ca-book Chapter 693 - 690:
Chapter 693 - 690:
Chapter 693: Chapter 690: "Linking Fingers with You.Lanterns by the thousands, light flooding the skies.
They were hung outside each and every household, as if paving a path home for soldiers at the front.
In an age controlled by deities, air pollution was severe, and people often couldn’t see the stars. Following the onset of the Dawn War in the 32nd year of the Catastrophe, billions of soldiers and civilians perished. Most died in widespread bombings, their Source not penetrating the bodies of the enemy but instead ascending to the skies.
To soothe the living, people learned to make fireworks and floating lanterns, telling their children that those who had died had merely ascended to the heavens to become stars watching over everyone.
"...That’s why, to harbor our yearnings, people handcraft floating lanterns during the Fuyuan Festival, inscribe them with messages they wish to send, and release them into the sky to reach their loved ones who’ve become stars," Yuanyuan said.
Yuanyuan sat by the bed, sharing these customs of the Ruined World with Su Ming’an. Those who had been by his bedside had been sent away by Su Ming’an, on the grounds that the war wasn’t over and there was still much work to do.
In the pristine white hospital room, only her voice flowed, occasionally mingled with the scent of rice and the sweetness of pastries wafting through the window.
"Despite the sixteen years I’ve lived through in Caius Tower, I never knew of this custom," Su Ming’an said as he lay in bed, his body temperature gradually warming.
His gaze fixed on the outside, where floating lanterns rose one by one into the night, hordes of people under countless pavilions lifting the orange-red lanterns in their hands, as if they could thereby converse with the departed.
The clear ticking of the clock "tick-tock, tick-tock" by his ear, the fresh scent of roses and lilies floating about, this was the only moment when he felt at peace.
"Your perspective is different from ordinary people, whether it’s strategy or vision," Yuanyuan said. "Matters unrelated to ’humanity’ and ’civilization’ do not catch your eye. I suppose no one would bother to tell you these things while you were dealing with wars. Just as you know the secrets of the entire world of Ming Hui, you control the Talent Awakening Formation that can change the fate of the whole continent, but you don’t know what specialty products come from the Kalcha region of Ming Hui, nor how many processes it takes to make a cup of Xizhou black tea—because for you, it’s unnecessary."
"..." Su Ming’an closed his eyes: "After all, I am not a player here for leisure."
He had heard many players prided themselves on being "landscape enthusiasts." They danced under the vibrant skies of Ming Hui, fraternized with the forest elves who were just beginning to grasp intelligence, and rowed skiffs and boats on the seas of Pulaya, savoring distinctively flavored lemon wines and barbecued meats. These individuals never approached missions or key NPCs, never exhausted their wit understanding the core plot of the world. They were free as if on holiday.
There were many such "landscape enthusiasts" on the World Forum, and after each "excursion" in an instance, they wrote about their experiences like travel guides, complete with various recordings and screenshots. This attracted a great deal of re
Su Ming’an gazed at the lantern until it was no longer visible, then turned around.
"`Let’s go.`"
She escorted him back to the hospital, where a line of doctors and nurses immediately surrounded him at the entrance.
"`Lord, your vital signs are not stable, please don’t wander off...`"
"`Lord, you should at least bring a guard with you, what if something happens?`"
"`Lord...`"
They crowded around him back to the ward, and Yuanyuan tucked him into bed, the pure white room resembling a fallen paradise.
Lastly, she placed a crown made of ginkgo leaves that resembled a wreath, by his bedside. The ginkgo leaf crown was golden and radiant, like interlaced gold.
"`I heard you think that something made of twelve flowers can restore your Sanity Value. I made this for you, hoping you’ll feel better,`" Yuanyuan said.
Su Ming’an looked into her eyes and uttered, "`Mm.`"
He hadn’t said much tonight, simply "`Mm`" or "`Alright,`" which was already enough.
"`Then, good night?`" Her hand touched his eyelids.
"`—!`"
Suddenly,
In that instant,
The moment his eyes were covered by her hand, plunging into darkness, he was struck with an overwhelming tide of intense fear and panic, as if the sound of something shattering echoed in his ears.
He heard the buzzing around his ears as if they were hallucinations, dense like swarming flies.
[—You’ve returned from the City of Gods, but what about the nuclear blast? What about the unopposed Lin Guang?]
[—If you’re gone, who will rescue the domesticated Yamada? Who will save the red-eyed Noel on the first floor of the City of Gods?]
[—The last thing you should’ve done was to teleport directly to Yuanyuan’s side...]
These voices were the source of his anxiety all night long—none of the joy she had prepared for the New Year’s night could be enjoyed at all; it all felt like an illusion.
...Please stop.
...Don’t ring in his ears anymore.
He wanted to dispel them, but the more he listened, the more familiar the voices seemed...
These voices—their tone—their manner...
That’s right.
—It was his own voice.
"`...`"
He suddenly moved her hand away from his eyes and realized his own lips were moving, repeating these words:
"You shouldn’t have come back..." he murmured to himself, his black hair damp and sticking to the side of his face, his back already soaked with cold sweat.
Yet Yuanyuan was just quietly watching him, as if accustomed to his hysterics.