Chapter 2: When He Opened His Eyes Again, Past and Present Lives

— Time flies like a shuttle. When we carried out the largest-scale review of history, we discovered a shocking truth!!

As if arranged by some mysterious force, on the Amelia Continent, roughly every ten thousand years or so, a new race would rise and defeat the previous ruler of the land, becoming the new protagonist of the continent. After the Giants came the Sea Race, after the Sea Race came the Winged People, after the Winged People came the Elves… Like the alternation of the sun and the moon, like the movement of the stars, this pattern had never been broken. Each race ruled the continent for about ten thousand years, with no more than two hundred years of deviation at either end. And the reason for such deviation seemed to be merely a matter of how fast the new race replaced the previous overlord.

Looking at the whole of history, all of this was like a melody of fate that had been arranged long ago, note by note quietly sounding, flowing in the deepest part of the river of history. In these hundred-odd thousand years of long time, only one discordant note had ever appeared…

“The Protagonist After a Hundred Thousand Years — Strolling Under the Wheels of History”

…

Everything around was dark. Luo Yan felt as if he were stumbling forward in the darkness. There was no cold, no warmth, no feeling at all. He knew nothing; he was simply walking.

Suddenly, without any reason, Luo Yan felt fear. Extreme fear. He did not know what was wrong with him, but he was extremely afraid of the darkness around him!!

The next moment, with a loud shout, Luo Yan suddenly opened his eyes wide. The dazzling sunlight immediately brought tears to his eyes. This sudden change from darkness back to light made him unable to see anything for a moment; all he felt was a vast expanse of white.

Then, right after that, Luo Yan felt pain — tearing pain, all over his body, tearing pain. Under such agony, he could not help but shout out again. But strangely… this pain came quickly and left just as quickly. With his shout, the pain receded like the tide in an instant. His body only felt cool and refreshing, with an indescribable comfort, like soaking in a clear, clean stream on a hot summer day.

What on earth is happening to me?

This was Luo Yan’s first thought, and also his only thought at the moment. But before Luo Yan had time to think it over carefully, he heard a gentle voice carrying a hint of anxiety.

“Son~~ what’s wrong? You suddenly shouted — did you have a nightmare?”

Hearing this voice, Luo Yan’s whole body trembled. Then, in disbelief, he opened his eyes wide and, trembling, looked toward where the voice came from.

【This voice… this voice…】

…Suddenly hearing the gentle voice that had appeared in his dreams for over a hundred years, Luo Yan forgot everything. Almost instinctively, he jerked his head up to look toward the source of the voice, and saw a young woman walking in hurriedly from the doorway…

A momentary daze. Those gentle eyes — the image that had never once been forgotten in the depths of his memory surged forth like a spring. Were these not the eyes of his mother that he had seen countless times in his dreams?!

Helpless trembling. Those familiar eyes seen countless times in the middle of the night… With a cry of anguish, Luo Yan jumped out of bed without a second thought, threw himself directly into his mother’s arms, and let his tears flow freely.

Right now, he did not want to think about why his mother, who should have died when he was eleven years old, had suddenly appeared before him. If this was an illusion, he was willing to trade his entire life’s happiness to make this moment of illusion never end.

Mom… Mom…

It is always after losing something that you realize how precious it was. Luo Yan seemed to recall again the heart-wrenching pain of watching his mother pass away back then — the pain of wishing his mother would become a ghost and return to his side…

For a moment, Luo Yan cried even louder…

But his crying brought confusion to the young woman. She fumbled around her son’s body in a fluster, and only after making sure there were indeed no injuries did she let out a slight sigh of relief. Then she said slowly, “Son? What’s wrong? You’re a big boy now, crying like this — did you have a nightmare?”

