Chapter 413: A History Erased

Time passed, and another week flew by.

The Crimson Polar Realm, a cold land full of ice and mountains, almost lifeless, was rumored to hide ancient viruses from millions of years ago, even from the Cambrian period.

Looking down from high above, the endless sea, ice, mountains, and earth veins seemed like something from an old legend, all glowing with bright rose colors.

There were countless shades of light red, pale red, bright red, and deep red, all mixing to create a beautiful red world. Unlike regular red tides—which were harmful to nature—these were pure and wonderful, clear like glass, just like a fairy tale land.

This place lay between Donghong Federation and Sacred United Country. It was a very cold place with a temperature around -50°C all year. Seventeen years ago, it looked like other snowy mountains. People only built some research stations here to study and explore.

On the day the Calamity God arrived and the Pure White protected the world, it consumed all the Calamity Seeds that had turned back into eggs in the land. The area was dyed with a beautiful and dreamy red, and harmless crystals started to grow everywhere. Finally, the High Council named this place the Crimson Polar Realm.

But to Esther, and all the humans who knew about the covenant, the other name of the Crimson Polar Realm better represented the true meaning of this place.

That name was—The Heart of the World.

Seventeen years ago, they heard a mysterious call and made the first connection with the planetary consciousness in the Crimson Polar Realm.

This meeting helped human civilization understand how dangerous the Disaster group was. Guided by the stars, they found the Light Stone, quickly discovered its true power, invented EtherTech, created the Artificial Lantern, and brought the first magical girls to life.

The covenant that kept humans from fighting, hurting each other, hiding secrets, and helped them work together in peace and safety came from the help of the planetary consciousness.

Esther.

The strongest magical girl in human history gave up her power, authority, position, and freedom as the Original Witch, becoming the heart of the covenant in the Crimson Polar Realm, sinking deep into the icy sea.

In the end, with the gift from the stars and the full assistance of human civilization, a special magic called the Celestial Instrument was woven around her soul. This made her a judge who could talk to the stars and be completely fair.

After that, humans spent several years weaving the initial version of “Dream Weaving,” and planted parts of supercomputers all over the world, allowing her mind to appear everywhere as super AI code, thus gaining some freedom.

From then on, the alliance was officially established.

Because for human civilizations with many different governments, races, cultures, and ideologies, only a super AI that was perfectly fair, powerful, trustworthy, never betraying, and possessing endless computing power could efficiently manage such a large and complicated group.

During that time, Esther was the only “ruler” accepted by the stars and humans until the alliance brought all countries together and boldly built simpler and better governments. Then she “stepped down” and became just a tool and assistant.

But even today, if humans lost this super AI, they still couldn’t utilize most of their power.

Thus, the importance of the Crimson Polar Realm could be easily imagined.

This place was not only the only source of Light Stone in the world but also where Esther’s true body was located. It was the lifeline of civilization, guarded very tightly, with soldiers and magical girls stationed there all year, just like the thirteen forbidden zones.

Right now, deep inside the red sea, the endless darkness was sliced through by branches of light. Through the delicate and beautiful Ethereum Network, a bright fortress that looked like it was made of energy and magic came into view.

This wonder built by EtherTech spanned a long, narrow crack under the sea. It drew weak heat from the earth, resembling a dormant ancient dragon, standing silently and firmly.

At this moment, endless streams of data flowed through the Ethereum Network, spreading like quantum waves deep into the Fortress of Light, reaching the central device known as the Astrolabe, and entering the soul of that person, transforming into a vast sea of data.

In a flash, recent global data from the Dazzling Stage, tour traffic, idol popularity, world events, node setup progress… and all elements related to the salvation plan spun like countless giant Rubik’s Cubes inside the mind, before instantly aligning their colors neatly.

“7819 large tours successfully held, a huge amount of brilliance surged into 197,123 spell base stations. Among them, 96 bases showed poor conduction, with severe microsecond-level errors, requiring recalibration.”

“The Ethereum Network’s power used to filter brilliance impurities is too high. The 391 ether reactors cannot supply all the energy needed; we must connect a thousand nuclear power plants and use spells to convert even more magic energy.”

