Xyrin Empire
Chapter 337 - Chapter 337 Chapter 337 Recognition

Chapter 337: Chapter 337 Recognition Chapter 337: Chapter 337 Recognition What should a bar look like?

Dim, flickering lights, men and women wildly partying, chaotic, noisy music, and all sorts of discordant elements hidden underneath. Although it might be a bit of an exaggeration, a significant number of bars indeed look like this. Even if that’s not always the case, surely it couldn’t be a place filled with brilliant sunshine and light music, a retreat from the world, right?

So, the Red Brick Wall, which once overflowed with artistic ambience and tasteful living, went out of business — that soy-sauce-passing old owner really should have started a cafe instead.

After a half-hour of frenzied effort by the Twin Sisters, the small flower shop had completely reverted to its former appearance. I had come to understand what a “stylish cafe-style bar” was supposed to look like. Although its overall layout resembled that of a typical bar, this bizarre place didn’t even have a dance floor. Instead, it was filled with bright lights and sunlit floor-to-ceiling windows. The interior’s color scheme was light and simple, sky blue, looking entirely like a product of a bar and coffee house crossbreeding. Its former owner’s body clearly had been severely fermented by artistic microbes, resulting in this originally creative spot becoming such an indecorous place. Perhaps with the development of culture, such styled bars might find their niche, but clearly, it had been born too early, and it certainly should not have been located in a rapidly developing and restless city like K.

No wonder they say artists often starve. Don’t believe those slick-haired, shiny-shoed, sleek artists on television now, wearing not a single patch yet daring to call themselves artists!

I kept muttering inwardly such criticisms, entirely due to the atmosphere awkwardly falling silent.

Everything was staged exactly as planned. A few acting-skilled Imperial Officers disguised as scattered groups of patrons in the bar, quietly discussing their affairs amidst the swirling light music. Occasionally, a couple of waiters, dressed in service uniforms, would pass by with trays, drifting past us with sugarily sweet smiles, the whole scene exuding a genuine harmony, perfectly recreating the scene described by Lilina about their last meeting in this bar — if it had always had so few customers, I could have switched to run a mahjong parlor long ago!

No wonder Lilina and Xiao Ling dared to hang out in the bar dressed as Loli. Looking at this place’s atmosphere, I bet someone would feel safe tossing any kid in here!

The Twins had done their job well, but the two main characters before me had both fallen silent. Xiao Ling was clearly reliving some unforgettable memories, while Lilina seemed unsure how to start the conversation.

As an “outsider,” it was clearly not my place to speak up at this time. Pandora was so introverted it was as if not even the Five Thunders could make her speak. The remaining Visca… she had fallen asleep on the table…

Liu Fan could be said to be the only truly uninformed outsider present, seeing such a situation naturally filled him with endless doubts. He first looked around, marveling at how such a disharmonious bar could survive, then asked in confusion, “Eh? Why isn’t anyone talking?”

“Cough cough,” seeing the awkward atmosphere had taken shape, I finally couldn’t help but cough and then said to Xiao Ling, “The atmosphere here is really quite nice.”

“Yeah, this is a rare bar suitable for students…” Suddenly interrupted, Xiao Ling replied somewhat flusteredly, her surroundings were all too familiar, identical to that day, even including the couple arguing softly by the window… How could such a scene appear again!

Of course, she didn’t know that everything before her had been staged based on the memory scenes shared by Lilina. The human soul is a truly strange thing. Although Lilina herself didn’t remember such details, her soul had faithfully recorded everything that happened. With the efforts of nanobots and a group of acting-skilled Imperial Officers (although I soon began to doubt whether these guys really had any acting skills), I could guarantee that even a fly passing by here was the same size as in those days!

Seeing Pandora also almost falling asleep amid the repetitive light music, I still couldn’t help but break the silence: “I heard you have an older sister?”

Xiao Ling had just picked up the cup in front of her, and before she could swallow her drink, she choked on it, then looked at me with a surprised expression. She wasn’t surprised that I knew such a thing, nor did she consider her missing sister a secret. Given our ‘divine’ identities, she probably wouldn’t be surprised by any secret I revealed. What really astonished Xiao Ling was why I would bring up such a topic at this time.

And especially in this bar.

She clearly remembered that this bar had closed down and had been turned into a flower shop, having visited it once or twice after its opening. The pair of identical-looking Twin Sisters store owners had left a deep impression on her. Oh, of course, their utter neglect of customer service, leaving her hanging for over half an hour, was equally memorable…

But now, how could this bar, which should have disappeared, reappear with exactly the same interior?

“Could this all be a dream?”

Xiao Ling took several seconds to process my question before he finally answered, “Ah, yes, I do have a sister… but she has been missing without a trace for three years now.”

“Missing without a trace?”

Did she think her sister had merely disappeared?

