"Okay." Even though Evernight really wanted to say she didn't need to eat.
But considering the good intentions, she still agreed.
"Ahem, passenger Evernight, the Conductor hereby welcos you to the Express, Pom!"
Pom-Pom hadn't expected a surprise attack, and after reacting, imdiately stepped forward.
"This ticket is for you, Pom!"
As if carrying it at all tis, Pom-Pom rummaged around its body and brought out a new ticket.
"It is the symbol of the Naless, and even more so the symbol of the Astral Express. The Astral Express is the eternal symbol of the Naless, and everyone here is a partner who advances and retreats together.
"It is your most solid reliance!"
After speaking, Pom-Pom handed the ticket to Leon.
"Here, let the Navigator be the one to bestow the final honor upon passenger Evernight."
Leon took the ticket. "Where should I pin it?"
He asked, his gaze falling upon Evernight.
"Wherever you like."
Leon thought for a mont, selected the square collar on her chest, and pinned it on gently.
"A community of shared destiny, understand?" he said with a smile.
Evernight let out a soft hmph and didn't say anything.
"Are we going to the Xianzhou Alliance to attend the grand banquet later, or should we throw one on the Express too?" He thought of sothing and asked the Golden Progeny.
"Such a massive crisis has been overco, we have to celebrate it a little, don't we? Or returning to Amphoreus works too."
Hearing this, the Golden Progeny looked at each other and smiled.
"Wherever you are, we are there."
Their answer was surprisingly unanimous.
"Hehe, then let's just do them all."
What else is there to say, brothers, it's all given to you?
"I still have so things to do, you guys rest up first."
Leon had just glanced at his Jade Abacus and found a bunch of people looking for him.
Almost every contact he had added privately ssaged him.
It really didn't allow for even a mont's pause.
Herta Space Station.
After replying to them, Leon first ca to find Herta.
After all, he hadn't seen "Herta" on the battlefield earlier.
"You shouldn't have co." "Herta" crossed her arms.
"Weren't you the one who called here?" What is the aning of this.
"It seems you don't understand my humor."
"Herta" snorted, unexpectedly not giving him any face at all.
"You're already crying anxiously."
Leon looked around, "Speaking of which, where is Herta?"
"Right in front of you."
"Who asked you, I ant that one."
After bringing Herta back, Leon had dropped her near Pier Point and never paid attention to her again.
He had been fighting constantly and hadn't had a mont of free ti.
Only now did he have ti to ask.
He was also planning to invite Herta to the grand banquet later.
After all, in a sense, she was also his family mber?
"Tinkering with the Simulated Universe, preparing to research everything she saw, witnessed, and thought about this ti."
"Herta" gave a very Herta-like answer.
"Fair enough." Leon approved of her, "Then what did you need for?"
Her ssage to him had said she had sothing to discuss.
"It's not really my business either."
"Herta" humd and then said, "It has nothing to do with , it's about Ruan i's side of things."
"What's up with her now?" Leon wondered what exactly they had been doing while he was away?
"Do you know her research topic?"
"Resurrection from the dead, I know."
One could see many issues just from Ruan Ye.
Also, the intuition of The Hunt is just aweso, absolutely indisputable!
"During the ti you were away, she found a relevant thod through Nous."
"Herta" gave a brief introduction to the premise.
"Did you help her?"
Aside from a "Perfect Scholar," who else had this ability?
"What do you think?" "If she has your help, why does she need mine?"
'I am but a military commander, unskilled in words.'
Leon truly couldn't understand a single thing these geniuses tinkered with.
Help with what?
"I'm asking you to completely cut off this notion of hers." "Herta" was well aware of the final outco, "She will not succeed."
"You're that pessimistic about it?" Leon raised an eyebrow.
Since even "Herta" said she wouldn't succeed, it seed the probability of Ruan i failing was indeed not small.
"The world allows consciousness to match with a new vessel, but does not allow a vessel to gather dissipated consciousness."
"Herta" said.
"Of course, it's not absolute; if it were you, you should be able to help her achieve it."
