Wang didn't speak for quite a while. It was only after a long stretch of silence — amid Jie's soft laughter — that he finally came back to himself.
"What's wrong? Can't even find the words?"
He stared at the face before him, so familiar in voice and expression, and after a long moment, asked quietly:
"You, this time…"
"I can stay out as long as I like," Jie said, and smiled again — brilliant and warm.
Wang instinctively moved to say something, but the words caught in his throat. In the end, he only turned his head away.
Which left Anthony thoroughly baffled.
"Look, if you want to chat with Jie, just chat — why are you looking at me?"
Anthony's dragon-tail swept the floor with mild irritation as he gave Wang a helplessly exasperated look. "Do I have something written on my face?"
"All right, Second Brother probably just doesn't know what to say. But there'll be plenty of days ahead to talk."
This time it was He who, unusually, spoke first and spared Wang the awkwardness.
"I'll go call the others."
Wang had been sitting there sputtering for a while. Finally he stood up, opened his mouth to say something — and caught Anthony's long-suffering glance.
"Sisuitai will adjust eventually, sure — but that's not the same as pretending they don't exist."
Anthony looked at what Wang was about to do and couldn't help but add: "Just wait and see how they react when they find out."
"At the very least we have to call Big Brother over…"
Wang said urgently — then gradually stilled under He's watchful gaze, his head slowly sinking.
In his heart, just a moment ago, there had been a ten-alarm fire.
As if he were terrified that this scene — if some sudden accident were to intervene — might shatter again like a bubble, vanishing without a trace.
That, and only that, was something Wang could not bear to live through again.
So he had to act before anything could happen.
Jie seemed to understand the urgency behind Wang's feelings, and the knot wound tight inside him. And so she spoke softly, to soothe:
"It's all right. There will be time. I'm right here — I'm not going anywhere, not ever again."
"And, Little Thirteen — you'll have a way, won't you?"
Jie turned toward Anthony as she said it, eyes bright, smile warm.
For a moment Anthony looked like he wanted to say something and then thought better of it. But as Wang's urgent gaze swung his way, he turned it over for a beat and said, with some hesitation:
"A way — yeah, I've got one. It's just a bit of a pain."
"And Sisuitai is definitely still going to blow up. The fallout's going to be a headache to manage."
"The management I'll handle."
Wang said it without a moment's pause — decisive, iron-firm, brooking no argument.
"You — ugh, fine. If you're going, go."
Anthony let out a sigh, then called Wang back just as he was turning to leave:
"Hold on, don't rush off yet. Let's go over what comes next first."
Wang froze. Then, slowly, he turned his head back and looked at Anthony with a slightly confused expression. Anthony, in turn, looked toward Jie.
"After the Reanimation Jutsu — what's the situation?"
Anthony asked. Jie considered for a moment, then said:
"Broadly speaking, it's not bad. But what comes after is going to be a bit more complicated."
"The conditions for a full resurrection are now clear."
At those words, Wang finally sat back down properly, leaning forward with an expression of rapt attention. Anthony glanced at him and was briefly at a loss for words.
Then he turned back to Jie and asked:
"The incense-and-faith side of things is on track — that's only a matter of time at this point. What are the remaining conditions?"
"One is an Authority."
Jie said: "We need something tied to an Authority of the concept-erasure type — a medium through which the resurrection can be channeled."
Anthony thought for a moment, then gave Jie a nod:
"Go on. What else? That can't be all of it."
Because that condition, relatively speaking, was actually quite achievable.
An artifact that erased concepts — it sounded rare, but there was a Carmen from the city right there among the group chat members.
A conceptual incinerator, anyone? Urban tech: endlessly impressive.
Even better, he could probably wrangle the Tianshaxing Blade in as a resurrection medium. If he set his mind to it, he'd find a way.
But Anthony had a feeling that Jie's resurrection wouldn't be quite so simple. The biggest obstacle was probably still waiting ahead.
As the question left Anthony's lips, Jie glanced at Wang. A beat later, her expression shifted into something reluctant, and she finally said:
"The biggest problem is still figuring out how to deal with Nian."
"That's the most critical prerequisite for the resurrection."
