Chapter 131: Deal Reached

Chapter 131: Reaching an Understanding

There was a lot Meng Shu wanted to say, like "Don't cry for me," "What about your eyes?" and even a few jabs, like how a greedy bastard like him could actually have a heart.

But in the end, nothing came out. He sat upright, his fingers clasped together.

He was too calm. Jia Zhao waited a long time but still didn't hear him speak, so he blurted out loudly, "Say something! Meng Shu! Why did you disappear!"

"...My original body... is dying."

Meng Shu fidgeted nervously with his fingers. He lowered his eyes, exhaled, and said hoarsely: "In our world, once you're dead, you're dead. I had an incurable disease, so I stopped treatment."

"...Sick? Dying?" Jia Zhao had never heard anything like this. In this world, even if someone got sick, a simple healing spell could fix them right away.

Even if he dug out his own eyes, he could restore them later with magic.

He just couldn't wrap his head around it. "Why... can't you come back to life after death? Is it... because of this that you..."

Meng Shu's eyes crinkled into a smile. "Yeah. I had plenty of time at first. I thought I could take my time saying goodbye."

But after getting killed over and over in the dungeon, Meng Shu's health took a nosedive, and he couldn't make the trip anymore.

A faint smile lingered on his face. "This is my last traversal. After I go back, I'll probably... be six feet under pretty soon."

Jia Zhao pressed his lips tightly together. "What about Ling Qingjue? Doesn't he know resurrection magic? He's your man, how could he not save you!"

"It's against the rules. I asked him."

Meng Shu shrugged, his voice light and casual. "Where I'm from, bringing people back isn't allowed. Even he can't do anything about it."

Jia Zhao dropped back onto his seat with a thud, all strength gone, muttering under his breath, "If even Ling Qingjue can't do anything about it..."

"I'm not from this world. Your world is amazing, like something out of a fairy tale."

Meng Shu had already come to terms with death. He just wanted to give everyone a happy ending before he went.

"I didn't tell Kitty I was sick. I thought I'd still have a few more years with him. But I only got to be with him for such a short time, and now it's already come to an end."

Meng Shu still sat upright, a subtle change in his expression. "You know him. He has a very stubborn personality. I'm scared that if he finds out I'm dead, he'll do something awful. If that happens, I won't be able to rest in peace, even dead."

"You're even keeping your death a secret from him?"

Jia Zhao raised an eyebrow, not believing what he heard, and flinched as he accidentally pulled at his wound.

He quickly composed himself. "Aren't you scared he'll get back at you when he finds out?"

"I'll be dead. What can he do to me?" Meng Shu gave a dry laugh, a hint of helplessness on his face. "Is he going to scatter my ashes?"

"You think Ling Qingjue wouldn't do something like that? Watch out—he might use your ashes to fertilize his plants."

Meng Shu thought about it and said generously, "If he really wants to use my ashes to grow flowers, that's fine too. Recycling waste is a good thing, right?"

At least he'd still be with Kitty in some way.

"You're still laughing! You're dying and you think it's funny!" If Jia Zhao could see, he would have rushed over to punch him twice.

Meng Shu quickly said sorry, "No more laughing, I promise."

He got serious, stood up, and sat next to Jia Zhao. "Bro, I need one favor from you."

Jia Zhao looked away, acting tough: "No way! Not unless you pay me a ton!"

"I already sent you all my money. I can't give you anything else." Meng Shu poked his back, wearing a pleading grin. "Help me out, help me out."

"You want me to erase you from the Astrolabe and make everyone forget you, don't you!" Jia Zhao wasn't asking—he already knew what Meng Shu was after, he just didn't want to admit it.

Meng Shu nodded. "Wow, you figured it out?"

"I won't help you. Why should I forget you?" Jia Zhao flat-out refused. "Go ahead and die. Do you think I'll be sad? I don't care at all. I don't need to forget you!"

Meng Shu sighed inwardly—were all these people the same? Did Moonbay just churn out tsunderes?

He kept poking Jia Zhao in the back. "If you don't help me, once Ling Qingjue finds out I'm dead, he'll definitely turn into the Demon King and wreck Moonbay. You don't want Moonbay to be destroyed, right?"

"..."

"For the sake of Moonbay, for love and peace, help me?"

"Love my ass, peace my ass. Someone like you deserves to die."

Jia Zhao still refused to accept it. "Didn't you say you could do anything? Can't you protect Moonbay while you're alive?"

Meng Shu was taken aback, then kept smiling. "Well, there are things I'm not good at. I'm not perfect. Having a small flaw is normal."

"And your flaw is that you're dying right now?" Jia Zhao got angrier as he spoke. "And you're hiding it from everyone. If you didn't need my help, were you gonna hide it from me too?"

Meng Shu rubbed his nose and let out a sheepish laugh.

"Jia Zhao, help me, please?"

His voice dropped, turning serious this time. "Kitty's already been abandoned once. If I abandon him again, it'll destroy him."

"..."

No answer.

"I know you'll miss me, but my journey ends here... You have to walk the road ahead on your own." Meng Shu took a deep breath, holding back tears, and spoke slowly. "I made a mistake. I shouldn't have gotten involved with him. I promised to stay with him until the end, but I'm abandoning him halfway."

"Ling Qingjue is pretty dumb. He acts like a little animal. He hasn't really figured out how to be human yet. If he goes mad, it will cause great harm—to himself, and to the whole of Moonbay."

"Forget me." Meng Shu paused. "Forgetting me is my destination. Only then can I leave in peace."

Jia Zhao's back looked very forlorn.

He thought, this is the Lord Hero, the first Round Table Knight of Moonbay. They say he is the chosen one who can slay the Demon King.

But now his light was fading, about to go out, and the future was hidden in fog, impossible to make out.

Meng Shu looked up, smiling this time. "Jia Zhao, I'm really glad I met you. To receive a sincere heart before I die... I'm really... happy, haha. I used to dream of meeting a true friend, but I always ended up being tricked."

"I'm not that smart. I'm very ordinary. In this world, as the Lord Hero for so long, everyone has been kind to me. I want to protect this place well."

"Just think of it as me saving the world once. You and I together, erase my existence."

Jia Zhao stood up, suppressing a sob. "Don't follow me. I... need to be alone for a while."

Meng Shu didn't follow. "Okay. I'll wait for you."

He sat in the Adventurers' Guild for half an hour, the faint sound of crying drifting down from upstairs.

After a long while, Jia Zhao finally stuck his head out from inside the room, his pale fingers resting on the railing. "Fine. I'll help you."

"Tomorrow at midnight, I'll take away your star."

Jia Zhao gritted his teeth. "I'm only gonna mourn for you one day. After tomorrow, I won't remember you."

"Thank you," Meng Shu said, not knowing what else to say. That was all he could say. "Really, thank you."

"Get out of here — go say a proper goodbye to that cat of yours, so you won't die with your eyes open..." Jia Zhao's voice trailed off as he immediately turned around and went back into the room, slamming the door heavily behind him.