Chapter 179: Rast, Long Time No See (Two-in-One)
Based on Rast’s comparison on the map.
That paradise of the bygone era is located within the current Granwill Empire, about four hundred kilometers away from the imperial capital, in a place called Cuifeng Ling.
At that time, the capital city, which once thrived, has now been replaced by a vast, lush, and silent forest.
Aside from a few hunters and herb gatherers living near the mountains, there is not a soul in sight for dozens of miles, and the bustling royal city of the past can no longer be seen.
Only the majestic mountains stand tall, bearing witness to the existence of that Netherworld during the Sixth Epoch.
…
As Rast arrived at the border of Cuifeng Ling by high-speed train from Starry University, he spent more than an hour navigating to the foot of the paradise ruins as dusk approached.
Through the dense forest, a winding and rugged path leading up to the mountain top could be vaguely seen.
This was the path taken by nearby hunters and herb gatherers heading up the mountain, which had turned into a trail from frequent use.
However, with the rapid development of industrial technology in the Western Continent, there were far fewer professions like hunters and herb gatherers, resulting in the path falling into a semi-abandoned state, covered by overgrown weeds, waiting who knows how long for a new visitor.
When Rast reached midway up the mountain, he suddenly paused.
He slightly raised his gaze, looking up at the sky above, concealed by lush branches, where he could only see a glimpse of blue.
“If I remember correctly, there should be privacy protection laws in the Granwill Empire,” he calmly stated to the empty, dim yellow sky.
“So, Mr. Silver, please stay here and wait for me; do not follow me any longer.”
Rast’s words echoed in the vast mountains, but the empty sky remained silent, offering no response.
Noticing this, Rast sighed softly, and his dark eyes suddenly shimmered with a mysterious silver hue.
Then, he reached out his hand, grasping at the void.
With his movements, a rippling distortion of light began to spread in the direction he grasped.
In what seemed to be an empty space, a clear crack suddenly opened…
Within the fissure, a silver weasel lying on a sofa, leisurely munching on dried fish, stared in confusion at the torn space, exchanging wide-eyed glances with Rast.
“Are you kidding me?! Isn’t that the Insulated Claw of Barba Rosa’s gorilla, no wait… is it ‘Silence Disqualified’?”
“You’ve stolen my techniques to this extent, and even disrupted my spatial folding?”
“And how did you discover me hidden in the Sub-Dimension? Was it thanks to that little guy Isda’s ‘Eye of Secrets’?”
Mr. Silver and his dried fish were shocked, expressions full of disbelief.
Although he had seen Rast fighting valiantly in the Night World through Ophelia’s live broadcast… the Rast at that time had certainly achieved his victories with the help of external forces, including the “Holy Grenade,” “Zenith Sword,” and the Grim Reaper’s Star Cup.
Under the support of these external items, Rast could briefly contend against legends, but that was ultimately an unsustainable means—like the boosts from the Grim Reaper’s Star Cup and the Abyss, which would cease to exist after the echoes of history faded, not counting as true power belonging to Rast.
Subconsciously, Mr. Silver still regarded Rast as that second-tier student who had just entered Starry University, possessing incredible potential but ultimately just a novice in the Extraordinary Domain, easily manipulated.
However, this notion was quickly turned on its head; the abilities of “Spatial Folding” and “Sub-Dimension,” which had previously allowed for dimensional suppression, Rast now surprisingly had a way to counter.
At that moment, Mr. Silver realized that the black-haired, black-eyed boy before him was no longer the novice he could easily toy with.
As he had witnessed in the live broadcast, Rast, as the heir of the Legendary Guardian, had already broken through to the fifth tier, possessing the “Library of Fools” as his Night Blade. Although he was still far from the true legendary domain…
In the realm beneath legends, Rast had matured, gradually realizing his earlier potential, truly embarking on his unique legendary path.
Before Mr. Silver could recover from his shock and sentiments of “my Rast is finally growing up,” he felt a hand gripping the nape of his neck, sealing his fate.
That hand was long and bony, pulling him out from the hidden Sub-Dimension, holding him up in midair.
“As the esteemed director of the Magical Creatures Research Institute,” Rast said, “Mr. Silver, you wouldn’t want your students to find out that you’re actually a perverted silver weasel who hides in the Sub-Dimension, secretly tailing them, would you?”
The calmness of Rast’s voice fell into Mr. Silver’s ears like a demon’s whisper.
“You’ve changed, little Rast…”
“You weren’t like this before; back then, you were just a small, cute kid, not at all like this cold and heartless person.”
“Do you know how much such words can hurt a silver weasel?”
Mr. Silver whimpered, wiping his nonexistent tears with his fluffy tail.
“As a professor and your teacher, I just thought it necessary to observe the emotional issues between my two students…”
“Just like those parents who sneakily read their teenagers’ diaries, though I was tailing you and Young Xiya, it was all for your good; these actions are proof of my love for you.”
“Anyway, little Rast, you’ve indeed grown up; you’re no longer that child who needs adults watching over you…”
With a little paw wiping the corner of his eye, he said, “My boy is growing up; a girl should not be held back. Though as a parent it’s hard to let go, it seems it’s indeed time for me to set you free.”
“Go on, I won’t follow you anymore; it’s time for you and Young Xiya to have your own privacy and to live in your own world.”
Mr. Silver shook his fluffy tail, turning away, resembling a mother watching her child grow up; despite the reluctance, she chose to let go, her eyes filled with both sorrow and pride.
