Chapter 138: Same Day

Chapter 138: The Same Day

Mom's frown deepened. "Why do you keep talking nonsense?"

She turned to Dad in anger. "I said we shouldn't have let him go to that world—I heard it's dangerous. Look, the boy's gotten so thin!"

Dad gave a helpless smile. "He likes it—it's his dream. As parents, we can only support him."

"He's starting to talk nonsense!" Mom raised her eyebrows, barely hiding her worry. "Lake, are you joking with me?"

Lake's eyes went cold, and he didn't try to defend himself. "Maybe I was wrong. Mom, I'm going to check out the town—I haven't been back in a while."

"Alright, I'll cook your favorite dishes." Mom smiled warmly and patted his head. "But if you only got back today, don't you want to chat with me?"

He had already talked all afternoon yesterday.

Lake's eyelids twitched nervously. He brushed it off. "We can talk some other time. I have things to do today."

"This kid—"

Before she could finish, he turned and left the house, looking up at the misty sky.

Rainy day.

Yesterday seemed rainy too.

Lake pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt and walked along the street in the rain, searching for anything unusual in the town.

General store, clothing shop, flower shop, bakery... Everything seemed normal.

Maybe his parents were just pulling a prank on him?

It was summer, and despite the light rain, the air was still muggy. Lake took a deep breath and began to detect the magical energy fluctuations around him.

After only a second, he stopped in a panic.

Such terrifying magical energy!

Even the teachers at the academy couldn't generate such immense magical energy!

But what was all that power being used for?

Lake's face turned as pale as paper. How could such a strong magical presence in Crescent Bay go unnoticed by everyone?

He hid under the eaves. Passersby were chatting.

"Tomorrow's the Summer Festival, right? Are you going to confess to Caicai?"

"She has so many suitors—she'll probably reject me."

"Just try. Aren't you two..."

Two young men walked past him.

Lake listened in silence. The Summer Festival, held once every five years, was when strange phenomena could occur—dead animals could return to the human world in spirit form.

He mentally counted the days. As far as he knew, the festival should have been last year. Why were these people saying it was tomorrow?

Maybe he should go ask Jia Zhao.

That fox was skilled in astrology and would know what was happening in Crescent Bay.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He decisively headed to the Adventurers' Guild.

The Adventurers' Guild was as shabby and rundown as ever. Lake couldn't help comparing it to Meng Shu's doghouse—they were equally run-down.

So poor it was laughable.

He knocked on the door, and someone soon opened it.

Jia Zhao's white hair hung smoothly down, his eyes wrapped in white cloth. He leaned against the doorframe. "Well, well, if it isn't Lake. Back already?"

Lake wasn't in the mood for banter. "What happened to your eyes?"

Jia Zhao shrugged. "A monster attacked a few days ago, and I accidentally hurt my eyes."

"Why not get them treated?"

"That monster's attack was poisonous. It'll take a few months to fully purge it. Then I'll find a healer to fix my eyes."

Lake studied him. "Are you sure you've only been blind for a few days?"

"Yeah." Jia Zhao shrugged nonchalantly. "Why would I lie to you?"

"You're about to awaken your Heavenly Eye, and you're telling me you've only been blind for a few days?"

The Heavenly Eye is a special skill that lets you observe your surroundings without using your eyes. Usually, only people who've been blind for a long time train this skill, and it takes at least a year.

Jia Zhao paused, straightening up. "But I really have only been blind for a few days."

"That's what's strange." Lake pushed past him and strode into the Adventurers' Guild to sit down. "Use your astrology to divine the truth."

"Do you think astrology is something you can use on a whim?"

"If you don't use it soon, Crescent Bay is going to be destroyed. I've noticed something wrong since I got back—there's a massive magical energy hanging over the bay, like almost everyone is being controlled. And when I came home, the Magic Passage was closed, and I almost didn't make it back."

Jia Zhao raised an eyebrow, grinning casually. "Are you kidding? Ling Qingjue is stationed in Crescent Bay. If anyone dared to control the people here, Ling Qingjue would tear them apart."

Ling Qingjue.

At the sound of that name, Lake's eyelid twitched. "What if it's Ling Qingjue himself doing it?"

Jia Zhao found that even funnier. "What would he want to control Crescent Bay people for? Does he have that much free time?"

"Just my random guess." Lake had a splitting headache. He rubbed his forehead. "Just try. I hope I'm just overthinking."

"Activating the Astrolabe takes a lot of time. By the time the results come out, it'll be tomorrow. I'm going to the Summer Festival tomorrow—I don't have time for divination."

"A blind guy wants to go to a festival?"

Jia Zhao gave a mirthless smile. "Are you discriminating against disabled people?"

