[If I were Dreven, I would also think that Su Yan and the humans’ struggle for survival was justified. It’s the corrupt conservative Bart nobles who are truly doomed.]
It was precisely this unstoppable tide of history that made “Eternal Night Rose” so impactful as it approached its climax.
The story wasn’t just about love between Su Yan and Dreven, it was about witnessing an era’s transformation.
[But I still believe this rebirth is not just a repetition. Dreven and the new faction of the Bart clan have shown many humans that not all of them are like the nobles.]
[Exactly! Even Xiao noticed the “compassion” in Dreven’s eyes. Honestly, I’m so curious how Fish Soup Noodles will handle the ending. I’m still hoping for a happy ending!]
[It can’t be a BE, right? No way, no way… Although when I saw Su Yan pick up the dagger, my eyes got so sore, wuuu!]
Regarding the heated discussions about “Eternal Night Rose” on star network, Yu Mian eventually chose one comment to respond to.
[//Reply to A Bowl of Fish Soup: It will be a HE, and Su Yan’s memories from his previous life will fully return before the finale. =w=]
Yu Mian’s little spoiler calmed the readers, but it also immediately caused an uproar among them.
Previously, everyone had been eagerly hoping for Su Yan to regain his past life’s memories, but now that the plot was approaching its conclusion, they were too nervous to want him to remember anymore!
[Author, you’d better explain! Will Su Yan recover his memories before or after assassinating Dreven? Ahhh!!]
Unfortunately, Yu Mian didn’t reply to this follow-up question.
After all, some suspense for the subsequent ending was needed to keep readers hooked.
Moreover, Yu Mian had been setting aside time recently to stockpile chapters for the second volume of “Rebirth Of The Interstellar Soldier King”.
It should align well with the completion of Eternal Night Rose’s main story; he’ll release its extras while officially launching the second volume.
[And speaking of which, the completion reward for your second work seems to have slightly taken effect already. The popularity collection rate in the backend is close to 83%.]
The system’s reminder instantly piqued Yu Mian’s curiosity.
“The last reward was the “Mermaid Song” buff. What is this one called?”
It seemed like the names were somewhat interconnected, so perhaps he could make a guess.
[Let me see…]
[Ah, this time it’s called “Ocean’s Pearl”!]
“This one’s even more abstract than the last!”
At least with the last one, he could try singing. Was he supposed to go to the seaside to search for pearls this time?
Yu Mian propped his chin, pondering all of this.
“Though, recently, the tip of my fishtail seems to have grown longer!”
Unable to figure it out, Yu Mian simply stopped overthinking. He’d find out eventually.
In fact, after finishing his writing sessions nowadays, Yu Mian would often pick up the special item he’d won earlier, “Mermaid Encyclopedia (Incomplete Version)”, for some research.
After all, he might say he didn’t care, but if his tail really became bald, that would still be quite alarming.
Under Yu Mian’s careful maintenance, the flowing fishtail had grown increasingly splendid.
It looked as if a short dress was gradually transforming into a long evening gown.
Whenever Yu Mian soaked his tail in the aquarium, even the little fish inside couldn’t help but wag their tails in admiration.
But everyone knew not to touch Yu Mian’s fishtail. So, they mostly stayed a respectful distance away, simply watching.
“Because it’s “really” ticklish if touched…”
Even thinking back to when the little fish had nibbled on his tail without knowing better made Yu Mian shudder and cling tightly to the side of the aquarium.
“And I also feel like this tank is a bit too small now.”
Sitting on the edge, Yu Mian rested his hands on both sides and gazed down at his elegant, light gold fishtail soaking in the water.
The rippling waves made the layered, shimmering end of his tail look like moonlight scattered in the water.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Ugh, the cost of living is just too high!”
The aquarium in Huo Ting’s study was already luxurious and spacious.
But for some reason, as he grew, Yu Mian’s environmental requirements seemed to become increasingly demanding.
Occasionally, he really wished for a tank big enough for his entire tail to comfortably stretch out while he napped.
However, if that were the case, this already lavish aquarium would feel just slightly too small.
After all, his fishtail was now quite large.
“I don’t even want to think about how much it would cost.”
Flipping to another page in the book, Yu Mian suddenly felt it made sense why mermaids had become so rare.
If the mermaids before couldn’t write novels to earn royalties, how on earth did they afford to maintain such extravagant tails?!
