Chapter 207

"Liuguang Memory Court? You're people of the Liuguang Celestial Lord? So you're the ones cutting off my observation?"

"What do you intend with this girl? No matter what motives you harbor… stealing others' memories like a leaf blinds the eye, deceiving others—I cannot consent!"

A reassuring voice sounded behind her; Fu Xuan's steps were steady as he approached, his amber eyes glaring fiercely at the messenger before him.

The other party, aware the situation was dire, fled quickly. Meanwhile, San Yueqi's memory arrived on the Starry Dome Train; now she was closing in on the source, and the Great Expansion Exhaustive Observation Formation could soon begin its verification.

She passed through the corridor, the silhouettes of Walter, Dan Heng and others flickered in and out; from their conversation… San Yueqi realized this was the memory of when the train crew had found her.

And all of this, she could no longer recall.

"You remember many things; you just don't realize it," Fu Xuan reminded her from beside.

She opened the observation carriage's door and found herself back at the starting point; she tried again to cross the corridor and open the door… but it was futile, she could only repeat this brief path over and over.

……

"Of course I wish to take her in… or rather, even a basic moral judgment leads to the same conclusion—since we have found her, we must look after her."

"They all agreed to shelter you. I, a banished one, don't think you have anywhere to return… but at least here, none of us will be alone."

Here, San Yueqi encountered more memories from her companions. Yet as she prepared to move forward, Fu Xuan warned that the messenger kept interfering, and only 'retreat' could lead her to the past.

Understanding instantly, San Yueqi pulled open the carriage door behind her; a dazzling flash later, she found herself back in her own room. Everything was as before, except at the very center… a multicolored ice block floated.

——

Chainsaw Man.

"Hey Dianci! That ice looks ultra—delicious!" Pawa stretched his neck, pressing his face to the screen, "Like the rainbow ice cream sold at a convenience store!"

Idiot, that's just a foreign object in someone's memory.

Denji lay lazily on the sofa, tossing popcorn into his mouth, "I don't get it... the train clearly has everything—breakfast can be sandwiches and Himeko's coffee, lunch can be yogurt and Power's homemade meal... on the Astral Express we're also VIPs, isn't this life awesome? Why bother risking it to seek the past?"

Recalling the days living with Pochita, just having a small piece of bread with butter in the morning was enough to satisfy him. Before following Miss Makima, he had never thought about anything other than "being alive."

Faced with someone who has a good life but refuses to enjoy it... he simply couldn't understand.

"Look, Denji! March 7 is about to hit the ice block! We can recover the past right away!" Power shook Denji excitedly.

"Ahhh, stop shaking! The popcorn's going to spill!" Denji struggled to sit up from the sofa, watching March 7's fingertip about to touch, "What if she regains her memory and finds the past awful?"

Power suddenly stopped moving, tilted her head and thought: "Wouldn't that be better than not knowing anything at all? Like... uh, like if I forgot I was the strongest blood devil ever, how boring would that be?"

... Did Power forget she was a devil?

That world would probably become purer, right? Seems... not bad either.

——

"This is probably the anomalous object... Looks like our exploration has reached the final step. I'll confirm one last time—are you sure you want to explore your own past?" Fu Xuan looked at March 7 solemnly.

"Hmm... I'm sure." March 1, uncharacteristically, solemnly nodded.

Her fingertip lightly touched the five-colored ice block.

In an instant, she felt no cold; instead, some kind of unseen pull made her open her eyes—she found herself in a void, with nothing beneath her feet, yet as if stepping on countless remnants of memory.

"Lord Tai Bu?" March 7 called out cautiously.

"The Great Divination Observation Array has begun its calculation; she can't free herself." The messenger's voice suddenly rang out.

"Why is it you again? What does my recalling the past have to do with you, why are you blocking me?" March 7 complained.

"Please believe in Flowing Light Remembrance Court; everything I've done is to protect you." The messenger said sincerely.

You can't protect someone by imprisoning them!!

... We know.

The messenger's tone sounded utterly helpless; she appeared before March 7, leading her toward a glowing singularity. But before touching it, she earnestly pleaded once more for March 7 to believe her, that seeking the past would bring her no benefit at all.

The singularity gradually turned into an image showing exactly how March 7 of the past looked when sealed within the Six-Phase Ice.

——

Gintama.

"Whoa whoa whoa! This, this is...."

Sakata Gintoki's eyes widened instantly, the strawberry milk in his hand went "plop" onto the floor, but he was oblivious, his gaze vacant as he stared at the absolutely magnificent scene on the light curtain.

"Hey, Gin-san! What are you doing!" Shinpachi shoved his glasses in frustration, the lenses flashing a sharp white light, "That's the sealed girl! Don't look at her with those lecherous eyes!"

You clueless philistine, this is a cross-galactic appraisal of human body art!

Gintoki argued vehemently while shuffling around the room like a gecko, trying to find the best viewing angle: "Damn it, the Six-Phase Ice's refraction is off! Why do the key parts always get blocked by the glare?!"

Shinpachi grabbed Gintoki's collar and yanked him back: "What refraction issue? It's your humanity screaming in alarm!"

——

This is your starting point. From there, you unfolded your one and only life, beginning to experience those one-of-a-kind adventures.

Anything earlier than that holds no meaning for you; your life's worth lies not in what happened in the past, but in the present and the future.

A soaring eagle never longs for the cliff it once fell from, and a sailing ship never yearns for the shoal it once ran aground on.

And you, my child, should also know that the past is illusory like clouds and mist.

It's time to part… I'll give you a parting gift. I look forward to meeting again.

It's time to part… I'll give you a parting gift. I look forward to meeting again.