goodby
"I want to ask you a favor."
On the second day after the "Magic Application Class" placement test, Zhou Ruo approached Lin Lang and suddenly said.
Lin Lang was a little surprised: "Have you changed your personality? When did you become so polite when talking to me?" As he said that, he raised his hand and touched Zhou Ruo's forehead: "You don't have a fever, either?"
Zhou Ruo: "...How can you talk like that? It's rare for me to speak to you in such a nice tone!"
Lin Lang said comfortably: "It tastes just right."
Zhou Ruo: "Don't argue with me, I really need your help with something."
"I'm not kidding you. Just tell me if you need my help with anything." Lin Lang said cheerfully.
"...Can you teach me mental magic?"
"Ah?" Lin Lang looked at Zhou Ruo in surprise. She carefully studied every micro-expression of Zhou Ruo, trying to find a hint of joking in them, but she could only read persistence and seriousness.
Lin Lang murmured, "I didn't believe Zhou Xun when he told me that you wanted to change jobs. Are you no longer satisfied with pure fighting? Are you going to torture the enemy mentally as well? What on earth did the 'Temple of Life' do to make you run away so quickly?"
Zhou Ruo didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Why are you the same as Zhou Xun, always imagining all sorts of nonsense? I just suddenly want to learn mental magic, don't think too much about it."
"No problem, no problem. Didn't I just accept 20 students? You can come to class with them. With your ability, there is no need for me to teach you alone, right?" Lin Lang said, "When the time comes, I will directly notify the higher-ups and let you join the class as a transfer student."
"It's not that simple spiritual magic. Do I need your help with this kind of magic?" Zhou Ruo shook her head: "I want to learn more complex spiritual magic, preferably advanced or forbidden spell level."
The more Lin Lang listened, the more confused he became: "Have you run into any trouble recently? Why did you, a student of the Department of Light, switch majors to the Department of Psychiatry?"
Zhou Ruo pursed her lips, with a complicated expression: "Then I told you not to laugh at me."
Lin Lang nodded, pulled up a chair in the office and sat down, opened a bag of potato chips for himself, and showed strong expectations in his eyes: "Tell me about it!"
Zhou Ruo: “…”
She sighed, feeling a little headache: "You know I went to the hospital to volunteer after returning to Earth, right?"
"I know." Lin Lang said, "Are you going there because you want to study the soul issues on Earth? I remember that when you were in Parnaki, you hated going to hospitals and churches."
"It's not just this purpose. Actually, I'm...looking for the meaning of life and death."
Lin Lang: “…”
Zhou Ruo: "...at least say something! I'm really embarrassed when you suddenly silence me like this!"
"Zhou Ruo." Lin Lang held Zhou Ruo's hand and moved closer to her, his beautiful eyes filled with concern: "You really have a fever, right? You are so pitiful, you are even talking nonsense."
"I'm serious!" Zhou Ruo emphasized.
"...How old are you?"
"The Earth is 17 years old, and Parnaqui is 477 years old."
"Yes!" Lin Lang said with a look of "look at this". "You are the Saint of the Temple of Life, the strongest priest of both Discipline and Life in Parnaki, who can fight and heal. There are thousands of enemies who died in your hands, not to mention tens of thousands, not to mention those you saved. And now you tell me that you are looking for the meaning of life and death? It's okay to say that in your teens and twenties, but you have lived for nearly 500 years in both worlds combined!"
"I'm not kidding you." Zhou Ruo looked distressed and serious: "That's why I don't want to tell you the reason. After all, it sounds like I'm just trying to imitate Lin Yuan's sadness and melancholy and act like a hypocritical person."
Lin Lang: "...Be careful, Lin Yuan and you will fight to the death!"
Zhou Ruo scratched her hair, messing it up: "You should know that the 'death' of all the creatures in Parnaki does not mean true 'death'. The magic power will leave their souls and turn them into the so-called 'undeads'. They can either go to the underworld to live and practice, or stay in Parnaki until their souls completely run out of magic power. Only then will they be considered to have truly entered 'death'."