"What do you an I can help her achieve it?" "Let put it simply."
"Humans have a 'Soul' that exists, and the thods of The Erudition can only achieve the restoration of the physical body. Matters regarding the 'Soul' must rely on The Rembrance."
"If you just emptily instill the original body's mories into the restored physical body, it would be nothing more than a clumsy imitation, fundantally different from true 'mory'."
After speaking, "Herta" asked again.
"Have you heard of the mory Zone?"
Leon nodded.
More than just heard of it, he had been there personally.
"The mory Zone is the reflection of the entire galaxy. It records all mories of everything that happens every single mont, even containing those from thousands of Amber Eras ago."
"Even the 'Dusk Wars' might exist within it."
Seeing that he knew, "Herta" continued speaking.
"The people of The Rembrance don't have every single mory on hand either. If those mokeepers don't have it, then you have to go search for it in the mory Zone."
As she spoke, "Herta" let out a scoff.
"But there's another very crucial issue, which is that only people of The Rembrance can dive into the mory Zone. People of other Paths will just get lost if they enter."
"I feel that in this world, there is probably only you who can truly roam freely within the mory Zone. Wouldn't you say that's right, 'Fuli'?"
"You're already crying anxiously."
"You're already crying anxiously," "Unless you are willing to help her, Ruan i has had no path forward from the very beginning," "Herta" added, thinking of sothing.
"Oh, seeking out The Abundance might hold a bit of hope too, but I feel like she won't be able to find another Emanator of The Abundance purer than you in this galaxy," "Herta" chuckled.
"Do you want Ruan i's research to succeed?"
Leon looked at how invested she seed, feeling it was a bit strange.
"No, of course I want her to fail."
"Herta" threw her hands up, being quite frank.
"Ruan i is pursuing the eternity of life, which is why she cast her gaze toward the Aeon," "Herta" said, her voice calm.
"But if life is truly eternal, can it still really be called human?"
"Who knows."
Leon expressed that, anyway, he didn't think eternal life was right.
"Rather, for this question, I feel the answer for each Path should be different. At the very least, The Hunt emphasizes that all things must have an end."
The Hunt is the Path that least tolerates the eternity of life, which is why it despises The Abundance so much.
"So, what is your plan?"
"Herta" looked at him and asked.
"You said to cut off that notion of Ruan i's."
Leon indicated that she hadn't finished explaining.
"How do I cut it off? Don't tell you want to help actually bring her parents out?" "That's exactly it."
"Herta" nodded.
"What is the aning of this."
"Literally what it ans. Ruan i unilaterally wants to resurrect her loved ones; she thinks it's for their own good, but her loved ones might not necessarily feel the sa way."
Hearing this, Leon recalled the heart-to-heart talk they had not too long ago when he returned with Ruan i to what she called ho.
Ruan i herself was also hesitating.
She also didn't know whether this act of forcing the deceased to return was ultimately right or wrong.
A person rarely turns back until they hit a brick wall.
She had decided to carry this obsession out to the end; she wanted to get the answer straight from her parents' mouths.
Leon had known about this matter very early on.
And he had promised to help her.
Heh, looks like he can't get away without going.
"Alright, since you've said so, then I'll go."
Even though it sounded very troubleso, who asked him to be soone who loves helping others?
"Because of ?"
"Herta" dragged out a long hum, the expression on her face quite intriguing.
"Because of you."
Isn't that stating the obvious? You called here, how could it not be because of you?
"Are you going to start humming softly now?" "Hmph~" "Herta" ignored him, "Hurry up and go." "Copy that!"
This episode is god-tier!
A land of swirling, heavy snow.
Even though Ruan i had hidden herself away.
As long as Leon truly wanted to find her, there really wasn't anything in this world he couldn't find.
Creak—
He pushed open the door, stepping into the concealed laboratory.
The laboratory was pitch black, with only a single spot of light.
Attracted by the light, Leon cast his gaze over.
It was a screen filled with things he couldn't understand.
