Miss Witch doesn't want to be a diva!.

Chapter 713 Cold Rain
Rain fell from the sky above the high floors. The tiny dots expanded rapidly in the pupils, and finally hit the forehead and the ground, splashing tiny water droplets.

The sky is always gloomy, with no sunrise or sunset to be seen. This is a jungle filled with steel, a maze with no way out.

With his hands in his pockets, he walked aimlessly along the dark and winding streets, and all he saw were silent figures.

Since the end of the turmoil four years ago, all industries in the Lusheng Star Region have entered a state of decline.

At first, only the businessmen felt that the number of tourists was decreasing. Then, major companies began to generally cut salaries, and some small marginal industries began to collapse.

However, this is not the end. As the star fields in various regions banded together and trade protection policies were implemented in various star regions, the exports of the Lusheng star field further decreased, and the economic winter gradually spread to the entire society.

There are no abundant natural outputs, outstanding industrial products or powerful factions here. This is just a star region famous for its tourist scenery. Every summer, the cool reed lakeshore can attract many foreign guests. The local dances, water fish and handicrafts can also bring a lot of economic benefits.

As the federation gradually split and the environment changed dramatically, star regions like the Lusheng Star Region that had no hard power support became the first victims. Unlike other economic models, there are too many alternative options for tourism. If that doesn't work, travel on your own planet will also do. In fact, a person's life is only a hundred years, and it is not easy to travel around the planet where you were born.

Shuilu City, the largest city in the Lusheng Star Region, has approximately 3000 million people living around this urban area. Countless high-rise buildings stand in a row, and flashing lights decorate the night. Even if you walk in a dark alley, you can look up and see various laser images shot into the sky, reflecting the earth in a colorful and changing manner.

"call……"

The hot air he exhaled blew across his wet collar, and was particularly clear in the night. He lifted the collar with one hand, and the cold water slid down his fingertips, making him feel a little more sober.

Is it autumn already? Suddenly realizing something, he took out his personal terminal from his pocket, unlocked the interface amid the raindrops and water marks, and then lit up the projection to display the current time.

【1264年9月26日20:19:49】

Summer was over without him noticing.

The summer in my memory, which was always lively, decorated with lights, welcoming all kinds of tourists, holding various activities, and the streets were crowded with people, is over.

But he still didn't find a job.

He squatted on the side of the road, swiping the interface with his hand, trying to find a familiar friend to talk to, to vent his distress, and to release some of his wet emotions, but after swiping through the long list, he didn't choose anyone in the end.

Is there really anyone willing to come out on this rainy night just to listen to his repetitive complaints?

He didn't have that many good friends.

In various games and film and television works, no matter how down and out the protagonist is, there will always be one or two friends who will encourage him and help him get back on his feet, or pull the protagonist together to do something "big".

But the truly down-and-out people will only make people annoyed, and no one will always pity them.

He put his hands back into his pockets and strolled along the rainy street, letting the water droplets run along his eyebrows.

When a person is forced to be alone, he often falls into memories, and he also went down the same path.

Although he was very poor in his youth, both he and his familiar friends were full of hope for the future, just like a gorgeous ink painting, messy but full of vitality.

But as he grew older, he realized that the future did not bring him the exciting plot he had imagined when he was a teenager. He just relied on his youth to find joy in the boring study and work, thinking that he just lacked an opportunity and a little experience, and that there would be a day in the future when he would be able to display his talents.

White reeds sway, boats ply across the cool lake water, and tourists pray to the rising and falling night lights on the water, feeling impressed by the beautiful scenery here.

A year, a year, a summer, a new scene

Years pass by, and the years fade away

His future was like the night lights floating on the river, going out one by one.

When a child is born, he has infinite possibilities, but this possibility becomes smaller with every year he grows older. Until one day he suddenly realizes that there are only a few options left for him, and those were never what he hoped for when he was a teenager.

He stopped walking, and in front of him was the most famous "Red Wish Bridge" in the city. It was said that if lovers wrote each other's names on the same red ribbon and tied it on the bridge, their relationship would last long.

Even though such stories and legends appear in various tourist cities, there are still people who believe in them tirelessly and are willing to pay the price to fulfill that little wish in their hearts.

Walking up the long bridge slope, cold wind blew sideways along the way, and tiny drops of water hit the thin clothes. Without the cover of the steel forest, the wind and rain here were obviously stronger.

Only the occasional vehicle passed by, making a sound of mud and water. The light fell on the ground, and the water stains reflected the broken white.

The cloth of his trouser legs stuck to his legs because of the wind, it was cold and wet, and there were heavy spots of mud in it. He walked towards the bridge step by step. Under the red background light, there was now only an empty steel structure. Many tied red ribbons were drooping in the rain. Only a few of them, with dried mud stains, swayed in the breeze, and were occasionally illuminated by the lights of passing cars, revealing their long-faded color.