Lin Lang nodded.
In Parnaki, death is actually a very difficult thing. Because of the special nature of the undead, even if they were just ordinary people who could not use magic when they were alive, they can absorb magic through meditation and practice after death. If the emotions are extremely strong at the time of death, the soul will "evolve" into a "vengeful spirit" and gain more powerful power, but the price is falling into madness.
It can be said that as long as the undead can continuously absorb magic power, they can almost gain eternal life.
But energy is conserved. As long as the soul exists, the magic stored in it will be consumed. Even as a ghost, there is talent. This mountain divides them into different levels.
Undead with top talents can become stronger and stronger through continuous practice, and can even condense into a physical form, becoming the same as before. Most ghosts do not have this talent, and consume more magic power than they absorb, until the magic power can no longer maintain their consciousness, they will fall into a state of confusion, or wander around like ghosts without consciousness, or lose control of their own consciousness and fall into madness, devouring other undead in order to obtain magic power to survive, and finally attacking all living beings indiscriminately.
When the magic power is consumed to the point where even this confused state cannot be maintained, the soul will completely collapse and turn into part of the magic power - this is the source of magic power.
Magic is born from "death", but it gains the power of "life". Parnaki's life is like a seed sown in the soil, growing by absorbing nutrients from the soil, and turning into fertilizer to nourish the earth after death, and this cycle repeats itself endlessly.
In this special case, as long as the body is not dead, the soul can be "resurrected" through the "resurrection technique".
Neither the increasing concentration of magic power nor the growing number of undeads was a good thing for Parnaki to celebrate. Therefore, Parnaki had no taboos on resurrection. As long as the corpse could still use the "Resurrection Spell", the priests would never hesitate to resurrect these people - regardless of whether the magic power increased or not, at least it could solve the population expansion and chaos in the underworld.
But resurrection is one thing, and whether life is consumed is another. The soul is also a kind of energy. The process of leaving the body and returning to the body will consume a lot of energy, which is the so-called "vitality". The "resurrection technique" can only resurrect, but cannot replenish vitality. Therefore, except for those who can prolong their lifespan through cultivation, most of the resurrected people will have a short lifespan - unless there is a way to solve the aging of the body, or replenish the consumed vitality.
However, since the birth of mankind, there have been less than ten priests who can replenish the vitality of others while treating them, and Zhou Ruo is one of them.
This is why the "Temple of Life" treats her as a treasure. As long as Zhou Ruo is not determined to leave, she will definitely become the Pope of the "Temple of Life" in the future.
When Zhou Ruo first learned a series of healing magic such as "Resurrection", she was indeed very excited. She had been very interested in subjects such as biology and chemistry for a long time, and had also thought about becoming a doctor or nurse in the future, saving the dying and the wounded, and saving thousands of families from disasters.
The emergence of the "resurrection technique" undoubtedly opened up a new world for Zhou Ruo, and miracles that were originally impossible for ordinary medicine became possible. And the magic power that can inject "vitality" into the body means that everyone she treats does not have to suffer the pain of losing vitality.
At first, Zhou Ruo followed the "Temple of Life" to save people all over the world, and even went to the battlefield himself to perform "resurrection magic" on the dead soldiers.
——Until Zhou Ruo discovered that the kingdoms that chose to go to war used the "resurrection technique" to continuously send soldiers to the front line as suicide squads.
After all, they can be resurrected after death, so they just have to endure pain before death. But the kings did not have to endure the pain, and they did not care about the despair in the hearts of these soldiers.
The continuous death turned "life" into a real hell, and Zhou Ruo, who knew nothing about it, became the "executioner" of this hell.
