Go back to the past and go to the "real" future

Luo Mo sat up very straight and didn't say a word. He wanted to look serious and important.

Someone had asked him about Mr. Assassin and the Captain, but he honestly didn't know who they were! Me? I do not remember!

Before, to help Kongming, Luo Mo had pretended to be someone else, He even faked some tears to make it look real.

Now, he felt really bad about that.

It was like lying, and he didn't want to do it ever again!

It's really cool that the he made sure everyone can enjoy the special event! Even if some players(whale and Poseidon) have lots of money to spend, they still need to play the game to get a special reward.

Luo Mo added a piece of Kongming's clothing that you can only get by playing the event for a while. This is really fair for everyone!

And hey, doesn't Kongming look awesome in her special Chinese New Year dress? It's the perfect outfit to celebrate the arrival of spring!

Even the biggest players, the ones who spend lots of money on the game, want to feel like brave heroes! But even they don't get to become an entire ship's crew all by themselves.

As for trumpets, speeches, etc., in fact, this world still has strict requirements regarding the network environment, speeches, game accounts, etc.

If the game company requires it, each person can only have one account.

Unless a hacker hacks in, don't even think about it.

In other words, he changed the wind review.

---

Kongming passed away, and it wasn't a quick, easy way to go for the young girl.

Her body slowly grew colder and colder, and her breaths became weaker and weaker until they stopped. Sometimes, even with all her strength, she couldn't hide a little look of pain on her face.

you remember an old story about the stars, how they used to be people like you and me on Earth.

Back then, the ocean and the sky were all one big thing.

A man set sail in his tiny boat, traveling down the river, but somehow he ended up sailing all the way into the faraway sky! That's how people became the twinkling stars we see at night.

You held her close and softly called out her name...

but nothing came back, no answer to your voice.

The girl you knew, right there in front of you...

and the girl you remember in your heart... all of her memories, every single word she ever spoke, started to swirl and mix inside your head.

Maybe now she's become one of those bright stars up high, looking down on us all night long.

Did you know, the very last thing she said before she left was her own name?

Yeah, who was the one who killed Rita?

Apart from the monsters, wasn't she the only onlooker who gathered the formations at that time and arrived late?

But she will not hang herself, nor will she take the initiative to die, because she has made a promise,

have been in a trance when she drank the poisonous wine.

After all, it happened to be such a coincidence, and I was unprepared.

In the end, she leaves it all in your hands, the captain's hands. But what are you supposed to do about it?

You hear the guards cry out with the news that she's gone, that Kongming isn't with us anymore.

Glasses clink and crash, people start to shuffle and move all around you.

Some people are wailing with sadness, others are shouting, there are cries of despair, and even sounds of excitement.

Footsteps hurry past, someone collapses on the ground, helpless and lost.

It's all a jumble in your head, a swirling storm of every single moment you shared with her. Memories and the hard reality of now are all mixed together.

You think about how much she seemed like an old friend, and about that final bet – she put every last bit of hope in your hands.

It was more than trust – she couldn't imagine a world without Rita in it.

...And that means the only thing you can do now is face the future, the "real" future, and make it happen!

You raced as fast as you could towards Kongming's room, to where Ms. Iron Fist stays.

She said that someone could save this whole mess, she said Mr. Iron Fist was the key!

That means there has to be something you can do, you have to believe it.

When you burst into Kongming's room, you saw a small figure with her back pressed against the screen. A huge, metal-colored hand was like a chair for her, and two other giant hands gently held her still.

But even with all that support, her head hung down, sad and weak.

---

"Ms. Iron Fist? " The voice was calm and quiet, but there was a tiny hint of something like playfulness hidden way down deep.

Tesla knew her friend Einstein really well, and she knew his personality could be just as teasing as he was in the game.

"What now? Do you think my new look is funny or something?" Tesla waved her hand, impatient, like she was saying 'go away, don't bother me if you don't have anything important'.

Right now, she wasn't in the mood for any silliness.

