Echoes of the Past

Chapter 27 First Day at Work: Killing a Colleague

Suiyue carefully recalled all his experiences after summoning Nan'an and was shocked to realize that he had never clearly said the name of "bookworm," and Aslipan was the stark contrast.

Nan'an held his forehead, hesitated, and then silently repeated it twice more.

"There's no need to try anymore. All Suiyue and I can hear is 'nerd'."

The crow and the cat waved goodbye, led the two back to the hall where the central magic circle was located, and handed Nan'an a scroll.

"Follow my guidance, now, without speaking." The Raven's instruction was clear and direct. "At this moment, the corresponding words should appear in your mind. Follow the tracing and write down her name."

Nan'an wrote very carefully and slowly, leaving clear and neat ink marks on the scroll, with each stroke flowing and natural.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Suiyue, who was intently watching the scroll, and then looking at Huoya, whose expression was solemn.

The crow didn't look at the scroll, but instead looked at Nan'an: "What do you think you've written?"

"Bookworm..." Nan An realized the potential ambiguity and decided to change the referent, "It's her name."

Suiyue swallowed hard and pointed to the words on the scroll, saying, "But what we see is still 'bookworm'."

The raven stroked its chin. "Interesting. In your understanding, is information about her name something that must be transformed into a substitute to describe it...? Let's make a comparison. Try describing Athlipan, using any words that come to mind, the more specific the better."

Nan An blurted out: "Strong woman, muscular wolf, big sister, her hair feels very stiff."

"Now... try to describe your 'nerdy' friend, her appearance, her habits, something she said that impressed you, even if it's just a vague characteristic."

"Well!"

He tried to recall his memories.

What should that figure, always carrying magic scrolls and books, with a slightly furrowed brow, look like?

Is your hair long or short?

What color are your eyes?

What color robe does she usually wear?

What little gestures does she make when she flips through the book?

What did she say?

What made her laugh?

And what made you angry?

What race is it?

Is it a man or a woman?

No.

There was nothing there.

This must be his companion, his friend, an indispensable member of the Red Rat Adventure Team who has traveled through six years.

He remembers the final battle where he protected her/him from death, and he also remembers that she/he was going to the City of Two Crowns to study higher-level magic and realize their talents.

Like a door number pasted on a door, every time Nan'an wanders through the sea of ​​memories, when her eyes fall upon it, she naturally assumes that everything is normal.

For a long time, "nerd" has been like a master key, naturally opening a door, through which the warm winter afternoon sun fills the room.

It was warm and radiant, with dazzling light everywhere. The soft and hazy light illuminated the dust particles in the air, making them sparkle.

The room's furnishings were not clearly visible, but the grand and dazzling splendor made Nan'an "know" that there was such a person, and everything related to him filled the house.

"Should I look at it when I need it?" The thought always comes to mind naturally.

Faced with a cluttered storage room that seemed impossible to navigate, his gaze lingered only near the door, never looking at the light that shone through.

A gentle touch crept up his back, like a light veil fluttering in the breeze, carrying a soft and gentle wind that caressed his face. The air was filled with a drowsy, lazy feeling that made him slightly tipsy and sluggish, causing Nan'an to forget the purpose of opening the door.

The shadow cast by bystanders obscures the false "sunlight".

Now he sees it.

Behind the door, there was always nothing.

There were no specific sights, smells, or sounds; it was as if nothing had ever been stored there.

If it never "came," then who put the "nerd" sign on that door?

After a moment of contemplation, the raven said, "At least the name Aslipan is real."

Nan'an was puzzled as to how Huoya had made this judgment.

Having experienced the cognitive shock brought about by the "nerd," he now feels somewhat shaken and doubtful about his entire "previous life" memory.

That smooth, empty feeling, like a bone-deep infection, was quietly eroding his sense of reality regarding the past.

It feels like... it's related to the Nightmare God who grants wishes?

This was the only reasonable explanation he could think of.

Even after the "bookworm" incident, the crow did not change the regional supervisor position. Nanan and Suiyue naturally took over the heavy responsibility of the Kren to Rostarek region, and were forced into the position.

Nan'an decided to start by looking at the information manual left by Huoya.

The most practical thing to do right now is to start by studying the manuals left behind by the Bewitching Raven and frantically learn everything about this era and the Nightmare Erosion.

