Night World Players

Chapter 97: Long time no see, Little Grey

Chapter 97: Long time no see, Little Grey (5k)

[You have established a new "fate", the Fool's Library: The Long Steps of the Sun has been unlocked]

[You unlocked a new card——『Sun』·Cisel]

……

The wooden door closed behind Rast.

At the same time, the azure blue words appeared as expected in his spiritual ocean.

Sequence long stage "Sun".

This is another brand new sequence of long steps that has never been recorded in the world.

It is also the card with the highest gold content among all the cards currently recorded in the library of the Fool of Rast.

A true legend.

Of course, according to the rules summed up by Last himself——

The higher the strength and rarity of the card, the more difficult it is to increase the bond level.

As the current leader of the Shore Keepers, Cecil is not only at the legendary level, but also an immortal.

Long before the Iron Cross Plague broke out and the Cataclysm began, he had already served as the leader of the Shore Watchers.

Those old eyes have already spanned nearly a thousand years of vicissitudes.

Even if we take into account the three hundred years that Rast has been circulating in Deep Blue Harbor, he is still far inferior to Cecil.

Legends stand higher than ordinary people, and the scenery and world they see are broader.

The joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, separation and reunion in the eyes of others may have been witnessed thousands of times in the eyes of legends, and it is difficult to stir up any waves anymore.

If you want to establish a deep bond with Cecil, you must put in a hundred or a thousand times more effort than with any other person.

Even though it was only the first level of bond, it was already overdrawn by Last using a tricky method, similar to the reward for a mission.

Therefore, Rast did not have any unrealistic expectations. He was mentally prepared for the card Cecil to be stuck in bond one for a long time.

The reason why Rast wanted to try to unlock Cecil's Sun Card was actually to verify a guess in his mind.

["Sun" Cecil]

[Bond Level: 1]

[Sun·Glorious Body (Unlocked): The first-tier ability of the Sun Sequence. Your body is blessed by the scorching sun and shrouded in a layer of eternal brilliance.]

[You gain a certain degree of resistance to cold, darkness, curse, and frost]

The first-stage ability of the Solar Sequence Long Stage, "Glorious Body", can only be described as mediocre.

Of course, this is understandable.

After all, although the long sequence of the sun is rare, it is likely to be similar to Gray's "destiny" and Dean Yin's "moon", and has uniqueness.

However, the first-level bond level of the Sissel card can only unlock the ability of the first stage of the Sun Sequence, and no matter how much exception it is, it will not be much better.

The resistance to cold, darkness, curse and freezing brought by the Body of Radiance can only be said to be a pretty good passive auxiliary skill purely used to stack the panel.

However, Last's purpose was not to covet Cecil's strength.

His attention fell silently on the place below this line of information, where the Night Blade panel owned by Cecil should have appeared.

but.

does not exist.

Similar to Gray's panel information in the Fool's Library, where the Night Blade should have appeared, or in the words of the Sixth Epoch, "superpowers", there was only a short character at this moment -

[Night Blade: Unknown]

Last's gaze lingered on the line of azure text for a long time.

"The Library of Fools."

"What exactly are you hinting at?"

pat.

Last took a step and walked out of the towering watchtower.

What comes into view is the extremely peaceful coastal scenery.

The moist sea breeze blows on your face, bringing with it fresh air.

On the streets in the distance, people were coming and going, shoulder to shoulder and bustling about.

Except for the Deep Blue Port before the outbreak of the Iron Cross Plague, this was the first time that Last saw such a peaceful city scenery in the night world.

Of course, this is a matter of course.

Just as Gray said when she was little.

As the headquarters of the Shore Watchers, it has a watchtower manned by a legend and several high-level extraordinary people, as well as a town attached to the watchtower...

Nature is the safest place in the world.

Residents living in the cities surrounding the Watchtower do not have to live a precarious life like humans in other settlements.

After all, everyone knows that ordinary Desolate Beast Tide, Iron Cross Mutations, and even ordinary cults do not have the courage to challenge the Watchtower.

Even if the evil god descends.

If the one who descended was not the complete body, but only half of it with some power, the legendary leader of the Shore Guardians might not have been defeated.

In this state of mind, the cities around the Watchtower also became stable and developed prosperously...

Even the levels of many disciplines and technologies here have recovered to the level of the golden age before the catastrophe, when science and technology were at their peak.

In time, humans may be able to rebuild civilization based on this.

Of course, the area that the deterrent power of the Watchtower can radiate and protect is ultimately limited...it cannot accommodate all the survivors on the continent.

Therefore, when the news of the "Paradise" in the northern border of the continent spread, many people who could not be protected by the Watchtower naturally regarded Paradise as their last hope.

only--

Looking at the peaceful city scene before him, Rast couldn't help but sigh.

People of this era regard "Paradise" and the Watchtower as the last Garden of Eden.

In other words, it is Noah's Ark.

They hoped to hide on Noah's Ark and survive the raging flood and the catastrophe of world destruction...

