Chapter 77: The Return Approaches
At the back of the audience seats.
Mo Tu watched the scene on stage with keen interest.
“Looks like it’s going to work.”
If Night Star was merely amplifying the existence of the “Blank Songstress” on stage, that would only maintain the status quo, not bring back what was supposed to return.
But now that Mo Tu had brought the Singer to the scene, the power of close-range interference could directly affect Night Star at the root.
He thought hiding away the special existence of the Silver-haired Loli would be sufficient.
Who would’ve guessed it was actually the hunter waiting for the prey?
How interesting, simply too interesting!
This was a showdown between the Extraordinary Star and the Supernova Star Eclipses, and it was much more entertaining than a boring fight.
Mo Tu felt like his horizons were expanding.
Isn’t this way better than just hanging around at HQ?
But as he thought about it, he realized the costs of this operation were rather high.
Like transforming his own star into an eclipse; who knows if it can revert back? He hadn’t really thought through the consequences.
Yet, on further reflection, being the announcer for the Rising Sun Theater Group seemed like a pretty cool experience.
Each of these eclipses was worth knowing—be it the Group Leader, the Fraudster, or the Gentleman—they were all extraordinary Supernova Stars.
He had never seen such a gathering of eclipse organizations before, so he figured he could take the opportunity to observe a bit.
That was Mo Tu’s thought process.
Meanwhile, all members of the Rising Sun Theater Group were right next to him.
The Group Leader, Gentleman, and Fraudster had just walked out of the theater exit and came to the back of the audience seats.
They too had heard Night Star’s singing and seen what was happening on stage.
The Gentleman casually remarked, “What a lovely voice, so close to the Singer; she deserves our applause.”
The Fraudster looked at the scene on stage without much expression. “It seems the Singer is acquainted with that little lady. What sort of relationship do they have?”
The Group Leader watched Night Star quietly and said, “She is my audience.”
“?”
Neither the Fraudster nor the Gentleman understood the Group Leader’s words.
In response, she turned around and headed back into the theater. “She will also be your audience.”
The Gentleman finally understood and smiled slightly. “Oh? I look forward to her visiting the theater.”
With that, the Gentleman also entered the theater.
Only the Fraudster and the Announcer were left outside.
The Fraudster looked at the black-haired Announcer and asked, “Where will you go next? Your mission should be complete. So, will you remain with the theater group?”
Mo Tu turned around and smiled slightly.
“Why not? I said this theater group is quite fun. I won’t leave until I enjoy myself enough, and as long as the group exists, I will always be the Announcer of the Rising Sun Theater Group.”
The Fraudster stared at him for a while before turning to leave. “Suit yourself. If you wish to withdraw, you can come find me. Having someone like you in the group is quite bothersome.”
“Hehe~ That sounds a bit harsh, Mr. Fraudster.”
“That’s the truth.”
With that, the Fraudster’s figure vanished out of the exit.
Mo Tu took another glance at the scene on stage before turning back toward the theater.
…
Everything returned to normal.
With Night Star’s help, Blank had managed to grasp the power of the stars at a preliminary level, at least not losing control as easily as before.
In other words, it was a downgrade of the star power.
Blank’s current star level was probably around (secondary) extraordinary, and becoming an eclipse was still secondary to a supernova, far more stable than before.
And after mastering the stars, Blank could do a lot of things.
Her eclipse characteristics remained; if anyone mentioned her, she could still sense it—there was just no way around that.
But all she needed was to obscure her existence.
The identity of the Blank Songstress was far too dazzling, embedded in the memories of many people. If everyone had to bring it up once, it would give her a headache after a while.
So she could thin her presence down; all she needed was to lower her sense of existence.
That way, she could gracefully step down from the front lines of the singing industry and let the resources flow to other peers.
Not only that… she had also mastered new abilities.
…
Inside the Night Watcher Base, Blank and Night Lan strolled together to the rooftop of the base building to catch some fresh air.
“By the way, what is Blank’s real name? ‘Blank’ must just be a stage name, right?” Night Lan asked curiously.
To that, Blank nodded.
“Yeah, ‘Blank’ is just my stage name. It’s time I tell you my real name.”
Hearing this, Night Lan began to anticipate eagerly.
Qing Liao Songstress’s real name is Qing Liao, so what about the Blank Songstress?