By this time, Luo Yan’s agitated emotions had finally eased somewhat. The state of mind forged through over a hundred years of bitter meditation finally began to take effect. Gently wiping away his tears, after once again confirming that what was before him was not an illusion, Luo Yan, still sobbing, shook his head slightly and said, “No~~” After saying this, he looked hard at his mother’s face again, mustered his courage once more, and said, “Mom~~ I missed you!”

Heaven have mercy — these words had been hidden in Luo Yan’s heart for over a hundred years. He had originally thought that only when he returned to the kingdom of heaven would he have the chance to say them… Or perhaps this place was heaven!

Unfortunately, all the heartfelt words that Luo Yan had brewed with so much emotion only made his mother laugh silently. Gently tapping Luo Yan’s head, his mother said with a smile, “Silly boy, being naughty again. You only napped for four hours, and you talk as if you haven’t seen me for a hundred years!”

It really has been a hundred years!!

Hearing this, Luo Yan let out a helpless “shout” in his heart. But his mother did not notice his unusual agitation. She just gently patted his head and said with a smile, “Alright, since you’re awake, go play by yourself. Mom still needs to make dinner — your sister will be home from school soon~~”

As a mother taking care of three children, even as a housewife, Susan was very, very busy!

Unfortunately, the words that usually worked well had no effect today. No matter how Susan urged him, Luo Yan insisted on clinging to her, insisting on cooking with her. Seeing that evening was approaching, but her youngest son was especially stubborn today, Susan had no choice but to let him have his way. She scooped up her little son in her arms and hurried toward the kitchen.

Lying in his mother’s arms like this, Luo Yan revealed a smile of pure innocence and pure happiness…

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Sitting obediently on a small stool, propping up his little face with his hands, watching Susan bustle about in front of the stove, Luo Yan finally woke up from the initial happiness and began to face his current situation squarely.

Looking at the delicate, slender little hands before him, then looking at his mother busy in front of the stove — even the state of mind forged through over a hundred years of bitter meditation was greatly shaken. What on earth was going on?

Instinctively covering his lips with his fingers, Luo Yan began to recall hard: In the morning, he had gotten up, eaten a fine caviar, cream-baked cabbage, and venison pumpkin pie, then met Alan, then started the day’s experiments, and then the blue flame… Blue flame?!

Luo Yan suddenly shuddered. When heating the half-orc heart, there was no way a blue flame should have appeared! Unless Mistu powder was added as a catalyst, but then one had to watch carefully at all times, or it would cause an explosion!

Explosion?!

His face suddenly turned somewhat pale. Alan’s strange behavior, the accident that absolutely should not have happened, and the warning from the Mages Guild at the time — all of it flashed through Luo Yan’s mind. The answer was almost out. The only thing Luo Yan did not understand now was — why did Alan do such a thing?

But soon he put this matter aside for the time being. These things would have answers eventually. But what he should be more concerned about right now seemed to be the current situation rather than some damn explosion…

Hesitating for a moment, Luo Yan tentatively asked, “Mom, what time does sister come home from school? Is her homework heavy?”

Susan was at this moment busy wrestling with the damned wild boar meat in front of her. Hearing the question, she said offhandedly, “Oh~~ today is just the first day of school, so there shouldn’t be much to do. She should be out by four o’clock! Hehe~~ son, today your mom is going to make stir-fried wild boar meat to celebrate. You must be really happy, right!”

First day of school…

Wild boar meat…

The once-sealed memories suddenly surged forth like flowing water. Everything was so clear, so vivid. Luo Yan had never felt his memory so clear before. The memories of a hundred and forty years all floated up in Luo Yan’s mind like magic lantern slides, deeply engraved into him. Luo Yan even felt that even if he wanted to forget, he could not!!

Looking again at his delicate, slender little hands, he waved them feebly. Luo Yan let out a slight groan, realizing a “very serious” problem…

【Could it be… I… have been reborn?!】

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…

The sun gradually set toward the dense forests of the Bale Mountains. The sky was filled with the chirping of tired birds returning to their nests.

