manynovel Page 159
Page 159
In Jennifer's warm embrace, you slowly regained consciousness. Looking at her concerned face, you couldn't help but praise her:
"Little knight, you're amazing!"
"Hehe, no matter how powerful he is, he's still your personal knight." Jennifer listened to your praise with obvious enjoyment, smiled smugly, and explained what had just happened.
[It turns out that after purifying the giant corpse, Jennifer was already exhausted, both in terms of divine power and physical strength. She could only lean against the corner of the wall and barely keep her eyes open to watch your battle. As an observer, she noticed your crisis even faster than you did yourself.]
But Jennifer couldn't help you. She tried her best to absorb the faint light energy in the air, but it wasn't enough for her to unleash even the most basic divine magic.
"When I saw you being tormented by the souls of the dead, I was so anxious, I almost lost my mind for a moment..." Jennifer smiled sheepishly, pressed her forehead against your face, and whispered:
"At that moment, I looked up in a daze and saw a faint light shining from the ceiling. So I thought, if there were no sunlight shining down on the world, would it be completely dark?"
"I felt that this shouldn't be normal, or rather, although it is normal, could we do something abnormal to fight for what we are defending?"
Jennifer looked up at you with loving eyes and said with a smile:
"So I asked the God of Light, 'Can I emit light myself when there is no light?' The God of Light agreed."
You felt a slight shock, and looking at Jennifer's radiant smile, you couldn't help but hug her tightly, shouting, "Jennifer, you are our light!"
"Don't talk like that, you anime girl!" Jennifer said, biting your lips in annoyance, then gently sniffing your scent.
"I just wanted to fight for you..."
"Oh, right!" After a moment of tender intimacy, she excitedly added, "I leveled up! Now that I'm a high-ranking knight, I can control the light emanating from my body so it doesn't leak out! You can sleep soundly at night without me having to roll up in the blankets!"
"If you don't roll up the covers, then we'll have to start fighting..." You chuckled, then suddenly noticed Gan Gan and Gou Zi, who were squatting on the platform, watching the show with great interest. After a moment of silence, you coughed and said, "We'll talk about the rest in bed..."
Large chunks of shattered rock fell through the hole in the ceiling. After a deafening roar, the tower stopped rising, and the sky, filled with flying monsters, appeared outside the hole.
"It seems the Tower Fortress has fully emerged, so..." You suddenly stopped speaking, glanced around the illuminated hall, and paused, stunned.
Aside from the damage caused by the recent battle, the place actually looks quite exquisite and grand. The various decorations and totems belonging to the "Crowbar" clan give the hall a sense of history and weight, although the empty display shelves and cabinets make it seem somewhat deserted.
"Looks like it was moved during the evacuation. I wonder if it was well preserved or scattered all over the world..." you muttered to yourself, your gaze sweeping over the display stand next to the main seat, then suddenly your eyes widened.
"This place seems..." You stepped forward, scratched your head, took out the antique hammer you bought at the auction, found the right angle, and smoothly inserted it into the groove on the display stand.
[As the hammer was driven in, the entire fortress suddenly roared and began to vibrate mechanically. Your teammates, curious, walked to the window and shouted in shock, "Look, look! The seasonal tornado is moving away!"]
You glanced at the situation outside and immediately understood the dwarves' ingenuity. Just as the name "Wind Listening Platform" suggests, the dwarves had long since conducted profound research on the generation and propagation of air currents. Guided by the towers and wind turbines built along the mine, the area where Silverway Town was located had formed a vacuum of airflow, causing the monsters that followed the wind to fly over Silverway Town, tracing arcs as they disappeared into the distance.
"I wonder what it must have been like when this land was covered with dwarven fortresses? The monsters were simply guided into the wild by an unseen force, without any fighting, until they naturally disappeared with the changing seasons?" Jennifer exclaimed in amazement.
You nodded silently, not overly astonished by the dwarves' ingenuity in harmoniously integrating themselves into nature. You simply glanced around the area again and sighed inwardly.
"It seems they've been lost to the world after all, the relics of the dwarves..."
You left the hammer behind and were about to leave when you suddenly noticed that the cabinet under the display stand was open. You bent down, looked inside, and curiously pulled out a thick, ancient book from a pile of miscellaneous items.