How exciting!
In response, Blank smiled slightly and said, “Call me Kong Yu Bai, what do you think?”
“Eh? Kong Yu Bai?”
Upon hearing this name, Night Lan wanted to immediately roast it.
Not that the name itself was particularly weird, but linking it with her songstress’s title was rather amusing.
Qing Liao Songstress is Qing Liao.
Blank Songstress is Kong Yu Bai.
Is naming a songstress in your world so casual?
“Is my name weird?”
“Uh, no, just didn’t expect your songstress name to be pulled right from your own name. It feels so casual.”
“Because I didn’t think too much about it back then, so I improvised.”
Kong Yu Bai laughed sheepishly, realizing it did feel a bit casual in hindsight.
Night Lan sighed gently, saying, “Well… now that my task is done, I might be heading back to the future soon.”
“Is that so? Then my future self will also be restored, right?”
“Should be,” Night Lan mumbled.
She could feel that her wish was completely fulfilled.
Not only did she want Night Star to remember her forever, but it seemed the potential hazards of the stars or eclipses were resolved too.
Night Lan sincerely felt this was a great story, and her written ending was quite satisfying.
A perfect ending was just fantastic!
Thinking about it gave her a great sense of achievement!
However, in the end, Night Lan still had no idea where Mo Tu, who seemed to know something, had run off to.
At that moment, Kong Yu Bai said, “Speaking of which, Mr. Mo Tu is really amazing. I remember during the time I forgot everything, he found me, got me to sing, chat, and tried to help me remember what I had forgotten. I never lost my direction, and in the end, he brought me to you. Truly impressive.”
“Ah, you…”
Night Lan blinked, feeling a bit guilty inside.
So Mo Tu had been doing all this without her knowledge?
Yet just a while ago, she said he was useless; I wonder if he’d be mad.
After a moment of thought, Night Lan decided to push it aside.
Who cares.
Even if Mo Tu was standing right in front of her now, she’d purposely say he was useless just to annoy him.
Then she could go back and thank the future Mo Tu properly; that would be simply perfect (for sure).
“Mo Tu is surprisingly reliable sometimes…”
“Is there a time Mr. Mo Tu is not reliable?”
“Um… maybe?”
…
Night turned to night.
Night Lan entered Xiao Jin’s office, where she saw him holding some documents.
“Boss, are you busy?”
Xiao Jin placed the documents on the desk and shook his head.
“Not really busy. Speaking of which, your mission should be finished, right? You’ll be going back to the future, yes?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“That’s good. Your achievement in preventing the extraordinary star from becoming an eclipse will earn you huge merit in the Night Watcher organization; to some extent, you’ve qualified as a successor.”
“Ah…”
Successor?
What’s that?
Night Lan currently had no idea that Xiao Jin already viewed her as a successor to his future self; it felt rather baffling.
Xiao Jin continued, “When you return to the future, make sure to rest well. As of now, extraordinary stars are not something humans can completely master. Accelerating growth may bring about adverse changes, so you need to be cautious.”
“Uhm…”
To be honest, Night Lan still didn’t know how to face future Xiao Jin.
After all, in this timeline, she had deceived her boss.
She would definitely get chewed out; just thinking about it made her nervous.
Xiao Jin didn’t notice Night Lan’s expression and remained focused on the electronic screen, seemingly sorting through information.
“By the way, you’ve changed a lot of things here. Will the future also change?”
“Should.”
If possible, Night Lan didn’t want the Wish Machine to correct too much of reality.
As long as they adjusted the Singer’s state of existence, everything else could probably remain unchanged.
After all, if everything were corrected, it would mean many of her secrets would be exposed.
For instance, her relationship with the Group Leader of the “Tragic Shadow Theater,” or Night Star possibly having a direct connection with the “Tragic Shadow Theater”; in summary, they were all serious secrets.
Wouldn’t it be a shock when it’s revealed that Night Lan and Night Star are one soul in two bodies?
One as a Night Watcher in the Night Watcher organization, the other as an Audience Performer in the “Tragic Shadow Theater.”
Once her boss found out, he’d probably cough up bl**d on the spot.
After all, who would’ve thought there’d be such a cute insider in the heavily guarded Night Watcher Base?
For this reason, Night Lan could only hope that when she returned to the future, aside from Kong Yu Bai, nothing else would happen.
