Welcome to Rewind World Game
Chapter 349 - 346: "Su Rin, Have a Smooth Journey

Chapter 349: Chapter 346: "Su Rin, Have a Smooth Journey

"They are just people who rot within themselves," the man glanced at him, "There are always those who are accustomed to indulging in fleeting and direct pleasures, yet despise actions that require long-term persistence—Mo Yan, what do you think will become of those casual players who have points but no strength after the world game ends?"

Mo Yan’s footsteps paused.

"I don’t know," he shook his head, "I don’t know."

He quickened his pace, head down, suddenly colliding with a patient in a rush.

The patient lifted their head, locking eyes with him.

This patient’s cheeks were gaunt, their complexion pale, and the eyes bore heavy bloodshot veins; the lips were cracked from excessive dryness, the cheekbones protruding sharply, the entire person resembling a wilting, rotting yellow leaf.

Seeing him, the patient’s stiff gaze seemed to flicker with some response, the dark circles of their eyes moved slightly, then they began to breathe rapidly.

"...Save me," she said.

Those soulless eyes didn’t focus on his face, but rather seemed to look past him, at something behind him.

...Perhaps at the equally vacant-eyed patients in the hall or at the crowd, churning like a bubbling porridge.

She seemed to be trying to grab his sleeve or lean on him, but in the end, she stopped, calling out.

[Save me].

...

This was an adventurer player addicted to instances.

Having no family or friends, she had ended up here of her own volition, as though stuck in a mire she couldn’t escape from.

She could not heal herself, could not recover.

She couldn’t break out of this sickly white vicious circle.

Mo Yan watched the stranger’s hopeless eyes, saw her instinctively clench her hands, saw her drifting gaze as if she saw another world beyond him.

Shriveled, soulless, as if devoid of a soul.

He felt as if he was seeing a pale, blank sheet of paper.

"...But some people have already rotted prematurely," said Mo Yan, "before the dawn."

"Who?" the man asked.

"The ones you see," Mo Yan shifted his gaze, as if piercing through the hospital’s white walls to the not-so-distant square fountain, seeing the happy couples there:

"...And the ones I see."

...

"Welcome back."

The dignified and elegant princess, as if already aware of Su Ming’an’s arrival, waited at the door.

Su Ming’an’s attention was still on the portrait on the wall.

This painting depicted a believer releasing doves in front of a burning church.

The scene reminded him of a story that Su Rin had told in the Memory Stone.

...

[It is said that three hundred years ago, the priest Vandilun released doves just before the church burned down.]

[He did not hide or flee from the fire but sang loudly instead, claiming he had already rushed toward Heaven with the doves, attaining ultimate freedom.]

[He said his soul had gone to Heaven like the doves, leaving behind only the shell congealed by the world.]

[He was a soul imprisoned by the world, and Heaven was the fervent land that welcomed such noble spirits.]

...

Su Rin had told this story while in the Yate Empire.

But now, Su Ming’an in the Pulaya Royal Family saw such a painting that matched the story’s content closely.

...Had Su Rin told a similar story to the princess of the royal family before him?

Su Ming’an noticed that the Pope had not teleported with them.

Outside the door stood the Princess, with two maids, their heads bowed so low that their bangs completely covered their eyes, rendering their faces unrecognizable.

"It’s been a while since I left," Su Ming’an said. "The situation in Pulaya doesn’t seem to have changed much."

"Yes..." The Princess pondered for a moment, "It must have been several years."

...Several years?

Su Ming’an realized that the Princess’s information differed from what he knew—apparently, Su Rin had come down from Yun Shang City not just once.

"The night is deep, and it’s not a good time for reminiscing," the Princess looked at him. "Su Rin, let’s get you back to your room and we can talk more tomorrow, shall we?"

"Okay." Su Ming’an didn’t linger either, as he now just wanted to get through the night level.

After escorting Su Ming’an to his room, the Princess left.

Su Ming’an searched the room thoroughly but found no new clues.

He approached the large bed and lay down upon it.

Today was the crucial third level of the game, and he had to obtain the key skill to control the barrier...

"..."

Su Ming’an lay down on the bed.

Nothing happened.

He lay on the soft bed, gazing up at the canopy and ceiling, feeling that something was amiss.

He suspected that his posture might not have been correct, so he got up and lay down again—

Still, nothing happened.

Su Ming’an suddenly sat up on the bed.

He glanced at the system time—it was now December 24th at 3 a.m.

He guessed that it might be because it was too late for players to complete the third level’s progression, which prevented players from entering the night level.

It would probably wait until the following night, after he touched the bed again, to start the third level.

