Ling Cage: Twelve Talismans? I have everything I need.

Chapter 211 Ling Cage Part 1 (4)

Bai Yuekui connected the cable extending from the ASH mobile terminal to the device.

ASH turned around and looked at Bai Yuekui, asking, "Yuekui, what do you want to know? I have a lot of things stored up."

Bai Yuekui glanced at ASH: "Are you really ASH?"

ASH said, "It's genuine, no doubt about it."

Bai Yuekui's fingers paused on the keyboard, his gaze fixed on the information on the screen, noticing the photo placed in the corner.

In the photo, her silver-haired self is being gently embraced from behind by a black-haired man named Yang Chen. The two stand in a field of blooming flowers, and a relaxed smile, a smile she has almost never seen before, graces her lips. The sunlight shines on them, warm and dazzling.

She subconsciously touched her cheek.

Keep sliding.

The next picture is in a warm and bright living room. Father Bai Jingyu and mother Teresa are sitting on the sofa, with Xiao Yuekui and Xiao Yuetian squeezed next to them, while the silver-haired self and Yang Chen are sitting on the other side. Everyone is laughing, including the older brother Bai Yuetian, who looks much more composed now.

He now has a body; he is no longer that cold, spherical life support pod.

The scene was filled with the atmosphere of "home" that had long since faded from her memory.

The next picture is a night view of Hisakawa City, with dazzling neon lights and bustling traffic. There are no ruins, no smoke of gunpowder, and no ever-present threat of death.

Images flashed by rapidly, like a bizarre yet incredibly real dream.

Peaceful Hisakawa, prosperous Dragon Bone Village, healthy family members, and... the self who is intimately connected with this strange man in front of her, with a warm smile.

ASH's calm voice broke the silence: "These images are my daily records. As you can see, in another world, many things have taken different paths."

Bai Yuekui did not respond immediately. Her fingertips curled slightly as she took a deep breath, pulling herself away from those overly beautiful images.

She closed the image folder and instead brought up the core logs and some technical files in the ASH database.

The data stream scrolled rapidly on the screen, and its technological level and depth of research on the mana ecosystem far exceeded the scope of our understanding.

She silently flipped through the pages, her eyes shifting uncertainly.

Doubt, shock, confusion, and a longing that she herself was unwilling to admit... were intertwined in her heart.

After a long while, she finally stopped operating, leaned back in her chair, and rubbed her temples.

The sheer volume of information challenged her preconceived notions.

"Moon Queen," ASH spoke again, "now, are you willing to believe us?"

Bai Yuekui looked at ASH on the table and reached out to pick her up.

“ASH”

Outside the cave entrance, the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

Qianli's narcissistic remarks made Hongkou roll her eyes, and she simply couldn't be bothered to pay him any more attention.

The two-bamboo clapper, who had been silently and vigilantly standing by, held his Nepalese kukri in his hand the whole time.

Yang Chen didn't seem to care much about the slightly tense atmosphere; his attention was more focused on the hole covered by the canvas.

Bai Yuekui should be facing the vast amount of information in the ASH database at this moment, about another peaceful world, about herself who stood shoulder to shoulder with her, about the completely different development path of Dragon Bone Village, and so on.

All of this is likely to have a significant impact on Bai Yuekui of this world.

Time passes slowly in silence.

Just then, the canvas covering the cave entrance was lifted, and Bai Yuekui came out.

She gestured to Ertong and Qianli: "It's alright, you two go ahead and get busy. Also, tell the other villagers that they're fine and will be staying in the village from now on."

Without any hesitation, Er Tong immediately put away his Nepalese scimitar and replied, "Understood, Boss Bai."

After saying that, he didn't even glance at Yang Chen and Hong Kou before heading back into the village.

Upon hearing this, Qianli raised an eyebrow, seemingly somewhat surprised, but did not ask any further questions.

He waved lazily at Red Hair: "Alright, Redhead, the boss has spoken, so I'm off."

As Qianli walked, he glanced curiously at Bai Yuekui.

"Why is the boss's expression so strange, like he's seen a ghost?" he muttered to himself, then jogged to catch up with Er Tong.

Only Yang Chen, Bai Yuekui, and Hong Kou remained in the same spot.

Hongkou looked in the direction they disappeared and said to Yang Chen, "They're finally gone. It's infuriating to hear them talk from afar."

Yang Chen smiled and turned his attention back to the cave entrance.

Bai Yuekui letting them leave meant that she had seen the information provided by ASH, at least temporarily ruling out the possibility of them being enemies.

really.

