Chapter 20 | So I Reincarnated as a Dying Sun God, Now What

Hilna looked at Cecia's slender arms.

Then she looked at the heavy, dark iron hammer in her hand.

She fell silent for a moment.

It seemed...

...not entirely impossible.

“Whatever makes you happy.”

Hilna lowered her head again to flip through her study materials for the exam.

“I still think greatswords are the coolest, though.”

“When I teamed up with Catherine back in the day, it was because her staff was the biggest in the party. One look and I thought, that mage must be insane.”

“...”

If Big Sister Catherine heard that, she'd probably be furious, Cecia grumbled inwardly.

Hilna didn't dwell on it and quickly buried herself back in her forging exam prep.

Cecia picked up her newly completed staff.

A silvery-white magic circuit ran all the way up the length of the staff.

With just a subtle shift of her mind—

Hum.

Mana flowed through the circuit.

A bright fireball instantly formed at the tip of the staff.

【Fireball】.

The speed was noticeably faster than Cecia's normal spellcasting.

She didn't need to chant to begin with, and with the staff shouldering part of the spell construction beforehand, it was now nearly at the point where a fireball appeared the moment the thought crossed her mind.

“Not bad at all.”

Cecia's eyes lit up.

Then a strange idea popped into her head.

【Aegis of Light】.

A golden film of light spread down her arm.

Then it extended all the way across the surface of the staff.

Cecia weighed it in her hand.

“Huh?”

With this hardness...

It really could be used to bludgeon people.

So her combat style was:

Cast spells from a distance with the staff.

When the enemy rushes over—

Crack their head open with the staff?

Something felt a bit off about that.

But it was very practical.

“Since it's done, shouldn't I give it a name?”

Cecia fell into deep thought.

Casts spells quickly.

Can use Fireball.

“Matchstick?”

“...”

Too tacky.

“Kindling?”

A bit plain.

Cecia turned the staff over and over, examining it.

Suddenly, she remembered a word she had seen in a book before.

Flintfire.

The initial spark struck from flint.

It could light a lamp, or it could burn down an entire forest.

“Let's call it 【Flintfire】.”

Not bad.

It had flair.

In the future, when others asked:

“What is the name of the legendary staff in your hand, Your Excellency?”

Cecia could answer with utmost cool:

“Flintfire.”

And then slap a Fireball directly into their face.

Perfect.

Satisfied, she tucked 【Flintfire】 into her waist belt.

Then she began cleaning up her workbench.

She carefully wrapped the remaining mithril.

These scraps were still worth a good deal of money.

Waste materials?

What a joke!

Those were gold coins!

The only hassle was—

She had a staff tucked in her waist, and 【Starhunter】 was strapped next to her thigh.

It was somewhat in the way when walking.

“It'd be great if I could get a storage ring at some point.”

During a fight, she could just reach in.

Staff.

Dagger.

Hammer.

Potions.

Pull them all out.

The core strategy: You'll never guess what I'm going to throw at you next.

However, crafting spatial storage gear was far beyond Cecia's current capabilities.

She filed it under future plans.

After cleaning up, Cecia stood up and prepared to leave.

She originally wanted to say goodbye to Hilna, but seeing her frowning and studying hard over her books, Cecia didn't want to disturb her.

She had only taken a few steps—

“Leaving?”

Hilna's voice drifted over from behind.

Cecia turned around.

“What is it, Big Sister Hilna?”

“Entering the Spirit Realm tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

To be precise, it was her first contact with a Spirit Realm Echo.

However, adventurers were used to referring to this sort of thing collectively as a “Spirit Realm Excursion.”

Hilna sized her up from head to toe.

In the end, she only said one line:

“Don't die in there.”

“...”

The corner of Cecia's mouth twitched.

“Isn't that blessing a bit unlucky?”

“Then let me rephrase it.” Hilna thought for a moment. “If your soul anchor starts shaking, get the hell back out. Don't think holding out a bit longer will earn you bigger gains.”

