Chapter 24: Who Pitied the Drifting Souls

[Relax your mind, calm yourself, or focus on pleasant thoughts.]

This was not a particularly strange request. Similar practices existed in her previous world. Consequently, Su Na followed the instructions naturally, sitting cross-legged on the grass and closing her eyes to relax.

However, reality was far more complex than imagination. The moment Su Na closed her eyes, a torrent of erratic thoughts flooded her mind. One moment she was calculating a hundred ways to utilize goblins, the next she was thinking of hops, then the steam engine, and then the wheat she had recently planted back at the manor.

Calming herself and relaxing her mind was far from easy. Her remaining lifespan was only ten years; just because she didn’t speak of it didn’t mean she was indifferent. She had always harbored a lingering sense of urgency.

After sitting cross-legged for an unknown length of time, she finally began to let go of her thoughts. Her closed eyes magnified her hearing and sense of smell. The gentle breeze brushed against her face, carrying the scent of green grass, and the intermittent chirping of insects rose and fell, slowly bringing peace to her heart.

In her serene state, a fragment of an unfamiliar memory quietly emerged from the depths of her soul.

“Up we go!”

A pair of small feet leaped vigorously over a branch. A young Su Na, her short silver hair tied into tiny buns, strained to look up at Adelaide, her large, clear eyes shining like grapes.

Adelaide brushed away a strand of silver hair blown near her lips by the wind. She patted little Su Na’s head with deep maternal affection, gently pinching her chubby cheeks.

Little Su Na let go of a duck-foot-shaped green leaf in her hand, opening her short, chubby arms with a wide grin: “Hehe, Mama! Hold me!”

Adelaide bent down and picked her up as requested. The child obediently wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, her large eyes looking around curiously as she hummed a soft, fragmented tune:

‘A tiny cloud, drifting slowly along~ Please take a rest, and pause for a moment.’

‘The wild flowers bloom on the mountain, and only then do I climb up. So you have also come up the mountain, to watch those wild flowers bloom~’

Hearing little Su Na’s humming, Adelaide pursed her lips, her arms tightening around the child.

As they moved forward, the surrounding scenery shifted rapidly. The vibrant green of the forest gradually began to change color, as if different sections of the same area existed in distinct points in time.

Soon, a tunnel paved with golden autumn leaves appeared before them.

“Wow!”

Little Su Na gasped in wonder. As if awakened by her voice, countless golden, duck-foot-shaped leaves rustled down from the trees. A golden wave billowed in the wind, swirling around the mother and daughter before drifting away, as if welcoming her arrival.

As they ventured deeper, the tunnel formed by the trees narrowed into a path, leading straight to a massive cavern draped in golden foliage.

Adelaide took a deep breath, holding the little one tighter as she stepped inside. The space within the cavern was staggeringly vast, but it lacked the cold, damp chill one would expect; instead, it was carpeted with dry, warm golden leaves, and the air carried a unique fragrance.

In the center of the cavern, a solitary skeleton leaned against a stone table.

[She is here.]

“Yes!”

Adelaide looked down at the oblivious little Su Na. Kneeling before the skeleton, she set the child down and said in a low voice: “I have confirmed it.”

Upon receiving Adelaide’s confirmation, the skeleton before them began to reconstitute flesh and tissue at an incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a silver-haired woman whose tresses swept the ground. She stepped forward, bending down to look at little Su Na with eyes of violet mixed with gold. She nodded, then shook her head and sighed:

“It is too late; I cannot wait any longer.”

She gently patted the head of Su Na, who was blinking her large eyes in curiosity. Her expression was highly complex: “Remember, as one who has walked this path, I warn you: everything has a price. Those who rely on external things will inevitably be destroyed by them. The human heart is especially so.”

“Ascending to godhood is a dead end.”

Standing back up, she turned to Adelaide: “I have sealed her memories. In ten years, she will return on her own. Lillian should be prepared by then. From now on, you do not need to interfere in whatever she does. Ten years from now, she will truly be your daughter.”

Adelaide was somewhat puzzled: “What do you mean?”

“I am simply sending her back to play for a few more years, partly to resolve a lingering regret of my own. And, of course, to fulfill the deal with that idiot.”

Opening her palm slightly, a golden leaf drifted into her hand: “With grace and dignity, she stands unmatched; before her presence, even the sweet oranges bow as servants…”

***

A snap of fingers broke the silence.

“Alright, that is all for today’s class.”

Su Na snapped open her eyes, her body swaying slightly. An arm reached out from the side to steady her: “What is the matter, Miss Su Na?”

Su Na calmed her racing heart, offering a forced smile to her freckled desk mate from this morning: “It’s nothing, my legs just went numb. Thank you.”

“We are classmates and desk mates now; let’s not use formal titles, it sounds too distant. What is your name?”