NCCnovel Chapter 587 May the Soul Return to Eternity
Chapter 587 May the Soul Return to Eternity
"Oh, this is a fairyland, right? Oh, I know, Xu Ning, you must be the immortal that's been talked about in Liyue, otherwise how could you have such a device that can contain a fairyland..."
Tirzad stood in the very center of the Hidden Dust Cave, like a country bumpkin who had just entered the city, smacking his lips and marveling at every miracle in this vast space.
The luxurious houses, the beautiful flower gardens, the babbling spring, and the mechanical doll that looked like a god were all things I had never heard of or seen before.
Not to mention the beauties within the grotto, each with their own unique charm and style—some mature and intellectual, some serene and elegant, some playful and charming, some clever and witty.
Although no one in the expedition spoke, Tirzad knew that, apart from the dead-wood-like Jeberle, Nahtigar and even Jade were all envious of the stunningly beautiful woman beside Xu Ning.
But who would have thought that this guy would be carrying such a paradise on his waist, and beauties no less stunning than those of Belial, are everywhere here.
"Hmph, to let such a vulgar thing in is such a spoilsport! Shen He, let's go over there."
The mature and intellectual beauty in the blue robe snorted and beckoned to the elegant beauty sitting cross-legged beside her. The two of them then walked together toward the giant puppet.
This mature and intellectual beauty is naturally Shen He's master, the True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng.
Ever since Xu Ning gave her the remnant body of the God of Mechanism, this proud and arrogant True Lord no longer deliberately disguised himself as a little bluebird to conceal his whereabouts, and openly appeared to study the mechanisms on the doll.
Tirzad blushed instantly upon being rejected by the beautiful woman, and for a moment he didn't know where to put his hands.
Xu Ning smiled and reached out to pull him towards the dining table.
The obedient maid in green had already laid out paper and pens on the table. Then, with a pull, a clear, wide curtain of water appeared in front of the table, reflecting the outside scenery in perfect detail.
"Controlled by divine sense, a 360-degree panoramic view. In close-up, you can see the grains of sand stuck to your hair, and in the distance, you can see a clump of grass rolling a kilometer away. But there is a requirement: just make a sound."
Tirzad sat down, flattered and overwhelmed, looking at Xu Ning with great excitement, his voice choked with emotion.
“Brother Xu… no, Immortal Xu, although I know it’s very vulgar to talk about money at this time, the salary for this expedition is up to you, and I swear, I will definitely write a paper that will shock the entire Academy.”
Xu Ning patted Tirzad on the shoulder encouragingly, "Still call me brother. I'll keep the Red Sandstone Slab for you for now. I'll use it to travel all over the Red King's Mausoleum. You just stay here and focus on your writing. If you need anything, just ask Qingyi."
After settling Tirzade in, Xu Ning emerged from the Hidden Dust Cave and went straight to the group.
"I've put Tirzad in the gourd."
Xu Ning explained Tirzad's situation to everyone, and then said to Nahtigar, "In other words, from now on, I will take over Mr. Tirzad's safety and supplies. After you have rested here, Kong and Paimon will send you back to Aru Village. Of course, the agreed-upon reward will also be paid to you in full."
“Kong, here are your two payments. After you return Mr. Nahtigar, I will collect your third payment. You can do other tasks or come find me.”
Paimon beamed as he accepted the heavy money bag. "We'll definitely come back for you, you drunkard! After all, there's still plenty of treasure inside waiting for us to discover."
Kong tugged at Paimon's trouser leg, turned to Xu Ning and smiled, "Brother Xu, let's send him back as soon as possible, then come back to help you explore this place."
Xu Ning knew that this honest brother genuinely wanted to help him, so he reached out and patted him hard on the shoulder, then looked at Jade, who was holding Belial's little hand tightly.
The little girl was looking at the gourd at her waist with a surprised expression, wondering how someone as big as Tirzad could be stuffed inside.
"Jed, your bodyguard mission should be considered over now, but I don't think your return to the desert this time was solely for protecting Tirzad. What are your plans now?"
