Chapter 1257: I Remember Now

“Cool.” That was the entirety of Heavenly Dog’s response. He walked with Lovely Lamb’s hand in his, wearing his headphones.

“Amazing,” Raven Shark made a rare comment from beside Vermilion Bird.

Liao Liao laughed.

“What’s that for, Liao Liao?!” Zhang Wei felt offended. “This isn’t a gag. I’m serious here!”

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“Make no mistake. I’m not laughing at you.” Liao Liao sighed. “I’ve thought of many scenarios that might await us after entering the Gates, but this isn’t one of them.”

“And what would ‘this’ be?” Zhang Wei asked.

“Well, we’re still shooting shit. Nothing scary about it.”

“True.” Vermilion Bird reached into her empty pocket. “I regret quitting now. I would really like a smoke.”

“Hear, hear.” Gregor smiled wryly, playing with a lighter. “I thought I wouldn’t have another chance, so I finished my pack right before meeting Dragon. Shouldn’t have done that.”

“That’s an easy request...” Adept Horse clapped and conjured a pack of cigarettes. “...I can grant with Object Duplicate.”

“Adept Horse!” Gregor ran to him while radiating joy. “Say no more! You’re my brother from different parents from now on!”

“You don’t mind having a sister, too, do you?” Vermilion Bird went up to him as well.

Gregor lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. “Whew, the last time I felt this good, it was when I finished my novel.”

With a cigarette between her fingers, Vermilion Bird was about to pop it into her mouth when realization struck her. “Oh, so we can use our Talents here.”

Chen Ying hurriedly activated Sensory, apologizing, “Sorry, I was so nervous after entering the Gates that I forgot to check.” A few seconds later, she added, “There’s no danger around.”

“That’s self-evident given how empty this place is,” Liao Liao said. “It’s okay.”

Dr. Jia analyzed while rubbing his chin, “An awakener’s Talents come from the Heavenly Way. The fact that we have access to our Talents tells us that this is still Heavenly Way’s territory. At least it’s not the enemies’.”

“Look!” Hong Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up.

They all looked up and spotted the small bright dot in the “sky” ahead of them. Chen Ying checked with Clairvoyance. She shook her head and said, “I can’t see the detail. The source of light is infinitely distant from us, sort of like...a star.”

“A star?” Vermilion Bird frowned. “Are we in the cosmos?”

“Whatever it is, at least there’s something,” Liao Liao said.

Adept Horse nodded in agreement. “Let’s keep going. Stay alert.”

With the star leading the way and giving them a clear sense of direction, they picked up their pace subconsciously. Vermilion Bird’s speculation was soon proven right. More stars emerged not only above them, but also behind them and below their feet.

They realized that they were walking amid a deep, lonesome cosmos.

Then a magnificent pillar of light greeted them, a spectacle consisting of countless cosmic debris and stardust. It appeared to be right before them, but also distant like the edge of the world.

Gao Yang recognized it: it was what he saw when he first entered the Talent Pantheon.

Speaking of which, it was also the day Gao Yang saw the “dormkeeper” for the first time, and a system of flesh and blood was born at that moment.

A sense of déjà vu tickled his heart. He seemed to be approaching a fact he had forgotten for a long time.

He continued forward without a word.

“Finally, something new,” Zhang Wei said earnestly. Whatever he felt before entering the Gates, those feelings had all been replaced by boredom. He couldn’t wait to trigger a new scene.

“If God comes, don’t do anything. Just watch me beat Them up!” Wang Zikai rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

“Don’t you think...it looks like the Pillars of Creation?” Hong Xiaoxiao remembered the astronomy photo she had seen.

“You’re quite right.” Gregor smoked while looking into the distance with a narrowed eye.

“Hoho.” Nainai had been hovering above them—there was no land per se in this space, but she continued to fly. “Mortals, it is your honor to see the birthplace of this Empress...”

“Little Nai,” Zhang Wei retorted, “If you have nothing to say, just stay quiet.”

“You, you, you shut up!” Nainai flushed red. “You insolent mortal, many a time have you insulted this Empress...”

“Not listening! Blah, blah, blah!” Zhang Wei covered his ears and stuck out his tongue.

While the two children were getting into another fight, Hong Xiaoxiao exclaimed, “Look, ahead!”

They realized to their shock that a small red dot had appeared at the bottom of the Pillars of Creation. Chen Ying used Clairvoyance and Sensory at the same time. It took seconds for her to conclude:

“It’s an old house. It’s not far from us, two kilometers top. I sense no danger.”

“Gale!” Nainai raised her hands and brought everyone off their feet, flying to the target.

They soon got a better look. It was an old-fashioned concrete house consisting of white walls and mud tiles. A low earthen wall circled the front yard, inside which was a thriving camphor tree.

A slim, gentle-looking young woman stood at the entrance. It looked like she had been waiting for a long time.

“How?!” Chen Ying started. “There wasn’t anyone!”

“Haha, finally!” Wang Zikai rolled up his sleeves, ready to launch an attack.

“She’s not an enemy,” Gao Yang said, the words dousing Wang Zikai’s enthusiasm like a bucket of iced water.

“Huh, not an enemy?” Wang Zikai couldn’t accept it. “You sure, bro? She looks like a villain!”

Really? In what way? Don’t you seem more like the villain?

Liao Liao swallowed her comment.

Gao Yang explained, “This is the orphanage I came from before transmigrating. She’s the dorm keeper—my true system.”

That rang a bell. They swallowed their questions and approached the orphanage. The dorm keeper stood on the pebbled path at the entrance. Her long, silky hair was tied into a low ponytail that rested on her left shoulder. Her hands clasped naturally on her lower abdomen. She wore a long, patterned dress with a refreshing design. A blue whistle hung from her neck. She appeared to be in a good mood.

“Gao Yang, it’s nice to see you here.”

“Yeah.”

“You look tired,” she said empathetically.

“Can’t help it since I have been moving nonstop,” Gao Yang said calmly.

“True. It must have been difficult.” She turned to the others, still smiling. “You must have had a difficult journey, too.”

“Oh, it’s fine.” Liao Liao returned a polite and eager smile. “It’s just that we’ve only just arrived and know nothing of this place. We have a lot of questions to ask you, ma’am.”

“I understand your feelings.” The dorm keeper regarded Liao Liao with friendly eyes. “Unfortunately, I don’t own this place. I’m a guest, too, and I’ve only arrived a little earlier than you.”

That surprised them. Vermilion Bird immediately pressed, “By how long?”

“Hm, let me think.” The dorm keeper blinked. “I came here on May 20th last year.”

Gao Yang stilled, his eyes glinting.

“Ah.” The reaction didn’t escape the dorm keeper’s keen notice. “So you remember, Gao Yang.”

Gao Yang nodded. His voice was tired, but also thick with relief. “Yeah, I remember everything now.”

“Huh? Remember what?” Zhang Wei was confused. “Help me a little, Brother Yang. Please stop talking in riddles. Explain like I’m five.”

“Simply put,” Gao Yang turned to the others and said calmly, “I’m dead.”