I'm Not a Flame-Chaser - Chapter 590

Very well, Lin Qing cares about the world.

At the summit of Huangyue City, overlooking the entire imperial city, one can also see the whole human world.

Skyscrapers rose from the ground within the territory of the Huang Kingdom, heavy snow fell, turning the bow of the ship white, and laughter and cheerful voices filled the air.

"Lin Qing, how long do you think our Huang Kingdom can last?"

The Empress of the Huang Kingdom gently and tentatively placed her hand on the back of the hands that were resting on her shoulder. The hands were icy cold to the touch, which added a touch of lingering affection to her solemn and majestic eyes.

"The next millennium? Ten thousand years?"

The man's dark eyes reflected the snow scene as he softly said, "The light of the Huang Kingdom surpasses the blazing sun and will never fade."

The Empress chuckled, a sound more beautiful than a snowy landscape, and said:

"Very good."

The land of the Huang Kingdom stretches for thousands of miles, where the aroma of wine and meat fills the air.

She smiled, realizing that she had achieved an ideal from a thousand years ago.

To stand at the highest point of this land with those who share the same birth and dreams, looking down upon her people and this snow scene just like the one in my memory.

"Your Majesty, please continue on the road ahead."

"..."

The man's silent face was covered in snow, just like that fleeting glimpse a thousand years ago.

The young Empress raised her head and looked at him, but he did not lower his head.

"Lin Qing, what do you mean by this?"

"... Your Majesty, you already know that I am not from this world, but come from beyond the heavens. This world is not a place where I can stay forever."

The snow fell heavier and heavier.

The man looked up, and the snowflakes melted on his shoulders and between their fingers; the icy snow water lowered the temperature.

"I have a place to go back to, and many people who need me."

"I will be leaving soon. Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself then."

The Empress gently closed his eyes, recalling the figures that had followed him across countless years, one by one dissipating until only one remained.

Lin Qing, with the world at heart.

A lifespan that lasts a thousand years, yet still... a fleeting moment...

A spark in a stone, a body in a dream.

That year, in the Huang Kingdom, it snowed heavily.

New Testament: Afterword of the Dirac Sea: Chapter 107 Fragment Piece

The Herrscher Core is indeed a special existence.

Herrscher cannot be born normally in World Bubble. Moon is a special case. Herrscher can only be born in a normal way in a complete normal world. Therefore Joachim and Bronya are very likely from a normal world.

"A promise is a promise, but we never agreed to help you collect Poké Ball or to leave your collection alone. So you two should think twice."

Stargazer reached out and took the Poké Ball from Lin's hand. Lin glanced at her, but she seemed not to notice and handed the two Poké Ball to Joachim with a charming smile.

"Thank you both for your help." Joachim breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the Poké Ball, then turned to Lin and said seriously, "Mr. Lin, we have never seen you in our world, and you do not know us, yet you are a Herrscher..."

"I don't know where my world is."

Lin casually interrupted Joachim, his gaze sending a strange sense of melancholy through Joachim.

"And my current home... is where my companions are."

After learning that the building contained not only Aether Anchor but also a Herrscher Core, Lin returned the way he came. Although he still didn't know why the people on the Hyperion were participating in this competition, judging from Delta's reaction, it wasn't something they had no choice but to do, and it probably wasn't a bad thing either.

Next, Lin planned to investigate on his own. Joachim said that the "serpent" had changed the World Bubble, but he didn't say what the "serpent" was. It was clear that they were still wary of him. He also had his own considerations. Since they were on different paths, they didn't need to cooperate for the time being.

What puzzled him was actually something else.

"..."

Lin stopped and turned to gaze at the silver-haired, ancient-style girl who was following closely behind him.

When Stargazer saw Lin stop, he also stopped and looked at him with a smile.

"..."

... Is there a problem?

No problem.

Changkong City isn't Lin's; people here can do whatever they want, and he can't control that. Besides, he and Stargazer aren't adversaries; in a sense, Stargazer has even helped him. Neither of them has Poké Ball yet, so they won't start fighting as soon as they meet; there's no reason for them to even battle.

Stargazer has been following him for a while now, and if this continues, he'll be heading back to the hotel soon.

Even though the two shouldn't be considered enemies, Yae Kasumi's experience was still fresh in her mind.

"Is there something you need?" Lin's approach to the matter was to ask directly and bluntly.

"Hmm? What does Lin Qing mean by this? The sky's the limit, we can go wherever we want."

Stargazer's answer was completely flawless, and Lin couldn't find a reason to refute it, so he could only continue walking forward. Sure enough, Stargazer followed him again.

"Lin Qing, we would like to ask you, you just said you don't know where your world is?" The direction of the Stargazer's question was somewhat ambiguous, but Lin had no reason to hide anything. He nodded and answered calmly—

"I have amnesia and don't know which world I come from."

"He's lost his memory..."

Stargazer remained calm, though a few complex thoughts flickered in his eyes.

"And what about your 'companion'?" Stargazer asked. Lin didn't think much of it, since she had just shown that she had satisfied her curiosity with a key item like Poké Ball, so in his opinion, Stargazer was a very curious person.

However, he absolutely did not notice that when the word "companion" was mentioned, a dangerous glint flashed in Stargazer's blue eyes.

"... It's nothing, just some fellow travelers. One of them took me back after I lost my memory, and I became the captain of a warship. This is also one of our destinations."

"Was the person who took you back male or female?"

"A woman."

"... Where are the others?"

"Currently, I am the only male."

"..."

