Who left their last words here?

Chapter 16 Fusion! "Moonlight Oath Saint Slash"

“Um, Crow.” Bai Zhou swallowed.

"what?"

"Maybe, I mean maybe—"

Bai Zhou dropped a bombshell in the most relaxed and calm possible tone.

"I may have a set of knowledge passed down as an 'adventurer'."

crow:"?"

"impossible!"

Crow immediately dismissed Bai Zhou's delusional ramblings.

But looking into Bai Zhou's clear eyes, Ya suddenly remembered the half of the forbidden ancient character from earlier, and his eyes became filled with doubt and uncertainty.

"Is it... a fog of knowledge?"

Bai Zhou nodded.

An unusual stillness suddenly descended upon the air.

The flickering firelight on the ground illuminated the girl's... somewhat stiff face.

"I've never had the chance to talk about this."

Bai Zhou's voice was slightly tense.

"When exploring the fog of knowledge, besides that half of the forbidden ancient character, I actually also captured a golden glow."

"Inside is a knowledge transmission called 'Oath of the Saint'."

"I can't understand the text of the record, but I recognize it at the beginning—"

Bai Zhou pointed to the symbol of clashing swords on the table.

"There is also such a symbol."

"boom--"

The flames were blazing brightly.

The twelve curtains swayed like ripples on water.

Like a crow's fluttering heart.

The black trench coat fluttered gently, and Crow stood silently in place.

She scrutinized Bai Zhou with a complex expression for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh and shaking her head in relief.

"Can……"

"Will you write it down for me to see?"

……

"It really is the 'Adventurer's' route..."

The fire flickered.

Ya sighed softly, and a wisp of flame rose from her palm, igniting the paper containing the knowledge.

The ashes dissipated in mid-air, and she turned to look at the white boat.

After a half-hour study, the crow successfully confirmed:

"Congratulations--"

"You might really be destined to become a 'Chosen One'!"

Everything was as Bai Zhou had imagined.

"Oath of the Saints" is a secret technique for the 'Adventurer' path.

Moreover, it's a beginner's secret technique similar to "Moon Ashes"!

"It has quite a background."

With a "thud," the crow swept past the flames on the ground and came to the side of the white boat.

Her eyes were exceptionally bright, sparkling with a strong thirst for knowledge.

“I used a ritual to decipher the cipher text on it and discovered that the ‘Oath of the Saint’ was just a fragment, and its origin could be traced back to a ‘secret scroll’ level forbidden book.”

"Unfortunately, it is too badly damaged, and a lot of information is missing."

"All I know is that it seems to come from some ancient cult, but that information is meaningless."

As he spoke, Ya sighed regretfully.

It seems that even for her, the so-called "secret scroll" level forbidden book has considerable appeal.

But Bai Zhou perked up his ears.

—Secret scroll?
What is meant by... a "secret scroll" level forbidden text?

Is the Dead Sea Scrolls a "secret scroll"?
Before Bai Zhou could think any further, the raven's voice came again:

"Even the secret technique 'Oath of Saints' is incomplete; it only has the second half of the page and not the first half."

"In other words, it only has the part on cultivating the mind and lacks the chapters on physical training."

"this……?"

The glimmer of hope in their eyes dimmed.

Suppressing the disappointment welling up inside him, Bai Zhou sighed softly:
Does that mean it can't be used?

Unfortunately, travelers traversing the desert usually do not die from the initial thirst.

Rather, they perished during the arduous journey after discovering the oasis.

"I didn't say that."

However, at that moment, a crow descended from the sky carrying a huge "oasis," upon which sweet spring water flowed everywhere.

"This might be a problem for others."

"But not for me."

Her voice remained cold, and her expression was indifferent.

But to Bai Zhou's ears, it sounded like heavenly music.

"The adventurer's path is indeed very different from the hunter's path, and there are many ideas and directions that I have never thought of... However, in the initial stage, the two paths lead to the same goal."

"With the 'Oath of Saints' Strike' in the 'Mind Cultivation' stage, I am 80% confident that I can reverse-engineer and reconstruct its 'Body Forging' part."

"even……"

Crow glanced at the stool leg in Bai Zhou's hand.
"Your hard work these past few days won't be in vain."