But Xiao Ling showed a sorrowful expression and slightly shook his head, “Maybe it’s just wishful thinking that she’s merely missing. Most people say she’s already dead. I’ve seen her suicide note, and there were even eyewitnesses that night… But I really can’t believe that she just died like that. They never found her body; how can they say she’s dead! My sister… my sister is just missing!”

Look what you’ve done, I silently glanced at Lilina, conveying the above message. This time, she didn’t respond with her usual sharp tongue but simply bowed her head, her eyes reddening.

Damn it, I’m just too kind!

With a half-joking tone, I tried to suggest, “Maybe your sister got transported to another world that day…”

“How dare you joke about her like that!” Unexpectedly, Xiao Ling reacted vehemently, “Though I’m grateful for your help towards me and Liu Fan, I’d still prefer you not to joke about my sister in such a manner!”

I paused for a moment, then slowly revealed a mysterious smile, “You think the idea of being transported is a joke?”

Xiao Ling looked perplexed, a hint of unrecognizable anticipation lurking in her eyes.

“I admit, to most ordinary people, the idea of being transported sounds utterly ridiculous, even something to curse someone with,” I slowly sipped the drink before me, quickly organizing my thoughts–man, if only Dingdang were here. That little thing should know all the rules and regulations inside out. “But to us, every transportation incident should be taken seriously and recorded properly.”

Lilina’s spiritual connection conveyed reluctantly, “Alright, alright, you’ve started rambling…”

Hearing my sudden bizarre words, Xiao Ling’s expression immediately changed, a mix of confusion and a trace of hope, but she was too nervous to say more, fearing such hope was merely her wishful thinking.

“How can I put this,” I scratched my head, “you know our identity is a bit special, so you might accept that Otherworlds really exist. Simply put, we found your sister in one of those Otherworlds… but…”

Before I could finish, Xiao Ling had already stood up in agitation, her movements so big that she knocked over plates and cups on the table. Across the round table, her face practically up against mine, she almost yelled, “Are you telling the truth?”

“Stay calm, stay calm,” I gestured for Xiao Ling to sit back down, “I still have a ‘but’ to say.”

“But… what?”

Xiao Ling asked cautiously, as if fearing her question would reveal an unbearable truth. At this moment, the underperformance of those Imperial Soldiers around became evident: such a commotion is happening here, and none of you are even paying attention! What’s with the robotic movements? And that one wiping the dishes, I recall Lilina’s memory of such an attendant, but if you keep wiping like that, you’ll erase the plate, you fool!

After mentally complaining for a while, I finally organized my words and said, “Traveling through space is risky–you must not get agitated. I’m not saying your sister has encountered misfortune, but rather… her body was destroyed during the transfer, only her soul was preserved. After we brought her back, we created a new body for her, and she now has a new identity, so you might not recognize her immediately. However, I can swear on the entire integrity of the Life Goddess Chief Priestess, it is definitely your sister!”

“Bang!”

Under the table, a Fake Lolita kicked me solidly. Are you really that unsure of your own integrity?

“It’s okay! I don’t care what my sister has become, I just want her to be alive, even if we can never meet again!”

“Then, you should recognize each other…” I instantly showed a relieved smile, then spread my hands, “My task is completed.”

“Huh?”

Xiao Ling, who was waiting for me to continue, suddenly froze, then next to her, Lilina lowered her head and spoke, “Aling, it’s me…”

Xiao Ling hesitantly turned her head towards Lilina, looking at the girl who seemed even younger than Pandora with incredulous eyes. Her mind seemed slow to catch up.

Once again, Lilina spoke with a louder and more determined tone than before, “Aling, I’m your big sister!”

“This…” Xiao Ling turned her gaze towards me, her expression extremely complex, “This joke really isn’t funny. Perhaps you mean well, but… a sister cannot be replaced…”

Indeed, if I suddenly encountered such a situation myself, I wouldn’t believe that Big Sister could become an eleven-and-a-half-year-old Little Loli to meet me–although that version of Big Sister might also be quite adorable… cough, sin, sin.

“It’s not a joke,” facing Xiao Ling’s skepticism, Lilina suddenly became anxious. The high-IQ psychologist now seemed at a loss, “I really am your sister, Aling, don’t you remember? This is the last place we met as sisters. Everything around us now is exactly the same as it was back then, including the drink in front of you that I ordered for you that day, and those couples over there who are still arguing, repeating the same lines over and over again, which is really stupid…”

That last line was too comedic, you idiot! The face of the Imperial Soldier was completely lost, damn it!

But despite the changes in expression, Xiao Ling never managed to call out “sister.” When something she had imagined countless times suddenly became reality, many people lose even the courage to reach out and touch it. Xiao Ling was in this situation now, half-convinced by her subconscious, afraid that it was all a dream, afraid that everything would shatter the moment she spoke, afraid of the cruel disappointment that might follow a great hope, so she was still hesitating.

