Chapter 12

1

Who am I?

For a moment, I couldn't remember. After confirming it over and over again, I remembered. I am Bai Qin Yang. If I lose myself like this every time I merge with another, it's really difficult to bear.

"Wake up, Dr. Jin, come and take a look!"

Why is there a man's voice in my ear? It sounds powerful yet kind. He probably isn't someone who would harm me.

My eyes were forced open and then scanned by a bright magical light.

"Cough, cough!" I coughed uncomfortably twice and sat up under the dazzling light.

"Young man, you've finally woken up. We thought you couldn't handle this blizzard! I am Dr. Jin, the medical supervisor here." The first person who appeared before me was a man in a white coat, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a half-bald head.

Then Dr. Jin introduced this place to me. Two days ago, I was brought back by the workers of this mining area from the snowy fields. At first, everyone thought I was a traveler who got frostbite in the snow, but later they found out that my clothes were thin and my breathing was normal. It seemed that I was injured by magic and not a traveler. Of course, I suddenly appeared in a snowy area in the desert. How many clothes could I have worn?

This mining area is the property of The Othrie Empire's northern territory. The best thing about it compared to private mining areas is that there are healers here. The lives of the workers are pretty comfortable. Only workers with happy moods would have the kindness to bring someone back from the snow. If someone has been unhappy with their work and feeling down all year round, where would they have the inclination to find someone in the snow?

"Have some soup! The heavy snow has just stopped, and the mining area has stopped work to clean up. Drink some before everyone comes back. Once they come back, there won't be any left." In the corner of this house stood a chef, with a burly figure and stubble all over his face. He picked up a spoon and handed me a bowl.

"This... " I held in my hand something of a peculiar shape, which looked like a shield or something else. It was just a big, pitch-black piece.

Dr. Jin scratched his head and said, "You've been holding onto this thing. We don't know where it came from."

I felt that this thing had a spirit. When I passed my hand over it, I could fold it up just like the Inferno Sword. It couldn't be done with lifeless objects.

Suddenly, I remembered something very important. "Excuse me, I want to ask how the border war is going."

Dr. Jin squinted at me. "You've been watching too many foreign dramas. The border war ended two years ago!"

The transmission through the space portal had no time difference, but there was a time difference in that small world and the return to the space rift. It was clearly only a two-hour difference, but it turned out to be two years. However, it still wasn't my original time. Elena and the others were waiting for me here, and I didn't know anything about them for two years.

"Ding~" The door to the room opened, and a group of big men rushed in. I then realized that this room was the dining hall.

"Hey, the skinny guy is awake!" Several big guys, covered in snowflakes, came over. The cleaning work wasn't easy.

Dr. Jin smiled and said, "Many people have come to see you these past two days. They all think you're a brave skinny guy who came from the north alone."

Heh, I didn't intend to.

"How's this kid doing?" a scar-faced old man in the group asked.

"He's doing fine. All the data is normal, but his brain isn't working well. He woke up and immediately asked about the border war. It has been over two years now."

"Oh? As a retired veteran, I also participated in the border war back then."

"What happened in the end?"

The old man shook his head. "We won. We won in a stunning manner. That's all I can say. The peace treaty signed by both countries required all battle details to be kept confidential, and we were ordered to keep silent about it."

"Why?" I asked. "Why tell me all this if everything has already been silenced?"

The old man pointed at the emblem on my shoulder, which I had embroidered while stationed in the border town to distinguish myself as one of the Qin Family's Royal Guards.

Leaning close to my ear, the old man said, "If you've truly experienced it, then you must understand why silence was imposed. The consequences of that failed raid during the crossing expeditions displeased the people of our nation."

The feedback energy from the transmission tunnel had estimated to drastically increase the death rate of the crossing expeditions. The discontent of the people easily led to the overthrow of the regime. By keeping silent and attributing the casualties to war, the people's hatred would likely shift towards the enemy forces.

"So, after that war, did you really sleep for two years? Or did you spend two years traveling from the west to the north?" the old man asked.

"I am probably the only survivor who made it through the transmission tunnel," I replied.

"Oh! In my unit, there were many who entered that tunnel and never returned," the old man rubbed his temples, a wave of sadness washing over him.

"Don't dwell on it. There's probably more than just me who survived," I couldn't tell him the truth: that I had watched them all being torn apart into pieces, never to return.

But I couldn't dwell on it either – I needed to find people.

"Nofice!"

"Wow!" the cafeteria erupted in laughter, a scene too lascivious for me to imagine.

I quickly grabbed my coat and covered her.

"What are you doing!?" I stood in front of Nofice, shielding her.

"Taking a bath," Nofice replied, her demonic contract still in its glitching phase, giving off a cold and detached feeling.

2

After Nofice was dressed, we left the place. I couldn't bear appearing in front of the old men.

"Next time I summon you, can you at least be dressed?" I asked.

"No," she replied.

"Why?" I questioned.

"It's a requirement to respond immediately," she explained.

Alright, at least this contract doesn't glitch when it comes to immediate response.

"The old men said there's a station nearby, right?" I looked around and saw snow everywhere, with trees collapsing under the weight of the snow.

"It's right here," Nofice pointed to a corner and lifted up the sign for the station.

"It's buried underground. Does anyone even take the train here?" Normally, there should still be people who need to use transportation.

"We can teleport directly back to the capital," she suggested.

"No! I want to enjoy the scenery," I insisted.

Nofice looked at the vast expanse of white snow. If she didn't levitate herself, her calves would probably sink into the snow.

"Booring."

"Um..." I missed my adorable and silly Nofice. When would she return?

Ten minutes later, we finally saw a train coming. Magic was infused into the train's wheels, causing the snow to melt wherever it passed.

After half an hour on the train, we finally arrived at a place with signs of civilization. We were probably on the outskirts of the city. The snow on the roads had been cleared, but there were still piles of snow on the rooftops.

3

"Hey, Nofice, how long will it take to get back to the capital from here by train?"

"Two days."

"Can you tell me what happened to the others?"

"The women are waiting for your return, and the men have been running around the world," she replied.

"Can you be more concise?" I requested.

"Sure, the women..."

"Hey, hey. Stop repeating yourself. Just tell me specifically, what are they all doing?" I asked.

"..."

Sitting at the transfer station, Nofice proceeded to explain to me, one by one, how everyone had been living for the past two years.