Chapter 376: I Don"t Know How To Name This Chapter
An invigorating warmth radiated throughout her body in an instant. Lin Sanjiu couldn"t help trembling slightly as she slowly tightened her grip in one hand.
This felt like the previous time when she got her [A Twinkle in the Sky]. A tingling sensation resonated down her spine. It was like a ma.s.sage, slightly numbing but relaxing. She let out a satisfied sigh as her fingers touched her thumb.
Now, she had her hands firmly around the duck"s neck.
"Gwah," Scrooge McDuck"s pupils shot upwards showing the whites of his eyes. He smacked the ground a few times helplessly with his two wings, begging, "Not so tight… Not so tight, please."
Lin Sanjiu was sitting cross-legged on the duck"s chest. She had one hand on her knee and another hand on the duck"s neck. She pressed his neck to the ground, seemingly with ease, and appeared to be indifferent to the duck.
However, Scrooge McDuck was the only one that could truly understand Lin Sanjiu"s steel-like grip around his neck. If it weren"t for his feathers, his face would be the same shade of red as Lin Sanjiu when she was suffocating previously.
"Not so tight?" Lin Sanjiu smiled at the duck with a rush of vengeful euphoria, "Why should I listen to you? Are we on good terms?"
"Cough, cough. Ahem... Sorry?" Scrooge McDuck squeezed out an apology with difficulty. His gla.s.ses lay on the ground, smashed. He moved his pupils downward strenuously showing lesser whites in his eyes.
"As if I needed your apology?"
Lin Sanjiu did not reply, but instead suddenly increased her strength around his neck. That immediately squeezed every bit of voice the duck wanted to make to the back of his throat. Stretching out her pair of long legs, she stomped on both Scrooge McDuck"s wings.
The large duck started to struggle for his life. However, with his strength, he couldn"t even loosen himself from Lin Sanjiu"s grip even one tiny bit despite trying so hard that his eyes were bulging.
"I can compensate you…" Scrooge McDuck finally managed to yelped a soft plead for mercy through his tightened throat.
"I was waiting for this…" Lin Sanjiu loosened her grip very slightly as an uncontrollable smile grew on her face.
She instinctively looked up at the empty streets nearby and realized she was alone with the duck. She quickly looked down at the duck again, "How are you planning to compensate me?"
"Don"t you want to know the location of the gold ring?" Scrooge McDuck spoke rapidly as he lifted his head. He had apparently thought through things. "I will tell you where it is!"
"Tell me."
"If you follow this road, you will walk through our kingdom"s mining grounds. Next, you will enter a forest… You will find a crescent-shaped lake in the forest. The forest isn"t big as our woodsmen have already cut most of the trees. If you walk around the forest, you will definitely find the crescent-shaped lake." After pausing for a moment, Scrooge McDuck shot a glance at Lin Sanjiu, "There is a small wooden hut at the side of the lake. The owner of the hut has the gold ring you are looking for."
Lin Sanjiu nodded. She wasn"t worried that Scrooge McDuck would lie to her. As a character in the pocket dimension, it did not matter whether he was lying or telling the truth. That was just what the pocket dimension needed her to know so Lin Sanjiu had to follow through with it anyway.
Despite the duck"s answer, Lin Sanjiu did not stand up from Scrooge McDuck"s body. Not only did she not release him, but she also extended her wings all of a sudden. The white sharp wings stretched out wide over the duck as he stared back at her with a slightly stunned expression.
"What else do you want?" Scrooge McDuck asked, alarmed. "You"ve already taken my ability. You should know when to be contented with what you have!"
"That is exactly what I want to know," Lin Sanjiu peered down at the duck. "You are not a posthuman. To be honest, I don"t even know what you are. Why can I take your ability? Why do you have an ability? Now that I have gotten it, can I really use it?"
Truth be told, Lin Sanjiu still wanted to ask many other questions. How does a pocket dimension develop? What sort of living being lived in a pocket dimension? Yet, she knew that even if she had many questions, Scrooge McDuck may not necessarily have the answers. If she continued looking for answers, she might as well try to find out the origin of the apocalyptic worlds… Under such circ.u.mstances, Lin Sanjiu knew that it would do her no good to occupy herself with these unanswerable questions.
