The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 579: Clear Mirror

Instantly, the lake shimmered and scintillated with cool light like it was bathed in the divine blessing from heaven, a beautiful miracle.

Standing by the reeds next to the lake was a tall, slim man. He was wearing a gray tattered cape that had become so dirty that there was no telling what its original color was. His wrinkled leather boots shone with years of wearing, and the shoelaces were tied messily into countless dead knots, as if the shoes were part of his feet.

His hair was thick and oily, running down to his lower back in rough strands that resembled seaweeds.

He looked like a homeless man who hadn’t washed himself for years.

He slowly lifted his head. Moonlight illuminated his grimy face. His complexion was dark, and his face covered in a messy bushy beard. His pronounced grayish blue eyes alone stood out, as clear as the surface of the lake before him.

Standing by the lake, his cape and hair swayed in the wind, while he remained unmoving and unblinking like a stone statue.

After some time, his eyes suddenly shifted to the left slightly.

Someone was here.

The reeds rustled and parted to the sides to make way. A figure walked elegantly through the reeds, shrouded by colorful dust particles that looked like nebulas. Closer inspection would make out a woman’s figure amid the dust particles, but since the particles were changing nonstop, her figure shifted between tall and short, fat and slim; there was no defining feature to be discerned.

As expected of the spy planted in the Hundred Rivers Union, she was cautious. Even when meeting with someone from her side, she maintained her disguise.

She came up to the lake and turned to the unkempt, rough-looking homeless man.

“Clear Mirror.” Her voice sounded crackly and rough, as if it was coming through a radio with a bad signal. It was clear that her voice was modulated somehow.

The man named Clear Mirror called out her codename in a low, icy voice, “What can I do for you, Dust?”

“It’s time,” Dust said. “The Heavenly Godbearer needs you.”

Clear Mirror was silent for a moment, his expression impassive. “The body’s hidden at the bottom of the lake?”

“Yes, or I wouldn’t have called you here,” Dust spoke at a deliberate pace, her tone a little distant. “The late Archbishop stole twelve bodies from the Qilin Guild, and the most special one was hidden at the bottom of the lake. He was going to use the body when it was the right time, but he lost the chance to.”

“I’ll bring it back,” Clear Mirror said with the same monotone. “What’s the mission?”

“The Divine Scion has emerged. Kill him.”

Clear Mirror’s eyes glinted, his gaze sharpening.

“May the Heavenly Godbearer bless you,” said Clear Mirror.

“May the Heavenly Godbearer bless you,” Dust repeated.

Clear Mirror walked toward the lake, the water submerging him little by little. Soon, only slowly spreading ripples could be seen on the surface.

Dust waited by the lake, the colorful dust particles fluctuating quickly like a tree of fireworks, the reflection dancing on the surface of the lake.

At some point, the dark clouds had covered the moon again, and the lake plunged back into darkness.

Hum.

A fleeting dull sound came from the bottom of the lake. From the center of it, a strand of gray blue energy shot out, instantly dividing into two branches and turning a right angle to split the lake in half horizontally.

In an instant, the wind blowing at the surface of the lake stopped. Even the air seemed frozen.

Splash. An intangible power cut the lake all the way to the bottom, creating a deep valley that was four meters in width. The cut surfaces were smooth and even, as if the water had been frozen in place by an intangible, evenly-spread force.

Dust looked down at the bottom of the lake to check the progression. Then she turned to leave.

Wind returned to the lake, rustling and swaying the reeds.

...

Gao Yang had another dream. It wasn’t something to be surprised about, but the place he dreamed of did take him by surprise.

By a road in the small town stood a two-story concrete building built by the residents themselves. Before the door was a small concrete front yard, by which stood a ginkgo tree.

The weather was pleasantly cool deep into autumn. A breeze rustled the tree, and golden leaves fell like rain.

Gao Yang walked across the concrete clearing covered in fallen leaves and saw the familiar little shop. Outside was a glass display with a variety of cigarettes, and inside were two shelves filled with all sorts of snacks and everyday necessities.

The wall on the left displayed children’s toys, including mini 4WDs, small air guns, playing cards, yoyos, dress up stickers, hopters, magic bubble glue, tamagotchis, and more. On the wall on the right were a landscape calendar and a few award certificates—all brought back from school by Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin.

Under the award certificates were twelve sheets of paper with the crayon doodles of the twelve Rune Types. It looked childish in an unnerving way.

A familiar voice came from his side. “You have accumulated 339 Luck points. It takes 1920 points for you to attempt comprehension of another Talent.”

Gao Yang turned around to find, unsurprisingly, his once caretaker with a gentle smile on her face.

“I didn’t summon you.” Gao Yang scowled. He hadn’t entered the system for days.

“Yes.” The dorm keeper smiled. “You’re dreaming.”

“Then am I in a dream, or in the system?”

“You entered the system unconsciously in a dream.”

Gao Yang smiled bitterly. Is this what luck is? A luck I can’t escape from?

“Brief me,” Gao Yang said.

“Congratulations on Lucky breaking through to level 5.” The dorm keeper spoke in a lilting voice. “With level 5 Lucky, the limit of your stats is increased to 2000.”

“Willful Power’s use time increases to 15 seconds, the cooldown shortened to 24 hours, and the loss to stats decreased to 1%.”

“The passive increase of Luck points increases to 2 points per hour.”

“Promoted from a Spectator to an Honored Guest, acquiring the privilege of fair treatment.”

Gao Yang remained silent.

The dorm keeper continued to explain despite not being prompted to, “From now on, you’ll have an equal chance to comprehend all Talents. In other words, the lower comprehension rates of top and bottom Talents no longer apply to you.”

Before, Gao Yang would’ve jumped up and down in excitement, but he didn’t feel pleased at all now; he had learned the source of Lucky.

After a moment of silence, he looked up at the dorm keeper seriously. “What is the Divine Scion, System?”

“As the name would suggest, it’s the child of God.” She gave a useless response.

“What is God?”

“Please explore on your own.”

Gao Yang wasn’t surprised. He had thought the system worked like a user manual in the past, but now it seemed more like a dictionary to him. Although the dictionary contained the definition of all basic words, when he was trying to find the answer to most questions, he would have to look up and combine the words on his own.

“That’s it then. I’m getting out.”

“Of course.”

The dorm keeper disappeared, but Gao Yang didn’t wake up from his dream.

He paused before walking up to a shelf, grabbing a few packs of instant noodles that could be eaten without cooking. He sat down on the concrete steps before the shop, tearing one pack open and taking out a circular plastic disk printed with the pattern of a small squirrel. He tucked it gingerly in his pocket. Then he started munching on the snack.

Leaves fallen from the ginkgo tree towering over him. Gao Yang took bites after bites and made a crunching sound every time, as if he was back to his carefree childhood.