"Is it some kind of history book about the dwarves? It looks very old..." You blew on the cover of the ancient book, dusted it off, turned to the first page, and then froze.
The handwriting on the note, "Goodbye, Mother and everything else. Goodbye, though goodbye, I will still live well with everything I have," is delicate and childlike, and the signature in the lower right corner is: Silver Moon Tauber.
Chapter 171 Growing up is indeed a very long process!
"I'm super!"
Latis's eyes widened, and he tumbled off the bed with a thud. It took him a while to come to his senses. He propped himself up against the window and muttered:
"This surname... Teacher Yin is Principal Zhelis's daughter?!"
"Hmm... Thinking about it, it makes sense..." He scratched his head, sat back on the bed, and muttered to himself while stroking his chin:
"Principal Zheris's career is in diplomacy, and Teacher Yin's mother is also quite fascinated by foreign cultures. At first glance, the two do seem to have some connection... It's just that I don't know why Teacher Yin and Principal Zheris seem to be such strangers..."
Latis recalled the various details of Silver Shul and shook his head.
"Who knows what kind of melodramatic plot it will be? I'm not going to guess. But it seems like Principal Zerris has suddenly become my father-in-law? Wow, does that mean entrusting my child to him in the previous simulation had a kind of fateful meaning?"
"However, everything still depends on what the truth is. There may be more than just Principal Zhelis in this world with the surname Taupite."
He put aside his questions for the time being and continued to look at the simulated text.
"This is... Ms. Gin's childhood diary?" Now that the town is safe, you're not in a hurry to return, so you curiously flip through the old pages to look at its contents.
The first half of the book mostly records the culture, architecture, and history of various races, along with various research and cross-referencing records. You gasp, feeling as if knowledge is being brutally stabbed into your head with a steel rod. Unable to endure this torture, you quickly use quantum speed reading to flip to the next page.
Then, in the latter half of the book, you first noticed large sections of Yin Xiu'er's neat and childlike handwriting, so you stopped turning the page and looked at those long passages of text.
["In early summer, my mother gave me this notebook as a birthday present, encouraging me to become like her someday. I opened the blank notebook, looked at the books filling my mother's bookcase, and felt a little sad, because I felt that I could never become as capable as her."]
"In the depths of summer, my busy studies came to an end. I was happy to embark on this intercultural exchange trip with my mother. Although I was just her little helper in demonstrating human magical abilities, this journey was much better than being alone."
"During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Aunt Norrige became my tutor. I liked her very much. Although she always said she was strict, she was actually a very gentle teacher. But I also disliked her a little. When Aunt Norrige was around, I couldn't ask my mother any questions. Her knowledge was too vast. Are all adults this amazing?"
"It's still mid-autumn, the moon is so round. The elves seem to be singing praises to the silver moon. That's my name, but it has nothing to do with me now. But then I thought about it, and it seems that my surname doesn't have much to do with me either. It's just something that my mother often talks about, 'that man.'"
...Is this a derogatory term or a tribute? I think I can finally ask my mother that question, but I still have two hundred elf history questions to do.
"In early winter, the dwarves were about my height, but they were much stronger than me. I struggled to carry 20 kilograms of luggage. Why can't we stay in one place for decades like the dwarves? Time is too short; I don't even have time to make friends."
"Deep winter, so cold! Why travel through the snow and ice instead of waiting for spring to start? Aunt Norrige said it was to temper my willpower, but I secretly asked my mother that night. She said that only in the biting cold can one know how weak those who indulge in spring are, and that what humanity needs to fight against is not just the small barriers between different races."
...I couldn't understand her, but I was deeply shocked. I realized my mother could talk on and on all night. Unfortunately, I got sleepy in the latter half of the night and didn't remember what she said. My mother's embrace was cold, but I still felt a little reluctant to leave.
Spring is here!!! The "Druidic tricks" the elves taught me can finally conjure flowers! My mother's icy expression seems to have melted a little. I knew it! Only after experiencing the biting cold can you appreciate how wonderful the warmth of spring is!
My mother says I'm a weak person, and I completely agree. At the elves' funeral, I burst into tears in front of everyone while listening to their singing, embarrassing my mother...
But thinking about it now, I still feel like crying. The elves take life and death for granted, but I'm happy to be alive and sad to die. I'm too weak. I'll never be a strong adult!
