area51novel Page 264
Page 264
"Mr. Bones!"
Seren's choked voice came from the depths of his soul. Latis turned his consciousness toward the spirit girls in his body and found that they had almost become illusory.
That was a sign that his soul power was exhausted and he was about to lose himself in his own soul. Latis had already learned this from the old bone spirit and wolf spirit before him. He gritted his teeth and stopped the surge of his will to show that he would no longer insist on staying.
"Mr. Latis!"
"Captain!"
The faint cries of Haiyue'er and Lanling reached him, and Latis clenched his fists with a pang of heartache. These girls had already done enough, and he couldn't bear to let them continue like this any longer.
"In the merging of souls, you should have already received everything I wanted to tell you..."
Latis murmured to himself as a suction force from another dimension pulled at his soul, forcing the three spirit girls to fall out.
"Saileng, Haiyue'er, Lanling... try your best to come to my side."
His gaze swept over the three weeping, tear-streaked spirit girls, then, amidst the pain of his soul being torn apart, he looked back at the distant starry sky.
[The pale curtain conceals far too much life and death; it seems that here, no matter where one was or what years one has lived through, all must fall into an equal and cruel slumber.]
[Through the remnants of your senses, torn apart by the powerful pull of gravity, you begin to wonder what this pale curtain truly is.]
"What is it that holds endless memories?"
You ask yourself these questions, casting your gaze upon the indiscernible white torrent, which seems to be the very end of the world, the very edge of the universe, containing all traces of the existence of countless planes of existence.
You have a vague impression of this; it seems you've heard of something like it somewhere before.
"where is it?"
The answer to this question lies within your memory, a memory that has flowed endlessly like the white moonlight, containing things that once existed and things that never existed—things connected to you, yet also very distant.
"what is the answer?"
A word pops into your mind, but it's too simple and direct for you to be sure of its meaning. So you turn your gaze back to the distance behind the curtain.
"What's there?"
[An endless starry sky stretches out in that direction, with countless planets standing in your sight. They have existed since ancient times. Beyond them lies the boundary of this plane, and beyond that plane are more planes. In the end, a plane is merely a galaxy with boundaries.]
"Where is it, away from the curtain?"
[Turn your gaze in the direction opposite the curtain. There, too, lie countless planes, each different from the last, perhaps even those you've visited before. When your spirit maidens grow powerful enough, they will leave this plane and embark on a journey in that direction to find you.]
"Let's take another look at my spirit girls."
[Through your vision, distorted by the pull of time and space, you see your three girls, still trying to use their soul power to keep you here. Although they have read many things from your will, that's just how people are; they always try to do the impossible even after knowing the outcome.]
"They are so lovable."
They love you too, you lucky lad. But time is running out for your endless, wandering thoughts, so you've turned your gaze back to the curtain once more.
"I know what this is."
You've confirmed your belief: this world can't have two sets of underlying logic. If memories of life and death coexist here, then they can't exist anywhere else.
Your gaze lingered on a spot on the pale curtain, then a smile appeared on your face. One day you will return; don't regret that it won't be today.
"I know."
So, it's time for you to name this so-called "curtain."
"That being said, it's alright to call it 'Curtain,' isn't it?"
[Please, you're the kind of guy who plays ship girl games and gives each of the married ship girls a different nickname. Your obsession with naming things is comparable to that of a Qing Dynasty emperor who liked to stamp things randomly.]
"I have pure love for everyone. Giving them nicknames is just my way of expressing my affection. I have no interest in this shady facade!"
[You were complaining, but in your mind, you were already recalling the alternative names for things like the "River Styx," the "Sea of No Light," and the "Abyss" mentioned by some unknown person, and finally confirmed your choice.]
"what is that?"
"What is that?" You grinned at the pale curtain, then uttered the name.
"Time-space flow."
Chapter 269 can't exactly be called the Soul Girl Band, can it?
Almost at the same time that Latis gave this answer, the simulated text appeared before his eyes.
He burst into laughter, experiencing for the first time a feeling of telepathy with the simulator.
Unable to resist the pull of time and space any longer, Latis looked down at the three girls still chasing after him, a hint of tenderness appearing on his face.
"The road ahead is up to you..."
In the brief few seconds that felt like a conversation with a simulator, he had already deduced that the previous planet was merely a part of the entire Bone Spirit Realm. To leave the Bone Spirit Realm, they would likely face many hardships and dangers, and he didn't know how long it would take or whether these girls could persevere.
Latis recalled the various stories he had shared with them on his previous journey. The emotions he felt—whether joyful, sorrowful, shocked, or confused—rushed to his mind just before he left. He couldn't help but feel a bittersweet satisfaction, which brought tears to his eyes.
"My girls..."
