Who left their last words here?

Chapter 76 Return! Moonlight is Here (4k)

Stop looking at me...

Pay attention in class.

Focused on by hundreds of empty eyes, Bai Zhou, under the spotlight, hesitated for a moment and ultimately swallowed his words.

The stone platform in front of the iron gate is inscribed with the words "Tinghai City Yuanmeng Middle School" in bold, flowing characters, along with the school's founding date and lengthy history.

His gaze quickly swept across the playground, and Bai Zhou found the same words on the students' blue and white school uniforms—

It's confirmed; it's indeed the same style as Fang Xiaoxia's graduation photo.

Before Bai Zhou could think any further...

The students' mouths all opened into the same O shape:
"you……"

You're late!

After the thunderous roar—

A series of synchronized footsteps sounded.

Like a military training exercise, hundreds of students without facial features marched in formation, walking towards the white boat outside the iron gate in a very strange manner.

"Tread! Tread! Tread!"

The footsteps were deafening, each step feeling like a heavy blow to one's heart.

Seeing that the students were about to climb over the wall and iron gate to get out, Bai Zhou turned and ran.

"You're using me as an excuse to skip school, aren't you!"

He cursed and swore, "Don't your teachers care about this?"

What kind of discipline is that? It's far worse than the youth training corps in Wancheng!

But it would have been better if Bai Zhou hadn't said anything.

The moment the teacher was mentioned, a muffled groan came from the formation.

"Where did this beast come from, disturbing the students' studies!"

The formation unfolded, and a man wearing a striped polo shirt, a leather belt, shorts, gray socks, and sandals appeared.

He was half-bald on top and had no facial features, but he had a large square pair of glasses that looked like they were glued to his eye sockets.

He raised his hand and pushed up his glasses, his black, pupil-less eye sockets casting a silent, deathly stare at the white boat fleeing into the distance.

"Disrupting the teaching order!"

"It affected our class's rate of students getting into top universities..."

"What will you use to take responsibility?!"

The next moment——

He pulled out a piece of pointer and flung it into the air.

The pointer swayed in the air for a moment, then transformed into a golden light that shot straight at the black cat.

"not good!"

The black cat's fur stood on end, and a sense of dread washed over me.

"Jingle Bell--"

A gust of wind blew by, as if ringing a wind chime.

The phantom of the nine-tailed fox appeared behind the sprinting black cat.

Draw a spiritual essence from the Adventurer's Token.
Bai Zhou used it to ring the last bell.

—In the battle against Van Gogh, White Boat used the [Night Wanderer] spell once, employing a bell.

—I cast [Life Steal] again, using seven bells.

There are a total of eight bells.

There is one bell remaining, and it is not in the cooldown period.

This was Bai Zhou's biggest trump card after he was injured.

Just right, for this moment.

“Buzz…”

The black cat's figure blended into the night and disappeared from the spot.

[Night Tour] Initiated.

Before my eyes was as if I had passed through countless layers of folded stairs, with phantom images flashing by on both sides, and the black cat's figure landed a hundred meters away.

At the same time, a crisp "snap" sound came from the spot where the white boat had just stopped.

Jin Guang took a break.

Then, the pointer swung back in mid-air and landed back in the homeroom teacher's hand.

"Strange cat..."

He slowly reached out and adjusted his glasses, revealing a cheap, old-fashioned wristwatch. His face, with its indistinct features, showed no emotion.

"continue!"

He waved his hand dramatically, as if he were a majestic general:
"100-Day Countdown Rally!"

So, the students, dressed in blue and white school uniforms, walked back in a daze and regrouped.

A thick fog rolled in, once again enveloping the playground behind the iron gate.

Everything became blurry.

Only the clear, resounding oaths echoed out in unison—

"I want to get into a top university!"

"I want to get into a top university!"

"..."

The sound surged forth, causing the already crooked signboard of the stationery store next door to vibrate.

—It seems to be even more crooked now.

……

The speeding white boat left the school's hazy shadow far behind.

