Recorded into History? Your Legendary Renown Has Increased

Blue Star, AD 2030. September 5th, Thursday. The sky brightened and darkened as the sun rose and set. When the moon hung suspended once more in the vast night sky, the slumbering Bai Zhou vaguely caught the indistinct echo of an awkwardly pronounced, familiar yet foreign voice by his ear. "Ashes to ashes! Dust to... Squeamish Bloody Rood!" "Warning: Chapter Twenty-Two, Verse One. Inversion of the flame magic formula successful—Eli, Eli, lamasabachthani!" Accompanying these voices was a rhythmic, faint, rapid clatter of pattering clicks. *What is that sound... an incantation?* *Where is an incantation coming from?* A shudder tore through him. Like an alarm jolting a vast, intricate machine to life, the body that had fallen into deep slumber abruptly revived. Bai Zhou snapped his eyes open, glancing around in wary vigilance. What met his sight was a bedroom that felt somewhat familiar. The large pink bed, patterned all over with Hello Kitty prints, gave off a sweet fragrance and was piled high with plump, fluffy cotton-stuffed cushions. Bai Zhou, transformed into a black cat, was nestled right in the cluster of cushions, each of his four paws resting on a different one. Retracting his paws as if jolted by electricity, his nimble eyes darted around, and he quickly pinpointed the source of the incantation. Classmate Fang was still wearing her Paul Frank pajamas, oblivious to the loose shoulder strap that was nearly slipping down her bare shoulder. Sitting on a chair with her legs drawn up, she was utterly engrossed in a folded, rectangular slab resting flat on the desk before her. Moving images flowed across the surface of the slab, and the chants were drifting straight out of it. Inside, strangely dressed youths and girls fought back and forth with great relish. If it were in the past, Bai Zhou would have assumed this was a mirror sealing ancient gods—just like that pane of "glass" sealing a starfish and a sponge he had encountered in Wancheng. But by now, he knew this was a computer—a laptop. As the name suggested, an "electronic brain" was an instrument meant to replace the human brain, which was why, when Bai Zhou first learned of such an item, he had spent days pondering how anyone could possibly fit it inside someone's skull. At the same time, Fang Xiaoxia reached out from time to time to click the mouse beside the laptop twice, closing the casino pop-up ads that suddenly jumped onto the screen—that was where the rhythmic tapping had come from. So it wasn't an incantation, nor was anyone casting a spell through rhythmic tapping. It was merely an ordinary Blue Star person's fantasy of superpowers and magic, giving rise to an animated work. He had no idea what year the anime Fang Xiaoxia was watching had been released; its image quality was a blurry mess, occasionally stuttering due to network lag. Yet despite this, Fang Xiaoxia was watching it with tireless delight. Bai Zhou watched for a moment and found it rather dull. He wanted to say that battles between Extraordinaries were never quite so flashy. Real life-and-death clashes were often settled in one or two moves—after all, even a Tier 6 Titled Extraordinary had only six sets of secret techniques at most, and those suitable for direct combat might not even make up half of that number. There simply weren't that many flamboyant flourishes to put on display. Yet unlike reality, stories in anime always arrived at a happy ending. Bai Zhou simply watched the screen from a distance, watching science and magic intertwine, watching the unfortunate spiky-haired boy and the girl in church vestments set off on an adventure together—a truly clichéd yet universally appealing story. It bore a faint resemblance to what Bai Zhou was experiencing in reality, yet it was fundamentally different. *Ah, the bliss of an ordinary person,* Bai Zhou sighed inwardly. Yet Fang Xiaoxia didn't seem particularly happy. She sat curled up with her legs tucked in. No lights were turned on in the dim bedroom; only the shifting luminescence of the laptop cast its glow, outlining the young girl sitting before it. Having finished one episode, she did not click to the next. Instead, she expertly moved her mouse, dragged the progress bar back to the beginning of the story, and started watching it again. Seeing how practiced her movements were, Bai Zhou wondered why she kept looping this single episode, and how many times she had already watched it. Rather than passing the time with an anime, it looked more like she was using this blurry old series to reminisce about a certain past. It was as though she had willingly trapped herself in a certain place, looping indefinitely, using it to cast her memories backward into bygone days. In the dim bedroom, the girl's silhouette was intermittently illuminated by the shifting light, looking rather lonely. It was the sort of loneliness born after struggling tooth and nail against life for years, only to realize there