I Will Teach You How to Hunt Gods

Chapter 755 - 37: I Still Have You

Deng’s voice suddenly turned somewhat cold, accompanied by an inexplicable sense of alienation.

"For an existence like yours, nothing is eternal, yet you will inevitably become a part of eternity, just like me."

She turned her head slowly, pointing at the servants standing quietly in the distance.

"Yun You, look at them."

"Take them for example. They might live for a long time, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even longer. But so what? Their existence, their joys and sorrows, their loyalty or attachment, are ultimately insignificant dust on the eternal time scale."

"Including this library itself, it has condensed my endless efforts, recording the mysteries of countless universes, but one day, when the river of time flows to its end, it might also collapse and turn into nothingness."

Her gaze swept over this sanctum of knowledge she had personally built, and she calmly said, "Therefore, I have never regarded anyone... or anything as an irreplaceable existence."

"Emotions? Bonds? Merely things to amuse oneself and alleviate boredom on the long journey."

Deng’s gaze finally fell back on Yun You, in that cold alienation, there was a clear trace of almost obsessive concern.

"But you’re different, Yun You, you are special! Your talent gives you the possibility to touch ’eternity’. You might be the only one who can truly accompany me through that endless time."

"So, why? Why would you sacrifice everything for those destined to become momentary dust in the river of time, not even leaving a wave? Is it worth it?"

"..."

Yun You remained silent, which caused Deng’s transcendent mental state to show a crack called "anxiety" that hadn’t been seen for a long time.

She looked at Yun You’s calm yet determined eyes, a never-before-felt premonition of ’loss’ gripped her heart.

She even slightly leaned forward, staring at Yun You intently, and spoke again...

"I only ask you one thing!"

Deng’s voice carried a sharpness that even she hadn’t realized.

"Even if you return this time and risk everything to save everyone, what about a billion years later? Ten billion years later?"

"When the torrent of time washes away all traces when the stars extinguish and are reborn, when everything you know—Tian En, Mokaka, Frost Moon, Aurora, Chen Zaikun... even the world your teacher cares about—all turn into cosmic dust, with even their names forgotten, when you eventually tire of resurrecting them..."

"You, Yun You, what will you have left then? What else can you possess?"

The air in the library froze, even the light of the star map dimmed.

She awaited Yun You’s wavering; she believed she could persuade the girl.

However, Yun You just quietly listened without showing the confusion or fear Deng anticipated.

"At least..."

Yun You smiled gently.

"I still have you, Deng."

"At least I still have you."

"..."

Deng was stunned.

"What did she say?"

"Still have me?"

"At the end of eternal loneliness... she still has me?!"

This answer completely exceeded Deng’s expectations; she had imagined countless possible responses from Yun You.

Idealistic declarations... steadfastness to promises, or defiance of destiny...

But the last possibility she imagined was that the answer would fall on herself.

"So, Old Deng."

Yun You said with a smile, "I don’t want to do things that I will regret."

Deng still didn’t react; she continued to ponder, her mind a chaotic mess.

For the first time, she began to truly contemplate the word she had always scoffed at—"love," and what it truly meant in the eternal river of time.

The Stargazer, claimed to be an omnipotent existence with all of heaven and earth under her observation, could even foresee the future...

Yet now, she seemed unable to see herself clearly, unable to pierce through what seemed perfectly normal in the eyes of ordinary people...

Emotion.

Deng thought for a very long time, the starlight under the library dome simulating countless day-and-night cycles.

Her mind was in a constant frenzy of deduction and collision, trying to use her inherent rationality to construct a model that understood "love" and "bonds."

But ultimately, her thoughts returned to chaos.

The answer was, there was no answer, only a strange, unsettling instinct.

Ultimately, she could only suppress all her confusion and that inexplicable panic, abruptly looking at Yun You with a tone almost petulant, "In any case! I just won’t let you leave!"

"I can’t watch you go to your death... to find Yun Tiankui. Do you know why you can stand here safely? It’s because of me, because I used the library’s rules to cover your Sequence aura, shielding your crazy father’s perception!"

As she spoke, a hint of fear and ingrained apprehension crept into her voice.

Even for an existence like her, fear was inevitable.

But thinking about it, that’s not surprising.

Once, she and the Saint... and Yun Tiankui were good friends, but now, one is in life and death, another has fallen to an unimaginable degree, and in avoiding it, she left the familiar world behind to hide here, all alone.

She would naturally fear Yun Tiankui, as he is the only one capable of ending her eternal life, the only one who knows her completely.

"If you go back now, the moment you step out of the library’s door and into the real world, Yun Tiankui will immediately sense you, and his chaotic will shall instantly brand his Monarch mark deep within your soul."

Deng’s voice twisted slightly...

"At that time... at that time, you won’t be able to return to the library to seek refuge as you do now, do you understand?"

"You’ll be fully exposed to him, and possessing three Sequences at once, he will never let you go, so all in all, I simply won’t allow it!"

The last sentence erupted in a near roar from Deng.

But Yun You just quietly looked at her, her clear eyes devoid of anger, argument, or even the slightest wavering.

She merely smiled lightly, even with a hint of comfort, her demeanor like a windless lake, yet holding a resolve stronger than any oath.

She didn’t answer Deng’s question, but her meaning was clear.

She heard, but she wouldn’t change her mind.

She understood Deng’s fear, but she had her own tasks to fulfill.

The two remained silent like this, not uttering any more meaningless words.

...

In the days that followed, the library fell into a subtle peace.

The mother and daughter maintained tacit understanding, never bringing up returning to reality, Yun Tiankui, or other heavy topics like world annihilation.

Yun You continued to immerse herself in the world of letters, refining her Time Authority of creation and destruction, her power becoming increasingly refined, profound, and strong.

Deng returned to her usual laziness, reading books, playing with star maps, occasionally setting up pranks when in the mood, but rarely targeting Yun You.

On the surface, life seemed to have returned to how it was before.

Yet an invisible barrier silently settled between the two.

They hardly engaged in the same carefree mischief and banter as before, breaking the library’s silence with calls of "Old Deng" and "Little rascal."

Quietly enjoying Fanny’s tea and snacks; Lamia sitting silently by the window, her silver hair shimmering; the Tower Master’s lab emitting faint sounds of instruments.

Everything was orderly, yet it lacked a touch of liveliness and noise, the air filled with a silence that left words unspoken.

This state persisted for a long while.

Until—

September 3, 2087.

On this day, the simulated starlight under the library dome seemed particularly gentle, and the atmosphere was quite festive.

Because this day was Yun You’s birthday.