Chapter 117: Players Are Still Here, NPCs Are Gone
In the hospital room, Sakurai Shiru remained deeply asleep.
Bai Wei was given temporary permission to visit, perhaps because the doctors and nurses had given up on treating her.
The young girl who came to take care of Shiru wiped her eyes and walked out of the room. Even though she had grown used to life and death in the hospital, she couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow for te little girl's fate.
Bai Wei approached and gently held Sakurai Shiru's hand.
Close his eyes and let his consciousness drift downwards.
Heroic spirits are those who are chosen by a mysterious force and their very existence is shrouded in mystery. However, this doesn't mean that heroic spirits cannot be killed. Even the highest-ranked heroic spirits have the possibility of being slain before reaching complete maturity.
And the ways in which lower-ranked heroic spirits can be killed are even more varied. Even a fully matured lower-ranked heroic spirit can be left disabled from a severe beating, eventually losing all their power and becoming completely helpless.
The core of heroic spirits lies in the Heroic Spirit Principle. The physical body is merely a medium and vessel. Even if the physical body is destroyed, heroic spirits still have a way to be reincarnated. However, if the Heroic Spirit Principle is completely shattered, it is like a magical gem of a magical girl being shattered. Even if the physical body remains, destruction is only a matter of time.
To truly kill a heroic spirit, you have to not only physically destroy their body, but also completely ravage their soul.
The fragments of the Heroic Spirit Principle that Bai Wei possesses are the traces and remnants left behind when the Heroic Spirit Principle collapsed long ago.
Just like the leftover pieces when a famous painting from ancient times is torn apart, it still holds some value, but nowhere near as much as when it was whole.
Now, the only thing they can rely on is the small amount of mystery it retains, hoping that it can alleviate the symptoms of the Blood Moon Disease.
It is unlikely for her to be completely cured, but as long as there is a little relief, it is possible for her to make it through this winter.
The process of transplanting fragments of the Heroic Spirit Principle was not complicated. Bai Wei infused the fragments into her body, and the visible effects began to take place.
The fragments were implanted in her heart.
The Scarlet Curse is a way of interfering with the physical world by contaminating the soul. It doesn't exist as a tangible entity in its own right.
So, in order to get rid of the impact of the Scarlet Curse on the mind, and to protect the vital part of the heart, one must prevent the further loss of life force.
Her heart rate became steady, and her expression gradually turned rosy.
Even within just ten minutes, she opened her eyes and regained consciousness.
"Uncle..."
"I'm here," Bai Wei replied. He asked, "Do you feel alright?"
"I'm thirsty," she said with dry lips, and then added, "I'm hungry."
Her body instinctively craved nourishment, which was a good thing. The depleted shell didn't need any more replenishment, as it had already crossed the danger line.
The tiny parts inside her body were being squeezed relentlessly, unable to fight back. So, they simply gave up and lay down flat. If even lying flat didn't work, then they just completely gave up.
Bai Wei poured a glass of water and said, "Have some water while I go to the cafeteria to get some food."
When he returned to the ward, the nurses and doctors had beaming faces. Waking up meant that the ordeal had passed.
The health meter of her body was clearly going up, which was a wonderful thing.
"Do you want to eat?"
"No need," blushed Sakurai Shiru. "I can do it myself."
She finished the meal quite quickly, feeling really hungry. She didn't gobble it down like a wolf, but ate a normal amount of food for an adult.
Bai Wei took care of the disposable meal box and sat by the edge of the bed, starting to peel an apple.
Sakurai Shiru whispered, “Uncle, I had a dream about Dad."
"What did he say?"
He told me to be a good girl. Sakurai Shiru asked softly, "Was it that night when Dad secretly came back?"
Bai Wei paused for a second and said, "You caught me."
The girl lowered her head and asked softly, "Can you take me to see him?"
Bai Wei fell silent. He had been very busy these past few days and hadn't had the chance to attend to Sakurai's body yet. It's possible that it's still in the mortuary for now.
If nobody claims it for a long time, the police will cremate it or donate it to medical students to use for anatomy lessons.
The second option turned out fine as well, but having a burial ground and tombstone is still important. However, those things are quite expensive.
The monks of Yingzhou don't understand the concept of compassion. They always asked for money, even from the dead.
The emperor couldn't help but start thinking... Poverty made him unable to do certain things.
Sakurai Shiru saw that Bai Wei was not speaking and assumed that she had upset him. She immediately changed her words, saying, "If it's not possible, I don't have to go."
Bai Wei snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head, saying, "Of course, it's possible, but just not convenient at the moment."
I can't say that your own father's tombstone hasn't been arranged yet, right? How about I go chop down a loquat tree and carve a stone for him in a royal font? It will do, won't it?
