Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 238 - 224 The Distant Snow Season

Chapter 238: 224 The Distant Snow Season

Combining the information that the souls of all soul-loss patients have already died, I somewhat understand the uniqueness of Mazao.

If from the perspective of Mysticism, "falling into soul loss" could be equated with "death," then Mazao now, in the eyes of Luo Mountain, might be synonymous with "one who has died and been resurrected."

Currently, Luo Mountain is unlikely to be aware of Mazao’s Broom Star Physique, nor should he know Mazao’s soul is From the Apocalypse. In the eyes of the Impermanence, Mazao’s greatest uniqueness could very well be here. As for why "one who has died and been resurrected" is important, and why the Impermanence behind the Divine Spear plans to kill Mazao, that’s another question.

Regardless of whether the direction of my current contemplation is correct, the most important thing now is whether or not to accept Fa Zheng’s invitation.

First of all, although I cannot rule out the possibility of Fa Zheng harboring malice towards Mazao, he’s probably not the Impermanence behind the Divine Spear. This is the conclusion drawn from the clue provided by Lu Youxun.

Lu Youxun is a man with his own backbone, even if he abandons his dreams. Unlike other demon hunters who are likely under the threat of terror, he chose to obey the commands of the hidden manipulator by his own will and decided not to divulge any information related to the manipulator. The one capable of pushing him to such lengths could only be the Impermanence who stages for Extraordinaryism.

Moreover, our need for a safe period of time is an undeniable truth. At least until Mazao identifies the true identity of the hostile Impermanence, it’s inconvenient for us to always be in an easily targeted state. As long as we accept Fa Zheng’s invitation and go to his base, we should temporarily avoid being targeted. We can shift from a "foe hidden, I exposed" situation to a "foe hidden, I hidden" one and hope to soon switch to "foe exposed, I hidden." This is an ideal situation.

What’s even more crucial is that, during this safe period, I can also expedite my own power liberation. After all, we’re going to raid the Impermanence, and it would naturally be best to do so in the most perfect and peak condition.

Admittedly, Fa Zheng could be an enemy, but I still think this risk is worth taking—and it’s not just because I like to take risks.

The situation Mazao and I are in is inherently fraught with high latent risks; being preemptively attacked by the Impermanence at any moment wouldn’t be surprising. Furthermore, Mazao’s Broom Star Physique will definitely worsen our situation covertly; our later circumstances will only become more challenging. Any option that holds a slight chance of improvement is worth trying, even if it contains significant risks.

On the other hand, my interest in Fa Zheng, the Impermanence himself, is immense—in Yinyue’s "illusion," because "I" caused significant casualties among innocent people, I was branded as a "Fallen Demon Hunter." The one who made this verdict and ordered my capture and punishment was this very Fa Zheng.

And now, he actually sees potential in me and has extended an olive branch; this turn of fate is most unexpected. There’s a sense of "yesterday’s enemies becoming today’s friends" here. I don’t want to get involved in potential disputes among the Impermanence, but I honestly can’t refuse this kind of "dramatic development."

Thinking this, I first discussed it with Mazao, and after obtaining her agreement, I gave Mr. Zhu an affirmative response.

"Then, I will relay your words to Fa Zheng," Mr. Zhu nodded, "Regarding Changan’s matter, our side will also continue to progress the search for his soul’s whereabouts."

"Please do."

Before entering the Void Realm, I am temporarily powerless in this matter, so I can only leave it to Mr. Zhu.

"There is no need for such formalities—he is one of the Zhu family after all. Rather, I should apologize; my grandson has caused you trouble."

Mr. Zhu first bowed to me, then proceeded to inform me about the location of the base we were to visit, its general situation, and the specific details for subsequent liaison.

After finishing, he turned and left the room to continue with his tasks at hand.

And Zhu Shi stayed behind, tactfully reminding me about the potential harm lurking in Saltwater City might bring to the public before ending the call. I certainly would not oppose her. The reason why my relationship with Zhu Shi in Yinyue’s "illusion" became so hostile was precisely because I was always stubborn in this regard.

Lately, I seem to be constantly reminded of Yinyue’s "illusion"; perhaps those real and false experiences have impacted my heart more intensely than I thought.

