I don't want to be a heroic spirit

"No, at least I should have heard of it... but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, so I forgot a lot of it."

Fulilian tilted her head. "I think Xinmeier mentioned it to me once. I remember it was called...what was it?"

As they were talking, several people had already walked out of the hotel.

Although it was night, the streets seemed brighter than during the day. Many small lights emitting warm light were hung on the buildings or held directly in the hands of pedestrians.

Looking at the small lights of all sizes, Jian was suddenly enlightened.

"Oh, it's the Night of Returning Souls."

"Does Master Jian understand?"

Unable to get any useful information from Fulilian, Philen turned to look at Jian.

"Hmm, let me think...how should I explain it?"

After sorting out the information in his memory, Jiancai slowly spoke, "People in this area generally believe that people go to heaven after death and return to visit on this night every year. This is known as the Night of the Returning Soul."

"People will hold a very lively celebration tonight, not only to welcome back their family and friends, but also to prove to the deceased that they are living happily and happily, so that the deceased who are in heaven but still care about the living can feel at ease."

As he spoke, Jian pointed to the small lights that could be seen everywhere.

"Those are sky lanterns, used to guide the dead, preventing them from losing their way home after leaving heaven. They're a major feature of the Night of the Dead. People start making them a few days before the Night of the Dead, until they're everywhere in the streets and alleys of the town. I only remembered them when I saw them."

Festivals to commemorate deceased relatives can be found in every part of the world... For example, China's Zhongyuan Festival is called the Obon Festival in Japan, and there is also Halloween, Day of the Dead, and so on. Although there may be some differences, some large or small, there are indeed people who worship the dead on such festivals, and there are also legends that the souls of the deceased will return to the world on this day.

"Yo! Hugh Tark."

At this time, a man walked towards Jian and others and waved to Xutalk.

Jian recognized the man as the tavern owner.

"Huh? Uncle Wheeler? Why are you here?"

"Haha! Thank you so much for today. You really helped me a lot. If I were alone, I would be so tired that I couldn't even stand up straight. I was just passing by."

The uncle named Weller smiled kindly. "You must be from outside the area who just arrived today, right? What's the matter? Is this your first time celebrating the Night of the Dead? Do you need a local guide or something?"

"Really? Would it be too much trouble for you?"

"Hey! What's the trouble? If my wife were here, she would support me in doing this."

As he spoke, Weller put his arm around Hugh Tark's shoulders in a familiar manner.

With his back to Jian and the others, Weller whispered, "Then... Hugh Tark, tell me first, which of those three beautiful girls behind you is your girlfriend?"

"Varied……!"

Xu Turk suddenly lost his composure.

"Oh, you're still shy. You're really young. Uncle, I used to be like you..."

"I'm not shy. I've been told that you misunderstood, uncle..."

Do these two people really think that they are speaking so softly that no one else can hear them?

Jian narrowed his eyes, looking speechless.

However, Uncle Wheeler was right. It is indeed much more convenient to have a local guide.

Weller asked Jian and others if there was any place they wanted to go.

"I'm craving something good to eat."

Fleury gave this answer.

"Because I haven't had anything decent to eat in a long time while traveling."

Hugh Tark frowned, remembering the bread that made a clanging sound when it fell on the plate.

"After all, eating is more important."

Ash nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, Wheeler took them to a place where there were many shops.

Uncle Wheeler recommended several shops to them. The food they sold was quite good and tasted great, which won unanimous praise from Jian and others.

The streets are very busy, even busier than during the day. If you are not careful walking through the crowd, you may even get lost.

What’s more interesting is that it seems that every once in a while you’ll see someone who knows Hugh Turk, who will come to talk to him or express his gratitude.

"Isn't Hugh Tark too popular?"

It was unknown what kind of emotion she was feeling as Fulilian said this.

However, Hugh Turk was completely unaware of this. He spoke with confusion in his eyes, "No, right? I think it's pretty ordinary, but everyone does take good care of me."