was actually no one by one's side—the surrender of an underdog who had fought a solitary battle without success, who, after laying down her arms, simply let a tidal wave of isolation submerge her soul. A puppy's world was always simple; it could be cheerful every day. But a girl who resembled a puppy could not be happy forever. Bai Zhou suddenly felt curious. What period in time was Classmate Fang, usually so clumsy and nonchalant, trying to recall? What was she longing for? There were always certain times that, while neither sacred nor eternal, could trap a specific person in place simply because they were vast, free, and gone never to return. Just like Wancheng, which could now live on only in Bai Zhou's memories. *Crunch, crunch—* A strange noise rang out with distinct clarity in the dark bedroom. From Bai Zhou's perspective, the melancholic, silent girl's cheeks were currently puffing out rhythmically, just like a hamster's. —*What is she doing?* Then, a peculiar savory fragrance tickled the black cat's nose, coaxing a faint rumble from its belly. *What's that?* Bai Zhou tiptoed up slightly from the ring of cushions, peeking over the back of the chair and Fang Xiaoxia's back. Sitting cross-legged with feet freshly washed and still slightly damp, the carefree Fang Xiaoxia was cradling an oversized, brightly colored paper bucket adorned with the kindly smile of an old man with a white beard. Inside, piled high, were golden-brown pieces of fried chicken radiating an aroma that made the mouth water. On the desk sat an opened tub of tomato ketchup and several paper boxes of various sizes, all packed with different kinds of food. *Fragrant, so fragrant!* That was Bai Zhou's first reaction. But in the very next instant, Bai Zhou shuddered—*Isn't that the evil god that killed Auntie Li?* A kindly old man with a white beard? What a familiar, mentally corrupting image! It had once graced the front page of the *Wancheng Daily*! [Corner Street resident Li Cuiping, having committed excessive taboo violations, was possessed by an evil spirit, invoking the descent of a massive steel plate-like forbidden item inscribed with defiled words. This forbidden item radiates a mind-polluting, twisted glow at all times, bearing the portrait of an evil god disguised as a kindly elder, along with the obscure runes reading "KFC."] What was more, today was Thursday, and the crazed Auntie Li had been dragged to the civic square on a Thursday afternoon as well— Memories of his past in Wancheng surfaced from his mind. Even as Bai Zhou fondly remembered Auntie Li's apples, he also realized that what killed Auntie Li wasn't some evil god, but Wancheng's Blood Worship Cult. Even so, Bai Zhou still had an instinctive aversion to "KFC" and the mysterious old grandfather's portrait. "Ah! Kitty, you're awake?" A sudden cry of delight beside his ear snapped Bai Zhou out of his daze, making him blink. The moment he turned his head, the milky scent of body wash blended with the smell of fried chicken came rushing at him. In two or three strides, the girl in the cotton nightgown was right in front of Bai Zhou, her nose nearly brushing his. In the process of bolting over to the bed, Fang Xiaoxia had also casually flicked the light switch, its *snap* instantly banishing the gloom and forming a stark contrast with the pitch-black night outside the window. "Hehe, bet you didn't expect that! I picked you up again!" "You slept a whole day and night. Baby, you sure can sleep..." Carefully scooping the bandage-wrapped black cat onto the lap of her soft nightgown, Fang Xiaoxia leaned in close, her clingy voice rising in a syrupy, boastful tone. "Hungry? I bought KFC! It's Crazy Thursday today, so I went begging in my mobile game group. Who knew the group leader would actually drop several red packets? I snatched fifty Federation currency!" "I took the chance to buy a ton of discounted stuff at KFC! The next two days of meals are totally settled!" Classmate Fang gleefully showed off her bounty for the night, and Bai Zhou nodded. Fifty Federation currency? That was indeed quite a haul—a little more would be enough to post a bounty for hunting a bear. "Look!" Then, like presenting treasures, Fang Xiaoxia carried all the boxes and the bucket of fried chicken from the computer desk over, placing them on the windowsill in front of Bai Zhou. "I bought a whole twenty egg tarts and fifteen pieces of spicy bone-in chicken! And of course, original recipe fried chicken and large fries are an absolute must." "Kitty, baby, which one do you want?" Lowering her head to whisper to the black cat on her lap, Fang Xiaoxia's voice reflexively took on a cutesy, pinched tone. Her naturally clear and sweet voice had turned as sticky and thick as cooked maltose. Almost like she was wheedling. "..." Bai Zhou, however, paid no attention to the girl babbling in his ear. He merely stared silently at the windowsill. The large boxes, small bags, and bucket of fried chicken made for an eye-catching display on