After crossing the fountain plaza, the four of them saw a three-story building surrounded by a field of flowers. The key in Starlight’s hand was for this very house.
Before long, they walked through the flower field to the front door and inserted the key into the lock.
Accompanied by the sound of rubbing wood, the old-looking wooden door was pushed open by Starlight.
Inside, the furniture was all there, but everything was covered with white cloths—even the decorations on the walls. It seemed someone had intentionally kept the house in its original state.
As they stepped inside, their footsteps kicked up thick clouds of dust. It was clear that this place had not been used for many years.
“Hmm... I didn't expect them to keep this place exactly as it was at the beginning!”
The moment they entered, Noah floated up from Starlight’s hand, sighing as he looked at the familiar surroundings.
“Is this where Father and the rest of you used to live?”
Starlight also began to look around, seemingly trying to find traces of their past lives within the rooms.
“Yes, though there wasn't a flower field outside back then. That boy Evan was obsessed with all sorts of experiments; when we lived here, the front door was often left in a complete mess by him.”
“Your father’s favorite spot was that sofa in front of the fireplace. When he had nothing to do, he loved to lie there and read.”
“Our rooms are on the second floor. You can use them directly later. Looking at the situation, the beds and everything shouldn't have been moved.”
“On the right is the kitchen, though it was barely used back then. Ever since Carlos almost set the house on fire once, it was never used again.”
Noah slowly introduced the house’s facilities to them while guiding the four of them to the third floor.
The third floor was simple and empty, with only a table and a few chairs placed under a massive skylight. A beam of warm sunlight poured down from the roof, plating everything in the room with a layer of golden brilliance.
It wasn't hard to see that the trio, then in the prime of their youth, had spent their academy life right here.
Noah continued to recount every detail of the house as if counting his family treasures, seemingly submerged in a tide of memories.
But as he was talking incessantly, Po Kong suddenly frowned and asked, “I just remembered, Senior Noah, didn't you say you were a soul from the ancient times? How did you become Little Star’s master and even live and study here?”
Noah, having been interrupted, seemed a bit unhappy. After letting out a sigh, he turned around and asked back in a meaningful tone:
“How should I explain this to you... Do you believe in the concept of reincarnation?”
“Reincarnation?”
It was another unfamiliar term. When Noah raised this question, a trace of confusion flashed across the faces of all four of them simultaneously.
From Starlight's perspective, he didn't think there was any special meaning behind Noah’s words.
After all, Noah was Carlos’s soul clone. If Carlos himself were some old fellow from the ancient times, there was no reason his father and Eventador wouldn't have recognized it, not to mention they had an unfathomable teacher like Mowei.
Given that he had given Po Kong a similar explanation before, perhaps this was also just a well-intentioned lie?
“Noah, do you mean like Taros?” Xia Duo asked after a few seconds of silence, voicing her doubt.
“A bit like it, but not exactly the same. Taros’s resurrection was indeed a carefully designed process. You can understand it as a type of reincarnation, but it’s not quite the same as what I’m trying to express.”
After hearing Xia Duo’s thought, Noah responded flatly.
At this moment, Noah was bathed in the sunlight pouring from the skylight, his entire body seemingly plated in a faint golden glow. In particular, the rose-red gem on the book cover seemed to emit a shining light, appearing exceptionally mysterious.
“I don't know if you can understand this, but the essence of life is like a long river, and death is not necessarily its end. The death of a living being is merely the start of another journey.”
Upon hearing these words, Po Kong fell into deep thought, a strange light flickering in his emerald eyes.
“If we go by what you’re saying, then many people in the world should have completed that journey after death... After all, gods existed ten thousand years ago during the Age of Gods! If that’s the case, why is there no record of this in any of the archives?”
Moen blinked gently, voicing her question in a soft tone.
With her deep attainments in the power of nature, she had unique views on the essence of life. She had also consulted many historical records and materials within the elf race, but she had never heard of the term reincarnation.
“Heh, no matter how you four see it, if only it were as simple as imagined. Gods... if the gods were still in this world, they would probably turn their noses up at such a method.”
“Hah—I’ve said enough for today. If you have any doubts, figure it out yourselves. I’m tired. If there’s nothing else, don't disturb my rest.”
Moen seemed to want to argue further, but Noah was unwilling to explain more. He directly cut off the topic with a yawn. After leaving those words, he closed the book and returned to Starlight’s side.
Starlight obediently took him and tied him back to his waist, also constantly reflecting on what Noah had just said.
For some reason, he also suddenly felt that Noah seemed to be hiding something from them, but after calling him a few times in his mind, he received no response.
In such a situation, Starlight understood there was no point in asking further. He didn't care about Carlos’s true identity; he believed that the master he had lived with for over a decade would never engage in any meaningless deception.
“That guy Noah... he just runs off halfway through a sentence! He’s made me quite curious. Forget it—he can rest whenever he wants, but if we don't clean this place up, we won't be able to rest today!”
Xia Duo pouted and spoke to the other three in a somewhat helpless tone.
After hearing her sister’s words, Moen also nodded at Starlight in agreement, indicating that tidying up this house was the most important thing at the moment.
Just as Starlight and the two sisters were about to head downstairs, they found that Po Kong was still standing in place, as if he were still immersed in the previous conversation and unable to pull himself out. This was truly rare for his usually boisterous self.
Thus, Starlight stepped forward and heavily patted Po Kong’s broad shoulder, laughing:
“Po Kong, what are you still thinking about? If you don't move, we’re going to leave you here!”
“Huh... oh? Right! I got it!”
Only then did Po Kong snap back to his senses as if waking from a dream. After casting a deep look at Starlight’s waist, he followed them downstairs.
Rate on N.U.
