Time in a collapsing world

Chapter 1297 Kind-hearted Person

After parting ways with Patofilis, the sense of powerlessness she felt after being advised by the "elder" did not dissipate; instead, it fermented in Kiana's heart into an even stronger sense of resentment. The group returned to Kiana and Mei's dormitory room, closed the door, and the atmosphere became somewhat tense.

"Are we really just supposed to wait here?" Kiana paced back and forth in the room, her silver ponytail swaying with her movements. "Padre is right, we may not be able to offer any real help, but... I can't stand just worrying here without doing anything!"

Mei sat on the edge of the bed, her hands clenched tightly, her purple eyes also shining with a determined light: "I agree with Kiana. Even if our power is limited, even if we can do very little, we should try to understand and prepare. At least... we should know what Mr. Amethyst is facing."

Bronya, clutching her Houmu doll, sat in the chair at her desk, calmly analyzing the situation: "Bronya believes that Padophilia and Sister Xi's evasive attitude indicates that the matter involving Teacher Zijing is extremely dangerous and beyond our current scope of response. Rashly intervening would not only be ineffective but could also cause interference or even danger. Maintaining the status quo, focusing on improving ourselves, and waiting for the right opportunity is the lowest-risk option."

Seele sat next to Bronya, glancing at one and then the other, her little hands nervously twisting the hem of her dress, looking somewhat conflicted. She understood Kiana and Mei's anxiety and also felt that Bronya's analysis was correct, so for a moment she didn't know how to express her opinion.

"Hmph, boring." Xilin scoffed, turning away from the window, her golden eyes filled with impatience. "What's the point of arguing? If you want to know, then ask! Investigate! What good will this indecisive, back-and-forth analysis do?" She was clearly fed up with this fruitless discussion. "I have no interest in wasting my time with you."

After saying that, she walked straight to the door, opened it, and was about to leave.

"Wait! Sirin!" Kiana called out to her immediately, "Where are you going?"

“Go find someone who definitely knows something and ask them.” Sirin said without turning her head. “Alicia, Fu Hua, or that Qian Jie who always wears a mask… there’s bound to be one who can get some information out of you.”

“I’ll go with you!” Kiana immediately followed.

“I’ll go too.” Mei stood up, her eyes resolute.

Seeing the three about to leave, Seele quickly looked at Bronya: "Bronya, are we... not going?"

Bronya gently stroked the quietly waiting Heavy Bunny beside her, and after a moment of silence, she said, "From an emotional and personal perspective, I choose not to go."

Seele said "Oh," somewhat disappointed, but she could understand Bronya's choice.

However, Bronya paused, then continued, "Not going doesn't mean I won't take action, nor does it mean I don't care." Her gray eyes looked at Seele. "Teacher Amethyst has been kind to me; he helped me obtain Heavy Bunny, and this kindness needs to be remembered. I don't want to lose the opportunity to repay this kindness in the future."

She stood up, and the Heavy Bunny started up, making a soft running sound: "Therefore, I will take action, but not follow Kiana and the others."

Seele's eyes lit up: "What Bronya means is..."

"Traveling with a team that has two idiots will drastically reduce efficiency, so..."

She looked at Seele: "Seele, would you be willing to help me? It will be very difficult, and there may even be unknown risks."

Seele nodded vigorously without hesitation: "Yes! I'm willing! I'm willing to do anything as long as it can help Brother Amethyst and Sister Bronya!"

……

For the next half day, both groups of members were busy in their own ways, both inside and outside St. Freya Academy.

Kiana and her trio encountered setbacks one after another. Alicia smiled sweetly but kept quiet, only gently reassuring them not to worry; Fu Hua went into seclusion, with a "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging at her door; Qian Jie couldn't find anyone at all; when Theresa was asked, she had a conflicted expression that said, "I know, but I can't say it, you'll worry even more," and finally simply lay down and pretended to be dead.

Just as they were feeling a bit down and strolled to the commercial street on the edge of the academy, intending to buy something to cheer themselves up, an unexpected figure caught their attention.

It was a girl who looked to be about their age, standing in front of a dessert shop, licking a huge, light blue dessert with relish. She had black twin ponytails tied with red ribbons, and wore a strangely styled, more ornate and elaborate deep red dress, similar to a yukata but with gold bells and tiny gemstones adorning the hem. Most striking was the half-red, half-white fox mask she wore, revealing only her beautifully sculpted jawline and a half-smile on her lips.