The instant the words were out of Jie's mouth, Wang was on his feet — wordlessly, he started heading toward the back of the ancient temple.
The plan to defeat Nian, shelved just a few days ago — or rather, merely slowed — immediately reignited into a frantic blaze of preparation.
"Get back here!"
Not until Jie shot him a glare and called out sharply did Wang slink back, sitting down again in his seat like a deflated balloon.
"How many times have I told you — stop thinking about trading yourself to Nian one-on-one. What would even be the point of that?"
"Can't we find a solution where everyone comes out of it okay?"
Jie sighed, scolding Wang, as Anthony watched him take the dressing-down in silence — one hand on his own temple — while simultaneously turning the problem over in his head.
"All right, stop arguing. The Nian situation has to be resolved eventually — if it really comes down to it, I'll figure something out."
"You?"
Still mid-scolding, Wang gave Anthony a strange look. He received, in return, a generous nod.
"Yeah, me."
Anthony said it like it was the most natural thing in the world: "Somebody's got to deal with it — so why not me?"
In fact, it really should be him. Ideally, definitely him.
He didn't even want to think about how many points dealing with Nian might net him.
That was money. Cold, hard points.
And honestly, while Wang could technically handle the Nian situation down the line, Anthony felt that approach was, well — a little too expensive, in the truest sense.
That might have been the best move given those circumstances, but the circumstances were different now. Why keep using the old method?
"Think back on it — I actually think I'm better suited to handle Nian than either of you."
Anthony said, and naturally, the memory of his past performances surfaced in Wang's mind:
His own revival when they first met. And Jie's return from death.
And — though they'd spent so much time together now — Wang hadn't forgotten that the person standing before him was, in truth, not the Agent of Nian.
Was it actually possible he was better suited for this than Wang himself?
"I keep telling you — stop thinking about just blowing it up. The efficiency is terrible, and there's zero return on investment."
"Then what's your plan?"
Wang frowned and directed the question at Anthony. Anthony answered with an enigmatic smile.
"I've just been thinking about one thing. Something that big, waking back up — it's going to need a lot of energy, right?"
He said it in a measured, faraway tone — as if gazing at a goldmine that would never run dry.
Sisuitai. The Primordial Originium. Nian.
The three concepts linked together in Anthony's mind, eventually resolving into a single idea:
A super resource node. One that, once tapped, could generate a never-ending stream of points.
A child would weep with envy.
He cleared away the noise rattling around in his head and looked back at Wang.
"Anyway, leave this one to me. Compared to all the years you've been waiting, the time I'll need is negligible."
He said it casually, then continued:
"So — keep waiting a little longer. Jie's resurrection: I'll handle it."
"…Then it's in your hands. If you need help with anything, just say the word."
"Actually, there is something."
Anthony's response came in the very next instant — the warmth of someone watching a volunteer enthusiastically sign up for overtime:
"The pressure from Sisuitai and the True Dragon — I'll leave that side of things to you. The temple at its current scale isn't going to cut it anymore."
"Time to expand."
"You can handle that, right?"
Anthony glanced at his Artificer skill tree with barely-concealed delight as he asked. Wang opened and closed his mouth.
He even found himself, despite everything, beginning to wonder whether what he'd just said had been the right call.
But in the end, he let out a sigh, walked over to his chessboard, and said:
"I'll figure something out."
He picked up a piece. Among the many pieces the Grand Flame had set across the board, a small handful began to move — fanning out toward the various Nian Fragments.
"I'm going to contact the other brothers and sisters. What exactly is your method?"
Wang looked at Anthony and asked. Anthony's fingertips rippled faintly.
In the void, it was as if a fishing line had drawn a line across still water — and then, in Anthony's hand, a cluster of beacons materialized.
"Take these, hand one to each of them."
He bundled the whole lot into Wang's arms and then looked up, gazing into the distance. He shook his head.
He'd just remembered that he was, nominally at least, the thirteenth member of the Nian family now — and had yet to meet any of them in person. Anthony turned it over quietly, then looked at Jie.
Finally, he shrugged.
"Anyway, Jie — go catch up with everyone properly."
And then he produced another beacon and asked, out of nowhere:
"Ready to board the Stygian Boat?"