Nearby, Rast glanced back at the seemingly sincere silver weasel and said nothing more.
He continued alone along the path up the mountain until he soon vanished into the woods.
Witnessing Rast’s figure disappear along the path, Mr. Silver instantly perked up.
The tearful, heartfelt expression of a mother vanished.
In its place came the anticipation and excitement akin to fans waiting for a match to start, fans eagerly awaiting a concert, and enthusiasts fervently waiting for the latest episode of their favorite series.
What a joke, how could Mr. Silver possibly miss the follow-up between Akshia and Rast?
It’s not that he, as a silver weasel, lacked the sense of shame for secretly tailing in the human world; however, the developments were simply too intriguing!
Previously, in the live broadcast at the Tower of Secrets, he had followed the story of the Queen of the Underworld and Rast from start to finish, and he was truly an avid fan.
If he couldn’t see the conclusion of the story between Rast and Young Xiya, satisfy his curiosity, Mr. Silver felt he might not even enjoy his dried fish in the future.
As for how to keep track of the story… Although Rast had unexpectedly discovered his method of hiding in the Sub-Dimension using spatial folding, it didn’t matter if he couldn’t be on-site; watching the broadcast would suffice.
As the owner of the unique series “Moon,” Mr. Silver excels in spiritual and mental realms, involving abilities related to “prophecy” and “divination.”
When he first met Rast, Mr. Silver was able to accurately divine the truth of Rast’s words through the power of “The Moon of True Words.”
Now, although that little guy Rast had grown bold and brash, he thought it would still be easy to divine the relationship between Rast and Young Xiya using his “Moon” series…
As a synonym for gossip, Mr. Silver had used this ability countless times to pry into many secrets out of boredom, and his divination skills had long reached perfection.
He took a crystal ball from his Sub-Dimension storage and ceremoniously placed it on a flat rock.
Next, a silver moon pattern quietly appeared in Mr. Silver’s ruby-like eyes, beginning to rotate silently.
Ripples resembling water waves stirred across the crystal ball, aiming to use the “Moon” as a guide to divine the precise imagery concerning Rast and Akshia in the sea of spirituality.
However, just as the ripples on the crystal ball were calming down, on the verge of solidifying into a tangible image, the light and shadow within suddenly froze.
Following that, the blurry light and shadow quickly dimmed to a pure blackness, with no clear imagery remaining.
Mr. Silver’s eagerly trembling tail abruptly stiffened in midair.
He felt that just as he was about to glimpse the divination results through spiritual intuition in the astral realm, some grand power suddenly crushed the spirituality he was using for divination.
The source of that power was mysterious, imbued with an enduring sense of ancientness and immutability, and indomitable majesty… as if it were the flow of time, the embodiment of the grand concept of “Fate.”
[Fate Nexus: You are the source of all destinies, where the flowing light and time bifurcate before you into two unrelated lines.
You are both the creator of the story and the one who brings it to a close.
Countless world lines come into existence because of you, and they shall also conclude because of you.]
[As the nexus of destiny, you are independent of time, significantly enhancing your resistance to time-based and divination skills.]
Holding the indelible passive skill “Fate Nexus,” as the origin of countless world lines, truly independent of the flow of time.
As for Rast’s fate, even legendary strongmen and true deities could not divine it, let alone pry into it even slightly…
Mr. Silver was no exception.
“Ahhhhhh! If I can’t see the next episode of the romantic comedy, I’m going to d*e!”
In the vast mountain forest, the wailing of a silver weasel, distraught from missing the finale of its favorite show, echoed terribly and mournfully, resonating through the valley.
…
The sunset, like the sea tide, occupied half the sky, staining the flowing clouds with fiery colors.
It made the steep, protruding cliff appear as an island in the vast sea, surrounded by an ocean cloaked in dusk.
A girl with ice blue hair stood at the edge of the flower-covered cliff, illuminated by the soft glow of evening light.
She wore a small, white round hat, with woolen ankle boots on her feet, and a blue satin ribbon adorning her long hair.
The girl was in a dark knee-length dress, its hem folding like layers of lotus leaves, fluttering in the mountain breeze, and her waist-length long hair also blew in the wind, swaying in the air, each tip of ice blue hair reflecting the brilliance of the sunset.
Her attire was identical to what she wore many years ago during the final journey, when her name was not Akshia, but Queen Helen.
And that day was in the same location, the same scenery, with the sunset casting light and the sky brightening… the thickening dusk painted everyone on the cliff with a silhouette of twilight.
Akshia stood like a tall tree by the cliff, as if a serene sculpture; she quietly lingered there, seemingly untouched by the passage of time.
As if…
She was waiting for someone.
This serene atmosphere lasted for an unknown duration.
Until at some point, a gentle and rhythmic footstep came from the path behind the cliff, growing clearer and drawing nearer.
Akshia turned her head quietly.
At the same time, the visitor crossed the last slope and reached the peak of the cliff.
This was a reunion after countless years; the black-haired boy basked in the warm sunlight, while the girl with ice blue hair stood against the enormous sun touching the sea, enveloping the entire world in tranquil dusk.
But within this silent world, Rast saw words shimmering in the dim twilight.
Clearly, the elegant calligraphy was ice blue, yet witnessing it somehow brought a faint warmth.
She was writing—
“Rast, long time no see (^▽^)”
(End of Chapter)
