Echoes of the Past

Chapter 19 Senate Inquiry

Nan'an strongly suggested that Suiyue think about it from the other side, perhaps the unlucky one is someone else.

By sheer coincidence, he appeared at the scene of the Eclipse attack, got caught up in the incident, and was thrown into prison.

Having just been released from prison, he chose a secluded spot to practice his magic, and a black mist descended to strike him directly.

Nan'an had only been summoned by Suiyue for about 20 days when she encountered two major incidents after the black mist spread.

Without Nan'an, she would have lost both her lives. Now, she can lie unharmed in bed, peacefully asleep, chatting with him across from her. She should be content.

"But," Suiyue retorted confidently, "being able to summon you to save me, isn't that good luck? How can you deny yourself?"

"this……"

The saying "even a fool can have a stroke of genius" probably describes someone like Suiyue perfectly; it's truly an angle that Nan'an had never considered.

Suiyue asked, "What should I do tomorrow?"

"Adapt to the situation," Nan'an replied. "Here are a few sets of scripts for you to memorize. Tomorrow I'll remind you to mix truth and falsehood in your scripts."

Given the unclear situation and lack of further information, he could only help Suiyue establish the framework for her answer.

Throughout this process, Nan'an's hands were constantly moving, with increasingly larger and larger movements, and his expression gradually became distorted.

Watching his hand movements, which seemed to be making hand seals or rubbing his hands, Suiyue repeatedly ran her fingers between his palms—she couldn't feel anything at all.

Nan'an's "panel performance" is superb, vividly portraying the image of a brute who tries to "achieve a miracle through brute force" but ultimately becomes exhausted.

"You look like... you're trying to twist it?" Suiyue had already accepted the existence of the Rubik's Cube, even though she couldn't see or touch it. "Can't twist it?"

"Not budge an inch!"

Nan'an is exhausted.

Whether by physical means or by magical probing, the Rubik's Cube remained unresponsive, making him almost suspect that it was just a sculpture with an empty form.

However, the mass of darkness that was sucked in was indeed only the size of a grain of rice.

Their guess was correct; the Rubik's Cube did indeed purify or devour the darkness. The black mist, the size of a billiard ball, was almost completely digested in just one afternoon.

Nan'an really wanted a progress bar to watch right now, even more than when playing a visual novel.

The two lay on the ground, squinting their eyes...

"No, I can see it by squinting, why are you squinting like that with your face so close?"

The almost face-to-face eye contact left Nan'an momentarily dazed.

"I'm bored," Suiyue said again, her voice full of self-righteousness. "The summoning connection was clearly broken, but I still end up in jail whenever I dream about it. If you don't play with me, what else can I do?"

Nan'an had intended to have her practice spellcasting techniques, but he swallowed the words back. His tone sounded too much like a parent's lecturing, which stirred up some unpleasant childhood memories and made him feel suffocated.

It's really too boring. Every time Suiyue comes in, it's just extra training. She's either getting beaten up or getting beaten up. She enjoys it and feels like she's learning new things. But as her guide, I should give her some more friendly "game" experiences.

Thinking of this, Nan'an looked at the wooden house not far away.

"Suiyue, tear down the house."

"well?"

Overnight, Nan'an and Suiyue dismantled all the tables and chairs in the cabin, dividing them into pieces about half the size of a palm.

Suiyue was very curious about what he meant by carving words on the wooden block. Although she didn't feel much involved, watching him write strange square characters was quite interesting.

Unfortunately, by the time everything was finished, it was already dawn.

At this moment, the Rubik's Cube in Nan'an's hands completely purified itself of the last trace of mist, detached itself from his hands, floated into the air, and remained motionless.

What does that mean?

The sound of food delivery personnel from the Karen Enforcement Team knocking on the wooden door pulled Suiyue back to reality.

Looking at the food in the wooden bowl, Suiyue missed the prison food of Pirion.

"Sigh, boiled beans and black bread...you could at least provide a sweet potato."

The "sweet potato" she mentioned is similar to the sweet potato and purple sweet potato in Nan'an's memory of that world.

It is yellowish-brown like sand inside and out, with a bland sweetness. When roasted, it is dry and hard, but after steaming or boiling, it has a rubbery toughness, and chewing it is like gnawing on an old water pipe.

In the Gray Star era, it was a very cheap staple food, mostly found on the tables of ordinary people.