During the rest of the afternoon, Luo Yan kept moving his small stool, sitting obediently at the kitchen door, watching his mother Sophie busying herself inside, while silently organizing his chaotic thoughts in his mind.

What on earth is going on?

Helplessly propping his chin with his hand, after the initial excitement and mixed emotions had passed, Luo Yan gradually came to realize that judging from the current situation, it seemed that maybe, possibly, probably, perhaps, or should be… he had been reborn? Returned to his childhood?!

— Wizards all possessed quite excellent divergent thinking. As a rare Necromancy System Alchemist, and one who had nearly achieved fame and become a milestone figure in the history of magic, Luo Yan had ample ability and talent in this regard. He very naturally accepted the seemingly absurd fact that he had “returned to his childhood,” without even a trace of fear or surprise…

Actually, there was nothing to fear or be surprised about. Being able to see his father, mother, older brother, and older sister again — this immense happiness made Luo Yan feel that this was not bad at all. Or rather, it should be said that this was actually very, very good!

But what exactly was going on?

Perhaps because of the wizard’s occupational habit of seeking the truth, Luo Yan had been agonizing over this question all afternoon. But in the end, he could not figure it out. Things like “rebirth” seemed truly not to be a field that humans could touch. At the very least, Luo Yan racked his brains and still could not think of which law of magic could apply to the current situation.

Damn it… Since I can’t figure it out, then I won’t think about it!!

Having wasted an entire afternoon, Luo Yan finally gave up on this unsolvable problem and turned to focus on another, more practical question — which year had he been reborn into? And what was the exact date and time right now?

As for the explosion before his rebirth, Luo Yan was no longer agonizing over it, because he could actually understand what had happened. It was nothing more than someone not wanting his experiment to succeed. As for Alan… for a guy who would not even be born for another hundred years, Luo Yan really did not know how to “now” settle accounts with him. Was he supposed to dig up his ancestors’ graves?

Better to wait until he was born.

Luo Yan thought hatefully. And he understood very well that Alan was at most the executor. Even without Alan, there would have been someone else. What mattered was the mastermind behind the scenes.

Thinking of this, Luo Yan could not help but sneer coldly: “…You people probably never imagined that this explosion would actually send me back to the past, did you? Thank you so much!”

That last “thank you” was practically squeezed out through Luo Yan’s teeth. In fact, Luo Yan had some idea of who the mastermind was. That account would also be settled later. As for the question of “after living once more, will that mastermind still be the mastermind?” — Luo Yan would not consider such things. Everyone must be responsible for what they do, whether it was something you did “before” or something you do “now.”

【Starting over once more, Luo Yan did not feel he had to repeat his previous path. The likelihood of another conflict of interest with that person was not great either. But the debts that needed to be collected — not a single cent could be missing!】

But for now, none of these seemed to be the main point. After all, these were still matters of the distant “future.” Thinking about all that now was just asking for trouble and torturing oneself. What was important now was… hmm~~ what was important was… oh~~ it should be figuring out what year and month it was today! LOL

This kind of question was obviously much easier to handle. Almost the moment the question was raised, Luo Yan had already found the answer.

Hadn’t his mom just said that today was his second sister’s first day of school?

According to convention, the fixed start date for elementary schools on the Amelia Continent was September 1st. This seemed to have been personally established by the “Iron-Blooded Emperor” Emperor Rize Ding, the first human monarch who led humanity to establish its position as the protagonist of the continent. It had never changed in nearly ten thousand years.

Furthermore, because the Davoma Empire stipulated that the legal age for entering elementary school was eight years old, and his second sister Luo Dan was three years older than Luo Yan, that meant today should be September 1st of the year Luo Yan turned five — that is, September 1st, Year 535 of Davoma.

— If that was really the case, then thank the God of Death for his blessing: “that incident” should not have happened yet… Compared to his “grudge,” “that incident” was the true pain of Luo Yan’s entire life!!