Following Leon's gaze, on the laboratory screen, layers of geotric patterns ford by data spirals were shifting, stretching, and flowing amidst soft sounds.
And peeling back those layers of patterns...
Was the secret Ruan i had pampered and ticulously crafted—
Her parents with their eyes closed, both bearing cold, slumber-like visages.
"What are you doing here..."
Hearing the voice, Leon looked toward its source.
Ruan i's hair was disheveled, the ink-black strands obscuring her expression. She sat slumped on the floor, her voice low as she spoke, a heavy sense of powerlessness lingering about her that refused to dissipate.
"Did you co to see make a joke of myself?"
Regardless of her appearance or ntal state, Ruan i looked extrely unwell.
She completely lacked her usual elegant poise.
Rather, having her mind scoured by the massive amount of information from Nous, her brain was practically ruined.
Not to ntion that she had finally found the answer she wanted in that brief 0.1 seconds, only to ultimately lack the adequate strength to actualize it.
Anyone in her place would be physically and ntally wrecked.
"I'm here to help you."
Leon stepped forward, walking up to her and crouching down. "I promised you before."
"Help ...?"
Ruan i murmured, seemingly having long forgotten about this.
"I always do what I say."
Leon reached out his hand.
He used his index finger to gently brush aside the falling strands of hair in front of her face, looking into those pupils that had lost their highlights.
Ruan i looked at him, montarily stunned.
"Where is your mother's brain lobe slice?"
Leon stood up. "Your father's corpse should have been used directly by you for experints."
He was referring to Ruan Ye, whom they had seen previously.
"The reason you didn't touch your mother, I imagine, is because she said sothing to you."
The intuition of The Hunt—scary, isn't it?
"..." Ruan i remained silent.
After a while, she stood up.
She walked forward without uttering a single word, leading the way for Leon.
Leon followed behind her, and finally, he followed Ruan i's footsteps into a dark room within the laboratory.
Sky-blue light reflected on Leon's face.
In the incubation pod directly in front of him, a tiny brain lobe slice lay quietly.
Just as expected...
Seeing this brain lobe slice, Leon already had a good idea of what attitude Ruan i's mother held toward her child resurrecting her.
The brain lobe slice left behind was the temporal lobe.
It is responsible for human 'mory'.
Ruan i's mother understood her child incomparably well.
She knew Ruan i's temperant, knew she was a girl starved for love, and so she understood that after she died, Ruan i would definitely seek a way to resurrect her.
Precisely because of this.
Ruan i's mother left a will instructing Ruan i to preserve her brain lobe slice.
She had anticipated that such a day would co long ago.
Even going so far as to prepare everything in advance so her daughter wouldn't face too much difficulty.
With this temporal lobe in existence.
Problems concerning 'mory' could be said to have been solved without any effort, like finding sothing right in front of you after searching far and wide.
Leon originally thought he would have to take another trip to the mory Zone.
This saved him the trouble.
He raised his hand, pulling upon the power of The Rembrance.
He then applied this power onto this brain slice.
In the next second, the 'mory' stored within the temporal lobe was mobilized by Leon, and he briefly molded a '' as a vessel for this 'mory'.
If Leon wanted to, he could certainly truly resurrect her.
But he already knew Ruan i's mother's answer.
A brief reunion using a '' as a vessel was entirely sufficient; since that was the case, there was no need to expend extra effort.
"Where is this...?"
i Jin, now a , slowly opened her eyes, a distinct look of bewildernt on her face.
"Mo...ther...?"
Ruan i's body trembled slightly. Looking at the person before her, the voice escaping her lips quivered faintly.
"You are...?"
Hearing this familiar yet foreign voice, i Jin imdiately cast her gaze toward Ruan i.
"Are you Ah-Ruan?"
Then her expression also turned dumbfounded.
"It's , Mother, it's ."
Seeing that she recognized her, Ruan i couldn't control herself and stepped forward to embrace her.
"I didn't expect Ah-Ruan to have grown into such a big girl, I didn't recognize you for a mont there."
i Jin held her, gently patting her back, her voice trembling.