"Right, the weather has been getting colder recently, make sure to buy Mazao a few more fall and winter outfits," Zhu Shi reminded me lastly. "Although both of you are not afraid of the cold, it would look too strange to walk around in summer clothes during this season."

"I get it. But... getting colder?" I honestly don’t feel that way.

"It might be that the temperature hasn’t started to drop where you are, but here in Saltwater City it’s already turning cool," Zhu Shi seemed a bit puzzled, "...come to think of it, it is a bit strange. The temperature in Saltwater City has been quite abnormal in recent years. It shouldn’t be cooling down so soon this year... Maybe this year we’ll finally get to see some snow."

Now that she mentioned it, I started to miss the snow too.

I remember as a child, every winter, Saltwater City would be covered in thick ice and snow. I might feel bad for the sanitation workers who had to shovel it, but I’ve always loved playing in the snow since I was young. But I don’t know when it started—seemingly since a certain year in middle school, it suddenly stopped snowing in Saltwater City. Not sure if it was due to the global warming, even winters became less cold.

I’ve only just left, and there are already signs that Saltwater City might see snow, much like the surprise when a school suddenly decides to renovate the campus not long after one has graduated.

After complaining to Zhu Shi in this way, she just laughed and said, "The base you’re heading to next is located in a northern province that’s quite cold in winter, right? It’s only going to be colder than Saltwater City now, and there will be even more snow accumulation in winter. Since you like snow so much, that place surely won’t disappoint you."

The call ended after that. I pulled my attention back from distant Saltwater City, went to complete the check-out procedures, and then followed Zhu Shi’s advice, taking Mazao to buy a few autumn and winter outfits.

Mazao had been trying to get to the bottom of what I truly thought of her. After I made that almost-confession-like "hint", she pretended as if nothing had happened. I also didn’t know how to continue that topic, and she tacitly didn’t bring it up again.

However, it certainly wasn’t something that never really happened. Her attitude now seemed a bit affected, occasionally glancing over at me. And when I looked back at her, she would quickly avert her eyes. To be honest, although I’ve told myself that deceiving the feelings of an innocent girl is disgraceful, seeing Mazao’s current reaction kindled in me an evil desire to relentlessly pursue.

And while I felt this temptation, I also felt a bit anxious.

Did I do something irreversible? Although I hardly read romance stories, I’ve still seen similar plots in other stories. Close friends of opposite genders, because one of them suddenly confesses, end up not even being able to remain friends.

Mazao also told me during the first few days we met that she was a bit suspicious that I might be a pervert who was after her body, and only relieved after realizing that wasn’t the case. This shows that although she usually doesn’t see herself as "a female that could be the object of male desire," she at least knows that there are people in this world who are attracted to little girls her age.

And at this point, I must bravely admit to myself. Although I hate to admit it, since I’m sexually aware of Mazao, it means that I might really have a perverted side.

Adding to that, I still have a few more things to say. Perhaps these personal thoughts might sound like excuses to others, but I am serious. Mazao is still immature in appearance and body, this is true; but walking with such a beautiful girl on a perilous journey, sharing meals and even a bed, entrusting our backs to each other, it’s hard as a man to imagine myself remaining indifferent.

Maybe I am a pervert for having a crush on Mazao, but if I truly kept my composure from the heart, it seems difficult to say how normal that would be in another sense.

Then back to the original topic. Even if I realize I have a perverted side, I would accept myself completely without hesitation, but how would Mazao see me then? After she realizes what kind of person I am, would she start to despise and loathe me?

Now, she occasionally sneaks glances at me and sensitively evades my gaze, which seems like it could be interpreted as either shy or in a more negative light. Maybe next she’ll suggest sleeping in separate beds or even ask me to keep a distance from her in the future. Maybe she is just trying to figure out how to broach the subject gently.

After finishing clothes shopping, Mazao and I left the store. The atmosphere was still a bit stiff, and I didn’t know what to say. The conversation while buying clothes was limited to a few exchanges, her tone not revealing any real emotion. It seems I need to find a way to break the ice in our chilly relationship before I worry about the winter snow I might not even encounter.

I should try finding a topic to talk about. It’s best if it’s about serious matters, so we can talk more naturally. Perhaps as we converse, the atmosphere will thaw... After racking my brains, I threw out a topic to Mazao.

"How’s the recovery of your soul going?" I asked.

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