The girl exuded an aura that seemed out of place with her surroundings, as if she came from a festival or a dream.

"Hey, look at that..." Kiana nudged Mei and whispered, "She's dressed so strangely, but... she doesn't seem like an ordinary person?"

Xilin squinted. She could sense an extremely subtle disharmony in the space around the girl, as if she were standing there, yet it was as if she were being looked at through a layer of frosted glass.

Seemingly sensing their gaze, the girl who was eating turned her head, her mask facing them. Even through the mask, the three could feel an interested gaze sweeping over them.

Then, the girl actually waved to them, her voice clear and melodious with a hint of playfulness: "Hey ladies over there~ you look troubled, don't you? Want something sweet, and maybe hear an interesting story?"

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

Mei said cautiously in a low voice, "Be careful, the feeling she gives me... is very special."

Xilin snorted coldly: "Playing tricks."

Kiana's curiosity had been piqued, and they were currently lacking information. "Let's go check it out! It's broad daylight, what are we going to do, she's not going to eat us up, is she?"

The three girls walked up to the girl. The girl waved what she was holding, indicating that they could also buy it at the store, then found a bench on the street and sat down, patting the spot next to her.

"You're asking about a 'special person,' right?" the girl asked bluntly, taking a bite of her food, her tone as casual as if she were discussing the weather.

The three were startled and immediately became even more vigilant.

"How...how did you know?" Kiana asked.

“I saw it~” The girl tilted her head, and her eyes under the mask seemed to blink. “You guys have been running around a lot lately, and I’ve been staying around here, so it’s hard not to notice you.”

"Who exactly are you?" Mei asked in a deep voice, still not believing her.

“The name doesn’t matter~” The girl waved her hand, took another lick, and her voice became somewhat ethereal, “Just think of me as… a ‘kind person’ who just happened to be passing by and happened to know a little about the inside story. Seeing how hard you’ve been searching, I’ll do you a favor and tell you a little ‘truth’? Anyway…”

She drew out her words, with a strange, almost theatrical interest: "...You'll find out about these things sooner or later, or rather, they're already happening."

Next, this mysterious girl, who called herself a "kind person," slowly enjoyed her food while speaking in a light and even exaggerated storytelling tone, revealing "information" that left Kiana, Mei, and Sirin dumbfounded, almost as if they were listening to some fantasy novel setting.

She spoke of how those "gods" or "higher-dimensional beings" in the heavens, who are not myths but real entities, turned their gaze to Earth, regarding it as an interesting testing ground or observation target. Those unusual natural disasters and the disruption of rules were merely "rejection reactions" triggered when these beings approached or "cast their gaze" upon them.

She spoke of the amethyst's uniqueness—an "anomaly" that shouldn't belong to this world, a "variable" that attracted far more attention than usual. He was like the brightest lighthouse in the night, firmly drawing in gazes that might otherwise have been merely casual glances.

She also spoke of Amethyst's choice—faced with the almost insurmountable gaze of these "gods," he did not choose to escape or submit, but instead embarked on an extremely dangerous, near-mad path: attempting to "upgrade" himself in a short period of time, gaining the power to communicate with, and even confront, those beings. For this, he was paying a huge price, undergoing some kind of self-transformation.

"Becoming a god? It's not that easy." The girl swung her leg, her tone still light, yet sending a chill down the listener's spine. "It requires pure faith, extreme obsession, even... sacrificing many aspects of being 'human.' Right now, he's probably in the most painful and crucial 'forging' stage, isn't he? Whether he succeeds or not, nobody knows. But one thing is for sure, those celestial beings won't just sit back and watch him succeed~"

Kiana, Mei, and Sirin were completely dumbfounded, their mouths agape. These words were beyond their wildest imaginations, like a fabricated, outlandish story. Gods? Ascension? Self-forging? Every word shattered their worldview.

"You...is what you're saying true?" Kiana asked in a dry voice.

"Believe it or not, it's up to you~" The girl finished her last bite, sighed contentedly, and jumped off the bench. "I'm just telling you the 'version' I know. This world is big, and the truth has many facets."

She brushed off imaginary candy crumbs from her hands, turned to leave, then, as if remembering something, turned back and added, "By the way, if you really want to do something for him... just worrying and asking around isn't enough. Either become strong enough to step into that level of battlefield; or help him capture the remaining 'fragments' he hasn't been able to obtain yet—that might be the key to him becoming a god~ Of course, this is just a little guess of mine, don't take it too seriously~"