books44 Chapter 319 See you in the next trial
Chapter 319 See you in the next trial
As is well known, the great reformer Shang Yang was torn apart by five horses.
In truth, Qiong was also unwilling to believe it, but the person who kept trying to see her memories didn't seem like someone who knew Shang Yang, and she didn't seem to have any reason to lie to her...
In other words, she truly saw her future like Shang Yang's—being torn apart by five horses.
"No, that doesn't make sense!"
After a brief moment of panic, disbelief replaced the panic: whether it was Mars a billion years ago, Earth today, or the Milky Way with its interconnected stars, there was a certain level of moral integrity, and executioners would never use such barbaric and backward methods as dismemberment—besides, didn't Kiana say that his future was to perish together with Kevin?
Compared to the mysterious, secretive fellow, Qiong was more inclined to believe the End Worm: there must be a mistake! Martian divination couldn't predict the future of the Star Core Essence!
Yes, it must be because Mars has 18 months and 660 days in a year that caused a conversion error in his birth chart! He probably died a heroic death and exploded with the star's core; there's absolutely no way he was torn apart by five horses!
Is there anything wrong with this divination result?
"This is just your calculation; it might not be accurate—no, it's absolutely inaccurate!"
Right, why would he believe in fortune telling? He's a materialist atheist! He only believes in science!
Qiong ignored the voice that was still trying to convince itself that it was true and strode into the train: he wanted to focus his energy on the train.
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"These are the long-forgotten memories?"
As soon as Qiong stepped onto the train, she saw Himeko, dressed in an elegant coat and wearing round sunglasses, sitting gracefully on the sofa with a cup (it's reasonable to suspect it contained coffee). She was chatting with Dan Heng, dressed in black with his arms crossed and a serious expression, whose hands were wrapped in bandages.
"No, this outfit feels a bit like..."
Want to cosplay as a Star Core Hunter?
"This was a good harvest. Although it deviated slightly from the 'script,' it was not a big deal."
Himeko downed her drink in one gulp and smiled at Sora.
"Thank you for your hard work, Qiong. I'm so relieved that you're not hurt."
What do you mean? He used to get injured?
"Qiong" remained silent, as did "Danheng".
"Heh...aren't you going to say a few words? Traveling with two quiet people like this feels a bit lonely."
"Qiong" stood up with a stern face.
I'm hungry.
"Is this the only time you'll speak up? Come on, I'm ready."
He's... taciturn?
"If possible, please don't chop up the offal indiscriminately this time."
Danheng, who was standing to the side, spoke up, but his voice was extremely low.
"But Qiong has been saying lately that he wants to 'eat all the offal,' so let's grant his wish. Ren, don't you like the flavors of your hometown?"
Ah, Ah Ren?
"I hate the smell of offal... If you absolutely have to make it, Kaffa, next time, remember to use a kitchen knife."
Qiong: ...
"What's going on?"
This is your long-buried memory...
Sorry, I have absolutely no recollection of it.
【Huh? There seems to be a slight discrepancy.】
Are you sure it's just a tiny bit and not a tiny fraction?
The scene before him shattered like a mirror; all the original train crew members, except for him, had been transformed into Star Core Hunters…
Qiong stared in disbelief at the fast-forwarded scene: everyone was biting into burnt offal and other food again and again. Qiong and Kafka looked normal, but Blade's face was getting worse and worse.
The space flickered, and another pair of chopsticks appeared on the table.
"Sam! Firefly?"
If Qiong remembers correctly, Liuying joined the Star Core Hunters before Ren... but now is not the time to worry about that. Even with an extra pair of chopsticks, Kafka continued to serve the poorly presented food again and again. Finally, at some point, Ren disgustedly pushed away his bowl, then took an apron from Kafka that appeared out of nowhere and left his seat.
Seemingly remembering something, Brother Diandao turned around and looked at "Qiong," who was still eating beef offal.
Do you have any dietary restrictions?
"Um... I can eat anything."
"You're really not a picky eater."
Without responding to Kafka or paying attention to Sam, Blade headed to the kitchen—although the image is not very clear, judging from the later fast-forwarded scenes, Blade seems to have taken over the cooking duties…
……
"I think even a Star Core Hunter needs a 'retreat signal'... There's no time like the present, why don't we think of one now?"
Kafka looked at Sam, the only one who wasn't eating.
"You can leave it to me."
Sam used a mechanical voice to tell everyone that he wouldn't participate, while Qiong just ate without saying a word.
One remained silent, the other abstained, and Kafka turned her gaze to Blade, who was just about to have another bowl, which made Blade frown.