Bai Yuekui's gaze fell on Yang Chen. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I have looked at some of the information."

Her expression was much more relaxed than when she went in, although she still didn't smile much.

Yang Chen tentatively asked, "You believe us now?"

Bai Yuekui met his gaze for a moment, a complex expression flashing across his eyes, before he nodded slightly.

“Yes, about the ASH core data and… those images.” She paused, stepping aside to make way for the path into the cave, her tone calm. “This isn’t the place to talk. Come in.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Chen smiled and said, "Okay."

He followed Bai Yuekui and entered the slightly narrow cave entrance.

Hongkou hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed him inside.

The cave was deeper than I had imagined. After passing through a short passage, I came to a relatively spacious area.

This was clearly a small research institute, with a simple bed, a table piled with some odds and ends and parts, and some tools and maps hanging on the wall.

Bai Yuekui walked to the table, gently put down the ASH mobile device in his hand, and then turned to look at the two people who followed him in, his gaze mainly falling on Yang Chen.

“Sit down.” She pointed to the few wooden or metal boxes that served as stools.

Yang Chen sat down as instructed, and Hong Kou, looking somewhat reserved, found a box and sat down next to him.

Silence fell over the cave for a moment.

Bai Yuekui seemed to be organizing her thoughts, while Yang Chen and Hong Kou waited for her to speak.

Finally, Bai Yuekui's gaze returned to Yang Chen's face:
“…So,” she finally spoke, “in your world…we…were that kind of relationship?”

Yang Chen nodded: "Mm."

Bai Yuekui fell silent. Her gaze slowly shifted from Yang Chen's face, swept over Hong Kou beside her, and then fell back onto the ASH mobile device on the table.

Those fragments of information were still churning in her mind.

This feeling is too absurd, as if someone forcibly stuffed a life script that doesn't belong to her into her mind.

To suddenly learn that in another world, one could be so... dependent on and trusting of someone, even to the point of being united with them, is such a thing...
"Also, what do you mean by 'that kind of relationship'? We are a legitimate married couple, and your parents have given their approval."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Bai Yuekui immediately raised his hand to interrupt him, his brows furrowed slightly, his expression somewhat embarrassed, "...That's none of my business."

She changed the subject and asked another question: "You can travel freely between parallel worlds? So you came here..."

Her question came to an abrupt end.

Because she saw the awkward expression on Yang Chen's face after she asked the question.

Yang Chen chuckled dryly: "Uh... well, I'm not very free right now, so I can't go back for the time being."

He paused. "Simply put, it will take time to recover." A brief silence fell over the room.

Bai Yuekui didn't look at Yang Chen again, but instead turned his gaze back to the screen flashing data.

“I’ve seen some of this information,” she said. “Why don’t you go and explore the village first, get familiar with the environment? After all, it’s quite different from your world.”

She was subtly asking them to leave temporarily, giving her some space to be alone.

Looking at her focused profile, Yang Chen could sense the turmoil in her heart.

He nodded understandingly, but still said, "Then I'll stay here with you. You can ask me any questions you have."

Bai Yuekui waved her hand, her gaze still fixed on the screen: "No need, it's better for me to be alone... Besides," she glanced at the ASH mobile app on the table, "ASH is here too."

Seeing this, Yang Chen did not insist.

He stood up and said, "Alright, let's go out for a walk first. Let me know if you need anything."

Hongkou quickly stood up as well.

Bai Yuekui simply gave a faint "hmm" in response.

Yang Chen glanced at her one last time before turning and leaving with Hong Kou.

The place returned to silence.

Bai Yuekui casually propped his cheek with one hand, but his gaze was not focused on the scrolling data; instead, it fell on another screen next to him.

That was the image window that had just been closed; it showed Bai Jingyu and Teresa sitting side by side on a sofa.

Looking at the gentle smiles on his parents' faces, Bai Yuekui's eyes glazed over.

“Moon Queen.” ASH’s voice rang out softly.

Bai Yuekui did not respond immediately, still looking at his parents' smiles in the image. After several seconds, he murmured almost to himself:

"Are they... really alright in that world?"

ASH gave a soft "hmm": "Just as you see, Moon Queen."

"very nice."

Bai Yuekui's whisper carried a hint of melancholy.

She was silent for a moment, then her gaze became focused and firm again.

She needs a more systematic and comprehensive understanding of that world.

“ASH,” she began, “bring out everything you know from beginning to end. Guide and explain it to me so I can better understand the whole story.”

