The night passed quickly.
Especially in a situation where no one came to disturb them.
After surviving the initial assault of Vanguard-class Honkai Beasts and scaring off various spirits with force, everything on the city walls returned to peace.
The roar of firearms had already ceased for long intervals multiple times.
The non-renewable monsters that could be killed had mostly been dealt with, leaving only intermittent renewable monsters rushing forward.
Within the city, after the initial chaos, things also returned to calm with the return of the guards and the appearance of more Jack-o'-lanterns.
Well, not exactly calm. Many people and ghosts were still arguing, and there were quite a few "irrational misplacements" where souls and bodies didn't match up.
But that was none of Mo Shao and Little Ka’s business.
They had done what they could by helping to defend the city, and the newly grown pumpkins from the night had been temporarily lent out.
They had already helped with the undisputed matters; as for those endless disputes over ethics and morality, it wasn't for them to manage.
Now, it was their leisure time.
...
On the city walls, Little Ka and Mo Shao lay on a bamboo mat, looking up at a starry sky they hadn't seen in a long time.
After the apocalypse arrived and the Phantom Realms descended, light and atmospheric pollution were significantly eliminated, allowing the starry sky to reappear.
They hadn't had time to appreciate it over the past few days. It was only now, as they relaxed, that they finally felt like gazing at the stars.
Hmm... It was the same in her previous life. Early on, she was too busy running for her life to appreciate the stars, and by the middle and late stages, even though she had time...
She no longer had the desire to appreciate them.
Although she would still gaze at the starry sky back then, it was more about using the movement of the stars to calculate and calibrate her future path.
Furthermore, changes in the constellations would sometimes cause anomalies in reality, which was also something worth her attention.
Although she had followed the Technology Path in her previous life, she had still supplemented her knowledge with the Mystic Path for reasons like this.
Of course, it was only the most basic knowledge. It was just to ensure she wouldn't be caught off guard when facing such things.
It had all been utilitarian, rational thinking. It was only now, after being reborn, that she truly appreciated the starry sky with emotion.
As for the feeling... pleasure?
Mo Shao felt like her current state of mind was difficult to describe, as if the rusted gears of emotion in her mind had been coated with lubricant.
Though still covered in rust, they had begun to turn with a creak, gradually peeling off the rusted outer layer.
This wasn't solely the credit of looking at the stars, but the collective effect of the emotional fluctuations over these past few days since her rebirth.
As if her thoughts had encountered a contradiction or a snag, Mo Shao suddenly sat up, her gaze falling from the starry sky.
She felt like this change in emotion was becoming a bit uncontrolled, so subconsciously, she wanted to avoid it.
The rational thinking accumulated over years in her previous life was still circling her mind, after all.
...
“What’s wrong?” Little Ka also sat up, looking confused.
“Nothing.” Mo Shao shook her head, having no intention of explaining further. She casually shifted the topic: “I was thinking about the arrangements for tomorrow.”
“Oh right, what do you plan to do tomorrow?”
“I need to go to the volcano to the north first to get something.” Mo Shao’s gaze shifted toward the north; she was going to obtain the Flame Plate.
The strength of this thing in the early stages was quite superior—after all, even the most ordinary fire possessed extremely high lethality.
Of course, the Fire-type wouldn't be weak in the later stages either.
“You don’t need me?” Noticing that Mo Shao said “I” instead of “we,” Little Ka asked considerately.
“I’m not going there to fight,” Mo Shao shook her head.
“Why does it seem like you think all I can do is fight...” Little Ka paused, her eyes twitching slightly.
“Is it not?” Mo Shao retorted.
“I’ll hit you!” Little Ka waved her arms and legs around in a mock threat.
“Heh...” Mo Shao gave a soft laugh, then had another thought. “Before I come back tomorrow, there are also some tasks you can try doing.”
“What tasks?” Little Ka’s expression quickly turned serious.
“This person, Tendou Aris. You can go talk to her.”
Mo Shao took out the Idea Camera and developed photos of the images in her memory and Aris’s related settings.
“I think she’s very suitable for our team.”
“You just got here and you’re already eyeing someone else~” Little Ka teased playfully.
“After all, our team really is short on people, and suitable candidates are scarce. Since we’ve happened across one, we naturally have to give it a try.”
“Hmm, that’s reasonable.”
Little Ka nodded, then patted her chest and guaranteed: “Then leave it to me! I’ll show you what true social skills look like!”
“Weren’t you a socially invisible student in class...?”
“How is that the same?!” Little Ka immediately jumped up.
Then followed things like “There was just no point in talking to them” and “Everyone was busy studying”... plenty of excuses like that.
...
In the end, they chatted casually until dawn.
Around 6:30 in the morning, the gunfire finally ceased completely. Those ghosts without physical bodies turned into flowing light and ash and vanished.
Although many situations between the ghosts and the living remained unresolved, the time had ultimately come.
The dead returned to the nether, the living to the morning.
There would be many lingering effects of Halloween later on, but for now, they had nothing to do with Mo Shao and the other girl, who were moving away from all that.
“Phew...” Little Ka stretched and yawned, tears seeping from the corners of her eyes. “I can finally go to sleep.”
Although it was relatively leisurely, they couldn't fully relax; they had to check the city walls from time to time, which was genuinely tiring.
However, it would be fine in the future. When there were no special events, the personnel of Seven Hills City should be able to hold out through the night.
Surely accidents wouldn't keep happening, right?
With her mind wandering, Mo Shao dug a hole and pulled Little Ka into the chest with her, falling into a deep sleep.
...
When they woke up, it was already 10:30. Four hours of sleep were enough to restore their mental states to their peak.
“Well then, I’m counting on you.” Before they split up, Mo Shao spoke to Little Ka on the city wall with great solemnity.
“There’s no need for that between us.” Little Ka waved her hand, offering a concerned reminder in return: “You be careful out there.”
“I will.” Mo Shao had intended to end the farewell simply, but as she looked at Little Ka, she unconsciously spoke again.
“By the way, what kind of pets do you like?”
“Why the sudden question?” Little Ka was a bit confused.
“I want to see if I can bring back a few Pokémon,” Mo Shao explained with a normal expression. “They’re quite valuable.”
“Why are you talking about Pokémon in terms of value...” Little Ka shook her head somewhat helplessly. “Let’s wait until we have time in the future and go together.”
“Alright then.” Mo Shao didn't press the matter.
Ultimately, she didn't quite understand why she had asked that question. She could just bring them all back; why care about preferences?
Was her own brain a bit drowsy recently...?
Rate on N.U.
