Chapter 327
Charlotte puffed out her cheeks and complained:
"Huh? I clearly didn't tell Sister Ellie, I was planning to surprise her and everyone else, so how did they guess my return date again?"
Nia tilted her head, her blonde hair, tied in a bun, swayed, revealing a childish expression, and said dejectedly:
"Because Aili's mom is really amazing! Even though she can't see, she can predict the weather, do the laundry and cook, and she's never fallen down. She's even never lost a game of Hide-and-Seek- and-seek or 'Statues' with us."
Emma said admiringly:
"Last time, I secretly covered Aili's mom's eyes and asked Nia to guess who it was. Aili's mom immediately called out my name and even guessed that I hadn't done my homework. She's amazing."
Charlotte caught the key phrase, and she rubbed the child's cheek, pretending to be serious as she said:
"Emma didn't do her homework? How naughty! I'll have to put extra carrots in your bowl at dinner tonight as punishment."
Emma was immediately terrified by the terrible punishment. She pitifully covered her mouth, afraid that she would accidentally reveal some "bad things" she had done.
Chu Yuanqing wanted to laugh. She squeezed Charlotte's hand to stop "threatening" her, stood up, and sprinkled silvery magic onto the sky.
In an instant, colorful petals fell in a flurry, creating a rainbow bridge amidst the mist, drawing the children's attention.
"Thank you for the gift. I'll return your Charlotte sister to you later."
The moment the children's attention was diverted, the Pure White Witch immediately imitated the Saintess's actions, grabbing their little hands and disappearing with magic.
Then she went out of the courtyard and went with Charlotte into the house with pale green eaves.
"The third floor is the entertainment area, the second floor is where the children sleep, and the first floor is the study and dining area."
Charlotte took Chu Yuanqing's hand, slowed her pace, turned around with a captivating smile, and gracefully introduced her home, continuing:
"Besides me, there are many other children who go to school in other places. Although it's the holiday season now, most of them have chosen to do holiday jobs."
Chu Yuanqing asked:
"There must be over twenty children here, right? Can Sister Ellie take care of them all by herself?"
Charlotte replied:
"Sister Ellie can certainly take care of things, but to avoid putting too much strain on her, I asked the uncles and aunts in town a few years ago to help. Several volunteers from the town come over every week on a rotating basis."
"Furthermore, the radiant blessing I bestowed upon this town will also play a role in this regard; those musical notes and colorful lights will help care for the children and protect Sister Ellie, preventing any accidents from happening."
Chu Yuanqing nodded upon hearing this; she had noticed it too.
Charlotte's gifts to the town have filled every corner with her colors, to the point that fans would be compelled to visit every day, or even live there year-round.
These wondrous fairytale phenomena, and the constant rhythms flowing between heaven and earth, not only create a plethora of adorable and interesting "Easter eggs," but also possess many magical tangible effects.
For example, residents within the town are healthier and happier every day than those outside, and are even blessed with the ability to prevent tragedies.
Especially the last blessing, which is based on Charlotte's Destined Magic— [Illusion]—will grant the permanent residents a life-saving charm, protecting them from things like gas explosions, sudden death from staying up all night, accidental falls, car accidents, etc.
Even if these unnatural accidents happen, under the protection of blessings, one will not lose one's life, or at least not suffer any injury.
Those whom Charlotte values most will receive the extra favor of the Radiant Blessing.
It can be said that even if Aili were a blind girl with no special features, she could live as comfortably as an ordinary person with this favor. The trivial inconveniences in her life would be solved by the musical notes that followed her, or by the cartoon version of Charlotte.
Chu Yuanqing complained helplessly:
"So, you should also know where Sister Ellie is, right?"
Charlotte confidently held up her finger, and explained earnestly:
"Of course! The area of blessing is just like my barrier."
"But that wouldn't be fun; it wouldn't feel like hide-and-seek at all, and the anticipation would disappear."
"It's good as it is now. I can look forward to seeing Sister Ellie anytime. We should create more surprises for ourselves in life. Xiao Qing needs to learn to look forward to the unknown and not be so rigid."
Chu Yuanqing felt that the Saintess Maiden's words made sense. After listening, she put away the children's gifts and placed them in their shared space, suggesting:
"Then let's go for a walk together and distribute all the gifts you prepared for the children?"
Charlotte agreed to the proposal, her mind clear and undisturbed as she ignored her phone, which was ringing incessantly and filled with messages of complaints from her Little Idol.
Subsequently, Miss Saintess transformed into a hide-and-seek ghost, and together with Qing Bao, they began catching children who hadn't received gifts. Upon meeting them, they would greet them, offer gifts, introduce their girlfriends, and incidentally inquire about Sister Ellie's whereabouts. Their "business" was quite adept.
