Chapter 470
Lin Bao'er wasn't jealous. She blinked, and under the watchful eyes of all the CP fans, she took the initiative to hug Liang Xiaoxiao's arm and loudly proclaimed, just like a husband and wife:
Me too.
"Teacher Chu is such a kind person. Everyone will definitely like her if they think of her!"
Just like the human-machine interface, Ruan Wutong nodded earnestly and seemed rather dim-witted.
Although she was a bit slow and didn't have much interaction with Chu Yuanqing, she could still recall the feeling of being bewitched by the Pure White Witch when they first met in Salzburg, and how cool he looked when he suppressed the Disaster God.
That kind of idol.
Such heroes.
That kind of Magical Girl.
They should not be forgotten by the world, nor should they leave no trace.
This sentiment was successfully conveyed through CJLLR's live stream, seen by tens of millions of people. Within just a few hours, it was edited into dozens of clips and spread to various platforms, causing a huge wave of online attention.
Time flies, and another day has passed.
The headlines have shifted from "Who is Chu Yuanqing?" to "The fifth member of Pure White, the forgotten hero!", "Strongly urging the World Government to find Qing Bao"... and even a bunch of more abstract and insane statements.
In just two and a half days, the "resurrected dead" Little Yuan Xiao fans occupied the main stage of public opinion on the Great Xia Network. Even though their numbers were less than one-tenth of the number of followers Chu Yuanqing had on Weibo in the past, the appeals of tens of millions of people were enough to wave the banner.
As ordinary people, they have no way to fight against Calamity Beasts, Disaster God, or even more terrifying and majestic beings. But a single spark can start a prairie fire. In order to find the idol in their dreams again, everyone is willing to contribute their meager strength, hoping to attract the attention of the authorities and even the Countermeasures Bureau, so that they will take this matter seriously.
On various online communities and platforms, you can see fans crying and making a scene, almost rolling on the ground in protest.
"Ughhhh, I don't care, I'll die without Qing Bao watching over me!"
"I cried. The Countermeasures Bureau said that Charlotte's survival as the [Lighthouse], a shining anchor for all humanity, was a miracle. But it turns out miracles never exist. It was Chu Yuanqing, forgotten by the world, who stepped forward. It was she who supported the last backbone of the stars and civilization, paying the price for everything."
Every word the Little Yuan Xiao children confided in each other was like a knife stabbing into their own hearts.
The more memories are revived, the more complete the pieces of evidence are pieced together, and the sharper the shards of glass taste when you chew on them.
A blogger compiled a large amount of information and wrote a long article, every word of which was heart-wrenching and deeply painful, killing many fans:
"I organized the timeline and found that Qing Bao was forgotten at the end of the Third Performance. At that time, all the Little Idol were happily preparing for their debut. They had shed the title of trainees and no longer had to worry about the strict competition system of <Flash Dance>. They were enjoying the glory after their hard work, and the whole internet was looking forward to the subsequent tour."
"But what about Chu Yuanqing? She's been forgotten by the world. Her traces have vanished, like expired canned food or flat carbonated drinks. No one needs her anymore, and no one remembers her."
Will she feel sad? Saddened by this loneliness, this sorrow?
"Will she feel wronged? She is a meritorious person who has benefited the world, but she can no longer see the road she came from."
"She probably doesn't even have an ID card anymore. Is she still wandering in the Sea Capital of Haidu, like a lonely ghost, while the whole world is filled with laughter and joy?"
"What should she do if she gets hungry? Is there a place to stay? Does she have any money? Will she be harassed by the police or passersby? Is she alright? The reason she didn't participate in the Third Performance is because she suppressed the Disaster God riots around the world for us, which made her so weak that she can only sit in a wheelchair. Will she have a hard time because of this?"
"She's kind and old-fashioned. Even if she could still use magic, she'd probably rather live under a bridge than stay in an empty hotel room. So while other idols go on tours, she's all alone, performing at subway entrances, on the streets, in parks, in bustling or quiet city streets."
Will she face discrimination? Will she be bullied by bad people? Will she be harassed by unreasonable people? Is she physically alright? And why was her right eye gouged out, her right leg broken, and her left hand lost, requiring a prosthetic? What exactly happened during the third Public Performance? Was the near-zero casualty miracle at the Sea Capital built upon all of these losses she suffered?
