I want to just drift through life in Type-Moon.

Page 21

Fuabro squinted, listening to the peculiar sound waves coming from afar; clearly, he was no longer in the mood to deal with those troubles.

“That’s right, let’s go first.” Hearing him say that, Tsbia knew that the most important thing now was to settle Le Zhengling down, and that other things could be dealt with later.

So he tossed his cloak aside and left first.

Fuaburo then released another batch of magical beasts to hunt in the distance, while he himself followed closely behind Tsbia with the magical beast carrying Yue Zhengling on his back.

The recipe isn't urgent. Since Araya Sōren was able to kidnap Rakujō Rin, it means there's a problem at the restaurant.

This can be inferred from the injuries on Yue Zhengling's body and his stubborn personality; those very obvious burns must have occurred during a fight at the restaurant.

Whether it's Yue Zhengling's disappearance or the chaos that's happened there, it's bound to attract attention in the surface world these past few days. Moreover, he doesn't know how many people in the inner world know Yue Zhengling's true identity. If he goes there rashly, he might cause unnecessary trouble.

While he was considering these issues, Tsbia, who was ahead of him, was also discussing things with the old man.

"So, old man, what's next?" The whistling wind in his ears didn't stop him from speaking. He ran and talked, while also spending some of his mind on planning what to do next.

"Let's wait and see how things develop. We'll discuss everything once the child wakes up," the old man replied with a helpless tone. "We can no longer ignore Nero Chaos's involvement. Putting aside the Creation Soil within the child, the most important thing is that we must figure out how this child came to be."

“…That’s true. But can’t you contact Le Zheng Weng right now?” Tsbia found it a bit strange. If it were this old man, he would probably go to another old man to find out the truth about Le Zheng Ling’s gender as soon as he discovered it.

"I can't get in touch with him. Ever since that guy entered the Star Inner Sea, he's completely disappeared. Now that I think about it, he's deliberately avoiding me." The old man felt a terrible headache coming on as he recalled his old friend's cool smile.

"As you know, if he wants to hide, no one can find him."

After hearing this, Tsbia looked conflicted. "But this can't go on forever, can it? We've finally found hope, so you should at least do something."

"No, we don't need to do anything. We just need to watch how things develop. Since that guy Le Zhengtu left the [Boundary Ring] with his grandson, he will definitely make a next move. We'll just have to watch."

"This is really..." Tsbia sighed helplessly. Although he knew the treasure was right beside him, he couldn't touch it at all. This was a very painful thing for a seeker of knowledge who once wanted to escape ultimate destruction.

But at the level of the two elders, there was very little he could do. After all, he was only a half-baked magician, and the current situation was not yet at its worst; in fact, for all worlds, it was a very good situation.

"If there's anything else, please get to the point. It's been so long since the passage was opened, and I'm already feeling the strain on my magic and finances." He made a joke, trying to find humor in the situation, and waited for the old man to hang up.

"Heh, since things have come to this point, I will try my best to intervene, but entering your world will probably not be so simple. So, you'll have to take on more responsibility these next few years." The old man pondered the key to entering this world, but he couldn't find a starting point for the next few years.

"This is really troublesome. If the Holy Grail existed in this world, the Tohsaka family would have been a great starting point. But we have to wait until Roa's complete death and Arcueid regaining all her power before we can come here. This is really troublesome."

"Haha, is the unofficial snake finally going to die?" Tsbia was very excited when he heard the old man's mutterings.

"His death was inevitable. After so many reincarnations, his soul couldn't take it anymore," the old man said in an unusually cold tone. "At least Arcueid called me 'Grandpa.' That guy tricked her into drinking his blood, causing her to completely lose control. To atone for her sins, she even locked herself in the Thousand-Year City. She only came out to hunt him down after he completed his reincarnation. He deserves to die!"

"Speaking of this case, didn't you intervene to stop it at the time?" Tsbia's curiosity was piqued.

“How could I not have stopped him! But Gaia got in my way! He said he wanted to see what was possible! Do you know how furious I was?!” the old man roared angrily.

“I see. Then it’s really fortunate that you were stopped back then, otherwise there would be no so-called Twenty-Seven Ancestors of the Dead Apostles—the Fourth Ancestor, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.”

Chapter Fifty: The Dishonorable Plan

"Hmph, what a ridiculous title, it's child's play." Zelrich snorted, clearly disapproving of the title.

