He is the leader of the Tantric sect in Chagdu.

Chapter 61 Entrusting the Orphan

—Is this the end?

Ai listened to the story quietly until Anda, who was walking ahead, chuckled softly, interrupting his thoughts.

He tilted his head slightly, and in the instant his train of thought was interrupted, he realized something strange—

In Lily's story, when the earliest Anda first arrived in Agdewe, she was a wingless person, just an ordinary girl.

But her current appearance—

Ai stared at Anda: the girl had her hands behind her back, her face turned straight forward, hiding her expression in the shadows of the backlight.

The lamb walked across the verdant earth, its form appearing infinitely thin and frail in contrast to the boundless expanse, shriveled like a withered blade of grass. Its steps seemed perpetually unsteady, always evoking feelings of worry and anxiety.

—She seems to have been assimilated by this place.

Aiyi thought of the golden-red feather she had plucked from Anda, and a headache began to ache.

Such "bird-like signs" seem to be more than just innate characteristics in Agdewe, but can also become an acquired shackle—this place adjacent to the sky seems to bear some kind of curse, imprisoning people in the dual realms of body and mind with "distorted forms" and "ignorant cognition."

They had no interest in the outside world; they were isolated and self-enclosed; they could only quietly wait for salvation from the "birds."

—Tsk.

Rubbing his brow, even Ai felt the cramped feeling of being in Rhodes's perspective; any outsider would feel lost and disoriented in Agdeweg.

—Although the villagers treated "temporary travelers" like Rhodes fairly well, once they showed any desire to learn more about or integrate into the local customs—their enthusiasm and rejection seemed to come from the depths of their souls.

Not to mention Anda, who settled here in the first place.

Ai frowned.

The thought of young Anda surviving her entire childhood in such an environment made him feel nauseous—like a lamb with soft limbs, unable to stand, its pupils still covered by its mother, being snatched back to its nest by birds of prey, surrounded and devoured by what it perceived as different.

This was a despair that even Ai Yi had never experienced when he first came to the Nest World—at least he was an adult when he was reincarnated, and he even had a job, so he wouldn't be unable to survive.

"Anda—how did you get here?"

Ai couldn't help but ask. He remembered that Anda was picked up by Charon from "outside". Logically speaking, she could only come from a city like Dunling, which is relatively close to Fukano.

"have no idea."

But Anda just shook her head. "I don't know where I came from, and I have no memories of my childhood."

""

She brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and said softly, "As far back as I can remember, I've been in Agdeweh—"

Charon, my adoptive father, said that I was found upstream on the Irrawaddy River, but that was deep in the wilderness, a place where no one could possibly live, filled with primeval forests, swamps, depressions, and high mountains.

"And if one can overcome all obstacles and reach the end of the Yi River, further in lies the legendary origin of all rivers, the Xinxiang that flows with milk and honey—where the sacred tree 'Mimu,' representing the beginning of life, grows—"

The "great river" flows from the roots of the tree, irrigating the world.

"But these all fall into the category of mythology."

She spoke slowly, with a sense of bewilderment, "At first, people said I came from the depths—perhaps bringing instructions from other gods, but after they discovered my blindness—they said I had not received God's grace and forgot about me."

The sound gradually faded.

"Although I haven't been completely abandoned, I'm just like a lamb in a flock—even if one day I turn into a skeleton on the grass, no one will remember me anymore."

Anda tilted her head, then suddenly turned around, stood with her hands behind her back, and looked in Ai's direction with a half-smile: "In my dark past, Lily was by my side. She was the only one who witnessed my life, my friend—"

"So I will always remember her."

She stopped, so Ai stopped too.

-arrive.

Ai looked up and saw a dark cave in front of her.

This is Anda and Lily's secret base.

Following behind the girl, Ai went inside.

He looked around curiously:

The cave wasn't very deep, but the midday sun's angle of incidence was too small to illuminate even the innermost corner. Judging from the external layout, the place had been meticulously maintained, with almost none of the spider webs and insect carcasses commonly found in dark, damp places.

Besides the stones and soil, there are also a lot of wooden furniture here, which looks like Lily moved them from her own home. They are all very old. There is a wooden table placed on the side, which is pitted by insects, and the legs of the table are flattened with crumpled paper.

"This is where Lily used to read books."

Ai walked past Anda and saw many books spread out on the table, as well as sketches with messy lines.

He randomly picked out one of the books and quickly browsed through its contents: the lines of seemingly complex formulas and drawings surprised him—it was a professional document on aerodynamics, and compared to Rhodes's memory, it resembled a textbook used at Dunlin University, only with a different printed version.

"Did Lily leave this too?"

He pointed to the dense manuscripts and notes on the book and showed it to Anda. He couldn't help but be shocked that a little girl living in a deserted village, isolated from the world, was actually teaching herself this kind of thing—did she really have any basic knowledge of physics?

"These are all."