An hour passed quickly, and even the baby lying in the cradle who had just learned to crawl received a new pacifier. Charlotte had given away almost all the gifts she had prepared.
"Looks like he really hasn't come back. Let's go for a walk in town."
Charlotte was not discouraged. She Hide-and-Seek -seek, avoiding the children's routes, and enthusiastically led Qing Bao to her secret route where she used to climb over the wall.
"This is it! I used to climb out from here all the time when I was little. Sister Ellie has nagged me about it a lot because of it, but I've never fallen once. Pretty amazing, right?"
"Yes, that's the same as before. The church in the City of Doomsday is even more dilapidated. Every time I drag Xiao Qing outside to play, Sister Ellie catches me with deadly precision. It's really terrifying."
The Doomsday Diva revealed a radiant smile. With elegant manners and without any ladylike flair, she lifted her skirt, exposing the skin of her ankles and calves, and climbed the wall in a few steps, following the lush green vegetation and stepping on the bricks.
Miss Saintess stood atop the courtyard wall, untied the ropes, letting her azure hair sway freely, then playfully spread her arms, circling around as if walking on a balance beam.
Suddenly,
The girl turned to look at the Pure White Witch in the light. The witch's pink lips were full of smiles, and the gradient colors in her eyes reflected the dawn. Her hair swayed in the breeze, as if extending an invitation to a ball.
Looking at her youthful and lively lover, Chu Yuanqing felt as if she had become much younger herself. She also climbed to the top of the wall, acting childish and naive, as if she had returned to many years ago. She curled up her lips and smiled.
In a daze, a hazy voice sounded in my ear:
Charlotte, why did you take Xiaoqing out to play again?
As fragments of memory crumbled, that gentle, steady, and strangely familiar voice echoed from beneath the wall:
"Charlotte, why are you leading other children in such unladylike behavior again? It's dangerous standing up there, come down now."
Beneath the green shade of the wall, a familiar yet hazy figure comes into view.
That intense sense of déjà vu, like golden quicksand engulfing my chest, even if only blurry fragments remain, still brings a soothing warmth to my loneliness when the sunlight shines on me.
Chu Yuanqing's eyes were filled with confusion. She looked into those empty, honey-colored eyes, as if traversing through the weight of time, and murmured in a dreamlike voice:
Sister Ellie...
Volume 1: 306. Chu Yuanqing: "Aili's mother." (5K2)
Under the trees outside the wall.
Chu Yuanqing lowered his eyes to look at the nun who was both unfamiliar and familiar.
Although Charlotte had whispered that Sister Ellie was almost 40, the person under the tree looked much older than her age.
Aili had pretty features and delicate skin. She was dignified, tall and serious, with her back straight. Her mature and voluptuous curves were accentuated by her nun's habit, revealing a beauty that time could not diminish.
The nun's eyes were unique, a coffee-brown hue, reminiscent of honey, but more accurately, the romantic color of toffee, possessing a gentleness that melts the heart.
Unfortunately, the lack of focus in her blindness made her gaze lifeless, with a hollow desolation that made even her normally warm pupils appear melancholic.
A gentle breeze stirred her veil and her long, golden-brown hair, which matched her eye color and resembled that of a thrush.
Chu Yuanqing lowered her eyes, lost in thought. She looked at this woman who appeared to be only 25 years old, yet possessed an exceptionally mature demeanor. The sorrowful whisper of Charlotte from her hallucination echoed in her ears once more:
"■■■■, Little Carol, Alice, and...■■■■ also sacrificed themselves."
The curse made the final name ambiguous, but intuition locked onto the nun who was like a foster mother, stirring ripples in the lake of my heart.
Time reverses, the world restarts.
Those past tragedies have been erased in retrospect.
She was able to persevere for 17 years under the curse of the Sea of Truth, still holding onto hope, precisely because she knew that those who cherished her could live carefree in a peaceful world.
Therefore, even if one already knew, or even if one had forgotten the other person,
Even after seeing Sister Ellie in person, her emotions were still like a swaying soda, with dense bubbles surrounding her heart, bursting out with a tingling joy, making the Lantern Gem on her chest shine with pure white light.
Sister Ellie was swept up in this Heart Tide, and asked, puzzled and surprised:
Charlotte, you brought your friends back this time?
Charlotte, who had just been feeling discouraged at being found by Sister Ellie first, like a child who had failed miserably at Hide-and-Seek, immediately felt she had won back her pride after hearing these words. She smiled sweetly and said:
"Yes, her name is Chu Yuanqing, and she's the one I like."