Scrooge McDuck turned his eyes back and seemed relieved.
"That"s nothing. I thought you wanted to rob me. You"re right. I am not a posthuman now…" Scrooge McDuck looked at Lin Sanjiu and let out a profoundly long bout of laughter. Lin Sanjiu didn"t know if she was imagining things but it seemed as if the duck had emphasized the word "now" as he spoke to her. "However, this doesn"t affect anything. If you"ve received the ability, you can use it like any other ability."
Lin Sanjiu frowned. She thought of another problem. "You are a money-grubbing person—duck. Why aren"t you the least bit concerned that you"ve lost your ability?"
"Ah."
Although Scrooge McDuck sighed, his expression became jovial. It was as if he was delighted to know that Lin Sanjiu was absolutely clueless about some things. "From your question alone, I can tell that you are still new to this. Pocket dimensions, including Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park, are all underdeveloped miniature apocalyptic worlds… Since they are somewhat the same as full-fledged worlds, they share the same laws as apocalyptic worlds. For example, some unique changes occur after the apocalyptic event. Things that don"t exist before would appear in the apocalyptic world. This includes Special Items, posthumans" abilities and even duoluozhongs."
Lin Sanjiu was in a daze as she heard his explanation so she accidentally loosened her grip further, "You mean your [Scrooge McDuck Power] is an ability that is generated by this pocket dimension?"
"That"s right. You might be poor but, apparently, you aren"t so stupid," Scrooge McDuck seemed to have forgotten that Lin Sanjiu was still holding his neck. "There are certain setup on a pocket dimension that will never change. My wealth and power will never change. Once you leave, I will get the ability once again. I think you aren"t that merciless so why don"t I tell you a little tip. Be it the apocalyptic world, or in a pocket dimension, there are many "resources" for you to discover… If you can find a way to take them, they will be yours… My [Scrooge McDuck Power] is one clear example.
Lin Sanjiu stood up abruptly. She moved so swiftly that it scared the duck. She only managed to calm her racing heart after she took a deep breath and calmed down a little.
"How can I find these resources?" Lin Sanjiu asked as she picked up her own Special Items from the floor absentmindedly.
"It depends on your luck and whether you are observant."
Lin Sanjiu immediately thought of the situation when she found her Pygmalion Choker. At that time, she just thought that she was very lucky. She did not even question why those duoluozhong would even have Special Items.
Pus.h.i.+ng that thought to the back of her head, she turned to Scrooge McDuck once more. Before this encounter, Lin Sanjiu had never met any character in a pocket dimension talking about the laws in the apocalyptic worlds. Well, let alone discuss their role setup. Scrooge McDuck had a clear self-awareness... Perhaps, it was a little too clear for comfort…"
For some incomprehensible reason, almost as if she was a little afraid, Lin Sanjiu asked the duck softly, "You don"t seem like a fictional character… What are you?"
Scrooge McDuck supported his head with one of his wings, and his smile froze. For a moment, his expression did not change. After quite some time, he finally replied to her, "I think you already guessed what I am. Why do you ask me that question knowing the answer?"
Lin Sanjiu suddenly felt gooseb.u.mps all over her arms.
"Even after meeting over ten pocket dimension characters, you might not meet someone like me who has consciousness of his or her situation." Scrooge McDuck"s voice suddenly turned a little weird, as if he was holding back some emotions, "Even though I am self-aware, I am mostly controlled by my role. Sometimes, I don"t know if that is good or bad…"
For a moment, there was complete silence between both of them.
"Next time…" Lin Sanjiu mumbled. "When I meet you the next time, how will you be?"
"Scrooge McDuck, of course," he seemed to be shrugging but, as a duck, he did not have the shoulders to do that, so instead his action looked comical. "If you didn"t ask me that question, I wouldn"t tell you all these… I might remember you the next time, or perhaps I won"t… You don"t have to look at me that way. I might be living a life like this but it is bearable. You have also accepted the fate that you have to travel through different apocalyptic worlds, haven"t you?"
