boyutpedia Chapter 21: The Seaside
Chapter 21: The Seaside
Dinner ended in a somewhat somber atmosphere. After dinner, Na'er unusually volunteered to wash the dishes.
Although the kitchen was a mess—a plate was broken and too much dish soap was used, leaving foam all over the floor—Yu Chen appreciated the thought behind it.
He leaned against the kitchen door frame, watching Na'er's clumsy yet earnest back, and a strange emotion welled up inside him.
"You don't need to use that much dish soap, just enough is fine," he finally couldn't help but offer his advice.
"Okay, okay!" Na'er replied without turning her head, but her voice had a slight nasal tone.
In the end, Na'er's hard-won battlefield was taken over by Yu Chen.
Just as Yu Chen finished cleaning up the "battlefield" in the kitchen and was about to meditate to recover his mental energy, Na'er, who was sitting on the slightly old sofa with her knees drawn up to her chest, suddenly spoke up.
"Boss."
"Um?"
"After dinner, would you like to go for a walk on the beach with me?"
Na'er raised her head, and her purple eyes no longer held their usual mischievousness, but instead revealed a strange light that Yu Chen couldn't understand.
Yu Chen looked at her and sighed inwardly. What was destined to happen would happen eventually; the two of them were truly about to part ways. The invitation by the sea was perhaps just the prelude to their farewell.
He walked to the sofa, ruffled Na'er's hair, and said in a rare gentle tone, "Okay, but let's make it clear first, you can go to the beach, but you can't pretend to drown and scare me like last time. Also... I'll buy you a lollipop on the way back."
Na'er was stunned for a moment, then her eyes reddened, and she threw herself into Yu Chen's arms, hugging his waist tightly.
"Boss...you're so kind."
Yu Chen patted her on the back, looking at the moonlight outside the window with a deep gaze.
"Silly girl, no matter what you become, just don't forget the taste of lollipops (home) here."
That's all Yu Chen can do.
If he had a choice, he would also prefer that Na'er's memories never return, and that the two of them could live a simple and peaceful life together in this seaside town.
Every morning, I'm woken up by firecrackers and go with her to eat tofu pudding at the street corner. In the afternoon, when I'm sweating profusely at the studio, I occasionally look up and see her making faces outside the window. On the way home in the evening, I listen to her chatter about the interesting things that happened during the day, although most of them are trivial matters.
But all he can do now is accept reality and work hard to improve his strength so that when he has the opportunity to make a choice in the future, he won't be powerless and cause a tragedy because he lacks the power to do so.
"Okay, Na'er, let's go." Without saying anything more or asking why, Yu Chen took Na'er's hand and led her towards the sea.
Although Aolai City is called a city, it is actually just a large village or town with no city walls. Most of the buildings here are low and the streets are not wide, but they have a simple and rustic atmosphere.
Yu Chen's home is very close to the beach. Just a ten-minute walk from home, through a few familiar alleys, you can see the beach.
Just a short walk of ten minutes from home, you'll see the beach.
The beach here isn't particularly beautiful; it lacks fine sand and is mostly covered in pebbles and dead seashells. The sea breeze blows year-round, carrying a salty, fishy smell. Although the beach isn't stunning, the moon in the sky is exceptionally beautiful, especially tonight, as round as a jade plate, casting its gentle glow.
The sea reflects the starlight and moonlight of the sky, its waves surging. The sound of the waves and the cries of seabirds add boundless vitality to this starry sky and vast ocean. The beach is quiet at night, with only the rhythmic sound of the tides, like the heartbeat of heaven and earth.
"Boss, look! It's a sea of fireflies!" Na'er suddenly let go of Yu Chen's hand and ran towards the sea, her voice filled with long-lost excitement.
Yu Chen watched her joyful figure disappear into the distance, and a slight pang of sadness struck him. This was the Xiao Paozhang he knew—full of energy and curious about everything.
He closed his eyes and began to listen: the sound of waves crashing against the sand and stones, Na'er's footsteps on the gravel, and the faint chirping of insects in the distance. This was good enough; at least before parting, he could leave behind this scene.
"I love the sea; it is so vast and boundless."
Yu Chen walked to Na'er's side and said to her. His voice was calm, as if he were chatting casually, "Did you know? Land-based spirit beasts are on the verge of extinction, but sea spirit beasts are still plentiful. However, few people dare to venture into the dangers of the ocean; the deep sea holds too many unknowns."
He initiated the conversation, talking to himself as if he were stalling for time, or perhaps laying the groundwork for his impending farewell.
"Little Firecracker, what are your dreams?" Yu Chen turned his head, looking at Na'er's silver hair ruffled by the sea breeze, and then answered himself:
"Haha, are you too embarrassed to say it? Then let me start by talking about my dream."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon, his voice hardening:
"My dream is to protect everything I cherish, all the easy and pleasant things in my ordinary life. Like the annoyance of being woken up by you in the morning, the smugness when you sneakily eat my snacks, and the way we walk home together."
Na'er was stunned; she hadn't expected Yu Chen to say something like that. She thought her boss would talk about dreams like becoming stronger, making money, or becoming a top-tier blacksmith.
"My dream?"
Na'er looked at Yu Chen, her purple eyes shimmering with complex light in the moonlight. After a long while, she whispered, "Right here, with someone important."
Her voice was soft, yet it struck Yu Chen's heart like a heavy hammer.
…………
Na'er took off her shoes and walked to the beach. Her fair feet left small footprints on the sand. Then she scooped up some seawater and threw it into the air. Under the bright moonlight, the seawater shone with a deep blue luster.
"Hey boss, come join us!" Na'er said sweetly, her mood clearly much better than before. She had turned back into that carefree little firecracker, as if her earlier sadness was just an illusion.
"Okay, I'll come right after I take off my shoes." Yu Chen agreed with a smile, and also took off his shoes and socks. The moment his feet touched the sand, a slightly cool sensation came over him, mixed with a slight stinging pain—this beach was indeed not friendly.
A boy and a girl were playing on the beach. The waves crashed against the sand and gravel, emitting a soft blue light. The scene was peaceful and serene.
"Brother, do you know why the sea emits a faint blue light? What's the principle behind it? Do you know?" Na'er asked curiously.
"I do know that; it's the glow emitted by a type of algae. We were lucky today; we happened to catch this algae multiplying rapidly," Yu Chen answered her question.
"So pretty!" Na'er playfully stuck out her tongue.
Yu Chen walked to a slightly larger rock on the shore and sat down against it. He felt that time was passing exceptionally quickly, each second like sand falling rapidly in an hourglass.
He watched Na'er's back as she played, the moonlight gilding her with a silvery edge, the sea breeze blowing her long hair and skirt.
I wish time could slow down!
Under the bright moonlight, Yu Chen's dazzling golden eyes quietly lit up. He took a deep breath, and ancient, profound dragon runes slowly flowed from his lips, each syllable carrying a strange power:
"Servants who push the wheel of time, obey my words, I will be the scepter, I will be the master."
"Word of Power: Time Zero".
An invisible realm unfolds around him.
In an instant, the world changed.
Yu Chen saw that the seawater splashed by Na'er seemed to be frozen in the air, with each droplet clearly visible, emitting a faint blue light under the moonlight, like a string of solidified blue crystals.