The Doomsday Diva easily declared her coming out, a radiant smile on her face as she took Chu Yuanqing's hand and leaped down from the wall, landing gracefully. She introduced him confidently:
"Sister Ellie should be able to tell, right? Xiao Qing is just as adorable as I am. Come and touch her face and hair, she'll be so happy!"
Sister Ellie caught Charlotte as she leaned in. As if anticipating something, she pinched Charlotte's cheek, but didn't press hard. Smiling and sighing, she stroked the girl's hair and softly whispered:
"Welcome home, Charlotte. I'm so glad you're back to see me."
After the nun finished speaking, she turned her head to "look" at Chu Yuanqing and continued:
"And this lovely lady, although it's presumptuous of me to say this on our first meeting, may I touch your face?"
Chu Yuanqing was somewhat bewildered. Encouraged by Charlotte, she nudged her way to the other woman and softly replied:
"Sure."
Sister Ellie smiled with her eyes lowered, like a statue of the Virgin Mary in a church, her toffee-colored pupils shimmering in the light. Her hands slowly touched the Pure White Witch's face, bringing a cool and summery feeling.
Chu Yuanqing could feel her fingertips brushing across his face, lightly touching his bones, and gently stroking his eyes and forehead with a comfortable pressure, caressing his skin, stirring up a strange sense of nostalgia in his heart.
This may be one way blind people determine appearance.
Sister Ellie touched it for a minute, then whispered in confusion:
"Hmm, beautiful bone structure, delicate skin, harmonious proportions, and a captivating charm that bewitches the soul even without seeing your face—no wonder Charlotte fell for you."
"But... it's strange, I've never actually met you before, yet I always have this strange feeling of longing for you."
Sister Ellie spoke, grappling with unfamiliar emotions. Like a loving mother seeing her wounded child, she couldn't suppress her pity. After much hesitation, she finally asked:
"Chu Yuan... Qing, right? Can I hug you?"
Chu Yuanqing hadn't felt the warmth of being cared for by her elders for a long time. A strange pang of pain and a sour feeling welled up in her heart, but she instinctively suppressed her vulnerable emotions, lowering her eyes and whispering with an unchanged expression:
"Well, if you'd like."
Sister Ellie gently embraced the person who was shorter than herself. She stroked Chu Yuanqing's white hair with her palm, her movements tender and meticulous, as if recounting the suffering and pain he had endured, offering a loving and sorrowful prayer.
How strange, we are complete strangers.
But just as she felt when she heard Charlotte cry as a baby, she also found a divine connection with Chu Yuanqing. She almost instinctively understood the burdens he had endured and felt sorrow and guilt.
Chu Yuanqing closed her eyes. She couldn't remember if Sister Ellie had ever hugged her before, but she felt very comfortable, warm, and familiar. Her nostrils were filled with a fragrance similar to that of rice paddies, as soft as a dream.
Even if you've long passed the stage where you need comforting, being cared for is still something to be happy about.
Charlotte watched this scene, secretly took a picture, and revealed a bewitching smile like a fairy.
A long time,
Sister Ellie released her embrace, gave an apologetic smile, and whispered:
"I'm sorry, I said something strange to you on our first meeting."
Chu Yuanqing calmed herself down, looked at her adoptive mother, and answered earnestly:
"It's alright. I also feel a sense of warmth towards Sister Ellie. Perhaps... we were family in a past life."
Sister Ellie thought Charlotte's child was adorable, and upon hearing this, she felt an urge to hug her again. She suppressed this urge and changed the subject:
"By the way, Charlotte told me that you and she have that kind of relationship, is that right?"
If that's the case, then it's no different from recognizing her as your mother.
"Hmm... that's definitely true."
Sister Ellie smiled happily after hearing Qing Bao's reply. As an elder, she patted Qingbao's head and said softly:
"I hope you can be more tolerant of this child's willfulness, and that we can stay together happily for a long, long time."
"I will be your witness at your wedding."
Chu Yuanqing fell silent upon hearing this.
Did Sister Ellie think about their future together? On her deathbed, was she filled with fear or regret? Or perhaps... did she hope for their happiness?
On that day, in order to erase the concept of [salt], destroy the Pure White Forbidden Zone, and punish the [King of Salt], she chose to inscribe an epic with her soul, bearing the cause and effect and sins of ending Ragnarok and destroying the world, in exchange for the full power of Laevateinn.
But it was too late.
Those soldiers who went to the front lines and the civilians who did not seek refuge in time were all turned into pure white blocks of salt in the attack the day before, collapsing and shattering in the wind.
Chu Yuanqing remembered the many deaths, and she began to regret not having defeated the [King of Salt] on the very day the forbidden area was approached.