The bridge, which used to be crowded with tourists, was now deserted. He turned his gaze and scanned the long bridge, and finally saw a young couple. They were wearing simple and plain student uniforms. They leaned against each other and carefully tied a ribbon with their names on it to the bridge.

Looking at this scene, there was no fluctuation in his heart, but just a hint of mockery and sadness.

Maybe he should have confessed his love back then, just like that stupidest couple, and left his name here, so that he could walk there today, take off the ribbon, and throw it into the river under the bridge.

With his fingers gripping the cold and wet guardrail, he wanted to shout loudly here, but because he didn't know what to say, he ended up exhaling a burst of hot air and let it cool in the rain.

Resist, complain? He didn't know what to resist or who to complain to. He just felt that the future would be like the bridge, with only a downhill road that could be seen at a glance.

He probably didn't make any big mistakes, nor did he have any good luck. He just slowly fell along the tide of the times. The vision in his heart still stayed high in the sky, lingering on the orange neon lights.

Tonight should be the best day in the future

He looked up at the raindrops falling into his eyes, then lowered his head and let the water droplets slide down his cheeks.

The steps going down were exceptionally light, as if walking on clouds that could break at any time. The road on the bridge became increasingly deserted, and the couple who had been tied with a ribbon before disappeared.

He had nowhere to go, so he just walked down the road step by step, unwilling to look at the lights in the distance.

This is a big city, an extremely prosperous city, but it still makes him feel cold.

He walked forward in a trance along the road in the rain, crossing the streets, passing by the high-end stores that still had their lights on, and walking through the darkness. Only the street lights occasionally illuminated his hair, allowing him to see his lonely shadow.

He kept walking and strolling, moving forward without end, and his body temperature was getting lower and lower. Perhaps it would be better to find a place to stay, but his gradually freezing body would make him obsessed and unwilling to wake up.

I passed by countless streets, but the road under my feet still had no end, just like the advertisements in the sky, this is a metropolis with a population of 3000 million, a prosperous city that can accommodate countless people.

Finally, on a downward slope, he finally stepped on empty air, his body rolled down, and his head and nose hit the ground. The dizzying pain made him curl up in the mud and struggle, licking his fishy lips. After several failures, he slowly supported his body and struggled to get up, limping forward, holding on to the guardrail.

The brisk body in his memory disappeared. At this moment, he felt that he looked just like those pitiful old people in the past, funny and funny.

"Heh--" He laughed at himself, his eyes fixed on the path in front of him. He gripped the guardrail with his fingers, using the touch of the cold metal to sober himself up a little.

"grass"

"Uh, hehe, hahaha." The unpleasant laughter dissipated in the night, sounding particularly bitter.

After walking nearly a hundred meters, his legs recovered a little and he no longer had to hold on to the guardrail. He stood by the road again, watching the trucks approaching in the rain. The bright lights made his vision dizzy, and a strange thought arose in his mind, but he quickly suppressed it.

Not yet...

He shook his head to sober himself up, took out his personal terminal and looked for the nearest way back home.

It was so far. Looking at the high taxi fare displayed on the side, he slowly put down his personal terminal and walked slowly into the night again.

He put his almost frozen fingers back into his pockets and walked with his head down again with wet steps, as if the checkered pattern on the ground was the most worthy scenery to appreciate.

It's late at night
There were fewer and fewer shops and buildings with lights on on the roadside, and the road became quieter and quieter. Only the occasional sound of propellers could be heard in the night sky, which was the trace of advertising airships.

He was not a spoiled man, but as he walked forward in the cold rain, his physical strength was slowly exhausted, causing his steps to become slower and slower. Every step he took was painful and heavy, and his body's center of gravity could no longer be maintained, and he began to waver.

It’s not going well. He must find a place to rest and recover his strength.

However, when he looked around, he found that this was already a remote suburb of the city, and even the street lights were particularly dim. Perhaps due to some subconscious psychological effect, he did not take the brightly lit main road, but deliberately chose a side road with fewer people, which also led to the current bitter consequences.

I can only keep going.
With this thought in mind, he rested for a while, then got up with difficulty and walked along the road again, as if dragging the rest of his life of failure.

The black sky, frozen fingers, trembling body, cold and numb legs, everything is bad.

He saw a small flame burning on the roadside in the distance. The folded paper pages fluttered in the orange-yellow light, then flew up and quickly fell down.

With only the small flame left in his pupils, he moved in that direction almost obsessively until his fingers touched the rolling flame. The scalding pain woke him up again, but he was already a little dazed this time.

Everything before my eyes seemed to collapse and crash into the wet and cold earth. My ears were pressed against the rushing water, and only noise filled the air.