Summer, and it's my birthday again. My mother is saddened by the signs of decline of the alien race, but I immorally took the opportunity to hug her. She said that someone as weak as me could never participate in her struggle.
I waited a long time for my birthday present that night, but it never came until I fell asleep. However, I didn't cry because I had fought off mosquitoes for so long and was exhausted when I went to bed.
"Early autumn. It rained all night last night. This morning I realized that all the cicadas in the trees had fallen to the ground. Do they only have one season of life? Then they must be more saddened by death than I am!"
To comfort the cicadas, I sang them a lullaby. Forgive me, I don't know those fairy hymns; I can only wish them a home in the sea of stars.
"In late autumn, the city of Herod began to decline. The elves within the kingdom were dwindling, and some small dwarven fortresses were already deserted. The priceless collectibles that were praised last year were no longer valued. It seemed as if everyone had abandoned me and moved on on their own. How fast the world changes!"
"In early winter, my mother became thinner and more irritable. She would often be inexplicably worried and angry, to the point that she started to scold me frequently."
But I don't feel sad at this moment. My mother is still very powerful. She just finally showed her weakness in front of me. Those vanished alien races, whether they were my mother's ideals or toys, were very important to her.
Just as I didn't receive a birthday present that summer, my mother didn't receive the reward she deserved. Thinking this, I gently stroked her head. She looked surprised and cursed, but eventually fell asleep with her head on my lap. Before falling asleep, she was still saying that a child like me was really hard to understand.
Is it hard to understand? Perhaps. I was just thinking that when I'm sad, I'd definitely want someone to stroke my head and let me fall asleep in their arms.
"It's deep winter, so cold. My mother says that when people grow up, they stop feeling these trivial emotions. I think that's too difficult for me. When I'm happy, I really want to say 'I'm so happy,' and when I'm sad, I really want to say 'I'm so sad.' Growing up is indeed a very long process!"
["Summer, it's been a long time since I've recorded my thoughts. At eight years old, I seem even more oblivious than when I was six! That day I asked my mother why everyone else had a father but I didn't. She said my father was much more successful than her. I didn't understand what she meant, but seeing her cry made me realize she was sad. I'm such an idiot! Silver Moon, you must take better care of other people's feelings!"]
"It was still summer when my mother said goodbye to me in the ruins of the elf camp. I didn't try to stop her because she said that I was too weak to bear her sense of mission. Why do adults always have to be so persistent about things that are so illusory?"
My mother said that someone like me will definitely disappoint others in the future because my will is too weak and I don't have the determination to do something no matter what. Such a person does not deserve respect and praise.
This was the first time I felt a heart-wrenching sadness, as if my heart was being torn apart. My mother could never understand me. Her sense of mission was too lofty, while all I had was a shallow determination to make the people I loved happy no matter what.
At this moment, I believe that she, like this, will find a sliver of happiness on her journey away from her ideals—something I cannot give her. So, goodbye.
"In the depths of winter, having already received my advance salary, I bid farewell to Aunt Norrigi. This was the last time I would record these events. The necessary photographs had been taken, and this notebook now only contained my mother's unfinished mission. Coincidentally, there were still a few dwarves remaining in the tower in Silverpath Town, so I decided to hand this notebook over to them."
The dwarf tower's architecture and mechanisms are impressive. My hands, which were red from the cold outside, were warming up slightly in the tower's heating. They don't know when the tower will sink, but it will eventually be buried along with my notebook.
...I walked around the inside of the tower, hesitating to write down some thoughts, but the moment I picked up the pen, only one feeling remained in my mind.
The pen still retains the warmth from the outside air; it's so cold!
You flipped through Gin's childhood notebooks page by page, and upon reaching the end, you couldn't help but silently think to yourself, "I can totally picture Gin's (?-`) expression now!"
"Although it's about her when she was young, her personality seems exactly the same as it is now... But seeing these records of the past makes me even more curious about how she spent the long twenty years alone afterward..." You shook your head, put away the notebook, and reached into the cabinet again, pulling out the remaining odds and ends.
The remaining items in the cabinet appeared to be just some ordinary tools and a few ornaments. You didn't sense any magic element in them, so you guessed they were just low-value junk. However, you didn't know if any of them were things Silver Shul wanted, so you took them all.