"And hey, don't you think I'm showing up a bit too much these days?" Tesla grumbled.

"Haha, just a silly little joke," Einstein chuckled softly. Then, switching gears, she asked in a casual way, "Speaking of which, Dr. Tesla, don't you think our anti-entropy group seems less... special lately?"

"Huh? Special? What are you talking about?" Tesla stopped what she was doing, looking confused. She didn't get what Einstein meant.

"Well, it's like...our whole anti-entropy thing doesn't have something that makes us stand out," Einstein explained, pushing her glasses up her nose with a serious look.

"Stand out? Why would we need to stand out?" Tesla asked, even more puzzled.

"Think about it. Schicksal has their powerful Valkyries, the World Serpent has their Flame-Chasers, but what's the coolest thing about Anti-Entropy? It should be Herrschers! You remember learning about that in Himeko's class, right?"

"Umm...well, yeah... I heard Kiana finally became the Herrscher of Fire," Tesla mumbled, wiping some sweat off her forehead without being too obvious.

That place...it sounded truly terrifying. If things kept going this way, it seems like pretty soon all the Herrschers would be in one place!

"Exactly! Now that we don't have that big advantage with a Herrscher on our side, Anti-Entropy is still lucky to have the amazing Dr. Tesla!" Einstein said with a Smile. "You're smart and talented enough to be the face of Anti-Entropy, and then some!"

"Don't go putting me on some fancy pedestal! In the game, we might be like big-shot celebrities, but in real life, we're just names in old, dusty textbooks that nobody remembers anymore," Tesla grumbled.

She glanced at Einstein, who seemed so calm and collected, and felt a little annoyed. Does she think she can keep tricking me like this?

How come she always tries to pull the same trick over and over?

"And speaking of which, Mophead," Tesla continued,

"do you think all that stuff they learn in school is really useful? I bet if Bronya could learn more from Welt, or if Raiden Mei could sit down and actually talk to someone who wrote all those boring physics books, things would be way more interesting!"

"Of course it's effective… Knowing exactly how your powers work lets you use them in more clever ways. Imagine if you and Mei both got the Herrscher of Thunder power – you'd use it totally differently, even if you had the same ability!" Einstein explained calmly.

"No, no, no, you know that's not what I meant!" Tesla shook her head, waving a hand to stop Einstein from trying to fool her.

She understood all that stuff already!

Einstein paused for a moment and sighed. Looking up at Tesla, she said, "Honestly, I think Luo Mo has a point... we should find something to keep the Herrschers occupied. That way, they might stop causing so much trouble."

Tesla was stunned and looked at Einstein blankly, with an unbearable smile on her face.

"You two are going to get in so much trouble one of these days! You really are..." Tesla started, but couldn't find the right words.

"Really what?" Einstein asked with a flip of her hair. "Don't worry, Wendy already learned all about ideal fluid mechanics, and she's got awesome ideas up her sleeve!"

...

"Off to the real future? Whew!" Elysia took a big, deep breath and pulled out two tissues, placing them on the table with a hopeful smile.

She was not about to cry just now ♪

Just helping Eden wipe away the wine drops he accidentally spilled, yes, that's it ♪

"If you don't like how your future looks, just change it! That's... actually a really good way to think about things," Eden said thoughtfully.

Aponia had quietly walked into the living room and watched the scene with a sigh. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes that wouldn't quite go away.

"Exactly! A future that isn't perfect for a beautiful girl isn't a real future at all! Dear Aponia, come sit and watch with me!" Elysia chirped, patting the spot next to her.

After a moment of hesitation, Aponia slowly sat down beside Eden. The soft sofa cushion squished down a bit under her weight.

" Change the future? I hope not, like me..." Aponia said, her face filled with worry, like she was remembering a time when she couldn't control the bad things that happened.

"I hope the future won't be the same as the past. I hope there's a way to make things better, to make the bad stuff go away," she whispered.

