This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist-Chapter 1080 Divine Game My World 25 No Light
"Beacon’s sigh does include you. It was worried about you, because when you led the Vineborne away from Beacon, you were still so young."
The answer was completely unexpected. Dawn Cicada lost all expression in an instant.
Was it emotion or mockery. Surprise or guilt. Calm or release. None of it appeared.
After hearing the answer, Dawn Cicada put on a flawless mask. She was stingy even with her emotions, unwilling to let outsiders see even a trace. She nodded toward BS Rita in thanks.
"I owe you a favor. When Dawn crushes BS, I will repay it."
Rita almost failed to catch her breath. Even the coldness on her face cracked.
Someone even more deserving than Sea Pony of being poisoned into silence had appeared.
Even Lightchaser, whose emotional intelligence had long hovered below minimum operating standards, cast Dawn Cicada a puzzled glance at that response.
Only when Rita’s gaze followed Dawn Cicada’s departing back and she saw no new Vine forming did her irritation ease slightly.
Rita waited a little longer, but no second person asked whether the sigh contained them.
For questions like that, she was willing to give simple answers for free.
But information that could shape an entire race, such as Skycrab deep sea restaurant recipes, Fireglint jewelry formulas, or secret techniques to alter Vine attributes or colors, required something in exchange. At the end of the day, her relationship with World Sighs was purely transactional.
She gave Lightchaser and Ash Cinders a reassuring smile. Once she confirmed they had nothing more to say, she ended the call.
The ship slowed to a stop. A new World Sigh awaited her.
The vessel shaped like her soul fire was already half lit.
And there were still thirty days until the game ended.
...
No Light was called No Light not because the world was truly plunged into endless darkness without a trace of brightness.
It was because we, the Candlebeasts who lived there, had pitch black flames at the ends of our hair.
Seven candle flames, each one dark.
In theory, the stronger we became, the closer the color of our candle flames would approach white, growing brighter and brighter.
That theory was not wrong.
But most Candlebeasts were ordinary folk. When ordinary folk like us gathered to play together, heaven help us, it got dark.
And to be fair, that theory had a second half. Legend said that once the candle flames turned white, they would slowly darken again, shifting back toward black. In short, Candlebeasts seemed fated to be entangled with black candle flames.
Of course, why My World was named this was only my own conclusion.
My elders said No Light was called No Light because whenever we died, our candle flames were extinguished. Our world treasured every candle flame it possessed, so it chose this name to commemorate every Candlebeast who had died.
All right, that topic is too heavy. After hearing that, I rarely made jokes about it again.
Living in No Light, the thing you need least is probably a lamp.
Because in our world, every living being, Candlebeasts included, glows.
Insects crawling along treetops, birds, butterflies, and cicadas in the air, fish, shrimp, crabs, and shells swimming through rivers and seas.
Their light, like the candle flames at the ends of Candlebeast hair, is understated. By that I mean beautiful, gentle, and easy on the eyes.
The only truly harsh moment is probably in the kitchen, where you can clearly see which pests are sneaking bites of your leftovers.
But that is easy to solve. Just light an incense stick with the candle flame at the end of your hair and place it in the kitchen. Those pests will think the homeowner is still around and know to stay away.
The first to discover this trick were not cooks, but us, the Sacred Flame Doctors.
On their first birthday, a Candlebeast will randomly ignite seven flame tails on newly grown soft hair. After that, there is no changing it.
If you cut the strand of hair that holds a burning candle flame, the flame does not get angry. It simply floats upward in silence and stubbornly settles at the point where you cut it.
Even if you shave away all the hair connected to the flame, leaving a bald patch of scalp, the candle flame will calmly take up residence right there.
If you are lucky, you might occasionally see a bald Candlebeast in the street with seven flames standing guard on their head. Whether they went bald voluntarily or not, we privately call such Candlebeasts mad Candlebeasts.
They do not mind the nickname. If they are willing to walk outside like that, it means they do not care. Otherwise, why would they refuse to even buy a hat.
In short, where candle flames appear is not something even Candlebeasts can change, just like facial features. We cannot decide it ourselves.
And yet, we are extremely particular about the height and spacing of floating candle flames. That is Candlebeast aesthetics.
Over time, a mysterious profession emerged. The Sacred Flame Doctor.
For Candlebeasts, moving the candle flames at the ends of our hair is no different from surgery.
No, I am not a hairdresser. Haircuts are haircuts. Moving candle flames is moving candle flames. These are two different professions.
There are nearly a hundred methods to move candle flames, all researched by brilliant Candlebeasts. They are closely guarded secrets. Only Candlebeasts capable of moving hair end candle flames are qualified to obtain a Sacred Flame Doctor license.
If a Candlebeast invents a method to move candle flames, their entire family can rise on that single craft.
Studies show that every Candlebeast will move their hair end candle flames at least one hundred times in their lifetime.
Just think about it. What a market that is.
No Candlebeast would ever publicly disclose how to move candle flames, and no one would demand it. On matters that do not concern the survival of Candlebeasts, we do not encourage sharing.
No matter how many Candlebeast Kings rise and fall, none would ever make such a demand. Forcing Sacred Flame Doctors to share their methods would trigger massive chain reactions.
Candlebeasts love play by nature. We love researching anything that makes life richer and more enjoyable.
Our favorite saying is, "Before the candle flame goes out."
When I was young, I used to foolishly ask my mother, "Before the candle flame goes out, and then what?"
It was clearly only half a sentence. Why did adults never finish what they were saying.
Later, I traveled many places, met many Candlebeasts, and experienced countless things. In the end, I returned home and became a free music Candlebeast, performing by the roadside.
I play every melody I have heard on my travels, sing every legendary story I have listened to.
My schedule is irregular, just like Candlebeast life plans. Our life plan is to never plan our lives.
When I grew up, I naturally understood what that phrase meant. "Before the candle flame goes out" was not teaching Candlebeasts to treasure time and work hard.
It meant hurry up and play while you can, Candlebeasts.
Perhaps only something that could change the fate of all Candlebeasts would ever change that.
No Light