This was a mystery Yu Mian couldn’t solve no matter how much he thought about it.
So, after finishing another bottle of essence, Yu Mian left a new note for Huo Ting.
Unexpectedly, Huo Ting’s reply this time was different.
—Okay, this time Qiao Ni will deliver it. She’ll knock, so be careful. – Huo
?
Holding the note, Yu Mian was puzzled.
“Why is he suddenly asking Qiao Ni to deliver it?”
Huo Ting had always brought things himself before.
Now that Yu Mian thought about it, he realized Huo Ting had been spending less and less time in the study recently.
Every time he came, it was just to check for new notes before leaving.
Feeling a mix of confusion and concern, Yu Mian left another note:
—Is something wrong?
But this time, even after waiting for ages in the aquarium, Huo Ting didn’t return to the study.
Instead, the next day, Qiao Ni placed a meticulously wrapped box in the corner of the study as per Huo Ting’s instructions and then left quickly without lingering.
After all, the second floor had practically been designated a restricted zone recently.
Without explicit orders, no one in the house dared to go upstairs. She wasn’t about to cause trouble.
“…”
Once Qiao Ni left, Yu Mian emerged from the aquarium and unwrapped the box. Still, he couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.
It was strange. He used to find Huo Ting’s frequent presence in the study somewhat distressing, as it disrupted his writing flow.
Now that he was suddenly absent and the study and second floor were eerily quiet, Yu Mian felt an unexpected sense of loneliness.
Watching the sunset gradually fade through the window, he even began to miss the thrill of secretly passing notes behind the system’s back.
“I’m starting to think something might have happened to him.”
Yu Mian couldn’t help but start speculating.
[Huh? What could possibly happen to him? You should be taking care of your tail. Lately, the scales have been falling off constantly!]
The little system found Yu Mian’s concern a bit inexplicable.
Huo Ting didn’t seem like the type of person who could encounter problems.
On the contrary, the system was far more worried about its own host.
“…You don’t understand at all!”
Yu Mian felt a bit embarrassed by the system’s doubts.
The key was that he had just finished writing the entire stockpile for the ending of “Eternal Night Rose” and stuffed it all into the draft box. He was free tonight.
Yu Mian glanced at the gilded door handle of the study and suddenly hesitated.
He wanted to go and check.
After all, he had just seen Huo Ting’s car return as he looked through the window. Why hadn’t he come to the study?
Just as Yu Mian transformed his legs back and lightly turned the door handle, he suddenly heard familiar voices outside the door.
“It’s Professor Mori and the others…!”
Yu Mian peeked through the crack in the door and, in the next second, saw Secretary Hals and a group of people emerging from the other side of the corridor with rather grim expressions.
That was probably Huo Ting’s living quarters.
‘Did something really happen to him?’
Inside the bedroom, at the desk, Huo Ting was sitting in rare dark loungewear, frowning slightly as he read through a document. His posture was as upright as ever.
However, the occasional cough that escaped revealed something unusual.
After all, it was extremely rare for people with high mental power to develop such symptoms.
“Young Master, I’ve already placed what you asked for in the study, but don’t you really need to take some medicine today?”
Qiao Ni had just finished watching Secretary Hals and the others leave and came over to report to Huo Ting.
“No need. I’ll be fine after some time. Just leave meals at the staircase, I’ll get them myself. Don’t let my uncle know, so he doesn’t come rushing back.”
Huo Ting ended the conversation in the next second.
This phenomenon of mental power radiation occurs to most people in the military at a fixed period every year.
It could also interfere with or even infect nearby low mental power individuals, causing irreversible damage to their mental seas.
In fact, this was why Huo Ting had deliberately avoided staying in the study for long recently.
He couldn’t determine whether the one in the study would also be affected.
Knock! Knock!
As Huo Ting flipped to the next page of the document, he frowned at the sound of knocking on the door again.
Hadn’t he already said there was no need?
“…”
This time, however, after waiting for a moment, there was no further movement.
‘It wasn’t Qiao Ni?’
Immediately, a strange possibility flashed through his mind.
When Huo Ting opened the bedroom door the next second, he found no one outside.
Except for a small piece of paper on the carpet.
—Are you sick?
Just as Huo Ting bent to pick up the note, a faint golden spot on the carpet a few meters away caught the sunset’s light and refracted a faint, colorful glow.
When he picked it and opened his palm, he realized it was a thin, crystal-like, shimmering golden fragment.