"Really?" Bai Zhou lifted the stool leg in his hand to examine it, and it seemed much more pleasing to the eye.

He swung his sword tens of thousands of times, but instead of cutting anything, he ended up smoking himself.

Crow nodded:
"The Moon Ashes originated from a lost ancient fire school, which is rumored to have intricate connections with the Mithra school, which was skilled in body tempering a thousand years ago."

"I plan to extract the essence of the 'Moon Ashes' body-forging technique and integrate it into the 'Oath of Saints' slash."

"In just one night, I can perform a modified secret technique based on the Oath of Saints, which combines the strengths of both."

"Let's call it 'Moonlight Oath Saint Slash'!"

"Moonlight Oath of Saints"!
The willows are dark and bright.

The joy of finding what was lost overwhelmed me.

Bai Zhou's eyes widened, and he almost waved the stool leg in his hand to cheer for Ya.

But at this time,

The crow asked another question:
"But are you sure you really want to take the adventurer's path?"

"Isn't that natural?"

Bai Zhou answered without much hesitation.

Who among those destined for greatness would be content with mediocrity and remain an ordinary yet extraordinary individual?
"However, 'Oath of Saints' only supports physical and mental training to become a level 2 adventurer."

"—After that, you'll have to try your luck in the Reflection Ruins."

The crow spoke up very seriously:

"Even if extraordinary individuals on the Adventurer's Path naturally absorb knowledge from that path, this road is destined to be full of mud and danger!"

"In comparison—"

"Although the 'Hunter' path may not align with my destiny, I can make all the necessary preparations afterward."

The cawing of crows ceased here.

The firelight lengthened their shadows as they faced each other, and the crow's question struck straight to the soul.

"Are you sure you want to give up all of this, put in ten times the effort, and choose the 'adventurer' path?"

"I suggest you think about it carefully."

...It was time for Bai Zhou to make a choice again.

Most of the time, people are unable to clearly know what they should want.

Because a person can only live once, they cannot compare it with their previous life, nor can they make corrections in the next life.

Everything happens immediately, only once, and there's no time to prepare.

But this time——

"But if I choose the 'hunter' path, which doesn't align with my destiny, how far can I go in the future?"

Bai Zhou didn't rush to answer, but instead asked a few questions in return.

"Can I reach the same level as you?"

"Can you solve... your problem?"

The crow paused for a moment.

She never expected Bai Zhou to answer like that.

She never imagined that Bai Zhou's answer would be related to her.

But there were some things that Bai Zhou had already sensed, even without Ya saying them.

There must be a reason for the crow's current state.

It's just that Bai Zhou isn't qualified to touch it right now.

When faced with this question, the crow's answer was...

silence.

But silence is also an answer.

"I understand," Bai Zhou nodded.

Then, he made a decision.

Now that we've embarked on this path full of unknowns, let's make the future even more unpredictable.

Having decided to climb upwards, there's no reason not to set your sights on the summit.

The firelight lengthened the shadow of the white boat.

He gave a serious answer—

"I've had enough of the days in the city of night, where I can see the end from the beginning."

Now, he wants to change his way of life.

"Crow, why don't you try trusting me just this once?"

Bai Zhou said,
"I believe I can go much further on the 'Adventurer' path."

"—Someday in the future, I can help you."

"Maybe we should go to the Reflection Ruins again next time..."

Bai Zhou said half-jokingly, "So I've come back with a whole bunch of new inheritances again?"

Crow glanced at Bai Zhou and said, "How could such a thing happen?"

"Do you think the Reflection Ruins is your family's little shop?"

Bai Zhou smiled but remained silent.

People can't know in advance what they should want, but this time it's different.

Bai Zhou cheated.

The battlefield ruins pointed to by the golden pass are marked with signs related to the 'Adventurer' path everywhere.

His future lies elsewhere.

It's right under your feet.

"Knowing that the road ahead is uncertain, yet refusing to stop."

"Having nothing to lose, yet leaving no way out."

After a few seconds of silence, the crow suddenly spoke in a cold voice.
"This is really not a wise move."

“However, you like this…” Standing in the shadows, Crow quietly looked at Bai Zhou, her gaze sometimes unfocused.

"Perhaps that is more in line with the true meaning of 'adventurer'."

