Chapter 296 - 292: An Unclear Opportunity

Chapter 296: Chapter 292: An Unclear Opportunity

When he opened his eyes again, he didn’t dare focus too much on the stars.

"Don’t overreach for things that are beyond your abilities. Your priority right now is to stabilize yourself, absorb the Magic Potion’s power, and then try to awaken and consolidate a power that is truly your own."

The newborn Holy Spirit was a unique kind of Perception Type, and what he saw with his eyes was never as simple as it appeared. Qin Xiaoxia already knew this from Su Su’s previous divinations.

When Qin Xiaoxia noticed the Holy Spirit’s state, he stopped Shadow. Curiosity had killed many a cat, and even Su Su didn’t dare to carelessly divine things that were too profound.

"Yes, Master Sage."

The Holy Spirit was surprisingly deferential to Qin Xiaoxia, even though he didn’t know what "Master Sage" meant, or what Dawn even was.

But this wasn’t a bad thing.

"CHIRP..."

After being woken up by the scream, Gou Dandan, who had been watching everything unfold from the rooftop, finally let out a chirp.

"CHIRP... Doudou, fish!!!"

Ding Yi and Uncle Qiao turned to look, a single thought exploding in their minds: ’Holy shit!’

Even though they had seen the Monkey King, the sudden sight of a bald, freakish bird talking still sent their minds reeling.

That’s right. Gou Dandan’s biological father was Gou Junbao, and Xiao Lili was, for all intents and purposes, his birth mother. The power of a Wish hadn’t been used at all; after just a few months, he had grown increasingly clever and could now form simple phrases.

It was just that, due to his beak, his voice sounded a bit like a squawking parrot.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot what’s important! Red Demoness! Those fish are dead anyway, so give them all to me! We’re having a fish feast tonight!"

"CHIRP... Fish feast!!"

The freakish bird on the roof chirped and hopped about, and Su Su couldn’t stop herself from burying her face in her hands.

She felt she was an utter failure as a teacher for letting Doudou lead Gou Dandan so far off the proper educational path.

At the same time, she felt that Gou Junbao and his wife had utterly failed to fulfill their parental duties.

"Brother Gou really isn’t cut out to be a father."

Qin Xiaoxia lamented, and Su Su couldn’t agree more.

"We should get him back here to discipline his own kid, and fast."

The three test tubes from before had contained about 150 milliliters. After centrifugation, about 130 milliliters remained. The experiments consumed roughly one to two milliliters per culture tank, and including the Type-C active cultivation, they could ultimately produce a decent amount of Type-A reagent—that is, the No. 1 basic sequence Magic Potion. However, a lot had been wasted in previous experiments, so the actual yield was still insufficient.

The few dozen remaining test tubes of No. 1 Magic Potion were certainly enough for medicinal research, but the No. 1 Magic Potion was also a crucial catalyst for producing the Magic Steel Material. With this amount, they would be hard-pressed to create even a single suit of full Magic Steel armor.

’Yep, Brother Gou still needs to contribute more to the cause!’

"Su Su, call Xiao Lili. Tell that couple to get back here and parent their child."

"Okay!"

On an island in the Atlantic Ocean, Mumu continuously scattered seeds, slowly nurturing them until they sprouted, before moving on to sow the next area.

Dawn Silent Moon Island wasn’t a single Secret Realm, but a Main Secret Realm overlapping with multiple smaller ones. Demon Seeds would be planted in each realm, and each one hosted different types of Demonized Plants. Mumu’s workload this time was immense.

Forcing them all to grow would waste too much of its Magic Power, so it only gave them a start, letting the power of the Secret Realm slowly nourish the seedlings.

Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili were helping on the side, primarily by preparing the plots for different types of seeds in advance and helping Mumu sow them in key locations.

This was to prevent paths and certain areas from being overgrown with Demonized Plants due to an oversight by Mumu. Although the plants could move on their own, prevention was always easier than fixing the problem later.

When Xiao Lili took the call from Su Su, Gou Junbao stood beside her looking perfectly calm, not the least bit flustered. After all, he’d been stocking up the little bedside fridge for a while now.

It was just that, until Xiao Lili decided she wanted another child, his ’little brother’ would probably have to wear a ’protective shield’ year-round. This left Brother Gou fuming, but he didn’t dare complain.

...

「One week later.」

At the Special Security Group Headquarters, Du Peipei, who was back at the research institute for her routine physical, took the opportunity to brief headquarters on the various matters that had occurred in Shenzhen City over the past month.