But it wasn't just the powerful who were indifferent to life. Since they could be resurrected as long as the magic in their souls was not exhausted, the people of Parnaki gradually stopped taking life seriously - since the dead could be resurrected, the murderers didn't need to bear moral condemnation, so they vented their inner madness unscrupulously and committed one crime after another.
For those who are suffering, even death cannot free them from the pain of life. Whether alive or dead, they are just like walking corpses.
For the strong, they have endless life, can make others live or die, and can also make them resurrect continuously. Death is as light as a feather in their eyes. Even with Rui Hang's restraints and the influence of Chinese thinking, the students of Class 9 gradually lost their respect for life.
——When death loses its original meaning, life will become worthless.
"So later, I even felt repulsive to the 'Temple of Life's' behavior of rescuing others everywhere - the more people they saved, the less I could feel the weight of life. Gradually, I couldn't even have any emotional fluctuations about life and death." Zhou Ruo said: "Until a few days ago, you asked me to save those soldiers, but I couldn't revive them. That was the first time in five hundred years that I had a little emotional fluctuation about the passing of life. At that time, I suddenly thought, if I contacted every dying person, watched them leave this world, or used my magic to save those who I could save, would I have new feelings? So after that day, I took the initiative to go to the hospice department as a volunteer."
Zhou Ruo suddenly looked very disappointed when she said this. She lowered her head and took a deep breath to calm herself down.
"I met a very cute girl and we became friends. Her condition suddenly worsened in the past few days. I wanted to save her, but unfortunately I was unable to do anything."
"Can't we use magic?" Lin Lang put away his half-joking attitude, sat up straight, and asked seriously: "Gather the magic power of our class together, use more advanced healing magic, or prepare potions..."
Zhou Ruo shook her head: "That's not a disease that can be cured by magic."
The so-called "healing magic" actually amplifies the "active" side of magic power, and by strengthening cell division, the wound heals quickly, thus achieving the "healing" effect. However, there is a limit to the number of cell divisions, and in Parnaki, all of these are presented as "vitality". Only powerful magic can keep cells active and constantly divide forever, but for ordinary people, when the number of cell divisions reaches the end, it means the demise of the body.
But even Zhou Ruo is powerless against diseases that cannot be treated through "activity".
Perhaps more sophisticated medical methods can change this situation, but neither Zhou Ruo nor medical methods at present have reached the theory and technology that can cure all diseases through "cell division".
Zhou Ruo finally revealed her real purpose: "She likes watching animation and light novels, especially those animations about traveling to another world. She told me that she believes that when she dies, her soul will definitely go to another world and start a legendary life there. So she is not afraid of death at all, but is very much looking forward to it."
But Zhou Ruo and Lin Lang both knew that due to the special nature of the earth, the soul will disappear after a person dies. It is not known whether it is completely annihilated or reincarnated. There is no such thing as "traveling to another world".
"Even if it's just an illusion to make her have a sweet dream, I don't want her wish to end in disappointment." Zhou Ruo said: "The reason why I came to you to learn spiritual magic is because of this reason."
"But why don't you let me help?" Lin Lang didn't understand: "Wouldn't it be more convenient to just let me do it? Why are you embarrassed to tell me about this?"
"It's not that I'm embarrassed to tell you, I just found a new direction." Zhou Ruo smiled and said, "I don't plan to go back to 'Parnaki'. I want to open a hospital specializing in the treatment of difficult and complicated diseases to treat those who cannot be cured by modern medicine but can be saved by magic. If I can't do anything, at least I can use magic to make the last journey of their lives happy and meaningful."
"That's a great idea." Lin Lang said sincerely, "Remember to reserve a VIP ward for me, the kind that can be booked at any time. From now on, when my family members are sick, I will only come to you!"
After breaking the somewhat heavy atmosphere with a joke, Lin Lang stood up and said, "Since you've told me so much, it would be a shame if you didn't let me go meet this important friend, right?"
With her around, even if Zhou Ruo suddenly appeared thousands of miles away, the official would not judge it as Zhou Ruo's own strength.