Lake sighed helplessly. "Fine, do the divination after tomorrow. Nothing major should happen in a day or two. I'll keep monitoring that magical energy, and if it fluctuates, I'll let you know."

Jia Zhao remained unconvinced. "I still think you're overthinking it. If you're really worried, ask the Town Chief to handle it himself. That should solve the problem."

"This magic power might be even more terrifying than the town mayor..." Lake's eyes were twitching like crazy. "Forget it, let me check the situation first."

Jia Zhao asked him again, "Are you coming to the Summer Festival tomorrow?"

"Me? I just got back, I still have to submit a report at the academy. Probably won't have time to have fun."

"Speaking of which, why are you back early? You've only been gone for three years, right?"

"Three years? I should have been away for over four years."

Jia Zhao let out a mocking laugh. "How could it be four years? It's only been three. Lake, have you finally lost your mind? Does that mean I get to take the top spot at the academy?"

Lake knew it was useless arguing with him—this damn fox had always been at odds with him. Suppressing his anger, he said, "I don't have time to argue with you."

Jia Zhao kept laughing. "Don't be so tense. If something really goes wrong, the witch will send a message. Right now, the town guardian, the mayor, the witch, and even my astrolabe haven't given any signals, so naturally it can't be anything major."

"What if the laws themselves are messed up?"

Remembering how the Magic Passage was closed when he returned home, Lake's unease spread like wildfire. He asked nervously, "What if the laws of Moon Bay are broken, the astrolabe fails, the witch can't use her divination, and Ling Qingjue and the mayor haven't noticed a thing? What do we do then?"

"...The odds of that are about as likely as winning the lottery."

Lake knew the odds were tiny, like a meteor strike—once in a million years.

"Forget it, I'll go consult the teachers at the academy tomorrow."

Jia Zhao whistled and said flippantly, "Good luck."

Lake returned home and spent the night flipping through ancient texts alone, trying to find the source of this power.

He stayed up late searching, but found nothing. Exhausted, Lake checked the time—it was already three in the morning. He crawled into bed and fell asleep instantly.

He was woken by his mother calling for him.

His mother grabbed his hand excitedly. "Lake! When did you come back? Didn't you say you'd be gone for six years?"

Just hearing those words gave Lake a splitting headache. He pulled his hand back, feeling a chill run down his spine, and asked tentatively, "Mom, do you know how many days I've been back?"

His mother didn't listen to him at all. She pulled him into an embrace, tears streaming. "I've missed you so much! You've been gone for three years! Tell me, what have you been up to all this time?"

"..."

Lake's head dropped, and he forced himself to speak. "Mom, today is the third day since I came back."

"How would I not know?" His mother looked confused, stroking his cheek. "Are you avoiding me on purpose?"

"No..." Lake swallowed hard. "Mom, you might not believe this, but this is the third time you've said these words to me."

He glanced at the calendar, and his face lost all color. "Tomorrow... is the Summer Festival?"

"Yes, tomorrow is the Summer Festival."

"But yesterday—"

His voice cut off.

Lake had a terrifying suspicion. He feared time had been frozen to repeat the same day forever.

He was trapped in an endless loop.

But no, why did he still retain his memories?

Lake's head throbbed with pain. He stood up in disbelief, opened the curtains, and saw that it was still drizzling outside—another gloomy day.

"...Still raining."

His mother followed him worriedly. "Lake, what's wrong? Why aren't you talking to me?"

"Mom, I have something to deal with." Lake hastily threw on his clothes. "I need to go see the mayor right now!"

"But—" Disappointment was evident in his mother's eyes. Her son had just come home after three years, and he was ignoring her. Of course, it hurt.

But Lake had no time to comfort her. He rushed to the mayor's house and banged on the door. "Mayor! Come out quickly!"

The mayor popped his shiny bald head out, grinning cheerfully. "Lake! Good lad, you've finally returned?"

Lake grabbed his arm. "Mayor! Do you know that time in Moon Bay has been frozen?"

The mayor's smile remained unchanged, and he said with a knowing look, "Oh? You can sense it?"

He was too calm about it, and Lake shuddered. "Mayor, this wasn't your doing, was it?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I have such power?"

The mayor, with a mysterious air, pulled him inside, looked around to make sure no one was listening, and then said, "It seems only a handful of people realize we're stuck repeating the same day."

"So it's the same day indeed!"

"Today has already repeated over four hundred times." The mayor shook his head gently. "I've watched this same rain over four hundred times."

"Why? Who—"

Lake stopped mid-sentence, the answer already in his mind.

According to ancient records, only one person in the world could control time.

The current Demon King, who had just been crowned.