Then, wait for the flood to recede and the disaster to disappear.

In the new world, a civilization far more glorious and splendid than the Golden Age was rebuilt, and the era continued.

However, only Rast knew.

If this civilization really still has a future and can be passed on...

Then this period of history should be written in the history books of future generations, rather than just being able to get a glimpse of the past in the night world.

And this era will not be called the Sixth Era by later generations.

Whether it is the watchtower or "Paradise"...they will all come to an end.

This is a historical wave that cannot be reversed by one person, and it is also the so-called destiny.

And according to the description of Chief Cecil.

The end of that era, the final chapter of everything.

Obviously, not too far away.

Such a thought only flashed through Rast's mind.

He looked at the crowded street in front of him and suddenly remembered Cecil's last instructions.

"Gray..."

The gray-haired little girl who was as timid as a baby animal in the Frozen Water Town and gave herself a name.

Now, have you finally grown up?

Moreover, it seems that he has passed the assessment recently and has been promoted to a member of the shore guards.

It's true, time flies.

……

"This is your shore keeper wing emblem, little Gray, and the spare uniform."

Outside the watchtower, the training ground for new shore watchers.

Within the organization, a woman in charge of logistics placed two sets of pure white clothing and a wing emblem made of pure silver on the table.

"Thank you, Sister Susan."

Not far away, a girl wearing the standard white robe of the shore guard and with gray hair draped over her shoulders held the supplies in her arms and bowed politely to Susan.

What a polite and good kid, it's a pity...

Looking at the well-behaved gray-haired girl in front of her, Susan sighed softly in her heart.

"By the way, little Grey, your job assignment has not been announced yet."

"According to convention, you will stay in the headquarters as a reserve staff member."

To put it nicely, they are called reserve personnel.

To put it bluntly, the organization has given up on training her.

Of course, this is only natural.

Although Gray ranked first in all test items except practical combat in the assessment of new shore guards.

Moreover, during the short period of new employee training, her likable personality was appreciated by all the instructors, including Susan.

However, the results of the test on Gray's long sequence were unclear.

And all of Gray's attempts to awaken her superpowers ended in failure.

The length of the sequence is unknown...which means that her sequence has not been recorded in the organization's intelligence database, so there is no corresponding extraordinary knowledge reserve.

Grey cannot be like other extraordinary people who can upgrade step by step and smoothly by simply learning the corresponding extraordinary knowledge.

To advance to each level, Gray can only rely on her own exploration. Perhaps for the rest of her life, she will be stuck at the first level and unable to make any progress.

Failure to awaken superpowers, or the lack of superpowers, means that Gray's potential outside the sequence is also zero.

Sequence and ability are the two core elements that make up the combat power of a superhuman. However, Gray was sentenced to death for both potentials.

In this case, even if Grey performs well in other aspects, and her character, personality, willpower, skills, etc. are all top-notch, she has lost the value of being cultivated.

Even at the Shore Guard headquarters, the extraordinary resources available for training new personnel are extremely rare and limited, and all investments must be used wisely.

Newcomers who are able to successfully advance to the other levels and have extraordinary potential in supernatural powers are naturally more worthy of training.

If it weren't for the fact that Chief Cecil had become interested in Gray's unknown sequence after seeing her file, and Gray herself had some inexplicable obsession with joining the Shore Watchers...

Perhaps, she had already been persuaded to quit.

"I see, Sister Susan."

After hearing Susan's words, the gray-haired girl did not show any disappointment on her pretty face.

She just nodded obediently and bowed to Susan again: "Then, thank you for troubling Sister Susan."

After saying this, the gray-haired girl turned and left.

Looking at Gray's receding back, Susan felt even more regretful.

If it were another organization, at another time point, becoming a reserve force would mean not having to take the risk of performing dangerous tasks, but instead taking a sinecure at the headquarters.

This seems to be a pretty good treatment, suitable for slacking off.

However, this is not true among today's shore guards.

Not carrying out missions and not holding positions also means not having the organization's extraordinary resources to cultivate, and also means losing the opportunity to continuously improve oneself through battles and experience...

In such a chaotic world——

As a member of the shore guards, without the power to control his own destiny, but just lying down and escaping, is tantamount to waiting to die.

Once an emergency occurs... no matter if you are in the reserve force or otherwise, you must go to the front line of the battlefield.

By then, these reserve personnel whose training has been abandoned will become cannon fodder on the battlefield, and will be abandoned by the organization's strategy.

Judging from the outstanding performance Gray showed in various knowledge and skills tests, she obviously knew exactly what it meant to be a reserve.

However, the gray-haired girl still did not show any dissatisfaction.

It seems that she really has some inexplicable obsession with joining the Shore Guardians.

As Susan was thinking this, she suddenly saw the gray-haired girl who had gone far away suddenly turn back.

"Sister Susan, have you found any results for the matter I asked you to find out for me?"

