activa-t Chapter 18 finally gets into the main storyline.
Chapter 18 finally gets into the main storyline.
In fact, it has been proven that a sword cannot drown.
This also means that he was still conscious while the other person was unconscious.
"Oh my... when are Yangyang and the others coming...?"
"We wanderers have been lying here for ages, and not a single person has come by..."
"The sun's been blazing for ages... If you don't come soon, don't force me to go out and call for help..."
After falling from the sky and sea, his beloved elder brother fell into a coma, and he, being a sword, naturally landed beside him, where he was held tightly by the other.
There was nothing he could do but stay by the other person's side, watching the clouds drift by, then disappear, then drift away again. He waited for a long time, but the main characters never appeared.
He suspected that if he waited any longer, he would rust.
"Host, I'm here to say that there is indeed something wrong with the main storyline..."
"It seems the landing location was slightly different, which is why the main characters didn't notice..."
Hearing that something unexpected had indeed happened again, he couldn't help but scoff and roll his eyes. His soul slowly drifted away from the sword, but it didn't fully materialize; it merely manifested.
"You should thank me for rewarding me with the ability to see souls..."
I opened the system panel and quickly tracked the location of the main characters. Fortunately, I wasn't far from them, just within the distance that prevented me from leaving my main body.
"A little bit of effort to attract them...it shouldn't be a problem."
Looking down at the wanderer still asleep on the grass, he thought about the words he had said to force the signing of the contract, and felt a flush of shame, a sense of despair washing over him.
"You just stay here... I'll be right back..."
"Don't lose my original body..."
Without waiting for his sworn brother's agreement, he started walking away and followed the quest panel's directions to a corner.
"Hmm... Yangyang and Chixia..."
"It really is those two..."
Hiding behind a rock, he watched the two of them explore their surroundings, wondering how to lure them over.
"Why not just expose myself directly... I'll have to show myself to everyone sooner or later anyway..."
The mention of this suddenly reminded him of the second closed beta test's storyline, which was incredibly overpowered.
Fortunately, the company valued player feedback and changed the storyline to the current overpowered protagonist trope.
"Never mind... I'll just wait until the wanderer wakes up before introducing me..."
"With the kid's fame shining on me, things will probably go much more smoothly."
He didn't want to be beaten up as a mere shadow—though he figured the attackers wouldn't be able to hit him anyway.
Meanwhile, Yangyang and Chixia were walking through Yunling Valley, weapons in hand.
Yangyang felt the wind blowing and immediately frowned.
"What's wrong, Yangyang?"
"Feel anything?"
Chixia gently turned her head, her gaze tenderly falling on Yangyang's sorrowful face, and asked with a hint of concern.
"There's an unsafe atmosphere... I think we should get back to the team as soon as possible..."
"but……"
Yangyang didn't say what she was going to say: because she always felt that her task wasn't finished, that a very important task hadn't been completed.
Upon hearing this, Chixia hurriedly spoke up and rushed anxiously to the other person's side.
"If there's danger, let's go!"
"We've patrolled this area quite a bit, we should be able to head back now..."
Just as the two were about to return, a voice suddenly rang out in the distance, guiding them.
"This way"
"Aaaaaah! Who is it?!"
It's terrifying to suddenly hear someone's voice in this place! Chixia quickly stood up, weapon in hand, and surveyed her surroundings.
Yangyang also picked up her sword and cautiously examined the area.
"...Come and save someone."
I can't hurt you.
Hearing the voice again, although the two remained wary, they exchanged a glance upon hearing the reason and followed the sound to its source.
Seeing that he had achieved his goal and reached his limit, Mo Wunian withdrew his ability and floated back into the sword.
"How come you're already a little tired after such a short time..."
"It hasn't even materialized yet... how am I supposed to play with it?"
He could still observe his surroundings from inside the sword, even with a wide-angle view. If it weren't so boring being inside the sword, he felt it wouldn't be so bad to just stay there.
"Host, there's nothing I can do. You've been away from your original body for too long, so it's natural to feel tired."
"If you're close to the main body, it won't have much of an effect."
He spat dismissively at this meaningless platitude, then his gaze sharpened as he fixed his eyes on the two men charging towards them.
"There really is someone who fainted... Who was the person who just called us over..."
