Chapter 74 World D: 2 is so incredibly enthusiastic, it's really...
This is so incredibly enthusiastic! Is this really his counterpart? This is truly a chillingly enthusiastic social bull.
However, Ethan didn't insist much when he saw that he refused. Instead of taking him there directly as he had done at the beginning, he seemed to remember something and suddenly realized what was going on.
"I was wondering why Lord Starfall hadn't arrived yet." Ethan smiled somewhat helplessly. "I forgot. I'll go call him and he'll be back soon."
After Ethan nodded, Ethan skipped away, full of energy.
With these thoughts in mind, Ethan chatted with Turner, who had been silently following them.
About five minutes later, a familiar figure came into Ethan's view; it was Lord Starfall from this world.
The Starfall Lord in this world is quite different from the Starfall Lord in his other world.
Ethan's world's Starfall was exquisite; his hair always remained smooth and obedient on his head without needing any styling. Ethan had touched it unintentionally, not even noticing anything as his hand brushed against it. It didn't feel like human hair; it was so soft and smooth, a level of care that no human could ever achieve. The texture was simply wonderful.
The starfall in this world doesn't have such good hair. I don't know if it's because it came too quickly. The hair is a bit messy and even sticks up a bit.
Moreover, his expression was strange, and his eyes were not as sharp as those of Lord Starfall in his world. Ethan looked closely and then realized that what was on his face was fatigue.
Tired? Ethan never expected to use that word to describe the City Will. The City Will is usually full of energy; it's just that it doesn't want to be active lately and doesn't need sleep at all.
For some reason, I felt that this Lord Xingyun looked somewhat travel-worn. His eyes, wait, his pupils, seemed unfocused? He looked inexplicably haggard.
Although it was still the same face, and there were no dark circles under his eyes—the City Will wouldn't have those, not even moles—the difference in his eyes and the slightly messy hair made him look strangely like a corporate slave. It was as if he had just taken over city affairs back then.
"Hello, Lord Starfall." Ethan was the first to go up and greet him. Upon hearing this address, Turnas suddenly glanced at Ethan.
Hmm... So Ethan from his world also calls out his city's will like this? He thought it was only this world and the previous one that did it. He should have realized that both worlds called it this way. It seems that Ethan and the Starfall City will have a close relationship.
Tenas recalled his city's will, and the unreliable Yang Yan who teased him all day long, and fell silent for a moment.
Ethan saw that after he spoke, Starfall gave him a complicated look. Before he could figure it out, Ethan returned with a plate of food, and Starfall's eyes returned to their initial state, looking somewhat lifeless.
Hmm... Lord Starfall, you look a bit dead.
"Hihi~" Ethan naturally stepped between the two: "How's the chat going? Come on, have some dessert!"
Ethan then realized that he was holding several small and exquisite cakes. The white cream was sprinkled with colorful star-shaped sugar granules, and there was some jam on top of the cakes, along with a few pieces of fruit.
"I made this! I made it this morning." Before Ethan could refuse, Ethan grabbed a piece and stuffed it into Ethan's mouth. Luckily, the cake that had been cut was really small, otherwise it wouldn't have been able to fit.
Ethan was caught off guard and his mouth was stuffed full of cream, fluffy and soft cake base, and sweet blueberry jam. To be honest, it was really delicious. Ethan had no choice but to chew and chew.
It's not polite to vomit in front of a well-meaning friend. You've already eaten it, so just induce vomiting later.
As Ethan finished his meal, he picked up another piece of cake and brought it close to Starfall.
Xingyun hesitated for half a second, then lowered her head, opened her mouth, and took a bite of the cake.
Ethan picked up a piece of cake himself, took a big bite, squinted his eyes, and made satisfied humming noises as he ate, his cheeks bulging out.
Ethan swallowed the cake in his mouth with difficulty, looked at Turner who was being ignored by them, and smiled shyly: "Turnas, come and have some too."
Turner hesitated for a moment, initially wanting to say he didn't need any, but seeing how much the three of them were enjoying their food, he hesitated for a second and then took a piece. Mmm, it was indeed delicious.
The others ate quietly, except for Ethan, who kept chattering while eating. Of course, it would be very impolite to talk with food in your mouth before swallowing it completely or before putting it in your mouth.
