I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 191
Chapter 191: Three Millennia, Moon Orchid
Speaking of it, it seems that I have never truly experienced nature with undivided attention like this before.
Similar experiences may have only occurred during elementary school spring outings. When I was in elementary school, our school organized several spring outings, if I remember correctly, around the second or third grade.
The class teacher, who also served as our dormitory supervisor, along with the Chinese teacher who was also our vice principal, led the way. Parents were informed a week in advance to prepare, and each person would bring some rice or dumpling wrappers and fillings, or other food items, and we would all contribute to a “big pot meal.”
When the time came, fifty or sixty elementary school students lined up and followed the teachers, arriving at a small river a few kilometers away from the school. We played in the water, caught fish, shrimp, and crabs, or learned to swim with the help of good friends. Under the guidance of teachers, we made fires, cooked, and prepared meals.
In the first few years, the small river near the school was very clean, suitable for drinking directly from the kettle. It was clear, and you could see every stone and crab hole at the bottom. However, a year later, due to the construction of a factory upstream and the opening of many shops nearby, garbage was thrown into the river, visibly polluting the water. Nevertheless, we continued to go on spring outings there.
Unfortunately, it should have been when I was in the fourth grade of elementary school. Some people nearby threw a lot of broken glass bottles into the river, and despite this, we elementary school students continued our annual spring outings by the river, boiling water, cooking, and playing with friends in the river. One day, a fifth-grade student from the neighboring class accidentally cut his foot on the broken glass bottle while playing in the water.
Upon returning, the student’s teacher reported the incident to the education bureau in the city center. Since that day, our school canceled all spring and autumn outing activities. This incident quickly became known to nearby schools, and soon, primary, middle, and high schools all canceled any activities that required going far from school, focusing solely on “teaching and educating.”
Even now, I still fondly remember the times when we played and cooked together in the outskirts far from the city with my friends. Unfortunately, classmates who were in the same class with me either lost contact long ago and are now unrecognizable, or were fellow children from the welfare institution who succumbed to illness and passed away before adulthood. The once cherished spring and autumn outings have become a permanent part of history.
I really couldn’t have imagined that after so many years, I would still be able to enjoy the precious silence with other children, far from the city and away from the hustle and bustle. Although… it might not truly be considered silent.
Because on this island, the sound of the waves and the calls of birds in the jungle are very clear. Lying on the grassy lawn by the sea, I can occasionally hear the “whooshing” sound of waves breaking on the shore not far away, as well as the “drip-drip-drip” and “cooing” bird calls from the center of the island. For some reason, perhaps the genes of the “spirit” inside me are in control, hearing such sounds brings a deep sense of calm to my heart, as if I have returned to my mother’s embrace.
“……”
“Ah… I can’t go on, I really can’t.”
After “battling” with Yin Xiamo near the sandy beach for almost an hour, in the end, the two of us lay back on the soft lawn one after another, gazing at the azure sky.
I’m on the right, and Yin Xiamo is on the left. My left hand holds Yin Xiamo’s right hand, feeling each other’s warmth and the softness of our palms.
“Xiao Mo.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you consider me a clueless fool when it comes to emotions?”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because I often feel like I’m quite indifferent, slow to react to many things, especially when it comes to emotions.”
Feeling the lingering tingling sensation in my body, I gaze at the clouds drifting slowly towards the west in the sky.
“I don’t understand a girl’s thoughts, and I don’t know when to be affectionate and when to be reserved…”
Although I am an author who has written millions of words in novels and has crafted clear female leads for the protagonists in my books, writing numerous romantic scenes, when it comes to real-life romantic experiences, I can confidently say it’s zero.
As far as I can recall, back when Yae-Do was still around, those authors who could write exceptional romantic scenes and create captivating romance novels hadn’t experienced love themselves. Jituto, who write fanfiction, tend to focus on works similar to “Kamen Rider” with a bit of “yaoi.” Pipi’s books are mostly “no female lead mainstream,” and even if there is a female lead, her role won’t be significant. As for Marisa Jiang Wei, she generally follows the plotline and rarely features a female lead, let alone emphasizing the romantic process between the protagonist and the female lead, along with that sweet feeling.
