most of the nostalgia and melancholy in his heart dissipated, and suspicion welled up inside him.
At first glance, there seems to be nothing wrong with this photo. The unusual background is not a dormitory, but the dilapidated gate of Jinling University. Wen Xi and Shi Wei, this pair of bickering lovers, are still fighting. However, both they and Du Yu, who is boredly squatting and counting ants, look somewhat tired.
It's not just physical exhaustion from long-term physical exertion, but also mental strain from being under constant high pressure, leaving one feeling like a frightened bird on the verge of collapse, utterly withered and exhausted.
In her memory, she had never seen Wen Xi, who was usually so carefree, look so world-weary.
More importantly, Yu could immediately recognize when the other three photos were taken, and even recall her state of mind at the time, but this photo…
Du Yu pulled out the fourth photo and immediately noticed that something felt off about it.
Not only did she have no recollection of the photo, but the material of the photo was also very strange, with an overall yellowish tone, as if it had not been properly preserved after being taken and had been coated with a thick layer of adhesive for preservation.
glue?
The word seemed to have touched something, and Du Yu's brow twitched. A sharp, stabbing pain surged up, like waves crashing and pulling against Du Yu's memories.
Countless fragments, small and disjointed, were unearthed from the depths of memory, gleaming brightly and brilliantly, like flowing liquid gold, like a surging sea of light.
Du Yu subconsciously tried to grasp those fragments of memory, but those seemingly glowing fragments vanished without a trace in just a few breaths, like a fleeting moment.
"hiss--"
Her fingers trembled, and the photo fell to the ground. Du Yu put her hand to her forehead, her fingers digging deep into her hair. The pain was intensifying, and the turbulent memories crashed down on her like a tsunami. But Du Yu refused to give up. She stared intently at the yellowed photo on the floor, searching her memory, and somehow managed to pull out some fragments from the abyss of her subconscious.
[Nothing unusual. Jinling University isn't the source of the "erosion." Perhaps we should head north to see if we can find the legendary Chen Xingzhi.]
[Hehe, since we're already here, let's take a picture! Jinling University, give me back my graduation photo!]
[That's enough. We're investigating the source of "￥@%…" right now. Can't you be a little more serious about something this important?]
[Tsk, young lady, you just don't understand. "What's the point of fighting over trivial matters? We live like fleeting sparks. Whether rich or poor, let us be happy; to never laugh is foolish." The ancients were right: the world is going to end, so the point of living is to enjoy life while we can!] [Note]
[Hey, why are you taking pictures of me like this? Let me see... No, it's awful, delete it!]
Du Yu seemed to have returned to that time for a moment, squatting down to count ants, waiting idly for the instrument to finish collecting data, occasionally glancing at the two elementary school students arguing, and a strangely angled photo captured the smile that had appeared on her face at some unknown time.
As the sounds of laughter and playfulness faded into the distance, Du Yu returned to reality. He leaned back, his entire weight resting on the beanbag chair Wen Xi had bought. He looked as if he had run a marathon in a downpour, cold sweat pouring down his face like it was free. Strands of hair clung to his cheeks, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
She remembered!
In that blank period of memory, she seemed to have accepted some kind of mission, and returned to Jinling University with Wen Xi and Shi Wei!
She took a few breaths, sat up, and picked up the photo from the ground. Without a doubt, in the corner of the photo, one could see a thin layer of gray mist shrouding the plaque of Jinling University.
Although all she can recall so far is the playful banter between Wen Xi and Shi Wei during mission breaks, the fact that something erased her memories and she can still remember them is a victory in itself!
Du Yu stared at the photo for a long time, but seeing that it didn't evoke any other memories, she carefully put it back in the album.
Du Yu thought for a moment, then stuffed the photo album onto Shi Wei's bookshelf. Seeing the books, which were neatly arranged from top to bottom and by color and thickness, suddenly bulging out, he gave a wicked laugh.
If you're unhappy, go ahead and yell at me. I'm not like Wen Xi; I'm too lazy to talk back.
...
"Miss? Miss?"
Du Yu emerged from his wandering in the spirit world and, after listening to Tian Yinuo's account, learned that she had slept for a whole day.
"I'm fine."
Du Yu stood up and pressed his temples. The weakness from burning blood was still there, but thanks to his increasingly stronger spiritual body after igniting the divine fire, the aftereffects of this blood burning were much milder than before. He estimated that he would recover in a little over a week.