"For you, a second-ranked mage and a Grand Marshal of the Magic Path, this may be child's play, but for the other Ancestors, it's a prestigious title." Tsbia chuckled.

"You should know that even when I was the Dean of the Alastair Academy, my reputation was not as high as when I became one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Disciples."

This is no joke. Back then, as the head of one of the three major organizations of the Magic Association, and being a researcher who was a complete otaku, apart from a few people who knew what he looked like, no one else knew or recognized him.

But ever since the Church of Sanctuary compiled the list of Dead Apostles, he became a household name in the Underworld. Although what we see now is just his remains, at least many people recognize his face.

As for the maker of this button, Gemstone Elder, Kyshua Zelrich Schbeinorg, the title of the Twenty-Seventh Ancestor is truly unworthy of his status.

This world only has five spells. Having mastered the second spell, Zelrich, who operates in a parallel world, is someone who can easily retreat even when facing the strongest opponent in the world.

Moreover, becoming a Dead Apostle is a dishonorable thing for this person. Back then, he fought against the Moon King Crimson Moon, who was TYPE MOON. Although he won, he was drained of his blood and became a Dead Apostle. His power was not strengthened, but instead declined.

Since then, he has rarely appeared in front of the world, and because of the Second Law, it is difficult to find him in the present world.

"Alright, let's not get too carried away with this. I've really spent a lot of money here today." After laughing, Tsbia finally became serious. "You'd better find Yue Zhengweng as soon as possible and find out the truth. I'll also collect all the information about Yue Zhengling and send it to you."

"Well, let's do it this way for now. Also, remember to contact the Clock Tower Forensic Department to handle what I told you before. That child mentioned he had something to give to Aozaki Aoko. Since this was his last wish, let's fulfill it properly." Saying this, the Jewel Elder sighed deeply again.

"I deeply regret what I did. I hope he won't be too extreme when he wakes up."

Tsbia gave a wry smile, empathizing with the sentiment. "We were all blinded by that 'absolute,' otherwise how could we have overlooked something so important?"

"No, this oversight was clearly due to my indifference. That guy Le Zhengtu mentioned that he wanted me to take care of his grandson, but all I did was use my influence to ensure that the [Le Zhengling] in various parallel worlds could live smoothly, without interfering." Gemstone Elder smiled self-deprecatingly.

"Looking back now, he was reminding me to take care of his grandson instead of his granddaughter, which was clearly a hint, but I ignored it."

Tsbia paused for a moment, "I didn't expect this either. That child just went to our hospital for a check-up the day before yesterday, and I hadn't even looked at the file before this happened. If I had looked at it immediately..."

“Forget it, things have already come to this, there’s no point in saying anything now.” The Gemstone Elder interrupted him. “Now we have to wait until the child wakes up before we can make any plans.”

At this point, the Jewel Elder paused, weighing his options for a long time before speaking: "If Nero Chaos stays by Yue Zhengling's side, then you shouldn't do anything. But if he leaves—"

He deliberately lowered his voice, "If he leaves, go and check Yue Zhengling's soul to see what his origin is and how well it adapts to his body. If it's not good, extract his soul and preserve it. I'll send another soul over here."

Hearing this, Tsbia was startled and looked back guiltily. Fuabro was still following behind. He lowered his voice and said, "Old man, aren't you going too far? And your so-called other soul, it wouldn't be the magician [Le Zhengling] from another world, would it?"

Magicians who pursue the "root" are cold-blooded and inhuman. Tsbia knows that there are pure magicians in other parallel worlds' "Le Zheng Ling", so "they" obviously wouldn't mind changing to a special body.

"This is a last resort. As you know, all we need is that body. If we bring over souls from other worlds that have awakened the [Origin] and are willing to cooperate with us, how much time can we save?"

After a moment's thought, Tsbia said softly, "Old man, aren't you being too hasty? We've waited so many years, why bother with this little bit of time?"

"...There is nothing more agonizing than the day when success is just around the corner, and there is a reason why I am in such a hurry." The Gem Elder seemed to have lost all his energy as he watched the fading starlight.

“Since the beginning of the two world wars, more and more branches have been pruned, discarded, and destroyed, and now many important branches are also having problems. The time is 1986 where you are now, but after the turn of the millennium, there will be more and more worlds being destroyed, worlds with depleted resources, and worlds being invaded. I’m afraid that if this continues, even the main trunk will be affected.”

