Chapter 96: Long Time No See, Little Grey
【You have formed a brand new "Bond", the Fool’s Library · Sun Arcana Sequence has been unsealed】
【You have unlocked a new card — 『Sun』 · Sisel】
...
The wooden door closed behind Rast.
At the same time, azure-blue text appeared in his mental sea right on cue.
The Arcana Sequence “Sun”.
Yet another Arcana Sequence with no prior records in the present world, completely new.
And also, among all the cards currently recorded in Rast’s Fool’s Library, the one with the highest value.
A true legend.
Of course, according to the rule Rast had summarized himself—
The higher the card's power and rarity, the more difficult it was to increase its Bond level.
And Sisel, as the current leader of the Shoreguards, not only stood at the Legendary tier, but was also an immortal.
Long before the outbreak of the Iron Cross Plague and the beginning of the Cataclysmic Era, he had already served as the Shoreguards’ leader.
Those aged eyes had already witnessed nearly a thousand years of vicissitudes.
Even if Rast counted the three hundred years he had spent looping in Deep Blue Port, he still paled in comparison to Sisel.
Legends stood higher than ordinary people and saw a much broader world.
What others saw as joy and sorrow, parting and reunion, might have long become scenes Sisel had witnessed countless times, unable to stir even a ripple in his heart.
To forge a deep Bond with Sisel would undoubtedly require hundreds, thousands of times more effort than with any other target.
Even reaching Bond Level One had already cost Rast a trick—something like a mission reward—essentially overdrawing it in advance.
Therefore, Rast held no unrealistic expectations and had mentally prepared for Sisel's card to remain fixed at Bond Level One for a long time.
The reason Rast still wanted to try unlocking Sisel’s Sun card was, in fact, to verify a certain conjecture in his heart.
【『Sun』 · Sisel】
【Bond Level: 1】
【Sun · Radiant Body (Unlocked): The first tier ability of the Sun Arcana Sequence. Your body is blessed by the blazing sun, shrouded in a layer of eternal brilliance】
【You gain a certain degree of resistance to cold, darkness, curses, and freezing】
The first-tier ability of the Sun Arcana Sequence, “Radiant Body,” could only be described as decent.
Naturally, that was within expectations.
After all, though the Sun Arcana Sequence was rare—very likely unique, just like Grey’s “Fate” and the Silver Dean’s “Moon”—
A Level One Bond with the Sisel card could still only unlock the first-tier ability of the Sun arcana, and no matter how exceptional, it had its limits.
“Radiant Body” granted resistance to cold, darkness, curses, and freezing, and could only be considered a fairly decent, purely passive auxiliary skill for boosting stats.
However, Rast’s goal had never been Sisel’s strength.
His attention silently fell beneath that line of information, where Sisel’s Nightblade panel should have appeared.
But—
It was absent.
Just like Grey’s information within the Fool’s Library, the part where Nightblade—or as the Sixth Epoch called it, “Abilities”—should have been displayed, now showed only a single brief character—
【Nightblade: Unknown】
Rast’s gaze lingered on this line of azure text for a long time.
“‘Fool’s Library’.”
“What exactly... are you trying to hint at?”
Click.
Rast took a step forward and walked out of the towering Watchtower.
What entered his eyes was the utterly peaceful coastal scenery.
The moist sea breeze blew toward him, carrying the scent of fresh air.
On the distant streets, the crowd bustled shoulder to shoulder, thronging and lively.
Aside from Deep Blue Port before the Iron Cross Plague outbreak, this was the first time Rast had witnessed such a peaceful urban scene in the Nightworld.
Of course, this was only to be expected.
Just as young Grey had once said—
As the headquarters of the Shoreguards organization, with a Legend and several high-tier transcendents stationed at the Watchtower, as well as the town affiliated with it...
Naturally, this was the safest place in the entire world.
The residents living in the cities surrounding the Watchtower did not need to lead lives hanging by a thread like those in other human settlements.
After all, everyone knew that ordinary waves of wasteland beasts, mutated Iron Cross abominations, and even most cults would never dare challenge the Watchtower.
In fact, even in the case of a Descent of an Evil God—
As long as the descent was not a complete form but only a partial embodiment with limited power, the legendary leader of the Shoreguards might still remain undefeated.
With that sense of security, the cities surrounding the Watchtower had also stabilized and flourished in development...
Many fields of study and technological disciplines here had even recovered to the peak levels of the pre-Cataclysmic Era, the golden age of science and technology.
Given time, humanity might indeed be able to rebuild civilization from here.
Of course, the deterrent power and protective scope of the Watchtower could only extend so far... it could not shelter all survivors across the continent.
Thus, when news of the “Paradise” in the northern reaches of the continent spread, many who could not benefit from the Watchtower's protection naturally came to regard Paradise as their final hope.
However—
Looking at the peaceful cityscape before him, Rast could not help but sigh softly.
The people of this era viewed “Paradise” and the Watchtower as the final Eden.
