Chapter 41: Traveling Through Time

Xin Yu looked speechlessly at Siegfried, who seemed like he wanted to chop him to death but was forcibly restraining himself for some reason, settling for glaring daggers at him. "Did I say something wrong?" Seeing the young man's bewildered and clueless expression, Siegfried took a deep breath, suppressing his somewhat agitated emotions. He thought about it – perhaps their relationship wasn't what he imagined; maybe it was just a misunderstanding. "Um, maybe I didn't quite understand earlier. How far exactly has the relationship between you and that girl progressed?" Siegfried forced a smile onto his face, trying to appear as casual as possible. "Our relationship is indeed quite good. She told me about her ideal type, shared some of her dreams about life after marriage, talked about the days she lived with her dad, and then about wandering the world alone after her dad disappeared without reason. It's just that, to fulfill a promise I made to her earlier, I died once. Now I have no way to contact that side anymore." "I died... she... should be upset, right?" Xin Yu said with some uncertainty. After all, this was his own perception – he thought his relationship with Kiana was good. Since she had shared her personal preferences (XP) and some private matters with him, he assumed their bond was decent. But in Siegfried's ears, these words painted a different picture: the Kiana this young man knew already held considerable affection for him, perhaps even implicitly expressing her feelings. However, this boy was too dense to realize it. After all, how many young girls would discuss marriage prospects with a male friend? Even if the initial goodwill hadn't reached that level, after this young man had literally laid down his life for her, that affection had likely become substantial enough. Thinking this, Siegfried's gaze towards the young man grew even more complex. Who would have thought? This boy he'd accidentally shot down might even be the future son-in-law of another version of himself. So, perhaps that was the real reason he got shot down? This truly counted as a wondrous twist of fate. "That's right. My daughter is indeed named Kiana Kaslana. The Kiana you know should be another Kiana from a parallel world." As he said this, Siegfried's expression turned somewhat melancholic. He couldn't help but wonder: what kind of life did the Kiana and the Siegfried of that other world have? Why did that other Siegfried disappear? Could it be that the him from that world encountered the same situation he was facing now? "Can you tell me about the Kiana from that world?" Xin Yu didn't hesitate. It was understandable for a father to want to know a little about his parallel world daughter. Xin Yu recalled for a moment, then slowly began to recount the stories Kiana had told him during their casual chats about her time living with her father. One story that left a deeper impression was how her father was terrible at cooking. His best dish was toast pizza made with a gun that shot flames, yet even this signature dish often ended up burnt. Whenever she mentioned this, she said her father would just laugh and scratch his head, insisting that toast pizza tasted better when slightly charred. Because of this, even Kiana, who wasn't much of a cook herself, learned how to make toast pizza. As Xin Yu revealed more details bit by bit, recounting these little anecdotes from the past, the initially warm expression on Siegfried's face gradually faded, becoming increasingly solemn. If, at first, it was just parallel world coincidences, then as the stories continued, why were the minor events the young man described identical to his own experiences? Even those few incidents that sounded like low-probability coincidences matched his own experiences exactly. For instance, when he had just rescued Kiana, grieving the loss of his other daughter, his mind was particularly hazy for several days. Consequently, he was always absentminded during meals. Kiana, newly rescued, tried to cheer her father up by making some food. That food was incredibly bad, tasting just like anything else cooked by a Kaslana. Also, even the details of him teaching Kiana how to make toast pizza step-by-step matched perfectly. He could recall it vividly even now. Why? Why were these stories, supposedly from a parallel world, so similar, practically identical, to everything he had experienced? "...Young man, there must be some truths you haven't told me, right?" An incredibly bold idea suddenly formed in Siegfried's mind. Although he wore a faint smile, his slightly trembling hands betrayed the tumultuous storm raging within his heart. Xin Yu looked at Siegfried's forced calmness, saw his still trembling hands, and understood. It seemed the stories he told corresponded perfectly with the experiences of the Siegfried before him, likely down to the smallest details. Therefore, the man must have guessed something, but found it incredibly hard to believe, hence his current act of feigned composure while asking. Xin Yu thought seriously. Priest Otto had previously advised him not to reveal his abilities immediately every time, warning that he would inevitably encounter malicious people and cause trouble for himself. But this man was his good friend's father. Kiana had said her father was a very good person, taught her to be righteous and heroic, and spoke of protecting civilians. Telling someone like him should be fine. "Yes, I did indeed withhold one piece of information. My ability isn't just crossing parallel space-time; I can even travel between different time points within the same world." The young man's words crashed over Siegfried's mind like a tidal wave. His pupils constricted, the excitement in his heart overflowing, making it impossible to maintain the forced smile any longer. "...I know this is hard to believe, but it doesn't matter anyway. Whether you believe it or not isn't important." Xin Yu waved his hand nonchalantly. Seeing Siegfried still stunned, he understood the man was likely shocked by his ability, awestruck by the fact that time travel was possible. Just as Xin Yu prepared to leave the wooden cabin to check the outside environment, he hadn't taken two steps before his hand was grabbed. Xin Yu turned back to see Siegfried's serious and solemn expression. "Can... you take me to see someone?" "Take someone through time?" Xin Yu thought about it. He hadn't really tried to actively initiate space-time travel much. The only tentative attempt was using his phone to guide his ability. But he knew he could do it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have felt that sensation back when he accepted Nao as his disciple – the feeling that he could return to the past and kill her directly from that point in time. Though, under those circumstances, the cost would have been everything he had. "I'll try." Xin Yu grasped Siegfried's hand in return, then closed his eyes, striving to feel his unique nature, to perceive the surrounding environment. After a few seconds of brief blurring, the surroundings drastically changed. They appeared in a small town. Not far from them, a couple was walking past, hand in hand. "Cecilia..." Siegfried watched the young Cecilia holding hands with his younger self, tears already streaming unknowingly from his eyes. Cecilia, walking on the opposite side of the street, seemed to sense something. She turned her head and saw a tearful man staring at her. "What's wrong?" The young Siegfried beside her noticed Cecilia's movement and followed her gaze, seeing the weeping, disheveled-looking man. Before the young couple could approach and ask what was wrong, the crying man and the young man beside him suddenly vanished into thin air. And after they disappeared, the young Siegfried and young Cecilia seemed to instantly forget what had just happened. After a slight pause, they continued walking hand-in-hand, chatting and laughing. Back in the wooden cabin, Siegfried sat stunned. In the instant he returned, a memory surfaced in his mind: shortly after marrying Cecilia, while strolling down the street, he had suddenly seen a tearful man who looked very much like him, only much more weathered. ...That was his future self, returned to the past. Realizing this, Siegfried quickly looked up and saw the young man standing by the window, gazing out at the snowscape. Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the young man's figure. Perhaps it was a psychological effect, but in that moment, Siegfried saw a sense of holiness about him. And what was the profoundly holy-looking young man thinking at this moment? "Wow, taking someone back to the past for just that tiny amount of time cost me 100,000 hours of lifespan... How many meals do I have to eat to make that back?" Actually, the reason they had abruptly returned just now was mainly because Xin Yu felt the cost was too outrageous. Unwilling to expend more lifespan, he had pulled Siegfried back with him immediately. The cost was simply too exaggerated, and too much of a loss. Having previously lived with a mere three-digit hourly lifespan, the young man declared himself thoroughly traumatized by poverty!