【I just need to ask to confirm!!】

The moment he thought of this, Luo Yan suddenly felt a tightness in his heart. He did not know what he was so nervous about, but he was nervous. His fists even clenched involuntarily, his palms full of sweat. He seemed both full of anticipation for the answer and afraid to know it.

“Um… Mom…” After a slight hesitation, Luo Yan finally opened his mouth to ask hesitantly.

But unfortunately, just as he began to speak, a cacophony of noises suddenly came from outside the door — children’s laughter and the pitter-patter of running feet — four o’clock, school was out!

Bang! The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Luo Yan’s question was directly interrupted. Then he saw a little girl of about seven or eight years old run in giggling. Before she even got close, she shouted happily, “Mom~~ I’m home from school~~” Then, as if only just noticing Luo Yan, she immediately said with a smile, “Haha~~ little brother is awake already~~”

Hearing the girl’s silver-bell-like laughter, a smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of Luo Yan’s mouth. This was his second sister Luo Dan, the one closest to him in his previous life. But it had been a long time since Luo Yan had seen his second sister acting so playful.

…After “that incident” happened back then, his second sister seemed to mature overnight. She became gentle and strong, working hard to shoulder the burden of the family. Luo Yan had never seen her laugh so carefree and worry-free again…

Hearing Luo Dan’s shout, Sophie turned her head and said with a smile, “Haha~~ my precious daughter, you’re back. Go inside and drink a glass of water. Was the first day of school tiring today?”

“Not tiring at all. School is really fun! The teacher praised me today for being very smart~~” Luo Dan replied cheerfully as she ran and hopped toward the inner room.

Behind her, Sophie added another reminder: “Mm~~ change your clothes and come out quickly. We’re eating soon… and today we have delicious stir-fried wild boar meat~~”

“Stir-fried wild boar meat?!” Just about to enter the room, Luo Dan suddenly stopped in her tracks at these words, almost falling over. She turned her face around, and her expression had already become very strange.

Seeing his second sister’s expression, Luo Yan was startled. Then a tiny memory suddenly flashed through his mind. Immediately after, Luo Yan’s mouth also puckered up, and his expression became even stranger than his second sister Luo Dan’s!!

— Not for any other reason, only because Luo Yan suddenly remembered that his mother Sophie had never really been good at cooking. The food she made could only be described as so-so, but at least it was edible. Except for this “stir-fried wild boar meat”…

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Sitting at the dinner table with a face full of cold sweat, Luo Yan’s expression was truly bizarre. His mother’s strongly recommended “stir-fried wild boar meat” was indeed, just as in his memory, full of “special” flavor. The sweet, honey-like taste paired with big chunks of white fat made Luo Yan’s face turn somewhat green… He really could not understand how his mother could like such a “wonderful” flavor. What kind of taste “enjoyment” was this!

But even with a green face, he had to eat. When Sophie lost her temper, it was truly terrifying. Even having been reborn once, Luo Yan did not have the courage to face his mother’s wrath directly. And if he did not appreciate her most appreciated “stir-fried wild boar meat,” Sophie would definitely fly into a rage.

…Very bravely forcing down a mouthful of white fat, Luo Yan pretended as if he had suddenly remembered something. Frowning, with a face full of innocence, he casually asked, “Oh, right, Mom… why didn’t Dad come home today?”

Hearing this, Sophie could not help but show a strange expression. She said in surprise, “Your dad led a team into the mountains to hunt yesterday. You even made a fuss and cried about it. Have you forgotten all of that?!”

That’s right! This is it!!

Luo Yan gave a dry laugh and brushed the question off. When he lowered his head to eat, however, a glint of sharpness flashed in his eyes…

That’s right, it really was right! That incident really had not happened yet!

That damnable incident that had completely destroyed the happiness of Luo Yan’s family!!

【Thank the great God of Death. Thank you for giving me the chance to do it all over again…】