The value of precious antiques is truly felt only in the moment you acquire them—this statement is accurate. Many authors, lacking personal romantic experiences, tend to fantasize about countless ideal girlfriends. This imagination drives them to think about those sweet relationships happening to themselves, and when they put pen to paper with inspiration, the stories appear dreamlike and touching.
If you were to ask someone with ample dating experience to write a romance novel, many experienced authors might react with, “How am I supposed to write this? Nowadays, girls are so materialistic. The woman I last dated cost me over ten thousand tuan. After my ex-girlfriend moved in, she wouldn’t do this or that, even making me help with ordering takeout. She would scold and yell at me at the drop of a hat. How am I supposed to come up with something believable?”
“So, Nuo’er is still the most suitable as a girl.”
Hearing my words, the person beside me, Yin Xiamo, seems completely unbothered, “Nuo’er, who is slow in emotions, is silly and cute, very easy to deceive.”
“What do you mean by easy to deceive…”
Because I had been “battling” for two consecutive hours and my body was so soft that I couldn’t even muster the energy to move, I helplessly said, “Xiao Mo is always like this, glossing over the crucial issues. Things that could easily be forgotten, she occasionally brings up just to tease me.”
“Are you referring to Nuo’er, who, after inhaling catnip, messes around in front of the camera with meowing and rubbing against my skirt, or the pitiful look she has in the corner of the bed because she can’t beat me?”
“Forget about those things…”
“Hehe, so it’s okay. Nuo’er just needs to stay silly and cute like this, and leave the rest to me.”
Yin Xiamo seemed to shift towards me and said, “After all, I am your exclusive Grim Reaper!”
“I always feel like that statement is some kind of foreshadowing, or a trigger for some kind of… Bed end subplot.”
“There’s no such thing. It’s just that, Nuo’er, you play too many games or watch anime too often, so you tend to imagine those weird storylines.”
Yin Xiamo said in a serious tone, “In the eyes of the former me, Earth is nothing. It’s desolate, dilapidated, backward, without magic, and without familiar people and vibes. It’s like… a familiar world suddenly missing a lot of things. The life of an ordinary person in a big city is full of danger and social complexities, with many things to consider every day. But if you live in a cottage in the countryside, life becomes much simpler.
“Because of my age, Nuo’er hasn’t been able to experience the entire world on Earth, so she may think there is danger, but in the eyes of a god, those things are nothing, maybe even a bit… boring.”
In essence, the world on Earth is very boring in the eyes of the godly Yin Xiamo, and she doesn’t even need to consider whether there is any danger? It’s like going to hell to kill the Ender Dragon, defeating countless monsters in the Twilight Forest, and returning to the regular version of “Minecraft,” only to find the villagers warning you about zombies appearing at night – that kind of feeling.
“That…”
I changed the topic slightly, “Xiao Mo, what do you plan to do with this island? Is it just going to be a summer resort for us?”
In the southern sea area of the Nanqi District in Shenzhen City, there are many scattered small islands. If you consider the total area of the islands, it’s probably about the size of one district in Shenzhen City. However, if you include the ocean area between the small islands, this region becomes much larger, almost like a second Shenzhen City.
According to the plan provided by Sun Yunjin, I know that the Shenzhen City government is about to “develop” these islands. This development includes “land reclamation” and the construction of a “cross-sea bridge,” both of which are massive engineering projects.
What does land reclamation involve? If you want to reclaim all the ocean between these islands and turn it into land, I think several hundred billion might not be enough.
However, I remember from the plan that if they encounter some deep-sea areas, they can take the route of “artificial road surface.” This project is somewhat similar to the map in the anime “Classroom of the Elite.” In areas where it’s difficult to reclaim land in the deep sea, they can directly connect islands with sturdy road surfaces, leaving hollow spaces in between. The plan here is to connect all the islands and create a super district for Shenzhen City.
It’s said that in the future, this place might become a brand new “city,” a futuristic city on the sea blending technology and human wisdom.
Of course, all of this is more than a decade away. Currently, all the islands here are still deserted, and the workers have only transported some bridge and construction materials here, with no construction work started yet.
“It’s just going to be our little harbor, for me and Nuo’er.”