"The division of parallel worlds is finite. The world cannot really provide an endless number of parallel worlds to calculate possibilities. The end of destruction is getting closer and closer. Humanity is not ready, the Dead Apostles are not ready, and the world is not ready. This makes it impossible for me not to be anxious."

At this moment, he muttered to himself like an ordinary old man, "The sooner we get the answer, the more time we have left and the better prepared we can be. Whether we can escape the cycle of destruction depends on the lineage of Yue Zhengling."

Even just listening to it, Tsbia felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. The unimaginable pressure weighed on the Jeweler, and few could share his burden, not even Tsbia, who knew the truth.

Most people in the world become more unhappy the more they know, yet they cannot escape this thirst for knowledge. He became the Tatari because he wanted humanity to escape its final fate, but he failed. The Jewel Elder then told him the answer.

Thus, in order to preserve the possibility, he separated himself from the Tatars to find a new path, but even he, who was known as the embodiment of calculation, could not calculate the required path from the immeasurable number.

Only the Gemstone Elder, who has mastered the Second Law, possesses such ability, able to discern a path that can continue from the immeasurable. However, even he can only sift through the clues within the immeasurable; it is impossible for him to see it all.

Human strength has its limits. To turn the tide, we must use the beginning of an infinite number of branches to solve all problems at their source!

Chapter Fifty-One: The End of an Ordinary Person's Night

Yue Zhengling's soul has been with his body at Guanbuzi Hospital for a week now, and no one has been able to find him during that time. The Chinese knot called "Yuanjie" has been binding him all along.

Fortunately, neither Fuaburo nor the Wallachia Nights took the Chinese knot away from his body, otherwise he really wouldn't know what to do.

However, he spoke as if his soul could do anything by staying by his body's side, but in reality, he had just stayed in this ward all week looking at the scenery, during which time doctors and nurses had examined his body.

Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, he glanced at the diagnosis. The long three-page document summarized that his body was currently in a vegetative state.

This is not surprising, since his soul has already left the body, so his body is probably temporarily unconscious. But Le Zhengling is very worried, since there is Creation Soil inside his body. If this Creation Soil causes his body to become dead, will his body abandon him and awaken a new consciousness?

He felt a chill run down his spine whenever he thought about it.

Another problem is that the strange hole has always been on his soul. He clearly understands that if the power of the [Fate Bond] disappears, his soul will definitely enter that hole and go to an unknown place.

Physical problems, spiritual problems—everything worried him greatly. He kept thinking of various solutions, but unable to communicate with people or touch anything, he could only look at his own body and daydream from beginning to end.

Communication requires both parties to acknowledge each other's existence. If one party is aware of the other but the other is unaware of the other, then communication is impossible.

But he had to continue daydreaming, otherwise he would not be able to maintain his sense of self at all—no one was aware of his existence, and he could not see what he looked like now; the only thing he could refer to was his own body.

Only by looking at "it" can Yue Zhengling confirm his own existence.

Watching my body being handled arbitrarily by doctors and nurses, I was unable to voice my opinions.

Watching her body slowly become thinner, she could only stand by and watch helplessly.

Watching as an IV drip was connected to her body, filled with nutrient solution, she could only wonder how long this would last.

Watching my body being wheeled away for examinations, I could only stay in the ward, staring blankly at the snow-white sheets.

"I think, therefore I am"—this philosophical proposition sustained him for seven days. However, starting from the eighth day, he could clearly "feel" that he was beginning to give up even thinking.

Unable to grasp reality or comprehend the current situation, he is now remarkably similar to the famous thought experiment of the "brain in a vat." All he can do is think, think, and think again, day after day. If he were to stop thinking, he suspects he would truly die.

Moreover, the soul does not need sleep, which leaves him no chance to waste time.

Unable to return to his body, and with his soul bound and unable to be sucked into the hole, he was now trapped, unable to move forward or backward. He had already figured out his own solution—to disappear alone without anyone noticing.

A week passed, then two weeks, then three weeks. Gradually, he spent more time daydreaming than thinking. It wasn't that he didn't want to think, but rather that he didn't know what he should be thinking about.

His soul had entered a state of emptiness, and his sense of self began to weaken.

A month has passed, and he is now clearly unresponsive, like a dead object tied in mid-air. All his emotions have become extremely weak, and because there is no stimulation, even the concept of "feeling" (in a general sense) has become unfamiliar.