Zhou Ruo naturally understood Lin Lang's thoughts. Her smile softened a little and she nodded seriously: "Of course."
...
Y City People's Hospital, Hospice Ward
When Zhou Ruo pushed open the door of the ward, the room was quiet and only the sound of the machines running could be heard.
The tightly drawn curtains blocked the light outside, making the room a little dim, but it did not prevent Lin Lang from clearly seeing the person on the bed.
It was a very young girl, about 18 or 19 years old. She lay flat on the bed, eyes slightly closed. The girl was tortured by illness and her body was as thin as a skeleton. Her sunken cheeks highlighted her high cheekbones, and her lips were pale. It seemed that if the wind blew, the whole person would be scattered like quicksand. Although she was terminally ill, her eyes were still bright, as if thousands of stars fell into them.
Lin Lang could see that the person in front of him had long lost the desire to live, but her smile was so calm, as if she had long since put life and death aside.
Since the girl's parents had been notified in advance, they felt comfortable leaving the space for Zhou Ruo.
The girl was obviously very happy about Zhou Ruo's arrival. Her eyebrows and eyes curved into two crescents, filled with joy that was beyond words.
"Xiao Ruo, you're here." The girl's voice was extremely weak. She looked past Zhou Ruo and towards Lin Lang behind her. There was a hint of curiosity in her eyes: "Is this your friend? Why does he look familiar to me?"
Zhou Ruo took Lin Lang to the bedside, pulled out a chair, and familiarly asked Lin Lang to sit down. She then shook the handle on the side of the bed to raise the height of the upper half of the bed so that the girl could sit comfortably.
"This is my friend Ran Luo." Zhou Ruo introduced the girl on the bed to Lin Lang, and pointed at Lin Lang and said to her: "She is Lin Lang, my friend and classmate. You should have seen her dancing video on the short video app."
Ran Luo's eyes flashed with surprise: "Xiao Ruo mentioned to me before that she had a classmate who became a star. It turned out to be you."
Ran Luo's only pastime was to listen to books or watch videos on his phone. After Zhou Ruo's reminder, he managed to summon up his spirits and quickly recalled the impressions in his mind: "I've seen you dance. You look really good."
"Thank you for your love." Lin Lang smiled lightly, revealing two sweet dimples: "It is my luck to know you."
"You speak so nicely." Ran Luo said happily.
Lin Lang has always been very good at socializing. Soon, she and Ran Luo became close friends. Ran Luo no longer spoke to Lin Lang in a polite tone, but called her "Lin Lang" affectionately.
"Lin Lang, have you ever participated in any TV dramas or variety shows?" Ran Luo asked curiously, "I want to see them."
"I've only been in the entertainment industry for a short time, and I've only filmed one variety show. I have a show to record next week." Lin Lang thought about his recent announcements: "But this weekend, a variety show I was a guest on will be broadcast. We can watch it together then."
Hearing the word "weekend", Ran Luo's eyes dimmed a little, but he quickly cheered up: "That's great, but I may not be able to watch it."
Lin Lang pursed her lips, and a trace of sadness inevitably emerged in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it and said in a relaxed manner: "Don't be so pessimistic, you are still young."
"But I'm leaving now." Ran Luo's tone was extremely relaxed, even with a hint of anticipation: "I've delayed for too long, they can't wait any longer."
"...them?"
"My future partner." Ran Luo's eyes were filled with longing and yearning: "I will go to another world soon and meet up with my partners. Although I don't know what kind of people they are, they must be looking forward to my arrival."
"...Although I know that this is just my fantasy. But if they can believe it a little bit, at least they won't be sad about my departure."
Ran Luo's inner voice fell into Lin Lang's eyes under the stimulation of magic. It was a sadness and strength that was completely different from her superficial "middle school" and "innocent" appearance.
Lin Lang took a deep breath and gently held her bony hand with the needle inserted in it.
