Brain bloom

……

For Yuan, there was no fear of any disaster that could destroy the world; at most, it would only make her eyebrows twitch.

But she was afraid of ghosts at night, and very afraid of them.

This is related to the trauma of her childhood. The demon realm has many souls that were traded. Over tens of thousands of years, countless vengeful spirits have left behind various strange phenomena, many of which even the ancient demon king could not explain.

Therefore, nighttime ghosts, which sounded even more terrifying than vengeful spirits, became something to be hated. But now—Dandelion offered to take her to see ghosts…

"Princess, I'm scared."

"Don't worry, everyone has a first time."

"No, no, no, I'd definitely worry! I'd rather not have this first time!"

Dandelion crossed her arms and coaxed, "Nighttimes are fun. I'm bored and lonely when Sen isn't home, so I'll scare you for fun... Oh, it's nothing, I mean I'll just go play with you. And as long as you stay close to me, there won't be any danger."

I don't believe it at all.

Even in the realm of demons, there were rumors of such ghosts, saying that no one who witnessed one could live to see the dawn of the next day. Back then, driven by curiosity, Yuan even consulted the old monsters back in his hometown.

None of these incredibly powerful, ancient, and wise beings could explain what was going on.

She felt even more uneasy.

She would definitely be willing to go to the wilderness to admire the night sky and full moon. But admiring ferocious ghosts in the city, she couldn't understand what was so appealing about it.

"Why...why is everything alright when I'm with you?" Her mind suddenly cleared up a bit.

"Because they are all my compatriots."

I hope you haven't understood yet.

After briefly gathering her thoughts, she was horrified.

"Could it be... that Mori really left you, and that's why you've given up on yourself? Don't, don't drag me down with you."

"What are you thinking? There's nothing like that."

Dandelion was both annoyed and amused. She cleared her throat and said again.

“From the moment we signed the verbal agreement, I’ve considered you a good partner. For the sake of the Winged Clouds, I need to inform them in advance, which is why I chose to go out at night. Believe me, this is a serious matter.”

He tentatively asked, "Is Yiyun related to these ghosts?"

"If you're interested, come with me. It's a long night, and we've finally managed to go out and meet some fellow countrymen. It'll be more fun if someone gets scared for a bit."

"You can't fool me into going out."

I hope I wasn't fooled, but I was still dragged out the door by the dandelion.

One after the other, they strolled along the quiet street. The radiance of the holy letters scattered on the ground had dimmed considerably, a sign that the evil summoned by the god Hodge had become even more intense.

The Time Sprite was right, time is running out.

The ghosts that occupy the night have not yet appeared.

Dandelion didn't simply want someone to accompany her; rather, she wanted to show kindness to people other than Mori Toki occasionally.

Through their previous conversation, Yuan has made it clear that she intends to deal with Hodge herself. If she is willing to endure the pain of unleashing her power, she will surely succeed, and the primal evil will not be awakened—but in return, her lifespan will be significantly shortened.

If we prepare for Yiyun according to the planned schedule, we probably won't have time to say goodbye to her.

So she came to this place in the dead of night, carrying her wish.

……

(The stars stole my youth)

Volume 1 #299 Night Walk

Every household kept their doors and windows tightly closed, and in front of most doors, various auspicious items were placed.

For example, there's a ring of salt made by hand from water taken from the sea by their own family; pots of rosemary, a plant favored by the gods in mythological times and believed to bring good luck; holy water, amulets, and so on... Of course, the most common items are related to the person who carries the coffin.

Everyone, like Yuan, fears those ghosts... but Dandelion seems to be the only exception?

As I walked along, observing everything, I had a strange feeling, as if I, swaggering down the streets at night, was the reason they displayed so many sacred objects.

"Fear me...fear the devil..." she whispered, putting on a one-woman show.

Fufu seemed to become a tool for the devil's rampage; wherever there was a salt shaker at the door, Fufu would be thrown over and devoured. As the salt in its belly increased, it also became brighter and brighter.

Dandelion ignored the two silly kids behind her and was doing something very characteristic of her ethnic group.

The dandelion crown she wore was removed and placed in her hands. In its place, she donned an ancient rose crown, a sacred relic of the first queen of the Kingdom of Flowers. Bright red roses adorned the dandelion crown on her head.

She was also saying some blessings that others couldn't quite understand, her pronunciation and tone sounding like they came from another era.

And so they walked the entire street and then turned into the famous artisan street.

The deserted streets seemed spacious because they were so quiet. Shops were closed, but display cases remained open; ghosts, after all, only loved life, and the craftsmen's skills were not yet enough to imbue their works with soul.

I hope to slow down my pace.

