bookbashuk Chapter 826: The Second Reincarnation (6)
Chapter 826: The Second Reincarnation (6)
The long-forgotten memories slowly resurfaced in my mind like a tide, as clear as if they happened yesterday.
After receiving all the information in the canned knowledge, everyone finally opened their eyes, with realization and shock flashing in their eyes.
Paimon took a sharp breath and exclaimed, "W-What... is going on?!"
"It's memory."
Ying gently stroked her forehead, carefully sorting out the fragments that poured into her mind like a galaxy, her voice trembling slightly:
"These...are all our own experiences—the memories of the Flower Goddess' Birthday Festival, which keeps repeating."
Jiuqi Shinobu calmly recalled for a moment and said in a deep voice: "About twenty times."
Arataki Ichito opened his eyes wide and shouted in disbelief:
"So, for us, this is already the twentieth birthday of the Flower God?!"
【These are all silhouette memories of the Flower Goddess’ Birthday Festival.】
【I feel really sad. This journey has not been easy.】
[So this is only the 20th cycle?]
【August that never ends.】
[A certain magical girl is calling herself an expert. ]
“Start the day over again.”
[Twentieth Flower God Birthday Festival, it turns out it's already been 20 days. Is the update already halfway through?]
When I saw the candy selection earlier, I thought I'd go through a lot of cycles, but it turns out it's only 20.
Jiuqi Shinobu nodded in confirmation: "Although the principle behind it is still unclear, all signs indicate that it is indeed the case."
She then turned to the little girl in front of her with white hair and heterochromia, who looked like an elf, and said respectfully and sincerely:
"Master Little Auspicious Grass King, thank you for your assistance. If it weren't for your help, we would probably still be stuck in this cycle, unaware of it."
She frowned slightly and asked:
"But, is this canned knowledge... the sum of all the memories we've forgotten in every previous cycle?"
Nashida raised the corners of her lips, revealing a gentle and wise smile, and explained:
"This is just a medium of visualization. I am simply using this method to awaken those memories that already exist deep within your souls but have been buried by time."
Jiuqi Shinobu nodded thoughtfully, his eyes sweeping over the unfamiliar scene around him, and then whispered, "Although I have seen you in previous cycles, this scene before me is the first time you have appeared."
"That is to say... we are truly awakening in this cycle."
Her eyes narrowed, and her voice suddenly turned deep: "But the question is—why us?"
"Or, why are we the only ones who can break free from these invisible shackles?"
Nashida shook her head slightly, her tone gentle but profound. "Actually, you're not the only ones caught in this. You just happen to be in the same cycle."
"To be more precise, it was those behind the scenes who unintentionally left you in this special cycle."
Ying keenly caught the key words, her heart trembled, and she asked, "Not just us? Left behind?"
Nashida's gaze was profound as she spoke slowly, "Your willpower is extraordinary, far surpassing that of ordinary people."
"Because of this, through repeated cycles of tempering, you are able to continuously leave marks on yourselves, allowing you to more quickly detect abnormalities in the next cycle."
"This is an instinct tempered through countless hardships, an intuitive rebellion against fate."
"For people like this, as long as they go through enough cycles, their consciousness and their original memories will gradually become like a thin layer of paper between them."
She looked around at everyone and continued:
"And in this endless Flower God Birthday Festival, you are not the only ones who possess such a strong will."
Ying and Jiuqi Shinobu almost simultaneously remembered the figures in the previous cycle who behaved abnormally and seemed to be aware of something, and exchanged a knowing look with each other.
Seeing this, Nashida nodded slightly:
"It seems you already understand. That's right—the culprit who created this infinite loop had already anticipated this from the very beginning of the plan:"
"There are always some people who will wake up from the repeated reincarnation and see through the illusory nature of this festival."
"For example, Caesar, Leila, and the Sixth Fatui Executive Officer..."
She paused slightly, like the sound of a falling bell:
"This is a collective cycle that engulfs everyone, yet they are deliberately isolated in separate cages of time and space."
"Therefore, what you perceived in past reincarnations were not their true selves, but merely illusions woven from cycles."
"And you are the omission that has gone unnoticed."
