Li Wu let out a long sigh and continued contemplating the subsequent critical storylines.
"Act II: 'Bad Girl'. The target is Hua, also known as Fu Hua. In the manga, she was the protagonist's childhood sweetheart."
"Since I've inherited the protagonist's identity, I must have inherited this background as well. It's just... I have absolutely no memories of growing up with her."
"System. Am I a soul-transmigrator or a body-transmigrator? Why didn't I inherit the protagonist's memories?"
[The preceding memory zones are highly dangerous. Please explore them at a later time.]
The System chose to give a vague, evasive answer, which was entirely within Li Wu's expectations.
However, this confirmed that a deeply hidden secret was indeed lurking behind this question.
"I knew you wouldn't tell me. And right now isn't the time to worry about it anyway. I have a feeling that once I clear all the storylines, everything will naturally come to light."
Li Wu rapidly assessed the situation.
"In the manga, Hua's original body was destroyed five hundred years ago. Only a single strand of her consciousness survived, stored within the Fenghuang Down."
"Eventually, Gray Serpent couldn't bear to see his Lord's old friend completely fade away. He transferred her consciousness into a stillborn infant in an ordinary Shenzhou family, allowing her to be reborn. Consequently, her mind had to start from absolute zero, only slowly recalling her past self as time settled."
"Given the current timeline, she should be seventeen years old. One year older than me."
Eighteen years old.
Li Wu remembered it vividly.
Before turning eighteen, Hua basically had no recollection of her past self. She lived a quiet, ordinary life in Shenzhou as a normal student named "Fu Hua".
It wasn't until she approached adulthood and her past memories gradually began to resurface that World Serpent arranged for her to infiltrate Schicksal as a spy. Subsequently, Schicksal brainwashed her and sent her right back to infiltrate World Serpent as a counter-spy.
Yeah. A double agent. A complete undercover clusterfuck.
Those identities weren't particularly surprising. The most critical factor was her identity as his 'childhood sweetheart'.
To round out the character's backstory, when Li Wu drew the manga, he had extensively fleshed out the experiences of Fu Hua and the protagonist growing up together.
The two met in kindergarten. At that time, the manga protagonist wasn't a shut-in introvert yet. He was the "demon child" among the kids, a hyperactive terror in the eyes of the adults.
Fu Hua, on the other hand, was incredibly quiet. Much like Kiana was now, she only knew how to bury her head in books and devour knowledge, because doing so earned her praise from the adults for being "sensible."
As a child of an ordinary Shenzhou family, the expectations placed upon her by her parents were far stricter than those in Northern Europe.
A child's world is incredibly small. When their minds are immature, their parents are their entire universe. To please her parents, Fu Hua worked incredibly hard to play the role of the "good child."
She ate on time and never became a picky eater. Even if she completely despised a certain food, she would force it down her throat under her parents' eager gazes, smiling and saying it was delicious and asking for more.
She sat perfectly straight in class and never let her mind wander. She focused entirely on completing her homework. During kindergarten and elementary school, she would spend over ten seconds writing every single number just to ensure it looked perfectly neat and beautiful.
That way, the teacher would single her out for praise during parent-teacher conferences, immensely satisfying her parents' vanity.
Shenzhou parents ate that up completely. Outwardly, they would humbly wave it off, saying their child was just doing okay. But secretly, they were bursting with pride, demanding their child do even more, do even better, and absolutely never slack off—otherwise, all their previous efforts would be wasted.
It could be said that the early "Good Girl" Fu Hua and the "Demon Child" protagonist were two complete extremes. Yet, both of their academic grades were outstanding. One was a talent-type player, while the other was a hard-work-type player.
But everything took a massive turn in middle school.
The protagonist morphed from a mischievous "Demon Child" into an introverted shut-in.
Fu Hua morphed from an obedient, sensible "Good Girl" into an aggressive, flamboyant, and wildly rebellious "Bad Girl".
Bad Girl... That wasn't just the title of Act II; it was also the name of a song.
[Clearly, I only changed because of you.]
[Yet we can never return to the past.]
When Li Wu created the story of Fu Hua and the protagonist, he heavily referenced the background of that song.
When they were young, the immature boy was infatuated with the rebelliousness of a "bad girl." To please him, the innocent girl desperately tried to change herself. She learned to be flamboyant, arrogant, and willful, eventually truly becoming the "bad girl" he had defined.
Yet, the boy ultimately turned around and fell back in love with pure, innocent simplicity.
But the girl had already lost her original self during her metamorphosis. She lost that relationship as well, left with nothing but irreversible regret.
"The crisis stems from her memories resurfacing. Schicksal discovers her defection and the 'forgotten old friends' in her memories. In the manga, Otto had no idea that Fu Hua was the 'Hua' from the Previous Era."