Anda pointed to the books scattered all over the table. Ai followed her gesture and looked at them one by one, only to find that each one was more hardcore than the last, and without exception, they had all been read more than once.

Anda's voice rang in his ears.

"Lily's father is a very capable person —"

"He studied in Dunlin when he was young and traveled the world. He taught Lily a lot and had many friends in Ys, so he could often sneak things in from outside."

Anda explained, "These things are easy to hide—they can be buried under fur, stuffed into sheep's bellies, and then transported into Agdewe—the books here were all sent in by Lily's father."

Following Anda's directions, Ai looked at the stone wall not far away, where everything left by the fledglings was neatly arranged.

He stepped forward and gently stroked them, his movements so tender they were almost still—the frosted covers were as rough as an old man's skin. Every book here was well-maintained, carefully treated for insects and moisture, and though they had been through many years, they looked as good as new.

—These are the only passages through which a caged bird peers out at the sky.

Like a light-transmitting hole, it yearns for the blue sky at the end of its vision.

Thus, stories and knowledge became her salvation.

"They are Lily's treasures."

Anda silently buried her face in the yellowed pages, greedily inhaling the scent that seemed to linger there forever, as if she had returned to the time when the two of them could laugh together without worrying about the future.

"She showed me everything she knew, without holding anything back or being stingy with her knowledge."

It's like children sharing their favorite candy.

"Anda-ichi"

Anda recalled the ever-singing voice of the fledgling bird.

"Look, look, look! Oh no, I'll read it to you—"

Lily once stood high on this table, but the old wooden table, which looked like it was about to collapse, remained perfectly still, and the fledgling bird was as light as a book.

"Breaking news! The first test flight of Flyer 1 has been a complete success! Now, those outside, without wings, can also fly into the sky—would you say this counts as completing the trial? Will the villagers accept this kind of bird?"

"Lily said she liked the way I looked blank after listening to the story; it looked especially cute."

Anda smiled, her memories as calm as a river flowing with honey, yet almost eternal in their slowness.

"Anta, I think I've figured it out! Regarding the possible origin of the bird sign: some people say that in our bodies, in those cells—have I told you before what a cell is? Anyway, it's the unit that makes up our body, even smaller than that! Those tiny things that are hard to understand determine our appearance, characteristics, and life—they are called genes."

"Perhaps our deformities are due to genetic diseases—Agdewu is too young. The news says that closed environments can pollute people's gene pools—I still don't quite understand."

"The people outside are really amazing—if I could get out, maybe I wouldn't have died so soon. Maybe they could heal me? But who knows, maybe they'd hang me up and burn me alive, since I look like a monster—"

"Anda, I've finished studying human anatomy, but unfortunately it's difficult to teach you—there are many diagrams, but you can't see them."

"Anda————"

"Anda".

Anda trembled violently, then took a deep, trembling breath.

What a pity!

Such moments cannot last forever, until Lily's end draws ever closer.

Until one day, when Anda came here, Lily did not rush into her arms as she used to.

She hid herself deep inside the cave, where only the constant whispers of food could be heard from the darkness.

"Anda, today is my birthday."

"I'm already sixteen years old—"

She said, "Birdlings don't live to adulthood. Even if death takes pity on me and slowly chases after me, I only have two years left."

"Anda".

A cry I'd never heard before, sharp and hoarse.

"I don't want to die yet."

'

'

In the void, Anda seemed to see a pair of eyes flickering in front of her, so she reached out and touched something cold.

It wasn't Lily's hand, nor her wings, but a thin, sharp knife that, with just a moment's touch, caused blood to seep from the wound.

"Anda".

she says.

Please.

"I still have so many books I haven't read. I want to go outside, I want to ride a train, I want to board the Flyer 1."

Number 2 — I want to do so many things, and I have so many wishes —

"So, Anda, please."

A pair of wings, like tightening hands, gripped her entire body, and the surrounding air became thin, leaving only a plea echoing in her ears.

"Piece off my wings—"

In the midst of endless, heavy breathing—

Anda gripped the knife tightly in her hand.

Then something pierced the darkness.

After an unknown amount of time, Ai's voice finally rang out with a soft sigh: "So, you did it."

"Yes."

Anda released her grip, looked at the dagger that was completely embedded in Rhodes' chest, nodded as if nothing had happened, and said softly.

"It was a very clumsy operation—although I held the scalpel, the one who actually performed the surgery was Lily, who had studied—how to make herself survive by cutting off her own wings, so as not to die from weakness and blood loss."

"So you did it?" Ai raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Lily died just three days ago. She lived to be twenty-two—an almost impossible lifespan for a trial participant—I completely removed it from the fourth-to-last segment of that wing. After that, Lily lay here for a week—during which time she had a fever. Fortunately, she didn't have much blood to bleed, and there were no major arteries on her wing flesh, so the massive bleeding we were worried about didn't happen."