He immediately realized what was happening, quickly wiped his eyes, and flung his hand at Sai Leng and the others.
In the last second before returning to his original plane, Latis gave a relieved smile and bowed to this world with a chivalrous salute.
"Take my last ripple! I'll be waiting for you!"
The power of the talent flickered for a moment, then fell silent due to Latis's disappearance.
……
"My lover is gone..."
A look of disappointment and weariness appeared on Hai Yue'er's face. Her long fishtail seemed to soften instantly, causing her to involuntarily shrink back onto it.
“…Miss Haiyue, please cheer up.”
Lanling sighed in a low voice and reached out to help Haiyue'er up. Her eyes drooped slightly, and she said with pursed lips:
"Our captain is waiting for us in a very far place. You can feel the connection between our souls, which becomes stronger and more stable after merging... Although he has gone far away now, with this connection, we will never be alone..."
"I know..." Hai Yue'er listlessly rubbed her face, forced a smile, and said:
"I had been hoping that after such a long and arduous journey, I would finally have time to enjoy a moment of happiness with my loved one, but I never expected him to leave so soon..."
"After all, Captain is not from this world."
Lanling gently patted Haiyue'er's head encouragingly. Seeing Haiyue'er's expression gradually calm down, she paused, raised her hand, and touched her own head as well, then said:
"He brought us into the sea of stars, which is already a great honor... What's more, we were just together... cough cough."
Lanling blushed slightly, quickly turned her head away, and said:
"In short, we should cheer up and work even harder to get to him..."
"stare--"
Having calmed down, Haiyue noticed the suspicious blush on Lanling's face, touched her chin, and gave a slightly mischievous smile. She leaned closer and whispered:
"Sister Bluebell, speaking of which... you were very attentive during our previous interaction! It was completely different from your usual quiet self..."
"Oh dear!"
Bluebell raised her voice, calling out with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance:
"I like him a lot too...! I just haven't said it yet!"
"Hmph, what an old-fashioned attitude..." Hai Yue'er pointed to her cheek, shook her head, and said:
"Anyway, let's embark on the journey together... Wait, where's Sister Seren?"
The two then realized that Sai Leng had disappeared at some point, and they were immediately taken aback. Fortunately, the three souls had resonated with each other during their previous interaction, and they could now vaguely sense each other's state.
"Hmm...wait, that's strange..."
Lanling opened her eyes and exchanged a glance with Haiyue'er, both of them with a question mark appearing above their heads.
“How can Seren move so fast… Ah, she’s back.”
Following the resonance between their souls, the two looked in the direction where Sai Leng had returned, and were instantly stunned when they saw the figure appearing in the distance.
"Mr. Latis!"
"Captain?!"
Accompanied by the clatter of hooves, the bony centaur raised its heavy bone wings, leaped high into the air, and glided swiftly to the two of them, before finishing with a stylish hoof swing.
blah blah blah!
Sai Leng poked his head out from the centaur's chest, waved his hand, removed the helmet conjured by his soul power, and said with a smile:
"Sisters, get on the bus!"
"Eh?" Haiyue'er rushed to the centaur, floated up, sniffed around the skeleton, and asked in confusion:
"It has Mr. Latis's flavor... but not his soul?"
"It must be some kind of ability of his. Hmm, it's normal for a man like him, who can travel across vast distances to come to my side, to have such mysterious and powerful abilities!"
Sai Leng seemed to have already adjusted her mindset during the previous gallop. She reached out, grabbed Hai Yue'er and Lan Ling's wrists, and pulled them into the centaur's body without further ado, then said:
"Although our overall abilities have been slightly weakened due to his absence, our original soul bones are still intact, which means we can continue our journey inside his body!"
"...That's wonderful." Lanling's voice held a hint of joyful relief, as if she had finally found solace. She let out a long breath, slowly filling her body, which she knew so well, with her soul power, and then said with a smile:
"Although he is no longer here, we can still take him with us on our journeys to the future. Isn't that a kind of long-term companionship?"
"Mr. Latis is really wicked..."
Haiyue muttered something, excitedly circled around inside the centaur's body a few times, thought for a moment, and said:
"Why don't we incorporate his name into our self-designations for our future journeys? He said we would eventually meet in the vast universe. If we can spread his name, we should be able to see him sooner, right?"
Sai Leng and Lan Ling exchanged a glance, touched their chins, and asked uncertainly:
"Then what should we call us... Seratis?"
"No, no, why am I only addressing you as such?" Haiyue'er shook her head, feigning displeasure, and said in a coquettish tone:
"My sister Lanling and I also need to show our support!"
"Then... La Lenti Yue Si Ling?"
"...? What's that?! Sister Sai Leng, don't read Mary Sue novels!"