"The other world really exists." As Ran Luo's pupils shrank slightly and his eyes were filled with surprise, Lin Lang spoke seriously, "It is a very, very beautiful world. You will definitely like it."
...
Three days later
"Lin Lang, Uncle Ran just called and said that Ran Luo is critically ill and asked me to come over!"
Zhou Ruo pushed open the office door and said anxiously.
The two did not have time to communicate too much. Lin Lang quickly opened the portal leading to Ran Luo's ward. As soon as they stepped in, a suppressed sob floated into their ears.
"Don't cry..." Ran Luo's voice was so weak that she could not maintain her basic consciousness, but she was still trying her best to comfort her parents. Ran Luo's parents, who were less than 50 years old but had gray hair, stayed by her bed, holding her hands tightly, and tears fell like rain.
Zhou Ruo paused as she was about to enter the ward, and suddenly she was afraid to interrupt the family's last time together.
But a hand fell behind her, firmly but gently pushing her forward.
"Go in." Lin Lang said silently, "Leave everything to me."
"...Thank you."
After hurriedly saying thank you, Zhou Ruo could no longer contain his anxious heart and rushed into the ward.
"Ran Luo!"
The last ray of light flashed in the eyes of the dying girl on the hospital bed: "Xiao Ruo, you are here..."
Ran Luo's father turned his head away, not daring to look at his daughter's smile. He took the initiative to make way so that Zhou Ruo could stay by Ran Luo's side.
"I'm leaving now." Ran Luo said softly, smiling very happily: "It's great to be able to say goodbye to you in the end..."
She finally no longer had to endure the pain of the disease, but she was overwhelmed with sadness because she was about to part with her parents and friends. Tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes: "Really, I'm about to leave, and I still let you see me in such a mess..."
Her voice was even weaker than the last time they met, as light as a faint breeze.
"Ran Luo..." Zhou Ruo subconsciously wanted to call her, asking her to walk slower and let them take a good look at her. But when the words came to her lips, they turned into silent bitterness. The heart that had witnessed countless lives and deaths and was numb finally beat vividly again - Zhou Ruo had never realized so deeply that "death" was such a complicated thing. It makes people sad and reluctant, but they can't help but feel fortunate for their friend who was tortured by illness, fortunately she finally didn't have to be wrapped in endless pain. I can't help but wish my friend well, and she is about to embark on a new journey of life.
It turns out that some separations are truly never to be seen again. Some regrets are truly never to be made up for...
At this moment, countless bubbles suddenly poured into the ward, reflecting colorful light under the sunlight.
“This, this is…”
Ran Luo's parents looked up in surprise and looked at the strange scene that suddenly appeared in the ward.
In an instant, the ward was no longer surrounded by cold white walls. They were standing on a green lawn, with dense forests and endless mountains in the distance.
Thumb-sized fairies were dancing lively among the flowers, a giant dragon was roaring and flying over everyone's heads, and the strong wind was blowing up the petals all over the sky, blinding their eyes.
"Ran Luo, come quickly, our team is just missing you!"
At some point, a team appeared at the edge of the forest: a young man with a long sword on his back stood with his hands behind his back, and next to him was an elf holding a bow and arrow, cold as ice but with a gentle look in his eyes. The dwarf was wearing heavy armor and holding a huge axe. Behind him, a girl in a white priest's dress was holding a thick Bible, smiling shyly.
They stretched out their hands and waved in the direction of the bed.
The dying girl lying on the bed got off the bed at some point. She had a slightly plump body full of healthy muscles. She ran towards them with an excited smile. Suddenly she remembered something and turned around and waved to them vigorously, saying loudly, "Goodbye!"
A small cry came from somewhere, a life passed away and a new life was born.
Lin Lang and Zhou Ruo suddenly raised their heads and looked towards the sky.
——In a place not covered by the illusion, Ran Luo’s soul circled freely in the air and flew towards Parnaki.
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