Collapse Iron Live Broadcast Connects All Worlds, Scares Away Wuzhan at the Beginning

"…What a hassle. Looks like I'll have to meet up with my 'family' again."

-

Spell return battle.

"Kusakabe-sensei, finding a mute as a friend...what does that mean?"

Itadori Nijo was confused and felt that the girl with twin ponytails was playing a guessing game.

"I'm not sure. Are there any mutes in Pinocchio?" Kusakabe Atsuya blew out a smoke ring. "Or is it that some other Star God force has appeared at this event? Is this little girl trying to persuade the company to form an alliance with them?"

"Haha, Kusakabe, haven't you been in battle for so long that your brain has become rusty?" Mingming gently brushed away the white hair that was covering his eyes and smiled, "Think about it carefully, can a mute speak?"

"Nonsense, of course not." Kusakabe replied somewhat unhappily.

"Who else can't speak?"

"Yes……"

Kusakabe Atsuya straightened up suddenly, the half-burned cigarette between his fingers suddenly trembled, and the ash fell on his wrinkled suit pants. His Adam's apple rolled up and down, as if he was trying to swallow back some terrible thought.

"Wait... could it be... a dead person?"

"Hmm, it seems your brain isn't completely rusted yet."

"But the question is, has anyone died in Pinocchio now?" Kusakabe's mind was working rapidly, recalling the faces of people from different factions since he came to Pinocchio, but none of them looked like they were going to die.

"Just because someone isn't dead now doesn't mean they won't die in the future." Mingming slowly opened his eyes. "Think carefully, has Grand Duke Hellfire arrived at Pinocchio already? It's already this late, and he hasn't even entered yet... Why don't you guess what this practitioner of [Destruction] is planning?"

Who could have guessed that? Kusakabe shook his head in confusion.

"I am certain that when the Underworld Lord descends upon Pinocchio, he will bring untold death and destruction. This foolish girl must have somehow learned all of this and is planning to use the company representing [Preservation] to form an alliance with other forces to fight [Destruction]... Otherwise, these forces and factions would likely become speechless."

"But why would the Fool do this? There's no reason for her to do this for Pinocchio, right?"

"Of course."

Her rosy lips parted, exhaling a wisp of ethereal smoke. She reclined on the leather sofa, crossing her long legs. "[Destruction] and [Preservation] are like the universe's strongest spear and shield. Don't you want to see the sparks they create when they clash? No matter which side loses... on this stage of Pinocchio, it's bound to be a lot of fun."

-

“Come here—”

"After climbing out of the sewer, they reached a high point. Liuying pointed to a magnificent building in the distance, indicating that was the location of her secret base."

"Since tourists are generally not allowed here, they will have to be careful not to attract attention."

"However, before they had taken a few steps, just as they were about to slip in, they were discovered by the Hound family. There was no way out. After using the clock trick to adjust their minds, Xing used the baseball bat to "persuade" them."

"The results were quite successful. They successfully reached the construction site and, using the mechanism left by the Dream Builder, they finally reached the 'secret base' Liuying mentioned."

"This is a quiet rooftop."

"Xing and Firefly stood side by side at the rooftop railing, the Pinocchio morning breeze ruffling the hems of their clothes."

"In the distance, a new sun is rising, and the horizon is melting. The silken fabric of night is being peeled away bit by bit, revealing the gilded background beneath. A meteor suddenly streaks across, plowing a silvery crack at the boundary between day and night."

"Suddenly, Xing heard a beautiful singing voice."

"(...Singing? Where is that coming from?)"

“Have you ever heard this song? ‘Free a Star from Sorrow,’ by the robin. With the Harmony Festival approaching, her music sometimes plays in my dreams.”

"The girl gently closed her eyes, her eyelashes casting delicate shadows in the morning light. She tilted her face upwards, letting the wind run its fingers through her hair."

“This is the place closest to the sky of dreams, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city and the quarrels of dream builders. I can feel the present moment without being disturbed by anyone—the current scenery, people, and dreams…”

Chapter 339: Pinocchio (Twenty-eight)

"How beautiful... Time stands still in this golden moment, a golden dream. The Fool of the Tavern and the Rememberer of the Court of Memories, the wandering knight and the company's envoy, the nameless passenger of the Star Train... and me."

-

Kaguya-sama: Love is War wants me to confess my love.

"Hehe, hehehe..."

In the Student Union Room of Shuchiin, Fujiwara Chika looked up at the picture on the sky screen and kept laughing like an auntie.

The picturesque Miss Firefly, the tiny spots of light reflected on her skirt by the morning light, and the almost invisible female BGM in the distance that does not steal the show, are like the dream itself playing.

Fujiwara Chika knew very well that the atmosphere had reached this point, and the only thing left was the most crucial step!