In response to my inquiry, Yin Xiamo replied leisurely, “This island is very far from other islands. Even if they connect all the islands and build roads, it would still be several kilometers away from the nearest one. Without a bridge, one would have to take a boat, and in most cases, people probably wouldn’t bother coming over here.”
“This way, I can feel at ease doing some special things with Nuo’er on it.”
“Special things?”
I pondered for a moment, “Like what you mentioned earlier, bringing over that centaur or dragon princess?”
Yin Xiamo mentioned that I once dueled with the daughter of a chieftain in the centaur tribe, winning their recognition with absolute strength. I then led the centaur army to establish a small-scale “Anti-Demon King Alliance.” This marked the first step when the “Hero” shouldered the banner of the “Anti-Demon King.”
Since then, the Hero’s fame skyrocketed, and he began his days of conquering territories with the little demon. He visited the Elven Forest, befriended the elves there, made an agreement with the Elven Queen, and also went to the territories of cat girls and fox girls, enjoying a leisurely period. Finally, he defeated the strongest black dragon princess of the dragon clan, gaining the acknowledgment of the dragon clan.
During this period, Yin Xiamo mentioned that it was the happiest time for her because the “Hero” would take her wherever he went. The two of them traveled together, fought side by side.
However, after defeating the black dragon princess and gaining the acknowledgment of the dragon clan, due to the Hero’s immense fame, the “encirclement” by the Demon King’s army also began.
Later, as mentioned when we first met, Yin Xiamo described the story of the Hero being betrayed by companions because of excessive trust and sacrificing himself to protect the little demon.
Due to the loss of the Hero, the “Anti-Demon King Alliance” instantly crumbled, and the entire lineup fell apart. The allied forces fled or were injured, allowing the previously suppressed Demon King forces to resurge, casting the world into a thick layer of darkness.
The Elven tribe suffered persecution from the Demon King’s army, and the World Tree was damaged, forcing them to take refuge within a protective barrier. The Dragon clan declared neutrality to avoid trouble. Cute creatures like cat girls and fox girls had to abandon their homes and flee due to insufficient combat strength. Only the centaur tribe, loyal to their promises and vows, continued to resist.
Then came the story of the little demon, grieving and angered by the Hero’s death, inheriting the Hero’s mantle, and raising the banner of rebellion within the demon race.
From Yin Xiamo’s account, I could easily gather that in the otherworld, the “Hero” had many good friends. At least… after the Hero’s death, the Demon King’s army announced things like “welcome to join us.” At that time, many people chose to betray the Hero and join the Demon King’s army. So, it was easy to determine who were true friends.
For example, the centaur girl who was usually shy like a little girl but displayed unmatched bravery on the battlefield. Or the black dragon princess who harbored deep concerns about her gender. There was also the fox girl who, since the Hero entered the territory, had been tempting him, remaining true to her initial intentions even as the world’s situation changed.
I didn’t know the principles of magic, but Yin Xiamo mentioned that it was possible to use magic to bring people from that world to Earth, which piqued my curiosity.
“Do you really want them to come and visit Earth?” I asked.
In response to my question, Yin Xiamo sat up and said, “Yes, I do. I would love to see their reactions when they face the vast array of Earth’s products, especially things like computers, cars, um… and smartphones. These things would be very novel to them from another world.”
“Most importantly, the ‘Hero’ has turned into an adorable little loli,” Yin Xiamo intentionally emphasized the pronunciation of the words ‘Hero’ and ‘loli.’
“You may not know, but when the Hero interacted with them back then, he was quite awkward. That black dragon princess, if she really comes here, would probably mock you. Then there’s that fox girl, when I left that place, she was already an eight-tailed fox. Now she should be able to cultivate into a nine-tailed fox. Also, the Elven Queen, I don’t know if she can adapt to life on Earth…”
“Uh…”
With Yin Xiamo’s words, I instantly felt awkward. “Um… maybe we should forget about this?”
Having former good friends come over and see me transformed into a little loli felt quite embarrassing. Although I had no memories of being a Hero, since Yin Xiamo said I was the Hero in my past life, it would be impossible for those former ‘good friends’ to mock me in my current state.
