novelraw Chapter 132 : Chapter 132
Chapter 132 : Chapter 132
Chapter 132 : Manga World Continuation
Some time had passed since the disappearance of abilities across the entire world.
Originally, he thought that the loss of abilities would deal a severe blow to his life, after all, he had once coexisted symbiotically with his abilities.
But when he truly lost them, he did what he needed to do, and it seemed no different from before.
The majority of the world had always been ability users, and when ability users lost their powers, they had to either willingly or forcibly blend into this larger group.
The class distinctions between nobles and commoners vanished, and the rebuilding of the new order referenced the laws once issued by the imperial family to ability users.
After the initial chaos, it quickly got back on track.
"I’m very glad to be able to help you," Wuyu, representing the old imperial family, raised a white flag to Tide. "As long as I can be of even a little use, it means I wasn’t hopelessly wrong before."
The empire no longer existed, and she was naturally no longer a princess, but she was willing to listen to Tide’s ideals, to rediscover the world from the perspective of a prisoner.
Tide’s people were still near Floating City, preparing to build a new city, as if symbolizing the passing of the old era and the arrival of the new.
And this new era was an ability-free era crafted single-handedly by the imperial prophet and illusionist Heige.
The choice that all of humanity saw that day, the future collectively voted on by everyone, had arrived.
Tide held the highest respect for Heige and planned to name the new Floating City "Li City."
He analyzed that the mysterious illusionist had used many names, but in the end, the one spoken in Jiao Huang’s Qing Tong was the closest to the person’s true self.
Never speaking of suffering aloud, like a bubble, dissipating unnoticed.
The new era was arriving, but some still refused to face reality, like Feng Jiuqu, a former noble of the Feng clan captured by Yiming in Thousand Blade City.
He had previously tried to kill Tang with androids, but an unknown person disrupted his plans. Later, he suddenly experienced hallucinations and was inexplicably knocked out by Yiming with a single punch.
In this ability-free new era, he was the most dissatisfied.
Though a prisoner, every time Yiming passed by, Feng Jiuqu could be heard raging: "What did you do to the most beautiful, most incredible abilities in this world! You can’t do this! This world without abilities is too ugly!"
"Look, I’ll definitely restore the glory of my abilities!" he declared boldly.
"Oh, good luck," Tang replied, clapping cooperatively.
Tide’s philosophy was mutual help to build the new era.
The new era had arrived, and under his arrangements, the top tiers of the old era’s hierarchy worked alongside others to lay bricks and build the new city.
An Huyu couldn’t help but complain to the other two: "Does Tide, or the Former Ability Guild, have some obsession with laying bricks?"
He noticed that in Dawn City, they were laying bricks; in Ranmu City, they were laying bricks; and now in Floating City, they started laying bricks again.
Not only did Tide lay bricks, but they also loved mobilizing everyone to lay bricks together.
"A tradition passed down from the prophets?" Yan Changxiao guessed. "Like how some people love farming, but the prophets loved infrastructure?"
"Did the prophets themselves lay bricks?" An Huyu asked.
"What! You actually want the prophets to lay bricks!" a passing Hua Yizhi fanboy immediately snapped.
"So the prophets didn’t lay bricks themselves?!" An Huyu was shocked.
Finally, Sang Feiling clarified that the prophets were supervising engineers.
They did lay bricks, but more often, they directed others to do so.
"It really feels like playing an infrastructure game," Rao Yue summarized after hearing this.
This time, the main bricklayers were former nobles.
The nobles of Floating City had no choice; they were already there and couldn’t escape.
The nobles previously captured by them had no choice either.
The only ones with a choice were the high-ranking officials still in their respective city domains.
Smart officials realized after the abilities vanished that they were outnumbered and surrendered willingly.
The less smart ones were eliminated by the backlash of their past tyranny in the new era’s tide.
Some officials couldn’t be called smart or not smart because they genuinely didn’t care.
