Chapter 133 - 132: March 7th, Don't Look Back—Enter the Garden of Recollection!

Please support me on Patreon, where you can read a bunch of extra chapters, not just for this novel, but for all the novels I'm translating. I upload at least 2 times daily for each novel. Patreon.com/ThatGreatStuff ****** "It's not purely a riddle, Little March." Himeko's slender fingers tapped lightly on the table as she split the screen to display the text from the message. "Endless life and enduring suffering correspond to Xianzhou." "The instinct for survival and mournful wishes align with Belobog." "Growth of wisdom and relentless pursuit match the Herta space station." Hearing Himeko's explanation, March 7th read the introduction again and instantly understood. "You're right!" she exclaimed. "So, the fourth part must refer to my past?" "Darn it, just that line got erased!" Stelle frowned, feeling uneasy. "Why does this seem somewhat ominous?" "We're accessing my memories; there shouldn't be any danger, right?" Now, March 7th took control of the operation. After all, this was her companion quest, and once inside the instance, everything would unfold from her perspective. She configured their team composition: March 7th chose the legendary Quantum Battleship! Her squad consisted of Seele, Silver Wolf, the trial version of Fu Xuan, and Asta. "With this team, we should be able to face any boss head-on, no matter who they are!" March 7th felt confident at the moment. Enter! A brief loading screen appeared, typically displaying tips related to the upcoming scenario. However, the current tip shown was— [Do Not Look Back] [March 7th, do not look back; continue moving forward.] March 7th froze, her confident expression instantly turning rigid on her face. What's happening?! What does that message mean? She glanced at Stelle beside her, then Himeko and Old Yang. Their faces showed no signs of concern. March 7th began to doubt if she had misread it or if it was just a coincidence. Regardless, the memory sequence had already unfolded before her eyes. She could only set aside her fleeting confusion and proceed with the storyline. Fu Xuan spoke, "The Matrix of Prescience has reconstructed your past. This scene before us is built using the memories and items you provided as its foundation." "Are you feeling alright, Miss March?" March 7th replied, "Uh... I feel slightly dizzy..." "Don't worry. When affected by the Matrix of Prescience, most people experience dizziness due to the overwhelming influx of information." As they conversed, the scenery and characters behind them also came into view. There was Stelle engaged in conversation with someone. Tingyun stood before a stall. Jing Yuan appeared to be deep in thought nearby. And even more surprisingly, Beside Fu Xuan stood another Fu Xuan! Fu Xuan explained, "This is no illusion. One of them is this venerable one's projection, allowing us to communicate seamlessly at any time. The presence of the other Fu Xuan indicates that I existed within your past experience." "If my guess is accurate, it should correspond to the moment we infiltrated the Alchemy Commission." However... March 7th scanned their surroundings and said, "Really? I find that hard to believe. I remember the public square being filled with cloud knights everywhere..." "Hmm, indeed, as this is the Matrix of Prescience's 'simulation,' some inaccuracies are possible... But such significant discrepancies? It doesn't make sense." "Perhaps we could try conversing with the 'Fu Xuan' over there and see what insights the Diviner offers?" Since March 7th had placed the trial version of Fu Xuan in slot #1 during team formation, the resulting scene after ending the dialogue now presented: Three Fu Xuans—two NPC versions along with her controlled character—a triad standing face-to-face! Two NPC versions of Fu Xuan plus one controlled by March 7th herself—three Fu Xuans! A three-way standoff! "This... is truly an inventive design?" Stelle quipped sarcastically. "Oh my gosh, there are three little Fu Xuan avatars here." March 7th chose to converse with the Fu Xuan standing with arms crossed. "Fu Xuan, is it you?" Immediately, Fu Xuan's impatient voice rang out, "You've got the wrong person; go talk to the other one instead." She then engaged the Fu Xuan with her hand on her hip. "Fu Xuan, is it you?" The Fu Xuan from memory spoke up: "To address the star core calamity, we must first clarify a crucial question: What exactly lies at its heart? Generally speaking, once we grasp the core issue, everything else should fall into place effortlessly." March 7th was speechless. Don't answer a question with another question! she silently protested. "How did Fu Xuan end up like this in this Feathered Spirit-designed instance?" "She seems more prone to lengthy lectures and empty rhetoric..." Old Yang speculated. "In this memory, your subconscious likely perceived Fu Xuan as such." The conversation continued as expected, just as Old Yang had surmised. Fu Xuan provided the same explanation. Next, they needed to identify and correct each element of distortion one by one before further delving into the past. "But who could it be? The person 'who shouldn't be here but is'..." March 7th circled around. She approached Jing Yuan's figure. "Hello there, General!" she greeted him. "Is that General Jingyuan?" "Jing Yuan!" However, despite her calls, Jing Yuan showed no reaction whatsoever. "How infuriating! Standing here asleep! Who on earth behaves like this?!" Fu Xuan's voice chimed in, "This clearly reflects your subconscious bias towards the General..." "I distinctly remember that during our assault on the Alchemy Commission, the General was not present at the scene. It seems he might be the source of distortion within this memory segment." Just as she clicked to clear the distortion, the memory version of Jing Yuan suddenly spoke up, his tone icy cold: "March 7th." Forget about the March depicted in the scenario; even the real March 7th was startled by Jing Yuan's cold voice. The Jing Yuan within this memory continued, "Are you dissatisfied with your current life?" "I... I'm quite content..." "Then why cling to looking back at the past?" As his words trailed off, [Entering combat] March 7th controlled the battle, but internally she murmured her thoughts. "Why do these characters in the memory seem somewhat off?" "Hiss... What's up with this eerie feeling?" "How come my memories have such a chilling vibe?" She now felt relieved for choosing to return to the train. Had she been alone in the hotel during this sequence, navigating it single-handedly, her arm hairs might have stood on end. But currently, Himeko, Uncle Yang, and Stelle were all beside her, while Pom-Pom leisurely swept nearby. This instantly eased her nerves. After defeating the group of monsters, a Belobog heater unexpectedly appeared on the scene! According to Fu Xuan, this served as the medium to progress to the next experience. Upon selecting to touch the heater, they indeed entered a brief interlude sequence. At that moment, March 7th noticed a message below the interlude screen, causing her heart to jolt in surprise! It was the same warning again! [Do not look back.] [March 7th, do not look back; continue moving forward.] "Himeko! Uncle Yang! Look at this message!" "It appeared during our first interlude too! And now it's here again!" "It feels like someone is subtly hinting at me!" Himeko's gaze slightly darkened as she said, "Yes... I noticed it during the previous interlude as well. Now we can confirm it's no coincidence. This seems to be a suggestive and directional clue." Rubbing her arms, March 7th felt a sudden chill. "I wonder if this message is from the Feathered Spirit or just part of the storyline..." "Don't worry, March, everyone's with you," Old Yang reassured her in a deep, steady voice. Himeko echoed his comfort, "No matter what lies ahead, we'll face it together." "Okay..." Encouraged by Himeko and Old Yang's words, March 7th took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever might unfold in Belobog's memories. At that moment, Stelle suddenly stood up from their seat nearby and slowly walked towards the train car door. The trio paid little attention, assuming Stelle needed to use the restroom or was perhaps thirsty. However, Stelle quietly approached a potted plant near the wall. Just before reaching the wall, they found themselves in a small, empty space. Suddenly, a mirror materialized. Stelle couldn't help but exclaim softly, "Oh, so it's real."