Nashida's voice was soft but clear, like morning dew dripping onto lotus leaves, carrying a light of wisdom that could not be ignored.
Her implication was obvious—
If the people behind the scenes had already known that Ying and her group had the ability to quickly see through the time loop, then they would have been separated and placed in an independent cycle to prevent a joint resistance.
Because of this, the people standing here at this moment have become variables beyond the plan, becoming the quietly cracking gap.
[Oh, I see. I gradually understand everything (actually, I don’t understand anything at all)]
[High EQ: You are ignored; Low EQ: Your combat effectiveness is not enough to be listed as a threat by the enemy.]
[Come to think of it, it makes sense. Those who show abnormalities seem to have high martial arts skills, like Ganyu, Madam, Caesar...]
So, this means that these people are locked up in solitary confinement because of their high quality, right?
[Wait, I understand the logic, but why are we still here? Leila will also be abducted?]
We were rehabilitated in a collective prison, and then these people were placed in solitary cells because they posed a high threat.
Jiuqi Shinobu frowned slightly, and a glimmer of understanding flashed in his eyes:
"I see... Are they planning to defeat us one by one, or are they deliberately hiding the truth so we don't notice anything unusual?"
"Or maybe," her eyes flickered, her voice lowered, "it's both?"
Ying's gaze slowly shifted towards the sleeping figures on the hospital beds, her voice filled with concern and confusion: "Dina Zedai...and the others, what happened to them?"
Ming Yuan said in a gentle yet serious tone, "As you can see, they are all extremely weak due to the demonic scale disease."
Nashida nodded slightly, her emerald eyes reflecting a faint light, as if she could see through the secrets deep within the soul:
"Yes, just as you have sensed—Dina Zedai, who has been around you recently, seems particularly pessimistic and depressed."
She turned to Paimon and Ying, her eyes gentle and insightful:
"That's not the real her. It's more like what the world imagines her to be like. It's a tragic mask given to her by the outside world."
Ying and Paimon nodded silently. Indeed, the real Dina Zedai was strong and gentle, and would never be easily swallowed by despair.
Nashida continued:
"And now, 'the original her' is here, before your very eyes, suffering the relentless erosion of demonic scales."
"The other sleepers are also patients with the same disease as her."
Her voice deepened, as if carrying a millennium of sorrow. "Demon Scale Disease is no ordinary illness. It's an ancient curse from the World Tree, a erosion that penetrates deep into the very essence of the soul."
"In this endless cycle, it never stops, constantly gnawing at their spirit and will."
"That's why they are so weak."
Ming Yuan continued in a low voice, his eyes revealing the compassion of a doctor:
"That's why I'm here. These people are my patients. As a doctor, I can't bear to see them being cruelly snatched away by fate after receiving treatment."
Nashida looked at him, a grateful smile on her lips. "Thank you, Mingyuan. This matter shouldn't have involved you and Ruixi... You could have stayed out of it."
Ying looked at Mingyuan quietly, her thoughts churning in her heart.
Judging from Nashida's words, the impact of this cycle seems to be limited to Xumi City, and Port Ormos should be safe.
But why would Ming Yuan, a doctor from Gangcheng, appear here?
Her gaze slowly shifted to the side - she dreamed of Yue Ruixi standing quietly with her eyes closed, with a mysterious airflow of pink and purple lingering around her body, like a dream, as if connected to another dimension.
The answer has emerged: Mingyuan's arrival is related to Ruixi.
Jiuqi Shinobu spoke again at this time, his tone respectful but inquisitive: "Little King Jixiangcao, you can not only awaken our memories, but also know everything about this."
"Then could you please tell us what the truth behind this cycle is?"
Nashida shook her head slightly, her eyes as deep as the starry sky. "Everything in the world repeats itself over and over again, endlessly. This is called 'reincarnation.' Now you and I seem to be trapped in a single day, repeating over and over again, seemingly without a solution."
She paused for a moment, her voice becoming softer, yet filled with unshakable determination:
"However, the truth can only be discovered and understood by you. If someone tells you the truth, rather than awakening it within yourself, the shock will be like thunder piercing your brain, enough to tear apart the very foundations of your spirit."