His heart was pounding as he survived the ordeal.

The secret technique was unleashed again, and even though the spiritual energy was drawn from the token, it made Bai Zhou's already battered body even worse.

It's like a tuberculosis patient who sleeps in the freezing cold all night and suddenly finds that he no longer coughs, but only experiences alternating hot and cold pains and a sense of disorientation.

It turns out I wasn't cured, I was just dying.

That's roughly the feeling.

His body was so rotten that any extraordinary person who saw it would shake their head in dismay and ask him how he had ruined himself, whether he really had no future.
If this body is still likened to parched earth, then it truly cannot be squeezed of any more spirit.

Fortunately, he has already obtained the "Tears of the Moon Goddess".

His "future" is in his hands.

Otherwise, there would truly be a sense of panic, a feeling of helplessness and bleak future.

Only in this way could he, being cautious by nature,
Only then did he dare to use his final "Life Steal" ability, this last trump card he had been saving but never using, on the eve of healing his injuries.

It hurts a little, but thankfully it's still bearable.

That school...

Is it also a type of anomaly?

In the anomalies, their existence is quite extraordinary, far superior to anything like the trash can monkey.

In Bai Zhou's current state, getting close would be like dancing in a minefield.

Perhaps only after the injuries have healed will there be a slight chance to explore further.

The first thing to deal with is that homeroom teacher who's always catching students...

Roughly estimated, he is equivalent to a Level 4 Extraordinary being.

The problem is, there are many more anomalies like this in that school!

Just from the moment Bai Zhou spotted them in the queue, there were already at least six or seven middle-aged men in striped shirts dressed so similarly they looked like they were cut from the same mold.

If possible, Bai Zhou would not want to step over that iron gate.

That's a bit too creepy...

but.

That school uniform was indeed exactly the same as the one in Fang Xiaoxia's graduation photo.

This made Bai Zhou keep it in mind.

Forget it... let's go to the "Listening to the Sea Dream School" in the real world first and see if there are any clues.

What if he doesn't actually need to risk making this extra trip?

As I pondered and adjusted my state of mind, time quietly slipped away.

Water dripped from the eaves along the street, leaving a trail of water stains, and the white boat's footsteps pattered as if it were wandering the ends of the earth.

abruptly—

A bell tolled from the horizon.

"Boom-"

The sound of the bell reverberated and spread, sweeping across the sky above the reflection of the sea.

36 o'clock, we've arrived.

It's already past midnight.

Bai Zhou looked up in surprise.

He discovered that the sound of this bell was quite similar in spirit to the bell of the upside-down city deep within the Ruins Realm.

There, a thousand bells rang in a dilapidated state, but here, only one remains intact...

Following the sound of the bell, Bai Zhou discovered that it was indeed the bell tower flashing with blue flames.

The giant clock pointed to 36 o'clock.

Beneath the blue flames, the huge, rusty sign that read "Listen to the Sea, Exclude You" suddenly burst into a ghostly blue light, accompanied by the sound of bells.

The light spread, enveloping the entire Reflection of the Sea.

Then, it was as if I had really been ostracized...

Everyone was kicked away by this blue light, violently kicked off to the other side of the world.

At this moment, time seemed to freeze; the eaves of the roadside roofs stopped dripping water; and the brilliance of the blood moon seemed to stretch out—before finally disappearing.

Everything became hazy.

When the scene became clear again, water droplets flowed from the eaves by the window, silvery moonlight flowed quietly, and the barking of stray dogs came from the alley.

The bright neon lights illuminated my eyes.

The huge light sign that reads "Welcome to the Sea" once again makes a striking entrance.

A strange sense of peace washed over me.

In the instant of relief and relaxation, it felt as if the world was spinning, and Bai Zhou almost stumbled and lost his footing.

at last……

came back.

"Welcome back... uh?"

A familiar voice reached his ears. The speechless crow stared at the listless black cat, lost in thought.

Just a second ago, she watched Bai Zhou disappear from the spot.