Halfway through her report, Tao Xingzhi received a special text message. Someone from Dawn was making a trip specifically to apologize for the incident where the Witch had taken Zhang Yi.

Mr. Yan had previously extended their apologies online, but this time, there was clearly a reason that necessitated a personal visit.

Less than an hour later, in front of a Special Security Team office on the outskirts of Kyoto, Tao Xingzhi, along with Huang Jiutian, Du Peipei, and a few others, met the visiting Dawn Members.

The members of Dawn had already surprised the Special Security Team more times than they could count, but this mysterious and ancient supernatural organization seemed to hold an infinite number of secrets.

No one could have possibly anticipated the being that arrived this time.

It was an hour after sunset. The sky was a dusky yellow, and inside the lobby of the small office building...

A ’person’ shrouded in a hazy glow stood before Tao Xingzhi and his team. He was taller than an average person and wore a wide robe composed of a slightly dimmer light. His face was obscured by the shadows of his hood, but they could make out a pair of glowing eyes, brighter than the surrounding light, with no discernible pupils.

His form seemed to constantly give off a shimmering, dust-like radiance. He floated, never touching the ground, his arms hidden within his sleeves.

It was the kind of being that seemed to belong only in myths.

He stated his purpose as soon as they met.

"Hello. My name is Shadow. I am not a monster, nor do I come from the Otherworld. I am a Holy Spirit, native to Earth."

The voice was androgynous, impossible to identify as male or female. It sounded gentle, yet it was exceptionally clear and resonant.

"..."

"Hello,"

’Dawn has its share of oddballs. Maybe this is just how he introduces himself.’ Tao Xingzhi returned the greeting, wondering if he should offer a handshake.

"Forgive me, but I cannot shake your hand."

As he said this, more than a dozen test tubes slid out from the sleeve of the light-form. They hovered in the air before him, their contents a swirling mix of pink and black liquid.

"These are No. 1 Magic Potions, containing Life Flower Juice and personally prepared by Master Sage. They are all targeted stamina-Enhancing Magic Potions with very minor side effects."

Tao Xingzhi was thrilled. With these, they would have more than enough for both research and practical application.

"Is there anything we can do for you in return?"

After securing the test tubes, Tao Xingzhi asked politely. He doubted the being had come all this way just to make a delivery.

In truth, the Holy Spirit had requested to come himself. Fulfilling Zhang Yi’s last wish was a major reason for his visit.

After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke in a unique, resonant tone.

"We are truly sorry about what happened to Zhang Yi. We were hoping to ask for the government’s help in ensuring his parents can live out the rest of their days in peace, in an ordinary life."

From behind Tao Xingzhi, Du Peipei frowned and asked,

"What about Zhang Yi? Lady Witch said you could save him."

The Holy Spirit, glowing with a soft white light, bowed its head slightly toward her.

"I’m sorry. Zhang Yi... is already dead. He recorded this. Please give it to them."

Du Peipei froze. From the Holy Spirit’s demeanor, everyone present could sense a trace of regret. They assumed Dawn must have done everything they could.

With a nod from Tao Xingzhi, she stepped forward and took the phone, her heart filled with complex emotions.

"So, you’re saying that just like Type Twos, Type Three Evolvers aren’t one hundred percent safe either?"

This was what Tao Xingzhi was more concerned about.

"Your perception is quite keen. Indeed. According to your classification system, Type Three Evolvers are unique, but their awakening carries significant risks. Zhang Yi’s case, however, was even more exceptional."

Even as the Holy Spirit spoke, his eyes seemed to gaze through illusion, watching everything in the distance. It was as if his mind was in two places at once—one part conversing with Tao Xingzhi, the other sensing the world.

’The seemingly mundane light of the world really does hide an intangible, restrained presence, just like Master Sage. If I had to describe it using words from when I was still human...’

’...it might be something like a surging, primal force, where infinite unknowns are being nurtured.’

’Master Sage was right. Our world is not as simple as it seems on the surface, and our potential is just as infinite.’

’When the long night returns, it will be a trial for both Dawn and the world, but it will also be our opportunity!’

The Holy Spirit looked up again. The afterglow of sunset still lingered, and for a fleeting moment, the colorful stars appeared on the horizon. They vanished just as quickly, leaving the Holy Spirit with a faint, sharp pang in his mind.

PS: Second Chapter for Wednesday.