There's a reason why the "adventurer" has disappeared in modern times.

The development of the times has made it possible for people to no longer explore the wilderness for survival, nor to go through countless hardships in order to seek knowledge.

—Modern civilization does not have a "distant place".

Thus, the spirit of adventure, a quality once considered one of the most brilliant stars of human civilization, has been gradually eroded by the breeding ground of modern civilization.

But Bai Zhou is different.

He grew up in the backward city of Night, reading adventure stories.

Faced with the White Boat, every modern human on Earth is rich in information and material possessions.

But in terms of spirituality, these spiritual settlers are the most impoverished.

Unlike Bai Zhou, whose mind is unpolluted, his perspective is completely different from that of ordinary people on Blue Star.

From the moment he stepped out of the city of the night, he embarked on an adventure.

Extraordinary or ordinary...

Everything unknown on Blue Star is a dense forest for adventurers to explore, according to Bai Zhou.

Who else could be more suited to be an adventurer than him?

—A unique 'adventurer' who is constantly adventuring in the modern urban jungle.

This inexplicably reminded her of someone else.

A fictional character created in a literary work.

—Don Quixote.

The old man charging headlong towards the windmill, and the white boat that saw everything as a monster upon first arriving on Earth...

They are similar in purpose but different in execution.

A foolish idealist, a naive romantic, a stubborn out-of-touch person, a heretical rebel.

But they are also the fools most capable of creating "miracles".

"—Perhaps, 'adventurer' is the path destined for you."

Finally, Crow gave her conclusion.

It is not the destiny path of [Chen].

It was a white boat.

"……but,"

But then, the crow changed the subject again.
"No adventurer in any legend ever travels alone."

"Do you understand, Shirazuki?"

"……what?"

"I mean……"

Crow looked into Bai Zhou's eyes and said softly:

"Remember you are not alone."

"I will help you."

"..."

Bai Zhou's eyes widened.

My heart skipped a beat; there was a subtle, unsettling feeling.

But before he could even figure out what this feeling was, Crow's next words came through—

"There's no need to make that face."

The crow remained expressionless.

"Just as you just said..."

In the dim shadows beyond the reach of the firelight, she turned her face away and emphasized in a cold voice:
I'm helping you, but only for my future self!

Undoubtedly, the path Bai Zhou chose was extremely difficult.

But with her as a senior figure around, things will be much easier.

Then, with a wave of his hand, Ya signaled to Bai Zhou to lift the bench leg again.

"Enough with the pretty words, it's time to take action."

"—Keep swinging your sword for now, I'll improve the 'Moonlight Oath Saint Slash' later."

The crow paced slowly in the shadows and said:
"You must be prepared to train hard."

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhou immediately felt a jolt.

My muscles feel a dull ache.

Even my buttocks subconsciously felt a chill, as if I were hallucinating a crystal ball as cold as ice.

The night is long.

The torment has only just begun.

……

In the blink of an eye, the stool leg swung ten thousand times, and the sun and moon revolved twice.

Crow's coffee beans were replaced with a new bag, and Shiraishu also learned the true "Moonlight Oath Saint Slash".

"bass--"

The square stool leg swung through the air, followed by a streak of burning fire.

A deep mark appeared on the surface of the iron table in front of me.

It penetrated three-tenths of an inch into the iron, reaching half the thickness of the tabletop.

Holding the stool leg was Bai Zhou, whose eyes were wide open.

"This is...something I did?"

It turned out that Ya hadn't lied to him after all.

Even a bench leg without any sharp edges can cut through iron!
—Although it has not been fully successful yet, it has at least shown initial signs of success.

"not bad."

Crow walked to Bai Zhou's side and glanced at the table.

"I'm not far from officially starting out. Maybe in a week, maybe tomorrow. All that's missing is the right opportunity."

As Ya said, Bai Zhou's previous basic training in swinging the bench leg was not in vain.

With his proficient foundation and superb talent in numerology, he even mastered the "Moonlight Oath Saint Slash" to this level in just two days.

This also shows that the raven's deduction was very successful.

This new technique, which combines the advantages of both "hunter" and "adventurer" approaches, is actually usable!
"I'm teaching you these things so that you'll have the ability to protect yourself from the Blood Worship Cult before chaos ensues."