"Lord Xiutalk shouldn't have stayed outside for too long."

Philen frowned slightly, his eyes scanning the kind smiles on the faces of the people around him, very puzzled. "Why does it feel like everyone in the town knows Lord Shuttark? How did he manage to get so close to everyone in the city in such a short time?"

"Even the snack you received today, Philen, was given to Hugh Tark by someone else."

Jian reminded Philen.

"Yes, and today's snack... Lord Xutark, where did you get that thing in your hand?"

When Philen turned his head to look at Hugh Tark, he saw Hugh Tark holding a piece of meat pie wrapped in paper in both hands and eating it with relish.

"You're talking about this? Uncle Feru stuffed this into my hand when we passed his shop just now. He said thank you for my bravery during the day... It tastes pretty good. Want to try it?"

Who is Uncle Feru... This question suddenly popped up in everyone's minds.

"...No, Master Xutark, please eat it yourself."

"Oh, then I'll eat it myself."

Not far away, someone was telling a story, and some children were gathered around the storyteller, listening happily.

Feilun pointed over there and said, "It seems they are telling the story of Lord Xinmeier over there."

The storyteller was telling the story of Xin Meir killing a thousand-meter-long giant snake with one sword in an excited manner.

"Have we ever done anything so remarkable?"

Ash turned to look at Fulilian.

Philen said expressionlessly: "Isn't that ridiculous?"

Fulilian was speechless: "It's only ten meters long, how come it became a thousand meters long after being passed around?"

470

Chapter 470 People will die three times.

Although it was already late at night, the town was still brightly lit and bustling.

People in the square gathered around the statue of Sinmel, and the storyteller told the story of the brave Sinmel and his companions. Although it sounded a bit exaggerated to Jian and others, the children were very happy to listen to it.

The streets, lit by orange lights and filled with the aroma of food, could almost be described as "hell" for someone trying to lose weight. Some drank, some ate meat, and the unrestrained noise made the place seem particularly lively.

Children who would have been asked to go to bed early by their parents would also gather together to play happily. Perhaps it was because the adults also wanted to let their relatives and friends who had returned from heaven see the children's bright smiles.

This is probably the scene that Xin Meier wants to see?

It was precisely because she had witnessed the scenes before the Demon King was defeated that Fulilian could feel it so deeply at this moment...

"We really did save the world, Sinmeier."

"What are you lamenting about, Fleury?"

A gentle voice sounded behind Fulilian. Even without turning around, Fulilian knew who the owner of the voice was.

"I seemed to have heard Xin Meier's name just now. You are missing Xin Meier again."

Holding an apple, Ash slowly walked over to Fulilian's side. From this angle, she could clearly see the statue of Sinmeier not far away. "Come to think of it, you didn't seem very interested in these kinds of festivals before... Is this a change because of Sinmeier?"

"Probably, who knows?"

Flillian shrugged.

Fulilian had not only heard of the Night of Returning Souls, but had also experienced it herself.

However, when Philen asked about the Night of the Returning Souls, Fulilian's answer was "I don't know much about it" because she didn't care much.

"In my opinion, this kind of festival is really stupid."

Fulilian's tone was somewhat cold and ruthless. "The reason death is so terrifying is that it is irreversible. Once dead, you are dead. It is completely separated from 'life'."

"Before I met Sinmeier and the others, I always believed that people would return to nothingness after death... For thousands of years, this view was still the mainstream belief. Although more and more people began to believe in the existence of heaven, I always had doubts about it... For all these years, no one had ever observed the existence of the soul, and there was no evidence to prove the existence of heaven."

"So, the dead can't come back. Even if they try their best to prove to the deceased that they are living well, those who have already passed away will never see it. Such a festival is really meaningless... At least that's how I saw it at the time."

