Chapter 4: Child, You Need to Take Medicine
Lu Cheng inquired in detail with the native about the current state of the world and recorded the known information in his notebook.
However, the concepts he understood were very vague. The only usable information was that the country was named ‘Skare.’
Another crucial piece of information was that this world possessed abilities similar to magic.
“Is that all?”
Lu Cheng stopped writing, closed the notebook, and looked up at the other three team members.
“This building is well-preserved. If the captain can understand their language, perhaps you can read their books,” Poster said.
“Do they really know how to make paper?”
Feng Zheng, holding a rifle, glanced at the group of refugees huddled in the corner of the building, still watching Lu Cheng with wary eyes.
“Searching around shouldn’t hurt.”
Lu Cheng observed the interior of the building once more.
“Kite, you and I will check the west corridor, while Iron Ring and Poster will check the other side. Report to me via radio if you find anything resembling a library.”
With the division of tasks given, Lu Cheng and Kite started exploring the west corridor of the building.
The architectural style of this corridor was reminiscent of a dungeon, illuminated by a glowing stone.
“Do you think there might be ghosts or something coming out?” kite whispered to Lu Cheng.
“Then let’s see if ghosts are afraid of bullets.”
Lu Cheng made his way to the end of the corridor, where there was a wooden door.
From the damp and decayed marks on the wooden door, it looked quite old.
Lu Cheng gently pushed the door, which made a harsh noise as it scraped against the brick floor.
It wasn’t until Lu Cheng applied more force that the old wooden door was fully opened.
The room beyond was dimly lit, and as soon as Lu Cheng stepped inside, he smelled a faint scent of blood.
Lu Cheng turned on his flashlight to illuminate the room. On the far side of the room was a strange statue, and beneath it sat a small figure.
A human female?
Lu Cheng carefully approached the figure lying beneath the statue, after ensuring that there were no traps or mechanisms that would shoot arrows at him.
“Take this.” Lu Cheng handed the flashlight to kite and crouched down to examine the figure.
This human female—or rather, a little girl—was no older than fourteen. She was slumped beneath the statue, her head bowed. Lu Cheng could see blood dripping from her clothing.
Lu Cheng tested her breathing by placing his hand under her nose, confirming she was still alive.
“Poster… come to the end of the west corridor, we have an injured person,” Lu Cheng said quietly into the radio.
“Received.”
Poster’s response was prompt. While waiting for Huabao to arrive, Lu Cheng began checking the girl’s condition.
Suddenly, she lifted her head, opened her tightly closed eyes, and looked at Lu Cheng.
“What’s your name?”
Lu Cheng had no medical experience, but her complexion seemed fair enough. It was just the bloodstains on her sleeves that were alarming.
She didn’t answer Lu Cheng. On her face, Lu Cheng didn’t see any human emotions, not even fear upon encountering a stranger. It was as if she was quietly waiting for death to come.
“Can’t you speak?”
Lu Cheng’s next question elicited a slight reaction from her. She looked at him again and nodded slightly.
“Can you write? Like with characters.”
Lu Cheng took out his notebook and pen. She looked at the two items in Lu Cheng’s hand with curiosity, as if wondering what they were.
“Water-based pen, Morning Glory brand.”
Lu Cheng said this in Chinese and then drew a smiley face on the notebook with the pen.
Since they were both human or similar beings, a smile should be a common language.
She was evidently interested in the items Lu Cheng held. When she looked at him again, her silver-gray pupils showed some life.
“If possible, write your name on this page with the pen. If you’re too injured or weak to do it, just shake your head,” Lu Cheng said.
Tentatively, she extended her left hand to grasp the pen Lu Cheng was holding, carefully glancing at him.
Once Lu Cheng released the pen, she took it fully into her possession.
Then Lu Cheng handed her the notebook opened to a blank page.
When she took the notebook with her other hand, Lu Cheng noticed that her left hand looked much older than a child’s age.
The girl’s appearance was around thirteen or fourteen years old, but her left hand looked like that of an elderly person.
Lu Cheng also noticed numerous strange ‘tattoos’ on her left hand—more accurately, blue symbols that emitted a bluish glow.
Could these be related to the legendary magic?
While Lu Cheng pondered, she began to write on the notebook. She wrote a long string of characters that looked like cuneiform… completely unrelated to Chinese characters.
But Lu Cheng could understand all of it.
She finished the last symbol and lifted the notebook to show Lu Cheng.
“I feel that my soul is beginning to burn. I think the Soul Goddess wishes for me to return to her… And meeting you before leaving this world is a great pleasure.”
“Soul Goddess and soul…”
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