Because the handwriting in the next passage... was different. It was unlike any handwriting she had seen before. Slower. Heavier. Every stroke pressed hard into the page.
"A letter came from the sect."
"They told me to withdraw. To return to the sect."
“I no longer need to hold my post at the Guanghan Tidewatch Station.”
"I... should be happy."
"I was happy."
"But while packing my things... I sat in this chair. For a very long time."
"The Nine Provinces lay outside the window. I watched the Nine Provinces for three thousand years."
“When I left, I put my diary in the cabinet. Cleared away the paintings in the living room. Shut all the doors and windows. The Barrier has enough energy to last a long time.”
"No one will ever come here again, will they?"
"Goodbye."
Just that one word.
The diary ended.
The room remained quiet for a long time.
Yang Wanqing's shoulders trembled. Her face was buried in her knees. She made no sound. But her shoulders trembled.
Chen Siyao closed the diary. Her fingers lingered on the cover.
The livestream chat finally began moving again.
Slowly. Messages appeared one by one.
"Three thousand years."
"All alone."
"She kept watch on the moon for three thousand years."
"I've lived twenty-eight years. Every day I complain about how boring work is. She kept watch alone for three thousand years."
"So Chang'e flying to the moon wasn't a myth. It was a transfer order. An assignment. Three thousand years spent holding a post."
"She wanted to go back. But her sect wouldn't let her. So she kept watch."
"The spiritual energy was gone. Her work had become meaningless. She still made her inspection rounds every twelve hours."
"She wasn't some fairy. She was... a worker."
"A worker for