People in Nan'an would rather eat boiled beans than sweet potatoes, simply because they are too unpalatable.

Even though it was baked by Aslipan herself, who had just crawled out of a pile of dead bodies, Nanan only took a symbolic bite before stuffing it back to the bookworm—who, on the other hand, ate it with great relish.

Of course, it wasn't that she liked the texture or taste; it was simply because the mashed potatoes could quickly fill her stomach.

"This guy only needs basic sustenance to survive," Nan'an thought at the time.

The members of the Red Rat Adventure Team always teased Nan'an about his picky eating habits and were curious about what kind of good food he had eaten.

The description of "sweet potato" as sweet as honey, leaving a lingering fragrance in your mouth after just one bite, is simply unbelievable.

Nan'an's hometown is like a golden land from ancient mythology, where food is always in a state of abundance and ripeness. Every kind of food is sweet and delicious. Even the most discerning Nora people would burst into tears and kneel down after taking a bite, crying out and begging the gods not to send them back to the human world.

"You rascal, were you punished by the gods of the Golden Land and sent to suffer in Nora?"

There was a time when Nan'an would be truly stunned upon hearing those words.

Hearing Suiyue still muttering that she wanted sweet potatoes, Nan'an couldn't help but speak up.

Do you like to eat sweet potatoes?

"It's sweet! At least it's better than beans and... this stuff!"

Two muffled thuds came from outside her consciousness, sounding like Suiyue picked up the black bread and used it as a hammer to knock on the wall, demonstrating its astonishing hardness.

At the same time, the tapping action was used to cover up the sound of speaking.

"Sweet?" This is different from Nan'an's impression.

"Were the mud potatoes from the Gray Planet era really that bad?"

Nan'an remained silent, vaguely sensing that the crops of the Black Mist Era might have changed over the centuries.

Is this also a change brought about by the black fog?

He looked up at the Rubik's Cube, but the pleasant sounds of renovations reached his ears.

"Bang Bang".

"Bang Bang Bang!"

"Bang Bang Bang Bang!"

……

……

Located at the center of the listening circle, several magicians couldn't help but cover their ears.

The listening array was located in the open space in the center of the round table, with its projection floating in mid-air.

The dignitaries, dressed in exquisite and luxurious attire, took their seats in a circle, each one clicking their tongues in amazement.

"Whose room is this?" the speaker asked, his brow furrowed. "Cut it open first."

"Judging from the markings, the subject is named 'Suiyue'," the mage operating the magic circle quickly responded.

"What is she doing?"

"The law enforcement officers at the scene have gone to check...and reported that she was trying to break the ration of black bread."

Bewitching Crow covered his face with his hand, suppressing the smile from the corner of his mouth, a sign that he was usually serious and unsmiling.

He thought of that guy who would go to great lengths to get a bite to eat, now using energy far exceeding the value of the food itself to deal with a rock-like loaf of bread... and a subtle pang of sympathy washed over him.

"Suiyue?" Someone seemed to remember something, their gaze shifting to the crow at the other end of the round table. "The evergreen deer girl who deserved the crow's kindness twice?"

"The description isn't quite accurate." The Raven's voice was smooth, devoid of any emotion. "I was merely encouraging someone who was willing to step forward in a moment of crisis and fight the Living Eclipses, yet didn't receive the recognition they deserved. For young people, that's necessary positive feedback. We shouldn't let kind and brave people pay their ticket of 'courage' only to end up with nothing, should we?"

The woman, clad in a green bamboo and moon-patterned mage's robe, snorted coldly, her face stern, her fingertips lightly tapping the table.

"There was no third party present, so does that mean whatever she says goes? Isn't Erlu known for its meticulousness and thoroughness? Faced with a potential source of pollution, you actually exempted her from the 15-day observation period and even gifted her a high-quality Windgrass Crystal. This is quite out of character for you."

"Erlu has always been ruthless only towards the Nightmare Erosion," the bewitching raven said without looking at the witch who was speaking. "We never bring prejudice before they fall to the side of the inhuman. If we have to talk about 'potential sources of contamination,' then there are probably quite a few people in this incident who fit your definition. We can treat them all equally and immediately implement new censorship standards."

The air suddenly tensed, and the shimmering light of the magic circle reflected on everyone's faces, flickering on and off.

Just as the topic was veerging into dangerous territory, someone coughed and raised a hand in a gesture of apprehension.