The gray-haired girl's pleasant voice was filled with a rare hint of anxiety.

"Oh, that one."

Susan seemed to remember something and took out an old badge.

Different from the brand new silver-white wing emblems worn on Susan and Gray's chests.

This winged emblem looked older in style, with scratches all over it and black marks that seemed to be left by fire... This was a mark left by time.

But this broken old wing emblem has obviously been well maintained and wiped frequently, and there is not even a trace of dust on it.

Gray took the old winged emblem, wrapped it carefully in a white handkerchief, and held it close to her body.

"I checked the serial number on this old wing badge for you...it is indeed from our organization."

"Laster, a shore guard who has been in the organization for quite some time but doesn't seem to have made many glorious achievements."

"He seems to be on long-term missions away from home, returning to headquarters only at irregular intervals. No one knows where he is now."

"As for the other person you mentioned, Hiltina."

Susan shook her head slightly. "After she and Last carried out a mission together, she never returned to the headquarters again."

"I think she must have died in that mission."

"My position in the organization is not high enough to directly access their files... I just got this information from other colleagues, and I'm not sure if it's reliable."

"how come……"

Gray subconsciously covered her mouth, her eyes widening in disbelief.

She didn't know what happened at the end of the Frozen Water Town several years ago.

When Gray woke up again in the ruins of the town, everything was over. Both Hiltina and Last had disappeared.

but--

Since the activated pollutant was defeated, she believed that brother Rast and sister Hiltina both survived in the end, but perhaps because of their serious injuries, they had to evacuate early.

Gray has always believed this.

Or rather, she was only willing to believe so.

But at this moment, the cold facts finally brought Grey back to reality.

"Sister Hiltina..."

Although they didn't have much contact time, Gray was deeply impressed by the heroic older sister.

But, that majestic sister Hiltina, who looked like a knight from a storybook—

So, he has been sacrificed?
Gray's emerald green eyes did not waver at all when she heard that the organization had given up on her training.

At this moment, a sense of loss emerged, which was extremely rare.

but.

Fortunately, brother Rast seems to be still alive.

I don't know why, when such a thought arises.

Gray found that at this moment, she felt a sense of inexplicable relief in her heart.

However, before Gray had time to think about the source of the inexplicable relief in her heart.

She saw Susan in front of her looking at her with a complicated look.

"Little Grey."

"The training for this batch of new shore guards has come to an end."

"Most of the new shore guards will be assigned tasks starting tomorrow and go their separate ways."

"So we organized a graduation dinner and invited the parents of the new shore defenders. You..."

"Sorry, Sister Susan, I won't go this time."

Gray lowered her head and shook her head slightly.

When she looked up again, there was no trace of gloom on her pretty fair face.

Gray had a polite smile on her face: "I am an orphan, I have no parents, so I won't spoil the fun of my classmates and uncles and aunts."

"you……"

Susan subconsciously opened her mouth, wanting to keep him.

But the slender and petite girl in front of him had already disappeared at the end of the training ground, leaving only her long gray hair swaying in the wind and her gradually becoming invisible back.

……

It was already evening when Gray left the training ground for the new shore defenders and came to the streets of the outer city.

Darkness gradually enveloped the earth, and the last rays of light dyed a corner of the sky blood-red.

On both sides of the street, the windows of every household were lit up with warm orange light.

At this time of sunset, most of the city residents have already returned home, and are enjoying dinner happily with their families around the warmth of the stove and oil lamps.

My classmates who are having their farewell dinner should be feeling the same way at this moment.

Perhaps because they are close to the water, most of the new recruits who pass the assessment and join the shore watchers are from the surrounding towns within the protection range of the watchtower.

And the families in the city are proud that their children can become members of the shore guard.

It is a rare case that someone like Gray has traveled across half the continent and wandered here from a distant place.

As you can imagine, it would be a farewell dinner where everyone would enjoy drinking and not stop until they were drunk.

The young shore guards who are about to embark on their journey are full of yearning and expectation to establish their own merits.

Their parents regard their children as their greatest pride, but at the same time they feel conflicted and reluctant about their children leaving.

and so--

In such a brilliant and glorious occasion, there is no room for an alien like me.

Gray walked on the city streets in the evening, the cold wind blowing on her cheeks, chilling her bones.

There were lights coming through every window beside him, heat waves were coming from the fireplace, and he could faintly hear laughter floating in it.

However, it seemed as if there was a whole world between him and her.

This is the home of classmates, but not Gray's home.

The home of the gray-haired girl...

It disappeared in the endless blood mist many years ago.

In fact, today is also an important day for me.

However, the last person who knew about that day had already been buried in the weathered ruins along with her home.

But just when Gray was staring at the lights on the street, she was a little distracted.

"Well, you don't look like a witch who can control fate at all... Instead, you look like a little match girl."

A hand that was not thick but had distinct joints fell on her head.

Then, he mercilessly ruffled her long gray hair.

"Come on, I'll treat you to dinner."

"besides……"