pdf-ebookys Page 245
Page 245
“The Sun?” Latis asked, puzzled.
“Yes, he once… said some very strange things.” Artur’s face showed a hint of tension. “After that, everyone referred to him as ‘the sun.’”
"Now the Bone Spirit Realm has sunshine," Latis couldn't help but complain.
"..."
Artur pondered for a moment before answering Latis's earlier question:
“I’m not trying to persuade you to give up climbing, sir. Before ‘Starry Night Day’ arrives, the public’s desire won’t collapse into just two choices: move forward or give up. So no matter what I say now, no one will actually give up climbing.”
He stood up, pointed to the distant horizon, and said:
"As 'Starry Night Day' arrives, a giant sphere will rise above the horizon, and it is at this moment that the challengers will truly begin their ascent. When 'Starry Night Day' is halfway through, the sphere will be directly overhead, and the 'White Moon' will appear on the horizon."
“At that point, the challengers will have to start considering whether to continue climbing or give up looking for shelter early,” Artur said, sitting back down and shaking his head.
"The challengers gathered here now have all tried climbing the mountain beforehand and found the 'course' that best suits them. However... most people start to feel timid after doing this. That's human nature; the clearer the road ahead is, the more hesitant they become."
"Not entirely, is it?" Latis frowned, somewhat unconvinced.
Artur laughed and lightly changed the subject, saying:
"Let's not talk about that. Actually, I just want you to help me find that 'Sun' gentleman and ask him a question. In return, I'll offer you some assistance with your mountain climbing."
Latis pondered for a moment. Although he felt that he shouldn't need any assistance if it was just an attempt at climbing, he was still quite curious about the old man with the bald head. So, after thinking for a moment, he asked:
"What?"
“Ask him,” Artur said in a deep voice, his expression growing serious.
"Another white moon has passed. Can he still feel his ointment?"
……
……
"What kind of inexplicable question is this..."
Latis walked through the crowd, exchanging nods with several friendly-looking aliens, and muttered to himself:
"This world is really crazy. I have to protect my brother Niu from being stolen..."
He approached the group of people who were talking loudly and stood on the periphery to observe.
……
"Everyone already knows that Mount Augusta has collapsed, so why are you still advising us not to climb it ahead of schedule?"
A very tall skeleton stood menacingly in the middle of the crowd, and the male skeletal spirit on its shoulder asked with a cold smile:
"This is my third partner for climbing the mountain. With the experience from the previous times, I'm sure I can become the champion this time!"
Opposite him, a weary ape-like creature covered in wear and tear shook its head and said:
“We’ve all been deceived… This mountain has no way to reach the Star Sea! There’s a vicious demon that has been relentlessly guarding the highest peak, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes!”
"You saw it with your own eyes?" The male bone spirit laughed loudly, shouting mockingly:
"Even during the preparation time before the competition, you think you, a mere mutant with no abilities, can climb to the top? Do you think you're the Ape God?"
The ape-like creature spat on the ground in frustration, cursed a few times in its ape language, and then, suppressing its anger, said:
"What do you know? I reached the top long before the last Bone Control Competition. Now that I've just regained my stored memories, I rushed here to dissuade you from wasting your time here, and you're slandering me instead!"
He took a deep breath and continued;
"That demon is like a city wall, blocking our path to the sea of stars. We were already going against the heavens by accelerating uphill, but when we reached the end, we found a city wall blocking our way. Could you possibly manage to cross that city wall and regroup? Charging forward is all about the determination to go all out!"
The male skeletal spirit floated down from the massive skeleton, circled the ape-like creature once, laughed, and said:
"Look at this guy, he must have a memory problem! You keep talking about city walls, city walls, let me ask you, let me ask you, are there any other kinds of strange things like city walls in this world?"
He shook his head, turned to the crowd, and said:
"Even dozens or hundreds of years ago, there were rumors that an evil spirit lived on this mountain, which would rain down rocks and spikes on climbers as punishment for their attempts to escape the world."
"Rumors are just rumors. There have been people who reached the summit before, but none of them were actually harmed. Most summiters are vague about the view from the top, which is normal. After all, challengers are in competition with each other. We shouldn't demonize these kinds of claims..."
……
Latis stood on the outskirts of the crowd, touching his chin, feeling somewhat bewildered.
"Isn't it just scouting the location up the mountain before the official competition? Is it really necessary to be so serious?"
He scratched his head, wanting to go in and ask the pioneers some questions, but he felt that everyone's story was different, and listening to too many might have a negative impact on him.