“Don’t worry, even if we open a portal, I’ll only bring over those few girls who had a special relationship with the Hero. Their relationship with you is similar to your relationship with Jiang Wei, or no, it’s not on the same level. Let me rephrase…”
Yin Xiamo stood up on the lawn, took a deep breath, and continued, “Those who can come over are the best friends who would willingly lay down their lives for the Hero.”
“All of them are girls?”
“All of them are… uh, I’m not sure if ‘girls’ is the right term, but they are all females.”
Yin Xiamo smiled, “Excluding the dragon princess, just that Elven Queen… she’s older than me, calling her a ‘girl’ might be a bit… um, not quite right?”
“But Xiao Mo is also a girl.”
I also stood up, stretched lazily, and brushed off the grass crumbs from my little skirt. “Anyway, there’s no unified standard, judging based on appearance is fine. As long as they look under 25, we can call them girls or young women.”
“Then let’s decide on this for now! Once I figure out how to open portals between the two worlds, we can try contacting my former good friends. Now that the Demon King is dead, the other world has entered a rare period of peace. I guess they would be really happy to meet the Hero again. Maybe kids like the Black Dragon Princess would enjoy this world.”
Bring the Black Dragon Princess over?
In my mind, I instantly associated it with how the dragons in “Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid” lived in the real world.
Wait a minute, if there are dragons and demons…
“Does the other world have the Angel race?”
I suddenly became interested. “Do they have a race with wings, or a species with a glowing halo on their heads?”
“Yes.”
Yin Xiamo replied naturally, “If there are demons, there must be angels.”
“Then you guys are…”
I cautiously asked, “Arch-enemies?”
“A few hundred years ago, yes. Because demons naturally have an affinity for dark magic, and angels have an affinity for light magic, the two types of magic clash, and we often fought. But since the time when I nearly wiped out the Demon King’s army, I, as a representative, went to negotiate with the angel race, and we reached a reconciliation.”
Yin Xiamo shrugged. “Now, angels and demons don’t fight anymore.”
“They don’t fight anymore?”
“Nope, they lie flat. There’s no benefit to fighting.”
“Then…”
I cautiously asked again, “The Hero doesn’t have good friends among the angels too, right?”
“Yes, many of them, like Gabriel, Lucille, Raphael… He was quite popular back then.”
Ugh… What was I doing back then, building a harem all over the world?
“If you really plan to bring so many people over…”
I secretly wiped the sweat from my forehead. “Just in case, I mean just in case, just in case these powerful races change their minds later on. For example, the angels you mentioned earlier. If a few strong angels come to Earth and disagree with us, leading to a fight, can… I mean, can your true self handle it?”
“Come on, why do you think I seized control of the ‘death’ rules in this world in the first place?”
Yin Xiamo looked at me like I was a foolish little girl. “World laws are above all magical and physical laws. No matter how strong people from the other world are, when they come to this world, they must abide by its rules. And here, I control the ‘death’ rules. Little pet, do you think I can’t control them from the other world?”
“I see.”
I instantly felt like I had learned a lot. “So, could you have brought the Demon King to this world and used the power of ‘death’ to deal with him?”
“The Demon King is not stupid. How could he casually go to a strange world?”
The girl beside me looked at me with a slightly indulgent gaze. “Nuo’er, don’t ask too much about magic-related matters. Your little brain won’t understand so much information within a hundred years. It’s better to learn how to live in the simplest human society on Earth first.”
“You talk as if you can live very well.”
“You can’t cook, and you’ve been fooled so many times.”
“That’s because the rules of Earth’s human society are different from those of the other world. If we follow the standards of the other world, there wouldn’t be so many rules and regulations. If anyone dares to disobey, I’d just strike them down with a single blow.”
Yin Xiamo gestured with her eyes towards a nearby mountain. “Let’s not talk about that. Nuo’er, have you thought about what name to give to this island? Calling it Nuo’er Island feels a bit strange.”
“This island?”
After a moment of contemplation, I suggested, “How about calling it ‘Moon Orchid Island’?”
“Moon Orchid?”
Yin Xiamo looked puzzled. “Why Moon Orchid? Have you dreamed of this place, Nuo’er?”
