Signpost (6)
“This is the birthplace of witches, where all witches learn their survival skills; this is also their resting place; if you encounter mortal danger outside, you will return here to rebuild your body.” El hugged Joe and gently patted her back as he slowly spoke, “The essence of a witch is a consciousness. You may not understand, just think of it as a soul. Witches are individual souls who regain their bodies in the Witch Forest.”
“Is a witch a person, a consciousness, or an immortal soul? A spirit? A ghost?” Mi asked uncertainly. “So, you’re from Western mythology? Western fantasy?” Mi didn’t know how to understand El’s words. “I need to think about it.” Mi stood up and walked away alone.
Is this really not some strange scientific experiment? Staring at the invisible dome on the river outside the forest, trying to make eye contact with the outside world, she whispered, "Who are you? Are you standing there watching?"
Mi suddenly stared into the void and laughed. Pointing at the sky above the riverbank, she shouted, "The people you let in aren't very capable. I can't understand what they're saying. Do you want to send someone else in?" Mi made her demand to the void. She said, "Don't you even consider people's intelligence when you're arresting them? Does it make you feel smug to see me as an idiot?"
“She doesn’t believe you, Al. She’s very wary.” Joe looked up at the new witch from his hometown.
“Yes, it was my carelessness. I didn’t express myself more precisely,” El said, looking in the direction Mi had left. “She’s not wary; she just can’t understand it. She has her own logic. When she can’t connect the dots in her logic, she can’t accept it. Next time, I’ll communicate with her in a witch’s way, instead of trying to use your Earth’s language.”
"It's all my fault, I kept telling you about my hometown." Joe looked at Al with guilt. "Thank you for your hard work."
“How could that be, my lovely Joe!” El hugged Joe and gently rocked her. “It’s been so long since a new witch was born, it’s only natural that I’ve forgotten how to teach new witches. I love the stories you tell, it’s like I’ve been a part of your growth from the very beginning, whether you’re a witch or a human, I’ve experienced it all with you, and that makes me happy. You and I are witches bound by a contract, you should know how I feel.”
“Yeah, I know, I just feel—” Joe paused, “You know what she’s thinking?”
“Yes, I just saw her witch’s headband. I saw her entire growth process. The Blue Planet is completely different from the Blue Planet you remember. Joe, let’s go see it sometime.” El looked at Mi’s dejected back and said with a smile, “Now she’s like she’s transparent in front of me. I can tell her all her doubts, but in the end, she still has to figure it out herself.”
"Why? Shouldn't students trust their teachers? You are her guide." Qiao looked at this fellow villager from over a hundred years in the future. Girls can go to school now. My sister will definitely love this new world.
“Joe, Joe, you can’t substitute your thoughts for hers,” Al chuckled and patted Joe on the shoulder. “You know what’s wrong with you, so don’t blame her.”
“But El, won’t this be too hard on you? I don’t want you to work too hard.” Joe turned to look at El. He knew that some students were just full of problems, and those students would get a slap on the hand from their teacher. But El was so gentle that he wouldn’t say a harsh word to this new witch. This witch would be very difficult to teach.
“Joe, she’s like a child. It’s been too long since a new child has been born in the Witchwood.” El looked up at the top of the Witchwood. “Too long a life can make people forget the essence of life. I think those witches who are traveling abroad may not be unwilling to come back, but have already returned.”
"El, don't do this, I'm scared." Joe raised his arms and wrapped them around El's neck, slowly pulling El's head down and kissing El's chin and the corners of her mouth one kiss at a time. "El, you'll always be with me, right?"
“Yes, Joe, you know I’ll always be with you.” Joe and Al’s figures gradually disappeared, leaving only two pink and blue clouds intertwined on the rock, tender and affectionate.
Wandering aimlessly in the forest, Mi decided to let go and listen to what this so-called guide had to say. Returning to the heart of the Witch Forest, Mi didn't see El or Joe, but only two bright, intertwined clouds of blue and pink, like the most beautiful sunset against the azure sky.
"I imagine this is what the Weaver Girl's woven rainbow looks like," Mi thought, unable to resist reaching out to touch the extraordinarily beautiful cloud. But a transparent wall seemed to block her way, preventing her from approaching the two intertwined, swirling clouds. Was this wall the same as the canopy above the river? Mi immediately went above the river, but the canopy above was invisible and intangible; Mi still couldn't take a step. And the cloud had a soft barrier, preventing Mi from exploring further.
Another restricted area has formed here. What's going on? Mi began to doubt El and Joe. What were those things? The creatures here are from the interstellar era. Why did she still believe that all the creatures here were human? This insurmountable barrier was proof. Mi realized her carelessness. That Joe, that Joe from the Republic of China, that weak Joe crying like that, had made her lower her guard.
Mi recalled El's words: the consciousness and soul of a witch lived here. Were the consciousness and soul of a witch colorful? Mi looked down at herself—a hazy, water vapor-like cloud, her manifestation in this forest. Mi turned back to look at the bright, pink and blue cloud. Perhaps that cloud was El and Joe's manifestation in this forest? El wore white, and Joe always wore pink. She hadn't seen them change clothes for so many days. If the pink was Joe, then where did the blue light come from? And where had El gone?