At this point, the crow raised a question seriously.
"But if people find out that you have inexplicably become an extraordinary person, I don't need to say how the Special Administration will treat you."

Bai Zhou felt a chill run down his spine.

A Late City resident who cannot explain the source of his abilities?
He looks like an undercover agent sent by the Blood Worship Cult...

"If the Blood Cult really attacks, you'd better be a P3-level agent in the Special Administration and have applied for a potion before they arrive."

The crow raised its head slightly, setting a new goal for the white boat:
"This way you'll have a reason to appear before others as an extraordinary person, saving you a lot of unnecessary trouble."

"..."

Bai Zhou's expression was strange.

What the crow said makes a lot of sense.

It seems he has another reason to be promoted to P3 level specialist.

but--

He's not a P3 level specialist, is it because he doesn't want to be promoted?
He wants to make progress too much.

Feeling awkward under Bai Zhou's "resentful" gaze, Ya waved his hand.

"Of course, I know it's difficult."

But as I said before—

"I will help you."

Bai Zhou's eyes immediately lit up, then he hesitated:
"How can you help?"

Is the mysterious crow about to make its move?
He started daydreaming again...

Maybe Raven will make him a cup of coffee while he waits, then he'll shoulder his longsword and go hunting, returning in triumph with the head of the Blood Worship Cult's Grand Elder in no time.

They drop their heads and take the military merits.

The coffee must still be warm at this moment.

—So, does that mean he'll become the boss of this base the very next day?

Where did this P3-level specialist come from?

Call him Major Bai!
“I’ll find ‘luck’ to help you.”

The crow ruthlessly shattered Bai Zhou's illusions.

"luck?"

"I'm going to use a ritual to enhance your career luck in the next few days."

Crow explained, "In addition, I will secretly provide some appropriate guidance to see if a suitable opportunity arises."

That sounds amazing; I never knew there was such a magical ritual.

But Bai Zhou quickly became alert:
"...So, what is the price?"

"Law of conservation of luck".

The crow answered:
"As a price, your luck in finding a partner will be terrible this week."

"That means there's no cost." Bai Zhou immediately felt relieved.

Romantic luck? What's that?
Something that does not exist.

When it comes to career, Miss Romance should probably stay away for now.

……

Bai Zhou had no idea whether the mysterious transfer ritual had succeeded.

But he did hear some good news the next day...

That day, he had just met Section Chief Liu at the base when he heard Section Chief Liu say:
"Tomorrow is the department's once-a-year team-building holiday, remember to come."

Bai Zhou readily agreed.

"No problem, where to?"

"go outside."

Section Chief Liu patted Bai Zhou on the shoulder, "Tinghai City, I'll take you out."

"—Of course, you haven't been out of Night City for long, so you need to take some security measures before you can move around."

Outside……?
Confirming that he hadn't misheard, Bai Zhou stopped in his tracks, his eyes slowly widening.

The sunlight from above shone down, its soft glow outlining the boy's silhouette.

At that moment, he thought the Dead Sea Scrolls, which had been left behind in Tinghai City, would be the first thing he would think of.
Or perhaps he was thinking about the opportunity for promotion that the crow had given him.

But he wasn't actually thinking about anything.

My mind was almost blank, my heart was pounding, and the flowing air rushed into my nasal cavity with a sweetness I had never noticed before.

There was only a tingling, numb sensation, both strange and familiar, as if it were instinctive, and it came over me without warning.

Wancheng, where he grew up, was described as a graveyard where the living were forbidden, and everyone told him that Blue Star was his true home.

But he had never actually seen what this "home" looked like.

The tension and fatigue from the past few days at the base were inexplicably relieved.

I want to breathe in some fresh air...

He suddenly had this idea.

I want to take a good look at this blue planet that others say is different from Wancheng.

That world that should have given birth to him—

What does it look like?
　Wow, everyone is so powerful! Over seventy monthly votes were cast in the blink of an eye. Among them, the top vote-getter, "Parking Lot Counterattack Your Tornado," cast 12 votes. I bow down in gratitude!

　　I also want to thank all the friends who support Yu Lu. I will definitely work hard to produce content that everyone will be satisfied with!

　　Thank you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)