"Alright." His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the murmurs around the table. "This time, the black mist appeared and weakened without warning, something unprecedented in history. We're sitting here to clarify what happened, not to argue about old cases. Disagreements can be set aside for now."

"Since we want to know what happened, let's start by questioning those who ventured deep into the black mist," suggested the Bamboo Moon Witch. "Haiyue must be full by now. We've already been talking about her, so shall we begin?"

They were going through the motions, but anyone could hear the sharp tension in their voices.

"Complete the test on the velvet grass, and bring in Suiyue."

Before long, the Keren City law enforcement team led Suiyue into the makeshift, somewhat rudimentary round table conference room.

Seeing that the room was packed with dozens of people, even she, who wasn't usually shy, couldn't help but shudder.

Almost instantly, everyone's eyes were on her. Suiyue felt like a kettle that had suddenly heated up to a very low temperature.

The listening array was deactivated and moved to the other side of the room.

Suiyue was led directly to the center through the gap in the round table, where she was watched from every angle. As soon as she sat down, her feet began to rub against the ground involuntarily.

Directly in front of Suiyue's line of sight, behind the round table, there was another long table, behind which sat four elderly men with white hair and beards.

She swallowed hard, quickly adjusting her mindset—these were people from the Senate!

The process was simple and efficient. After confirming the identity information and verifying it a second time by showing Suiyue's information about her time in the Keren City prison, the four elders tapped the gavel lightly.

"Inquiry, begin."

Suiyue's education at the Dawn Church vaguely told her that she should stand up in this situation.

then……

Upon seeing Suiyue stand up straight, the four people from the Senate looked at each other blankly.

"Ms. Suiyue, why did you stand up? Is there anything you want to say or explain before the formal questioning begins?"

"Huh? Isn't this just normal etiquette?"

The elders smiled and asked, "Where did you learn these manners?"

"The Church of Dawn?"

The elders picked up the scroll and glanced at it, unable to suppress a smile: "The old church courts did have such procedures, but we don't conduct religious trials."

"Now that I'm already standing up, can I say a few words?"

"You're here to be questioned. Your current status is that of a potential source of pollution in the Black Fog incident. You haven't been ruled out as a suspect or risk, so your statements could become evidence in your future trial. Are you sure you want to speak now?"

Suiyue sat down decisively.

Although she was bold, she wasn't bold enough to stand up and chat with the Senate bigwigs despite the pressure from a group of people.

It was Nan'an who instigated it!

He found that the four senators were all easy to talk to, so he suggested testing their limits by foolishly getting up.

I wonder if he got the information he wanted after being so humiliated.

Hopefully it really works, otherwise... after entering the dream...

Sigh, even after entering the dream, I still can't beat him!

"Suiyue, describe everything you experienced before and after being swallowed by the black mist."

As expected, the problem was already in Nan'an's contingency plan. Suiyue only thought about it briefly before omitting the part about Nan'an's assistance in practice and starting the story in a light-hearted manner.

The core issue boils down to two words—bad luck.

It's perfectly reasonable for someone who has been present at two major events to complain about their bad luck.

Without being interrupted by those around her, Suiyue indirectly expressed the hardships she faced after leaving the orphanage.

The Senate delegated the right of inquiry to the people around the round table from the very beginning, and soon someone interrupted Suiyue's description.

"So, you encountered the Living Corruptor with the Eye of Aging in the black mist?"

"Yes, she's very good. She's at least at the level of level 3 or 4."

"What a joke!" someone shouted. "The information says you're just a level 3 mage with some skill in physical combat, yet you described being able to defeat a monster with a demonic eye. Do you know what you're saying?"

"Let me remind you, a Living Eclipse that can perfectly fuse with the Demon Eye without being devoured by it and can move freely in the black mist is undoubtedly level 4. Ask the Raven, an expert in dealing with Nightmares and Living Eclipses, if he's confident he can kill it 100% of the time."

The subject of the inquiry suddenly shifted to the crow.

The named Raven slowly stood up. He didn't lie and answered truthfully, "If we're in the Black Mist environment, I can't guarantee I can keep tracking her. But if we're outside the Black Mist, killing her will be difficult, but we can try."

"As Bewitching Raven said, we already know the power of the Mystic Eye and Level 4 Living Eclipse. How can you expect me to believe that Suiyue's experience is true?!"

More and more dissenting voices have joined in.

"Answer me, Suiyue, why did you lie about this? What is it that you had to lie about and hide!"