The two huddled together reading intently until evening, when Suiyue finally remembered to greet the only colleague in the area.

She had seen others tinker with communication arrays at the Dawn Church. Following the pattern on the pre-reserved scroll, she manipulated the array to rotate and position the communication array at a specified angle—the whole process looked like an old-fashioned dial phone from Nan'an's perspective. He was much better at it than Suiyue.

"Click~~"

After a crisp sound, similar to the meshing of precision gears, a steady, faint light shone from the center of the magic circle.

Immediately afterwards, a long, continuous crackling sound of electricity emanated from the magic circle, echoing throughout the empty hall.

It sounds like... a loose connection, or some kind of electrical leak.

"Huh? Is that a communication from the 'Deep Cave' of Kren?"

A vibrant young male voice, brimming with obvious curiosity and surprise, accompanied by a slight electrical-like noise, abruptly emanated from the magic circle and echoed above the hall.

It was so clear it was as if the speaker was right above my head.

While Suiyue was still trying to find the right words and figure out how to start without being impolite, the enthusiasm from Rostarek had already crossed the vast distance and poured over her like sunshine without any obstruction.

"Wow, you must be the one who protected the Crow, who used a summoned creature to punch Ariel hard during the deliberation meeting, knocking out three of her teeth and keeping her lying in bed for ages before she woke up, the lowest-ranking yet fastest-rising Heroic Spirit Summoner in the history of the Eru, the one in charge of the entire Kren and Rostarec, Lady Suiyue!"

He speaks so fast it's like a machine gun, and the amount of information he conveys is so dense it catches you off guard.

It wasn't mockery; his tone was filled with undisguised amazement and...admiration.

Suiyue was a little confused.

A series of adjectives made her feel dazed... So she was such a powerful character after all?

"Hey, was I too rude? Why isn't Lady Suizuki saying anything...? I apologize for my abruptness."

"Greetings from Nilar La Finis, the Eredivisie border outpost in Rostarek!"

"..."

"Something's not right..." Nilar muttered again, puzzled. "The normal delay of the amplification communication array should be around five breaths, so why haven't you responded yet... Is it signal attenuation? I need to check the magic crystal here..."

The communication array was already ringing with "thump thump thump".

If Nanan were to describe it, Nilar's voice is full of youthful energy, the kind of voice that makes you imagine a sunny and cheerful young man just by hearing it, and you can feel his vitality just by listening to it.

Even his corpse, which had been dead for hundreds of years, felt warm.

Even in Nora hundreds of years ago, a nobleman like Nilar, who communicates so naturally, directly, and frankly, and whose emotions are so openly expressed, would have been a rare find.

At that time, nobles, especially the younger generation, often regarded affectation, pretension, and putting on airs as the standard for status and upbringing.

"Hello," Nan'an replied on behalf of Suiyue.

"Wow, you must be that 'Heavy Punch' senior!" Niral's voice instantly rose an octave, his excitement almost overflowing the magic circle, even the static seemed to leap with joy. "Well done! Senior, senior, please tell me about the past of the Gray Star era, so that even if I die the next second, it will be worth it!"

Nan'an could tell that Nilar was probably really bored with his lonely "fog sentry" post on the Black Fog border.

Chatting with people might help him quickly relieve fatigue and regain his energy.

A request that cannot be refused.

According to the records left in the Kren Cave, Nilar is only 20 years old this year, but he is already the head of the Finis family.

In every generation of the Finnis family, someone becomes a Fogbreaker, or volunteers to serve as a more dangerous messenger for the Fogbreaker, clearing the way for the elite like a minesweeper.

The blood tax had been paid voluntarily for five generations, and by Nilar's turn it was already the sixth generation.

Six years ago, Nilar's father disappeared into the depths of the Black Mist to cover his companions. Three years later, Nilar found the Bewitching Raven and asked to join the Evil Deer.

A true son of the good family of Solitz, a pure person born with a strong sense of conviction.

"Thump~~~"

The clear, melodious tolling of the bell made Nan'an look up and gaze around.

He suddenly remembered that the supervisor's manual mentioned that when the clock struck, it was best to check the area where the cat food was located and replenish the food as needed.

