Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
There was still a little time left before proceeding to the next leg of the space-time journey. In the ‘safe house,’ everyone was busily preparing their gear. Hasse was checking his weapons, while Hesperides had gotten her wand and her armor from Hao Ren. Everyone minded their own business without the interference of others. They were veterans who know what to do and when to do it.
Once she was done checking her weapons, Hessiana sat down by herself.
After Vivian left, little Hessiana had become part of the static environment in that space and time. She turned into a gray sculpture with an innocent and curious look on her face. Her thoughts were forever frozen without the bitter wait of the subsequent few hundred years, living as a fugitive, hiding, and fleeing after the end of the Mythological Era. Then there was her depressing life in the Athens Sanctuary as well. The little girl, who had just opened her eyes to see the world, was like a small bug sealed in amber. She remained static, and her life was frozen in that place.
Hessiana looked at little Hessiana and suddenly sighed.
Lily heard it. She came over and asked curiously, “What’s up?”
“Perhaps she’s an idealized version of me,” Hessiana said in a whisper. “The most innocent age, without dark moments or fear. Every day was a happy day in her memory. She found her mother at last. Sometimes I really don’t particularly like your landlord, but this time, I really should thank him. In this illusory timeline, all my wishes have come true.”
It was unknown if Lily fully understood what Hessiana just said. But she did understand the last sentence. “Mr. Landlord is a nice guy.”
Hessiana just smiled and said nothing more. Just as she was about to stand up and leave, the unexpected happened. Not far away, little Hessiana suddenly jolted and fissures developed all over her gray, statue-like body. Before anyone realized, little Hessiana vaporized and turned into smog.
The smog traveled straight in Hessiana’s direction before it disappeared into her body.
Lily was stunned. “Whoa! Hessiana has possessed herself!”
Hao Ren also noticed what had happened. He did not take what Lily said seriously but he looked at Hessiana nervously. “What just happened? What about your 2P?”
Hessiana did not even know what was occurring to herself. Confused, she turned to examine herself. “I don’t know what just happened. It just… Aargh!”
“What happened?” Hao Ren and Lily asked in unison.
Hessiana suddenly looked disoriented. She staggered on her feet before she recovered her senses a moment later. Hessiana blinked and forced a smile. “It turns out that when the other me is in the vicinity after I complete a journey back in time, memory fusion occurs. I can feel a new memory forming in my mind. It’s about my childhood, and you were there.”
Hao Ren had now figured out the situation.
With his arms akimbo, Hao Ren directly said, “Well, now can I say that I hugged you in my arms when you were still little? You were still in bat form at that time, salivating while sleeping in my pocket.”
Hessiana knew that Hao Ren was going to bring it up. She was furious. “I’ll kill you if you repeat it!”
Hao Ren rolled his eyes. “I was merely stating the facts.”
Hessiana could not form any words to respond. She just mentioned that she was envious of little Hessiana—the perfect version of herself. And now, she had the ideal version of her memory. But Hao Ren’s presence in her childhood memory was a fly in the ointment. She felt an urge to bite, but a voice in her head reminded her that Hao Ren was a heroic big brother in little Hessiana’s memory.
After she wrestled with her mind for a long time, Hessiana finally figured it out. What happened to her was not just pure memory fusion. As little Hessiana was a real existence in that space and time, she did not absorb little Hessiana’s memories. Instead, that particular memory was actually part of her childhood—an event fragment that was added into her mind.
Hessiana could not have possibly hypnotized herself and convinced herself that the memory was fake.
Hao Ren had no idea what was on Little Bat’s mind. But he could roughly make out her state of mind judging from her reaction. Hao Ren could not help but say a few words of comfort, “Don’t overthink it. There’s nothing wrong with schizophrenia. You see, your mom’s also schizophrenic. This inherited disease proves that your mom loves you, and at the very least, it proves that your mom is your mom.”
Lily smacked herself on the forehead. “Mr. Landlord seems to have given up on treatment completely.”
Hesperides came up and said, “Don’t you think he’s just saying that on purpose?”
Hessiana ignored Hao Ren. She let out a sigh. “I realize that there is another even crazier thought in my mind: I have an elder sister named Hessiana, who’s very powerful and capable. Maybe I should put myself deep hypnosis to correct this crazy memory.”
Hao Ren was dumbfounded.
This time-travel journey had helped Little Bat accomplish many things she never thought she could achieve.
“Speaking of the state of the mind, will it affect our next mission?” Hao Ren asked out of caution.
Hessiana patted her chest confidently. “Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal. But please don’t ask me who my elder sister is when I’m fighting people.”
Hao Ren’s mouth twitched. He then turned to everyone. “Is everything ready? If so, let’s step into the next period—the heyday of the Mythological Era.
“Hesperides, you should be happy; you’re going back to your homeworld.”
Hesperides glanced at the broken temple around her. It was an unpleasant start for her time-travel journey, and Hao Ren’s words did not help. She shook her head. “Sometimes, the past is better left alone. If the next leg of the journey happens to go through Olympus again, I’d prefer to finish the mission and leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, I’m worried that I might sink myself into that false space and time.”
Hao Ren understood Hessiana’s feelings and said nothing more. Just as he was about to head to the glowing door, he noticed that Lily was not moving at all.
“What’s the matter?” Hao Ren asked curiously.
“Mr. Landlord, I feel like I can no longer follow you into the next period of history.” Lily scratched her head and pointed at her legs. “Look, my WIFI connection’s about to drop.”
Hao Ren finally saw the changes in the husky maiden. Starting from her legs, gray was spreading all over her body rapidly. It looked as if she was petrifying.
Raven 12345’s words came to mind.
As Hao Ren continued to go back in time, his team members who went more than 2,000 years back before their time of birth would drop off from the connection, and the sandbox would kick them out of the system.
Only Hao Ren, who had entered the sandbox in flesh and blood, could complete the 10,000-year journey.
Lily was the youngest out of them all. She was only born a hundred years before the present timeline. Now they were in 44 BC, with a gap of nearly 2,000 years in between. It was the farthest point backward in time that Lily could travel to.
Hao Ren had long known that Lily would have to leave the team some time along the journey. But he still felt quite shocked when it finally happened. “You’re leaving?”
The husky maiden stared at him. “You make it sound like I’m dying! I’m just going out to take a rest and become a spectator. Don’t worry, I’ll enjoy the show.”
Hao Ren was stupefied.
The little sorrow he felt from parting vanished entirely. Hao Ren waved his hand and said, “All right, I almost forgot that you guys and I are different in this space and time. Just go, I’ll handle the rest.”
While Hao Ren spoke, the gray began to spread to Lily’s chest.
“Then, I’ll go out to eat melons now!” Lily looked at Hao Ren and simpered. “You have to bring Battie back! She owes me a lifetime supply of braised pork, and you have to come back in one piece. Otherwise, that pauper vampire may not be able to afford braised pork.”
Before the petrification spread to her shoulders, Lily suddenly raised the alloy sword over her head.
“Haih, Mr. Landlord, do you think this sword will be preserved here if I raise it above my head? If it’s possible, there’s probably a bug in the system. Look! Even my clothes are—”
Lily’s words came to an abrupt end.
Hao Ren looked up and found that the gray had covered the giant alloy sword.
“We need to tell her that there’s no bug in here when we get back out,” Hao Ren said.