While saying these words, Fulilian kept looking at the statue of Xinmeier, as if she was talking to herself.

Behind her, Jian just listened quietly from beginning to end, acting as a patient listener, with a smile on his face that was as gentle as a stream flowing in the mountains.

"Perhaps it's just as you said. No matter how hard they try to make themselves, their children, and their loved ones happy, their smiles cannot be seen by those who have passed away."

With his eyes lowered and a smile on his face, ripples appeared in Jian's eyes as blue as lake water.

"But these are definitely not meaningless."

"You know what? Fulilian, in my opinion, people in this world experience three deaths... The first is the end of life, when the body's organs gradually lose their function, the heart stops beating, breathing stops, and the brain stops functioning. This is what people generally think of as 'death'... But in my eyes, this is not true 'death'."

"The second death is the moment the world recognizes him as dead. Humans are social creatures, relying on interaction and connection to define themselves, anchor themselves, and prevent themselves from getting lost. The connections between people form a complex web of relationships. The moment someone breaks away from this web, they die a second time... But even at this point, that person is not truly dead, because they have left traces in this world. Their thoughts, their actions, and their contributions are still remembered, and they still live on in people's memories."

"And the third death is the oblivion of existence... Every trace of this person in this world is erased. No one remembers him anymore. His thoughts, his deeds, his contributions are no longer mentioned. It's as if he never appeared in this world. There is nothing or anyone to prove he ever existed... Only then is he completely dead."

"Flillian, the loss of life is indeed terrible, but being completely forgotten by the world is even more difficult to accept. There will be no fear or sorrow, only endless emptiness... Neither those who are forgotten nor those who have been forgotten can accept that emptiness."

"Perhaps this is the meaning of Resurrection Night... People need a day like this, a holiday to remind themselves not to forget someone important to them. Even if reality forces us to hold our heads high and keep moving forward, we still need a day like this to remove our tough facade, expose our vulnerable side, and immerse ourselves in memories."

Listening to what Ash said, Fulilian recalled some things that happened in the past...

At that time, they had just defeated a ferocious monster and rescued a child.

Xinmeier knelt in front of the frightened child, stroked his head and comforted him gently.

"You are safe now. Go back to the village quickly. Remember not to sneak out again next time."

Xin Meir didn't look away until he saw the child running into the village with his own eyes.

"Is it really meaningful that you keep doing such little things, Xinmeier?"

What Haita was talking about was not the defeat of the monster, but the behavior of Xinmeier comforting the child with a gentle voice just now.

As a group of heroes, defeating monsters and saving others is a must, but no one should require a hero to be able to comfort people, right?

"What are you talking about, Haita?"

Xin Meier looked at Haita with a smile, "As a hero, you must make everyone feel at ease, right?"

"Anyone can say those empty, big words."

Haita was completely unmoved. "I want to hear other reasons."

"Another reason..."

Xin Meir scratched his head with a distressed expression. After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth with a wry smile.

"I just feel that... as long as I work hard enough and leave enough traces in this world, then I won't be forgotten so easily, right?"

When Xin Meir said this, where were his eyes, as clear as the blue sky, looking at?

It seems like... I'm looking at the sky very far away?

And it seemed like... he was looking at Fulilian?

I don’t quite remember…

"Sinmeier, you left so many statues in this world...are you afraid of being forgotten?"

Fulilian couldn't help but think so.

Also, in the village called Skol they passed before, there was a great magic that could force people into dreams, but the villagers living there did not feel fear but anticipation for this great magic, and they even regarded it as a festival.

Why? Isn't it because on that night, people can see people who are dead or who they will never have the chance to meet in real life again?

Even though they know it is an empty dream, there are still so many people flocking to it.

Even if I still have to work hard for my life after returning to reality, I will still look forward to the satisfaction of that night.

All the things you have experienced together, even many details that you have forgotten, can be reproduced in the dream... This is the most attractive part of the Dream Soul Festival.