the sill, their aroma drifting away on the evening breeze flowing in from outside. Yet an elongated shadow now fell across them, obscuring them in shade. The black cat quietly lifted his head. His eerie green eyes reflected a dark humanoid silhouette floating silently outside the window, meeting its gaze through the glass. The hem of a trench coat fluttered in the night wind mid-air. Crow was hovering right outside the window like a black-robed specter, saying nothing, peering through the glass with an impassive face as Bai Zhou was affectionately cradled on Fang Xiaoxia's lap, being pampered and whispered to. Not a ripple of emotion showed on her face. "Caw!" The raven perched on the trench-coated girl's shoulder raised a wing to cover its eyes, turning its head away. "..." Seeing Crow's icy expression, unchanged from usual, Bai Zhou felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine, though he couldn't fathom where the chill came from. Soon, however, Bai Zhou cast a deeply aggrieved look out the window, giving the Crow outside a slight pause. Silent communication was a severe test of their tacit understanding and shared experience, especially with Fang Xiaoxia's soft murmurs interjecting constantly— "Kitty, baby, why aren't you paying attention to me? Why aren't you looking at me, huh?" "Say something to me, or I'm gonna tickle you... Fine, I can't bring myself to do it. You're hurt, after all." "You're so cold and aloof." "..." In truth, Bai Zhou's grievance was easy to understand. It was already dark outside—he had actually slept for a whole day and night. And when he woke up, he wasn't in the alleyway piled with trash and clutter, but had mysteriously ended up in Fang Xiaoxia's home. —What happened to taking shifts sleeping? Didn't Crow say to rest easy because she was there? What on earth had happened? "You're finally awake," Crow spoke at last, her tone lazy, perhaps having read Bai Zhou's thoughts. "Seeing as this girl was quite attentive to you and applied medicine to treat your wounds with great care, I didn't wake you." With that, she let out a yawn. The toasted, sweet fragrance of coffee beans clinging to her deepened, wafting in through the half-open window and momentarily overpowering the aroma of fried chicken. *Crunch, crunch—* Raising her hand, she popped two coffee beans into her mouth. Her eyes carried a hint of drowsiness; it seemed she hadn't slept at all, silently keeping watch outside the window for quite some time. For a moment, Bai Zhou felt a pang of guilt, realizing he had misjudged Crow. At the same time, he couldn't resist glancing up at the pockets of Crow's trench coat. They bulged outward, stuffed with bags of coffee beans; anyone who didn't know better would have thought she was carrying a bag of popcorn with her everywhere. Then, a question occurred to Bai Zhou. Existing in a state between being and non-being, unable to be observed by the world or directly interfere with it, how was Crow able to physically eat real coffee beans? Noticing the confusion in Bai Zhou's eyes and his gaze lingering on her pockets, Miss Crow blinked. She looked down at her pocket, then understood. "The act of me eating coffee beans objectively exists under your observation; it is simply that the world cannot observe it." "Furthermore, coffee beans exist independently and possess no intricate ties of destiny. The moment you purchased them from the shopkeeper, they severed all connections with anyone, including the owner. Thus, the existence of the coffee beans themselves is utterly insignificant to the world; whether they are eaten, thrown away, expired, or even rotten matters not in the least." "In other words, if eating coffee beans is viewed as casting a spell, your purchase of the beans served as my medium and conduit." "Therefore, the coffee beans I eat will naturally vanish. Were they replaced by important objects or living beings with exceptionally tangled threads of destiny, it would be another matter entirely." Crow shook her head. "Even so, if someone were to perform a ritual tracing the coffee beans' origin, the ritual's result would show that you were the one who ate them." "In the eyes of the world—" The evening breeze ruffled the bangs across her forehead. Crow murmured impassively, "You are me, and I am you!" *So that's how it is...* Bai Zhou blinked, a thoughtful look appearing on his feline face. Fang Xiaoxia, cradling the cat, cooed that he was adorable, her eyes practically sparkling with stars. "Kitty, talk to me, please, I'm begging you..." Yet the gentle coaxing by his ear began to fade. Crow chose this moment to direct her voice specifically into Bai Zhou's ear. She glanced at Classmate Fang beside him, her expression turning solemn. "Now, I speak, you listen." *What?* Bai Zhou blinked, thoroughly puzzled. Looking up, his gaze met Crow's serious eyes. Then, he heard Crow say— "First, congratulations are in order, Bai Zhou." *?