“The directional anchor points in the thirteen restricted zones have no errors…”

A flood of data passed by, reporting unavoidable mistakes caused by the tight schedule.

The final conclusion was reached:

“After repeated trials, 74 types of errors were removed, and the feasibility of the world-class spell was tested once again.”

“Currently, the success rate without [The Lighthouse] guidance is 7.1781%, while with [The Lighthouse] guidance, the success rate rises to 59.182%, both higher than the last data.”

Esther finished her routine calculations every hour, reported them to the think tank, summarized them into the daily report for the Rescue Plan, and gave it to the upper council for review.

The judge’s mind sank down, and the data transformed into feelers that flooded the entire world, like a god overlooking everything. Then it quickly retracted, gathering the remnants of human thoughts into one body, falling into Austria, part of the Sacred United Country.

…

…

Sankt Wolfgang, the little church by the lake.

Sister Ellie finished her prayers for the day. She washed her face at the holy water basin by the Virgin Mary’s pool, put her veil back on to block the light, and, relying on her excellent spatial awareness and coordination, walked alone back to the small classroom in the yard.

This gentle nun closed her eyes, concealing the sweet, caramel-like warmth in her gaze. She patiently listened to the children playing, her golden-brown hair flowing in the wind like a songbird’s, embodying the essence of a kind and caring mother.

The children in the orphanage were all quite young but very thoughtful. Even the little troublemakers ensured they did not bump into Sister Ellie while playing.

It was now break time. The teacher who volunteered to help sat on the side, distributing snacks and candies, joining in the children’s fun, and was notably well-liked by everyone.

“Teacher Kobayashi, why do you always carry your guitar case on your back?”

“Sister Little Lin, can Nia give you a hug? You smell so nice.”

“Why is the teacher’s hair white? Can I touch it?”

“When I grow up, I want to marry a pretty girl just like Teacher Kobayashi.”

“Sister Little Lin, I want to hear you sing ‘Edelweiss’!”

Chu Yuanqing sat in front of the small drawing board, facing the group of children gathered nearby. The smile in her eyes rippled gently like water, and the calm, gentle atmosphere around her made the children’s curious questions orderly and not noisy.

With the exception of Dongliu Island, this was the place where she stayed the longest.

A week ago, she arrived at the little chapel and met Sister Ellie. She introduced herself as Yuki Kobayashi, stating she was a guitar player from Dongliu who wanted to travel and stay in the small town for a while.

At first, she merely sought a reason to converse with Sister Ellie, but somehow it transformed into her becoming the music teacher for the children to cover her living expenses at the little chapel.

Days flowed by, and a full seven days had passed.

Though the children at the orphanage had long forgotten her, it was not difficult to become close friends with these innocent, straightforward little ones.

Even without using money earned from performing to buy gifts, the Pure White Witch, brimming with kindness, naturally resembled a perfect kindergarten teacher and quickly mingled with the children that same day.

As for lessons, her music theory knowledge was not very advanced yet, but teaching little children to recognize the staff lines and the basic sounds of notes, as well as singing a children’s song like “Edelweiss” with them, posed no problem, and she handled it effortlessly.

Of course, under Sister Ellie’s recommendation, she occasionally took on the role of a math teacher as well, teaching basics such as multiplication tables and simple arithmetic, assigning easy homework to keep the children’s energies occupied.

Even though she wasn’t teaching blessings or Martial God Techniques, teaching music and math was quite enjoyable, and in fact, it felt refreshingly fun for her.

If time permitted, she might have wished to stay much longer.

Chu Yuanqing looked at the children’s smiling faces, her thoughts swirling in her heart. Her drooping golden eyes were already filled with cracks, and many other parts of her body bore the same condition, covered with a thin layer of magic energy like a water film, maintaining the illusion of normalcy.

The cold moon and warm sun test one’s patience.

This phrase from Li He’s poem was a true reflection of her current self.

Even now, no matter how reluctant she felt, she had to say goodbye to Sister Ellie.

Thus, she naturally could no longer serve as the music teacher for these children.

The Pure White Witch gently squeezed Nia’s soft cheek, embraced the little girl who wished to smell her scent, and patiently answered the other children’s questions, smiling brightly.

