bookbashuk Page 285
Page 285
"I'll cook tonight."
"Okay, but are you sure you can manage alone?"
"Hmph, you're underestimating me." Estella put her hands on her hips, looking very impressive.
In fact, she was quite capable. As an alchemist, and having observed Shirley for so long, how could she not know how to cook?
"Then I'll look forward to your performance."
As Shirley sat on the sofa, her smile gradually faded as she watched Estella walk into the kitchen.
A sudden flash of deathly stillness and emptiness crossed those clear, black eyes.
……
"Happy birthday."
Estella placed the gift she had prepared beforehand in front of Shirley; this was their third year together.
Having gained a deep understanding of this world, she had already decided to end this memory ahead of time, but in the end, she couldn't bear to.
No, it's not that she's reluctant to leave, but rather that she doesn't understand this world well enough, nor does she understand the game thoroughly enough. She wants to stay a little longer.
Although she had healed Shirley's heart with her abilities, that memory was on the verge of shattering.
The television was still broadcasting news from months ago, the clock on the wall was stopped at 3:53, and all the pedestrians outside had disappeared. The whole city was deathly silent.
Only this place remains, still so warm and cozy, so warm and comforting that it makes you want to cry.
"When was this prepared for me?"
"Of course, it was prepared in advance for you. Hurry up and open it to take a look."
"it is good."
Xia Li opened the exquisitely packaged gift box, inside was a deluxe limited edition of "The New Century". She had heard Xia Li say that she wanted this before, but because it was too expensive and there was no market for it, she had never bought it.
This time, Estella used her abilities to recreate a set, taking advantage of Shirley's birthday.
Wow, where did you buy it?
Seeing the radiant smile on Shirley's face, Estella's lips also curled up slightly: "Of course I waited for it, otherwise how do you think I bought it?"
"Thank you, I really love this gift."
"If you like it, that's good. If you like it... that's good."
Why do you seem to have something on your mind?
"No, no, you're overthinking it." Shirley took a deep breath and then brought out the cake she had prepared earlier. "Come on, let's celebrate that you've successfully survived another year. Make a wish."
"Let me think... what should I wish for this time?" Shirley pretended to think seriously for a moment, then said to Estella, "I hope my Estella can be happy every day."
"Ok?"
Estella was taken aback, and a sense of panic welled up inside her. But she still tried to remain calm and said, "At a time like this, you should be wishing for a long and healthy life. Why are you dragging me into this?"
"Because my story has ended, while your story has just begun."
As Shirley finished speaking, Estella's last shred of hope vanished, and she asked with a bitter expression, "You knew everything?"
“Yes, it was that afternoon three months ago.” Shirley glanced at the clock on the wall, then looked back at Estella: “Thank you for being there for me in my final moments.”
When Shirley said those words, the whole world seemed to crack, like shattered glass.
Estella instinctively activated her power, and a massive alchemical array suddenly appeared.
Just as she was preparing to mend this shattered memory, Shirley suddenly grabbed her hand, and a familiar voice rang in Estella's ear: "It's ready."
"I don't want to!" Estella gripped Shirley's hand tightly; she didn't want Shirley to disappear like this.
Volume 1: Chapter 599 Estella, Lost in Memories
Estella tried her best to use her abilities to prolong this memory.
But at this point, she didn't have much mental energy left, since she had already used her ability to fabricate memories that had lasted for three months.
Therefore, no matter how much she uses her abilities now, she cannot stop this memory from collapsing.
The cracks in the entire world of memories are increasing, and even on Shirley's body, cracks appear like those on broken porcelain.
As if sensing Estella's reluctance, Shirley slowly moved closer to her, then wrapped her arms around her neck and gently kissed her.
Before Estella could fully savor the kiss, her world of memories collapsed completely. She instinctively wanted to hug Shirley, but when she reached out, she found herself back in reality.
The familiar, cozy little nest was no longer there, but a rather simple wooden house. The once energetic figure had disappeared, replaced by a blonde girl lying on the bed, fast asleep.