"That must have been incredibly painful, a pain we can't even imagine. Will she regret it? Or, even if she could do it all over again, would she still pay the same price? Or would she rather be forgotten by everyone than not save us, people who might be unrelated to her?"
"If that's the case, then what did she get in return for her kindness, her gentleness, her sincerity, and her dedication?"
The rhetorical questions throughout the entire piece broke down the defenses of all the fans who read it, and those with easily triggered tears welled up in their eyes.
Everyone knows that the source of making the world forget Chu Yuanqing is a force powerful enough to rewrite history, which ordinary people cannot defy. But it is precisely because of this that they can understand how the real Chu Yuanqing would answer that question.
No regrets.
Chu Yuanqing would not regret it. She was like a mother goddess who doted on humanity, preferring to wither, die, and leave no trace rather than witness the many sufferings in the world.
Yet her humanity outweighs her divinity. This clumsy gentleness, stubbornness, and determination are perfection within imperfection, making it impossible for the other person's radiance to obscure their original features, like a flower stamen growing in the soil, fresh and real, so much so that one can easily imagine what it will look like when it withers, evoking empathy.
However, no matter how much the fans appeal, the cold reality will not change.
As time continues to pass, the related calls continue to grow.
As more and more people regained their memories, the radiance of the [Supreme Proof] spread throughout the world along with her name, like an indestructible meme. Over the next three days, it took root in the memories of all humanity, awakening all the information in that no-longer-existing Worldline.
Thus, the tide of public opinion swept from the Great Xia to the entire Donghuang Federation, and then slowly spread to the whole world, sweeping across every corner of the world. Under this trend, the most affected and the most watched were naturally the world's number one girl idol band - Pure White.
In the eyes of the world, Chu Wangshu is a child of stars who has inherited many blessings.
Charlotte, designated as the human [Lighthouse], was promoted to [Klein] in the past six months, becoming the Doomsday Diva of the Holy United States, a cause for national celebration.
Tang Liuli, Xie Qingxuan, and Kiriwake Yayoi, even though the world doesn't know their names and experiences from the first timeline, after the Shining Mech officially completed its mission and was dismantled, many Magical Girl online have come forward to explain the difficulty involved, making the three of them far more significant than their predecessors and regarded as top-tier Witch in the Countermeasures Bureau.
In this situation, all five of them have an inseparable relationship with Chu Yuanqing, so millions of fans naturally place high hopes on them, expecting them to step up and create a miracle.
Thus, on the morning of the sixth day after the world concert, the giant light network linked by the [Supreme Proof] called upon all souls hoping for Chu Yuanqing's return, causing billions of thoughts to intertwine in the endless, desolate sea of stars, and a continuous stream of Human Radiance to shine, rendering the universe incredibly lively.
At the same time, all electronic products on the planet flashed with static and instantly switched to live broadcasts. Countless projections under the control of Dream Weaver fell into the streets and alleys of various cities, reflecting the cute image of a girl tilting her head and smiling.
It was Chu Wangshu.
There is no need to weave Giant Thought Tree similar to Divine Sentient Body.
For her now, she could easily weave the souls of all living beings together with a single thought.
But out of respect and courtesy,
Chu Wangshu only invited fans who truly loved their Dad and genuinely longed for his return into this slightly special "chat group".
The girl did not display a divine appearance; her pretty and delicate face still had a childlike innocence, possessing the purity of someone living in an ivory tower. Even the ouroboros tattoo on her collarbone resembled a tattoo sticker secretly applied during her student days, hidden under the fabric, without radiating any brilliance.
At this moment, she is looking at the world with an omniscient perspective.
It was as if it had locked onto every possibility in the kaleidoscope, looking not only at Charlotte's mother, Liuli, Sister Xie, and Sister Yayoi, but also at everyone in the world, even traversing Worldline, crossing fixed dimensional axes, seeing countless relative parallel universes, and chasing after the long-covered spacetime ruins, seeing the backs of countless fathers who went to their deaths in their youth.
Unfortunately, those "ruins" are not real ruins; they are merely false traces simulated by the power of deduction, and cannot be truly traced, touched, changed, or reversed.
At the same moment, in Sea Capital, at the Twin Towers.
Charlotte, Xie Qingxuan, Tang Liuli, Kiriwake Yayoi are standing at the top.
