Chapter 354

One hundred and sixty-second page Little Messenger (Part Two)

Pfft—

With a clear sound, somewhat like a fart, that “thing” burst through space and landed in the center of the altar.

It was an egg wrapped in white light… well, an egg.

About as tall as a suitcase, white, with no patterns.

Just like an old hen’s behind, the space pierced by this egg quickly returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened at all.

“Waaah! My statue!”

But not everything remained unchanged. The side profile carving of the grandfather was torn into pieces by the distorted space, and it was clearly beyond repair.

Confirming there were no new anomalies, Zǐ Jiàng walked up to the altar to check on the egg. She knocked on it, then placed her hand on the shell and felt carefully, before pressing her ear against it.

Sister Lěi also reminded her from the altar, “Hey hey, this thing of unknown origin must be dangerous! Where’s your caution as a researcher?”

“Don’t make noise, idiot!”

Zǐ Jiàng shouted back at her well-intentioned reminder, and Lěi Jiàng pouted as she came down.

After observing for a while longer, Zǐ Jiàng said, “This should be something Lord Hái sent down.”

I countered, “How so?”

“I have a bit of divine power poisoning… or maybe it’s godly power poisoning? Don’t come closer for now. That egg needs to be handled first.”

Only then did I notice the red flush on Zǐ Jiàng’s face, like someone who had been drinking.

Lěi Jiàng continued to complain beside her, “I told you to be careful!”

I helped her sit down on the steps by the altar.

“Let me help you remove some excess magical energy. It might feel a little ticklish.”

“Mmm… HiA!”

Several thin, finger-sized tentacles emerged from Zǐ Jiàng’s collar, cuffs, and hem, entering her clothes. Originally thinking that direct absorption would be more efficient, they instead startled Zǐ Jiàng, causing her already flushed face to turn even redder.

Watching this, Lǐn Huā glanced sideways and asked, “Cherry Sauce… are you intentionally setting up some suggestive scene?”

“What do you mean?”

“…Never mind.”

Halfway through her sentence, Lǐn Huā turned to the grandfather and said, “Grandpa, go clean the divine power off the egg first.”

“Okay.”

Following his granddaughter’s instruction, Grandpa ran up to the altar.

Although her synchronization with the altar had dropped, she was still a current deity and wouldn’t fall ill from just a bit of divine power. She sat on the ground, spread her legs, and hugged the huge egg, absorbing the remaining divine power on its surface with her own body.

Zǐ Jiàng seemed to feel better. She closed her eyes and explained, “There are only a few beings in this world who possess divine power. Since the Heavenly Path wouldn’t drop an egg, it can only be from Lord Hái… This egg is likely a specially made transport container. There must be something important inside that could change the current situation.”

To break through the barrier between the divine court and the mortal world, this egg must have contained tremendous energy, which is why there are still remnants left, and the shell glows because of this.

After being held by Grandpa for a while, the white light of the egg finally dimmed, turning into a plain white giant egg.

“Oh! There’s movement inside the egg. There must be something alive in there.”

Grandpa’s words emboldened everyone else. After confirming the giant egg was harmless, curiosity overcame them.

Yòu Zi even climbed onto the top of the egg, tilting her gray head to listen… I estimated she couldn’t hear anything, as most pet ferrets are deaf.

She twitched her whiskers.

“It’s really moving. Could it be an animal? Is it my new companion?”

How did she assume the animal girls were her companions?

“Even if it is an animal, such a large egg must contain an animal capable of swallowing you whole. Moreover, animals sent by Lord Hái would be far above your level, little weasel. Don’t lie on our esteemed guest’s head; it’s too rude.”

I lifted Yòu Zi by the nape and handed her to Dog Sister.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“This child can transform into a human. Why don’t you two get to know each other?”

“Oh? A little ferret?”

According to Yòu Zi’s theory, Dog Sister should be her leader, but Dog Sister didn’t seem particularly fond of her. She rubbed the ferret fur a couple of times and then passed Yòu Zi to Mù Xī to play with, treating her like a pet.

“Shall we try breaking the egg open?”

At this moment, the not-so-smart Lěi Jiàng proposed her usual bad idea.

“This thing can distort space, yet you think smashing it externally would work?”

“Try it and see! Let me give it a shot!”

Lěi Jiàng rolled up her sleeves and approached the giant egg. She swung her arm and punched the shell from top to bottom.

“Hah! So hard! Ouch—ahh!”

She recoiled in pain, shaking and jumping to one side.

“I told you it can’t be broken by force! Why are you…”

Crack—

Surprisingly, a distinct crack appeared where Lěi Jiàng had struck.

“…What? Really?”

This made Lěi Jiàng very proud. She tossed her red hair and said, “See? I broke it open!”