One day, Yiming passed by a shady spot and saw a small pond where a man with deep blue, almost black hair, long like seaweed trailing into the water, occupied most of the pond.
His clothes were loose, as if he didn’t care to wear them properly, exuding a carefree air. He floated by the shore, lying under the shade, seemingly asleep.
"Who’s this?" Yiming felt he hadn’t seen this person before.
"Jiao Huang’s city lord, Jue Hui Shen," Yishi beside him said. "He’s very cooperative with our arrangements, only asking for a quiet place to sleep."
"Jiao Huang’s city lord..." Yiming couldn’t help but recall that day when a dragon emerged from the water, and the person standing atop it.
And even earlier, the person falling through the air, the long blade piercing Yu Xiao’s heart.
The blood flowers floating in the air, and that cold, familiar profile.
I should have realized back then, but the shock of the assassin’s attack that night was so overwhelming, just like when I saw that person, and his subordinates acted so nonchalantly.
Yiming’s fingers involuntarily curled, but then he stepped forward resolutely toward the sleeping man.
He needed clarity; he didn’t want to remain in the dark.
He didn’t want to be forever in that person’s shadow, the weak younger brother, nor did he want to be haunted by nightmares of that person killing his friend.
The blood flowers floating in the air, and that cold, familiar profile.
I didn’t want to be forever in that person’s shadow, the weak younger brother, nor haunted by nightmares of that person killing his friend.
Originally sleeping peacefully, Jue Hui Shen was clearly displeased at being disturbed.
His golden pupils narrowed slightly as he looked at Yiming, taking a moment to recall this person’s existence before saying, "He told me not to sleep recently; food would be delivered."
"That’s it?" Yiming asked. "He didn’t tell you anything about Yu Xiao?"
Jue Hui Shen shook his head; he didn’t even know who Yu Xiao was.
Yiming was somewhat disappointed but still asked, "The boy you swallowed, with golden hair and red eyes..."
Jue Hui Shen looked at him, starting to feel sleepy again, and said, "I didn’t swallow a boy; it was a man who looked about thirty."
Yiming was confused.
He gestured chaotically, stammering, "How could it be, Li and Yu Xiao fell into the sea together, the boy with golden hair, round eyes, looking very naive."
"I only saw a man with light golden long hair and red eyes," Jue Hui Shen said. "I heard him say one thing to Heige."
"What did he say?" Yiming asked instinctively.
"‘You killed your father,’" Jue Hui Shen said.
Yiming felt as if he were enveloped by something terrifying, a fear-inducing truth gradually surfacing.
Something capable of overturning everything, tearing apart all that was good, leaving only chaos and disorder.
The truth.
That person bore all the truths that needed to be concealed, so terrifying, so heavy.
Yiming, who thought he could face reality, felt an urge to flee at this moment, unable to accept even the slightest possibility.
How could he accept that his foster father, Shuang Buyan, the one he respected and admired, the spiritual leader of the Former Ability Guild, the one he trusted, might actually be the enemy, standing on the opposite side!
But Jue Hui Shen was a complete outsider, and when he said this, his golden pupils held neither sorrow nor joy, only the weariness of wanting to shoo Yiming away.
This was the truth, an inescapable truth.
No, it wasn’t that serious anymore, Yiming suddenly realized.
Because the true calamity had passed, and they had stepped over the corpse of the old era to reach the future.
Like Yiming now, he was in pain, sorrow, and grief, but he still stood here and faced reality.
Even if he were told now that his former faith was false, even if it was unbearably painful, his beliefs wouldn’t collapse.
Because the suffering had passed, and with that person’s help, he had crossed the dawn and arrived at the morning.
And this truth, more painful than anything to him, would accompany him, gradually turning into a mere "so that’s how it was" when looking back.
"I didn’t even scold you," Jue Hui Shen said, puzzled. "Why are you crying?"
"I..." Yiming lowered his head, fiercely wiping his face, but he couldn’t stop the endless tears.