Half a year later, they donned their magnificent Magic Armor once more, reclaiming their identities as Magical Girl. They looked up at the brilliant sea that covered the sky, and gazed at the one who had left this world and descended upon the tributary of truth in an even more magnificent form, whose true form could not be seen.
Tang Liuli listened to the waves of time flowing through her blood. A radiant light surged deep within her left pupil, outlining the undulating traces of waves. She blended the power of the [Blood of Sighs] into her Destined Magic, condensing it into a spell, transforming it into a magical eye that could observe dimensions.
Only in this way could she synchronize her perspective with the other three, follow the trajectory of Chu Wangshu's departure, and see the indescribable phenomena that unfolded after he left this world, traversing countless imaginary numbers and radiating the imprint of law.
The Green Eyed Cat was speechless and utterly shocked.
Little Sakura felt a pang of emotion, realizing how quickly the world was changing.
Xie Qingxuan pondered the origin of the blessing and the method to transcend magic and this power.
Charlotte happily tilted her chin up, her blue eyes brimming with pride as she blinked, though a few strands of worry lingered in her heart, a reminder of the saying "a mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles."
Although everyone guessed that Chu Wangshu would become very strong after absorbing those powers, even stronger than the combined forces of the disaster horde, comparable to or even surpassing the young Savior Holding Laevateinn in the past.
But when they truly witnessed the other party unleash their power, everyone finally understood what kind of "monster" Chu Yuanqing's doting, combined with the endless accumulation of the thirteen Disaster God and the external calamities, had nurtured.
This can no longer be described as a dragon emerging from shallow waters.
It's so outrageous that it's like a multiverse sprang from a single cell.
"Even reaching [Klein] wouldn't allow me to touch it at all. Is that the ultimate fruit that encapsulates so many miracles? It truly far exceeds my expectations."
Tang Liuli's feelings were complicated. She was clearly the other person's stepmother and senior, yet the difference in their relationship was so vast that she couldn't help at all.
The girl sighed:
"Perhaps, only when our world evolves from a single bubble into a top-level Great Heaven that connects infinite imaginary spaces and spans complex truth rings, will there be a possibility of infinitely approaching zero, giving birth to Magical Girl that are close to it."
The definition of a miracle depends on the scale.
While Magical Girl are indeed special, and the miracles that each individual can induce far exceed those of equivalent supernatural systems, they are still limited to certain scales, Shackles, and have limits.
The current Xiao Shu is a magnificent being, beyond the comprehension of the world today, and beyond the description of miracles.
Charlotte turned around and smiled, patted the cat's head, and said magnanimously:
"So, all we can do is wait and believe in Xiao Shu with hope."
Kiriwake Yayoi nodded in agreement, but still felt uneasy.
To the void, the cries of all humanity are too insignificant, and the collective brilliance they create is like a candle flame in the wind.
In reality, even from their perspective, Chu Wangshu was merely using cheating to allow the world to obtain information about the world where Chu Yuanqing once existed, which she had deduced.
To be more precise, it might be more about self-satisfaction.
As for the rest, it's about giving these anxious but helpless elders a greater sense of participation and alleviating their inner anxiety.
After all, from beginning to end, the only one who could truly shake the [nothingness] Chu Wangshu, who inherited the legacy of the Savior and whose very existence symbolized the collection of infinite miracles.
Xie Qingxuan remained silent, but she had already made a plan in her heart. She was only one step away from becoming [Klein], and once she reached that level, she could use idealistic techniques to protect herself from being distorted by the branches of truth, thus qualifying to enter the Mother Sea.
At the same time, as long as the will remains, the lifespan of Idealistic Being is almost eternal.
Therefore, if Xiao Shu fails, she will wait until she arrives at [Klein] and embark on a journey similar to that of the [Demon King] she was crowned in the past, expanding her vision beyond the world to other civilizations and worlds. While collecting glitter as an idol, she will push the limits of Magical Girl, break the Shackles of [Titan's Authority], and practice other extraordinary paths, infinitely surpassing herself.
When she stops, it will either mean death or success; there are no other possible outcomes.
In fact, Charlotte, Kiriwake Yayoi, and Tang Liuli had all planned out their contingency plans after failure. They each had their own pride and persistence, and even in the face of despair like [nothingness], they did not intend to give up, nor did they want to leave all the responsibility to Little Moons.