Lin Sanjiu hesitated and did not continue the conversation.
"Alright," she sighed and stood up again. After dusting herself, she stretched her hand out to the duck and pulled him up from the ground. "Everyone has their own lives. In any case, I"ll be going."
Scrooge McDuck nodded.
"By the way," Lin Sanjiu crooked her head and contemplated for a bit. Suddenly, she laughed, "Since you know that your wealth and power are both granted by the setup in this pocket dimension, why don"t you compensate me with some of your Stamina Points—"
Before she could finish her sentence, she noticed that the large duck had suddenly turned unfriendly. Scrooge McDuck shook his head vehemently. He was visibly angry, reluctantly and very protective of his a.s.sets. "No, no, no. No. If everyone tries to get some Stamina Points from me each time, I would be bankrupt after 600 years!"
"Are you going to hand it over?" Lin Sanjiu narrowed her eyes. Even though she felt a little bad for the duck, she had to think of the cat doctor outside. Besides, her new ability seemed to be a cash-draining ability as well. She couldn"t use it without Stamina Points, "Do you cherish your life or your money?"
Scrooge McDuck certainly cherished his life a little more. He wiped his reluctant tears with his wings, "You can"t get it even if I give the Stamina Points to you now. You will need to collect the Stamina Points at the exit.
As long as she received it, Lin Sanjiu didn"t really care when she could collect it. After she forced Scrooge McDuck to nod his head to accept the proposition, she couldn"t help feeling excited. After that, she searched around the area but could not find Snow White anywhere. Consequently, she left decisively.
"Okay, I will go and look for the gold ring now," Lin Sanjiu looked at Scrooge McDuck who was standing at the same spot. As he was in a duck form, he did look a little silly when he was not talking.
Just as Lin Sanjiu took a few steps, she heard someone"s voice, "Be careful. Not every posthuman who dies in a pocket dimension is as lucky as me…"
Lin Sanjiu did not turn her head around, neither did she answer him. She simply nodded and continued on her way.
Minnie, Mickey, Snow White, and that prince she killed… She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Even the female boss of the barbecue shop and the ticket sellers...
They have been posthumans once.
Now, they were all dead. Some of them still continued living by some force of nature. Perhaps, they no longer looked the same. Some didn"t even have a body. Yet, in some way, their consciousness persisted… As long as this pocket dimension existed, they would exist. They could not leave the place or do anything not within their "fixed role".
Lin Sanjiu didn"t know if she could consider that lucky. She didn"t know if she should be angry. She was just very confused. As countless thoughts clouded her mind and she kept thinking about various questions, she felt only a vague exhaustion and confusion.
"I wish I had an answer." Lin Sanjiu muttered unconsciously to herself as she walked into a forest. Mrs. Manas was the only "person" who heard her but she didn"t reply. Lin Sanjiu"s voice disappeared into the silence in the forest. She sighed and gathered herself again before checking her surroundings.
Sunlight filtered down through the forest canopy, lighting the wooden branches on the forest floor. Amidst the tree and leaves, Lin Sanjiu spot a vague silvery mirage. When she walked closer, she saw ripples cutting through the surface of a lake.
Scrooge McDuck was right. Lin Sanjiu eyed the edges of the crescent-shaped lake. It wasn"t large. Then, she spotted an old wooden hut.
It looked old and poorly maintained. Gra.s.s grew between the steps of the stairs leading to the door. Just as Lin Sanjiu was about to head for the hut, she heard a creaking sound of the door opening. It broke the silence in the forest. Shortly afterwards, she heard footsteps from the door.
Lin Sanjiu stopped outside the door immediately. She remained in the same spot observing her surroundings cautiously. When there was silence behind the door once again, she decided to test the situation, "Is there anyone around? I am looking for the golden ring that Minnie Mouse lost. Did anyone see it—"
Before she could finish her question, the wooden door opened. Lin Sanjiu looked up and found herself speechless.
"Are you talking about this?"
Lin Sanjiu saw a golden ring glimmering on a black finger. It looked clean. Pulling her hand back, Minnie flashed a wide grin at Lin Sanjiu, "As expected, you came."