"Don't worry, the story won't be too sad anymore! Luo Mo made sure of that..." Elysia chirped, still full of energy. "It doesn't matter how it happened, let's just enjoy watching it all unfold!"

Even if something happened that felt a little scary, Elysia knew that she wouldn't let it get her down!

...

"Change the future? No wonder you disappeared so quickly, Rita," Kallen said, returning to headquarters.

There was still some time before her next meeting, so she took a moment to relax.

She leaned back in her chair as Rita came up behind her and began gently massaging her shoulders.

"The future isn't something you can just change on a whim," Rita said softly, her fingers working their magic on Kallen's tense muscles.

Even while doing her duties as a maid, Rita's voice held a hint of wisdom.

"Oh? But don't you want to see yourself looking powerful and amazing in the game?" Kallen asked with a playful Smile.

"Well, it's a tempting thought, but trying to change the future often costs more than it's worth," Rita replied softly. "Sometimes, trying to change things only makes us realize that the way things are now is the best it can be."

"That's true..." Kallen nodded. But then she thought about Otto and how he fell from that high place.

Did he truly change the future?

And if he did, what did he have to give up to do it?

Was it his life?

Would he simply disappear?

Questions swirled around and around in Kallen's mind...

...

You stand there, carefully looking over Ms. Iron Fist. All of her cool robot parts, the fluffy bunny ears, even the flashes of lightning all around her – nothing about her seems like she belongs in this world!

Even though you don't understand why you want to help Kongming, and your memories of her are kind of fuzzy, you're determined to keep your promise.

Stretching out his hand, purple lightning flashed, and Ms. Iron Fist in front of him made a sound of successful authentication, but for some unknown reason, she could not be awakened and was in low-limit mode.

You started talking and talking to Ms. Iron Fist, telling her stories about Kongming, about you're your captain journey, and even about Rita.

Some of your words stumbled and jumbled together, but you just kept going.

You wished, you hoped, that maybe something you said would make her turn on.

Finally, after what felt like forever, you heard a buzzing electronic sound!

" Keyword retrieved, analyzing... Analysis completed, amplification function activated... Please locate the anchor point, and start transfer after charging is completed..."

Anchor? You don't quite understand what it means, but you can only give it a try.

It felt like you were floating inside a gentle bubble, your mind slowly drifting back.

Your body felt light, almost like it wasn't there...like you were in a weird, fuzzy dream.

A strange smell tickled your nose, getting stronger and stronger.

Suddenly, your eyes snapped open! The smell was awful, bitter and sharp, and it filled your mouth.

"Cough, cough, cough!" you gasped, sitting up quickly in bed.

Something made a crackly, crinkling sound – whatever it was, it sounded like it broke.

Looking up, you saw Ms. Kongming…

She was waving her fan slowly, staring at you without blinking.

It felt like she wanted to stare a hole right through you!

That icy glare... yep, this was definitely the Ms. Kongming you remembered.

Kongming's voice was sharp and angry. "You silly, stupid oaf!" she yelled(not really), glaring at you with eyes that could cut through stone.

She's super smart, but she can't figure out why you, the guy who calls himself 'captain,' is back here. And worse, in her room!

Remember, to save your life she used half of the powerful Penglai incense...but when you woke up, you knocked over the rest and it was wasted!

No wonder she was a little bit mad!

You chat with Kongming for a while, and there's no doubt about it - you've somehow traveled three months back in time!

Kongming's biggest worry right now is how to save Rita from that scary alien beast, Huodou.

She's really stuck on what to do, Part of her knows Rita can handle dangerous stuff, and Theresa worked out a special help agreement with two other countries.

But then Kongming remembers the message Rita sent, and she starts thinking about using, or maybe even fixing, that old formation...

" They... reinforcements won't come. "

you said quietly. Since you're the mysterious 'captain' with special powers, making suggestions to Kongming is the best way to make a difference.

Plus, you've already spilled a whole bunch of secrets, even about Ms. Iron Fist! All of that must have made Kongming believe you a little more.