When Jade heard that her mission might be coming to an end, she glanced at Belial with some reluctance.
"I don't know either. You'll have to ask Dad about these things. He just said he was going to keep watch, and it seems like he went that way."
Xu Ning listened intently to the message carried on the wind, then nodded. "Then I'll go find him."
After telling everyone to rest early, Xu Ning headed towards the towering sand dunes in the southwest of the oasis.
He casually released a "Wind Embrace" technique beneath the sand wall, and an upward gust of wind surged up, carrying Xu Ning's figure like a flying dragon soaring into the sky, directly onto the sand wall.
Sure enough, at the edge of the cliff, we saw Jeberlele's figure, as straight as a javelin.
Xu Ning took the wine gourd from his waist, took a sip of wine, and slowly walked towards him.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Jeberle was not keeping watch as he had told his daughter.
Instead, he stared intently at the small tombstone surrounded by a tree trunk on the sand.
Xu Ning told Jeberlele about the decision he had made for Tirzad without reservation, “I suppose you already know that I want to take a trip to the Red King’s Tomb. If you are also interested in going, we can travel together.”
Zheberler remained unmoved by Xu Ning's words, not even glancing back at him. Instead, he slowly squatted down and gently brushed away the dust from the small stone tablet in front of him.
Do you recognize the words engraved on this?
Xu Ning leaned down slightly to examine him, then shook his head.
"I only recognize a few Liyue characters. These characters that look like smiley faces, I really can't understand them."
“Does it look like a smiling face?” Jeberlele traced a line with his finger that resembled the corner of a mouth, and murmured, “The sandstorms and blazing sun of the Golden Land will dispel the darkness for you, guiding you who perished here, so that your soul may return to the eternal oasis.”
Xu Ning was slightly moved and unconsciously turned around to look in the direction of Xia Jiede.
"What lies dormant here is..."
"It's Jade's mother," said Jeberlele in a low voice.
Xu Ning paused for a moment, then bowed respectfully to the stone tablet and, following Liyue's etiquette, poured a stream of clear wine onto the sand.
Then I straightened up and looked at the long strip of cloth tied to the top of the tree trunk, swaying gently in the night breeze.
“From the moment you obtained the Red Sandstone Tablet, I knew that you, an outsider, had come here with your own purpose. Whatever your purpose, it does not conflict with ours. We can still travel together on the road ahead, but I still want to remind you to maintain sufficient respect for the Red King.”
Xu Ning nodded, indicating that he had learned something.
"That looks like a scarf tied to this branch. Is it a keepsake from Jade's mother? Did you tie it yourself?"
Jeberle's gaze lingered on the tattered scarf for a moment, but he ultimately said nothing and turned to walk down.
Xu Ning stood there and took a sip of wine, thinking to himself that he had seen this thing often recently. The familiar color was clearly the scarf commonly used by scholars of the Sumeru Sect Academy.
Connecting Tirzad with the story of his family's relative eloping with a wild boy of unknown origin, it's easy to see the relationship between the father and daughter and Tirzad.
No wonder it was such a coincidence that such a powerful mercenary took the initiative to come and protect this useless indoor scholar on his adventure. No wonder Zeberle was so concerned when I took the Red Sandstone Tablet.
After all, this stone slab was his wife's keepsake!
"I came here for the Red King, but what are you here for?"
Xu Ning looked down at the small stone tablet again, "...May your soul return to the eternal oasis? Where in this world is there anything eternal..."
The next day at daybreak, Kong and Paimon escorted Nahtigar and the pack animals back to Aru village along another road.
When Jade learned that she and Xu Ning would be continuing their archaeological journey, she happily twirled Benben around several times with his pointed horns.
"Alright, now that everyone who would have slowed us down is gone, let's head towards that temple!"
No sooner had Jade finished speaking than a slightly angry complaint came from Xu Ning's waist.
"What do you mean by someone who slows you down? And what about that place called the Temple of Mystic Arts?"