Estella's hand fell limply to her side, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
It's clearly just a memory, so why do I feel like there's a void in my heart?
The consequences of overusing her mental energy gradually became apparent. With a wave of dizziness, Estella also fell into a deep sleep by the bedside.
While she was asleep, she had a dream in which she continued her relationship with Xia Li. She dreamt that the two of them were still happily playing games together, eating together, and sleeping together.
However, as her mental strength recovered, she awoke from her incredibly beautiful dream.
When Estella woke up, she slumped into a chair, feeling somewhat dazed. For the first time in so many years, she felt that her life was so empty.
If Shirley could be here with me right now.
Shirley, Shirley, Shirley...
After an unknown amount of time, Estella seemed to remember something and turned her gaze back to the sleeping blonde girl.
This time, she didn't hesitate and activated the Soul Alchemy once again, entering the blonde girl's memories.
It was the same familiar street. A car was parked on the side of the road, and the figure that haunted her dreams appeared before Estella once again.
Xia Li, who had just gotten off the bus, looked at the beautiful girl with tears streaming down her face with some confusion, a look of doubt flashing in her eyes.
However, the other person's outfit quickly caught her attention. Was she cosplaying Estella?
It's a pity she's a little socially anxious, otherwise I would have gone up and struck up a conversation with her.
Just as Shirley was about to look away, Estella activated her power, projecting the memories of the two of them into Shirley's mind.
A fleeting look of confusion crossed Shirley's eyes, followed by a slightly helpless yet indulgent smile. She walked up to Estella, reached out and tapped her forehead: "You know perfectly well that this is a memory, so why can't you let it go?"
"I don't care, I just can't let go." Estella hugged Shirley tightly.
This time, she not only projected the memories belonging to the two of them into Shirley's mind, but also her current situation. In other words, Shirley now knows that this is a memory.
After gently ruffling Estella's hair, Shirley said softly, "Alright, I still have three years until I die, so please let me go first, okay?"
"No good," Estella muttered.
The sight of the two beautiful girls hugging attracted the attention of many passersby, which was somewhat torturous for Xia Li, who was a little socially anxious.
Perhaps sensing Shirley's embarrassment, Estella released her grip and said, "I have so many things I want to do with you, so I came back."
"Aren't you going to see what happened after I died?"
"I...I don't want to for now."
She couldn't imagine what Shirley had gone through to beg her to kill her. She clearly loved life and wanted to live more than anyone else.
Seeing Estella's expression, Shirley could roughly guess what the other was thinking.
Shirley chuckled softly, then said, "Let's not go see it yet. Let's go home, and I'll cook you something delicious."
Aren't you going to see a movie?
Shirley pointed to her head and said, "Thanks to you, I've watched that movie at least ten times. There's no point in watching it again. I might as well go home and do nothing."
“Okay.” Estella held Shirley’s hand tightly, as if she didn’t want to be separated from her for even a moment.
……
Another three years passed, and with the shattering of her memories, she returned to reality once more.
She originally thought that with these three years, she could make up for many regrets, but only just now she realized that three years was not enough to make up for regrets at all, and even created many more regrets.
This time, she suppressed the dizziness caused by the depletion of her mental energy and took out several bottles of potion from her spatial ring and drank them.
His nearly depleted mental energy began to recover under the stimulation of the potion.
Soul Alchemy, activated once again.
Three years, three years, three years...
Until one unknown third year, when she felt her world of memories about to shatter, she hugged Shirley tightly and whispered, "Don't worry, soon, soon we'll be together again."
"That's enough." Shirley, who was being hugged, turned her head to look at Estella's tired expression, a hint of heartache flashing in her eyes.
"You're too immersed in the world of memories; continuing like this won't do you any good."
"Besides, didn't we already agree? This is the last time. If you come looking for me again, I'll get angry." Shirley waved her little fist, but it didn't seem very intimidating.
