Chapter 391: Pinokangni (70)

Offer blessings to the beautiful world.

"Hmm… It seems this Pinokangni isn't as beautiful as it looks." Daknesi crossed her arms, her armor making a crisp clinking sound, "It's even got Pipisi people committing suicide—life in this dream must be really stressful."

"Hey hey hey, can working like this every day really be called a beautiful dream? I think it's literally a nightmare within a nightmare."

Hezhen recalled when he and Akuya had just arrived in another world; he had thought they'd begin a wonderful otherworldly adventure, but instead it started with just a bowl, equipment earned through part‑time work… let alone slaying monsters, just finishing a day's part‑time job left him exhausted to the point of exasperation, even reduced to sleeping in a stable with Akuya.

Indeed, such a beautiful world was only apparent… Hezhen's mind found a slight balance, letting him abandon his longing for Pinokangni—if he went there, he'd probably just be working somewhere else.

"But why does Miss Huangquan say that indulging in a dream of ease and pleasure makes death inevitable?" Akuya looked at Hezhen, asking puzzledly, "Isn't that wonderful?"

"I don't really get it either…… but it probably has to do with human nature." If someone feels happy drinking alcohol, but drinking every day would make them numb, right? They might seek better, more drink. In short, the people's happiness in this dream isn't fixed; it inflates with each satisfaction, eventually—'Bang!'—the whole Pinokangni would explode." Hezhen made a spreading gesture.

"Well, although Hezhen, you seem to have completely missed Miss Huangquan's point, it does sound somewhat reasonable—it's rare for you to utter such profound words."

——

""…Miss Huangquan, let me share a story with you.""

""Waerte recalled: "In my homeland there was a man, when the world faced wounds that could not be healed, he made a decision. He wove together everyone's dreams in the world, linked person to person's dreams, and bearing it himself, he thus created a giant, a 【Spiritual Adam】.""

""From then on, that giant stood between heaven and earth, becoming the pillar sustaining the world. And as the price, those who struggle to move forward, who cannot move forward… they will forever lose their future.""

""They slumber in dreams free of disaster and pain, living peaceful lives in the man's utopia. And the 【Spiritual Adam】 becomes unshakable because of these people's unwillingness to wake up…""

""Huangquan said lightly: "But you stand here, which means… that man failed.""

""Waerte nodded: "Because people must always move toward the future. Even if human weakness makes them pause, when they truly cannot go forward… humanity will surely try to save itself.""

""And that man… he was never a failure. Like everyone in that world, he etched humanity's possibilities into his heart. He is the mythic sun‑chaser, soaring to the heavens, and by falling he claims his ultimate victory.""

——

Honkai 3.

""I see, so I lost in the end, right?""

In the World Serpent's base, Kaiwen gazed up at the canopy. He quietly studied Waerte's face, carefully and repeatedly recalling what he had just said.

Something seemed to seep into his heart, not scorching but carrying an enduring warmth that made his heart pound, like a ray of sunlight that had crossed fifty thousand years, shining on a hard, cold spot deep inside.

Although he had imagined the failure of the Stigma Project in his heart, he never dared believe it—until Waerte in the canopy spoke it himself, whereupon he exhaled a breath of relief.

His shoulders sank slightly, as if shedding an invisible shackle, and even his perpetually straight back relaxed a bit.

To his own surprise, upon learning the "answer," his mind went blank for tens of seconds.

""…""

Successors will give a better answer. This means the road ahead is no longer a lonely, enduring vigil, but someone will take up the motto of "salvation" and lead the world toward a better future.

""Your Majesty, you…""

Duya widened her eyes in surprise, seeing Kaiwen's lips twitch into a faint arc—not a cold sneer, not mockery, but a genuine smile. This smile was so unfamiliar, like a sprout breaking from frozen earth, that it left her momentarily dazed.

Kaiwen rose slowly.

""Your Majesty, where are you going?" Duya asked from behind."

""I've gotten the answer I wanted, so……" Kaiwen's voice, usually unlike this, fell like melting snowflakes, soft and gentle onto the ground."

""…I want to see them.""

——

""Huangquan praised: "That fits the pioneering spirit of the Nameless Guest.""

""Thank you, Mister Waerte. I know what you want to confirm. The universe holds countless worlds that are similar yet different, and within them countless people who are similar yet different.""

""I too have walked the road, meeting in different worlds people whose faces resemble those of old acquaintances, watching their fates follow familiar paths. So I will tell you…… although not entirely the same, the story you described… overlaps with my past. And in that bottomless dream……""

""Huangquan said word by word: "…I ended that man's life, alone.""

""Waerte sighed regretfully."

""Huangquan shook her head: "I'm not the person you know, and my homeland wasn't as fortunate as your world.""

""…I'm sorry.""

""It's fine; if this eases your doubts, I don't mind.""

""But I still want to know, beneath the guise of the 【Patrol】, Miss Huangquan, what kind of power drives you to act alone to this day." Waerte said."

""…Mister Waerte, before answering that question I'd like to continue our earlier topic." Huangquan said, "I really like your metaphor. Indeed, birds are born to fly, but in a distant past their ancestors could only gaze up at the sky from the ground.""

""They saw that distant light from beyond the heavens piercing the clouds, illuminating the earth. And so, generation after generation, birds spread their wings and flew high, trying to touch the zenith, simply because the sun was there."

""But what if, when the final bird finally reaches the heavens, it sees the light's end not as the sun, but as a dark great day (a black hole that devours everything)……" Huangquan lifted her gaze to the star‑spangled night sky of Pinokangni."

Then what exactly are we... doing in order to go towards the light?