Normally, this entire process is completed automatically by preset magic circles and mechanisms, but the manual also mentions that when conditions permit, "human confirmation and appropriate interaction can help establish a good connection."

Knowing that he would be dealing with cat food from now on, Nan'an decided to try it out himself, as a way of getting to know his new neighbor.

He left Nilar with Suiyue and headed to the storage area, where he found a huge ice pool covered by a complex constant-temperature magic circle.

The fluid, formed by the magic of low temperature and resembling a cold mist, flows over the ingredients, leaving a layer of glistening frost on their surfaces.

As you reach in to pick up the food, the thin layer of frost melts away the moment it leaves the pool, revealing its freshest state underneath.

To ensure that cats can enjoy the freshest cooking experience as much as possible, Erlu has put a lot of effort into these logistical details.

Pushing the cart closer to the wooden house, through the open door, you can see Cat Food standing with its back to the door in front of the slightly tall custom-made stove.

Its long tail swayed leisurely from side to side, and its slender and supple body swayed as it turned around. Seeing that it was Nan'an, the cat held the iron pot in its front paws and gently tossed it upwards with remarkable fluidity.

A small lump of dough, its ingredients indistinct yet exuding an enticing aroma, obediently flipped in the air before landing steadily back in the pot.

He actually performed a wok tossing move!

Want to request interaction?

Nan'an moved the ingredients to another small ice pool inside the wooden house, which was also covered with a preservation array and stored there.

After completing this simple yet meaningful supervisory task, he stood in the warm and fragrant wooden house, watching Cat Meat refocus on the food in the pot, and a strange but irrepressible thought arose in his mind.

Since cat food is also a nightmare...

With a thought, a smaller Rubik's Cube, born from the already enormous Rubik's Cube, appeared in his palm.

An inexplicable impulse suddenly grabbed Nan'an's arm without warning, as if a pair of large hands had pushed him from behind. His body involuntarily staggered forward, approaching the stove.

Cat Food seemed to sense something, stopped what it was doing, tilted its head slightly, and looked at him with its pure yet all-knowing eyes. There was no flinching or wariness, only a faint curiosity.

Silly and foolish.

Nan'an slowly raised his hand, palm down.

The crystal-clear, crescent-white Rubik's Cube instantly turned dark gold, its intricate patterns flashing by, before Nan'an gently pressed it onto the cat's glossy, golden fur...

"Swoosh~~~~"

The space seemed to ripple with a subtle, imperceptible ripple, like water.

Cat Food's solid body began to soften and flow in an incredible way, right under Nan'an's gaze.

The Rubik's Cube became an invisible "vortex entrance," and Cat Rice's entire long, furry body, like liquid being sucked into a funnel, silently and smoothly "flowed" into the Rubik's Cube, which was no bigger than the palm of a hand.

The whole process was faster than anyone could have imagined; Nan'an had no time to stop it.

"broken!"

Almost immediately, he realized something terrible had happened.

If you kill your colleague on your first day at work, the whole of El Lu... no, the whole of Solize will go crazy!

Nan An hurriedly sank into the prison of consciousness. The dark golden Rubik's Cube that had disappeared from his palm was now suspended in mid-air. The magic power emanating from the giant Rubik's Cube in the distance, like tentacles, precisely bound the "child" he had given birth to, guiding it back to its original form.

"This is a colleague, you can't eat it!"

He lunged forward, grabbing the Rubik's Cube just before it took off, and pulled it into his arms, resisting the powerful attraction while shouting loudly.

"Give it back to me!"

As if sensing Nan'an's anger and urgency, the suction force of the giant Rubik's Cube suddenly decreased, causing him to stagger and roll on the ground. He almost fled from the prison of consciousness, clutching the small Rubik's Cube.

Upon returning to reality, he immediately followed an inexplicable impulse and knocked the Rubik's Cube onto the island platform.

A flash of golden light, and Cat Food rolled out of the Rubik's Cube with a gurgling sound, tilting its head and staring blankly at Nan'an, seemingly unaware of what it had just experienced.

Nan'an didn't care about anything else and went straight to stroke the cat's fur, grabbing its little paws to carefully check for any damage.

"Goo?" Cat Food continued to tilt its head, seemingly not quite understanding why the person in front of it was in such a panic.