Good thing we had anticipated this situation.

I subtly turned my head, and a translucent arm suddenly reached out from the wooden floor, giving me an OK gesture–Anwina really missed out on her calling for not starring in The Ring, a real loss for the film industry!

With a certain signal passed, the “customers” and “waitstaff” in the small bar quietly left. A misfortunate plate, already polished thin as a cicada wing, finally escaped the fate of being completely eroded into metallic dust. The bar, already being quiet, quickly became completely silent, and the light background music that had successfully hypnotized Visca and Pandora into sleep also vanished as if an illusion.

Then, the lights around us gradually dimmed.

Xiao Ling naturally noticed the change in the atmosphere, but having already experienced even stranger anomalies, she didn’t panic; instead, she looked around curiously.

“””

When the surrounding light finally dimmed enough for Zhenzi to appear without any incongruity, Lilina suddenly shuddered, and then a faint blue-white halo emanated from her body.

Xiao Ling’s mouth hung open as he stared dumbfounded at the halo emerging from Lilina, gradually forming a vague human figure, while tears silently slid down her cheeks, turning into a soft sob.

“Sister… Sister…”

They ultimately had to resort to this method, he thought. Hopefully, Lilina wouldn’t suffer any psychological shadows later. Being possessed by a ghost was not just a simple shudder; the sensation of one’s mind being abruptly swept over by another icy soul still haunted Medusa — speaking of Medusa, was it time to kick that freeloader out of Shadow City who’s been mooching off everyone?

With her “sister’s” soul appearing before her, Xiao Ling had no more doubts. At this moment, the sisters, who had finally — well, to be honest, Xiao Ling hadn’t gone through much hardship seeing her sister — finally reunited, they cried huddled together. Strictly speaking, it was Xiao Ling who turned into a sobbing mess, while her “sister” gave me a look that screamed for help.

“A reincarnated soul being exposed too long outside isn’t good.” Seeing that Xiao Ling was about to look up and blow their cover, I quickly found a way for the poor actor, Anwina, to step down. The ghost maid immediately transformed into a beam of white light and re-entered Lilina’s body, then glided down the table leg back to the floor, and Lilina conveniently “woke up” just in time for the two “persons” to amalgamate seamlessly.

I sent out a joyful announcement to every spectator paying attention to this event via full-spectrum spiritual connection: “Congratulations, a perfect success.”

While Lilina was busy talking to her sister, she didn’t forget to throw a jab at me, saying, “You dare to call it a perfect success, look at the quality of extras you’ve picked! All the flawed cuts could have blown the cover if my naive sister hadn’t been so unbothered…. Anyway, considering the huge favor you made and that the actors did no real harm, I’ll let you off the hook this time…. Also… I owe you one…”

What a tricky guy!

The scene in front of me was truly full of humor: a girl obviously old enough to be a high school student held a little lass who looked no more than eleven, each of them calling the other sister, with the younger one reassuring the older like a little adult, both seeming as if they were playing each other’s roles…

“Liu Fan, wake up!”

I waved my hand in front of a somewhat dazed Liu Fan and then proceeded to wake up Visca and the Pandora sisters, who were knocked out cold, leading the three backstage at the bar to give space to the sisters who had finally met again after so long.

Upon seeing us, the Imperial Officers, who had been acting as extras, immediately gathered around, each starting to boast about the effort they put into today’s practice and how long they rehearsed — they only had half an hour’s notice, what practice did these hilarious guys even do!

Sandora, who had been hiding backstage managing to disperse passersby, snorted coldly. After silencing the idle group of officers, she approached with a look of wanting praise — but seeing the cream she hadn’t yet wiped from her mouth corners, I knew what she had been up to backstage!

“Brother Chen, thank you,” Liu Fan finally grasped what had happened amidst the buzz of the over-energetic Imperial Officers, bowing deeply to me with a sincere expression, “Really…”

“Alright, alright, are you planning to leave now?”

Before Liu Fan could utter a word, a stubborn voice from Lilina suddenly rang through the fresh flowers stacked beside us, “My sister stays, that loser can scram!”

“Young man, you still have a long path ahead,” seeing Liu Fan’s petrified expression, a big man in black who had somehow slipped in placed a reassuring hand on Liu Fan’s shoulder, his voice as grave as one of the extras who hoped to retire home and marry but was killed in the first scene, “Take this, brave young man, may it restore your faith to move forward and guide your future path… Ah!”

As Pandora kicked the rogue dressed in black right into the wall without hesitation, we all broke into a sweat — what a miraculously tenacious guy!

Crunching the pirated CDs that Sicaro dropped on the ground, I resisted the urge to kick him again before pulling him out from the wall: “Sicaro, is everything sorted now?” (To be continued. If you wish to find out what happens next, please visit www.NovelFire.net. More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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