Or rather, as Noah’s Ark.
They hoped to hide aboard Noah’s Ark, to endure the towering flood and the world-ending calamity...
Then, when the waters receded and the disasters faded—
They would rebuild a civilization even more glorious and radiant than the golden age in the new world, continuing the epoch.
But only Rast knew—
If this civilization truly had a future, a legacy to pass on...
Then this portion of history should be written in the history books of later generations, not merely glimpsed through a peephole in the Nightworld, catching scattered traces of its former self.
And this era would not be referred to by those in the future as the Sixth Epoch.
Whether it was the Watchtower or “Paradise”... both would face a final ending.
This was a tide of history that could not be reversed by the strength of a single person, and it was also what people called “fate.”
And according to the description of Chief Sisel—
The end of this epoch, the conclusion of everything—
Was clearly not far off.
Such thoughts only flashed across Rast’s mind for a moment.
As he looked at the bustling street ahead, he suddenly recalled Sisel’s final instruction.
“Grey...”
That timid little grey-haired girl from Frozenwater Town, who had been like a young beast, and whom he had personally named.
Had she... really grown up now?
And apparently, she had recently passed the examination and newly joined the ranks of the Shoreguards.
Time truly flew.
...
“This is your Shoreguards wing badge, Little Grey, along with a spare uniform.”
Outside the Watchtower, at the training grounds for new Shoreguards.
Within the organization, a woman in charge of logistics placed two sets of pure white clothing and a wing-shaped insignia made of solid silver onto a table.
“Thank you, Sister Susan.”
Not far away, the grey-haired girl, with her hair draped over her shoulders and wearing the standard white robe of the Shoreguards, gathered the supplies in her arms and gave Susan a polite bow.
What a polite and well-mannered child... what a pity.
Looking at the obedient, grey-haired girl in front of her, Susan sighed softly in her heart.
“Oh right, Little Grey, your post assignment hasn’t come down yet.”
“According to procedure, you’ll remain at headquarters for now, as a reserve member.”
Calling it “reserve” sounded nice.
But to put it bluntly, it meant the organization had given up on training her.
Of course, that too was only natural.
Although Grey had ranked first in every test except for live combat during the new Shoreguard assessment—
And during the brief rookie training period, her endearing personality had even won the favor of many instructors, Susan included—
Her Arcana Sequence result came back as “Unknown.”
And every attempt Grey made to awaken her ability ended in failure.
An unknown Arcana Sequence meant that her sequence wasn’t recorded in the organization’s intelligence database, and thus, there was no corresponding supernatural knowledge to support it.
Unlike other transcendents who could progress step by step just by learning the right knowledge—
Grey would have to rely entirely on her own exploration to advance each tier. She might remain stuck at Tier One for life.
And a failed awakening—or rather, having no ability—meant that she had zero potential outside of her sequence.
Sequence and abilities—these were the two cornerstones of a transcendent’s strength.
And in both, Grey had been essentially sentenced to death.
Under such circumstances, no matter how outstanding her performance was in other areas—temperament, character, willpower, techniques—she had already lost all value for cultivation.
Even at the Shoreguards’ headquarters, where training resources for rookies were already exceedingly scarce and limited, every investment had to count.
Other rookies with recognized Arcana Sequence and promising abilities were naturally more worthy of resources.
If not for Chief Sisel developing an interest in Grey’s unknown sequence after reading her file, and if not for Grey’s own inexplicable obsession with joining the Shoreguards—
She would have likely been advised to leave long ago.
“I see. I understand, Sister Susan.”
After hearing Susan’s words, the grey-haired girl didn’t show a trace of disappointment on her delicate face.
She simply nodded obediently and bowed once more to Susan: “Then, I’ll be in your care, Sister Susan.”
With that, the grey-haired girl turned and walked away.
Watching Grey’s departing figure, Susan’s heart filled with even more regret.
If it were another organization, in another time, becoming a reserve member, holding a desk job at headquarters and avoiding dangerous missions—
Might seem like a pretty good, relaxing deal.
But not in the Shoreguards—especially not now.
Not being assigned tasks or posts also meant no access to the organization’s training resources, and more importantly, losing the chance to grow through real combat and experience.
In such a chaotic world—
For a Shoreguard who lacked the power to control her own fate, lying flat and escaping reality was no different from waiting for death.
Should an emergency arise… reserve or not, everyone would be forced to the frontlines.
By then, those forsaken reserve members would become cannon fodder, officially abandoned by the organization’s strategic planning.
With Grey’s excellent performance in all theoretical and technical assessments, she clearly understood what it meant to be a reserve member.
Yet, the grey-haired girl had not shown the slightest hint of complaint.
It seemed her obsession with joining the Shoreguards really did run deep.
Thinking this, Susan suddenly saw the girl, who had already walked far away, turn and come back.
“Sister Susan, the thing I asked you to look into before—do you have any news?”
Grey’s pleasant voice carried an unusual trace of urgency.