Lin stopped again and said to Stargazer, who was looking down and seemingly lost in thought, "I'm about to go back to my companions. What about you? Where are your teammates?"

"Teammates?" Stargazer quickly concealed the complex emotions deep in her eyes, maintaining her composed demeanor as she smiled and said, "That's right. I should go back to my teammates. Well then, Lin Qing, see you next time."

See you next time...

For some reason, Mr. Lin felt that there was something hidden in Stargazer's words, but he had no right or reason to ask. After watching Stargazer walk down another road, he withdrew his gaze and walked empty-handed towards the hotel, which was now completely silent.

So, how do you explain to the brilliant Rita that he didn't bring back the Poké Ball?

It's unlikely that he lied and said he didn't fight it, and it's even less likely that he said he got it but didn't intend to give it to her, because everyone can check the location of the person holding the Poké Ball through the watch, and the coordinates are announced every thirty minutes, so it's impossible for Lin to hide it.

Then let's report it truthfully...

Lin is very concerned about "Snake" and the organizers of this Great Elf Tournament. What exactly did he discover during his investigation of World Bubble? Perhaps it would be better to tell Rita the truth.

"Brother Lin!"

As he was pondering, a panicked figure rushed in front of him, looking him up and down with concern, as if searching for his injuries.

"Are you alright, Brother Lin?"

Seele's voice sounded like she was about to cry.

Just now, after the battle broke out, she witnessed Titan and Delta fighting for a long distance, and then, after the sounds of battle echoed, silence fell. Seele thought the battle was over, but she waited for a long time and Lin didn't return. She became increasingly uneasy, thinking that Lin had already...

"I'm fine." Lin patted Seele on the shoulder to calm her down. He said calmly, "This tournament is just about competing for Poké Ball, so the things you're thinking about won't happen."

"Is that so? That's wonderful..."

Seele breathed a sigh of relief, then blinked and stared at Lin: "That Poké Ball..."

"...There was a slight mishap." Lin shook his head. "After the Great Elf Tournament, we'll send you back to your world on the Hyperion, but it will be a bit more complicated."

"Accident?"

"Um..."

Lin suddenly remembered something and asked, "Seele, do you know about Herrscher?"

"The Herrscher..."

Seele's eyes widened; even if she wanted to lie, Lin had already seen through her.

"Oh? Captain, it seems you've had quite a haul."

"..."

New Testament: Afterword of the Dirac Sea: Chapter 108 Approaching the Truth

If Rita were to be described as an animal, Lin could only think of the African swallowtail butterfly, a highly poisonous butterfly that is bright, beautiful, and dangerous enough.

And now, she fluttered her colorful wings, spreading fragrant pollen, and came to Lin's side.

The light lingered on her almost transparent skin.

"..."

Before Lin could figure out how to explain that he hadn't received the Poké Ball, Rita came over with a smile, holding a Poké Ball in her hand. It seemed to be the Yae Kasumi Poké Ball that Delta had mentioned, the one held by Yae Mist.

"If we include the Poké Ball you received, Captain, we've covered the cost of the information you wanted." Rita extended her hand to Lin, smiled slightly, and said to the silent man, "Then, let's complete our transaction."

"..."

There was an obvious silence. Rita kept her hand outstretched, while Seele swallowed and quietly shrank behind Lin.

The light cast a brilliant golden glow on the maid's skin, but also made the shadows on the other half of her face appear even deeper.

Her squinted eyes quietly opened at some point, and she looked at the indifferent Lin.

"... Captain, you don't actually think that intelligence and our help can be obtained for nothing, do you?"

The pleasant sound, which was always filled with laughter, sent chills down one's spine at this moment.

"... I didn't get it."

"Didn't get it? Oh? I didn't hear wrong, did I, my captain?" Rita slowly lowered her hand, looking at Lin meaningfully. "Even with your sneak attack, you still couldn't steal Delta's Poké Ball? That's impossible."

Impossible?

Lin didn't know why Rita had so much confidence in him, but after looking into her eyes and thinking about it carefully, Lin realized that she didn't have confidence in him.

Instead, they have confidence in Delta.

"Are you trying to tell me that another team suddenly appeared and stole the Poké Ball that you already had?"

Rita even blocked the excuse Lin was about to use.

This woman is too clever. A lie needs another lie to cover it up, and to lie to her is like standing naked in front of her, with flaws all over your body.

Then tell me the truth? Rita shouldn't misunderstand.

However, if Rita were to be informed about Joachim and Bronya's situation, they probably wouldn't continue collecting Poké Ball. He would likely never know what their purpose was in participating in the Great Elf Tournament. Judging from Delta's behavior, it was probably a not-so-important goal, but one that drove them to collect Poké Ball.

If it were completely unimportant or extremely important, Rita would definitely have told Lin, but it's precisely the one in the middle that's "not very important."

... Moreover, Lin didn't want them to give up their dreams; whatever those dreams were, they had the right to pursue them.

"I..."

"However, Captain, it's fine how you handle the Poké Ball. After all, I said it's okay if you don't give it to me."

But just as Lin was about to speak, Rita laughed it off, put away the Poké Ball, and placed her hands in front of her short skirt.

"Captain, you just mentioned the Herrscher, right? Is there something you need? Do you need Rita's help?"

"... No, no."

"Okay, then I look forward to your next Poké Ball being able to exchange for everything you want to know."

For some reason, there was a hint of sadness hidden in the maid's eyes, but her excellent emotional control allowed Lin to sweep it away before he could notice it.