After they finished the plate of small cakes, Ethan wanted to get some more desserts, saying that he was glad he had made more than just this one that morning, but Ethan quickly stopped him.
"Uh, well, Ethan, I can't eat much for some reason; my body can't digest it properly," Ethan said somewhat embarrassedly. He hadn't wanted to explain, but Ethan was so natural and familiar with him that he was afraid Ethan would force-feed him more food. Eating too much and then having to vomit would be very uncomfortable; if it was just a little bit, it would be a bit better.
Ethan looked at him, somewhat confused: "Anorexia...?"
Ethan vaguely explained that he became a Guardian after he died. Although his body had been restored to normal function by Starfall through alchemy, making him appear like a normal person, he still needed to replenish his blood after being injured in battle. His secreted fluids couldn't digest food, let alone break it down and process it. His heart was also idling, maintaining a moderate, normal heart rate.
"Oh...I didn't know." Ethan looked a little guilty. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you before I put it in your mouth. You can spit it out."
"It's alright, it's alright," Ethan replied, indicating that it was no problem.
Starfall's curiosity was piqued by Ethan's description of his world, and he took the initiative to ask, "What's your world like?"
Ethan picked out a few everyday moments he shared with Starfall from his own world, and then talked about the crisis their world was currently facing, and how they were going to different worlds to borrow power.
Starfall remained silent for a long time. He had been silent ever since Ethan started talking about his time with Starfall in his world, and he remained silent for quite a while after Ethan finished speaking.
“Oh, Ethan!” Ethan couldn’t help but give him a hug, seemingly completely absorbed in the story of Ethan’s world, his eyes softening even more: “Darling, I hope you can return your world to normal soon. I will lend you my power…May I? Lord Starfall?”
Finally, he looked at Xingyun, seeking his opinion.
Xingyun shifted her gaze away from the two of them, her voice calm: "It's up to you to decide."
“By the way, I don’t get along very well with the other Guardians.” Ethan said with some distress, “I’m a loner, and for some reason, I don’t get along with them very well. If you want more power, I’m afraid you won’t be able to borrow it from them, but I’ll give you more.”
Ethan certainly wouldn't refuse. Even if no one in this world lent him their power, he wouldn't say anything. They were the ones asking for his help, so they would be grateful if they got it, and they would understand if they didn't.
Although they look exactly alike and everything else matches up, it's still better to be careful when dealing with strangers who want to borrow the protagonist's power.
Ethan has noted the coordinates of all the worlds he has visited so far, and he will repay them one by one once the issues in their worlds are resolved.
Moreover, she didn't get along very well with the Guardians. Ethan, on the other hand, was very familiar with them. She was the same way at first. After her identity was revealed, her interactions with the Guardians were still a bit strange.
“But there are conditions.” Ethan held up one finger, his familiar smile returning to his face: “Because I like you a lot, Ethan, I hope you can stay here for three days. I don’t know if we’ll ever see each other again.”
I want to play with Ethan, hehe.
Ethan agreed almost without hesitation.
Compared to whether I'll be able to successfully borrow power in the next world, even though I'll have to stay for three more days, it's not that long... I hope the other guardians are still safe.
Ethan gripped the bracelet tightly, and some of the power flowed through his own bead, from his core self, and was distributed to the other beads.
We've added more layers of protection, friends. Please, don't die. The death of one guardian is making him panic.
“I want to go shopping with you,” Ethan said. “Don’t you want to see the differences between our two worlds?”
That sounds familiar. I think Tenas said something similar in the first world.
However, Ethan did want to learn more about this world; Starfall City was a bit strange.
“If we’re going out, we need to disguise ourselves.” Ethan pulled out a large box, which contained a dazzling array of different trinkets. “It would be troublesome if the Guardians were recognized, wouldn’t it?”
“Of course.” Ethan, who had experienced it firsthand, agreed enthusiastically.
Ethan tied Ethan's hair up in a small bun at the back of his head, and then tied his own hair up as well.
"Ta-da!" Ethan pulled out a few hair clips to show him: "These are some of my favorites!"
The colors were vibrant, a dopamine-inducing hue. He picked them out for himself first, and his smile accentuated his youthful energy.
