The rainbow-colored stream of light flickered on the top of the Caotan Cliff, seeming to occupy the entire sky.
Slowly regaining his ability to think, when the boy's eyelashes fluttered slightly and the spiritual halo in his eyes brightened again, what he saw was Hilliard's face and the rainbow light that filled the entire top of the Wailing Cliff.
"what happened?"
Ian spoke with difficulty, but felt that his body was not as heavy as he imagined: "I remember... I won?"
"Um."
Sitting on the rock, the old knight smiled and nodded. He replied calmly: "You did win, but is it really worth it to ruin your body?"
"Hahaha, look at what you said, teacher."
He breathed a sigh of relief, and Ian laughed. He tried to straighten up, but found that the arm on his side was still very sore, and he had a feeling of paralysis caused by being unable to control his body after drinking. He had to give up: "We are all still alive, isn't this?
Is it worth it?”
"You brat who is not afraid of death..."
Hilliard snorted and said with a serious face: "Listen, Ian. I have removed most of the toxins from your body, but due to the impact of thunder and the influence of soma wine's nuclear toxins, your body will still be
It leaves extremely serious sequelae.”
"You will lose many of the sensations in your body, including most of your sense of smell, taste, and the ability to feel pain. This is almost irreversible and can only be cured after you reshape the phase neural network in the future."
"Really?" Hearing these words, even Ian, who was smiling just now, was stunned for a moment.
But soon, he continued to smile indifferently: "Although it's a pity, I'm really looking forward to it... There are still many flavors in this world that I don't know and haven't tried yet."
“It’s time to say goodbye now, but the longer you wait, the more interesting it will be when you taste it later.”
"...Everything is interesting, you kid, you are too optimistic."
After being stunned for a moment by his disciple's answer, Hilliard laughed.
But he immediately said seriously: "I have cured these sequelae for you just now. At most, you will be unable to taste your food for a month or two."
The old knight whispered: "Look at your chest."
Ian lowered his head.
Then, he saw a wound on his chest that was slowly healing.
With the young man's knowledge of the human body, he could tell that this wound had cut open the flesh and blood of his chest. Carefully sensing it, it seemed that even the bone plates had been pried open and closed with clever techniques.
On the inside of the wound, a light golden mist was shining.
"What's this?"
Blinking in surprise, Ian raised his head and looked at the old knight.
He originally wanted to ask Hilliard what high-level secret medicine he put into his body. Is it okay to eat such a thing by himself? He has no sense of taste. It’s not a big deal if he can’t smell the fragrance. Let’s let the situation first
The teacher who looks worse should use it first and then talk about it.
But a bolt of lightning pierced the dark night, causing him to stare blankly at the huge wound on his teacher's chest and abdomen.
That was a huge wound that could be called ‘disembowelment’…
But the strange thing is that there are no internal organs in Hilliard's belly, only a ball of gray-white substance that looks like a stone.
More than that.
From Hilliard's legs up to his chest, gray-white marks have been spreading.
Stripped of all color and wonder, the old knight's body is gradually turning into the most ordinary rock...a lifeless stone.
"what happened?!"
Standing up, Ian seemed to break free from all the pain and restraints in his body in an instant, and stared in shock at Hilliard, who was smiling calmly.
Then, he leaned down as quickly as possible, trying to touch the huge wound: "What happened...Teacher, could you...could..."
Even with Ian's keenness and wisdom, he didn't figure out what was going on in the first place.
Maybe it's because you don't want to understand.
The boy touched those gray-white rock materials. They were stones, but not hard. It seemed that with just a little force, they would be completely shattered and turned into dust. So Ian subconsciously withdrew his hand, not daring to touch them any more.
He was completely panicked.
"Calm down... Ian, calm down. Haha, you are actually much calmer and more rational than me. This is probably the last thing I need to tell you."
Compared with Ian's panic, Hilliard stared indifferently at the gray-white marks still spreading on his body: "Even if you were not dead, you would have lost your sense of touch, taste and smell due to excessive toxins. Excessive toxins will make you
When the internal organs fail and the brain is filled with various impurities, it is very likely that you will become a fool whose thoughts are frozen."
"A mind like yours shouldn't end up like this. I firmly believe that your wisdom can change the world."
"So, I gave you my heart core and used my last source of essence to expel most of the toxins for you."
"Why go back?"
Without any hesitation, Ian supported the teacher and leaned against the rock, his tone determined not to allow any doubt: "My toxins have been almost eliminated."