Unlike the hustle and bustle of the daytime, she could browse the shops at her own pace. No one would rush her, and no shopkeeper would scrutinize her with a "Are you going to buy or not? If not, don't bother looking" kind of look.

Whether it was jewelry made of gold, silver, and gemstones, or translucent and lustrous glass trinkets, everything was novel to Yuan. A few minutes later, in front of a glass craft shop, Yuan saw a piece of art that had been sculpted to be very lifelike.

It's an owl.

The thick glass was flawlessly polished, with excellent cutting and carving, resulting in an owl waiting for its hunting opportunity. No bigger than a palm, yet it was priced at four gold coins.

"A bit expensive..."

"Shh, this is my crucial moment. Quiet down and don't whisper anything." Dandelion glared back at her.

And so, she noticed her peering out from in front of the shop, a tender emotion in her eyes. Dandelion glanced at the display case and casually suggested, "Break the glass and take it out."

"...Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"Then leave some money."

Is this okay?

"No problem, anyway, the price is clearly marked. Okay, if you're not going to buy, hurry up and leave, and stop muttering. I'm afraid I'll get distracted and mispronounce the words. If that happens... the world might end first."

After being warned like this, Yuan immediately covered her mouth.

But her boots didn't move. She still had some gold coins on her, given to her by the adventurer. She hesitated for a moment, thinking that breaking the glass wasn't a good idea, so she held the four gold coins in her hand and reached into the display case.

The floor-to-ceiling glass window seemed to disappear...

Her hand reached inside and pulled out the cool glass owl figurine. She left the full amount of gold coins before happily beckoning Fufu to follow.

Yes, that's a good gift too.

But... how long will they walk? I dare not ask, so I can only continue to follow them.

About ten minutes later—

The dandelion finally finished its strange, babbling prayer. It gestured with its eyes and a few random movements, trying to ask if it could speak.

"The ceremony is over."

"Oh, that...ghost..."

“Whenever anyone falls asleep and has a nightmare, my fellow humans will receive the message and gather here. Although they are still wandering in the world of nightmares, at least they can hear my words.”

"Nightmare..."

“That is the truth about the ghost. I can tell you if you promise me you won’t tell anyone.” She added, “This is the price for your devilish ways.”

"...I'd better not, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist telling others."

"Okay—anyway, let's find a place to wait."

After a pause, the dandelion plucked the rose crown, replaced it with its own, and then, with a meaningful smile, said—

"Wait. Among the tens of thousands of people in this city, some will fall asleep early and then have a nightmare. Let's pray that the nightmare won't be too terrible."

Although she didn't quite understand, she followed Dandelion's advice. They found a spacious place to sit down; this was the famous Bard's Square in Silver Ring, popular with locals and tourists alike during the day.

Beneath the magical fountain, lovers dance, and musicians from all over the world offer their passionate music. Looking at the quiet square, close your eyes and begin to dream.

If she grew up as a normal human being… wouldn't she one day dance here with her lover? A sudden flutter of emotion stirred within her; she opened her eyes and looked at the dandelion…

Before she could even speak, the dandelion saw right through her and poured a bucket of cold water from the magic fountain on her.

"If you want to be like those horny humans and find someone to dance with... go with Fufu, don't ask me, I already have my domesticated strawberry."

"Never mind then..."

After thinking for a moment, Dandelion gently patted her shoulder: "Don't be so discouraged. When Senshi comes back tomorrow, we'll come here again."

"Would you let her dance with me? That would be nice..."

I truly believe this from the bottom of my heart, because it is quite novel and interesting for the devil's daughter and the holy God to dance a small dance among ordinary people.

"No, it's me and her who are dancing, you watch," Dandelion said seriously.

“…Haha.” She laughed from the bottom of her heart.

They both relaxed, laughed heartily for a while, and then continued to wait.

In the quiet, deserted winter night, they wait for the ghosts people talk about.

Not much time had passed.

"Drip, drip, tap, tap..."

A strange noise came from the end of the street. It wasn't a stray cat or dog, nor a mouse scavenging for food. Clearly, it was human noise.

The dandelion frowned, puzzled.

"...Hmm? The magic wasn't activated. Could it be that there are others like us who like to come out at night?"

"Did you call this dance partner for me? Or Mori Toki?"

"No... Mori Toki is probably still at the banquet counting his money, with fine wine, music, and master chefs' cuisine. Tsk tsk, he has no time to care about us two lonely girls."

Just then, Fufu, who had eaten too much salt and had been silently digesting it, suddenly took flight, wobbling slightly. It was a size larger than usual, but that didn't diminish its reliability.

“It smells like the sea,” Fufu said, “and… the smell of the ominous fog.”