The next second, Bai Zhou returned in the form of a black cat.

He looked completely drained.

Suppressing the instinctive urge to pet the cat and restraining the movement of raising his hand, Crow lowered his eyes.

She spoke with a hint of doubt:

"You seem to have been through... a lot?"

I just went to the Reflection Ruins to buy a bottle of unremarkable Moon Water.

Why make such a fuss?
"This one……"

The white boat murmured.

"Long time no see..." For Shiraishu, who had gone through so much and survived so many hardships to finally reunite with the crow, this was an absolutely heartfelt expression.

For the crow, all of this was just a fleeting moment, lasting less than a second.

But in that instant, Bai Zhou experienced everything unimaginable.

Entering the Reflection Ruins for the first time in his life, he didn't know how to explain what he was experiencing.

First, there was an attack by the Big Mouth Monkey, and then there was a feud with the Jewel Witch.

Then came the competition with a wealthy auctioneer, which led to street murders and the revival of the ghost market.

Even the inspector from the Law Enforcement Bureau, who looked sinister and inhuman, was summoned.

Finally, he almost got into trouble at an unusual school.

There are so many things, any one of them could be a topic of conversation and written about in great detail.

But when they encountered the White Boat, they could only become "one of" many experiences.

They huddled together and arrived in droves; it all happened overnight.

—It happened on the other side of the world, in those hidden 12 hours.

"These are long stories."

With a slow, deep breath, the black cat transformed.

Bai Zhou stood up and appeared in front of Ya.

But his posture raised a new question mark above the crow's head.

"What are you doing here...?"

A mysterious figure carrying an exquisite silver chest and wearing a tattered cloak came into the crow's view.

—If this dog-chewed look counts as a cloak.

If the major saw this cloak, he would immediately exclaim, "Isn't this the cloak that the penguin is wearing?"

But who exactly is Bai Zhou?

He couldn't even bear to give away this cloak.

It directly caused the penguin, which was skilled in illusion and disguise, to conjure up its cloak as well.

—At worst, we'll just charge more.

Upon hearing about the extra money, the penguin's eyes immediately lit up, and he patted his chest to guarantee it.

His illusionary disguises are so powerful that no one below level 5 can detect them, and even those above level 5 need to be professionals to do so!
However, this cloak is indeed too easily recognizable.
For someone seeing it for the first time, it will have a certain degree of psychological impact...

Just like now.

Raven's gaze was drawn to the series of advertising slogans on the cloak.

"New housing development in the mass grave area west of the city! A century-old prestigious residence! Unlimited appreciation potential, down payment only seven figures!"

no……

I told you to go to the Ghost Market, but you wandered into a real estate sales office in the Reflection Ruins?
Or is this dog-chewed underworld style just a new trend that's become popular in the Reflection Ruins?

After a moment of silence, the crow shook its head and sighed sincerely:

"You are this person..."

"Every time I go to the Reflection Ruins, it surprises me."

Finding that the crow's attention was entirely focused on his simple cloak, Shirashu felt embarrassed about his handiwork:
"There's no way to go to the ghost market."

"But it's fortunate that I have this cloak, otherwise I might have made another formidable enemy."

Upon hearing this, Crow's expression turned serious: "What's going on?"

"That all happened at the ghost market."

Bai Zhou removed the hood of his cloak, revealing a tired face.

He had some feelings about this:

"Now I understand the saying 'human hearts are like demons.'"

"Perhaps ghosts do exist in this world. After all, if there's a mysterious world, how could such things not exist?"

"But compared to these extraordinary beings and monsters, even ghosts are much cuter."

Like a treasure chest monster, it's very cute.

As they spoke, Bai Zhou swayed and sat down on the edge of the rooftop.

He set the silver box aside and turned to look down from the top of the building.

The wind ruffled the stray hairs by his ears, and Bai Zhou let out a long breath.

After intense tension, the mind may become dazed as it relaxes, and the muscles that have suddenly relaxed become particularly sensitive to the surrounding environment.