After happily adding that Teacher Kobayashi smelled nice, Nia blinked her eyes full of hope and asked:

“Sister Little Lin, are you going to sell animal balloons today? Nia has gotten better and can help you blow up more today.”

After the little girl asked, the other children also looked at the teacher with eager eyes, clearly looking forward to this usual part of the day.

The shrine maiden squatted beside Sister Ellie, watching this scene and feeling warm and amused.

Because she hadn’t done any live streams to earn fan donations recently, Chu Yuanqing had almost no money left after arriving in the town.

To buy snacks and gifts for the children, she quickly came up with an idea. She pulled out a bunch of balloons from the guitar case that she had unpacked from the fan delivery, shaped them into animals, and rode the electric scooter (bought on Dongliu Island) to sell them in the small town.

The first day was okay because none of the kids at the orphanage knew her.

But after the second day, she awkwardly met bright-eyed Nia in town, who discovered her side job.

By the third day, the kids were helping make balloons together. They went out with Honey Qing to sell them, and after selling, they bought snacks to take back to the church for an outdoor activity.

This outdoor activity has continued until now. It has become a fun sight that makes the townspeople smile, and the balloons often sell out in less than half an hour.

Chu Yuanqing looked at the excited children, took all the remaining balloons out of the guitar case, handed them out, and said with a smile:

“Today we won’t sell any. Tell me what kind of little animals you like, and I will make balloons for you and give them to you. How about that?”

The Pure White Witch’s idea quickly won the children’s agreement.

Although balloons are not as good as snacks and other toys, everyone really wanted something made by Teacher Kobayashi’s own hands.

“I want a kitty!”

“I want a big dog.”

“A crocodile! Crocodiles are cool!”

“Can we make a Sister Little Lin out of balloons? Nia wants one!”

“I like little birds, a yellow parrot, please.”

“Does it have to be an animal? But I want a tank.”

The children’s imaginations bloomed freely, clearly not limited by animals. They happily blew up balloons while looking eagerly at the kind teacher, creating a warm and happy atmosphere.

Sister Ellie smiled softly. Even without seeing this, she could tell how much the children liked their teacher.

Hmm, maybe…

Maybe this is Yuki Kobayashi’s natural kindness? When she met the other person for the first time, she felt a strange closeness and liking, so she took the initiative and suggested the idea to become a teacher.

Otherwise, given how much she cares for the children, no other traveler would have come up with such an idea without knowing them well.

Now, it seems this choice was very right.

Charlotte was busy traveling around having concerts and could only barely find time for video calls, with no time to come back and see the children.

But Yuki Kobayashi’s arrival brought new energy to the orphanage. She was gentle and patient, loved music very much, and the children said she was great at dancing too.

Sadly, she was just a traveler and would not stay in the town for long. It was unclear how long the children would feel sad after she left.

Even if it was only a short meeting, these children could learn a lot from Yuki Kobayashi, especially about the lesson called farewell, which may be very meaningful.

Sister Ellie thought about this and suddenly felt a little sad. She was surprised to notice this feeling inside herself.

It was strange. Even though she had only known that child for a short time, her heart already treated that child like a daughter.

How about asking the child for her phone number? Maybe she would come to play again someday.

Sister Ellie closed her eyes and listened to the happy laughter in the courtyard.

Chu Yuanqing listened to the children’s wonderful ideas and worked hard to make their little art with balloons. In everyone’s surprised and admiring eyes, she made cats, dogs, tanks, parrots, crocodiles…

Except for Nia’s suggestion of “Yuki Kobayashi,” she almost fulfilled all the children’s wishes and shaped these strange “animal balloons.”

The Pure White Witch looked at the joyful children in the courtyard, then slightly raised her eyes and noticed a silver-haired, red-eyed person gathering in the empty space nearby, and she gave a nostalgic smile.

However, before Esther could notice this old acquaintance, a cold force swallowed the world, making the figure sitting on the lawn slowly fade away.

The girl lowered her thick white eyelashes, like frost falling down. She did not want to look at Sister Ellie again, like a butterfly melting in amber, turning into a bubble that never existed in the light.

At this moment, a piece of history was erased.