"What I need to do is help Fu Hua conceal her identity as a Flame-Chaser. No, actually, I should just straight-up prevent her from becoming a double agent entirely, and proactively eliminate those 'old friends' who will come hunting for her!"
The method to clear Act II was roughly formulated.
The method to clear Act III was even more straightforward.
"In this world, Deep City is the closest point on Earth to the Sea of Quanta. Both Seele and Kevin are trapped inside. If I want to permanently force Cocolia to give up on targeting Raiden Mei, all I need to do is go to Deep City, bring Seele back, and instantly one-shot Tlaloc while I'm at it!"
Thinking of this, Li Wu couldn't help but clench his fists, eager to get started.
There were so many completely unsolvable crises. A crisis like this, which could be thoroughly neutralized through pure, unadulterated violence, was truly... incredibly rare.
Next was Act IV, the most absolutely critical Act.
Li Wu had a premonition that once he cleared Act IV, many of the secrets the System refused to disclose would be fully revealed.
However, he absolutely had to eliminate the crises in the other Acts before he could even attempt to clear Act IV. Otherwise, he would plunge into an eternal loop of death.
"That leaves Seele (Veliona) in Act V, Elysia in Act VI, and... Kiana in Act VII."
Act VII: [The Day of Civilization's End].
Based on the title of Act VII, the target was unquestionably Kiana.
But this was the most troublesome part... more troublesome than any other Act!
The reason was as simple as it could possibly be.
He hadn't finished drawing it.
"...Fuck! I really should have just stayed up all night and grinded out the rest of the manga for Act VII!" Li Wu cursed furiously at the empty air.
But saying anything now was completely useless.
The wood was already carved into a boat. With only a title to go off of, there was absolutely no way he could prepare for Act VII in advance.
However, Acts V and VI shouldn't be a problem.
Li Wu pulled the Fenghuang Down feather from his pocket. He narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the neural structures woven into it for a long time.
It bypassed any external factors and allowed direct entry into a unique consciousness space. The price was an extreme toll on the user's mental energy.
Old friends...
As for Elysia...
Li Wu fell silent for a moment, recalling the storyline of Act VI.
Just like Act IV, it wasn't something that could be completed in the present timeline.
However, last time in the Elysian Realm, he had clearly seen that Elysia was still alive. That meant massive changes had occurred in the Previous Era's storyline. Someone had helped Elysia evade all her death flags and given her the hope she needed to survive.
"I don't need to worry about Act VI. Since Elysia has already survived the crises of the Previous Era and lived into the Present Era... given Kevin's personality, there's no way he would ever let her get hurt or killed."
His thoughts were completely organized.
A long night invites many dreams.
Li Wu decided to work overtime and take action tonight. He didn't want to delay this any longer.
His scattered thoughts settled gently to the ground like feathers. Concurrently, Li Wu's eyes filled with resolute determination. He took large strides toward Nene Books.
---||---
The sunlight was faint. The leaves rustled gently.
At dusk, the horizon looked as if it were ablaze, bursting with intense orange light. The rays fell upon the worn, aging signboard, making it look exceptionally warm and inviting.
Before even stepping into the bookstore, Li Wu saw Kiana sitting perfectly upright at the front desk, holding a book.
The corners of the pages were yellowed, bearing the heavy, blurry traces of passing years. The pages were crinkled; it had clearly been read more than once.
Because she was wearing a mask and a baseball cap, it was completely impossible to see Kiana's expression.
But one thing was absolutely certain: Beneath that cheap fabric lay an earth-shatteringly beautiful face.
"I'm here."
"Mhm. You're here. There's an extra chair. Sit."
Li Wu walked into the store. Kiana merely glanced up for a second before shifting her gaze to the backless wooden stool sitting right in front of the desk.
Her tone was completely devoid of any fluctuation, paired with an attitude of absolute indifference.
It was all so familiar. It felt exactly like half a month ago.
Everything had changed, yet nothing had changed.
Li Wu opened his mouth. He wanted to explain so many things. He wanted to explain his relationship with Bronya, and that Bronya saying all those ambiguous things was purely a joke.
But when he saw the intense focus in Kiana's eyes, he swallowed all those words right back down his throat.
Li Wu walked over to the bookshelf, randomly picked a short story collection, and sat down on the wooden stool outside the front desk. Mimicking Kiana, he began to read quietly.
No words were exchanged.
Kiana sat on the inside. Li Wu sat on the outside.
The unadorned front desk lacked any decorations. The walls were covered in spiderweb-like cracks, and if you leaned in close, you could smell a faint scent resembling dry twigs.