In the great wilderness city of Dahuang, between the ridges of farmland, among ten thousand mu of golden straw — Shu stood in the water, gazing into the distance.
Then he saw Wang walking slowly toward him. His brow furrowed.
"Second Brother — what brings you here?"
Shu looked at Wang and asked, a note of surprise in his voice. Wang didn't answer. He simply raised his hand and held out the beacon.
"Jie is back."
Then the piece said what it needed to say and dissolved in the wind.
Leaving only Shu, standing there, staring at the beacon in his hand.
In a daze.
Atop Yumen Pass — a grandmaster of his age. He turned his head and frowned at a piece standing a little farther off. Then he sighed.
"Come here. Stop standing so far away. What did you need?"
The piece didn't answer either. It handed off the beacon cleanly and vanished on the spot.
Yu's Lingering Flavor House in Baizhao.
"Huh — did Second Brother send me something?"
"Mm. Go see your Jie."
The piece looked at Yu, hesitated for a long moment, and then — in a manner quite unlike its usual character — said:
"Everyone will be coming."
Shang Shu, within.
And more places still.
The piece wandered through more places than could be counted, delivering a beacon each time, and leaving behind the same message:
Given the trouble with Sisuitai these past weeks, I couldn't invite you to the ancient temple for a gathering.
But now I can — so please come.
Come and be together, because something has happened that is worth being together for.
Or rather — in a hundred years, there may be nothing more joyful than this.
And so, in the cabin of the Stygian Boat, the phase-transfer engine blazed with brilliant light.
The Primordial River seemed to ripple for just a brief moment. Then this world received ten visitors.
Chongyue was the first to open his eyes. He took in the layered corridors before him, turned his head, and looked around.
Then, one by one, his brothers and sisters appeared at his side. He frowned.
"Where's Number Ten?"
Fang was the first one whose whereabouts were asked after.
After a brief, shared silence, everyone arrived at the same answer.
Nowhere to be found.
Chongyue rubbed his temples, head aching, and tried again:
"Then — where's Wang?"
"No idea. Second Brother handed me something and then just left. No idea where he went…"
Yu shook his head, speaking. He was still holding a large, very full-looking box — it looked quite heavy.
"That guy — he probably just went off and hid in some corner somewhere. Gathers everyone up, says Third Sister's woken up, and then vanishes himself. Same as ever."
Ling shook his head with helpless resignation, unable to stifle a sigh.
All nine agents were here. For the agents, this was already a rare reunion.
For a moment, Yu — the twelfth — looked out at the scene and felt a long breath of relief escape from somewhere deep in his chest. Like a stone, long held, finally setting down.
The other agents perhaps felt it too. For them, a gathering like this was something that came along only once in a great while.
Though, admittedly, the current situation was full of unanswered questions.
Still — a lot had been happening lately.
For instance, everyone had heard the news that the family had gained a thirteenth member. None of those present — save Chongyue — had yet met them in person.
But for the people of the Nian family, family was family. Once you were in it, siblings were siblings — recognized without reservation.
The same held true for Wang.
His way of doing things could be baffling. His personality was genuinely difficult to put into words. And just now he had, without explanation, brought everyone to some unknown place…
But, faced with all of that — they still chose to trust Wang. They'd taken the beacon in hand, and come here carrying their hopes.
If only one more person could also be here — that would be enough.
Seemingly all struck by the same thought at the same moment, everyone fell quiet.
Each one of them, in their heart — anxious, tense, and hopeful all at once.
In the end, it was Yu who spoke first, asking carefully:
"Should we go look for Jie first?"
"Second Brother said she was alive — said he was bringing us here to see her. But now we can't find him anywhere, and we still need to find Jie…"
"So where would she even be?"
And as that question rose from among the gathered — as if to answer it directly:
There in the cabin of the Stygian Boat, before them all, a great door swung open of its own accord.
And through the doorway stepped the soul called He, appearing before everyone — and amid their astonished silence, she broke into a smile. Faint. Familiar.
Then, softly, she spoke:
"Everyone — I'm back."
____
👻🔥+40 ch: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Samsara Game: Starting in The Long Dark with My Waifus
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