I nodded. “Yes, it seems to be a place you particularly like. It has cute cats and many flowers.”
Looking at the map, this island somewhat resembles half of the jade pendant in the Bagua diagram, or the number “9” with a slight clockwise rotation of about 45 degrees. The top is on the east side, and the open part on the left side of the “9” faces the direction where the sun rises.
However, it’s not as perfectly shaped as the jade pendant in the Bagua, a bit chubby, resembling a curved moon.
The interior of the island is not entirely flat. The “9” has a large opening, about twenty meters wide, with mountains on both sides. After entering the opening, there’s a super large circular sea area. The terrain on this side of the sea area is relatively low compared to the opening, with a large sandy beach that was later transformed into a unique “sea within a sea” structure.
You could think of it as taking one side of the Bagua formation, such as the black part, and the white part being the sea, with a large opening connecting to the outer sea.
Just now, Yin Xiamo and I entered through the opening, with mountains on both sides reaching at least fifty meters, looking very majestic.
“Moon Orchid Island… Well, it does sound better than Nuo’er Island.”
Facing my suggestion, Yin Xiamo nodded thoughtfully, “Then, when we have the opportunity to talk to those people in the city, let’s use this name… hmm?”
As she spoke, Yin Xiamo’s gaze turned towards the circular sea area behind this island. Or rather… the exit formed by two mountains.
“What’s wrong?”
I followed Yin Xiamo’s gaze, “Is there something there? Or are there sharks?”
“Somebody’s coming.”
“Eh, eh?”
“Two speedboats, and there are two familiar auras on them.”
Yin Xiamo’s expression became serious, “Look at the direction, they should be coming towards us.”
“Coming towards us?!”
I was shocked, “Are they the workers coming to deliver construction materials?”
“No, one of the auras belongs to Ye Yuqing, the one we chatted with at Jiang Wei’s house just now. She’s on one of the speedboats, with two other people. There’s another speedboat following them, and we don’t know the people on it.”
Ye Yuqing? Mayor Ye?
Why would she come to such a remote place?
I took out my phone and glanced at the top right corner of the screen. As expected, no signal.
“Are they really coming this way?”
I asked curiously, “Could it be behind our island… other islands, or maybe offshore oil fields?”
“No, there are no other islands behind us, going further would be beyond our territorial waters.”
Yin Xiamo shook her head, “These people are less than 5 kilometers away from us. According to their speed and direction, they can only be heading towards us.”
You can sense people 5 kilometers away? What kind of skill is this, divine awareness?
“They are likely to land over there.”
Yin Xiamo pointed to the steel and building materials brought by the workers not far away, “Nuo’er, should we hide first? Over these years, I’ve learned quite a bit about human society’s rules. Generally, when important figures come to such a remote place, they surely have something important to do, possibly something not entirely legitimate.”
“Hide…”
I looked around, “Where do we hide?”
“Over here.”
Without waiting for my reaction, Yin Xiamo quickly stepped forward, lifted me in a princess-carry, and then leaped to a small hill behind. With one hand, she raised a huge rock in front of us.
“This height should be enough. Since they chose this location for business, they must have confirmed the safety in advance. They probably won’t check the surrounding environment.”
Putting me down in this small open space, Yin Xiamo gestured for me to hide behind the rock and bushes, “Nuo’er, if they come ashore over there, as long as they stay within 50 meters, with your hearing, you should be able to hear their conversation at this distance.”
“Eh?”
I didn’t understand for a moment, “Are we eavesdropping on their conversation?”
“That Mayor Ye had contact with us before coming here. Although it was private contact, I guess it’s more or less related to what they are going to discuss later.”
Yin Xiamo nodded, “I don’t want to miss any information related to you, Nuo’er.”
“Well, then.”
Seeing Yin Xiamo’s determined expression, I found a relatively concealed spot and crouched down, staring at the gap between the two mountains ahead.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes.
“Humming….”
I don’t know how many minutes passed, but I saw two speedboats appearing in the field of view, dragging long tails as they entered the island from the gap between the two mountains, swiftly approaching.
The girl beside me gently took my hand.
“They’re here.”
“……”
……