Just as before: going to school, coming home. This repetitive routine went on and on. If not for seeing Elder Gu holding a pot in one hand and making fire with the other to heat it up every day after school, Yuanchu would have truly thought his period of unconsciousness was just a dream.
Actually, he couldn't be blamed. Nothing defying common sense had ever happened in his life since childhood, yet now his existing worldview was suddenly shattered.
The longer people stay in their comfort zones, the harder it is for them to accept new challenges. It was all the same principle.
Still, this was no small challenge for Yuanchu, who was not yet an adult. Fortunately, after digesting it over these past few days, he had already come to accept the existence of such things.
Occasionally he would ask the old man if there were ghosts and monsters in this world, and Old Gu would just smile.
But when he asked the old man if he was a fucking idiot, Old Gu personally made Yuanchu experience the formidable power of such strength.
"So, will I also have this kind of ability?"
"The time is not yet ripe," Elder Gu said, putting on a mysterious air.
"Then how long do I have to wait?"
"The Day of Genesis."
……
"So when does the Day of Genesis arrive?" After class one day, Yuanchu slumped his entire body across the desk.
"Should be very soon, probably in about another day or so," Han Xinnian comforted Yuanchu from the side.
"Hey, isn't that just my birthday?" Yuanchu straightened up, suddenly realizing this fact.
"That's right! Viewed that way, the Day of Genesis is sure to bring you good luck."
"Heh, maybe."
"Come to think of it, Elder Gu has been using his abilities these past few days to reinforce the barrier."
"Yeah, who knows what that old man is up to again." Yuanchu pressed his face against the desk, feeling its coolness.
"Hey, come to think of it, why didn't that old man use his abilities before, but now he uses them every day?" Yuanchu suddenly thought of something and looked up at Han Xinnian.
"I don't know." Pouting as she pondered, Han Xinnian looked even more airheaded than usual. She tried to think, but ultimately the words that came out were still the same: "I don't know."
Yuanchu sighed. As expected, he shouldn't have counted on her to provide an answer. His childhood sweetheart had never been very smart since they were little.
Yuanchu continued pressing his face against the desk. On such a hot day, the desk was definitely the coolest place to be.
……
One day later.
"Thank you to all the elders, all the teachers, and all the students! Welcome everyone to celebrate this once-in-eighteen-years Day of Genesis!"
The host on stage held the microphone and spoke with passionate enthusiasm, facing countless cheering and shouting students, with all the members of the Elder Council seated right behind him.
Yuanchu sat in the audience, watching the crowd of people howling and cheering around him, and couldn't help but massage his forehead. Thinking of what the old man had told him earlier, his head hurt even more.
"Yuanchu, I have only one demand: on the Day of Genesis, your mood must be good. If you dare drop a single raindrop, you can go back and wait to die."
"Damn it! What kind of nonsense is this?" Yuanchu tried hard to recall anything from these past years worth being happy about, but besides living with that old codger every day, it seemed there wasn't much to be happy about.
Yuanchu turned his gaze to Han Xinnian beside him. Ah right, wasn't there still a cute little childhood sweetheart? Yuanchu's mood suddenly improved a lot. Of course, that was on the condition of ignoring her rather airheaded nature.
Han Xinnian noticed Yuanchu's gaze and tilted her head slightly: "What is it?"
Yuanchu smiled: "Nothing, I just think you look really pretty today."
"Really?" The girl's face flushed slightly. After all, this was the JK outfit she had specially worn today; the blue shirt paired with the white skirt made the girl look full of youthful vitality under the sunlight.
Naturally, Yuanchu didn't notice the girl's blushing face. Before that, he had already cast his gaze toward the elders behind the host. After searching for a moment, he spotted Old Gu wearing a smile.
Old Gu seemed to sense Yuanchu's gaze as well and returned it with a smile.
Yuanchu felt it was somewhat bad luck and turned his head to look elsewhere.
"Elder Gu, what are you looking at?" Elder Han, sitting nearby, noticed that Elder Gu's smile seemed a bit abnormal and kindly asked.
