An Urgent Request

Both Augu and the three other senior psionicists were filled with anticipation for this meeting.

At the appointed time, Angoroo promptly led Ming Yu and her companions to the reception hall. Upon seeing the elderly men and women, Ming Yu immediately recognized them; these were the senior psionicists she had encountered in the Ethereal Realm.

With this prior, albeit fleeting, acquaintance, she allowed her guard to drop slightly. While Ming Yu was currently unaware of Augu’s exact standing within the United Nations, the demeanor of the Marines suggested he wielded considerable influence and authority. Having just arrived in this new world and being unfamiliar with its ways, she desperately needed a guide to understand her surroundings and resolve her issues swiftly.

Ming Yu approached the conversation with a willingness to cooperate, and the other party appeared to reciprocate this sentiment. Consequently, their discussions progressed at a rapid pace.

“You mean to say you wish for Little Nightingale to remain here?” After confirming Augu’s request, Ming Yu’s brow furrowed slightly. Her gaze drifted to the silent Little Nightingale beside her for a moment before returning to Augu’s aged face. “Why?”

“Because she is a psionic prodigy, the future hope of humanity,” Augu paused, his expression growing solemn. He pointed out the flaw in Ming Yu’s phrasing, stating gravely, “This is not merely our desire, but the divine oracle of the Eternal Lord.”

He invoked the will of the Divine Lord, his tone serious and resolute. Upon hearing this, Ming Yu’s frown deepened.

‘Allowing Little Nightingale to stay here doesn’t seem like a bad choice. After all, my own life is nearing its end, and Qing Shui Ling Yin cannot possibly look after Little Nightingale forever. They must eventually learn to face risks independently.’

‘Perhaps the psionicists of this new world could offer Little Nightingale a better future and more stable security. If so, it would fulfill one of my deepest wishes. If Little Nightingale can grow up safely, then I will have the courage to face Viktor and tell him that I took good care of his daughter.’

That Little Nightingale was a psionic prodigy, Ming Yu firmly believed. As for whether she could truly be considered the “hope for humanity’s future,” Ming Yu considered that to be mere mutual flattery. As for the so-called “Eternal Lord,” Ming Yu knew little, considering him merely a spiritual leader. After all, it cost nothing to believe a little.

As the conversation drew to a close, Augu’s focus shifted from Little Nightingale. His gaze fell upon Ming Yu’s legs as he tentatively inquired about her current condition.

“Miss Ming, you appear gravely injured and seem to be afflicted with an illness, causing your psionic fluctuations to be so weak…” Augu’s tone held a hint of melancholy. “To think you were once capable of suppressing the Locust Lord single-handedly. I never imagined that when we met again, your body would be so frail and your psionic abilities so severely degraded. You must have encountered some unforeseen circumstances in the Old World.”

In his understanding, the terrifying, epoch-making psionic power of the person before him should have been a tremendous asset. However, through repeated, subtle probes, Augu was surprised to discover that her psionic strength had plummeted to roughly Level 3.

Still, it was not an impossible occurrence. Psionic power, a force originating from the mind, relies on material carriers within the universe to interfere with physical phenomena. If the brain structure is damaged, then no matter how skilled a psionicist is, it is futile. As the saying goes, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook a meal without rice. Powerful psionicists wield vastly different strengths depending on the quality of the material carrier their soul inhabits.

Of course, the most accurate place to gauge psionic strength was the Void Realm. For Augu and the others, the image of Ming Yu slaying the Locust Lord in the Void Realm remained vivid. They would never forget the day human limits were shattered. Even if the Ming Yu before them was weakened by injury and illness, Augu would not show her the slightest disdain, retaining a deep respect for a true powerhouse.

****

Since the dawn of the interstellar era and for over four hundred years until today, countless psionic prodigies had emerged like brilliant stars. The senior psionicists present had also been hailed as prodigies in their youth. Yet, despite being geniuses among humans, they spent their entire lives merely managing to step into the Void Realm to seek divine protection.

At that very time, the woman before them had been unleashing a massacre in the Void Realm, slaughtering the swarm. Being a “genius” was merely the threshold required to even meet her.

****

The moment she walked out of the reception hall, the heavy stone weighing on Ming Yu’s heart finally settled. The other party had been very accommodating, agreeing to all her requests and promising to find doctors for Qing Shui Ling Yin and Little Nightingale immediately.

Scattered footsteps echoed within the quiet corridor. Qing Shui Ling Yin pushed the wheelchair, her gaze fixed on the silver-white hair before her. Her expression was pale, her eyes held a hint of confusion.

‘Ming Yu actually knows people here. Has she been here before? And what exactly is psionic power?’ Strange terms swirled in Qing Shui Ling Yin’s mind, leaving her utterly perplexed. ‘Never mind, I’ll just treat this as a relaxing sightseeing trip with Ming Yu. Nothing else matters.’

Qing Shui Ling Yin temporarily cast her doubts aside. However, Little Nightingale, who followed behind, could not be so carefree. Her mind was consumed by Ming Yu’s words from moments ago: “If Little Nightingale is willing to stay here, please, you must take good care of her.”

‘Ming Yu’s body will get better… it definitely will. She doesn’t want anyone else to take care of her…’ Little Nightingale’s thoughts were a tangled mess.

Compared to Qing Shui Ling Yin’s confusion and Little Nightingale’s melancholy, Ming Yu appeared quite composed, as if a great burden had been lifted. Aside from the illnesses of her companions, the New World held an allure for her perhaps akin to fine wine. However, fallen leaves always return to their roots. She still hoped that after resolving everything, she could return to the Old World and be buried in Pharos’s cemetery. There lay her comrades, her classmates, her mentors, and the parents she had never met.

****

Seasons turned, and two years passed.

Today marked Little Nightingale’s fifteenth birthday—her coming of age.

Ming Yu, alone, maneuvered her wheelchair to the balcony, gazing at the magnificent star-filled city. A sense of alienation still clung to her. Since settling here, she rarely went out. Each day, she would cradle Luna—whom Little Nightingale had secretly brought in her suitcase—watching her own body slowly wither and decay in the quiet solitude.

Though her appearance remained youthful, her inner vitality was utterly depleted, and her skin bore a sickly pallor. She had a premonition that “that day” was drawing near.

“Meow~ (T-T)”

Luna uneasily lifted her head, staring at her mistress’s blood-red pupils. For the first time, the cat’s azure eyes betrayed a distinct emotion. She was grieving.