Calamity Messenger

Chapter 227 - 180: Warmth

"Thank you, Pharmacist’s Wish sister," the Rabbit Heroine suddenly said.

Pharmacist’s Wish turned her head and saw an unprecedented liveliness in the Rabbit Heroine’s eyes. Her small face was serious and sincere, and every word she spoke was solemn and direct, meeting Pharmacist’s Wish’s gaze without the slightest evasiveness.

There seemed to be no change, yet Pharmacist’s Wish felt as if the girl before her had transformed into someone else. If before, the Rabbit Heroine was like a well-behaved child under parental supervision, always cautious in her actions, then now she resembled a child completely free to express her true thoughts without reservation.

"I know you care about me, which is why I previously refused to recognize you as my sister," she said. "Being the sister of a big brother, you could accidentally die; even if nothing happens this time, I will definitely go to more dangerous places in the future. As my brother says, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility, until eventually encountering an enemy that can’t be defeated even with all my strength... I don’t want anyone to grieve for me. But to not make you sad, I’ll do my best to survive this trip to Shu Dao Mountain, but afterwards, it’d be best if we go our separate ways."

She braced her hands on the rock, her legs dangling in mid-air, "But who knows, maybe I’ll achieve Foundation Establishment and Immortal Ascension, and after a long, long time, we might meet again. By then, I might be much stronger than you."

She admitted to Pharmacist’s Wish’s suspicions, and her situation was even more extreme than Pharmacist’s Wish had imagined. Shu Dao Mountain might be her most dangerous destination till now, but it could also be the easiest for her in the future. After all, she dared to contend for spoils in the Third-Turn Secret Realm at the second turn; where will she go after the third turn?

She knew her fate clearly and bore no complaint; she didn’t care about her own outcome, but she did care about Pharmacist’s Wish’s feelings.

Because she didn’t want others to grieve for her, she refused to share any joy or sorrow with others.

Pharmacist’s Wish stared at her blankly, took a deep breath, and began talking about herself.

"My name was given by my mother, hoping that I could achieve my wishes. But she passed away when I was very young. My father never remarried and had only me as his daughter, so he was extremely strict, raising me like a boy. Swordsmanship, gunnery, archery, riding skills—he wanted to make me stronger than any boy."

"During that time, I watched other girls chase butterflies, kick shuttles, and raise kittens, and I felt envious because I was also a girl and liked soft and cute things; I didn’t want to practice gun skills till my hands hurt."

"It seems your father’s training was successful," the Rabbit Heroine said, "Sister, you’re very strong now, stronger than your peers."

"But my father let me go after I was ten," Pharmacist’s Wish said with a smile and shook her head. "He turned to train his nephews and relatives, giving them important tasks but sending me back to the mansion, not even allowing me to train in the Secret Realm. Thinking back now, he probably wanted to use those relatives to weed out dissidents, and if trouble arose, he could push them out to appease the public. He didn’t want my hands to get dirty... "

Pharmacist’s Wish’s voice grew softer, as if she had come to understand something she hadn’t realized before. It took her a while to come back to her senses, "I went off-topic... I was saying..."

"Your father let you go at the age of ten."

"That’s right. After he let me go, I didn’t have to attend lessons anymore, and I could be like other girls, learning music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, or doing other fun and interesting things. After all, I’m the Duke’s daughter, the Commandery Princess of Great Zhou, even if I’m uneducated, there’d be plenty of people serving me."

"But you didn’t."

"No, I continued to study, more diligently and focused than before. I thought my father looked down on me; he valued his nephews over his only daughter. I wanted to prove myself to him, to replace him, and become the inheritor of the Ba River Pharmacist," Pharmacist’s Wish said. "You already know what happened later: my father’s downfall, my escape, with the aim of restoring the Ba River Pharmacist."

"Before I was ten, I could only follow my father’s arrangements, walking a path I didn’t like; after ten, even though he didn’t arrange it, I still walked the same path, but with defeating him as my goal."

"The past cannot be changed, but the future we can decide: whether to continue on the past path or slightly alter the direction, choosing a more difficult but more satisfying road."

At this moment, the sun set, half-covered by the mountains, like a tide submerging the sky. Orange-red radiance slanted through the trees, gilding the ancient, grand trees with a sacred outline. As the sea of trees swayed with the mountain breeze, it resembled layer upon layer of waves, turning the world above and below into an orange sea, dazzling and warm.

"Beautiful," the Rabbit Heroine said.

"I found it when I passed by the day before yesterday, it wasn’t a waste of your wait, was it?" Pharmacist’s Wish smiled, "Who would’ve thought that within the Demon Path Evil Land, there’d be such magnificent scenery."

But the sun was about to sink below the mountain soon; they didn’t have much time to enjoy it. While the Rabbit Heroine was focused on the view ahead, Pharmacist’s Wish slowly moved closer to her.

Her eyes fixed on the Rabbit Heroine, like a wolf about to hunt its prey, inch by inch drawing nearer, as if ready to pounce once the other noticed and fled. But the Rabbit Heroine seemed truly absorbed by the scene, allowing Pharmacist’s Wish to move alongside her and gently embrace her.

The last bit of the sun descended into the mountain sea, not yet fully darkened, leaving the world in dim light. The Rabbit Heroine’s body was stiff, like a small animal captured by a predator.

"I have no right to deny your determination, nor will I stop you. Perhaps there are indeed things in the world more important than our lives... To me, you are such an existence," Pharmacist’s Wish softly said, "Be my sister, so you are no longer alone...and neither am I."

After a long while, or perhaps just a moment, the Rabbit Heroine reached out and hugged Pharmacist’s Wish tightly. The armor was hard and cold, but reliable.

"Okay."

Outside the screen, Yan Qing crossed his arms and watched their conversation, like a player watching a cutscene in a game. When Pharmacist’s Wish deduced the truth, his hands left the Nexar Game Console; everything afterward was the system automatically evolving the game characters.

He vaguely guessed that as long as his hands touched the console, he could regain control of the Rabbit Heroine’s dialogue... but there was no need for that.

All of you want to take away my alternate character, Yan Qing sighed inwardly.

But this is one of the pleasures of playing games. Seeing an alternate character so loved and cherished, even Yan Qing, far away in the Thief’s House, felt a slight warmth in his heart.