Main Story Ch. 4-16 - A Miraculous Journey (爱德华之旅) | Light and Night 光与夜之恋
Previously on 4-14... (Read here)
Sariel: Designing a shoe without basing on a shoe tree, the foot arch's design is incompatible to human ergonomics, the color transition is as harsh as a QR code. What kind of humanitarian spirit did I hold onto, that I would actually be expecting something from you?
On the next second, he pulled my wrist without letting me to refute.
Sariel: Follow me.
Arriving his study, Sariel pushed open a small door hidden behind the bookshelves. The originally dim basement brightened up as soon as we stepped in. The row of display cabinet has many retro clothing items that are mainly made of silk lace, elegant and exquisite. Under each outfit places sets of accessories and footwear.
You: What place is this?
Sariel: Collection room.
You: ... Poggers*.
*T/N: The originally used phrase is 不明觉厉, it's an internet slang that means "though I don't get it, but I think you're great'. I am too much of a boomer to know any other equivalent English slang please help me ｡: ｡ﾟ･（>﹏<）･ﾟ｡
Sariel turned around, and gave me a weird glance.
Sariel: What do you mean?
You: Uh, it's... although I don't quite get it, but I feel that it's really great just by looking at it.
Sariel: Then as a designer, you should feel ashamed with your 'don't quite get it'.
You: ...... Director Qi, why are you bringing me here?
Sariel: Looking for a shoe tree for a rookie designer like you.
In joyous surprise, I quickly followed him to walk inside the large collection room. I noticed that besides apparels from different eras, there are more antiques, even though I've always been visiting museums when I was a child, I am still feeling very impressed.
The more surprising thing is, these antiques are actually perfectly stored, and there are no trace of time's corrosion. Quite many of them even have labels under it, with handwritten "to Sariel" written on them. But no matter how I've looked at them they look so real, at least a couple hundred years before now!
You: These look like they are real...
Sariel: Are you suspecting me for collecting imitation items?
You: No no no...
But all of these are just as unimaginable as Sariel's tail. The only thing that can do this is only time, an extremely long time.
With full of confusion, I followed Sariel to the innermost display cabinet. He pulled open a large drawer, various kinds of shoe tree are placed in it.
Sariel: That would do.
Sariel took out one of the shoe trees and threw it to me.
You: Thank you!
Sariel: Also, take this, and smell it for a minute.
Sariel handed me a white flower petal.
You: Princess of the Night*?
*T/N: Sariel's symbolic flower. Refer T/N here.
Sariel: Take it.
Although I don't know why he wanted me to smell the princess of the night, but I took over the petal and placed it under my nose. The my head that was feeling dizzy just now actually felt refreshed in an instant.
You: This petal looks like it's just gotten plucked, did you plant Princess of the Night flowers at home?
Sariel didn't answer me, only quietly standing there, and shifted his gaze from me to the outside of the windows.
I can't help myself but to look towards where he gazed, and widened my eyes in an instant.
It's a wide slope outside the window, full of Princess of the Night flowers. Although it's just the flower buds, but they are eloquent, and the view extends to the edges of the skies, dyeing a pure white color to the skies.
In the depths of the clouds, the quiet rays of the sun poured down. Also the timely breeze that's just nice, brushing over the leaves and branches.
You: So this house is built halfway up in the mountains...?
Perhaps it's because it's too quiet that made my heart itch; or perhaps it's the seas of flowers that are too beautiful that made me feeling helplessly anticipating; or perhaps it's because the Sariel who's standing in the shades right now looking so distant and lonely, that I can't help myself but to walk a step closer to him, then another small step.
You: Director, I've heard a legend before, for those who could see Princess of the Night in full bloom will be favored miraculously. If one could see so many Princess of the Night flowers in full bloom, it'd be extremely lucky, right?
Just when my sentence ends, a pure white bud gradually stretches its petals open.
Two, three, four... more and more flowers opened their little universe, as if they wanted to gift all the miracles to us.
You: !
These flowers that has always been only blooming at night, actually bloomed here altogether.
Did they hear what I've said? Or... Did he hear me?
I turned around, but I've noticed that Sariel has been looking at me seriously. Within the pair of golden pupils, there are two bright, mini me.
After I've returned to my senses, Sariel has already brought me to the entrance.
Sariel: Are you still feeling dizzy?
You: Not anymore. Thank you for your shoe tree, I will make proper adjustments to the design draft and make the shoe.
Sariel: I know, hurry up and leave already.
You: Then I'll be leaving? If you aren't feeling comfortable, remember to take your medicine again.
The door is half-closed, and Sariel suddenly held onto the door frame, looking like he's about to say something.