"Ah, nothing. I see our students are so full of vitality, and I am deeply gratified. Our island needs students like this to bring vigor to this place," Elder Gu remarked with emotion.
"I wouldn't have thought Elder Gu cares so much about our island; I'm truly moved." Elder Han reached the hand resting on the table toward Elder Gu's hand.
Without leaving a trace, Elder Gu pulled back his hand to prop up his chin, turning his face to the other side to keep Elder Han from seeing his awkwardness:
"Just doing my part, just doing my part."
Elder Han simply assumed the man before him was being shy and said nothing more.
"Then I now announce: the once-in-eighteen-years Day of Genesis officially begins!"
Amidst the applause of the crowd, a gigantic meteorite was carried onto the stage by a dozen robust men.
This meteorite was pitch black all over, yet right down the middle ran a massive, bottomless fissure.
Yuanchu looked at this fissure, then glanced at Han Xinnian, who was staring fixedly at it next to him. *Em,mm*, stuffing her inside it would be more than enough.
"It is said that eighteen years ago, a meteorite appeared right above Dream Island. If this island had been struck by that meteorite, it undoubtedly would have been a massive disaster for this place."
"And today, we have invited the man who resolved that disaster—Elder Gu. It is precisely because of this man that we were saved, and it is precisely to commemorate him that the once-every-eight-years event is designated as the Day of Genesis."
"Now, please use your most enthusiastic applause to welcome the man who saved Dream Island."
The crowd below broke into applause one after another, and Yuanchu also half-heartedly clapped twice with both hands. At that moment, the previously cloudless sky suddenly sprouted numerous clouds that blocked the intense sunlight.
Yuanchu noticed that the descending Old Gu was glaring at him with a threatening look, so Yuanchu reluctantly squeezed out a smile. In an instant, the sunlight pierced through the clouds once more.
Elder Gu was satisfied, but Yuanchu was unhappy. Moreover, he still had to suppress his inner emotions.
Elder Gu took the microphone from the host's hand and began his impassioned speech.
"Blah, blah..."
"Ugh la, ugh la, ugh la..."
"......"
Everyone listened with burning passion, and some even burst into tears at the most touching parts.
Yuanchu looked at everyone with a speechless expression. It wasn't that he lacked emotion; it was just that ever since he learned Old Gu's secret, that old codger had been giving him this speech every single day before bedtime.
Especially since he had clearly recovered from his illness, yet he had been forcibly pinned to the bed by that old bastard to listen to a full two and a half hours of lecturing.
The old man claimed he was recounting his heroic deeds to prepare him for future speeches.
The thought that this was the latter's final speech filled Yuanchu's heart with a sudden wave of emotion. This kind of life was finally coming to an end.
Thinking of this, tears of joy fell from Yuanchu's eyes. At this moment, he was more moved than anyone else.
Elder Gu quietly observed the silently weeping Yuanchu and couldn't help but feel deeply touched as well.
*Good boy, I thought you'd be sick of hearing it after so many times, but who would have thought you'd still be so moved by my story.*
*Just wait, tonight I'm definitely going to make you recite it until you've memorized it.*
It was just a question of whether Yuanchu could still cry if he knew what Elder Gu was thinking inside.
……
Perhaps because Elder Gu reached the emotional climax of his speech, the deeds originally scheduled for two and a half hours stretched to three hours. If Elder Han hadn't finally gone up and snatched the microphone away, there was no telling how long he would have kept talking.
The host took the microphone back, wiped away tears of unknown origin, and continued:
"Very well, then. The second item on our agenda for today's event: students, please step forward on your own to touch this meteorite. It is said that anyone who can make the meteorite emit light has the qualification to possess abilities as powerful as Elder Gu's."
Hearing this, the crowd collectively drew in a sharp breath. Even Yuanchu only now understood—no wonder the old man had made him wait for this day; this was probably the true purpose of the Day of Genesis, to let students with the right aptitude acquire abilities.
The good show was only just beginning.