"She survived, but lost her status as a fledgling—a fledgling that chose to give up her wings. Lily became the Archbishop's shame and regret."

Anda, supporting the knife, slowly slumped down until Ai helped her up, preventing her from collapsing completely.

—It's like you're the one who got stabbed.

Ai sighed again. He was completely baffled by Anda's behavior. Although he had tendencies towards being a scumbag, he hadn't actually done anything yet—

"So why did you do that?"

He pulled the knife from his chest and handed it back to Anda; the wound on his chest healed almost instantly.

Neither Lot nor the fox sensed the slightest bit of killing intent from this body, and the Vibration spell remained completely silent.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have made any dodging movements.

He complained, "For a normal person, this kind of attack would kill them, okay?"

"But you're not an ordinary person."

Anda tilted her head: "Last night, I heard gunshots more frequently than rain—the church even lost a bone eagle, but you still appeared before me today."

She shook her head and said with a wry smile, "It seems Lily doesn't understand this world well enough. People from outside can't even be killed by bullets and swords."

Her exclamation sounded particularly genuine: "Amazing—"

Ai almost laughed: "That's not a valid reason, is it?"

"If I weren't so good-tempered, if I harbored hostility towards you, you should know the consequences—"

He threatened menacingly, "The worst-case scenario is that I might not hold back any of my malice, including my most vile desires for you—if I abandon my morals in the face of an irresistible opponent, you will pay an unimaginable price."

"...

'

Anda simply smiled, narrowing her golden-red eyes as she leaned down, pressing her warm, smooth, wax-like face against the other's large palm: "If doing this will make you happy."

Ai, who was standing there, felt a chill run down her spine—damn, this little girl has finally gone mad!

Then Anda's soft voice rang out again, sounding familiarly timid and almost uncontrollably trembling: "Will this leave a slightly deeper impression on you?"

Ai Yi remained silent. Hearing this, he suddenly recalled the burst of energy of certain animals in nature before they were about to die. It was the lingering echo of something about to die, a "complete killing" of its past self.

A rehearsal for rebellion, a pioneering attempt.

"What exactly are you planning to do?"

Ai narrowed her eyes, and Anda raised her head again, saying softly, "I thought before that if I were killed like this, apart from being a bit stupid, it would actually be much easier—but now it seems that perhaps my future is not so bleak."

"But now, I don't have that much time, Lot. You are a traveler from the outside world, perhaps a great man more powerful than I can imagine—that's good, or rather, too good."

She said, "I beg you to remember me, and remember my next wish."

—Only by using the most extreme methods—

Flowers are everywhere, but those that bloom and fade in an instant leave a beautiful impression. The traceless withering is also a kind of beauty—just as a spark from a charcoal fire is not remembered, but if that spark lands on a traveler's face and leaves a scar, then that night will be remembered for a very long time. Only a male can engrave you in his heart forever, leaving your shadow wherever he goes.

—Anda, only bad women are not easily forgotten.

"Lily's collection of romance stories might actually be quite useful."

Anda took a deep breath and, amidst Ai's bewildered gaze, let out a sharp cry from deep within her throat.

"Come out! (Bird song)"

—Who else————?

Ai turned around with a chill down his spine. His Vibration spell sensed a shadow in the void, which only revealed its faint presence when it was revealed by the bird's cry just now.

From a dark corner where sunlight cannot reach, like a dead shadow moving, it is silent. The shadow emerges from the darkness, and then a small human figure appears.

Ai Yi was stunned.

—This is a girl who looks only four or five years old. Due to her extremely petite figure, she may actually be older than she looks.

She was draped in a pure white robe, supported by delicate wings on her back, like a patch of snow that had just fallen—when she stood there quietly, her pale skin and light-colored eyes blended into the same color, like a piece of charcoal that had been burned out.

"Eeuu—" (Come here.)

Anda communicated with her using birdsong, while the little girl silently moved to Anda's side. She was about to take Anda's hand when she was gently picked up and pushed into Ai's arms amidst a bewildered gaze.

Ai held the tiny, almost weightless little girl, looking completely bewildered.

"She is Lily's daughter."

Anda said softly, "My first wish is about her."

"Lily's daughter?"

Ai didn't react immediately. "But—why give it to me? Who is her father?"

"That's not important."

Anda abruptly interrupted the topic, and after a few seconds of silence, she slowly said, "She is a descendant of a fledgling, almost a real bird—I have concealed her existence through certain means. She cannot be discovered by the Archbishop—otherwise, her destiny will never end."

"so----"

Anda's voice was infinitely firm, as if she were envisioning her future: "You must take her away, to the outside world, to a place the Agdewe people can never go. If possible, I hope you can raise her, pluck her feathers, prolong her life, and show her the beautiful world outside—and that boundless sky."

"Please, please—"

"Whether I can end all of this or not—"

She suddenly cried out like a bird, and humbly sang like a lamb.

"Never come back."

"