Ethan clipped more than five clips onto both sides of Ethan's bangs until Ethan begged for mercy, at which point he stopped clipping them onto his head.
Ethan really seemed to love those hair clips; he had a lot of them in his hair, mostly star-shaped clips of all sizes, except for a few long ones.
He loved all kinds of hair clips, from plush and metallic to those that looked like star-shaped gemstone carvings.
However, seeing that Ethan didn't want to smash so many hair clips, he also took off the extra ones from his head, leaving only the same style hair clip in the exact same position as Ethan's.
Then, wear a star necklace, a star bracelet, and a white short-sleeved shirt underneath with a large star pattern.
"You really like stars!" Ethan exclaimed. "Is it because Mom calls us stars?"
Ethan blinked and shouted, "Of course—"
Then came the earrings. Ethan clipped two star-shaped clips onto Ethan's earlobes, and then clipped several solid-colored clips of different colors onto his ear cartilage for decoration.
Then, the jackets were also printed with stars of different sizes, which matched the two people who were covered in stars. They were wearing ripped jeans, with only two large stars on the front of the cuffs, and nothing else.
Ethan: "..."
So many stars! They must really love it when their mom calls them stars. They really love their mom!
The jacket is just too big; it keeps slipping down one shoulder of Ethan's jacket, down to the middle of his upper arm.
"Do you have a larger size?" Ethan was extremely uncomfortable. He turned his head and saw Ethan holding a piece of paper, one side of his jacket had slipped down, but he ignored it.
“Oh dear, that’s how this outfit is.” Ethan stuck the star sticker on Ethan’s forehead and then on himself. “The waist length is normal, but the sleeves are a bit wide. That’s how this outfit is designed.”
"Alright, alright, see how it is?" Ethan pushed Ethan in front of a large floor-length mirror, where two people who looked exactly alike, dressed and decorated the same, appeared in the mirror.
Ethan carefully examined himself in the mirror.
Her hair was clipped back on both sides, revealing a smooth and full forehead. High-saturation star stickers were pasted under her eyes. She wore identical earrings, a white T-shirt with a large blue star, a loose blue coat, loose and comfortable jeans, a star bracelet on her wrist, and a star necklace around her neck.
How should I put it? Ethan never imagined he would be dressed like this one day. He really did look like a carefree teenager, the kind who looked very energetic and would hang out with a lot of good friends.
However, this was his first time trying this kind of outfit, and he felt a little awkward. He preferred his own dark cloak, as he was a dark-colored person, and most magicians were dark-colored.
"Lord Starfall~" Ethan scurried over to Starfall, who was flipping through a large table of documents, and casually pushed the documents aside: "You can look at them anytime. There's plenty of time for you to look at them. First, take a look at my outfit and see if it looks good?"
"Beautiful." Starfall was forced to look up at him from the documents.
"Is that all?" Ethan's smile faded, and his voice clearly showed disappointment.
"..." Xingyun closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her eyes were filled with determination: "The clips are very cute. Did I buy them for you while I was away? These bright colors suit you very well. You're so lively, and they make you look even more energetic. Is this jacket newly made? It suits you very well, especially the way you placed the star pattern perfectly—not too crowded, not too sparse..."
Ethan happily hugged Starfall, leaving Ethan speechless. Turner, seeing his expression, misunderstood.
"Your clothes suit you very well." Turner also praised you, his face showing the same smile he always wore when surrounded by fans, looking extremely sincere: "This is the first time I've seen you wearing anything other than your usual dark-colored clothes. It gives you a youthful vibe, which suits your age. Maybe you could try wearing other colors more often? Although you look cool in dark colors, these also look... good on you."
Turner paused slightly, swallowing back the compliments he usually gave to female fans about their cuteness. However, all those cute accessories and clothes did make the two of them look adorable.
Ethan covered his face and silently retreated several steps to the corner. Turner immediately understood and shut his mouth.
Ethan was screaming inside.
Ethan knew he had misunderstood as soon as Turner opened his mouth. He was just shocked by how the two of them got along. Lord Starfall, you can actually say things that are complimentary? It feels out of character... Wait, actually, Ethan's personality in this world is also like this. Neither of the previous two counterparts had such a lively personality.