"Ah Ren?"
edge:……
Blade shook his head.
"Observe the corner and infer three times... The emperor's command is unwavering... Rely on the city and borrow one."
Qiong: ...
"A slogan that sounds like something out of a fantasy novel—aren't you afraid of being bound by the past?"
"It's just an old code word, it doesn't matter, we won't have much of a chance to use it."
Hey, don't make promises you can't keep!
……
The dining tables have disappeared, replaced by observation cabins.
Qiong looked around. Kafka was gazing at the stars outside the window, Blade was silently clutching his broken sword in the corner, the newly appeared Silver Wolf was unsurprisingly playing a game, and Firefly…
Wait, it's not Sam, it's Firefly? And he didn't see "Dome," so could they communicate?
There's no harm in giving it a try, so Qiong decided to give it a shot.
"Um, you guys—"
The moment Qiong spoke, four pairs of eyes pierced him like spotlights.
The carriage, which had been slightly noisy because of Silver Wolf playing games, suddenly fell silent. Firefly, who was muttering to herself, looked at him with concern, and even Blade, who always had a stern face, stared at him coldly...
And of course, there are Kaffa's sorrowful eyes.
"Haha... It's nothing, it's nothing, you guys go ahead with your work..."
They could communicate, but Qiong, who wanted to ask questions, suddenly couldn't speak when she saw the strange atmosphere.
Even without all the Star Core Hunters watching you simultaneously, just Kafka alone instills a deep-seated panic—not fear, but pure panic. It's as if you've done something wrong to upset her…
However, he still had to ask the questions, so Qiong quickly walked over and sat down next to Silver Wolf—for no other reason than that he felt Silver Wolf was the easiest to talk to.
"Silver Wolf?"
"what?"
A girl with goggles on her head and a spiral drill-shaped ponytail, looking very unconventional, looked at him impatiently.
"Is there something you need? I'm in a dungeon, I don't have time to chat."
Although he was impatient, it was easy to tell that Silver Wolf was willing to answer quickly, so Qiong immediately asked a question.
"Old man... never mind."
Old Yin, although it sounds like he's calling me Yinzhi, is just a way of getting close to him.
"Silver Wolves, what are you doing on the train?"
"On which train?"
Silver Wolf's eyes were full of confusion—okay, this part is probably still messed up, so let's change the question.
Am I a Star Core Hunter?
Have you finally lost your mind completely?
Silver Wolf gave him a look that said he was an idiot, but it sounded like a definite answer.
"I'm a Star Core Hunter? Then how did I join..."
"do not know."
Silver Wolf's eyes returned to the game console in his hand.
"Sigh... I've only been here a short time. If I have any questions, I can just ask Kafka, right? Online games can't be paused. Excuse me—damn, I'm dead."
Looking at the resentful look in Silver Wolf's eyes, Qiong scratched his head. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to get anything out of Silver Wolf.
He took a deep breath and steeled himself as he walked towards the blade lurking in the corner—asking Kafka would make him uneasy. Asking Firefly…
I don't know why, but I always feel scared.
"what happened to you?"
Blade noticed his approach, and the man with half-face paralysis glanced at him.
"that……"
Blade stared at him coldly, making Qiong a little uneasy.
How did we get together...?
"We've come together under the guidance of a 'script' to temporarily achieve a common goal, nothing more. I don't care about anything else."
After saying that, the blade returned to its previous state, and seeing Qiong's reaction, he couldn't help but add another sentence.
"I only have one piece of advice for you—don't disappoint Kafka. She's sacrificed a lot to keep you here. And, alas..."
Ren sighed softly, but his act of only saying half a sentence successfully piqued Qiong's curiosity.
"And what?"
Blade simply looked at the sky, saying nothing more.
"Blade, Brother Dian Dao, Uncle Dian Dao?"
【Time is up.】
"You did this on purpose, didn't you!"
An annoying voice rang out at the most inopportune moment, which made Qiong, who still wanted to continue questioning the blade, feel angry. However, his anger was impotent rage, and the scene before him shattered once again like a dream bubble...
See you at the next trial, I'm looking forward to it...
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"Go to hell!"
"Qiong, you're awake?"
A roar echoed in the room, and the voice that responded to his roar was one of concern.
As Qiong sat up in bed, he opened his eyes to see three people staring at each other: Kiana, Baiji, and Songque, all looking at him with worried expressions.
"It's good that you're awake."
"Qiong, are you alright? That medicine won't turn you into an idiot, will it?"
