Translator: CinderTL
After pulling the silver-white object from the mud, Feng Qi examined it closely and was stunned.
He was now certain that this familiar-looking harmonica was the one he had bought for Mu Qing.
Crafted from special materials within the Domain Field, the harmonica had remained intact even after 1,500 years, though its surface had lost its luster and appeared somewhat dull.
Glancing down at the metal box lying nearby, then back at the silver-white harmonica buried alongside it, the identity of the box's owner became glaringly obvious.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was his own future urn.
His expression gradually turned blank, and he almost wanted to applaud himself.
This move... it's so brilliant it's giving me goosebumps.
Future you really had it rough. Enduring immense pressure and suffering to fulfill your ambitions, only to be scorned by the world, publicly executed, and then dug up by you after death. Just look at this moldy green ash—how utterly tragic!
Feng Qi: ...
"I didn't do it on purpose," he muttered defensively.
Does saying it wasn't intentional solve everything? Shouldn't you kneel down and kowtow to your future self as an apology?
Feng Qi: ...
As a vein pulsed on his forehead, a connection suddenly formed in his mind.
In the execution footage, there had been a scene where members of the Dawn Domain Battle Group negotiated with the military department to claim his corpse.
This meant his body had ultimately ended up in Mu Qing's hands.
He could guess the rest without needing to think too hard.
Since his body couldn't be properly buried, Mu Qing had cremated it and placed the ashes in a metal box, which she then buried here along with the silver harmonica he had given her.
With this realization, he abruptly turned to look at Suction Cup.
So... why is she kneeling and weeping at my grave?
Under his gaze, Suction Cup, her eyes vacant, suddenly stood up and disappeared into the nearby weeds. Moments later, she reemerged with a white flower in her mouth.
Approaching the patch of dirt, she gently placed the flower on the ground, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Is she... mourning me?
Even though she's lost her ability to think, she still remembers to bring flowers for you. This suggests she's done this more than once, perhaps even forming a muscle memory-like habit. Could she be... Mu Qing?
Feng Qi: !!!
Looking at her features, he suddenly realized that Suction Cup did indeed resemble Mu Qing from her childhood.
Her hair had turned white, and though starlight swirled in her pupils, her eyes seemed utterly hollow.
This explained why Suction Cup clung to him so fiercely.
He was Mu Qing's only friend.
After his death, Mu Qing would undoubtedly visit his grave with flowers every year, making the Narrator's theory perfectly plausible.
But upon further reflection, he shook his head.
Suction Cup's physical characteristics were completely different from those of humans. The most obvious difference was that she had neither a penis nor a vagina.
Mu Qing was a rune augment, but she was still human. She should possess all the physical traits of a human.
How do you know for sure? You've only seen Suction Cup's. Have you dissected Mu Qing to check too?
Feng Qi: ...
"I've researched rune augments," he explained, his tone slightly exasperated. "The augmentation process involves implanting rune crystals from domain creatures into the subject's body and leaving an external crystal to absorb spiritual energy. It doesn't completely transform the human body into something inhuman."
Oh, so what? Can you prove she's definitely not Mu Qing? Don't forget, the cause of Mu Qing's death is classified.
Hearing the Narrator's explanation, he found it perfectly reasonable.
Yet, for some reason, he still couldn't believe that Suction Cup was Mu Qing.
The Dream Realm depicted a world 1,500 years in the future. If Mu Qing were still alive, how old would she be?
Even with the extended lifespans granted to cultivators as their strength increased, Mu Qing couldn't possibly have survived this long. After all, she was universally recognized as the Great Demon King by humanity.
The entire human society needed her death to appease their collective rage.
During the dark era Mu Qing had unleashed, countless cities were destroyed. Whether her motives were to eradicate the hidden malignancies festering within Human Civilization or something else entirely, countless innocents had inevitably perished by her hand.
When a city was razed, the sheer number of refugees overwhelmed the capacity of neighboring settlements to absorb them. Thus, the survivors had only one path left:
To become scavengers!
Regardless of Mu Qing's true motives behind her world-ending actions, the blood she had shed could never be washed away.
The entire world had witnessed it. Truth could not be falsified, nor could falsehood be made true. The mass sacrifice of innocents remained an undeniable fact.
Therefore, Mu Qing must be dead.
As this thought settled in his mind, a conspiracy theory involuntarily surfaced:
Could it be possible that Mu Qing hadn't truly died, but had instead been secretly imprisoned?
The mysterious organization that imprisoned her subjected her to a series of human modification experiments, ultimately transforming her into her current form and allowing her to survive to this day.
But questions arose one after another.
Why was Mu Qing transformed into her current state? Human civilization had already been destroyed, so why was the modified Mu Qing living within Star City, shrouded by the Domain Field?
These questions seemed completely unrelated.
The answer was simple: he needed to return to the Star City Shelter and search for information about Mu Qing's death.
Although the method of Mu Qing's execution was kept secret, news of her death must have leaked out afterward to appease the public.
By finding the relevant records, he could determine whether Suction Cup was indeed Mu Qing.
Watching Suction Cup silently weeping, he felt a pang of sympathy.
After reburying the urn, he knelt down beside her and said, "Suction Cup, let's go. I'm still alive!"
Suction Cup ignored him, her empty gaze fixed on the spot where the urn had been buried.
Seeing Suction Cup's complete lack of reaction, he held the silver harmonica in front of her.
"Do you want this?"
At the sight of the silver harmonica, a flicker of light appeared in Suction Cup's hollow eyes. She actually reached out her small hand and took the harmonica.
Feng Qi was visibly surprised by this.
Time was limited, and the most urgent task was returning to the Star City Shelter. Wasting no time, he scooped Suction Cup up from the ground and hoisted her onto his shoulder.
As he strode toward the shelter, Suction Cup, perched on his shoulder, suddenly began to play the harmonica.
The music was halting and clumsy at first, but she quickly grew more proficient.
The wind howled fiercely, yet the harmonica's melody soared through the air.
He even detected a hint of longing in the tune.
Glancing at Suction Cup's blank expression and lifeless eyes, Feng Qi felt a pang of sorrow.
Even in her unconscious state, she remembered to bring flowers to his grave and recognized him in his living dead form.
Could she truly be Mu Qing?
(End of the Chapter)
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