Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 64 - 61 Mazao’s friend 4

Chapter 64: 61 Mazao’s friend 4

"Number Two really is Mazao’s friend!"

"Am I dreaming right now? Although this place indeed is a dream realm..."

Mazao would never imagine that I could actually contact her long-lost friend from the future. She probably never even thought to reach out. It’s not because she doesn’t care about her friends but because the idea itself is blind to her.

It’s just like the protagonists in web novels about rebirth who often don’t consider whether the world from their future would continue to exist or how it could develop after they’ve been reborn into the past. If you ask them if they want to talk to the people living in their original future, they might be intrigued; if not, they might not even have the idea. Even if they do think of it, they can’t seriously treat it as a realistic question.

I deliberately asked out loud, "Are you the little girl Mazao mentioned, the one who was paired up with her?"

Upon hearing this, Number Two first froze, then seemed to forget her sorrows, and said with surprise and joy, "Mr. Number Three, have you met Sister Mazao and even spoken to her?"

"Yes, I have met her." I carefully organized my thoughts while speaking, "Additionally, you have misunderstood something."

"What is it?" She hurriedly asked.

"I am not a person from the Doomsday Era." I said, "Like Number One and Number Four, I am from a time before the Doomsday Era."

She said with disbelief, "How is that possible? If you aren’t from the same era as Mazao and me, how could you have met Sister Mazao..."

"Perhaps you’ll find it hard to believe, but Mazao has traveled to our era..."

I recounted the events that had transpired between Mazao and me.

Needless to say, I embellished the details. I couldn’t outright say that I was an evildoer looking to use Mazao for my own desires; instead, I painted myself as a good Samaritan who couldn’t stand by and watch a "girl with a frail and tender body, alone in the darkness."

I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but recently I seem to be lying to everyone around me. Lying to Changan, lying to Mazao, and now even lying to a ten-year-old girl.

Upon reflection, the only person with whom I’ve had a sincere interaction lately is Zhu Shi, someone with whom I am not that close.

However, I am not lying out of malice now. I indeed plan to help Mazao. Especially after confirming concepts like "divine seal" and "Doomsday" from others, I truly developed a desire to explore the Doomsday.

More importantly, if Mazao knew I held a Divine Seal Fragment and even that I could contact Number Two through it, perhaps she wouldn’t leave me this time, and I wouldn’t need to keep finding ways to imprison her.

During my explanation, Number Two occasionally asked questions.

Her voice was innocent and childish, fitting for her age, but the angle of her questions was quite calm. Some seemed to hold a probing intent, to test whether I was fabricating lies to deceive her, especially regarding my relationship with Mazao.

Yes, in her mind, even if I had communicated with Mazao, we might not be friends. Perhaps I was Mazao’s enemy, and she had to ascertain my stance.

Her excitement and joy at thinking I was from the Doomsday Era might have included some acting.

Quite impressive for a child of her age; perhaps it was precocity brought on by the Doomsday environment. If such acting skills were combined with a child’s appearance, I might not even have noticed it. It was just unfortunate for her that she now appeared as a blurry shadow, allowing me to ponder her words more objectively.

After my narration was over, she fell into silence. I patiently gave her time to digest the information.

Perhaps she was feeling bitter. She had lost her name and faced the imminent doom of becoming a Sin Demon, while Mazao, her protector, had unexpectedly found herself in a peaceful world before the Doomsday era.

Here, there was no madness, no Sin Demons, and one could even enjoy delicious food and the various conveniences of modern society.

Often, what crushes a person is not stark poverty, but inequality.

Moments later, Number Two let out a breath, seemingly relieved, "So it’s like that. Sister Mazao really did go to the past..."

There was no resentment in her voice. Sometimes, there are such kind-hearted individuals, or perhaps it’s because a child’s mind isn’t so circuitous. Seeing the reaction of someone Mazao personally protected after learning of her whereabouts, for some reason, I felt somewhat happy.

Indeed, Number Two had forgotten even her own name, yet she held onto Mazao’s name dearly, showing her genuine affection.

At the same time, the details in Number Two’s words caught me by surprise.

"You said ’really’?" I didn’t overlook these words, "Did you know she would travel to the modern era?"

"It’s more of a feeling rather than knowledge..." She seemed to be recalling seriously, "I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten many things. I can’t even remember my own name now... I just remember that Sister Mazao’s journey to the past is connected to me, but... I really can’t recall why I have this thought."

