Chapter 13: Water Transiting Samsara’s Water Wednesday (1)
“In short, I should probably calm Keling down first.”
“Brother… What should I do… I’ve always lived with love for you…”
I petted Keling’s head and said in the gentlest tone possible.
“It’s okay, this just proves that Keling, you’ve grown up. You finally don’t need your brother anymore.”
“But brother, no matter when, I will always be Keling’s brother. And Keling, you will certainly be my younger sister. This relationship has never changed, has it? Is that not so?”
“So, don’t worry too much. Perhaps you just suddenly realized that your brother isn’t the most suitable person for you? Your brother, although a little lonely, is also very happy that Keling can finally stop relying on me.”
“Brother…”
At this moment, a warm hug would be perfect to resolve everything.
If Juncheng knew that his younger sister had finally “graduated” from this, he would surely be relieved.
I habitually opened my arms and pulled Keling into my embrace, gently stroking her hair.
“Brother, did you put something in your clothes? It’s so soft…”
“Damn it! Chest binder! I forgot to re-tie it after taking it off!”
I released Keling as if I had been electrocuted, stepped back two paces, and scratched my head, trying to come up with an excuse.
“Ah, ahaha, that’s my biceps.”
“Are biceps that soft?”
“I wasn’t using any strength! Alright, Keling, you didn’t eat much just now, Mom is worried about you. Go down and eat a little more! I should be going out too!”
book.SFA
“Wait… Brother!”
Keling called out to me, but of course, I couldn’t stop. I quickly grabbed my phone, keys, wallet, and backpack and rushed out of the room. Staying any longer would only make Keling more suspicious.
I breathed a sigh of relief after escaping from home as if fleeing.
“I’m really speechless. I actually have moments of carelessness like this.”
“The chest binder is still on the table… Anyway, it just looks like ordinary bandages. Even if Keling saw it, it’s nothing.”
“Indeed, breasts are troublesome. They are completely unnecessary parts, only adding burden to the shoulders. I don’t know why men like them so much.”
“Enough of these unnecessary thoughts. Now, let’s start today’s search.”
“Sigh… I hope I can find a ‘clue’ today.”
I opened my backpack and couldn’t help but sigh as I looked at the abnormal item that occupied half of it.
This abnormal item is… a skein of thread.
This skein of thread is called “Ariadne’s Thread,” an abnormal item capable of finding “clues” to solve complex problems. Its prototype was a smooth sphere.
Of course, the so-called clue is a very abstract concept. So, you first give “Ariadne’s Thread” a “problem,” and then the sphere will turn into a skein of thread based on the complexity of the problem. Next, the skein of thread will reveal a thread end, guiding me to the place with the “clue,” like a guiding light. According to the information from Lily, it is said that with each clue obtained, the skein of thread will become less and less, until finally, it disappears completely, and the problem is resolved.
But how should I put it… Judging from yesterday’s experience, it feels like I’m just treading water.
I really don’t understand where this skein of thread wants to lead me. Yesterday, I was led into the subway, and then… nothing else happened.
The thread end stopped in the subway and returned to the skein of thread, as if telling me to sit down.
I could only sit on the subway until it was nighttime and I had to go home, without getting any clues.
“Could it be that the question I asked was too abnormal…?”
I should mention in advance here that the question I designated for Ariadne’s Thread was not something like “Where is the Yata no Kagami?” or “Where is Hua?”, but rather a direct question: “How can Juncheng be perfectly resurrected?”
This question is very general and includes many sub-plots, so the skein of thread is also very large, almost half the size of my backpack. I pulled the thread out from the gap in the backpack zipper, let it enter my clothes through the collar, and placed it in my palm as a detection device so that it wouldn’t be too conspicuous.
Although I was startled at first because I hadn’t expected the skein of thread to become so large, it instead ignited my hope. After all, this thing reacted, which meant that this problem had a solution!
Whether or not there is a way to resurrect Juncheng, to resurrect Juncheng, a soul is definitely necessary.
But Juncheng’s soul is not with me right now.
Therefore, finding Juncheng’s soul will also be included in the problem.
If Juncheng’s soul is indeed in the Yata no Kagami, and the Yata no Kagami is in Lanhua’s hands, then this skein of thread should help me find Lanhua. And if Juncheng’s soul is not in the Yata no Kagami, nor in Lanhua’s hands, then the skein of thread will naturally not lead me to Lanhua, and there will be no need to find Lanhua.
I originally planned to use it as a tool to verify my hypothesis…
But now looking at it… perhaps the problem was too general.
Although it is an abnormal item, in the end, it is not artificial intelligence or anything like that. It’s only natural that it would get confused.
“But in the end, why the subway…?”
I bought a subway ticket, exactly the same as yesterday’s but with only the date changed, and boarded the Line 4 subway.
At first, I thought there might be something or someone in the subway, but I went back and forth many times, and the thread end did not react at all.
Moreover, changing subway lines was not allowed; it had to be this specific line. That’s why I gained nothing yesterday.
The thread end shows no reaction inside this subway… This means I should consider this subway as a whole.
So, the key point is ‘Where is the subway heading?’ Is that right?
That would naturally be the terminal station.
Once I reach the terminal station, I can only get off.
The clue is before that…
Or maybe… I’ll just keep riding the subway like this, while contacting others.
The items the others received seem to have only very basic functions. Lily even got an eight-sided die… Having to search through divination…
After all, items with search functions are very few. Otherwise, the organization wouldn’t need to establish an Investigation Department.
And the “Ariadne’s Thread” in my hand is not only a very rare search-type item but also a top-tier A-class abnormal item.
However, judging from the current progress, it’s the others who are progressing smoothly. Yu Hui has already found some traces of Lanhua, and Lily has captured some members of Sky Net and seems to be interrogating them.
Instead, I, who hold the best item, have hit a bottleneck from the very beginning… Damn it!
“Today, I won’t go home until night! I will find out no matter what!”
“It’s just a damn skein of thread! It’s bothering me for two days! What a joke!”
With this perseverance, I sat on the subway until the last train of Line 4 – which was at midnight…
However, there was still no progress…
Today has passed, and it is Wednesday.
“So, the subway has stopped running. Has my dear thread end changed at all?”
“Oh oh!”
“It really has changed!”
Excitedly, I followed the guidance of the thread end out of the subway station and went to the automatic ticket vending machine. The thread end kindly pointed me to… Line 13 subway…
Aha, this is indeed a subway that runs even in the middle of the night…
But, it’s the subway again…
Isn’t this just alternating? What’s the point!!!
“Wait, Line 13?”
“Line 4 and Line 13?”
“Why specifically these two?”
“Could it be… an abnormal phenomenon related to the subway?”
“I’ll ask Lily.”
I immediately called Lily and got a reply within five seconds.
“I want to smash my phone.”
“The Line 4 subway before midnight and the Line 13 subway after midnight are passages to the underground City of the Living!”
“So, this damn skein of thread wants me to go to that place!”
“Ahhh! I could have known if I had just asked! I was sitting foolishly on the subway for two days!”
“I deeply feel that…”
“If only this skein of thread had a voice prompt function…”
Thus, I arrived at Tuesday… no, Sunday.
And then…
Time was locked at [Day 5], and “tomorrow” never came.