"I...can't guarantee the consequences."
Ming Yuan spoke again, his voice steady and undeniably firm: "If you're worried that these people might develop a fear from suddenly being exposed to too much of the unknown, then I think there's no need to worry so much."
He raised his eyes slightly, scanning the crowd present, his tone revealing a certainty: "Look at them—do they look like the kind of people who would suffer a mental breakdown due to the shock of the truth?"
"Take a look at their experiences: traveling around the Seven Kingdoms, quelling the Wind Dragon Rebellion, participating in the War of Demon Gods, and personally promoting the lifting of the Inazuma Isolation Order—the legendary traveler and her loyal companion."
The words were directed at Ying and Paimon, and were full of trust between the lines.
"And this one, the president of Chiyosha, the most influential underworld organization in the Inazuma underworld, and the vice president who controls the overall situation; the heir to the bloodline of the demon clan, and a direct disciple of Chiyoko Miyuki."
His gaze fell on Kuki Shinobu and Arata Ichito, and his tone became more resounding: "Could it be that such a group of people who have experienced hardships and faced life and death would lose their minds just because they knew a truth?"
"Narcida, you underestimate them."
Nashida turned her head to look at Mingyuan, her expression solemn. There were ripples in the depths of her eyes, which were a mixture of emerald green and red, as if they contained whispers of forest and fire.
She spoke slowly, her voice soft but unwavering:
"Mingyuan, you're too worried. We can't take any risks."
"I understand your eagerness to save the patients, but you absolutely cannot gamble their lives on a possible outcome. Even if the probability of such a danger is only one in ten thousand, I will never allow it to happen."
Her gaze was like a blade, quietly cutting through the air, carrying a silent warning.
"..."
Ming Yuan was silent for a long moment. Finally, he spoke softly, his voice tinged with fatigue and self-reflection: "...I'm sorry, I was too impatient. You guys should proceed at your own pace."
The other four looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion and puzzlement.
Nashida sighed softly and turned to them, her tone gentle but still firm: "If I tell you the truth about the Flower God's Birthday Festival and reincarnation, I can't fully predict the consequences."
"But there is a very small possibility that it could cause irreversible damage to your spirit or even your life. I don't want you to take this risk."
"But Mingyuan holds the opposite view."
"He believes that the speed at which you discover the truth directly determines the efficiency of breaking this cycle."
"The sooner the mystery is revealed, the sooner those suffering from demonic scale disease in real life will have the opportunity to receive treatment."
After listening to this, Jiu Qi Shinobu frowned slightly, and then calmly concluded: "So, the current situation is - if we choose to tell the truth, the four of us will face life risks;"
"If we choose to conceal this, innocent patients will continue to suffer and may even lose their lives."
"Is that correct?"
Nashida nodded, a hint of approval in her eyes: "You are very accurate."
Jiuqi Shinobu took a deep breath, then straightened his back and said firmly: "Then please, Master Xiao Jixiang Grass King, tell us the truth about the reincarnation of the Flower God's Birthday Festival."
"We don't want to see anyone sacrificed because of our hesitation."
Araki Ichito slapped his chest heavily and echoed with great pride: "That's right! I never let others take the blame for me! We must know what we need to know!"
Ying also took a step forward, her eyes clear and firm, while Paimon snuggled tightly against her shoulder, nodding vigorously together. They said in unison:
"It's the same for us. We can't let those patients wait endlessly in reality, and we can't let them lose their chance of life because we're a step behind."
"you……"
Nashida looked at the four iron-willed travelers in front of her, her lips moving slightly, as if thousands of words were stuck in her throat, and finally turned into a light sigh.
At this moment, Ming Yuan suddenly interrupted with a cold voice, his tone as sharp as ice: "Don't get in the way here! The fact that you were able to find this place and detect our presence in just twenty cycles is enough to prove your sharpness and wisdom."
"You will definitely uncover the truth at a rapid pace. So why add unnecessary risks? Following Nashida's instructions and proceeding step by step is the safest option."
——Digression
I’m so sleepy, let me sleep first.