"Based on my reasoning as a love detective, Chika Fujiwara, there's a 99% chance that they are—"

"Just attack directly." Ishigami Yu sighed helplessly, "Fujiwara-senpai, do you need to deduce this? Even a blind man can see the pink bubbles that are about to overflow in the scene."

……

And on the other side is the principal's office.

The principal, who had just finished a phone call with the school board, walked to the window and looked outside curiously: It was clearly class time, but there was no usual sound of reading on campus, not even the sound of teachers teaching.

Curious, he pushed the door open and walked to the corridor outside Class A of Grade 3. Through the glass window, he saw the teacher sitting in front of the podium. The whole class seemed to be under a petrification spell. They all held their breath, and dozens of pairs of eyes stared at the sky without blinking.

"It's almost there!" The girls in the back row clutched each other's sleeves tightly.

"This is……?"

The old principal finally reacted. He looked up at the sky, which seemed to be filled with the atmosphere of a confession.

"I see. Then I'll leave all my time to you." He smiled and stroked his fine beard. "It's great to be young..."

-

"Everyone sleeps here equally, regardless of their reasons, even though we all have our own agendas..." Liuying took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly. As if she had made up her mind, she turned to look at Xing, "...I'm sorry, Xing, I am indeed a 'stowaway'."

"I know." Xing smiled slightly.

"I can't hide it from you, after all." Liuying walked to the railing, the waking Pinocchio reflected in her eyes. "My homeland was destroyed long ago, perhaps by the Legion, or perhaps by the Zerg... I'm an interstellar refugee, just like many of Pinocchio's 'natives.'"

"Harmony embraces all, including those who wander from far away. The family accepts them, but they... ultimately do not belong here. In this magnificent metropolis, some people's dreams are called Pinocchio, while others' dreams are indistinguishable from reality. I am no exception. In reality, I have a desire that I cannot fulfill—it is too strong, so I resort to dreams..."

“What is your wish?”

"Liu Ying slowly turned her head: "...'Entropy'. Have you heard of this term?"

"It's a strange phenomenon. People with this condition experience a chronic, irreversible disintegration of their physical structure. This means you're slowly disappearing, and this disappearance is barely noticeable to others—"

“You can still run, jump, and communicate with others. Everything seems normal, but you are always a little slower than others... Then slower and slower, until the outline of the whole world becomes blurred. You can't distinguish between reality and dreams, because they are equally fragmented.”

“So, how could I refuse… Can you imagine? In this dream, I can… not stay in the cold ‘medical cabin’…”

-

Is it wrong to seek encounters in a dungeon?

"Wow, wow... Miss Liuying is so pitiful!" Hestia sat on the sofa, hugging her knees, sobbing bitterly. "She really is terminally ill! Wow, now I'm actually starting to look forward to the Star God of Abundance. He should be able to completely cure Miss Liuying, right?"

"Lord God, your idea is too dangerous..." Bell wiped the sweat from his forehead, "It should be no problem to cure her, but considering the demonic body, I'm afraid Miss Liuying would rather die than become that kind of monster, right?"

"She brought Xing here because she wanted to leave her brief but beautiful side to someone important. If she were to become a demonic Yin body, even if she survived, she would probably never dare to see Xing again."

"What about Miss Ruan Mei?" Lililuka put down her teacup and thought, "Miss Ruan Mei can even reproduce the [Reproduction] Order, so it shouldn't be a problem for her to rebuild a healthy body for Miss Liuying, right?"

In case Master Bell didn't understand, Lilyluka emphasized, "It's not about patching up her broken body, but about creating a brand new one."

"Even if it can be done... given Miss Ruan Mei's personality, I'm afraid it won't be easy for her to agree, right?"

"Hmph, if you ask me, she still owes Xing a favor! Not only did Xing help her deal with such a huge problem, but she also caused Xing so much trouble. With her abilities, she's more than capable of nurturing life on an entire planet. Asking her to help heal an ordinary girl—that's a piece of cake for her, right?"

Lilyluka's cheeks puffed up with anger.

"If all else fails, let Xing ask Ms. Heita to intervene! I don't believe that so many world-shaking geniuses can't cure a case of 'deentropy'! We're not asking them to treat some heinous criminal, they can definitely cure Miss Liuying!"

-

“I can put the doctor’s words behind me and use my own body to hear, see, touch, think, and understand as I please. Although this world is unreal, this feeling is invaluable…”

Her eyes traced over Xing's eyebrows and eyes, and she smiled softly, "...just like right now."

"I'm sorry. For some reason, there are some things... I can't tell you everything right now. But there are also some things I should be honest with you about." Liuying lowered her eyes. "The watchmaker's legacy is certainly what I want, but we don't have to go our separate ways and become enemies. At least... I don't want that to happen."

"I hope so too." Xing nodded slightly.

"…Thank you." Firefly turned and looked at the city gradually awakening in the distance. "'I dreamed of a scorched earth and a new bud breaking through the soil. It bloomed in the morning sun and whispered to me.'"

