The Meaning of a Name, and the Cloud Information That Was Discovered

The television was showing one of the few variety shows that was still being filmed. Little Feather stared intently at the colorful screen, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. Her innocent eyes continued to gaze at the people performing and chatting, revealing a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

Su Qing'an silently placed the braised pork on the table, untied his apron, took off his very casual-looking heat-resistant gloves, and set them aside before finally managing to tear his gaze away from the girl.

The boy looked at the girl who seemed to be questioning the meaning of life, lowered his voice, and whispered in her ear:

"Did you sense it too?"

Fu Hua glanced at her wrist. Even though the red line did not exist in the material world, she could still detect the faint trace in her mind. This was undoubtedly the Soul Link that she and Udu-dust had established on that day.

She quietly sensed the emptiness in her Mind Lake and finally made up her mind about the answer.

The little girl in front of me, who is watching TV at home and exudes a similar aura to someone, is none other than the lively and energetic Feather who was just a few days ago.

The girl couldn't help but glance at her own Mind Lake again, feeling a strange mix of emotions. She was excited but also afraid of disturbing Little Feather, who was watching TV, so she lowered her voice and said:

"Su Qing'an, why did Udu-dust turn into a human? He was supposed to be a small animal!"

Su Qing'an answered seriously:

"It's normal for imagination to differ from reality, and even if she turned into a small animal, she would be adorable. But doesn't Hua think she's fine as she is now? Her hair is also easier to comb."

Fu Hua pinched the soft flesh on his side and said:

"That's not the problem at all."

"Why is your focus so strange? If Udu-dust really did absorb the essence of both of our souls to become like this..."

She gazed at the figure on the sofa and felt that the other person's appearance and the mysteriously beautiful boy beside her had many subtle similarities. Although they were girls, their styles differed, but they inherited similar temperaments and advantages.

The little girl never considered the feather, which she had arbitrarily named Chi Yuan, as an ordinary pet. She always felt that the Little Feather resembled a child. In addition, the subtle idea of giving Su Qing'an a home recently arose, causing her normally normal thoughts to veer off into strange and unusual directions.

Fu Hua's voice became even softer, and she blushed as she said:

"In a sense, don't we instantly become mom and dad?"

Upon hearing this, Su Qing'an looked at Little Feather, who resembled her in many ways, and belatedly realized the problem.

The little girl on the sofa was almost a gender-swapped version of myself plus a toddler. Her eye and hair colors were also identical black. She had delicate features, and her loose clothes covered her tender skin. She had a cold face, but her eyes were very childlike. Her long, flowing black hair also made people want to touch it.

Overall, they're so cute you just want to pick them up and lift them high in the air.

Su Qing'an had always regarded Little Feather as a transformation device and mascot, had many preconceived notions. That's why he realized that he could also view his relationship with Little Feather as a hypothetical father-daughter relationship.

Following this logic, the boy was experiencing for the first time this momentous event that should have been marked on the calendar of his life.

For a normal human being, seeing a daughter suddenly born before their eyes without any prior preparation or the experience of several months of pregnancy would likely be a huge shock to their reason and normal logical thinking.

Although the boy wouldn't actually do that, after being led into this line of thinking by Fu Hua, his gaze towards Little Feather suddenly became extremely complicated. He clearly hadn't done anything indescribable with Hua, yet he had directly fast-forwarded into a daughter in this way?

As an entity capable of observing souls, I am more likely to identify with the new consciousness that arises from the intertwining of the soul matter of both than Fu Hua.

So, according to the daughter...

Even though it was strange and unconventional, Su Qing'an didn't object.

He has even started trying to glean some fragmented experience by recalling how his father treated him as a child.

In the end, he discovered that he was practically a left-behind child in his previous world, spending most of his time in daycare centers and relatives' homes. The strange nature of his job seemed no different from that of the archaeologists in this world.

The only experience I could learn was that during the few times I came back, my unreliable parents would take me on trips and outings for a while, almost every month. As for the homework left over and whether it would affect my normal studies, it seemed to be completely out of their consideration.

Su Qing'an believes that learning bad habits instead of good ones is a bad habit that will hinder human development. Rather than taking Little Feather out to play, he prefers to teach her math olympiad problems, classical Chinese texts, and the analysis of ancient poems.

I failed my exams in the past because my parents were irresponsible, which led to my later habit of slacking off and being lazy, and my aversion to effort and studying.

Although I was brutally beaten by the reality of death upon entering this world, and was forcibly changed into the self-disciplined person I am today, the pain of the adjustment process was still very difficult. The reason why I did not show it was because it was swallowed up by greater sorrow and grief.

So even though Little Feather doesn't need to take exams, she still needs to study.

This was certainly not to satisfy my perverse pleasure of seeing her look distressed, but for her future.

