northernbook Chapter 785 The Limitations of Being Human
Chapter 785 The Limitations of Being Human
Beidou and Yelan stood atop a small mountain by the sea, gazing at Xu Ning and his servant standing opposite each other amidst the ruins.
"You were right."
Beidou brought the small wine flask to his lips and took a sip. "How did you guess that he still had 'two' things to do?"
Ye Lan smiled faintly, "It was just a lucky guess. People from Liyue are used to doing things in threes. If there are many things to do, they usually list out the three most important ones."
"I suspect that the initial problem with the drinks that Da Huang discovered was related to the Fontaine prophecy. In Xu Ning's mind, it would probably be considered one thing. If this matter is resolved, but he shows no intention of leaving, it's likely that there's something else waiting for him that's comparable to the Fontaine prophecy. So I guessed he had two unfinished business. Who would have thought... you saw his expression at that time..."
Beidou nodded, then suddenly laughed.
"Although my husband always seems to have a lot on his mind, he can't stay calm when things happen and wears his heart on his sleeve. No wonder Ningguang always gets the better of him."
"Alright, we should go back and prepare for battle. For him to personally mention preparations for battle, the opponent must be quite formidable. Let's make some preparations in advance, and hopefully we can save a few brothers from dying."
The two people standing in the ruins both felt being watched from the other side.
However, until the two gazes disappeared, Xu Ning and his servant did not show any interest in investigating the area.
The servant truthfully relayed the Ice Goddess's meaning to Xu Ning's blunt question.
“Before Her Majesty the Queen came, she said that if you ask such a question, I should tell you, ‘This is all we can do. If you want more, you have to fight for it yourself.’”
Xu Ning, who was leaning against a section of brick wall that had not collapsed, was slightly taken aback when he heard this, but then he seemed to understand something and nodded and said, "It seems that our Queen is not so satisfied with me. But please help me convey my gratitude to her. Tell her that with the Queen's support, the Sai Gong is even confident that it can take the moon down from the sky!"
These words, which seemed somewhat obsequious and not very dignified, came from Xu Ning's mouth, causing the servant to glance at him a few more times.
However, Xu Ning seemed to take his words very seriously.
The servant nodded slightly. "I will relay this to Her Majesty the Queen word for word."
Looking up at the moon that Xu Ning had just mentioned wanting to capture, the moonlight flowed down from the night sky like mercury, turning the waterways of Fontaine into silver ribbons of light.
"The moonlight is so beautiful, I would like to travel around a bit more before returning home. Please make yourself at home, Lord Xu Ning."
Xu Ning also looked up at the moon in the sky. "I don't like this kind of moonlight. I'd rather go back to the deep sea in Mero Petersburg and find my own peace and quiet."
Xu Ning was a man of his word; he immediately signed his name on Miss Maretti's register at the door and reconfirmed the remaining term of his sentence.
It must be said that the Duke is quite generous.
For the disasters of the past few days, no matter where you are, it's considered as serving your sentence, and it can be deducted from your prison term, even if you can stay out for a couple more days.
However, it seems that all those who went out because of the floods ultimately chose to return to serve their sentences as soon as possible.
It made me and Kong seem quite out of place, having only come after attending a celebration banquet.
Yes, Kong and Paimon, the two little guys, came along too.
In other words, he felt that he had made many mistakes in Fontainebleau and wanted to think things through before serving his sentence.
Xu Ning casually offered a few words of comfort to his younger brother, then, seeing him preparing to go to the work area, turned around and went to find his own peace and quiet.
"In the entire Mello Petersburg, apart from the Duke's room, your place has the most books. I really don't expect that. Have you read all of these books?"
Xu Ning lay on an old man's chair, a biography of "Master of the Machines" Alan Giyodan open on his chest, and asked a little boy standing next to him.
The little boy's name is Katpira, and he's a very mature-looking kid.
Standing beside him was a dazed little girl named Linor, who, it is said, had long since become accustomed to prison life simply because she was born in prison.
Xu Ning took out a large string of candied hawthorns from his wine gourd and stuffed them into the poor little thing's hand.
Katpira didn't eat the candied hawthorn the little girl offered, letting her sit down and eat it herself. Then he respectfully replied to Xu Ning, "I've seen most of it, but I'm naturally slow-witted and can't remember much. However, if Lord Saigong wants to know anything, even if I can't remember, I can help you find it."
Xu Ning smiled. "Naturally dull-witted? That's too modest. Everyone says that the Narcissus Cross Academy doesn't support idlers. I'm afraid that apart from your dean, even the worst among them, you, are better than the rest of the Fontainebleau community."
Katpira was not at all pleased by Xu Ning's praise. Instead, when she heard "Dean", she replied, "Dean Lilith just puts all her energy into taking care of us orphans."
Narcissus Cross is an orphanage established by Fontaine hundreds of years ago. The headmistress, Lilith, is a very gentle pure water fairy, but... she's a bit silly. Sometimes she can't even count how many children she likes to give them a warm hug and then soak them in water.
Yet this simple-minded water sprite stubbornly followed Ergolia to the Dewdrop Sea, and after Ergolia's death, it did not flee Fontaine like other water sprites, but instead returned to the Narcissus Cross, even though it had become ruins.
Xu Ning could still recall the scene where she held up a ball of nectar that was the incarnation of Ergolia and buried it deep inside her body.
“I’ve always thought those three kids were smart, but I never imagined they could get this far as ordinary people.”
Xu Ning casually flipped through the biography on his body, "Although Alan was incredibly talented and could advance the clockwork mechanism to this extent, he never took that crucial step until the very end. Otherwise, I'm afraid his achievements would have been even greater."
Caterpillar knew what Xu Ning was talking about.
Hundreds of years ago, when he was still a human being, he served as an assistant to Alan Giordan.
After his death, he was recreated by René and became a member of the Narcissus Cross Society. He was very clear about the final step Xu Ning mentioned—transplanting his consciousness into the mechanism to achieve another kind of immortality.
Caterpillar paused for a moment before speaking, "Perhaps it's simply because he has never believed in the 'world model' that Rene and the others deduced... or perhaps he simply wants to retain his human nature and dignity."
Xu Ning sighed softly and pulled out a tattered notebook from the Dust Concealment Gourd. It was none other than "Rene's Investigation Diary".
"However, these two little guys have reached a very high level, but unfortunately, they still haven't been able to surpass the achievements of their predecessors. Perhaps this is due to their limitations as human beings, which has restricted their vision."