Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 139 - 133 successfully enters 2

Chapter 139: 133 successfully enters 2

Mazao’s disinterest in life was certainly not a day or two’s symptom; from the very first day we recognized each other, she had expressed similar thoughts. Her lone wolf style was probably also a manifestation of this tendency.

As the saying goes, it takes more than a day’s cold to freeze a river three feet deep, and thawing it is not something one can simply do if one wishes. If it were a physical freeze, I would be able to thaw it instantly, yet the frozen heart is beyond my reach.

Is there a way to get her to cheer up?

I pondered this question very hard, while simultaneously saying, "We still don’t know if soul loss patients have truly traveled to the Doomsday Era. Even if they have, it’s unknown if people who die in the Doomsday Era continue to live in this era as vegetative beings. Don’t think too much about it now, just go and confirm the list of soul loss patients first."

Perhaps the bodies left in this era by soul loss patients who have traveled to the Doomsday Era will also perish—I didn’t voice this assumption based on assumptions. Overly negative speculations are not good for Mazao’s mental health.

Mazao nodded in tentative agreement, then said, "Also, about that Xuanwu thing..."

"You’re not trying to persuade me not to go after Xuanwu too, are you?" I asked.

"No, just like you told that old man, if they’re truly targeting Flame Ability Users, they will find you sooner or later. Besides, I really do need to heal my soul. You are my partner, so I won’t refuse your help, and I won’t refuse to help you in the future either," she continued half-mockingly mimicking what I had told Mr. Zhu, and then went on, "Only, I think that Xuanwu might be..."

"Attracted by you, right?" I said. "At a time when you need to heal your soul, the clue to Xuanwu, who can heal your soul, suddenly comes before us, bringing an item that could contact him, and even blatantly attached a background explanation that he is extremely hostile to Flame Ability Users... You want to say that this is also caused by your presence, a calamity that affects those around you, right?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Calamities, if they are not threatening, cannot be called calamities. Those past enemies were probably just wild beasts drawn by my Broom Star Physique, but this time it’s different. If there is a doomed fate on me, that fate has certainly made arrangements for you, even specifically targeting you...

"In other words, this matter is a ’calamity’ for you too, a true threat, a dire omen that could endanger your life. Zhuang Cheng, you are very powerful, but that Xuanwu is unlike anyone you’ve ever encountered. He might really be able to kill you."

I countered, "So what?"

"...Do you regret it?" she said uneasily. "Regret being with me..."

Are you that neurotic girlfriend who keeps asking for reassurance about your boyfriend’s feelings after you start dating? I couldn’t help but think this very impolite thought. Not just impolite, but also quite presumptuous.

"Mazao, answer me one question first," I said. "Last time you chose to leave me, but if I had shown the Divine Seal Fragment before that, would you still have left me?"

"That... I’m not sure." She hesitated. "Considering the Divine Seal Fragment cannot be separated from you, I might have left the fragment with you and left to be on my own; or I might have thought that staying with you would lead me to other Divine Seal Fragments, so I might have stayed by your side a bit longer to see."

"That’s about what I thought. Honestly, during the days you were gone, I regretted every day. How much better it would have been if I had been honest with you sooner?"

Actually, I wasn’t truly regretting it, because at that time I couldn’t possibly have shown the Divine Seal Fragment, I was very open about that, but now I continued to speak half-truths to her: "So... Mazao, if I ever really regret it one day, it definitely won’t be because I was with you, but because I did something that made you leave."

Practice makes perfect, and such smooth talk coming from the me before I met Mazao would undoubtedly have made me itch all over, but now I have developed an impervious thick skin. The speed of this evolution even my superpower cannot match.

"Zhuang Cheng..."

Mazao quickly lowered her head and turned away, not letting me see her face. Perhaps she was moved by my words... or perhaps she was cringing at my acting. I always tend to overdo it during such performances, it’s an old habit of mine.

As night fell.

Under my supervision, Mazao took her medication and rested at home, just like Mr. Zhu had said. The soul-healing medicine Mr. 您曾 Zhu gave us needed to be boiled like making a decoction, and using household pots and stoves was sufficient. The operation was simply following the instructions included, and if that was not possible, ingesting the ingredients directly was also not a problem. They called it ingredients, but they were essentially finished products; boiling them just made them easier to ingest and digest.