It was another full moon night, and he stared blankly at the full moon in the sky, finally stopping even his thoughts.

After he stopped thinking, his soul began to thin, and the red thread that was holding him together went from dim to faintly visible, as if it was about to break. However, he did not see it, or rather, even if he did see it, he could not see it.

"Meow!!!"

Just as Yue Zhengling's soul was about to completely disappear, a shrill meow rang out in the VIP ward.

It was because of this meow that the broken red rope began to glow again, and the intense heat burned like magma into Yue Zhengling's soul.

【缘结】 means 【结缘】, which means that power is generated by fate, and miracles are created by that power.

The red light permeated Yue Zhengling's entire soul, and the burning sensation (perception) and the sound of a cat's meow awakened his sense of self (hearing).

However, he was only awake. Although he knew what would have happened if he hadn't thought about it, he didn't feel fear. No, perhaps it wasn't that he didn't feel fear, but rather that he couldn't feel it.

He looked down at the black cat standing on the windowsill. The black cat's bright green eyes were fixed on Le Zhengling. At first, he thought it was looking at his body, but soon he realized that it was looking at him.

Yes, that cat is looking into its own soul! It can see it! It can see it (visually)!

This fact created a strong mental shock, causing Le Zhengling to panic for a while. When he was at a loss and didn't know what to do, the black cat jumped into the ward and approached his soul step by step along the moonlit floor.

"Meow~~" The cat made a soft sound. This time, Yue Zhengling was sure he hadn't misheard and had really heard the cat meow. He then gently waved to the cat.

After tilting its head and thinking for a moment, the black cat nimbly jumped onto the bed and then leaped into the arms of Yue Zhengling's floating soul.

When Yue Zhengling truly held the black cat, he experienced a feeling of emotion (touch) he had never felt before in his life.

You don't know the value of something until you lose it. What you take for granted is only realized to be incredibly important after you lose it.

"Ah..." He hugged the cat tightly and let out a pure sigh.

Now, this special black cat is like his salvation, making him unable to control himself, and tears are streaming down his face.

"Meow~~" The black cat nudged his face with its paw, then struggled out of his arms, changed its position and lay between his arms, silently watching the crying Yue Zhengling.

"Meow~~~"

After Yue Zhengling finished crying, the black cat meowed again and pointed with its paw at the "Fate Knot" on the bedside table.

"You want that thing?" Looking at the little guy who was the only one he could communicate with, Yue Zhengling, who had returned to normal, asked softly.

"Meow!" the black cat meowed briefly, as if to say "yes."

"If you want it, I can give it to you. After all, I'm bound here because of it and have become a landbound spirit. If you take it with you, I can actually see other scenery."

After crying, I felt relieved. "But please let me hug you for now. I'm afraid that if you leave now, I'll be in a state of unbearable suffering again."

After speaking, Le Zhengling stroked the smooth fur of the black cat. The two of them quietly watched the full moon outside the window. Gradually, a peaceful and serene atmosphere slowly spread from Le Zhengling's soul.

The black cat, as if sensing something, looked up at Yue Zhengling, then turned to look at the Chinese knot, and finally looked back at the full moon.

It scratched its head with its paws in distress, just like a human, and sighed almost imperceptibly.

With the moon high in the sky, the two (?) who felt it was about time simultaneously turned their gaze away from the moon.

Le Zhengling gently stroked the black cat's head again and smiled with relief, "Then please take care of me for the rest of my life."

"Meow~~~~~" He was met with a long meow and a disgusted look.

The black cat jumped out of his arms, walked from the bed to the bedside table, picked up the Chinese knot, and looked at Yue Zhengling with a mocking gaze.

Le Zhengling looked at her, puzzled, and then what happened next surprised him greatly. The black cat shook its head twice, arched its body, and leaped into the air.

At first, Yue Zhengling didn't know what it wanted to do, but he soon realized that the cat could not only see him, but also the hole in his head.

Sure enough, the cat used his shoulder as a springboard to jump again, and at the highest point, it swung forcefully, throwing the "Fate Knot" into the hole.

Then, Le Zhengling stared blankly at the black cat that waved goodbye to him after landing, and began another chapter in his life.

His life as an ordinary person ended that night, and when he returned, many things had changed unexpectedly.

However, this is not the story that Yue Zhengling knows at the moment.