"Tell me how to return it."
Hilliard looked at Ian with a strange look. He seemed to want to laugh, but his gaze penetrated Ian, as if he was looking at someone extremely far away.
"I'm dying."
The old knight's tone contained a tone that could not be heard to be regretful or relieved, with extremely contradictory and extremely complex emotions, and the gray-white traces of rock had already crossed his abdomen and climbed towards his chest.
He said softly: "This is the ashes of the Ice Hell. The poison that will turn everything I set a target into ashes is probably because my life is too hard. Even it can only slowly turn me into a rock, causing
I can still survive for a while."
"My death is inevitable. In that case, why not let me use my last remaining sublimation organ to save your life."
Hilliard turned his head, looked at Ian, and smiled: "Don't worry, my student, this is equivalent to you having the fifth-level ancient dragon material from the beginning! Back then, I was fighting with my king leading an army.
It took dozens of mountains to collapse to get it done, but you can pick one up for free, you are really lucky, haha..."
Noticing that Ian didn't care about this at all, the boy just stared at him blankly, and he said patiently: "Don't worry, Ian, I was about to die. Without Wiggs, I probably wouldn't survive this winter.
…At the latest, it will be next winter.”
The gray-white marks have begun to spread to the entire chest, forming spider web-like marks.
At this moment, Hilliard raised his hand and grabbed Ian's hand. The boy felt the teacher's strength was amazing: "After I die, send my body to the South China Sea... I will watch there... all the time.
Watch.”
Ian and Hilliard looked at each other, and the old knight said solemnly: "Promise me."
"Child, don't be sad."
"I promise you……"
Ian replied blankly: "But I still don't want you to die...how can I not be sad?"
"Teacher, I really want to cry. I know I should cry at this time, but I can't cry. I have no tears..."
The young man held his teacher's hand tightly. He had no tears, but the spiritual light in his eyes was shining.
He wanted to see the trajectory of the future, but in Hilliard's body there was only a dark gray of despair.
All the light is dimming, and the knight in the precognitive vision is dead.
He simply continues to exist in his dead body with a will that is transcendent of the material world.
This is a hesitation that is more desperate than despair. Ian can only endure it and endure this unspeakable grief: "Teacher, I can only feel silence and emptiness, a heavy feeling."
"I...I can't describe the emptiness..."
"Yes. That's the kind of person you are."
But Hilliard raised his hand and stroked the boy's head comfortingly: "You are a strange child, an abnormal child, a child different from other children, a hesitant and curious child."
"I...I thought of a person who is just like you, a guy who can never be truly uninhibitedly happy, nor can he be truly sad and joyfully sad."
He smiled weakly and moved his eyes upward, staring at the dark sky.
Hilliard, who was already a little distracted, seemed to be communicating with Ian, and seemed to be communicating with a close friend from the distant past: "What can fill the hole in your hearts? Not even this world?"
"That's why... you want to go?"
Hilliard paused for a while, seeming to be gathering strength.
Then, the old man spoke in the same clear voice as always: "I am Hilliard Lexi, the thirty-ninth emperor of the Setar Empire and a knight of the pioneer Emperor Inaga."
"I am also the highest-level wanted criminal and traitor in the Setal Empire. I am the last legacy of the 'Black Tyrant'."
"I'm sorry, Ian, I will hand over His Majesty's legacy to you...it will bring you a large group of enemies, and they are the masters of the world, the most numerous, and they occupy this land.
Everything, all the resources, everyone is on the side of these guys."
"They are the kings of the earth, the envoys of gods walking on earth, the generals who command a large army, and the rulers of this world."
Lowering his head, the knight's gray-brown eyes stared at Ian. The old man studied his disciple's sad expression, then raised his hand and touched the young man's face: "Why, aren't you afraid?"
The gray marks have spread to every part of the chest and abdomen, and have even begun to spread towards the neck and head.
"how come."
Taking a deep breath, Ian responded softly.
Already aware of the arrival of the moment, his tone became firm, like an eternal rock: "This is what I want to do, and they are the enemies that I should destroy."
"Teacher, I came into this world to do these things."
Looking into Ian's eyes, Hilliard stared into that gaze.
Bright eyes. Familiar eyes. Firm eyes.
Just like the king's eyes back then.
His eyes are dimming.
In fact, I have never understood it. I really have never understood it.
The old man's consciousness has begun to become a little blurry, and his complicated life is spinning before his eyes, turning into endless flying fragments.
