Chapter 30: The Big Bang
Even though she said she could handle not getting cozy with her other self, after such a long time, Night Star Lan was starting to wonder if she could really hold up.
Not getting in touch with her other self for an extended period made Night Star feel like something had to be wrong. But as for what, well, that was a mystery.
“sigh~”
Inside the theater, Night Star was slumped in one of the audience seats, letting out a dramatic sigh.
Kong Yu Bai noticed that Night Star was a bit shaken up, so she decided to change the subject. “We’re finally here, why not explore a bit? Aren’t audience performers always eager to check out new cities?”
“Hmm… that’s true, but it’s not quite what I imagined,” Night Star mumbled quietly as she envisioned her upcoming days.
In this unfamiliar place called the Free Country, Night Star felt exceptionally lost; she didn’t even have an organization to turn to for help.
And without any form of identification, she’d surely be treated as suspicious. Getting close to the locals felt like a daunting challenge.
Plus, she didn’t understand any other languages, making communication even trickier.
How on earth was she supposed to navigate this city?
Now, that was a serious question.
Night Star couldn’t just hang around the theater forever—it’d be way too boring! Besides, with nowhere else to go in this city besides the theater, it was hard to even imagine.
“Can we really stroll around this city, Singer?” she asked hesitantly.
“Of course! I’m not clueless about the language here. After all, I’m a former world songstress—how could I not be fluent in other languages? Don’t worry! With my power, we can just treat it like a casual walk. No one will care about us!”
“Hmm, I guess you have a point,” Night Star nodded, deep in thought.
One of the features of Existence Interference was to reduce her presence, making it difficult for others to detect her—an absolute boon for someone with social anxiety!
This particular power was that of a minor supernova. Since it was a third of the complete supernova residing in her, even the strongest Night Watcher wouldn’t be able to spot her disguised power.
So, even if she walked down the street, it probably wouldn’t stir up any trouble.
With that thought, Night Star felt a new resolve ignite within her.
“Let’s head out!”
Before leaving, Night Star checked with Book Yao and Lianhua to see if they wanted to join.
But both declined.
Book Yao said that being in a new country meant immersing herself in the local culture to write an all-new play fitting for the weekend’s performance.
Lianhua was on the same page, wanting to study the country’s customs with Book Yao.
Before parting, though, Lianhua handed Little Lian to Night Star, saying that carrying Little Lian was like having her around, which made things more convenient.
Though Night Star was a bit skeptical, she took Little Lian along.
Even though Little Lian gave off a strong aura of star eclipses, if you didn’t get too close, you wouldn’t sense it. Plus, with the help of Existence Interference, it was all good.
As for Mo Rabbit… well, that little rascal had vanished at some point. Probably off looking for mischief.
A moment later, Night Star and Kong Yu Bai reappeared atop the building they just left.
Using Existence Interference, they slipped silently off the building and onto the ground.
And now, they found themselves on a bustling street.
Night Star held Kong Yu Bai’s hand, her curiosity piqued as she looked around at the unfamiliar foreign faces.
And in the eyes of this country, both she and Kong Yu Bai were foreigners.
Most of the pedestrians had Western features, which felt rather novel.
It was Night Star’s first time seeing so many foreigners, and it was all so refreshing!
Wait a minute.
Now that she thought about it, she’d seen quite a few foreigners in the timeline when the Group Leader was born too—so this wasn’t exactly her first rodeo.
“English, huh~”
Night Star sighed at the sight of every letter in English peppering the surroundings, her inner student shedding tears of grief.
But before she could dwell on her struggle for long, she quickly started to understand the English words.
“Ah, what’s this?”
Night Star tilted her head in a cute, confused way before realizing what was going on.
This seemed like a situation that had happened in the Group Leader’s timeline as well. It was probably a result of the Wish Machine’s powers—could it really still be working?
Truly the Wish Machine was something else!
With that little revelation, Night Star felt a surge of confidence.
“Kong Yu Bai, let’s set off! Time to explore this new city!”
“Okay.”
Though she had no clue why Night Star seemed so much happier, as long as she was in good spirits, that was all that mattered.
Kong Yu Bai held Night Star’s hand as they stepped into the crowd, fitting in flawlessly.
Night Star’s unease about being in a strange country and city quickly faded away during their little jaunt.
It felt surprisingly similar to her home.
Everyone was just living ordinary lives, pedestrians bustling about with the same hustle and bustle as back home. They only differed in appearance; at least on the surface, nothing seemed different.
Everyone was out there, working for a living.
Night Star looked up at the sky and saw flying cars zooming by—just like in her homeland.
And just then, she noticed something.
On a giant electronic screen not far away, there was a familiar figure singing, which instantly brought back memories for Night Star.
“Is that…?”
Qing Liao! The Qing Liao Songstress!
Why was she on that screen, singing away?
Kong Yu Bai caught onto Night Star’s unusual behavior and followed her gaze.
“Oh my, is that the current world songstress? Fate really is unpredictable; it looks like she’s about to have a concert here!”
“Wait, really!?”
“Yep! There’s a message at the bottom of the screen saying it’s in a few days! And we just happen to have moved to this city today—are we looking at coincidence, or has fate made its choice?”
Saying this, Kong Yu Bai suddenly hummed a tune as if she’d just found inspiration.
“Whoa~”
Upon realizing Qing Liao might be in this city, Night Star felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Nothing was more delightful than running into an old friend in a foreign land!
“Kong Yu Bai, let’s go find Qing Liao! If she knows we’re here, she’ll be thrilled!”
“Sure, but your plan is for Qing Liao to look after you, right?”
“Hmm, not at all! I just want to catch up with an old friend!”
Night Star declared boldly, looking for all the world like she was simply eager to reunite with an old pal.
As for whether Qing Liao would take pity on poor Night Star, well, that remained to be seen.
With a decision made, Night Star and Kong Yu Bai set out to find out where Qing Liao was currently residing so they could track her down.
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed in the air, like thunder on a still night!
Boom!!
A nearby skyscraper erupted in a spectacular explosion, sending sparks flying everywhere.
Pedestrians scattered like startled animals, as if they were used to such commotion.
Night Star was left dumbfounded.
“Whoa, is this the Free Country? It’s really something!”