The molten-gold afterglow of the setting sun slipped silently through the door. Like an incredibly unskilled thief, it tip-toed in, attempting to steal away this rare, peaceful moment.
The dim light from the chandelier overhead blended with the setting sun, illuminating the tiny bookstore.
"Are you feeling a bit better now?" Kiana asked. She didn't look up, her eyes still locked on the contents of her book.
Li Wu's body swayed slightly. He nodded, offering an affirmative response. "Mhm. Much better. Thank you for all your help these past few days."
"Don't worry about it. It was no trouble. If you become someone completely apathetic to everything around you, you won't be able to love life anymore."
"Love life?"
"Mhm. Loving life is very important."
Kiana uncharacteristically emphasized her tone as she turned to the next page.
Seeing that they were finally holding a conversation, Li Wu voiced the question he had been wanting to ask, but never had the chance to.
"Kiana. I'm very curious. You seem to understand me incredibly well. 'Phantom pains'... 'Somatization'... 'Dissociative amnesia'... Sometimes, you recognize these symptoms before I even realize them myself."
"Why... why do you know all this?"
"I read books. I studied related knowledge."
"I know you read about it. But isn't it still strange? Putting aside why you would specifically read books on pedagogy and psychology... even if it was just a coincidence, why were you so willing to help me? Even though I..."
Li Wu paused mid-sentence. His voice suddenly dropped. A few seconds later, he finally added, "...Even though I broke my promise to you."
The words faded into the faint light.
Like a drop of water swallowed by the sea, it caused no ripples.
Kiana remained silent for a long moment. Then, she reached up with a pale hand and took off her baseball cap.
In that instant, it was as if a brilliant winter season had descended. Her silvery-white hair cascaded down like falling snow. A faint, refreshing fragrance drifted over—not overpowering, just exactly enough to notice.
It was like the morning dew; simply looking at her was enough to clear one's mind and soothe the soul.
"No one is absolutely flawless. Breaking a promise... is actually a very common occurrence."
She lowered her head. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, looking exactly like frost-covered leaves in a winter forest shivering in the wind—cold, sharp, and incredibly fragile.
"When I was very young, I met a friend. He told me that sometimes, the person who breaks a promise wanted to fulfill it more than anyone else."
"But if fulfilling that promise would make everything worse—if it would plunge the other person, the people around them, and themselves into an even more agonizing situation—then it's better to shoulder the blame from the very beginning. It's better to proactively become the one who breaks their word."
"Even if countless people curse him... even if the people he cares about don't understand him... it doesn't matter. As long as he can watch everyone live happily, his efforts, his sacrifices... they all have meaning."
Li Wu didn't say a word.
Kiana continued speaking. Her voice flowed smoothly and clearly, like a babbling brook.
"No one in this world can live entirely according to their own free will. If such a person existed, they wouldn't have any attachment to this world whatsoever. They would have already died silently during some depressive episode a long time ago."
"After all, to a person like that, all societal concepts and morals are utterly meaningless. If they want to die, they will die. If they want to live, they will live. Because they believe they are absolutely free, and nothing capable of binding them has ever existed."
"But if she continues to live, she will eventually realize one thing..."
Kiana abruptly raised her head. Her eyes flickered with a clear, radiant light, staring straight into Li Wu's eyes. Her gaze was as immovable as a boulder.
It must have been an illusion, but even though the sun was gradually being swallowed by the western mountains, the summer light seemed to suddenly brighten.
"She isn't the only one in this world who hopes she dies... and she isn't the only one who hopes she lives a happy, joyful life."
"Rather than agonizing in isolation, attempting to embrace a formless, non-existent Grim Reaper... why not try embracing the people around you who actually care?"
"Perhaps beneath their clothes are sharp thorns and freezing ice. But even if there is only a one-in-a-million chance, I think she would still hope to embrace a warm body... the warmth that belongs exclusively to a companion."
Words inherently possess no physical weight.
Yet, after listening to Kiana's story...
Li Wu felt a bizarre sensation, like a massive boulder pressing down heavily on his heart.
He could vividly feel that Kiana wasn't just preaching a philosophy. She was recounting a story she could never, ever let go of.
It was as if Kiana had chewed on this story alone, countless times in the dead of night, until she finally condensed it into this incredibly personal, stylized explanation, delivering it without a single stutter.
A friend from when she was very young?
When Kiana was a child, she was judged by Schicksal to be a "flawless genius." She left her family at an incredibly early age, coming to normal society to struggle and live all on her own.
The members of the Three Great Families were the apex predators among children. Whether it was Ana or Angelica, they were infinitely more stunning than ordinary children.
Just what kind of friend could make Kiana remember them until now?