Would her wish opportunity help her realize that wish?
Hmm…
At that moment, Night Lan noticed the documents on Xiao Jin’s desk and curiously asked, “What’s this?”
“Just some simple information about nearby awakened people with star powers. Once they grow a bit, we might invite them to take up positions as Night Watchers; for now, we’re still observing.”
“Oh~ Can I take a look?”
“Sure.”
After receiving permission, Night Lan picked up the documents and started flipping through them one by one.
The first page showed a petite girl, who looked around eleven or twelve years old.
Name: Neko Shinna, age eleven, Star Power: Culinary Artist. She can expertly make any dish after the second attempt; the meals she creates not only taste great but also restore a certain amount of stamina and mental strength, with slight sleep aid properties. In case of need, they can achieve mild healing effects for the eater. Initially judged as a New Star, she may be invited to work as a logistics personnel at the Night Watcher Base after her growth.
“Wow… what a cute kid! She can cook delicious food? Sounds awesome, but she’s only eleven; at least seven more years before she can be recruited, right?”
Night Lan flipped to the next page, another young girl.
Star Yoon, age ten, Star Power: Ultimate Slacker. A field type star, she can make people around her put down their work and enter a relaxed state, relieving work pressure and calming negative emotions. Initially judged as a New Star, she can be invited to become a psychologist at the Night Watcher Base once she comes of age.
“Wow, there’s actually a star that lets a bunch of people slack off! What an amazing star!”
Anyway, Night Lan had a fondness for slacking off, and just seeing this star made her feel thrilled.
Unfortunately, this girl was only ten; in reality, she wouldn’t be recruitable for at least eight years.
After that, there weren’t any stars in the following documents that caught Night Lan’s attention.
After placing the documents down, Night Lan prepared to turn and leave.
“Well, boss, I’m heading out now. Since I don’t know when I’ll go back, I want to say goodbye to others, like White Paint and the like.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
“Goodbye, boss~”
Night Lan left the office, heading straight for White Paint’s room.
Maybe she’d be returning to the future soon.
Before that, she had to stick close to the Loli White Paint; otherwise, she’d turn into a teenager!
Night Lan was still a bit hesitant to get too close to the teenage White Paint, feeling a bit embarrassed.
…….
On Night Star’s side.
Ever since the issue with Kong Yu Bai was completely resolved, this Silver-haired Loli had completely relaxed.
This time was different from the “Doll City” incident with Lianhua—she had experienced things she never dared to do before.
Especially standing on that super big stage as a songstress and singing; it felt utterly surreal.
Of course, it was a pretty nice experience, too.
Umm, so delightful.
She could feel her confidence growing stronger; soon, she wouldn’t have to worry about social anxiety anymore.
Probably.
Night Star lazily lay on her bed, mumbling something.
“Ugh~ I’ve got to prepare to go back; I’m not ready to face the future yet…”
Night Star’s tone was extremely regretful, making one want to laugh.
Meanwhile, Eypar floated over, curious.
“Eh? Are we going back so soon? We haven’t done anything!”
“Uh-huh.”
Night Star raised her head to look at Eypar, a strange expression on her face.
Speaking of which, she hadn’t let Eypar go out yet, keeping her here to house-sit—quite the true mascot.
So, what exactly was the point of her coming along!?
“So here’s the question, Eypar, how do you plan to go back? You entered Night Lan’s body while I was sleeping; how do you plan to get back?”
“Uhm?” Eypar’s cute hair bobbed up and down, not worried at all. “I’ll just enter Night Lan’s body again to go back.”
“But the way back might be different; who knows, it could vanish in the next second, unlike when you came here while sleeping!”
“Uwaah?!”
Eypar was completely shocked.
“What do I do!? If Night Star leaves me here, will I be all alone and wandering again?!”
Night Star nodded faintly. “Um, probably.”
“Don’t! Night Star, take Eypar with you! I don’t want to stay here! Waah!”
Night Star rolled her eyes and pushed Eypar’s face away, retorting, “Well, you brought this on yourself, didn’t you? Not only are you of no use but also super annoying; if you stay here, it’s purely your own fault.”
“Waah, Night Star, please!”
“You crawl!”
Night Star suddenly thought that leaving the troublesome Eypar here for a while might actually be pretty nice.