Meanwhile, as the magic energy gradually stabilized after the monster flew away, you reconnected to the weak magic network. As the network reformed in the air, you suddenly felt an immense force crashing down towards the ground, instantly wiping out all the necromantic magic energy within the tower.
You took a deep breath, snapping out of your daze to find yourself drenched in cold sweat. You glanced at the oblivious Gan Gan and the slightly furrowed Jennifer, temporarily suppressing your complex emotions.
As you stepped out of the tower's gates, the words "Spacetime Balance: 95, Exploration Successfully Completed" appeared before you. You breathed a sigh of relief, reflecting on the exploration process. You guessed that this balance was related to the things you encountered. For example, when you encountered the Dwarf King last time, the balance instantly increased significantly, while this time you mainly relied on the Confucian scholar's ability to look up information, so it didn't exceed the limit.
The three of you and your dog returned to town. The townspeople had already come out of the Listening Wind Platform and started repairing the buildings. The miners, sensing that the wind was gradually calming down, were also pushing their carts back from the mine. You looked at the post-disaster scene and sighed, but then you paused, stunned, when you saw the hopeful expressions on the townspeople's faces.
"So, were those towers on the mountain built by some heroes? Please teach us how they were built!" the townspeople exclaimed. You scratched your head; you'd thought they'd simply enjoy the existing dwarven technology, but instead, they seemed interested in the underlying principles.
[But then you thought about how the townspeople had fought against the seasonal tornadoes for so many years with the strength of ordinary people, and it dawned on you. You composed yourself, picked up a piece of wall panel, sat down, and began explaining to the surrounding townspeople.]
That evening, you returned to the makeshift house, called your teammates out, and showed them the gifts you had received from the townspeople.
"Hey, stewed long-beaked demon bird meat! Hey, crispy pickled mountain wild rat tail! Hey, steamed flying malo paws!" You boasted as you pulled a bunch of dishes from the dimensional rift and placed them on the newly built stone table, shaking your head as you spoke:
"And some local specialties! Crispy bamboo shoots, peaches with jujube leaves, nut cakes, grapes from the holy city..."
Before you could finish speaking, you heard a gurgling chewing sound beside you. You paused, looked down at your dog who was frantically gnawing on a stewed bird leg, and immediately exclaimed, "Stop talking! Eat up! Don't let the dog steal it all!"
After a hearty meal and drinks, you lay together on the cleaned stone table, gazing at the unusually clear night sky, and began to chat aimlessly.
"...Actually, sometimes, Gan Gan also wants to learn forging." As they chatted, Gan Gan suddenly sighed and said:
"I originally had the idea of leaving home because my family drank and boasted every day. I didn't expect that all the boasts they made were true. I finally got a glimpse of the dwarves' past glory, but unfortunately, we can never go back..."
You scratched your head and said, "I do know a dwarf forger who's really skilled. I can introduce you to him when you get back to Lundia."
"Oh, really?" Gan Gan said with delight, "I'll add another entry to the 'Book of Hatred' for you right now..."
"There's really no need for that!" you couldn't help but mutter, sighing as you said leisurely, "Let's wait until you find the way to Lundia, lucky you."
It was late at night, and you all returned to your rooms. You walked into your room in the dark, muttering to yourself, "Jennifer, I really don't feel used to you not glowing..."
"You can't sleep even if you're glowing!" came Jennifer's slightly sarcastic voice from the bed. You chuckled, felt your way to the bedside along the wall, and just as you were about to speak, you felt a pair of warm little hands take your arm.
"Your hands are so warm, little knight," you chuckled, squeezing her hand. Suddenly, you felt your hand being grabbed, and then you were pulled under the covers. At the same time, Jennifer's teasing voice came from beside you; she said:
"It's warm in other places too... Feel it carefully!"
Your fingertips twitched unconsciously, then you took a deep breath, grinned, and pulled the covers up.
Jennifer, being a vessel of pure light, naturally possesses a pure and flawless body, brimming with vitality. However, tonight she is about to be defiled by an extremely evil demon—yes, you, Silver Demon.
[The so-called demons, Buddhas, and abysses—I've forgotten the beginning and the end—but anyway, the God of Light agreed. If Jennifer is to become a god in the future, then the future God of Light will also agree.]
Chapter 172 I have a slight doubt about whether you are really stronger than me.