At this moment, Xu Ling's thoughts merged into the boundless sea of stars. Like the specks of light that all beings' thoughts transformed into, she wandered in the giant waves woven by the principles of law. Her whole being seemed to be sublimated, becoming pure and clear.
It's like lying in a stream on a midsummer night, watching fireflies in the mountains, stars in the sky, and hearing the melodious chirping of insects.
Until the voice, both familiar and somewhat strange, seemed like a majestic, boundless voice of a god, piercing the barrier between illusion and reality, a sudden flash of insight ignited my mind, making me realize where I was.
"Hello everyone, I am Chu Wangshu."
I'm sorry to have gathered everyone here in this way.
"But my Dad and I need everyone's help right now."
Dad?
Xu Ling looked somewhat bewildered.
Shouldn't Little Moons be activating the same technology as that concert again to find Qing Bao?
And these fans who were kept in the dark weren't left confused for long.
Chu Wangshu blinked, smiled at everyone, placed her hand on her chest, and introduced herself:
"You might find what I'm saying strange, right?"
"But what I want to say is that, just as Chu Yuanqing was forgotten, there was another cycle in this world. It was a world without Pure White High Wall or Magical Girl. The thirteen Disaster God had just descended and shattered the backbone of civilization, turning the planet into a cruel world of swarms of disasters."
"And in that cruel and desperate apocalypse, there was someone whom none of you here knew, yet was intimately familiar with, who, through his own repeated deaths, composed a magnificent and tragic ode to saving countless Worldline, reversing and altering the tragedies of the past, present, and future, overwriting everything that had happened, and recreating the universe."
"Finally, this second loop was born, with the protection of [pure white], Magical Girl, and idols saving humanity and defeating the disaster horde through song and dance."
The girl's words were like a dreamlike murmur, yet with each word she uttered, countless condensed images, information, and sounds were simultaneously conveyed, causing everyone's sense of time to slow down infinitely, as if they were sitting in a theater watching a movie for a month, or as if they had merged into the perspective of a certain body and personally witnessed an epic tragedy.
When the words were finished, the music ended and the audience dispersed, leaving only a silent sense of loss.
Chu Wangshu continued speaking frankly:
"And I am the Savior of the first timeline, the creator of [Pure White] in the second timeline— Chu Yuanqing, and Charlotte, the Doomsday Diva the first timeline, the human [Lighthouse] in the second timeline—."
"The idol you know— Chu Yuanqing —is actually my Dad, who was cursed and near death. He was forced to permanently change his Life Form, transforming into Idealistic Being to prolong his life. He was chosen by the consciousness of the stars to be the Pure White Witch."
The whole world fell silent.
This self-disclosure of "black-hearted cotton" on behalf of her elderly father was like a bombshell dropped by a character in a suit, overwhelming the brains of all humanity and leaving everyone speechless. What's even more incredible is that, compared to regular scandals and gossip, Little Moons's complicated family relationships, as tangled as a ball of yarn, are even more dramatic.
However, unlike the usual mindset of reading lighthearted news, those who had just finished reading about that tragic apocalypse couldn't even think about Chu Wangshu's family relationships in his first and second lives, let alone the harsh reality that their Little Idol had once been a middle-aged man. Their minds were still filled with the epic tale of salvation from the first life.
Those scenes of despair, sorrow, desolation, carnage, and the demise of the world are still vivid in my mind, like an eternal night embracing the thoughts of all mankind.
And within the endless and terrifying illusions, what pulls them out is still that Savior who, time and again, gambles his future, emotions, self, happiness, and even his life across countless timelines.
Like moths drawn to a flame, the youths steadfastly followed their path. The countless times they were bathed in the flames, the countless ashes that fell during their burning, like down feathers falling from different times and spaces, gently yet firmly paved the way to a non-existent paradise, leading directly to the reality they now inhabited, causing all fantasies to fade away and disappear.
In the end, what lingers in my heart is only the brilliant, passionate, yet lonely, flame that is slowly burning out.
How should we view that person?
He was so despicable that I couldn't look him in the eye.
His nobility is beyond praise.
The coward couldn't understand him.
So much so that when the boy's figure overlapped with the image of the Pure White Witch in his memory, it strangely didn't bring much of a sense of incongruity, but only a sudden realization, understanding, and a wave of melancholy, relief, and sorrow.
The Little Yuan Xiao are willing to accept their idols' past.