"Mother... I missed you so much..."
i Jin didn't speak, only tears sparkling at the corners of her eyes.
"Ah-Ruan, let the people of the past stay in the past."
Her eyes lowered, her expression complex.
"You don't need to feel guilty about our deaths."
Ultimately, she still spoke the words she most wanted to say from the bottom of her heart.
"Why?"
Ruan i hugged her tighter, asking softly by her ear with a tearful voice.
"We were clearly just about to go back to the way things were..."
i Jin took a deep breath, then pushed Ruan i's shoulders to separate them.
Facing her directly.
"Ah-Ruan, I know, I know everything," i Jin said earnestly.
"You would definitely feel guilty over our deaths and try every possible thod to bring us back; I had you preserve my brain lobe slice precisely for this."
Just as Ruan i was about to open her mouth and ask why she refused, she heard her mother speak again.
"So that it would be convenient for you to do what you wanted to do, and so that in the future, when you truly crossed that line and brought us back, I could seriously tell you in person."
i Jin had tears in her eyes.
"Let go of our deaths."
She was also a scientific researcher, so she placed even more importance on that line and the reverence for life.
"Ah-Ruan, you don't have to beco the relic of your father and , you only need to be yourself. There is no mother in this world who wishes to beco an obsession that plagues their child for a lifeti."
i Jin raised her hand, gently stroking her cheek.
"I know, you yourself aren't clear whether the actions you pursue are right or wrong; you simply cannot accept remaining indifferent to our deaths."
"You cannot convince yourself to do nothing when you clearly know there is this hope."
i Jin smiled with maternal love, gently wiping away the tears lingering on Ruan i's face with her thumb.
"You must get an answer directly from my mouth to be at peace."
What mother wouldn't understand her own child?
"So, I must tell you personally."
"Stop it. Your actions are neither right nor wrong, but your father and I do not wish to cross this line."
i Jin's voice was very soft, "Human life grows amidst partings. Let what has passed stay in the past."
Ruan i raised her hand, pressing her palm against the back of her mother's hand.
She bit her lip, not uttering a word, continuing to cry.
She truly feels more like a living person in front of her family after all...
Seeing her like this, Leon couldn't help but think.
"Ah-Ruan, you must live well, for the sake of your father and as well, understand?"
i Jin could feel her ti was almost up, so she entrusted her final words.
"Mm-hmm..."
Ruan i nodded repeatedly, tears flowing uncontrollably.
"Thank you, kind sir."
i Jin looked at Leon. She knew her ability to exist in this world right now completely relied on him.
"Thanks to you, I was able to have this reunion with my daughter and perfectly draw a close to my unfulfilled duties as a mother."
Leon nodded.
"Please, you must take care of our Ah-Ruan in the future, I thank you in advance!"
i Jin could sense Leon's imnse power.
Thus, even if it ant pushing her luck, she had to try and secure his protection!
Leon humd an agreent.
"Ah-Ruan, my ti is up."
Hearing this, Ruan i imdiately clasped her hand tightly, terrified she would suddenly disappear in the next second.
"Rember, I will always love you."
At this mont of departure, i Jin's eyes held reluctance, yet a thoroughly contented smile hung on her face.
In the next second, her ti existing as a ca to an end.
The hand Ruan i was grasping quietly slipped away from her grasp, just like an uncatchable breeze.
She remained speechless for a long ti, standing frozen in place without moving.
Leon looked at Ruan i with her head bowed down, tactfully not stepping forward to disturb her.
"...Co with to see my father again."
After quite a while, Ruan i, with red eyes, spoke to him in a very soft voice.
"Do you need so ti to compose yourself?"
Leon didn't refuse.
Ruan i was just about to say she didn't need it, but paused upon thinking of her current appearance.
"...Thank you."
Ultimately, she changed her tune.
...
Brocade Town.
Leon followed Ruan i, returning once again to this land she called her hotown.
Knock, knock. Knock, knock.
Leon knocked on the door.
"Coming, coming."
A voice and footsteps sounded from behind the door.