It seemed like convincing her wasn't as impossible as you thought. She quickly agrees that you need to explore those underwater ruins.

This proves that deep down, she knew this was the best plan, she just trusts Rita way too much to always make the call on her own.

Down in the ruins, Kongming uses the powerful seven-star formation, only to get terrible news... Huodou, the Alien beast, is already on its way to Moon Emberya City!

Rita's message said she could take care of everything herself and that Kongming should just focus on her studies.

But now Kongming's mumbling spells and all that talk about your future have proven something awful:

--- if nothing changes, Rita is going to die.

" There's no time, let's talk as we walk. "

Kongming said, grabbing your sleeve and practically dragging you towards Moon Emberya City. She looked worried, almost scared as she hurried along.

As you got closer, you saw little fires flickering all over the place, in backyards and side streets. It was strange though...nobody was trying to put them out.

Kongming sighed with relief when she saw everything looked calm in the city. It seemed like the worst hadn't happened yet, and that meant maybe Rita wasn't even here. That was definitely a good thing!

Kongming had a hunch that Rita and that giant scary beast, Huodou, were fighting up in the mountains out back. The high peaks and narrow paths would make it harder for the huge beast to move easily!

Thinking fast, she snapped a branch off a small tree and quickly drew the symbol for a rain formation Spell on the ground.

Without wasting another second, she turned and sprinted towards where the fight was happening!

...

"Can we save sister Kongming this time?" Luna asked, her eyes filled with worried tears.

All those big, powerful emotions had gotten to Luna – she felt deeply for other people and it was obvious she'd been really upset by everything that happened.

It's also because she shares the same face as Kongming, and when Luna reads comics, she often imagines what it would be like to be super powerful, maybe even rule the world!

Imagine having someone special, like her Human, who always stays by your side and supports you no matter what... Luna thinks that would be amazing!

Luna knows those powerful leader dreams were just little fantasies. But Kongming... well, she really is like that!

Therefore, although most people are substituted as captains, she is substituted as a kongming.

Will Rita die this time?

"Um..." Luo Mo felt his face go a little hot.

He's used to fooling people without a single guilty thought... but looking at Luna's red eyes and worried expression, he feels a little bad.

He wishes he hadn't made the story quite this sad! What if Luna starts crying? How many times will he make her cry with this whole mess?

After a moment of careful thought, Luo Mo remembered how the story went. "Rita won't die," he said softly, "at least, not this time."

"Hmph, what do you mean by 'this time'? Are you trying to say there's a next time?..." Kongming grumbled, but then she saw Luo Mo's face and her eyes softened a little.

She knew this must have been tough on him too. (Luo Mo: I FORGOT)

Kongming decided not to keep harping on about Rita being dead because, well, her Rita was alive and kicking!

Luo Mo shook his head, but didn't say anything else. It was time to keep reading...

Luna feels a warm little glow of happiness.

Even though the internet people say all sorts of mean stuff, she hasn't given up on herself yet! Her promises are getting done, one by one... it's because her human is working hard, and she knows he can do it!

Only the eternal contract remains to be fulfilled (in the end).

Luo Mo looked at the screen, the white-haired dwarf in the lower right corner of the view, and thought to himself, the principal is surprisingly calm this time.

Unexpectedly, just when he was overjoyed,

Theresa said "Wow" and looked back at kongming with gleaming eyes. She had always felt that the other party's pretentious clothes were no longer disgusting.

Kongming felt her hair stand on end. It was creepy the way Theresa was looking at her! "What are you doing? What's wrong with you?" she asked nervously.

"Kongming, you know how to pray for rain now? Can you do it again?" Theresa asked, her eyes still gleaming.

Could it be that magic is really real?

All those formations and stuff Kongming does seem pretty magical!

The corner of Kongming's mouth twitched and she quickly looked away from Theresa.

Honestly, Luo Mo was pretty curious about this whole praying for rain thing too!

Jeez, it was almost unbearably hot out!

He really, really hoped Kongming could use her formations to make it rain!