“This egg can withstand the pressure of crossing space, but not your punch, Lěi Jiàng. Is your punch a killer of illusions? Or do you have a Stand called ‘Bomb Space’?”

Crack—

Crack—

The cracks spread across the entire shell, clearly indicating something was about to emerge. Everyone tensed up.

“Gulp.”

Lěi Jiàng swallowed nervously. As her throat trembled, a tender fist emerged from inside the egg.

“Oh! Could this be…”

Then came two bare feet, breaking through the shell beneath and standing up directly. They looked around, then bumped into Grandpa.

“…Is it Shallow Summer?”

Bang!

Finally, a familiar small head burst through the shell, identical to before, with long-haired Shallow Summer emerging, her face set in a serious expression.

“I, I’m back.”

Though still encased in the shell, she seemed to be naked inside. If the shell were to fully detach, it would cause trouble.

After looking around, her gaze settled on me, her face increasingly sad, tears welling up in her eyes, and her mouth drooping downward in distress.

“Sakura-nee… Waaa!”

She cried out and lunged down from the high altar, still encased in the shell.

“Be careful!”

I hurriedly reached out to catch her.

The shell shattered when it hit my arms. I separated some notebook material, carefully wrapping around the flawless young girl, transforming it into her usual white sleeveless dress before she fell into my embrace.

I was moved, kissing her round, chubby cheeks. She was my youngest sister, and her return was the only good news in a week.

“My dear sister, you’re finally back.”

But her face showed no joy. Her brows hung low, and she looked worried as she clung to my neck.

“I heard from Sister Hai that Sister Lingmeng got into trouble.”

These words chilled both me and everyone present.

If even the all-knowing Lord Hái said so, then Xiao Kai…

“Hold on, Shallow Summer, don’t get too excited.”

I restrained my pessimistic feelings and placed Shallow Summer on the ground.

“Tell us everything you know. We came here today to contact Lord Hái. Since she sent you back at this time, she must have a message for us.”

“Mm… Shallow Summer is back as a messenger from Sister Hai! Everything you want to know, she has prepared to give to me!”

The little girl nodded and everyone gathered around.

Lǐn Huā anxiously asked, “What did Lord Hái tell you? Kǎi-Chan… What exactly happened to your sister Lingmeng?”

When Shallow Summer mentioned Xiao Kai, her face became pained again.

“In fact, Sister has already passed away…”

Shallow Summer brought us the most devastating news, delayed by a week.

Zǐ Jiàng fell to her knees, staring blankly at the dome. Lǐn Huā, unable to accept it, sobbed quietly. Lěi Jiàng looked lost, her eyes lifeless. Grandmother, supported by Grandpa, came to Shallow Summer and held her granddaughter, weeping silently.

As for me… I started glowing.

“Although the timing is about right, why now?”

Not only me, but Lǐn Huā was also engulfed in white light. The “Heaven’s Punishment Curse: Random Transformation” transmitted through the bloodline was activated.

My consciousness was swallowed by the white light, making it impossible for me to return to the notebook for a while.

But it didn’t matter.

During this long wait of several minutes, I recalled every detail of my time with Xiao Kai.

Although he was myself, I truly loved him. Why didn’t I say it while he was still here…

“Sakura-nee—”

“Xiao Ying—”

“Sakura-nee, wake up!”

My dazed consciousness suddenly cleared. I must have fallen asleep.

Even though I, as a spirit, don’t need to sleep, my soul, residing in the divided bookmark, still felt the effects.

Shallow Summer was rubbing my face, but I sat up much shorter than her.

Looks like I’ve turned into a child this time. I extended a tentacle to observe myself from a third-person perspective.

“Wow! So small!”

My voice sounded childish, and I appeared to be only five or six years old. Although I knew random transformations could result in any age, I hadn’t expected to become such a small child.

“It happens sometimes.”

Grandpa sighed, leaning on his waist, though he didn’t look as dejected as before. Zǐ Jiàng stood up, and Lěi Jiàng comforted Lǐn Huā.

Did they recover so quickly from the shock of Xiao Kai’s passing?

Grandpa continued, “By the way, I have some relatively less bad news. Xiao Kai still has a chance to be saved.”

“…How so?”

Shallow Summer clasped her hands behind her back and hesitantly said, “Sorry, Shallow Summer didn’t explain clearly earlier… Although Sister Lingmeng has passed away, she hasn’t died. Despite the many difficulties, Lord Hái is trying to find a way to bring her back.”

Neither in the mortal world nor in Lord Hái’s divine court.

…Could Xiao Kai have been sent to another world by the Heavenly Path?

—

Note: The term “Stand” is a reference to the concept from the manga/anime series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and “Heaven’s Punishment Curse: Random Transformation” is a fictional curse.