A gentle evening breeze, carrying the scents of the city, makes one feel a pleasant, ticklish sensation.

The hustle and bustle of traffic on the street seems to be shrouded in mist here, inexplicably highlighting the tranquility.

As the gentle evening breeze blew, Bai Zhou squinted his eyes contentedly.

The soft cawing of crows reached my ears:

"It seems you did more than just buy something at the ghost market."

"But we can talk about these things later, because I really can't stand seeing your body in such a terrible state... Did you buy the menstrual water?"

Looking at the listless and pale-faced Bai Zhou, Ya frowned slightly.

"……No."

Bai Zhou scratched his head and answered honestly.

"how come?"

Crow paused for a moment, then belatedly realized why Bai Zhou's injuries had worsened.

original……

"Is it because the moon's water supply is running low, and people are scrambling for it?"

"Is he the one who turned you into this?"

Did you take down any descriptions of that person?

A murderous aura swirled in those crimson eyes.

Crow has never been one to be trifled with.

But then she looked worried, glancing at Bai Zhou as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, a stark contrast to her usual calm, cold, and decisive demeanor.

Bai Zhou's condition was visibly extremely bad, even worse than before he went to the Reflection Ruins.

This injury has reached a point where it is urgent to treat.

Finally, after a moment of silence, she lowered her eyes and said softly:

"Without moonlight, things will indeed be a bit tricky."

"But if you bear with it for a few more days, there might still be a way..."

She frowned, deep in thought.

"There may be some difficulties and obstacles along the way, but you will eventually get better."

Crow looked intently into Bai Zhou's eyes and said, word by word:
"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

"..."

Bai Zhou blinked, his eyes filled with a hint of confusion.

Why is this person not listening to others and suddenly spouting all this nonsense?

She seemed to understand something all of a sudden, which led to a huge misunderstanding.

but……

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the streetlights on the ground shining brightly, illuminating the intersection with a dazzling golden light.

There is one bright moon in the sky, but there are hundreds of moons on the ground.

The streetlights shone brighter than the moonlight...

But it is not moonlight.

There is such a story in the city of Wancheng.

Two fools were arguing about the moon in the sky; one said it was the moon, while the other said it was the sun.

Just as they were arguing fiercely, a passerby happened to come by, so the two fools asked him:

Is that the moon or the sun in the sky?
The passerby replied: I'm not from this village, so I don't know.

The first time Bai Zhou truly empathized with this ridiculous and absurd story was on that night when he was seriously injured and sitting alone on the air conditioner unit, feeling the wind blowing on him.

I looked up and saw the bright moon in the sky, but it was the moon of the blue planet.

It's not the moon over the city at night.

It has nothing to do with Bai Zhou, this "passerby".

He's really not familiar with the moon here.

Fortunately, there isn't always only one moon.

People say that the moon shines brightest in one's hometown, which is why it is said that the moon in a foreign land is not the same as the moon in one's hometown.

But there's another saying—

Where my heart finds peace, there lies my home.

Silently watching Ya's earnest but clumsy attempt at comforting him, Bai Zhou's lips curled into a silent smile:
"It's alright, it doesn't matter if there's no moon water..."

As he spoke, he made a "click" sound—

He opened the silver chest beside him and took out a bottle of magic potion.

The transparent test tube was sealed at both ends with silver, and the deep purplish-red liquid was dotted with silvery-white glints, like stardust.

A dreamlike luster, shimmering and glowing under the moonlight.

He raised his head and looked at the crow.

Bai Zhou raised the bottle of the extraordinary potion, which was shimmering with an eerie light in his hand.

It felt as if the moonlight was right in my hand.

Faced with the girl's worried and confused expression, Bai Zhou blinked, suddenly unable to tell whether the moon was in front of him or in his hand.

Then, he looked carefully at the crow and said softly:
"Because I've already gotten something better."

"—【Tears of the Moon Goddess】!"

(End of this chapter)