The post-boiling medicine looked like coffee-colored thick porridge. Out of curiosity, I dabbed a bit with my finger from the unwashed pot and tasted it, and it was incredibly bitter. It was probably as bitter as juicing tree roots. Although I understood the concept that good medicine tastes bitter, something this bitter couldn’t help but make one suspect that the soul of the taker might be harmed in other ways.

Yet Mazao, unflinchingly, scooped up the medicine in her bowl with a spoon, blew on it to cool it, and put it in her mouth. Once the medicine wasn’t so hot, she even poured it directly into her mouth. Was this the survivor style of the Doomsday Era? I immediately grew more respectful.

"How does it feel, is your soul recovering?" I asked with concern.

"Hmm..." she closed her eyes to sense, "The effects of the medicine haven’t started yet, so it shouldn’t be so quick."

"Be careful not to let the blessing power cancel out the effects of the medicine," I reminded.

"I know."

As she spoke, she let out a tiny yawn.

It wasn’t even eight o’clock in the evening yet, and she was already feeling sleepy. Perhaps her soul was still not in good shape? I suggested she go to sleep first, but she shook her head and said, "You’re not sleepy yet, are you? I want to sleep with you."

"You mean we’re going to hold hands while sleeping tonight?" I asked.

"Yes!" she nodded vigorously.

It seemed that before successfully entering the Mist Dream Realm, she planned to hold hands with me every night.

I had already copied the list of soul loss patients from the USB drive to the tablet. She sat on the sofa, unfamiliar and slow, and inspected the data with extra care. By around ten o’clock, the progress seemed to be minimal, and she was already nodding off like a sleepy bug. To prevent the blessing power from inadvertently dispersing the effects of the soul healing medication, she hadn’t reset her state even once.

I helped her up and slowly walked around, and she was like a child duped and drugged by the Evil Master, hazily led by me into the room, then allowed me to arrange her on the bed.

Upon reflection, I was indeed an adult and indeed had repeatedly deceived this child and given her suspicious drugs that were definitely not registered with the drug administration. I’d even brought her to my bed, about to share it with her... From a societal standpoint, wasn’t I engaged in something quite outrageous?

I switched off the room lights. She slightly turned her body in the darkness, and glanced at me hazily, then extended her hand and mumbled, "Hold hands..."

I silently took out the Divine Seal Fragment, then held her hand and lay down beside her. Naturally, I didn’t take off my clothes or pants. It seemed instinctual when she snuggled closer to me, settling down like a cat that had found a warm, comfortable spot.

"Good night," I said.

-

Tonight was a special day.

Of course, every day since meeting Mazao was special to me, and tonight was particularly so. Perseverance pays off, and although our last attempt to enter the Mist Dream Realm had failed, this time we finally succeeded.

Perhaps calling it "success" might be self-flattering, as the fact that Mazao and I were sharing a bed likely had nothing to do with this success. It was just luck, or perhaps it followed some pattern that I was yet unaware of. Whatever the reason, I had finally entered the Mist Dream Realm.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in an endless expanse of grey mist. There was no ground underfoot, just layers upon layers of grey mist, and it was unclear why I could stand. Walking felt like walking on a sandy beach.

As usual, it was hard to discern the boundary of entering the Mist Dream Realm, but then again, who can pinpoint the exact moment they fall asleep? It felt as though I had been walking in the mist for a long time, only just realizing it.

I finally made it!

With that realization, I momentarily stopped and looked around. Not to mention Mazao, there wasn’t even a silhouette of anyone else. Perhaps Mazao’s hopes were dashed; indeed, those not bound to the Divine Seal Fragment couldn’t enter the Mist Dream Realm, or maybe she was wandering in another part of the mist?

Regardless, as long as one of us could enter the Mist Dream Realm, it was enough. Next, I would go to the location with the eight stone chairs, and there, find the second small bowl to deliver the forgotten name.

Thus, I could finally complete my mission.

Thinking of how joyful Mazao would be at that moment, my heart seemed to leap with anticipation, unable to resist looking forward.

I continued deeper into the mist.

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