Du Yu had just taken the bowl and chatted with Tian Yinuo for a few words when a sharp siren blared in his ear:
[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]
The quest reward [Time Rift - Small] (under repair) is being pulled by an unknown force. Players are urged to take immediate action! Otherwise, the current quest reward will be lost!
The quest reward [Time Rift - Small] (under repair) is being pulled by an unknown force. Players are urged to take immediate action! Otherwise, the current quest reward will be lost!
[Player...]
The warning pop-up appeared three times, which shows how urgent the situation was.
Du frowned. She had taken this spacetime rift from Lange Communications, so it wasn't surprising that she would run into Lange's people. She just didn't expect them to arrive so quickly!
Everyone in the spacetime rift is dead...
Du Yu didn't have time to think too much and quickly came up with a solution. She knew how to deal with robbery, but how could she stop the other party from stealing a void spacetime rift?
Now, if we go into the rift, will the Bluegren people fight one by one?
Du Yu was urgently considering countermeasures when the system seemed to calm down and another pop-up window appeared:
[Urgent Mission: Stop the unknown entity and protect the player's valuable assets!]
[Mission Hint: How to quickly embark on a spontaneous trip? The [Any Space Portal] might be your loyal companion~]
[Mission Reward: One free upgrade opportunity for [Any Space Portal]]
Forget tourism... wait, it's a portal to any other dimension!
Du Yu's eyes lit up as he remembered a crafting recipe he had never used since obtaining it:
[Recipe Name: Any Space Door]
[Rank: B]
[Materials: Door*1, Core of a Fallen Species of the Dark Level*1, Aura from Outside the Door*1]
[Compound Description: A door to any space. The space outside the door depends on the aura used in its synthesis; the stronger the aura, the more precise the location.]
[Note: This is a one-way door (disposable)]
The crafting recipe can be repeatedly crafted after learning it, and it does not occupy the crafting recipe slot. When Du Yu got the blueprint, he only thought that he could use it to leave the rift and go to the City of the Sun. But conversely, this door can also lead to other rifts!
Du Yu didn't have time to think much. She asked Tian Yinuo to take Xiao Yi to find a door. She wandered around the temple and found an empty wall near the kitchen. She had just obtained a batch of Dark-level element cores, and they even came from the world on the other side of the "door," so she didn't even need to worry about the aura.
When a bewildered Tian Yinuo returned with Xiao Yi carrying a security door, Du Yu stepped back, let Xiao Yi put it against the wall, and quickly opened the synthesis interface to synthesize it!
[Ding-dong~ Congratulations on successfully crafting the item [Any Space Portal]! Embark on a spontaneous journey!]
After clicking to synthesize, the heavy alloy security door seemed to be pulled by some force, slowly rising up and fitting perfectly into the wall.
A jet-black liquid flowed down from the top of the door, and in a few breaths, the metal door quietly transformed into a black wood door with intricate carvings and an antique design. The outer end of the doorknob protruded slightly, like a black mushroom growing on the door.
Du Yu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a space had appeared very close to the temple outside his consciousness, which he could enter simply by pushing open the door.
[Ding-dong~ Congratulations to the player for strengthening their connection with [Space-Time Rift - Small], causing the unknown entity to return empty-handed, and successfully completing the emergency mission!]
[Ding! Detected that the current conditions for using the reward have been met. Do you wish to spend one Tier 1 Element Core to upgrade [Any Space Gate B] (one-time upgrade) to [Fixed Space Gate K]?]
[Note: Opening [Fixed Space Door K] requires an equal amount of mental energy; there is no limit to the number of uses.]
With the crisis averted, Du Yu breathed a sigh of relief and carefully examined the system notification.
Each one-time use portal requires one elemental core. Upgrading it to a permanent item using one core is quite worthwhile, but...
"System, what happened to the promised free upgrade opportunity?"
[One elemental core is a necessary material for upgrading the spatial gate; the system has not charged any other fees!]
[Under normal circumstances, upgrading a spatial gate requires three elemental cores!]
Okay, okay, it's free, but you have to provide your own materials, right? When it comes to being ruthless, who can beat you monopolistic platforms?
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The author's note: [Note] "What's the point of struggling on a snail's horn? Our lives are but a fleeting spark. Whether rich or poor, let us be happy; to never laugh is foolish." This line is quoted from Bai Juyi's "Five Poems on Drinking Wine."
This chapter hints at Xiao Wen's distinctive name; I wonder if any of you can guess it?
——
4k chapters updated today! Only 1k left to pay off my bonus chapter debt w
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