After pondering for a moment, he decided not to revert his progress.

Even if he went back once, he wouldn’t choose to avoid this S-rank mission; the current S-rank mission had indeed pushed forward his Perfect Completion Progress.

The Princess seemed to be someone he could communicate with effectively. Unlike the Pope, she did not have the ability to communicate with deities. Since the game mechanics wouldn’t let him enter the night level, it wouldn’t place him in mortal danger either; there was no need to avoid her.

He sat on the bed and took out the second Memory Stone of Su Rin.

Now was the best time to view this segment of memories.

The red light shattered, and the scene before his eyes began to shift...

...

Before him stretched a blue sky and sea.

In the bustling port, masts stood tall and ships were moored closely, with houses on the island strung together in a continuous chain. People swarmed the streets like ants.

On the dock, people carrying large and small bags gathered—old and young, men and women—all in line, advancing towards a buzzing airship.

"Beep—beep—"

In the slightly foggy air, the harbor’s neon-like lights twinkled on the water surface, with seagulls gliding over the top of the airship and casting small shadows as they landed.

"—We ask all residents to maintain order, avoid pushing, crowding, and board the airship in an orderly fashion—"

Such announcements echoed throughout the dock, as the stream of people boarded the airship along the gangway like ants.

Beneath the airship, passengers carrying luggage said farewell to their families with embraces, while Soul Hunts in uniforms adorned with silver stars inspected the coming and going residents.

"—We ask all residents to maintain order, strictly adhere to farewell times, cooperate with Soul Hunt inspections, and board the Yun Shang City airship in an orderly manner—"

Crew members holding megaphones shouted loudly, urging everyone to keep order.

Between the harbors, men carrying cloth bags, children running, elders leaning on canes... People of all walks of life listened to the crew’s instructions, walking upward along a black line, like a flowing stream of black water.

Not far from the harbor, in a tavern, Su Ming’an witnessed such a scene.

He was looking through the eyes of Su Rin, through the window of the tavern, at the vista before him.

"...Su Rin, Su Rin!"

Cries came from beside him, along with a somewhat hearty slap on the shoulder.

"—Su the great engineer! Snap out of it!"

Su Rin was jolted by the slap and turned his head to look at the people seated with him at a long table.

At this table sat many people who looked distinguished by their status. There were Soul Hunters in uniforms adorned with golden badges, knights in golden armor, noble ladies in silk robes... and the bald man in a technician’s uniform who had just firmly slapped him.

Seeing him turn his head, the dark-skinned bald man revealed a hearty smile, his pearly white teeth nearly gleaming.

"Su the great engineer, were you looking at your precious airship?" the big man glanced outside, "Today is ’Embarkation Day,’ and that’s our blood, sweat, and tears right there..."

"People start boarding at dawn, and we set off in the evening. Looks like we’ll have to keep an eye on it for a long time in the future. Su the great engineer, you can’t just focus on your beloved and ignore us, the time we have left together." A braided woman next to him said with a chuckle.

Su Rin looked at these people with a smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

"I shouldn’t always be looking at it," he said.

The aroma of roasted meat wafted through the air, along with a strong scent of alcohol.

Only then did Su Ming’an, viewing through Su Rin’s eyes, realize—this was the barbecue restaurant Sherrod had once taken him to.

But upon a closer examination, he noticed some differences in the place. While the location was the same, the decor and layout were slightly different; the restaurant seemed much newer, like it had just opened, whereas the one he had visited clearly had several decades of history.

Taking into account what he had heard before.

This was... the day the airship ascended to Yun Shang City, which meant this was over sixty years ago in Pulaya.

People around were feasting on the barbecued meat, but the knife and fork in front of Su Rin remained untouched.

"... Aren’t you really going to board the ship?" he asked.

Hearing his words, the previously jovial people set down their utensils.

"Me? I guess I won’t go up. I have the old and the young to look after in Pulaya, and the Royal Family has decreed that children under twelve can’t go. I’ll stay home and take care of Qing. Without her mother, my mom can’t look after anyone," said a man wearing a horned hat, gulping down his drink.

"Such pleasures are better left to you heroes. I only contributed some money, didn’t take part in making the airship, didn’t do much, won’t take up a spot." The noble lady smiled gracefully.

"The Soul Hunters still need me," said the Jin Xing uniformed Soul Hunter concisely.

Su Rin looked down slightly, seeming a bit disheartened.

"Bang!"

A loud noise occurred, and Su Rin’s body jerked to the side.

The bald man beside him revealed a row of teeth, his laughter thunderous, heard throughout the tavern.