Upon seeing Qiong awaken, the three of them went forward to check on her, but all they saw was Qiong's forlorn face.
"No, I just dreamt about it..."
Qiong shook her head, trying to process the fragments of memory she had just seen, and carefully considered what to call the Star Core Hunter.
I dreamt about my family.
"family?"
Upon hearing this word, Kiana immediately became wary.
"What family? I'm your family."
As she was speaking, Kiana wanted Sora to try out the feeling of security that comes with being a voluptuous young woman, but Sora dodged it with a flip.
"Well, actually, I can be one too! I'll call you Brother Qiong, and in my heart, you're my older brother!"
"No, that's not appropriate! Or please, please don't!"
Qiong opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Kiana, who had missed her target, rejected Song Que on Qiong's behalf.
Ms. Maria, how old are you? Why are you still acting as Qiong's younger sister?
Will this work?!
"Oh no, how could this happen..."
The rejected sparrow's face was filled with disappointment, but she quickly waved her hand and regained her composure.
"Oh, it's nothing."
Taking a deep breath, Qiong tried to appear more relaxed.
"There might be something wrong with the medicine. Next time...wait, where did this quill pen come from?"
Qiong saw a strangely shaped quill pen fall onto the blanket, shimmering with a faint purple light.
Where did this come from?
"I made it with Feather Dust, it's a Divine Key!"
Kiana came closer again, and this time, taking advantage of Sora's attention being focused on the quill pen, she hugged Sora.
"Feathered Dust? That's not... a paramecium, everyone's here!"
"You probably don't know what this is yet, right? No problem, I'll teach you how to use it in a few days! It will definitely help you safely regain your memory!"
Kiana, feigning nonchalance, tossed her hair. While the Feather of Destiny could certainly stimulate memories, its primary function was memory storage. Giving it to Sora served several purposes: first, it allowed her to choose a safer method of stimulation; second, it allowed her to sacrifice her "mochi"-like spirit to return to her main body on the moon if the situation became irreversible, leaving the Feather of Destiny to protect Sora; and thirdly…
After all, it's the Key of Consciousness; creating illusions and even altering common sense isn't impossible—don't misunderstand, she wouldn't bear to let Qiong become a fool who only feels lust for him! She simply taught Qiong how to use the Feather of Dust without reservation, and then if Qiong couldn't help but attack anyone, she would stop him, then lock Qiong in a temporary cell, using love and justice to fight for and for all the good in the world to educate him and make him reform!
As for the content of the education... let's tentatively set it as psychological punishment and corporal punishment.
"I've given you the Divine Key, so I'm confiscating that box of medicine!"
Staring dumbfounded, Qiong watched Kiana get out of bed and leave after taking advantage of him, and suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart: What he was holding was the immortal's great treasure.
Did Qiyana dismantle part of Fu Hua's Feather of Dust? Does she know that?
"I'm taking the box with me. If you feel unwell, be sure to tell us! Songque, give me a hand, let's move this box together!"
"Okay, all right!"
Pine Sparrow responded and, together with Kiana, carried the box away—Kiana could have easily carried it by herself, but…
For the sake of her image, and for the gentle image in Qiong's eyes, she couldn't appear too "powerful," whether in terms of physical strength or ability.
The two left, leaving the two boys in the room in silence. Bai Ji, who had been observing for a while, didn't know how to bring up the fact that the medicine might not have been given by Ajeta, so he asked a couple of questions casually first.
"Qiong, how are your family members?"
Qiong pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"It's alright, it's just that I'm missing you too much."
For example, fireflies.
Bai Ji looked at Qiong, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end just patted him on the shoulder.
Since things have come to this, let him investigate. Let the three of them rest first.
"I am certain that you will return to Earth and reunite with them. Perhaps God can grant your wish?"
Qiong looked at Bai Ji, who was encouraging her, and felt a mix of emotions. How should I put it... Now it seems that he was once a nameless person, and before that, he worked as a star core hunter, but he just forgot.
But he felt like he had traveled through time...
"Going back to Earth won't allow me to reunite with them."
"what?"
The members of the Star Train and the Star Core Hunter flashed through Qiong's mind: Was it really the right thing to tell them that I would choose to get on the train ten years later?
For the first time since he met Firefly in St. Freya, he wavered.
"Why can't I even go back to Earth...?"
"Hmm...because they're all on the other side of the Milky Way?"
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The day before yesterday, I played KX.
Yesterday, I played against KX.
Old Tuo, how can you be so lazy? Have you updated yet?!
Okay, let's play KX again today...
Damn time-killing wire!