“Remember the question in the invitation letter—Why does life sleep?”

"Look," she pointed at the city streets gradually bathed in sunlight. "In this land of dreams, everything is permitted, everything is possible. The past, which is too painful to recall, dissipates like bubbles, and the tomorrow that we don't want to face will never come. Why do people choose to sleep? I think..."

"Because I'm afraid of waking up from this 'dream'."

Chapter 340: Pinocchio (Twenty-nine)

Sword Art Online.

"She actually knew the contents of the invitation..." Kirito stroked his chin, thinking, "Those who receive invitations are all representatives of various forces in the galaxy. Could it be that... her true identity is related to the existing forces?"

Asuna gently blew away the steam from the cup. "Could it be someone from the company? Is Liuying actually an undercover agent sent by the company to work with Xing?" Asuna's eyes lit up, and she raised her chin with confidence. "This is a... honey trap!"

Kirito couldn't help but chuckle, and hit Asuna on the head with a light knife, making the girl let out a cute "ah".

"How is that possible? Assuming what Liuying said is true, then she is a dying patient in real life. Why would the company bring a patient to Pinocchio as a stowaway?"

But besides the company, there are only the Masked Fool, the Starry Sky Train, the Flowing Light Memory Court, the Sea Patrol Ranger, and the Annihilation Gang... Judging from Liuying's attitude and reaction to these forces, she doesn't belong to any of them, except for the Annihilation Gang...

"Is Firefly related to [Destruction]..." As soon as this guess popped up in his mind, Kirito immediately suppressed it.

Not to mention that Duke Minghuo has not yet appeared, there is no such person as Liuying among his descendants.

Asuna set down her cup, the ceramic bottom making a crisp sound against the wooden coffee table. "Kirito-kun, there's another possibility... the Star Core Hunter. Do you remember when Xing first met Silver Wolf and Sam in her dream?"

"Sam..."

Kirito paused, the flames of the fireplace flickering on his profile. His expression was obscure in the shadows. "Impossible. Judging from the voice, Sam is clearly a tall, adult male. And Liuying is a sick young girl... She doesn't look like someone who could destroy the Yepera Brotherhood with her bare hands."

-

"The atmosphere has suddenly become so heavy. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be like this... Let me think about how to liven it up." The girl suddenly thought of something and looked up at Xing. "Oh, you have a lot of friends on the train. What do you usually do when you encounter situations like this?"

“Pam will use the spray bottle to calm us down…”

The girl was a little surprised: "A watering can? That's too... direct. Perhaps we have other options?"

"After rejecting the ideas of several other people on the train one by one, the two of them finally chose to liven up the atmosphere by taking a selfie on March 7th."

"Selfie, selfie... You're right. I've been here so many times, why didn't I think of taking a picture? But being alone... I'm a little uncomfortable. Want to join us? Just as a souvenir."

""OK.""

"When Liuying handed me the phone, her fingertips were still cool with the morning dew. She tilted her head slightly, and her voice was as light as a feather falling on the water. "Um... I'm a little camera-shy, don't laugh at me..."

"Xing took the phone, opened the camera app, and switched cameras. All in one go. Then, she stretched her arm out and held the phone farther away, making sure both of them were in the frame."

"Wait a moment, let me get ready..."

“Three, two…”

The countdown faded, its final notes melting into the morning breeze. The girl quietly took a half-step closer to the star, leaning slightly forward. Her skirt swayed gently in the wind, casting interlaced shadows across the open rooftop.

""one.""

"When the shutter clicked, the girls made a playful V-sign with their fingers, and the morning light cast a perfect soft glow on their faces, immortalizing this wonderful moment."

-

Konosuba: God's blessing on this wonderful world.

“Ah, I have eyes just for seeing this…” Kazuma slumped down on the bench with a satisfied look on his face. “Sure enough, looking at beautiful girls makes people feel happy…”

"Hey! What do you mean by that?" Aqua turned her head in dissatisfaction, grabbed Kazuma's collar and shook him madly, "I am also a beautiful girl! And I am a real god! Don't you feel happy when you see me?"

"...You're asking even though you already know the answer." Kazuma's dead eyes slowly turned towards her: "Can you give her a healing smile like Ms. Liuying?"

"Nonsense! Of course I can!"

Aqua suddenly folded her hands over her chest, her aqua-blue hair fluttering in the wind. She slowly raised her chin, and a twinkle like a star suddenly shone from the corner of her eyes.

"Look! This is the most perfect goddess Aqua-sama—"

“—How disgusting, so fake, so contrived,” Kazuma interrupted expressionlessly, “It’s simply mental pollution.”

"Humph, you're still being picky. You don't appreciate the beautiful girl in real life, but you prefer the woman in heaven. Tsk tsk, you're really a otaku..."