It was indeed fortuitous that today was ’Embarkation Day,’ with everyone either boarding or saying farewell, so there weren’t many other patrons.

"Su Rin, pay no mind to them," the bald man beamed, showing his teeth, "You’ve got me, your right-hand man known as ’General of the Waves.’ Once you’re up there, just order me around as you please; this is an opportunity others can only dream of."

He raised his cup to Su Rin, "Come on! Drink up with me, brother. We’re bound to spend more time together!"

Hearing this, Su Rin chuckled, "Gerry, you must be drunk already."

"Wha, what do you mean!" the bald man’s face turned bright red, yet he remained defiant, "Just, just this much spirits..."

"Give it a rest," a dark-skinned woman in a technician’s uniform interjected, "If you weren’t drunk, would you not know that Su Rin can’t drink? Look at you, getting drunk on the day of embarkation. Even if there are Sobering Leaves, it’s still improper..."

"Clang—"

The bald man put down his cup.

His face flushed red, his eyes showing tinges of pain.

"... Getting drunk so you don’t have to feel sad," he said, "Each and every one of you, picking a tavern for a farewell... isn’t it just to get yourself drunk?"

The already subdued atmosphere quieted even further with his words.

The thick sunlight of the approaching dusk spilled through the window, while the fresh sea breeze gently filled the room.

Su Rin said nothing, his hand resting on the cutlery, his expression calm.

The noise of the crowd, the whistle of the steamboats, every sound reached his ears. From afar, the towering Tower tolled the hour, and he suddenly stood up.

"...We will meet again," he said.

People looked at him, heads raised as if instinctively looking up to a leader.

Su Rin’s hands braced on the tabletop, he gazed at the people looking at him.

"The ’Yun Shang’ has had all its data tweaked to perfection, and has gone through preliminary tests, it will surely reach the city in the heavens safely. Trust us... trust in us, the half that will ascend, to earn the recognition of Yun Shang City and to avert this terrible disaster.

"When that time comes—I will bring everyone’s loved ones, friends, back home safe and sound. Whether they are someone’s children, someone’s father, someone’s wife.

"The people of Pulaya have joined hands to overcome this cataclysmic disaster, our honor will be eternally passed down.

"This isn’t a farewell of life and death, merely a send-off for a long journey.

"Don’t be disappointed about the future, don’t get down about the goodbyes, this isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning of another meeting."

He returned the unused cutlery in his hand to its place, picked up the toolbox from under the table:

"I need to do one last check."

He walked out from the seat beside, waving to the people:

"Anna, Walker, Lin Ling, Luo Chen, Geese, Huang Xu, Hokuto...

"I remember each and every one of your wishes, I will bring back the gifts you desire.

"Please believe in those of us ascending to Yun Shang City—we will surely meet again," he said.

"..." The lady of high society smiled and raised her wine glass, "Su Rin, may you have a smooth journey."

At her words, the silence immediately broke.

The man in the horned cap raised his glass, laughing heartily:

"Engineer Su, my and Xiao Qing’s livelihoods are in your hands!" His laughter was extremely hearty.

"Exactly! What kind of farewell is this? Just a momentary separation, after the storm calms, when you come down, we’ll still drink here... oh, except for you Su Rin, you need to work on your tolerance. Allergic to alcohol, what kind of problem is that?"

"Su Rin! You must draw how the residents of Yun Shang City look like, I want to see what kind of people live in the heavens!"

"Engineer Su, please take good care of this fellow Ge Li, he’s rough-skinned and meaty, though he’s resilient, don’t get too serious, he’s just a bit foolish, won’t do any harm..."

"Geese, why are you calling me dumb, are you asking for a fight—"

Amidst the laughter and teasing, the gloom that was initially there was swept away.

Su Rin lifted an empty wine glass that was beside him, a smile playing on his lips.

"To the tomorrow of Pulaya," he said.

"—To the tomorrow of Pulaya!" People laughed out loud.

Glasses clinked together, the clear wine splashed, and the laughter of the people blended with the noisy sea breeze.

Su Rin symbolically lifted the empty glass in his hand, then stepped into the golden light of the twilight to the loud farewells of the people, and never looked back.

With his back to the companions and colleagues he had been with day and night, he walked towards the direction of the Airship.

The sound of the waves was like drums; the whistle was like thunder.

The setting sun cast upon him, his shoulders glowing as red as flames.

...

Su Ming’an watched this scene, somewhat surprised.

It seemed that the Su Rin of sixty years ago didn’t carry the same illness as the Su Rin of later years.

...Right now, he was the epitome of a heroic figure.