The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Page 146

The believer walked out of the lower deck and saw Aoko still standing at the corner of the stairs waiting for him.

"A certain consensus has been reached, but indelible differences remain."

"speak English."

Arcueid agreed to take care of the magic ship, but refused to stay on board.

"This is utter nonsense. Didn't she only have one cognitive port that was connected here through the channel, while her true body is still drifting in the astral plane?"

"Of course, the current situation is that she agrees to project power onto the ship, but refuses to anchor her cognitive ports to it."

The believer repeated what she had just said in a simpler, more colloquial way.

"So what's your answer?"

"Having multiple cameras doesn't seem like much of a loss for us..."

"That sounds right... Well, now that things are settled here, shouldn't we prepare to head to Sares?"

"Salome has set the departure time for the afternoon, so we have about half the morning to do some final preparations."

"Then let's not delay... wait, [finally]? Believers, what did you see?"

Aoko turned back and moved on, intending to leave the gloomy cabin, but she keenly sensed another meaning hidden in the nobunaga's words, so she asked a question in return.

"Let's go, talk as we go."

The believer then joined her side by side as they climbed the steps.

……

"Qingzi, let me state the conclusion first: I don't plan to have you come with me to Sares."

Back on the deck, the woman suddenly said this.

"reason."

Knowing that the man wouldn't speak without reason, Aoko didn't get angry, but calmly waited for his explanation.

"Do you remember that short trip we took after we arrived in this timeline?"

“Of course I remember. We went to the surface of this planet’s satellite and looked out over the whole of Thranheim from there. You said you didn’t see any of the big things that the intelligence should have mentioned, but just a perfectly normal blue planet.”

"Yes, I am very confident in my eyesight, so I know very well that when I looked out that time, the Northern Continent was also a vast expanse of white. Although there was a snowy oasis in the southeast corner, there was no such magnificent holy city on earth."

The devout woman glanced sideways at the otherworldly city-state of Sares, and at the towering white tower behind the city walls that seemed to reach into the clouds. Her eyes did not show the awe of witnessing something so great, but rather an unspoken fascination.

"Furthermore, when our magic ship flew over the summit of the Lofian Mountains, none of the people on board saw the white tower that pierced the clouds."

"So you think this city is surrounded by something like a barrier, cutting off the external channels of understanding the interior and distorting the observer's perception of it?"

"It sounds just like the mountain village where I used to live, and I feel quite nostalgic about it, but the reality is not so simple and unadorned."

So what is the real answer?

"I don't know, I only have some guesses. If we lean towards the information state world and the unique world, you should be able to figure out similar options, Aoko."

"You mean—this is also a tablecloth that you want to nail to the table forever..."

"Shh—we're probably already at the edge of the tablecloth, so let's not say anything that might cause unnecessary trouble."

The believer stopped Aoko's speculation, but this aroused Aoko's slight dissatisfaction, and she rolled her eyes and said.

"What nonsense are you talking about? There's no one who can monitor you, okay?"

“Qingzi, calm down. I’m just afraid that He will realize something is wrong and pack his bags and run away in the middle of the night. I’ve been in Thranheim for so long, and although I’ve hardly ever dealt with that Demon King, I’ve gotten quite a feel for his style. He’s probably a very cowardly guy.”

"Putting aside all those secrets, my believer, you still haven't told me your reason—your reason for not intending to act with me."

"Qingzi, this time, I hope you can act as the fuse."

"fuse?"

"Yes, fuse, I intend to temporarily enclose you in a bubble woven from the power of the Black God. It will take you outside the current timeline and world line. You can think of it as a one-time capsule train, and the train's intended direction will trace back to the magical source of the Octopath Traveler's power channel, from the cognitive port that initially connected Arcueid to it."

"Ahem, my lady... excuse me, you know I'm not from an academic background..."

Aoko cleared her throat, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“Aoko, it wasn’t me who guided Arcueid’s cognitive tendrils to this ship, but Pandora Reinhardt.”

"what?"

"Don't look so surprised. She came to the ship once, set these things up, and then left."

Why didn't you keep her?!

Aoko felt like she was about to go crazy. She didn't understand why Shinju didn't catch the elusive Little Red Riding Hood. Since they had a chance to meet, if she caught her directly, she and Shinju could quickly pack their valuables and go home for Christmas!

"Well... you didn't try to stop me back then either, did you?"

Upon hearing this, the believer blinked innocently, her gaze as pure as could be, and her voice carried a hint of grievance.

"...I understand, you've been convinced by her too."