Sariel: Don't disregard your priorities next time. The chances to improve your abilities are important, if you've miss them, they'll be gone.
[Choice]
Light: I'll feel uneasy if I don't come here.
Night: I remember now, I'll hold onto the opportunity next time.
[Light Choice: I'll feel uneasy if I don't come here.]
You: Thank you, I'll remember that. But I'll feel uneasy if I don't come here. Although it's a pity that I've missed out the seminar, but I've earned a blessing from trouble, and received the shoe tree from you, Director.
Sariel stunned slightly for a moment, then gazed away.
Sariel: That's because your work is too terrible, that I can't stand it anymore.
[Night Choice: I'll remember now, I'll hold onto the opportunity next time.]
You: I know, I'll hold onto the opportunity next time. But if that happens then you'll probably need to lie on the cold floor for the whole day.
Probably because I've hit him at a sore spot, Sariel pinched his forehead, and impatiently waved at me. Looking at him returning to his office demeanor, I am now relieved, and I waved back at him too.
The evening air is a little cooling, I walk on the path, and subconsciously turned back to glance into that house.
It stood there in such a lonely manner, like the man that has always been deserted in a crowd. And yet, he has took away the pride that he had in the past. I saw him smiling heartily, his childishness, and his hidden tenderness with those unnoticeable loneliness, and...
The touch of that pair of snow white ears seemed to be still lingering around my fingertips, making me spacing out a little.
Sariel, who's standing before the windows, looking at the girl's figure that is slowly disappearing, finally can't hold back and let out a low laugh. He took over the bag full of medication, a work pass fell out from it, there's the girl's photo on it.
Her soft hair covering on her shoulders, with her eyes curved into crescent moons, and letting out a big smile.
Sariel: How can the photo be this silly...
Even though he has said so, but he has gently placed the pass into his pocket, and looked at the colorful medication with a to-do list in the bag.
On the list, there are 10 solutions towards chili allergy in an impressive manner, even the blank space has their respective feasibilities and success probabilities written on it.
Sariel is feeling a little dumbfounded.
Sariel: Troublesome.
Lizard: Lao Qi, this human girl can actually walk into our barrier!
The lizard jumped onto the windowsill, pointing towards the girl's figure that is far away.
Lizard: It's the first time that a girl is seriously looking at my sleeping posture, if us Erdas are still thriving, and still going hand in hand with humans... I'll be able to be friends with her! I wonder if she'll be afraid of me...
Sariel: She wouldn't be afraid of you, and she will not have any prejudice against you.
Lizard: Then quickly ask her to come over and play next time, I want to receive her properly!
Sariel reached out an arm, holding the lizard and threw it back into the glass jar.
Lizard: Cheh, you're too stingy, what's even wrong with letting me to talk to her? In these thousand years, you aside, I have no one else to talk to...
The green leaves outside the house flies in the skies, and the summer has unknowingly arrived. Sariel raised his head and looked towards the distant sky, and his vision is gradually turning blurry.
He remembered the nightmare that have troubled him for a thousand years.
The cloudless blue sky, the brick red city walls, the fluttering flags in the wind, and the galloping sounds of the horseshoes. And... the endless fire everywhere, with shouts and cries between the heaven and earth. At the end of the fire is a back figure that can't be reached, the whistling winds that filled up her long, red robe.
Each time he'll wake up in struggles, looking at the moon hanging high up in the edge of the skies, passing each dreadful night one by one.
Times have been changing in a blink of an eye, but his life never fades as he walks alone.
How long has it actually passed? It has been so long, so long that even the shackles of his memories are full of red rust, the sealed age seems like it'll never get an answer.
Sariel: The nightmare has been appearing more and more frequently recently...
The past has flashed past his eyes quickly, and finally fixed at the dazzling smile of the girl in front of the seas of flowers.
Sariel's lips that were originally pursed suddenly curled up bit by bit.
Lizard: Lao Qi, why are you smiling so disgustingly?
Sariel squinted, and glanced over diagonally.
Lizard: Speaking of that, didn't you smile a little too much today? You even made all of the Princess of the Night to bloom! Although it's said that one will faint after touching an Erda's ears, but couldn't you just wipe her memory off or give her a petal to smell? You don't have to go to such an extent to make all of the flowers bloom, right? Aiya, oh God, oh Buddha, what's that girl's background?!
The lizard hops as it mutters, and suddenly met with Sariel's cold gaze. It immediately closed its eye shut, lying down on the ground and play dead.
The food that's originally placed in the glass jar is now taken out by Sariel.
Sariel: You're already this fat, and you still have the cheeks to eat?
Lizard: Hey you! You can't do corporal punishment in this era!