Estella understood this principle, of course, but she couldn't bear to part with it. Even though she always decided it would be the last time, she could never bear the loneliness of Shirley not being by her side.
"Promise me, okay?" Shirley pressed her forehead against Estella's and said to her with utmost seriousness.
"Besides, we're not without a chance to meet again. Based on our speculation, I might have transmigrated after I died. Although I don't know what kind of trauma I suffered, I believe I should be able to recover quickly with you here."
"……Um."
Feeling the soft body in her arms gradually break apart, as she was pulled back to reality, Estella subconsciously took out a potion from her spatial ring, only to find that she had already drunk it all.
A soft sigh echoed in the room.
Volume 1: Chapter 600 Witnessing Her Death
"Why didn't you kill me?"
Upon waking, the blonde girl stared blankly at Estella beside the bed, her eyes vacant, like a broken doll.
"I... there are still things I want to know."
"Whatever, as long as I die." After saying that, the blonde girl closed her eyes, as if everything happening around her had nothing to do with her.
A hint of hesitation flashed in Estella's eyes, but she ultimately activated Soul Alchemy once more.
This time, however, she did not return to that memory, because she and Shirley had made a promise not to continue dwelling on it.
When the soul alchemy was activated, Estella also locked onto the blonde girl's next memory.
Just as she and Shirley had guessed, Shirley did indeed transmigrate after her death, and she transmigrated into the body of Elise, the cannon fodder young lady in the game.
This time, Estella did not appear; she simply remained a quiet observer. She was afraid, afraid of falling back into Shirley's memories.
"Am I... transported to another world or reborn?" The stunning blonde girl woke up in the large bed, her eyes filled with clear confusion.
Seeing Iris's bewildered expression, Estella's lips curled up slightly. Although her appearance had changed, her behavior was exactly the same as Shirley's.
Although Estella smiled, there was still an unresolved sorrow in her eyes. This was because Shirley had transmigrated into Iris's body. As a player who had played the game countless times, she knew very well how many protagonists Iris had offended and what her fate would be.
For some unknown reason, Estella clenched her fists, and her expression gradually darkened.
When Shirley first transmigrated to this world, she was like a curious child. Although she had already discovered that she had transmigrated into a cannon fodder young lady, she did not feel any despair.
Even as an observer, she could still feel the vitality emanating from the other person.
When Shirley, a time traveler, first saw the little maid, she immediately went over and gave her a big hug.
Although the little maid's nervous look was quite cute, Estella felt a pang of sadness in her heart, like she had eaten a lemon.
Speaking of which, when she was living with Xia Li, she once accidentally fell into Xia Li's trap and ate an extremely sour lemon candy. For a moment, she didn't know whether to continue eating it or spit it out. In addition, she wanted to teach Xia Li a lesson, so in her haste, she went directly to Xia Li's side and let her experience the sour feeling as well.
Estella couldn't help but laugh again when she thought of those wonderful memories.
But Estella's smile didn't last long before she couldn't smile anymore.
Elise was kidnapped shortly after she boarded the carriage and set off.
She saw Elise being kidnapped and taken to a dilapidated basement, and she saw the beautiful silver-haired girl coldly plunge a dagger into Elise's thigh.
The piercing scream was like a sharp knife, stabbing into Estella's heart, and a surge of murderous intent erupted at that moment.
At this moment, she desperately wanted to tear that silver-haired girl to pieces, but she couldn't do it because it was a memory. Even if she interfered with the memory, she couldn't change reality, much less the past.
Estella now recognizes that the silver-haired girl who kidnapped Iris is Elena, a main character in the game.
Elena is one of Shirley's favorite main characters. When she and Shirley discussed the game, she heard Shirley praise Elena more than once. She could even recall the way Elena's eyes lit up when she mentioned Elena.
Even just now, when Shirley woke up and saw Elena, her eyes were filled with surprise.
But... the silver-haired girl she liked mercilessly plunged a dagger into her thigh.