Now that things have come to this, as someone who has been through it all and has personally experienced it, Aoko could easily understand the meaning behind the words of the nun. Her students were so similar to their teacher that it was almost frightening.

"In short, the spell model I created will ensure that after the spell is activated, you will be sent to a place that I am not entirely sure about. My reason forbids me from personally exploring that unknown secret realm, but my intuition tells me that if you go, you might be able to unlock some of the secrets buried in the primordial land."

"My believer, how shall I return?"

"Do you remember the silver key I gave you at the end of the Emerald Dream? It was actually a partial manifestation of the Black God's power. You can use it to begin your journey back."

“I think I understand your point, but if that's all, why don't you wait for me to make a quick trip and come back before we set off for Sares together? There's no conflict in terms of time anyway…”

As a frequent time traveler, Aoko had already guessed where she would be sent, which raised her doubts, since returning within five minutes was not a difficult task.

“Qingzi, as I said, I’m the kind of person who can’t turn back. So, correspondingly, I will go to the future to find answers and turning points. Now that your work is about to become clear, I also have things I have to deal with. I plan to simulate the state I was in when I first arrived in Thranheim. In that state, all knowledge about the Black God and the old friends do not exist. Under the effect of a personal spell called [Soul Reduction], the original me was just an idle person lying in bed taking a nap and welcoming Christmas.”

"I see."

"Of course, this is also to lure out some lurking rats."

The believer gave a knowing, wicked smile; he always enjoyed playing cat and mouse.

“Aoko, I will set the activation condition of your spell to [Believers Hern forget everything about Aoko Aozaki]. If this territory of Sares City truly possesses the power to distort the perception of those who enter, then the spell prepared in advance will take effect immediately.”

"No problem, my dear. The principle is simple and the division of labor is clear. I support your action plan, but you must have a Plan B. I don't want to come back only to find that you have completely forgotten me."

While expressing her approval, Aoko emphasized with some concern.

"I think you're being completely alarmist. Even if we take a step back... do you really think the Black God would forget who his wife is?"

"He hasn't forgotten one..."

“Qingzi, He hasn’t forgotten, it’s just that I have.”

"...Believer, what's the difference?"

"I don't know, but I understand that this is the only way to reach a certain destination."

……

Chapter 217 Now at the bottom of the ancient border prison (The End)

"All of these preparations are to prepare for an unfavorable situation, just as I likened your current role, Aoko, to a fuse."

"To eliminate more uncontrollable factors, I temporarily modified the [fuse] technique. Now the capsule's membrane is identical to that of the Octopath Traveler, originating from Arcueid's energy field. I'm trying to use this variable to prove that we've reached the energy projection range of that tablecloth. And what keeps the cognition of this ship's crew stable is the high-dimensional supply from Ms. Boiler."

"Otherwise, I would find it hard to understand Pandora's motivation for deliberately extending her cognitive tentacles to this ship."

"Of course, from a personal point of view, I hope my concerns are just unfounded worries. After all, I can't sleep at night without you by my side."

On the eve of the Octopath Traveler's departure, Aoko sat in the companion dimension that Nobunaga had temporarily created for her, watching Nobunaga make some minor preparations by herself.

This symbiotic dimension's environment, inspired by the magical bottle the believer created while wandering through the sea of ​​trees, appears at first glance to be a small but complete living space, complete with soft sofas, daybeds, delicious snacks and drinks, ancient books from the stars displayed on the bookshelves on the four walls, and a warm fireplace burning silently.

The environment here is comfortable and cozy, making you want to relax and sprawl on the sofa, becoming a lazybones who'll put things off until tomorrow.

The encrypted channel was still open for the time being, and while listening to the believer's intermittent ramblings, Aoko would occasionally retort with a few words.

This bastard's way of speaking is getting better and better. He's a completely different person compared to the old chatterbox who used to spout nonsense but never utter a single sweet word.

Miss Qingzi, whose ears were tickled, had not yet fully gotten used to his changes over the years. While pondering what had changed him, a blush rose to her cheeks. In her haste, she could only bite the bullet and retort a couple of times to cover up her embarrassment.

"Go away, who wants to sleep with you... cough, anyway, I don't even allow you to go to bed."

"Understood, I will await your good news on the floor, dear Miss Tian Lanlan."

The believer packed her belongings, picked up her handy sword, and stepped off the Octagonal Traveler. As she descended the gangway, she said this with a hint of sarcasm across the barrier of the symbiotic dimension.