Cecia was taken aback.

“You've experienced it too, Big Sister Hilna?”

“Nonsense.” Hilna patted her chest. “A Rank One warrior is still Rank One. Even though we don't spend all day studying spiritual substance, magic circuits, or mental structures like you mages do, that required step isn't any less necessary.”

She lowered her head and went back to reading.

“For your first time, the most important thing is returning alive. As for how much you get... you can take your time getting it once you're alive.”

Cecia went quiet for a moment, then smiled.

“Got it. Make sure you pass your exam and become a higher-rank forger, too.”

“Need you to tell me?” Hilna waved her hand without raising her head.

Cecia left the Craftsmen's Guild.

Night had already fallen over Asgard.

Magic streetlights lit up one by one along the streets.

Treading on her own shadow, she walked all the way back to her cottage.

Tomorrow.

Her first Spirit Realm Echo.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous at all.

Cecia laid out the items she had prepared in advance, one by one.

Mercury.

Sulfur.

A bowl of clear water.

Spiritual incense.

A white candle.

【Starhunter】.

And the freshly made 【Flintfire】.

After checking everything once, she pulled the book Rowan had given her out of her bag.

《Precautions for the First Spirit Realm Echo》.

Author:

Merlin Draco.

Cecia stared at the author's name for two seconds.

You again.

You really are everywhere.

She opened the book.

The first page had a very large line of text written on it:

【First of all, please remember: An Echo is not the past itself.】

【Everything you see could be real.】

【It could also be only half real.】

【In the worst-case scenario, it is merely a dream dreamt by some guy who died hundreds of years ago right before he kicked the bucket.】

Cecia blinked.

This tone was unmistakably written by Merlin herself.

Continuing down:

Historical Echoes were composed of vast amounts of memories, emotions, spiritual substance, and certain unexplainable residuals.

The vast majority could find corresponding matches in real history.

But not all.

After entering an Echo, the most important thing was not to accomplish any specific task, but to find out why you were drawn to this Echo in the first place.

In other words—

Find resonance.

Find the core.

Then return whole.

The book had even explicitly bolded “return whole” three times.

【Return whole.】

【Return whole!】

Below was another annotation from Merlin.

【I know young people always think they're the chosen ones.】

【Don't worry, I thought so too when I was young.】

【The difference is that I actually was.】

“...”

Shameless brag.

Cecia kept turning the pages.

The most important preparation before entering a Spirit Realm Echo:

The soul anchor.

One end of the anchor remains in the physical body in reality.

The other end follows the consciousness into the Echo.

When the soul suffers an impact strong enough to cause a collapse, a stable anchor can forcibly drag consciousness back to reality.

However, this protection is not absolute.

If the anchor is damaged, the soul is wounded, or one actively delves into an area far beyond their capacity to bear, it could all result in a failed return.

Simple summary:

It can save your life, but it doesn't guarantee you'll be saved.

Cecia felt this explanation was much more honest.

Further down were the precautions Rowan had already repeatedly emphasized.

First: Do not casually give your true name to anyone.

Second: Leave a “Return Anchor” for yourself.

A phrase.

A memory.

A person you must never forget.

Anything works.

When you begin to doubt whether you belong to the Echo or to reality, use it to remind yourself.

Third: If the soul anchor exhibits continuous shaking, burning, freezing, or any other abnormal reactions, prepare to return immediately.

【Do not look back.】

This single sentence was underlined several times by Merlin.

【Especially do not trust anything that tells you to "stay a little longer."】

【No matter how beautiful it looks.】

【No matter what it promises you.】

【No matter if it's your deceased loved one.】

Then below that, the style suddenly took a turn:

Fourth: Do not eat food given by strangers.

Fifth: Do not casually go home with strangers.

Sixth: If the locals suddenly all start staring at you at once, I suggest running.

“...”

The more Cecia read, the more it felt like child safety education.

The problem was... it actually made a lot of sense in the Spirit Realm.