Choking slightly, he said, "I miss Li."
That person who hid his pain, wore a carefree facade, didn’t care about himself, and instead looked out for him, clearing obstacles and arranging a bright future for him.
His brother, the best brother.
Jue Hui Shen couldn’t understand, but he knew this nearly grown man cried by his sleeping spot all afternoon.
Outside the original Floating City, in a milk tea shop, An Heyu habitually ordered three cups of milk tea: one for himself, one for Dan, and one placed on the empty seat.
Looking at the empty seat, he hesitated and said, "Dan, is my aimless searching really useful?"
"Of course it’s useful," Dan said, biting his straw. "Didn’t Heige say he’d be back in a while?"
An Heyu looked at Dan’s completely unquestioning demeanor and gave a bitter smile. "You’re doing great like this."
He didn’t know how to explain to Dan, but perhaps not explaining was better, since he had seen it all.
After the choice appeared that day, before the black cracks spread across the sky, a white halo shattered along with the firmament.
The fragments scattered in the air, and he saw, amidst the white light, a fading black shadow.
When that brown-haired boy shouted "Li" emotionally in that direction, An Heyu realized he was shouting that person’s name, from Heige to Li Baige to the "Li" he saw in the necromantic memories.
It seemed many people were shouting, and in the chaos, An Heyu didn’t notice.
But that person’s body didn’t slow its dissipation despite their calls and eventually vanished into the sky.
Then the black curtain faded, and the sky, unbrightened for a month, returned clad in brilliant blue.
Recalling this, An Heyu closed his eyes and looked down at the milk tea in his hand.
"You think Heige’s dead?" Dan said while chewing pearls, then added after a thought, "Or is his name Li?"
"Everyone saw it," An Heyu said slowly. "I saw it."
In his eyes, Dan stubbornly said, "No, he’s not. Heige said he’d come back, so he will."
"You haven’t thought it through, have you?" An Heyu gave a bitter smile.
He felt Dan’s attitude was good but also a bit sad.
Dan felt he couldn’t get through to An Heyu.
He was serious, but An Heyu thought he was stubborn, and Dan thought An Heyu was stubborn.
The white-haired boy got a bit angry, turned his face away, and sipped his milk tea sulkily.
"I hope he’s still alive," An Heyu said, not wanting to shatter Dan’s hopes, soothing him. "I’ll keep looking; I’ll find him eventually."
"Even if the chances are slim," he said, his voice lowering. "As long as I remember him and keep searching, he’ll always be there."
"Mm."
Suddenly, a breeze blew, swirling lightly in the milk tea shop before forming a faint hum.
"Am I here at a bad time?"
On the empty seat, a shadowy figure appeared.
Black hair, black eyes, with a slightly soft face—the appearance he often saw in Ranmu City during the day.
At this moment, the figure propped its chin on its hand, elbow on the table, looking at An Heyu with a half-smile.
An Heyu was stunned, his grip on the milk tea cup tightening, spilling it over his hand.
"Heige!" Dan exclaimed excitedly, lunging forward but passing right through.
He was puzzled but quickly sank back into joy. "I told you! Heige would definitely come back!"
Li Li raised her hand to ruffle Dan’s fluffy white hair, like a breeze passing through it.
She looked at An Heyu. "Little Red, have a little faith in me, will you?"
"You..." An Heyu seemed stuck, as if he wanted to cry or laugh, ending up with a wry smile.
He let out a slow breath, looking at Li Li, who, though just a shadow, still exuded confidence and strength as always.
"I was wrong," he admitted readily.
Li Li raised an eyebrow and said, "When have I ever failed?"
"Heige’s the best!" Dan chimed in.
"Right," An Heyu chuckled softly, looking at Li Li earnestly.
Perhaps beneath this carefree demeanor lay dangers and crises he didn’t know, but for now, he saw her as she always was, showing her boldness to him and the world.
"You’ve never betrayed our trust," he said.
Come on, no one could defeat her.