Stop praising him, Turner. Please stop praising him. I didn't mean for you to praise him. Shut up. He's easily embarrassed and can't stand any praise, no matter what it is.
He felt embarrassed even when his mother praised him, let alone others.
Is this the charm of the most popular guardian? You should have realized how good Tenas is with words. Every time fans surround him, handing out gifts, love letters, and asking for autographs, he just goes around praising them like this. His tweets get over 10,000 retweets in less than ten seconds, and his fan base is so huge it's astonishing.
The same goes for ao3; all the Guardians combined don't equal the amount of work written for him by just one person's fans, and I've heard it's a bit adult-oriented.
Actually, I've heard my magician colleagues discuss the Guardians. One of the Tenas fans said that his fan works are so popular that he's been paired up with all sorts of characters. Last time, he was crowned the Silver Party King by fans. No matter which pairing you're in, you're in it. You're the versatile Tenas.
Thinking of the residents of my city makes me feel a little at ease, not at ease about the creation of fan works, but at ease about the malicious words that insult fans.
The meteor shower had stopped its boasting. Ethan ran back cheerfully, naturally linking his arm with Ethan's, and raising his other hand high, full of energy: "Let's go! Let's buy everything!"
Ethan pulled Ethan through the portal quickly. Tenas was left with no choice but to either follow the Starfall City Will, whom his own city will had warned him not to get close to, or go shopping with the two Ethans. He chose to follow along and carry their bags; after all, he always carried bags when shopping with Renadia, and he was used to it.
Of course, since Tenas should also exist in this world, before passing through the portal, Tenas quickly tied up his hair, put on sunglasses, and combed his middle-parted bangs in one direction, somewhat like Starfall's bangs. Unless someone knows him very well, they wouldn't recognize him based on just that half of his face.
Once they arrived in the outside world, still in Starfall City, Ethan was already a hundred meters away from the teleportation portal.
Ethan is a qualified host.
He took Ethan to the first place, a food street, wanting to let Ethan properly sample the local delicacies he thought were good.
While Ethan was touched by his enthusiasm, he also raised his objection: "I can't eat..."
“Spitting it out would indeed be a bit unrefined, eating and spitting at the same time…” Ethan pondered for a few seconds and suggested, “How about we open a portal in your throat? So that when you swallow it, it won’t go to your stomach, but to the garbage dump?”
Ethan actually started to consider the possibility. He thought for a while, and Ethan somehow bought him a takoyaki. It was still hot to the touch even through the packaging, and the aroma was irresistible.
He was still a little hesitant: "Do you think the smell of the garbage dump will travel through the portal and into my mouth?"
Painless bad breath, right? He doesn't want it; he feels like the stench will make him faint.
“Then you open a portal somewhere else, and then open another portal in your throat. When you swallow, the portal in your throat will teleport you to that place. And that place should ideally be where you fell, where you can open a portal directly connecting to the trash can. If you fall, you might hit other things.” Ethan said decisively.
Ethan, Ethan was persuaded.
After the portals were opened, Ethan first picked up a takoyaki that had slowly cooled to a suitable temperature while waiting and stuffed it into Ethan's mouth. He then used another toothpick to put one in his own mouth as well.
Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it tastes even better with the sauce. The octopus is also very chewy, perfect for two people to enjoy together.
Ethan remembered Turner and used an unused toothpick to make one for him. The three of them chewed quietly. The restaurant Ethan recommended was indeed very delicious.
Ethan then took Ethan to several of his favorite shops, where they sampled the delicious food. The three of them each carried a handful of food, eating as they strolled around.
Ethan hadn't eaten so heartily in a long time, because even after he died he had tried his best not to let his appetite affect him. Now he had learned to eat like this from now on!
Delicious food, he's here.
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Author's Note: What Ethan saw: a very lively version of himself and a meteorite that looked like a corporate slave.
It's not out of character (OOC). You'll see when I write the side story for this world, where you'll see how the two of them interact in their daily lives.
In this world, Ethan likes bright colors, jewels, and being praised.
*If anyone were to praise Ethan*
Ethan screams and runs away.
I don't want to go to work, I'm so sleepy all day.
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