He murmured to himself and asked from the bottom of his heart: "Why do you all want to go?"
So. In order to respond to my best friend, in order to respond to my teacher.
Those in their memories and those in reality opened their mouths and answered seriously.
Hilliard, we can't just stare at the land before us
Among the fragments of lights flying in front of him, a figure shorter than him, but full of enthusiasm, was walking in front of him. He was making gestures, as if explaining his future plans: We cannot be trapped in our land, we cannot be trapped in this land.
In the Cradle of Film...
The young man seemed to be talking about something. At that time, I actually disagreed. The earth was just the cradle...the earth was everything! All wealth and glory were on the earth!
Everything human beings have comes from the land, from cultivation and labor, instead of vainly dreaming and staring at the void!
But that figure didn't care about his rebuttal and rebuke. He just smiled and explained his point of view with a smile.
Hilliard... The most important thing is that a civilization, a civilization that can go to the void, must be great. It can make everyone full of food, and can make everyone have abundant wisdom and wealth, my friend
Ah, only when people are full and have nothing to do can they have leisure and appreciation**
In an unhappy country, no one would look up at the stars with hope and expectation!
On the contrary, I want to build just that kind of country in order to realize my wish!
and."
It seems as if someone is answering me, as if someone is speaking, the illusory shadow gradually overlaps with reality, and the words that echo in my heart are gradually replaced by the real voice in my ears.
The man of the past and the boy of today are overlapping.
They were silent for a while.
They were a little embarrassed.
They seemed a little embarrassed.
But in the end, they still spoke.
"Because I want to."
They spoke calmly, just as they stated a truth that needs no elaboration a second time: "Just like a question longing for an answer, a calculation longing for the result."
Hilliard/Teacher, I just think, without any reason."
I want to touch the stars with my own hands."
So he went crazy and chased the stars with that fool.
Do you regret it?
Among the endless fragments of time, there seems to be a figure asking softly: Just spend a life with me achieving nothing and accomplishing nothing, don't you regret it?
Regret it.
I regret not protecting that person.
so……
Ian heard his teacher whisper to himself: "I can't regret it a second time."
He coughed, but what he coughed up was gray, like mud.
The gray-white marks have spread to the neck.
But just after coughing, Hilliard opened his eyes wide. His eyes were extremely bright, as if a coal fire had been rekindled.
"If possible, I really don't want to die. You haven't grown up yet, Ian, my disciple... How much I want to see you grow up, become the person you want to be, and then achieve your dreams."
"How I wish you could touch the stars."
He laughed cheerfully, and a silver light shone in the old knight's eyes.
Then, he raised his clenched right hand and showed it in front of Ian's eyes: "Look, this is Inaga's legacy, the last thing that everyone is fighting for, enough to change the world, enough to transform the world, and the way for mankind to return to the stars.
hope."
"This is...the greatest treasure in this world, the key that can open the eternal labyrinth.
My disciple."
This is a blessing and a curse.”
If you get it, you will get hope."
There will be no peace forever."
A silver, thin chip that seemed not to exist in this world at all was sent to Ian's eyes by Hilliard.
The silver chip shines with endless runes, like a bright starry sky.
In the precognitive vision, the bright and endless rainbow-colored glory flows like a river and surges like the sea, but in the end it is all condensed into this small chip.
"As I wish, teacher."
Stretching out his hand, Ian took the silver chip with a more solemn and cautious respect: "Whether it is a blessing or a curse... I accept it gladly."
And the next moment, it seemed to melt and submerged into Ian's body.
Watching this scene, the last light in Hilliard's eyes also dissipated.
He vaguely saw a thin figure gradually breaking into pieces. The knight smiled softly.
...my king.
He vaguely saw a white-haired child staring blankly at his face. He stared sadly and made a firm promise.
...Ian.
...my...stars.
Hilliard smiled and closed his eyes.
Gray-white traces of petrification spread all over the body of the knight and teacher.
he left.
…
After a long, long time.
Just when the stars fade away and the moons set.
The white-haired boy stood up.
He held the last relics of his teacher and walked down the cliff step by step.
The morning sun rises slowly from the edge of the sky, the colorful rays of light dye the edge of the coastal clouds and mist with brilliant colors, and the warm sea breeze blows from the depths of the ocean toward the other side of the earth.
On the windswept coast, the young man raised his head and looked up at the distant sky.
The light falls.
The stars continue to shine over this land, just as they have for billions of years.