"If I remember correctly, you got separated while fleeing from the Great Demon, right?" I asked. "Mazao took you on one final Space Transfer, and there was an ’accident’ during that transfer. As a result, Mazao’s spirit was transferred to the modern era, and what’s more, to a soul loss patient with the same appearance and name as herself... Are you saying that you caused this ’accident’?"

"I don’t remember clearly... I’m not lying, I really don’t remember." She shook her head.

"It seems like I need to help you regain your memory first... At least to recall your name," I pondered. "If I find Mazao, I should be able to ask her for the name you used to go by and then tell you... Would that work?"

"It’s possible," she seemed to have revived her will to survive as she made her request. "If conditions allow, Mr. Three... I hope you can do it quickly. I can only hold on for ten more days at most."

"Ten days, huh... I understand," I nodded. "But if I may be bold to say, looking at your current mental state, you don’t seem like someone who could turn into a monster after just ten more days?"

"Yes, it’s exactly as you suspect, I should be unable to communicate normally... Perhaps it’s thanks to being in this dream that I can break the rules and interact normally with others for the time being." She seemed puzzled by this herself but had no choice but to accept the situation. "Once I return to the real world, it becomes very difficult to maintain a clear consciousness."

"I see..." I accepted her explanation for the time being, then asked, "Speaking of which, why isn’t ’Number Two’ a good enough name? I’ve heard from Mazao that any name would do, even a temporary code name doesn’t matter. You were using a name given by Mazao rather than your real one when you were with her, right?"

"Yes, I used the name Sister Mazao had given me. And it’s because I still have the code name ’Number Two’ that I can hold on for another ten days," she said dejectedly. "But this name has no connection to my past memories. The Mist Dream Realm isn’t something I can enter every day, and if no one calls for me, I will still turn into a monster in the end..."

This was indeed a tricky problem. Regardless of whether I could find Mazao within ten days, even if I could, how could I ensure that I would be able to enter the Mist Dream Realm again within those ten days? From Number One’s tone, it seemed to be a random event.

My real time limit wasn’t even ten days, but five. That was the time Mazao and I had spent together, and also how long the effect of the Broom Star Physique she left me with would last after she left. After that, I would return to a state where I had nothing to do with the supernatural.

Number Two seemed to notice my stress and said in a childlike, gentle voice, "Mr. Three, don’t be so nervous. I’m all alone now, even if I retrieve my name, I won’t be able to survive long in the Doomsday Era. Perhaps after I turn into a monster, I could actually live a little longer."

"...It’s too early to give up now. I will find Mazao, and I will do everything in my power to save you," I said.

She just smiled, then asked, "By the way, Mr. Three, what do you think of Sister Mazao?"

"What do you mean?" I asked back.

"Sister Mazao brings calamity to those around her and consequently, she is shunned and loathed by countless people. Even her former companions drove her out of the team. She always pretends to be very strong in front of me, but in reality, she cries secretly when she thinks I’m asleep. I know it all too well," she spoke softly. "She was so good to me, but nobody has ever treated her that well. And then, Mr. Three, you appeared in front of her...

"Perhaps one day, you will feel that you can’t stay with her. It might be for your own safety or the safety of those around you. When that time comes, I hope..."

I interrupted her, "That day will never come."

She blinked her eyes.

"Next time, I won’t let her run away from me again," I said with absolute seriousness. "If she refuses to stay by my side no matter what, I’ll... I mean, I might have to employ some tricks to make sure she stays.

"No matter how the others curse her or consider her a harbinger of disaster, I will never see her like that. I swear.

"So don’t worry."

"Is that so? That’s good..."

She seemed to smile silently.

And unconsciously, the mist grew denser.

I could no longer see Number Two in front of me, and I gradually lost the sensation of my body. Layers of gray mist turned to darkness in my vision...

And then, I awoke in my own home.

I was back in the real world.

-

After awakening, I immediately set out to verify whether the Mist Dream Realm was real or not.

The Mist Dream Realm was undoubtedly a phenomenon formed by supernatural forces, but the strangeness of it didn’t necessarily mean that what happened inside was real. As a fundamental premise, I had to clarify this point.

The simplest way was to put into practice the information gained from the dream realm. I tried placing the black jade stone I carried with me at a distance, and then moved away from it. And just as Number One said, there really was a binding relationship between the black jade stone and its owner. Once a certain distance was achieved, the black jade stone automatically returned to my pocket.

The Mist Dream Realm was real, Number Two was real, I had really conversed with people from the Doomsday Era... Although the previous practice might not be sufficient evidence, I had emotionally come to believe these things.

Two days later, a clue to Mazao’s whereabouts finally appeared before me.

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