“What do you… mean by that?” At this moment, our Miss Riel seemed to still not have recovered from the shock just now.
Now, she had none of the shrewdness she had shown when her identity was first exposed, though that was only normal.
After all, being able to encounter such an explosive memory could be considered her great fortune.
“Of course I mean it literally, Miss Riel.” Wen Jin slowly extended a finger and closed those golden eyes.
“Listen…” Outside that false little restaurant, a faint series of scattered sounds was drifting in.
“As a Memokeeper, you should have your own life-saving methods, right?
For example… being able to preserve yourself when a planet is about to undergo a Destruction.” “Ah… yes, I do…” Staring at Wen Jin, whose aura had suddenly changed before her, Riel swallowed again, her little head nodding rapidly.
“Since that’s the case, then it’s already time for us to part.” “The [Destruction] belonging to Stede-Karl… has already descended.” Wen Jin held the potted green plant on the balcony gently in his palms and murmured in a low voice.
At this moment, this planet shrouded in thick radiation clouds was undergoing an unprecedented upheaval.
Beneath those clouds, a “storm” that could sweep across the entire planet was about to arrive.
As a border planet, Stede-Karl itself was not rich in resources, but deep within this planet, there was a mineral that could not be called precious, yet for the IPC, could be mined in a “drain the pond to catch the fish” manner.
This mineral did not have any great, clear use, but its symbolic meaning far surpassed its practical value.
Because… it was on the “audience list” of the Department of Building Materials and Logistics.
As the department within the Interastral Peace Corporation most “devout” toward Qlipoth, assisting Qlipoth in “building the wall” had already been carved into their very lives.
Even though Qlipoth did not care in the slightest about the “materials” they offered, they would still continue this endless “collaboration.” And the situation Stede-Karl was in today was related to the large-scale extraction of this mineral.
Every time this mineral, which had to be mined deep within the planet’s core, was prospected, it would inevitably cause enormous pollution to the planet’s surface.
Add to that the massive amount of energy consumed by the mining machines, which also had to be extracted during this process, and so… a vicious cycle began.
In order to mine the “tribute,” they needed to mine, and in order to mine, they needed to extract even more energy minerals.
Under this endless cycle, the final balance was finally broken.
An unprecedented great earthquake was beginning to spread from the original “Zero” mining site as its center.
Its magnitude was… thirteen!
This storm from underground swept across the entirety of Stede-Karl in mere moments.
Under this absolutely destructive earthquake, the civilization on this planet had no possibility of survival.
In an instant, the continents began to split, the mountain ranges collapsed, and the thick radiation clouds in the sky began to change along with the “drift” of the terrain.
From a perspective in space, the thick cloud layer began to “actively” divide, revealing the shattered surface below that looked like a jigsaw puzzle.
At the same time, the planet’s “blood” began to seep out, and extreme heat and radioactive substances began to appear on the surface.
People did not even have time to wail before instantly falling into those bottomless cracks.
Some still clutched reservation vouchers for the “Sidekar Rebirth Service” in their hands.
Half an hour ago, they had even still been imagining the happy lives they would live after Stede-Karl’s “rebirth” in the future.
But unfortunately, this planet had no intention of letting them see the future.
Above space, a scientific research ship from the Intelligentsia Guild was using the high-precision telescope it carried to observe the situation on Stede-Karl.
Originally, they had only been passing through this star region.
It was only after hearing that the “Incineration Avatar” had appeared on this unknown planet that their interest was suddenly piqued, and they wanted to take this opportunity to observe for a while and see whether they could obtain some “information” related to him.
Before arriving near Stede-Karl’s star system, they had done plenty of preparation.
There were no Denizens of Abundance, Antimatter Legion, Swarm, evil robots, living planets, or the like nearby.
The star here was also in its prime, with no risk of “exploding,” and there were no orbiting asteroids nearby that would crash straight into them.
After confirming that this “Destruction” would come from within the planet Stede-Karl, this scientific research ship obtained information related to Stede-Karl from the “fleeing” IPC vessels.
From that, they were also able to deduce Stede-Karl’s ending.
But… according to their calculations, this great earthquake spanning the entire planet should not have been like this.
At the very least… its destructive power should not have been this astonishing!
“How could this be?” A white-haired, elderly researcher looked at the planet below, which could only be described as a hell on earth, and murmured to himself… “Perhaps… it’s because of the influence of that Incineration Avatar?” The young scientific researcher beside him speculated.
“Perhaps… record it first, and wait until later to conduct detailed research!” “Then… are we still observing?” “Observe my ass!
Run already!
If it’s really like you said, and it’s because that [Incineration Avatar] intensified Stede-Karl’s seismic reaction, then who knows whether this planet will have a great explosion belonging to [Destruction] in a while?” The elderly researcher fiercely smacked his useless disciple’s head, then hurriedly contacted the captain of this ship and had him leave the current star system at the fastest speed possible.
They did not dare to gamble, and they could not afford to!
And so, this scientific research ship that had come to watch the spectacle arrived eagerly and fled in sorry shape under countless stunned gazes, moving at a speed far beyond the other spacecraft in the same star system.
Stede-Karl Along with Stede-Karl’s great earthquake, that virtual little shop began to shake violently.
The girl’s petite figure swayed unsteadily behind the bar, and then… a strong, large hand gently patted her shoulder.
The owner of that hand stood calmly in place.
No matter how the earth shook and the mountains swayed, he remained completely unmoving.
“It’s time to leave, little Memokeeper.
Don’t tell me you still have your own body.
If that’s the case, I’ll be very sad.” Wen Jin looked directly at the panicked pink-haired girl before him and spoke softly.
“I… I know already.
How could I possibly still preserve a body… For people in our line of work, if we still had physical bodies, we’d probably have died who knows how many times already…” Looking at that handsome face that made one’s heart tremble, Riel truly did not know whether she should be moved or terrified at this moment.
But… she could feel that this “Incineration Avatar” before her… seemed to genuinely want her to survive?
“Since that’s the case, then… it’s time to say goodbye.
But… you…” Riel looked at Wen Jin in front of her and felt the warmth on her shoulder.
For some reason, an indescribable emotion suddenly surged up in her heart.
“Me?
Hehe… no need to worry.
It’s only a temporary farewell.” Seeing this, Wen Jin slowly smiled, then looked at the Memokeeper before him whose figure was gradually turning illusory, as well as the walls around them that were gradually starting to crumble, and shook his head slightly.
“After all… I’ve long since gotten used to it.” “It’s only Destruction.” In the end, before Riel could open her mouth to reply, her figure was forcibly dispersed in front of Wen Jin.
This was not something she had done voluntarily.
Rather, Wen Jin had taken the initiative to cut off his connection with her.
Who knew whether his departure would also conveniently take along an unlucky Memokeeper?
So… it was better not to try.
“What a pity…” Lowering his head, Wen Jin looked at the potted green plant in his hands, his golden eyes filled with gloom.
“It was nothing more than… a fleeting dream.” “Bang!!” The flowerpot in his fingers fell to the ground.
Those emerald green leaves mixed with the soil, ultimately scattering into that illusory world.
★ ★ ★ T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
★ ★ ★ Shilling time!