Chixia saw a black-haired man lying unconscious on the ground ahead, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes, before she quickly rushed forward.
Yangyang naturally noticed as well, and without worrying about the details, she quickly moved closer to the wanderer, offering her legs for him to rest his head on.
He hurriedly checked half of it, muttering to himself, somewhat confused.
"...The state of drowning...is strange."
"...No external injuries, breathing...normal. Heartbeat...should be fast...."
As someone connected to the consciousness of the wanderer, he could naturally sense that the consciousness of those around him was beginning to awaken. He couldn't help but sigh, "This is what you call the uncontrollable force of the plot," and then lay down inside the sword to enjoy the unfolding story.
The wanderer struggled to open his eyes, the blinding sunlight streaming in. He closed them again at first, but then slowly opened them once more.
"……woke up!"
"Let me see, let me see!"
The wanderer slowly pushed himself up, standing on the ground. He reached to his side, confirming the sword was still there, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. Then, his gaze slowly turned to the two people before him.
"You are?"
Chixia then realized that she had talked so much without introducing them, and quickly pointed to Yangyang to explain.
"My name is Chixia... um, her name is Yangyang."
"We hadn't even found you lying here yet... It was someone with a completely different voice who led us here..."
"We haven't even seen who that person is yet...we haven't even had a chance to say thank you."
The wanderer paused, instinctively gripping his sword tighter, and his gaze followed the direction of the movement.
"Huh? This sword..."
It's no wonder Chixia was curious; after all, the protagonist's sword was indeed unique in its design. The ancient blade was adorned with intricate and incomprehensible patterns, and its streamlined shape made the sword appear exceptionally sharp.
This is clearly someone's top-quality collection.
"...Don't touch him."
The wanderer warily pulled his sword back to protect himself, and Chixia quickly withdrew her hand, apologizing to him.
"I'm so sorry... I was just a little too curious. I'm really sorry."
The wanderer simply nodded silently, but in the next moment, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Boss, how's it going?"
"I'm the one who led you here, isn't that great?"
"Otherwise, we'll just lie here until the end of time."
"?"
He was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized that the other person was communicating with him directly in his mind, so he tried to respond in his mind as well.
"Um"
I guessed it.
In this desolate place, probably only this sword beside me would come up with a solution.
"Could you come out and say hello to them?"
After a brief moment of thought, the wanderer decided he couldn't hide the presence of the sword beside him, so he inquired about Mo Wunian's attitude.
Mo Wunian, who was inside the sword, had been waiting for this sentence and hurriedly responded.
"That's fine. Shall I come out now?"
The wanderer nodded, then turned his gaze back to the two women in front of him.
"I should know who led you here..."
"To be precise, he is now... a sword."
Upon hearing what the wanderer said, Yangyang and Chixia exchanged a glance, neither of them understanding what he was saying.
"Uh... I'm a bit slow, could you explain it again in simpler terms?"
Chixia glanced at the sword in the other person's hand and scratched her head.
"He means... I'm going to stay inside this sword."
He silently popped up, and then saw Chixia and Yangyang instantly take several steps back, warily watching the sword behind the wanderer—which was himself.
"What is this?! A sword spirit from a storybook?"
Seeing the two people suddenly become so tense, the wanderer quickly explained that the sword he carried meant no harm; he had only come out to say hello.
Seeing this, the two men put away their weapons and slowly approached again.
After their initial wariness subsided, both of them looked at Mo Wunian's true form with curiosity, like curious children.
"I never thought the sword spirits mentioned in those storybooks actually existed... I was a little nervous just now, sorry!"
"This is my first time seeing this, it's quite novel!"
"I am not a sword spirit... I am only temporarily inside this sword."
She tried to defend herself weakly, but it seemed no one was listening.
Yangyang then looked at the wanderer again, asking him about the basic information of the man and the sword he carried.
"We are currently in Yunling Valley, in the remote wilderness of the present-day city under the jurisdiction of Huanglong."
"It seems that... the sword on your back really did lure us here."
"Judging from your attire, you don't seem to be a local of Huanglong. Are you a traveler who has been wandering far from home, or... a returning traveler?"
He seemed familiar with the plot, so he kept quiet and watched from the side.