After all, it was a precious artifact hand-carved by the emperor himself. Its value surpassed that of the monk's blessed ash box.
As long as you use your brain, there are always more solutions than difficulties. There's nothing that can't be managed with a little compromise, just like graveyards and tombstones.
He spoke softly, saying, "Let's wait until you're discharged from the hospital."
The girl lowered her head, but still obediently nodded. In the next moment, she lifted her head, her eyes shining. "Can I leave the hospital?" she asked.
"Of course you can."
"Really? But Daddy said... I will get sick once I leave the hospital."
"You won't now."
Sakurai Shiru exclaimed, "Yay!" feeling happy for a while. Then she blinked her eyes and asked, "Is it because Uncle doesn't have money?"
With a chuckle, Bai Wei held his chest and said, "I can't say I don't have money, but there's just a temporary issue with my finances. It's alright, it's alright. I am an emperor, and once I return to Europe, countless people will eagerly give me money... I may not have any other talents, but I am quite confident in mooching off wealthy women."
Sakurai Shiru giggled.
She may not have truly recovered from the sadness of losing her loved ones so quickly, but she didn't want to show it or make others worry.
Bai Wei stayed by her side until noon, thinking for a long time. Eventually, he took out a document that Sakura had prepared before he passed away. He signed it and stamped it with a seal.
"Little Shiru."
"Hmm?"
"What do you think of the name Bai Si?" he asked earnestly.
Sakurai Shiru was initially surprised and stood still for a moment, but soon her face turned red, and she shyly covered her cheeks with her hands.
"Uncle," she said softly, her voice filled with shyness. "I'm only thirteen years old... This is a crime, you know."
Bai Wei, "..."
She continued, "When Little Shiru grows up a little more, maybe it will be possible."
Bai Wei, "............"
...
Within less than three hours of leaving the hospital, Kimura Mifune received a notification from a staff member inside the hospital.
"What! She woke up? And she's been cured? Her condition is rather good! Are you kidding me? When I went this morning, she was clearly..."
Beep, beep, beep! The landline phone hung up.
The face of the foundation secretary looked very unhappy. After finally finding a suitable heart, now they were saying that the person didn't die. Not only did she get better, but she could also run and jump!
All the hard work in the past was not only wasted, but now where can they find another suitable heart?
A person only has one heart, and it's impossible to donate it! Having wealth and luxury is only possible if you have good health!
The best choice for someone who is about to die is to have a compatible heart. They thought that as long as they gave enough money, they would definitely get it. But now, all their efforts were in vain.
Kimura pushed his glasses up and spoke with a shaky voice, "I need to report to the president, I can't make a decision about this."
He didn't know how the president, who would receive this news, would react. But he could imagine that it might be either hysterical or like the eve of a storm approaching.
Because Mito Yoriichiro was very sick and close to death.
A person who has wealth and power and is about to die may be willing to do anything, even if they become crazy, just to have a small chance of staying alive.
...
In the imagined scene, the two of them met again. Hokusinn Kichyō, with her graceful and elegant demeanor, greeted Yagyū Simozi. But she noticed that Yagyū Simozi was lost in thought.
"What are you wondering..." she was about to ask, but then she followed the other person's gaze and immediately stopped.
The old person who was sitting peacefully yesterday has disappeared. In its place, there is now an unnamed monument on the ground, with a sword stuck in front of it.
"Oh, this..." Hokusinn Kichyō opened her mouth and said, "It's only been a day. Is it because he attacked you yesterday so you killed him?"
"How could it be possible? There are so many sword techniques! If I want to defeat him, I'll have to learn them first. Who would make such a short-sighted move?"
"Do you really intend to attack?" Hokusinn Kichyō quietly distanced herself. This woman, they couldn't get along; she held grudges for too long.
"You're so verbose." Yagyū Simozi also felt frustrated. After waking up from a nap, she rushed into the game only to find that the only NPC shopkeeper had already passed away. She said helplessly, "It was already like this when I entered, no one was here, just a stone monument and a sword."
"Oh, I see," Hokusinn Kichyō pondered for a moment, and then had a sudden realization. "I think I understand now."
"Hmm?" Yagyū Simozi perked up her ears, curious to hear what profound discussion was taking place.
"He..." Hokusinn Kichyō pointed at the stone monument and said, "He surely... passed away of old age!"
"And then, before he died, he buried himself and erected a monument?" Yagyū Simozi found it absurd. "Who could actually do that?"
"Tom Cat, my dear." (Translator: In Tom and Jerry, Tom Cat can bury himself alive. I think there is no need for me to introduce this anime.)