* Looking at Bai Zhou's bandage-wrapped form, Crow spoke with a focused voice. "I watched you for a day and verified my hypothesis from last night." "Changes have occurred in your body. The most direct of which is... you probably haven't paid attention to the spirituality within you and around you." *Spirituality?* Only then did Bai Zhou remember to inspect himself internally. His spirituality, brimming with pre-natal essence, was as vibrant as ever; aside from its depleted quantity slowly recovering, it looked no different from before. In the air, the ambient spirituality drifting around him remained dormant just as it always had when Bai Zhou had not opened his "gate," forming no direct connection with him. Yet his brow soon furrowed. Sensing something, his mind stirred. In the next instant. *Crackle—* A spark of electrical current hissed through the air. Then, amid a startled gasp from Classmate Fang, the bedroom's power cut out, plunging the room into darkness. Yet in Bai Zhou's vision— The corresponding elemental spirituality jumping with blue-and-white arcs of lightning within the electrical circuits was eagerly surging toward him, swiftly crowding out the ambient spirituality that had previously hovered around him. Specks of blue-and-white light filled his vision, casting a dreamlike tableau over the darkened bedroom. Bai Zhou felt an affinity with this external spirituality, as though both sides shared a natural fond resonance and a subtle, intangible connection. This was a sensation Bai Zhou had only ever experienced at Yuanmeng Middle School when he was the Principal's successor. Not only that, as this spirituality drew near, his own dormant spirituality within his body seemed to gradually awaken as well. As if infected, faint, leaping arcs of thunder began to manifest upon it. It was more active, more volatile, and... far more sharp and aggressive! Bai Zhou even had an intuition. His earlier instinctual "Eye-Strike" had merely been the beginning. Right now, if he were to execute the *Nine Basic Slashes* and *Moon Cinder Holy Oath Slash* again, their power would likely surge another notch, and perhaps... They might even gain an added lightning property! And that wasn't all! More transformations seemed to be taking place inside his body, shocking Bai Zhou to the point where he couldn't examine them all at once. Yet— *What on earth is going on?* Unable to comprehend these abrupt changes, Bai Zhou urgently looked up at the girl in the trench coat hovering outside the window, hoping to find an answer from her. He had never had any connection to lightning or electricity. Whether it was the secret techniques he studied or his Fate Principle itself, they were almost entirely bound to "Moon," "Sun," and "Fire." "It seems my conjecture was correct—because of your deed in slaying a demon, you were truly recorded into history by a certain scribe." Drifting on the evening wind, Crow's voice floated faintly in the moonlight. "For you, this is an immense blessing, an incomparable stroke of fortune that you cannot yet comprehend!" "Even I was fortunate enough to encounter such an opportunity only once back then... yet that single time took my shadow manipulation from the most basic level of communicating with shadows to gather information, all the way to commanding shadows at will to kill and conceal my tracks!" *Hum!* As her words fell, as if answering Crow's voice, vast masses of pitch-black shadows crept spontaneously up the walls. They branched out, twining near the window like thorny brambles under the moonlight. Then, at the tips of the thorns, gorgeous, silent black blossoms slowly bloomed, swaying and writhing. Staring at the shadow brambles under the moon, Bai Zhou blinked. —Crow had also been recorded into history? When? "Yet this boon is merely the tip of the iceberg. Even more changes have already manifested in you—just like the 'Eye-Strike' instinct that developed and mutated on its own yesterday." "—Because being recorded into history increases your legendary renown." "..." Crow's voice was distant and solemn under the moonlight, as if carrying from a faraway realm. "Even if this legendary renown is still rather faint, it will nevertheless grant you the protagonist traits celebrated in stories and legends—just like a heavily diluted version of the gods worshipped in myth and the heroes sung of in epics." Lifting her hand, she recalled the flowing shadow brambles from the window. Crow raised her gaze toward the distant sky, slowly angling her floating silhouette aside. Moonlight and starlight poured down, cascading over Bai Zhou and illuminating the black cat's bewildered green eyes. "To any Extraordinary, this is a tremendous boon, something universally yearned for yet utterly unattainable." "Or, to put it more precisely—" Crow's voice carried a hint of emotion and a faint, imperceptible trace of nostalgia. "This is, in truth, the descent of destiny. It is something that ninety-nine percent of Extraordinaries—even the Destined—have never so much as heard of—" "The gift of fate unto a hero!"