Further back, there was even a reader Q&A section.

Cecia casually flipped through a few pages.

Q: Why did I see a completely incomprehensible city in an Echo?

There were impossibly tall buildings, iron birds flying in the sky, and steel vehicles that could run on their own without any magic at all.

I cannot find any corresponding civilization in known history.

This kind of situation is not uncommon.

Not all Echoes can find prototypes in our historical records.

They may originate from lost civilizations.

Dreams of gods.

Residual memories of certain high-order beings.

Or—

Somewhere else.

Academia generally refers to these unconfirmable phenomena collectively as 【Otherworldly Echoes】.

Among them, the most famous one was called by ancient Spirit Realm scholars:

【Eden】.

It is said that the great magical girl lies in repose there.

(Parenthesis: Magical girl might be an ancient special title for a certain type of witch.)

Cecia paused.

She kept reading down.

Magic in the traditional sense barely exists in Eden.

The people living there also rarely possess the ability to perceive the Spirit Realm.

However, relying on a form of knowledge known as "technology," they accomplished many things that seem equally incredible to magical civilizations.

Making steel fly into the sky.

Allowing ordinary people to cross hundreds or even thousands of kilometers in a single day.

Allowing people separated by tens of thousands of miles to hear each other's voices in real time.

Ancient travelogues referred to the people living there as—

【Serpents of Eden】.

The origin of the name can no longer be verified.

It may be related to local myths where "serpents bring knowledge."

Serpents of Eden are usually not overtly aggressive.

If you accidentally enter a similar Echo, please try your best to abide by local rules and do not use supernatural powers on a large scale.

“...”

The expression on Cecia's face gradually froze.

Eden.

No magic.

Technology.

Airplanes.

Cars.

Long-distance communication.

Why does this look more and more familiar?

So...

Was I actually a serpent in my past life?

Wait a minute.

What's even more ridiculous—

What did "the great magical girl lies in repose there" mean?

There were magical girls back in my old home?

Why did I live for so many years without ever seeing one?!

Cecia flipped back to the cover and stared at Merlin's name.

This woman definitely has something wrong with her.

If I get the chance in the future, I must meet her in person.

Of course, the premise was that her own concealment abilities were strong enough.

Otherwise, what if Merlin shouted upon seeing her: “A wild Serpent of Eden!” and dragged her straight back to the lab for dissection?

An archmage.

Not someone to mess with.

Most of the remaining Q&As lacked substance, so Cecia didn't bother reading further.

She lay on her bed, but couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

Second Dawn.

Her true name sealed away by the system.

Ouroboros Library.

Eden.

Serpents of Eden.

And herself, who had mysteriously ended up in this world.

The mysteries were piling up, so many that it was becoming a bit frustrating.

Cecia stared at the ceiling and thought for a while.

Finally, she pulled the blanket over her head.

“Forget it.”

She was too weak right now. Knowing the answers wouldn't necessarily be a good thing.

A summer insect cannot comprehend ice. It wasn't because the insect was stupid, but simply because it hadn't lived until winter.

So—

Survive until winter first.

Cecia closed her eyes.

She had big things to do tomorrow.

Before long, her breathing became steady.

...

Early the next morning.

Cecia requested a leave of absence from the academy.

Rowan had originally said that if she felt uneasy, an instructor could perform the initial anchoring for her.

Cecia had considered it for a long time before ultimately giving up on the idea.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Rowan, but rather that there were too many secrets on her body.

Sun Authority.

Abyss Erosion.

King of Dawn and Dusk.

And the system.

If Rowan accidentally discovered something he shouldn't while helping her establish the soul anchor...

It would be way too troublesome to explain.

So Cecia opted for the next best thing: spending money.

The Adventurers Guild had meditation rooms specifically provided for mages and Spirit Realm explorers.

Heavy stone doors.

Complete warning magic circles.

Walls isolating external mana interference.

And staff patrolling twenty-four hours a day.

Expensive.

But reliable.