"Forget it, I'll just try climbing it myself first."
Latis watched for a while longer, and seeing that the ape-like creature had stopped arguing with the male bone spirit and instead started persuading others, he shook his head, confirming that his decision was correct.
"The people here all have their own obsessions, and because of their memories, they tend to be more extreme... or perhaps more pure? But this certainly makes it difficult for me to see the whole picture."
He turned and left, intending to first visit the "Sun" man he had met on the way there again, and after obtaining the so-called help that Artur had mentioned, he would begin his attempt to climb.
……
……
"Hmm, the Bone Spirit Realm is filled with the aura of ointments today!"
The imposing skeleton stood on a hillside of moderate height, still in the same posture of holding its pelvis high, hands on hips, and gazing up at the sky.
He gazed at the vast, gray sky, where faint traces of flickering soul fire could be seen within his empty skull.
"Artur still has too many bloated burdens."
The skeleton twisted its body, and its skeleton made a clicking and grating sound.
"He should, like me, ask 'White Moon' to let go of those burdens; the purer one is, the closer one gets to the truth."
The above thoughts occasionally crossed his mind, but they all vanished in an instant.
Thinking is far too much for a skeleton with an empty head. If a person has to think constantly while alive and continue thinking without pause after death, wouldn't that be a pointless death?
For a mere skeleton, his sole purpose in this world is to find his pill.
Of course, if others need it, he can also help them find their ointments, since there are very few people with ointments in this Bone Spirit Realm.
On the other hand, in his world before he died, there probably weren't many people who could have had ointments. Otherwise, why would he still have such a deep obsession with ointments after all his memories had been washed away?
Tap tap, tap tap...
The thunderous sound of galloping hooves came from the other end of the road. The skeleton, hands on hips, looked down at the centaur Marathis galloping towards them from the direction of the village. Involuntarily, it raised its hand bones to pinch its chin and muttered:
"Why does he seem more like Brother Niu than Gaowan...? Is it just my imagination?"
"Hey! Mr. 'Sun'!"
Latis looked at the skeleton standing on the hillside with some surprise, stopped in his tracks, and shouted:
"Imperial Army... Bah, Arturto, I have a message for you!"
The skeleton picked at its empty ear canal, tilted its head, and felt as if a gust of wind had passed through its skull. It mumbled unconsciously:
"It felt like something passed through my head...it gave me a feeling of being back in the classroom..."
Was he calling me?
He glanced at Latis, who was waving his hands, thought for a moment, and then swaggered forward with a step...
Then it rolled down with a clatter.
"…No, buddy."
Latis stared in disbelief as the skeleton gradually crumbled as it rolled down, until only a round skull remained, slowly rolling to his feet.
"Hello, centaur."
The skull spoke and asked:
"Is there something you need? I'm a little confused."
“You…” Latis looked at the hand bones groping on the ground not far away, and a sense of powerlessness instantly filled his body. He couldn’t help but sigh heavily and said:
"Fortunately, after being assembled, La has gained some experience in assembling skeletons..."
……
After spending some time retrieving and reassembling the various parts of the skull, Latis brought up Mr. Artur's question to the skull.
"Can I still feel my testicles?"
The skeleton repeated the question, then burst into laughter, stood up, pointed to the sky, and said:
"Centaur, look at the sky!"
"What the heck?" Latis scratched his head and looked up in the direction the skull was pointing.
As far as the eye could see, there was still that gray sky, without any obvious layers or changes in weather. The only difference was that within the area of "Mount Amadeus," the shadows of the mountains could be faintly seen in the sky.
"Sun!" the skeleton shouted.
"Huh?" Latis looked at the sky again, completely bewildered, and asked, "Where's the sun? I can't see it."
"Without the sun, where would the light come from?" the skeleton said, hands on hips.
“…Who knows?” Latis thought for a moment and said, “Maybe it’s magic or something?”
"No, although you can't see it, the sun is there."
The skeleton said with absolute certainty:
"Just like my ointment, although you can't see it, the ointment is there, shining brightly like the sun!"
"...okay, I understand, stop talking."
Latis skipped over the topic without batting an eye; he was no longer finding it abstract.
“Then I will go back and give Mr. Artur his reply.” He glanced subconsciously at the gray sky and said:
"Then I will begin attempting to climb Mount Amadeus."
"Oh?" The skeleton suddenly lowered its head, turned to look at Latis, and asked:
"Centaur, are you really going to climb?"
"Yes, what's wrong?"