Book 13: Chapter 18


    A scrubbing sound woke me the next day. I slowly opened my eyes. The refreshing sunlight shone on my face and a fragrant gentle breeze whisked past. I rolled over. Underneath the morning sun, a girl in a white robe slowly swept the scattered flower petals. She had her back to me. Her ck hair swayed gently as though it was a time keeper.


    Flower petals were scattered all over the ground. After she swept them up, they formed a fragrant mound of flower petals. Detecting my eyes on her, she turned around and looked indifferent as usual. Her expression was different to Niers initial expression. Nier wasnt expressionless; she made her hatred apparent. However, this girl didnt have any expression.


    Ying looked emotionless despite a rain of flowers overhead. There was no sadness or happiness on her face. She emotionlessly looked at me. In saying that, her red eyes werent dull. She finally broke her silence: Youre up. Good morning. How are you feeling today?


    I replied, Yeah, Im fairing all right.


    There was the sound of the wind and an empty space between us; but nheless, the two of us couldmunicate without any hassles. She gave a slow nod: Ill go prepare breakfast for you. You arent a resident of this ce. How was the foodst night?


    Very good. Thank you.


    I wasnt being courteous. The food was very familiar, though. I had a light porridge and a small te of salted vegetables. The light taste was particrly nostalgic. It was the same dinner I had when I fell sick as a child. Mom said I had to eat lighter meals when I was sick, and that was exactly what she gave me.


    I wasnt too ustomed to sleeping on the floor as I didst night. That being said, the gentle sound of the wind, as well as the scent of the wooden floor, calmed my mind. I gradually fell asleep in spite of being worried about my two wives. I slept all the way through the night and only woke up the next day.


    I shall go and prepare breakfast for you, and then give you a check-up, said Ying. She tidied up and ced the broom underneath the tree: Dont force yourself to stand up. You cant recover that quickly. Ive checked you. You dont have any spirit energy. Youre just an ordinary person, arent you?


    No Even if I cant use it, I can still use mana, right? After all, Im a hybrid. My mom also has an abundance of mana


    Mana?


    Ying tilted her head. I froze for a moment before suddenly realising there was no mana on the ind. That meant elves didnt exist on the ind.


    But she mentioned spirit energy. Whats that? Is it something simr to mana? How are we able tomunicate? I wondered.


    I couldmunicate with the anthropoids in the North thanks to mana. As long as there was mana, wed be able tomunicate. I guess that was a nifty use for mana. Humanity used a universalnguage, which was the Rosvenor Kingdomsnguage. I seemed to be able to naturally speak humanitysnguage after being reincarnated, so I presumed Troy knew it.


    So, how am Imunicating with Ying? I asked myself. In a serious tone, I asked, Ying Can you understand what Im saying?


    Ying didnt reveal a, what are you talking about, look. Instead, she maintained her emotionless look and solemnly replied, Not everything; I can understand the majority of it, nheless. It feels as though we speak the samenguage but have different pronunciations.


    Wait. What?!


    It finally struck me. I wasnt speaking to her in humanitysnguage or the elvennguage, but thenguage I virtually hadnt spoken since being reincarnated  Chinese!! Ying could understand, though. She spoke Chinese except with a different pronunciation!


    Ying looked at my shocked and speechless expression. She waited for a moment before asking, Is something the matter?


    I came back to reality and everything in the past welled up in my mind. I never expected to have the opportunity to speak my ownnguage here. I had given up on it, but Ying spoke the samenguage. Everything I thought I had forgotten returned to my mind. A surge of emotions surged up to my throat, choking me.


    Ying turned to leave; she wasnt interested in why I was emotional. I lied on the ground and looked at the lines on my palm. My tears welled up in my eyes, as a product of my emotions. I decided I needed to take a good look at the vige I missed.


    A short while after, Ying returned to my side and ced a tray down. There was a bowl of white porridge just asst night. The only difference was that there were two additional steaming small fishes. She ced the tray next to me then carefully helped me up. Then, she picked up a pot by the side with my medicine ready. She opened the firece and added firewood as well as wild teasels. Once the fire was hot, she ced the y pot over it.


    The small fish tasted average. It wasnt a new taste. I couldnt understand why it was stale despite this ce being by the sea. I spected if they had to salt their fish. With that said, I still ate everything. Ying slowly brewed the medicine by my side. Suddenly, she stated, A few corpses were washed up to shore today. If my conjecture is correct, they shouldnt have anything to do with you.


    I ced the bowl down, and then hastily inquired, Were there women? Was there a girl with ck hair and green eyes?!


    I dont know, replied Ying, shaking her head. I cant leave the shrine, so I dont know how the corpses on the shore look. I only heard it mentioned. The vigers ced the corpses in the centre of the vige. Go and take a look once youve recovered.


    Im going there now! Im going there now!!


    I hastily tried to stand up, but Ying pressed her hand down on me. She pressed her hand on my chest and exined, You cant get up yet. Your ribs are broken, and your back is injured. If you get up and move around now, you may never be able to stand again.


    I still need to go!! I need to go, and take a look!! My wives were on the ship! Im worried about them! I must ensure that theyre safe!!


    Ying emotionlessly tidied up the bowl and te in front of me: But is there a point to you going there now? Can you ensure your wives are safe if you see the corpses? Seeing corpses doesnt prove theyre safe and sound. If theyre among the corpses, then you dont need to worry. Thus, theres no need for you to go and see. After drinking your medication, you should be able to move a little tomorrow. Then you can go.


    Take me there now!


    I told you I cant leave the shrine.


    She stood up and went to the door. She didnt turn around regardless of how much I called out. I struggled with all my might to stand up, but it felt as though I was restrained by a hand and couldnt budge.


    Fuck! I loudly cussed in my mother tonguenguage and then mmed my head onto the pillow. I looked at the roof. Despaired, I shut my eyes. However, my wives appeared in my mind