Paying money to save her life—perfectly reasonable.

Cecia entered the room, closed the door, locked it from the inside, and then began preparing according to the instructions in the book.

Mercury was drawn into a complete circle around her body.

Not a summoning circle, but a marker for the boundary between reality and the Spirit Realm.

Five grams of sulfur were placed at fixed nodes, representing that the physical body was still alive.

The bowl of clear water was placed directly in front of her. The water surface would serve as the most stable "mirror" when her consciousness entered the Echo.

Finally, the white incense candle.

This was the most crucial item.

Cecia lit the candle, its flame burning quietly.

Then, using the method Rowan had taught her, she injected a thread of spiritual power into it.

Hum.

The candlelight flickered gently.

Cecia felt a warmth in her chest.

A connection had been established.

A soul anchor.

One end was Cecia, and the other end was her physical body still sitting in the real world.

Cecia closed her eyes.

Now only the final step remained: the Return Anchor.

Not a spell, nor a ritual.

Just something she had to remember no matter what.

Cecia thought for a long time.

Scarlett?

Rowan?

Raven?

Dawn and Dusk?

None of them seemed right.

In the end, she suddenly gave a soft smile and said to herself in her mind:

“Right now, my name is Cecia Laplace.”

“I don't want to die yet.”

“So I must come back.”

That was enough.

Cecia placed 【Starhunter】 and 【Flintfire】 within arm's reach.

Although real-world weapons couldn't be brought directly into an Echo, having her personal belongings nearby helped further stabilize her perception of "who I am."

She sat cross-legged and began meditating.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Incense gradually filled the room.

Tiny mana ripples surfaced on the mercury.

Sulfur released a faint odor.

In her past life, these substances were toxic.

Whether Eastern alchemists or Western ones, both seemed to have a strange obsession with mercury and sulfur.

To think she was doing something similar now.

Cecia suddenly felt that otherworldly career paths were perilously dangerous.

However, she soon had no mind to ponder such things.

Her surroundings began to grow quiet.

It wasn't that there was no sound outside, but that sound was drifting far away from her.

Footsteps outside the Adventurers Guild.

Occasional chatter outside the door.

The faint crackle of burning incense.

Finally, even her own breathing and heartbeat all slowly receded.

Cecia felt her body growing lighter and lighter until a certain moment when she opened her eyes and saw herself.

To be precise, she saw the "Cecia" sitting on the floor.

Silver-gray long hair hung down.

Eyes tightly shut.

Chest rising and falling steadily.

And above that body existed something far more complex than a physical vessel.

At her chest, a blaze of searing, glorious golden flame burned.

The Sun—or at least a portion left behind by the Sun.

Near that flame, a mass of pitch-black, vine-like tendrils spread out from deep within her soul.

Bit by bit, they stubbornly attempted to draw closer to the sun, only to be charred by the intense heat, shrinking back, regenerating, and pressing forward once more.

Abyss Erosion.

Cecia felt her scalp go numb just looking at it.

Further behind hung a layer of quiet night.

In the night sky, moonlight hung high, shadows gently covering a portion of her soul.

【Shadow Moon】.

“...”

Cecia suddenly felt her soul was quite lively.

Sun.

Abyss.

Moon.

If the system had a physical form too, she wondered where it would squeeze in.

Before she could observe more closely, a gentle tug came from her chest.

Cecia looked down. An extremely thin thread of light connected her to her body in reality, while the other end was wrapped around the burning white candle.

The soul anchor.

Still there, very stable.

Cecia felt a bit relieved.

The next instant, ripples suddenly formed on the surface of the bowl of clear water in front of her.

The water surface, which could previously only reflect the ceiling, began to deepen.

Deeper and deeper, as if it were not a bowl of water, but a bottomless well.

Cecia sensed something.

Something was calling out to her from the other side.

Not a voice, nor specific words. Just a strange sense of familiarity.

Distant.

Damp.

Carrying the smell of sea breeze and salt.