Salome and her group had already taken the lead and stopped in the green fields beside the ship. They could see Eirin, the white fox spirit, waving excitedly at Shinonome.

"Gu..."

Caught off guard, Aoko nearly choked on her hot drink from his direct question. She inwardly cried out, "Heaven and earth bear witness, how did that little hedgehog who was once untouchable turn into such a shameless person?"

"you……"

Aoko's embarrassed words almost came in sync with Shin's steps as she stepped off the ship. The moment his feet touched the land of the North Continent, Aoko saw Shin's body fall straight down without warning.

At the same time, the perspective of observation disappeared, and everything went black before Aoko's eyes.

Before her individual consciousness completely disappeared, Aoko was able to realize that the insurance formula had been activated.

……

A brief deep dive, followed by surfacing.

After a long absence, Aoko once again experienced the process of retrieving her consciousness from the ocean of chaos.

When I open my eyes, I can feel the weight of my eyelids.

Raising my right hand, a slight sense of disharmony lingered around me.

Before the senses were fully awakened, a distant sound, like the howling of the wind, squeezed into the still-dazed auditory world, followed by an equally ancient, distant, nostalgic chill that had not been felt for a long time.

It comes from the harshness of the environment.

Since arriving in the realm of time through the Fifth Law, how many years has it been since she experienced such biting cold in her subjective world?

Just like any mortal being would experience this.

Once her senses regained their sight, Aoko was able to fully understand her surroundings.

The wind that brushed past my ears was still the cold wind of the North, but it was a little more merciful than the snowstorm of the far north.

What comes into view is the pitch-black ocean, with islands fragmented by glacial erosion, sitting like sails on this deep sea that evokes no sense of intimacy under the dark sun.

The archipelago is sparsely wooded, with jagged rocks and towering cliffs on the windward side, where waves crash against the rocks, dispersing pale sea foam; the leeward side is a relatively gentle slope that gradually descends along the sea cliffs, where lush green tundra fills the view, with occasional white dots, which are white sheep grazing leisurely on the hillside.

Of course, none of these are the most important things...

Aoko felt the auditory feedback coming from above her head, puzzled by her awkward field of vision. Finally, she looked down at her hands, which had been inconvenient from the beginning. She saw that they were no longer related to human limbs, but instead revealed a pair of outlines drawn like ink paintings...

Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Aoko leaped off the mossy rocks on the shore and spotted a puddle left after the rain in a low-lying area. With her back to the gloomy northern sky, she examined her own appearance.

A white fox, depicted with ink wash brushstrokes, has one tail, while eight other tails float behind it like phantoms. Its narrow fox eyes reveal no trace of innocence, but rather a languid air and an air of seasoned experience.

Yes, Aoko knows this fox. She is an old friend of the believer who is always by his side, and also his savior. Her name is Hagoromo.

She had previously asked the maiden where he had thrown the feather robe, but the maiden only said she didn't remember.

Now, I have seen the fox, Yu Yi, but for some reason, my perspective has shifted to that fox.

The ocean on the leeward side was much calmer, but suddenly the sound of waves roused her. Qingzi subconsciously ended her self-reflection, turned her fox head, and looked towards the coast not far away. She saw a young man in white riding the waves from the sea. He had black hair and jade-like blue eyes. He was the Xin Nu who had disappeared not long ago.

However, it seems that she doesn't quite match the image of the believers in Aoko's memory of any period.

Aoko frowned, carefully examining the woman who was wearing clean shorts and a mandarin jacket, with her long hair casually tied into a ponytail, and both hands holding a harpoon in one hand and a fish basket in the other, walking towards her. The sparse sunlight shone on her equally thin skin, and when she got closer, Aoko felt that she was dazzlingly white.

Of course, it was precisely because they were so close that Aoko figured out where that subtle sense of unfamiliarity came from.

The woman before her was indeed a believer, but she was not a believer from any period she had ever seen.

As for Miss Shiki, she has probably met her before.

Yes, this was when Hearn was about thirteen or fourteen years old, before she parted ways with him on that past shore and was reunited with him in that time-space rift.

"I had pretty good luck today. I caught a few sea bream and collected a bunch of snails."

"..."

Aoko stared blankly at the boy who was casually flipping his realm to dispel the water vapor from his body. Looking at the rare, innocent smile on his face, she thought to herself that this guy really loved the sea. He must have been bored to death during those eleven years in the mountains.

"Place……"

After a brief moment of reflection, Aoko tried to speak, attempting to ask him what was going on, but opening her fox mouth was already her limit.