As for the future...

Well, in just a brief gap of ten seconds, Su Qing'an hadn't made up her mind yet.

Immediately, a direct gaze snapped the boy out of his dazed state of intense thought.

The girl glanced longingly at Su Qing'an and Fu Hua, who were secretly peeking from the side, then looked at the television before turning to them. She tilted her head, her fine hair swaying, and as her lips moved, this newborn, who had only recently gained true self-awareness, uttered some unclear, mumbled words:

"Xiao Su."

She then looked at Fu Hua and said seriously:

"Xiao Fu."

Finally, the girl glanced at her delicate little hands, a barely perceptible hint of disappointment appearing on her otherwise indifferent face. She murmured:

"Little Feather."

Although the little guy's expression changed very subtly, both of them, who had established Soul Link with him, could sense that sense of loss.

For a child who possesses some memories and knowledge from birth, not having a name must be a very sad thing.

Fu Hua didn't have the energy to complain about being called "Xiao Fu." She cautiously approached the sofa, and after noticing that the other girl didn't seem to mind, she gathered her long, dark hair, sat down next to the girl, and asked softly:

"You still remember what happened before?"

Little Feather didn't speak; she just stared at Su Qing'an. After he obediently sat down beside her, she felt a subtle sense of happiness and softly replied:

"Hmm, but it's vague... indistinct."

Su Qing'an suppressed the urge to pinch her cheeks and began to ponder why she was called that. Theoretically, this was a strange title that only Bronya had accepted the Kiana fallacy theory, would have created.

For example, Xiao Fu or something...

This suggests that the Little Feather itself, as something that had long resided in the soul, may have instinctively recorded what it saw and heard in the form of a recorder, and incorporated it into common sense after it truly formed self-awareness.

His guess was not without reason. After meeting Udu-dust Cang Xuan at the Mount Taixu, the other party mentioned that Yu Duchen had the ability to record things instinctively, and that the Heart Seal was passed down from ancient times to the present in this form.

As part of Udu-dust, it is not illogical for it to possess such abilities.

She continued, saying:

"I am the eighth Divine Key, a part of Udu-dust. In a daze, I absorbed your soul matter and took the form of this human cub."

Fu Hua gently stroked her head, while the boy solemnly picked up a comb and tidied her dark hair. Under the girl's innocent gaze, the two gestured for her to continue talking, their hands remaining in motion.

It's cool and soft, and cute.

She blinked her eyelashes and said seriously:

"Current memories are rather vague; basic common sense and cognition depend on memories from the early stages after the emergence of self-awareness and the records of the feathers themselves."

Su Qing'an asked:

"So, the way you address me and Hua, is that also a record of the feather itself?"

The girl's expression remained unchanged, but both of them could sense a faint hint of pride emanating from her. She nodded in reply:

"Udu-dust is very powerful."

Then the two of them patted Little Feather's head.

The girl didn't mind their touching; on the contrary, she found the intimacy pleasant, so she continued:

"Bronya taught me."

"I also know so many of Xiao Su's skills, I can break things."

Looking at her childlike appearance, Fu Hua couldn't help but pinch her cheek. The soft and bouncy texture made her marvel at the wonders of the world. Just a month and a half ago, it was just a tiny feather, but with the help of soul matter, it had created such a body that was almost as real as flesh and blood.

Both she and Su Qing'an understood that Little Feather was still in a state of being unobservable and intangible by matter. Its essence had not changed; only its form in the external world and its self-awareness had evolved, but this was already astonishing enough.

Su Qing'an further discovered the possibility of the Soul Materialization. If Little Feather could generate a body similar to flesh and blood through the matter within its soul, then even more valuable and meaningful things could be derived from it.

The boy pinched her cheek and asked:

"Can you turn back into a feather?"

The girl blinked, nodded politely, and in an instant, she vanished like a bubble, the faint flame dissipating before finally coalescing into a crimson feather.

It bounced back into Su Qing'an's hair, then rolled around as if getting used to the nostalgic touch. But just as the Little Feather was about to take a peaceful nap, it was picked up by the little girl with her slender fingers, her eyes sparkling. She asked:

"How about we try changing it back again?"

The feather swayed its tail tip in confusion, seemingly unable to understand the other's expectations.

But soon, under Su Qing'an's encouraging gaze, it returned to its original state.

Fu Hua patted the girl's head as a reward, and then asked earnestly:

"What do you think our relationship is?"

That patient and persuasive manner was just like that of a roadside convenience store owner tricking elementary school students into buying five yuan worth of lottery tickets; every word he uttered exuded the special aura that you were about to lose a lot of Weilong spicy strips.

However, because the other person was very good-looking, and because the girl who had absorbed the other person's soul essence had a natural intimacy with her and a destiny entangled across timelines, she was completely unaware of this and simply expressed her feelings earnestly:

"Xiao Fu is like a mother."