As she spoke, she prepared to input instructions on the control panel to grant ASH higher data access permissions, so that ASH could be more efficient.

However, before her finger even touched the screen, the previously static data began to rearrange itself.

The complex directory structure begins to unfold and appear, key information is highlighted, and related images, logs, and technical parameters are linked together.

Bai Yuekui's outstretched finger froze in mid-air.

She paused for a moment, then turned her head to look at the mobile device on the table, a knowing glint in her eyes.

It turned out to be the case.

The images and preliminary information she just saw were probably proactively displayed by ASH at the beginning of the connection, based on the analysis of the situation and by controlling the device.

However, by this point, Bai Yuekui had already come to believe ASH and Yang Chen's explanations, and she no longer questioned or felt offended by ASH's "act first, ask questions later" approach to information.

She withdrew her hand, relaxed her body, leaned back in her chair, and turned her gaze to the screen that ASH had completely taken over.

“Let’s begin, Ash,” she said calmly.

“Yes, Yue Kui.”

Yang Chen and Hong Kou strolled slowly along the streets inside Dragon Bone Village.

The Dragonbone Village in this world has a more rugged atmosphere, but the environment is still quite nice.

They hadn't gone far when they saw Maido standing next to a slightly open space.

The girl's eyes lit up, and the little head of the dog on her shoulder was turning nimbly.

Clearly, she was practicing reconnaissance by sharing her vision with Chagai, and her seriousness was exactly the same as that of Mai Duo, whom Yang Chen knew.

Just then, a tall figure blocked their way.

The newcomer was an extremely robust, white-haired man with bulging muscles that seemed to tear his cloth clothes apart.

His face was resolute and his eyes were sharp; it was none other than Ulan Aodeng.

Ulan Aodeng walked up to Yang Chen and said with a stern face, "Since Boss Bai has asked you to stay in the village, come and register with me first. State your name, background, and abilities clearly."

He was clearly not entirely at ease with these two strangers who had suddenly appeared.

Yang Chen looked at Wulan Aodeng, his gaze lingering on his white hair for a moment. A hint of surprise appeared on his face, and he blurted out, "Little Deng?"

"Why is your hair all white? Is there something wrong with your health?"

His words carried a familiar concern, as if he were speaking to someone he had known for a long time.

However, Ulan Aodeng heard these words in a completely different way.

Ulan Aodeng's eyebrows shot up suddenly, and anger appeared on his already serious face.

"How dare you call Xiao Deng that? I don't know where you got all the names of everyone in the village, but I'm warning you, you better behave yourself! Don't try anything funny!"

Yang Chen: "."

Yang Chen was speechless for a moment when he saw Wulan Aodeng's wary and angry expression.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed back the words of explanation.

After all, in his world, Ulan Aodeng was considered a junior member of his family.

Forget it.

After all, they're our own children; we shouldn't stoop to their level.

Just as the atmosphere became a little tense, Maido, who was standing to the side, ended her shared view with Chagai, ran over, grabbed Wulan Aodeng's arm, and muttered in dissatisfaction:
"Dad! Why are you yelling at me! Boss Bai let them stay, they can't be bad people!"

Ulan Aodeng's anger melted away instantly when he faced his daughter, and his voice softened considerably: "Hey, sweetie, this is just routine for Dad. How's your contact with Chagai going? Are you tired?"

"It went very smoothly!" Mydo proudly puffed out her little chest, then shook his arm. "Alright, alright, registration, right? I'll take them! You go ahead and do your thing!"

As Maiduo spoke, she winked at Wulan Aodeng.

Ulan Aodeng was naturally helpless with his daughter. He ruffled Maiduo's hair in exasperation and gave Yang Chen a warning glare.

That look clearly said, "You better behave yourself."

Then he straightened up and said to Maiduo, "Okay, I'll leave it to you. Call me immediately if anything happens." After saying that, he left, turning back every few steps.

After seeing her father off, Maiduo turned around and smiled brightly at Yang Chen and Hongkou, saying, "I'm sorry, my dad was just too worried about the village. Come on, I'll take you to the registration office!"

She led the way, while Chagai on her shoulder tilted his head curiously to examine the two strangers.

Looking at Mai Duo's noticeably taller back, Yang Chen asked curiously, "Mai Duo, how old are you this year?"

Upon hearing this, Maido turned around and asked in surprise, "You really know our names?"

"I'm seventeen this year."

(End of this chapter)