“Oh, that.”
Susan seemed to recall something and took out an old badge.
Unlike the shiny silver wing badges worn by Susan and Grey, this one looked much older, covered in scratches and black burn marks, as if scorched by fire—marks etched by time.
But this battered badge had clearly been well cared for, regularly polished, without a speck of dust.
Grey accepted the old wing badge, carefully wrapped it in a white handkerchief, and tucked it close to her chest.
“I looked into the number on this older badge… it does come from our organization.”
“Rast. A Shoreguard who joined quite some time ago, but doesn’t seem to have a very remarkable record.”
“He seemed to spend long stretches out on missions and only returned to headquarters infrequently. No one knows where he is now.”
“As for the other person you asked about—Shiltina.”
Susan gently shook her head. “After she and Rast undertook a mission together, she never returned to headquarters.”
“Most likely, she perished during that mission.”
“My rank in the organization isn’t high, so I can’t directly access their full files… all this I heard from other colleagues. I can’t guarantee how accurate it is.”
“How could that be…”
Grey instinctively covered her mouth, her eyes wide in disbelief.
She didn’t know exactly what had happened during the end of Frozenwater Town, years ago.
When Grey woke up again on the ruined town’s remains, everything had already ended. Both Shiltina and Rast had vanished.
But—
Since the active contaminant had been defeated, she had always believed that Big Brother Rast and Sister Shiltina had survived, just maybe evacuated early due to their injuries.
That had always been Grey’s conviction.
Or rather, it was the only thing she was willing to believe.
And now, the cold truth had finally pulled her back to reality.
“Sister Shiltina…”
Though they hadn’t spent much time together, Grey’s memories of that gallant big sister were vivid.
The Shiltina who seemed to have stepped out of a storybook, a heroic knight in every way—
Had she truly fallen?
Grey’s emerald eyes, which hadn’t so much as flickered when the organization gave up on her training—
Now, for once, shimmered with rare sorrow.
However—
Thankfully, Big Brother Rast… seemed to still be alive.
For some reason, as that thought took shape—
Grey found herself feeling a faint but undeniable sense of relief she couldn’t explain.
Before she could examine that feeling further—
She saw Susan looking at her with a slightly complicated expression.
“Little Grey.”
“This batch’s rookie Shoreguard training ends here.”
“Most new Shoreguards will be assigned missions starting tomorrow and head off in different directions.”
“So we’ve arranged a farewell dinner—a graduation banquet—and even invited the rookies’ parents. You…”
“Sorry, Sister Susan. I won’t be attending this time.”
Grey lowered her head and gently shook it.
When she looked up again, not a single shadow remained on her fair, delicate face.
A polite smile returned to Grey’s expression. “I’m an orphan. I don’t have parents, so I shouldn’t dampen the mood for my classmates or their families.”
“You…”
Susan opened her mouth instinctively, wanting to stop her.
But the slender, delicate girl had already vanished at the far end of the training grounds, leaving only her grey-white hair swaying in the wind, growing fainter with each step.
...
By the time Grey left the new Shoreguard training grounds and reached the outer city streets, it was already evening.
Darkness slowly crept across the land, and the last rays of sunlight dyed the sky’s edge a bloody hue.
On both sides of the street, the windows of every house glowed with warm orange light.
At this hour, most city residents had long returned home, gathered around hearths and oil lamps, enjoying dinner in cozy company.
Her classmates at the farewell dinner were probably feeling the same warmth.
Perhaps due to proximity, most rookies who passed the assessments and joined the Shoreguards came from towns within the Watchtower’s protective reach.
And in those towns, families considered it a great honor to have a child join the Shoreguards.
Someone like Grey—who had crossed half the continent, wandering from afar—was a rare exception.
That farewell dinner must have been a rowdy, wine-filled gathering where no one left sober.
The young Shoreguards, about to embark on their journeys, were likely filled with dreams of earning glory.
And their parents—proud of their children, yet reluctant to see them go.
So—
There was no place for someone like her at such a glorious, radiant occasion.
Grey walked through the twilight city streets, cold wind biting at her cheeks.
Though every window beside her glowed with firelight, though warmth radiated from the hearths, and laughter drifted faintly in the air—
It all felt like a different world entirely.
This was her classmates’ home—but not hers.
The home that belonged to the grey-haired girl—
Had vanished years ago, swallowed by endless blood mist.
In truth, today was an important day for her too.
But the only one who remembered that day—
Had long been buried in the weathered ruins where she once found shelter.
Just then, as Grey stared at the lights along the street, dazed—
“Well now, you really don’t look like a Witch who can control fate…”
“You look more like the little match girl.”
A hand—not thick, but clearly jointed—landed on her head.
And without mercy, ruffled her grey-white hair into a mess.
“Come on. I’ll treat you to dinner.”
“And also…”
That voice in her ear was so familiar.
Almost perfectly matching the one from her memories.
“Long time no see, Little Grey.”