El and Joe were of the same kind. Mi continued to stare for a while, then turned and walked towards the Fallen Leaf Valley, the place where Mi had found the guiding stone. Opposite it were cliffs and passages, which connected to the outside world. That might be the exit.
“I want to get out,” Mi thought. “Whether this is some mad scientist’s lab or the so-called Witch Forest, I want to get out of here.” Mi stared at the valley of reddish-brown rocks opposite her, her mind racing. She recalled when the cloud appeared, when Al told her there was a guiding stone, and then she found a small stone. She had been led by the nose by Al ever since.
Now El tells her to create a witch's body again. What is she looking for this time? A body is much bigger than a guiding stone; this should be easier to find, right? Mi picked up the small stone and traced it over and over on the transparent dome: "What energy is supporting this dome? What kind of power is this? Electricity? Some kind of unknown energy? How can I break this dome?"
Mi had never regretted not studying physics or chemistry properly as much as she did now. She felt trapped by some unknown force, held captive by some mad scientist for human or brain experiments. As for the witch forest, the guide, and even that lady-like Joe, they must be AIs, created by the mad scientist to mislead her. Could this be a silicon-based life form base?
Once she thought about it this way, Mi's mind suddenly cleared up: "If they are silicon-based life forms, let me think, should these silicon-based life forms study carbon-based life forms in reverse or should they rule over carbon-based life forms?" At this moment, Mi even felt that it would be good if they were silicon-based life forms. Humans' arbitrary standards, inexplicable self-esteem, and chaotic order could all be dealt with, including useless human emotions.
Squatting in front of the valley, Mi carefully counted the streams on the rocks: "There are six streams today." Mi carefully observed the width and flow rate of each stream so that he could remember them clearly and come back tomorrow to compare whether there would be any changes here.
Mi tried to feel the force blocking her, the barrier. She thought that if she could choose a fixed spot and use the small stones in her hand to scratch at it every day, just as the Foolish Old Man could move mountains, perhaps she could also make a hole in the barrier. Mi kept scratching at the barrier with the small stones in her hand. When she got tired, she would lie on the grass on the south side of the forest and feel the changing colors of the sky above the river.
Miku tried to find amusement in his own misery: "I'm watching a movie on a giant dome! Aside from the movie's somewhat monotonous and boring content, silicon-based life forms are really lacking in this aspect. Why don't they show me adult films on the dome? Or at least show me science information? Do silicon-based life forms want to turn carbon-based life forms into idiots? Like humans raising pigs, cows, and sheep? Are you trying to fatten me up and eat me? Do you need to eat?"
Mi couldn't help but shudder, shaking off the chaotic thoughts in her mind: "I still want to be a decent human being, even if humans are selfish, even if humans are cruel." Mi thought through all of humanity's evils and started trembling again. "Oh no, I don't want those ugly and evil humans. I'm a selfish and cowardly human, and I don't want myself either. Give me a standard, let me see how you select humans, how you rule humanity?" At this moment, Mi forgot about the gentleman's principle of harmony without uniformity, and the petty person's principle of uniformity without harmony, falling into a confused state of mind regarding the human group and the human individual.
Having finally regained her composure, Mi returned to the valley: "No matter what lies beyond this valley, I need to get out. Whether it's silicon-based lifeforms, a mad scientist, or even aliens, I can only confront them by going out. Hiding won't solve anything." Mi clenched her fist, the sharp pain in her palm reminding her that she was trapped here. Mi thought, "No matter what, I always have to find a way to solve the problem. I can only make what I believe is the best choice at that moment. I've always been like this, haven't I?"
Mi looked back at the lifeless Witch Forest. It might be a safe fortress, or it might just be an observation box for a lab rat. "The only thing I can do now is find a way out of this fortress, break out of this box, instead of wandering here like a conscious wisp of air." As she thought this, Mi didn't notice that her gray mist was stretching, revealing a human shadow on the riverbank.
Mi began searching the forest again. Having learned from her previous experience, she paid special attention to changes in the forest, especially the mist. Now the mist outside the river had disappeared. Where could the witch be hiding? Mi recalled El and Joe's figures; they were at least 1.78 meters tall, and even if Joe was shorter, he was still 1.68 meters. Where could such a large body be hidden? Could it be that her head was in one place, her limbs in another, and her body in yet another? Mi looked back at the quiet forest and suddenly felt the atmosphere become terrifying.
Mi thought she should seek cooperation with El; perhaps she could turn El against her, if El was also an observation subject like herself. Mi thought of the place Jo had mentioned, the Sea Kingdom, the Edge of the Stars. They had both returned from outside, and that outside wasn't Earth anymore. Was it true? Jo's soft weeping seemed so real, her longing and urgency so real. Perhaps Jo was also a captured observer; after all, they were from the same hometown, so perhaps Jo would be easier to turn. Mi kept trying to pry open the shield, her mind constantly conjuring up various plans.
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