Chapter 40: Chapter 40
Her Story Never Draws to a Close
The next day, Mo Ying opened her eyes in the dormitory.
A strong floral fragrance wafted in from outside the window.
Mo Ying, still wrapped in thick drowsiness, opened the window of her dorm room.
Outside, the scenery was filled with the vibrant energy of spring.
Clearly, it was now autumn, almost winter.
Yet these plants were flourishing, and not a single leaf had fallen from the branches.
The flowers blooming in the garden were particularly exuberant.
Today was the weekend, so there were no classes.
By the time Mo Ying got up, Xiya was already gone; she was probably in the library again.
Might as well go out for a stroll.
After yesterday's various events, Mo Ying had uncharacteristically not stayed up all night gaming after returning.
Mo Ying walked out of the dorm. A few flower petals drifted on the wind and landed on her head.
Taking the petals in her hand, she could smell the fragrance of the flowers.
All these flowers had bloomed under this anomalous spring. Thinking of this, Mo Ying let the petal in her hand drift away.
A strong wind blew, lifting countless petals up into the sky.
Students, passersby on the streets, and knights safeguarding the city all looked up at this beautiful sight.
Many people took out their phones to capture the moment; Mo Ying did so as well.
Her phone recorded this stunning scene.
A photograph is the magic that can freeze time.
The spring breeze, mixed with petals swirling in flight, drifted everywhere along the streets. Yet for some reason, Mo Ying felt a coldness beneath the spring wind that did not belong there.
Mo Ying knew that beneath this beautiful spectacle, death was shrouded.
"Do not cherish longing for me, my beloved. When the winter that symbolizes withering passes away, I will become the spring breeze that softly caresses your face."
Vaguely, Mo Ying seemed to hear someone whispering.
Was it the spring wind whispering in her ear?
Xiya, clutching a pile of books and intending to return to the dorm, spotted Mo Ying standing at the dorm entrance.
"Xiya, good morning. Have you had lunch yet?"
"I'm pretty sure it's good morning, and yet you ask if I've had lunch. I think you know quite well you've slept till noon."
Xiya had her arms full of books.
"I borrowed a lot of books on the hunting grounds and the Forest of Dream's Mists from the library. Tomorrow you'll be venturing into the Forest of Dream's Mists, and I'm really worried. If I discover anything new, I'll let you know."
Xiya looked truly concerned for Mo Ying, as Liushu's reminders were still fresh in her memory.
"It'll be fine. Captain Lina will protect me."
Liushu had said that with Lina's strength, traversing the Forest of Dream's Mists was hardly a problem.
"But you know this situation is special,"
Xiya insisted, still uneasy.
"All right, all right, I'll leave it to you. You know those books put me right to sleep."
Mo Ying couldn't bring herself to reject Xiya's kindness.
Mo Ying's phone chimed.
She took it out and unlocked it.
It was a message announced by the principal.
The gist was: The entire Anzelona had experienced this anomalous spring scenery. If it was not resolved within five days, for the safety of all students, the school would temporarily close and be sealed off. By then, the school would cease being responsible for the students' safety, and no student would be allowed to remain on campus.
Perhaps Teacher Liushu really had submitted this suggestion to the principal. If this was not resolved in five days, the school truly would be closing.
For the students' safety, the principal's decision was indeed the correct one.
But for Xiya and Mo Ying, they were practically homeless. If the school did close, they'd have to find a place to rent for the time being.
But after all, they were still students, and they were outsiders unfamiliar with this world.
Money was scarce, and if they moved off campus and rented a place, they would need a source of income.
They didn't know how to do any standard jobs, and no one would likely hire two students as Hunters.
Once their money ran out, it would merely be a matter of time—they'd simply be eating their way into poverty after leaving the school.
"Haaa, I'm really starting to realize the importance of money again."
Mo Ying let out a sigh.
Tomorrow, she'd be entering the Forest of Dream's Mists. She hoped she could resolve this matter. Otherwise, things would get very troublesome for her and Xiya.
Everything seemed to be pushing Mo Ying toward the Forest of Dream's Mists.
"It's as if someone is arranging everything."
Mo Ying looked off into the distance, her gaze drifting toward the azure sky.
Perhaps she was just being too sensitive.
Mo Ying comforted herself with this thought. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
"Cough, cough. Ha... ha... ha..."
Shuang Yun once again found herself stepping into the Corridor of Time.
She had clearly been training in the training hall, yet suddenly, she had returned here.
How many more times would she have to endure this?
Shuang Yun didn't know the answer. She had no choice but to keep running, to avoid being caught by the Goddess of Time.
After a few minutes, Shuang Yun once again vanished from within the Corridor of Time, returning to the normal world.
Floating above the Corridor of Time, the Goddess of Time, holding a black scythe, closed her eyes slightly.
"How long will this cat-and-mouse game continue?"
Beneath her, a girl clad in black with black hair stood below.
The Goddess of Time spoke.
"You're orchestrating something very interesting."
"You are as perceptive as your name."
"A snake's perception is quite acute."
The girl, known as Snake, said self-mockingly.
"Are you really going to let a mere human girl run amok in your domain? I don't think so, which means you must have some scheme in mind."
"Do not be suspicious," the Goddess of Time replied, still with eyes half-shut.
"I have no interest in this, but as for our princess, when will she awaken?"
The scene in the Corridor of Time shifted; the Goddess of Time and Snake stood in a pale-white space.
At the center of this space rose a staircase leading up to a platform. On the platform rested a white stone coffin, surrounded by a variety of strange weapons.
"No need for impatience. Time shows no favoritism. It is stricter, crueler than anything else."
"And I have waited long enough in this pallid temporal forbidden zone."
"Time always flows along its trajectory. We need only wait patiently for the hands of the clock to move."
"When the hands reach the destined moment, the curtain will rise on everything."
"To be more precise, it will rise again,"
"Yes... rise again. Her journey is over, but time is endless. Her story will continue to be written, until time comes to a halt."
"When could time ever stop?"
Snake said, sarcasm in her smile.
"And so, her story never draws to a close."