"...I don't remember."
Hearing this answer, Yangyang became somewhat anxious and then asked further questions.
"I don't know why I'm here... I don't remember where I'm from or what my identity is."
The wanderer gently closed his eyes, nodded slightly, then slowly opened them again, a hint of confusion in his gaze.
"Bai Zhi didn't mention any aftereffects after waking up..."
"Do you know about the sword you're carrying on your back?"
"I do not know"
That's the truth. Only a small part of the plot has unfolded, and aside from knowing the other party is an overpowered protagonist, he doesn't know any other particularly detailed information.
Feeling the disgruntled vibrations from the sword behind him, the wanderer placed his hand on the hilt, signaling for the other to be quiet.
"..."
Okay, you're the boss, you make the decisions.
Chixia seemed to realize that the sword behind her was not simple either, and she also looked at him to inquire.
"Then... uh, does this being inside the sword remember its own name?"
"I remember that. My name is Mo Wunian."
After receiving the reply, Chixia rested her chin on her hand, closed her eyes, and pondered, but she couldn't find the name in her mind.
"……well"
"do not know"
Mo Wunian merely chuckled dismissively in his spatial dimension. If the other party already knew him, that would be quite something.
At this moment, Yangyang also sensed an uneasy message carried on the wind. After carefully sensing it, she opened her eyes with a hint of nervousness.
"The wind brings a dangerous message; the sky and sea are converging, and it seems a new silent zone is about to form."
"This means there's a high chance of danger here soon."
Chixia felt her terminal beep, took it out and glanced at it; sure enough, the signal was blocked.
"Boss, your gourd's signal has been blocked too. You don't need to take it out anymore."
He was so bored that he mentally spoke to the wanderer who was about to take the gourd from his body.
"...You look familiar."
"Do you have this memory from before?"
He had nothing to hide about this basic information and admitted it directly.
“I’m different from the boss. I’ve only lost my physical body and am hiding inside this sword, so naturally I still remember some of the basic settings of this world.”
"But don't worry, boss, these two people next to you will explain it to you."
Not long after she finished speaking, Chixia also looked over.
"It seems you really don't know anything. Don't worry, the two of us will explain it to you properly on the way."
Yangyang nodded in agreement.
"Wanderer...may I call you that before you remember your original name?"
After thinking about it for a while, I inexplicably felt that the name suited me quite well, so I agreed.
"Um"
Seeing that the other party nodded in agreement, Yangyang breathed a sigh of relief, but she didn't forget that the sword the other party carried actually contained something similar to them.
"And also, Mo Wunian."
"You look like you were just like us a long time ago... Do you have your original appearance?"
Unexpectedly, he was being questioned, and Mo Wunian, who had originally planned to lie down on the road for a while, became interested again.
"Of course I have it, it's just that I can't condense it yet."
"I'll come out and show you when I've recovered enough."
"Speaking of which, the silent zone is about to form, should we go first and then figure it out?"
Although it was just a wandering ghost, its perception of frequencies was still very strong. Out of kindness, it quickly reminded the three people still standing there to set off.
"That's true. This isn't a place to stay for long. If you two have no other plans, perhaps you could travel with us for now?"
The wanderers naturally agreed, and Chixia, seeing this, quickly became excited and led the way for everyone.
"Let's go, let's go together!"
Seeing that the other person had already taken the lead, the two behind naturally followed quickly.
"Mo Wunian... do you think you can appear in front of everyone?"
Mo Wunian, who was gazing at the scenery in his mind, heard someone call his name. Listening closely, he realized it was the Wanderer, and so he responded.
"Here's the thing, once my strength recovers a little, I should be able to appear before you."
"Although I can't stray too far from the main body, I'm following you anyway, so there's nothing to worry about."
After receiving a reply, the wanderer recalled the figure he had seen in that illusory space.
The boy's slightly aggrieved expression seemed still etched in his mind, and the thought of seeing him in that image again made him smile involuntarily.
"Boss?"
Sensing that something was off with his boss, he asked with some confusion.
"It's alright, I'm looking forward to seeing you."
Mo Wunian: ? Completely baffled.
But now, we've entered the main storyline! Finally, I don't have to go through the inexplicable experience of being hunted down in some other world anymore!