A pair of hands tried to lift him up, but he had completely lost his strength and could no longer cooperate, making the process extremely difficult.

Then, several more pairs of hands slowly pulled him up together and carefully carried him to a place where there was no rain. During this time, he should have heard voices, but unfortunately he no longer had the energy to distinguish them, and his eyelids were extremely heavy, making it impossible for him to lift his body.

He didn't know how much time passed in the darkness, but during this time, a warm touch seemed to wrap around his body, making him fall into a deep sleep. When he regained consciousness, he felt a little warmth in his body and could hear a soft whisper of prayer.

"May the winds from all directions protect us, the girl holding sage wipe away our pain, and the only lantern to guide those at the end of their road..." This was the first time he had heard such a prayer, but some of the key words were not unfamiliar to him.

He moved his dry throat and tried to sit up slowly. This action naturally attracted the attention of others. Soon someone helped him up and prepared a cup of warm water with sugar for him.

The cheap purified water mixed with the newly added white sugar granules had a sweet taste that had not yet dissolved. It was not as delicious as mature industrial beverages, but it still fascinated him. After drinking one glass, he drank another one before slowly putting down the glass.

At this time, he found himself in a dilapidated warehouse. There was not even electricity, and the walls were covered with gray and black mold spots. However, it was very warm here. Someone had blocked the leaky windows. There was a group of people in black robes around him. There were both men and women, about twenty of them.

"You guys?" He really wanted to ask who the other party was, but felt it was a bit impolite.

"Thank you." He expressed his gratitude sincerely.

"It's okay." An old man with a beard covered him with a blanket, then made way for a younger woman to come in front of him.

The woman looked to be in her 20s, with an ordinary appearance. She was not pretty, but her pair of black eyes were very bright under the orange light.

Seeing him wake up, the woman held his hand and gave him a warm magical power to heal the pain in his body.

"Are you feeling better now?" He felt the sincere kindness of the woman in front of him, which made him feel like he was looking directly at the sun, not daring to look up.

"I feel much better." He took a deep breath with a slight tremor, and felt that his body was indeed much better now.

Afterwards, the woman and the people around him told him what happened. It turned out that they came across him who had fainted in the rain while performing a prayer ceremony on the side of the road. They carried him here, helped him change his wet coat, covered him with a blanket, and gave him simple treatment.

"A prayer ceremony?" He couldn't remember what festival it was today.

"Yes, pray for those who are poor and in difficulty." When he said this, he saw a rare piety in the woman's eyes. This look made him feel a little strange and fresh.

In today's era, there are very few true believers, because everyone knows that there is no omniscient and omnipotent God in this world. If it is just about great power, then "Golden Flame Flower" Isenissa is probably the most famous god.

"Lady Isanissa, the 'Golden Flame Flower', is great, but her eyes are more focused on those glorious people rather than on us unknown people of the dust." A man said.

"So what do you believe in?" He suddenly became curious and remembered the prayers he had heard before.

"We believe in the eternal cradle wings, Her Highness Loranhill. She is the protector of all the poor, the benevolent one who will never abandon or despise us. She is the only one who will not forget us and will always keep a place for us to rest in peace."

When he mentioned that name, he saw sparkling hope in the eyes of the people present. It was the perseverance and belief in life, the burning faith.

Why would they believe in the person who had left this world thousands of years ago, the name that had long faded in time?

He didn't understand, but he felt a little sore in his nose.

This must be a cult. His Highness has long stopped responding to people's prayers and has been sleeping forever in the Sea of ​​Aijaka, never to wake up again.

"I..." He wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

"It's okay, just rest for a while, and then we'll help you get home."

"I don't have any money." If it was a cult that wanted to defraud him of his money, then forget it. He is not a young man who has just entered society and does not understand the evil nature of human nature.

The other person shook his head, held his hand, and spoke those sincere words again.

"We will help you, even without reward. Maybe this is strange, but I think if it is that princess, she will not abandon any of us."

“Individuals are lonely and weak, but if they unite, trust each other, and warm each other, they will gain great courage.”

Is that so? Such words have actually appeared in countless literary and film and television works, but only today did they truly penetrate his defenses.

"Do you really believe it?" It seems like you are asking the other person, but it also seems like you are asking yourself, are you still willing to believe in that figure that has long disappeared, that dream that has long been shattered?
"I believe."

“Even if everyone has abandoned their former ideals, they are still the faith that illuminates the entire era and warms countless people.”

"The song girl is only a gift given to a few people, and in the end, the only things we can rely on are still our own hands and our companions."

The cold and lonely rain still falls in this city, passing through the gaps between the tall buildings and hitting the black earth. The streets in the cold wind are lonely and desolate.

The small flame flickered slightly in the dilapidated house, warming the scarred and lonely heart.

(End of this chapter)