"Who is it?"
The next second, the door opened wide.
"If it isn't Mr. Leon and Ah-Ruan!"
Seeing the visitors, Ruan Ye was both surprised and delighted.
"What's wrong?" Ruan Ye looked at Ruan i.
"Looking for twice in such a short period of ti, this isn't your style."
He thought of sothing, "Could it be that your research has made so substantial progress, Ah-Ruan?"
Ruan i gave a low hum of confirmation.
"That's wonderful, this talent was definitely inherited from your mother."
Ruan i looked at him.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say sothing, but ultimately couldn't manage to get the words out.
"...Father, I just saw Mother."
Only after a bout of ntal preparation did Ruan i successfully speak up.
Ruan Ye was montarily stunned.
"Is that so..." Ruan Ye murmured softly.
"Your mother..." Ruan Ye paused, "What did she say?"
"She said, I don't need to beco your relic."
"Right, right, that's how it is."
Ruan Ye smiled, suddenly looking much older.
"Ah-Ruan, after seeing your mother, have you let it go?"
"I don't know..."
"It's fine, it's fine, let's take it slow, no rush, no rush."
Ruan Ye sighed lightly, indicating it wasn't a big deal.
"No, Father, I will face everything alone."
Ruan i shook her head.
"I know that all these years, you only pretended to agree with my actions because you were afraid I would be lonely. You've always been waiting for to reconcile with Mother and truly let go."
Even if the person before her wasn't the real Ruan Ye, but rely a synthetic human using Ruan Ye's body while being infused with all of Ruan Ye's mories by Ruan i.
He was still worthy of her truly calling him Father.
"It's enough, Father. Thank you, thank you."
Everything is fake, but the affection is real.
Hearing the words 'thank you', Ruan Ye pressed his lips tightly together, terrified he would just burst into tears. He sniffled and tilted his head up, afraid to let his child see him like this.
Afterward, he lowered his head, forcing a smile to his lips.
"I just suddenly realized that my Ah-Ruan has already grown so big."
The smile he squeezed out was quite unsightly. "It seems that wood carving of mine really needs to be recarved."
Ruan i did not speak.
"Mr. Leon."
Ruan Ye took a breath and walked toward Leon.
"Here, for you."
He pulled out a piece of paper he carried with him from his inner coat pocket and handed it over.
"What is it?" Leon took it.
"The recipe for Qingtuan."
"I've marked the exact asurents for every step; it's the closest to how her mother made it. I hope that after I'm gone, you'll still be able to let Ah-Ruan taste the familiar flavor."
Ruan Ye's voice was solemn.
"Mr. Leon, I'm entrusting our Ah-Ruan to you from now on."
Leon agreed to it.
Although he didn't know if he should agree, seeing as Ruan i didn't seem to have any objections.
It should be fine.
"Go on, Ah-Ruan."
Ruan Ye took a deep breath and began to usher his guests out.
"After taking this final look, walk forward, and do not look back."
Ruan i closed her eyes, and after thoroughly preparing herself, opened them.
She didn't say a single word, leaving in the direction they had co from.
"Mr. Leon, I leave her to you."
Ruan Ye had a 'that's how it should be' smile on his face, entrusting her once more.
"Alright."
Leon nodded, taking one last look at Ruan Ye, before following in Ruan i's footsteps.
"What do you plan to do in the future?"
he asked, walking shoulder to shoulder with Ruan i.
"Lately, I just want so peace and quiet."
"Not bad."
After replying to this, Leon didn't say anything else, rely walking with her in silence.
"Leon."
After walking out of Ruan Ye's line of sight, Ruan i suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"Hmm?"
With both hands in his pockets, Leon turned sideways, looking at the person behind him.
"..."
Ruan i whispered two words in a barely imperceptible voice.
"What?"
With Leon's hearing, he naturally caught every bit of it.
"My na. My true na."
"It's nice."
"Thank you for today."
"This episode is god-tier."
PS: The previous chapter has been fully updated, please click refresh. I am crying anxiously!
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