"Xiao Su is like a father."

"Little Feather looks like a daughter."

After hearing the answer she wanted, Fu Hua embraced the petite, soft body with satisfaction. Sensing the disappointment in the other's voice as she uttered the words "Little Feather," she blinked, her eyes revealing a smile and genuine emotion, and said earnestly:

"In that case, shall we help you choose a name Su Qing'an?"

The girl's expression remained unchanged after hearing this, but even without the sensory link, both of them could sense each other's fluctuating emotions. Her fingers twisted her cold hair, and she raised her chin, looking at them cautiously as she asked:

"May I?"

"Certainly."

Although both of them were terrible at naming things and had no experience in it, they both gave very confident answers.

Fu Hua was naturally drawn to the girl because of the deep connection she felt from the soul and the phrase "like a mother," which triggered an involuntary surge of maternal instinct.

Su Qing'an had been thinking about what name to give the Little Feather as soon as she first saw it become sentient.

He has always respected the personality of every individual life. Although the Little Feather in the past was very smart and full of spirituality, it still did not need to have a name to distinguish individual differences.

The boy has always valued the Little Feather that is connected to the origins of the previous world. Now that he possesses his own soul matter and Fu Hua's soul matter and has developed self-awareness, it can no longer be measured by pure value, and the name itself has also become meaningful.

And so the idea of what name to give the other party arose.

Even today, it wouldn't be surprising to define this part of the Udu-dust as a token of love.

For the Little Feather that possesses both its own and Fu Hua's soul matter, the meaning of its name is given even greater weight by both of them.

Canghai City, that's where the two first met.

This cross-timeline emotion served as a fulcrum, slowly influencing various subsequent events and leading him to his current predicament.

St. Freya Academy.

On the edge of that boundless sea, reflecting the fading sunset and the endless sea of clouds, this small island, which has witnessed the rise and fall of countless warriors, sits peacefully, like a secluded paradise.

Fu Hua likes to watch the sea at dusk, and he likes it too.

Perhaps the moment when you truly understand that you like someone is in those countless fleeting moments, when you feel the sea breeze together, when you are barefoot in the white waves, and when the sunset falls into your eyes, that make up the trivialities that make your heart sink.

Time moved so slowly back then; sometimes, a young boy could almost breathe in the sea breeze simply by gazing at the sunset.

And the same is true below the Nine Nether, where there is also a sea.

Separation in life, separation in death.

If we were to name Udu-dust, then the word "sea" would be an unavoidable element for him.

It's like a link connecting stories, spanning thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, leaving behind a strong impression on several distant ends of the timeline.

But Su Qing'an thought that he still liked the sunset and the sea in St. Freya the most.

The boy made a decision. He stroked her head and asked earnestly:

"Mu tide, what do you think of this name?"

"Twilight is the twilight of morning and evening, and twilight is the tide of dusk."

To outsiders who didn't understand, this explanation might seem strange, but only he knew at that moment that it was the most fitting explanation, and the most fitting name.

The girl tilted her head, and her pronunciation became much more accurate than before, giving her slightly childlike voice a captivating charm.

"Su... Muxi?"

Su Qing'an was taken aback. Actually, she hadn't considered giving the other person a specific surname; those two characters were enough. But since she had brought it up herself, then so be it.

So he responded:

"Um."

Her tone became a little more cheerful:

"It sounds great, I really like it."

"Thank you, Xiao Su."

Fu Hua had no objection to this; in her opinion, as long as the name wasn't strange or unusual, it was fine.

As for the right to name the child, although she was a little unwilling, the girl understood that the little one currently named Su Muxi actually preferred Su Qing'an.

In that case, she would be even happier to let him name it.

Just as this heartwarming scene unfolded, amidst the devastation of Sydney, the Mechanical Force unearthed the wreckage of a Virtual Pod logged into the account of Himeko, the former captain of the Fifth Squad of the Moth to Fire.

As is customary, after Himeko, who was originally the team leader, died as Herrscher, all previous information would be subject to review and reporting. Login history and browsing records of the Virtual Pod... even leftover information should have already undergone rigorous screening.

However, due to the extremely special period, these trivial and seemingly dispensable matters were never specifically mentioned. After all, the upper echelons and Dr. Mei understood that the selection of the Herrscher's body had nothing to do with the individual's will, and the review and reports were merely to appease the public and the lower-ranking soldiers.

After Mei considered that the official's past practices would displease Su Qing'an, she deliberately concealed the true identity of the Seventh Herrscher, and thus these remaining pieces of information no longer had any significance for censorship on the surface.

However, as the Virtual Pod was being unearthed, Prometheus discovered a horrifying report in the cloud within...