The Venerable Lotus Flower, Jihao Yuxuan, set his cup down beside her, wearing his characteristic faint smile—one that exuded immense confidence and wisdom.
This evoked a strange, simultaneous mix of comfort, unease, and confidence in her, leaving her thoroughly flustered. Shortly after, Chloe and Madeline departed, chatting happily.
"Brother Jihao Yuxuan, please convey our regards to the Venerable Lady of Heavenly Blessing, Elizabeth."
He bade them farewell with a wave, his voice calm. "Very well. Take care of yourselves, you two charming ladies."
He then turned his gaze toward Jia. Her look had deeply annoyed him, so he returned a cold stare—one that made her feel like a lowly insect in his presence—before his expression shifted back to one of composure.
"Miss Jia, I ask for your understanding regarding Chloe and Madeline's current state. They are immature; the passage of time has affected them physically more than mentally. As Yuta said, they were born from a single word, so they require time to mature."
"Just as we once did, I suppose. The next three years should be enough for them to return to their former selves. That said, they are more dangerous than any entity you might encounter now or in the future—even amidst the destruction currently plaguing this world." The Venerable Lotus Flower, Jihao Yuxuan, spoke calmly as he sipped his tea.
He looked toward Jia, who appeared convinced. Despite his words, her desire to know who they were—and who this "Destruction" figure was—grew steadily.
Picking up her teacup, she spoke in a thoughtful tone: "Does he mean Siri? Or someone else? Chloe and Madeline's gazes are full of curiosity, and they seem to share a sense of familiarity with 'Destruction'..."
"Wait, that's impossible. Siri is the embodiment of the concept of Destruction in this fantasy world; it makes no sense for her to have existed before the world itself. He must mean a different entity. As for their curiosity—they are acting with a childlike familiarity, almost as if they know the *real* Destruction. But who is that latter figure? I suppose the truth will only be revealed once we leave this world."
She turned her attention to the Venerable Lotus Flower, Jiehao Yuxuan, who seemed unconcerned by her distraction. Placing her teacup back on the table, she spoke calmly: "Still, there must be a reason why you are visiting the Casiral family estate."
Jiehao Yuxuan looked at her for a few seconds before laughing aloud, leaving her puzzled. Then, he spoke words that left her stunned: "Is there any reason preventing me from living in my brother Yuto—or Yuta's—estate? I've come to stay here until the Summer Festival ends. Two other guests will be arriving soon, too; you need only be patient."
Jia did not say a word. She realized that she knew absolutely nothing about the person before her; everything she had known previously was but a mere speck of the truth.
She took a sip of tea before answering him in a calm voice that masked her shock: "No, there isn't..." "Visiting your brother is a wonderful reason, Jia, for families to gather on occasions like this."
"You are here with your family, Jia. It won't be long before you learn the truth—a truth that will change everything. The reason you came to the city of Berhais is to discover this truth, which will be revealed at the Summer Festival. Just wait; the festival begins in two days." His voice was calm, instilling a sense of comfort.
She leaned back in her chair, gazing up at the greenhouse ceiling. She recalled Yuta's words from Jeju Island—how dangerous Aster Guilford was, how Yuta intended to kill him, and how she would learn the truth at the Summer Festival. Yet, she remained unsure of the exact nature of that truth; still, she was certain that her reaction would differ from the shock the rest of the world would feel.
"Honestly, I do want to know the truth awaiting me in two days. Patience isn't the issue—I'm willing to accept it, even if it concerns my very existence here—but sometimes, I feel that not knowing might be the better choice." Jia's tone betrayed the confusion and inner conflict she was experiencing.
The Venerable Lotus, Jihao Yuxuan, handed her a light blue phone. She took it from him, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
She turned it on, revealing a fantasy-themed wallpaper, and accessed the home screen. There wasn't much to explore; the device contained only the essential applications.
She opened the gallery, finding it filled with songs, anime videos, manhwa, novels, and a collection of funny and exciting clips. At first, she couldn't find a photo of the phone's owner. After a few minutes, however, an image appeared: a young man wearing a black jacket, with messy black hair and brown eyes gazing into the camera with a distant, absent-minded look—confirming to her that he was indeed the owner.
She left the gallery and tried to open the "Notes" app, but it refused to launch. After several attempts, a notification suddenly appeared in the center of the screen, leaving her stunned:
[Host level insufficient]
[Inappropriate time to access Notes]
The phone then vanished right out of her hands, leaving her completely shocked. She turned her gaze toward the Venerable Lotus Flower, Jihao Yuxuan, who was watching her with a calm expression that masked the confusion he felt at what he had just witnessed. The Venerable Heavenly Blessing, Elizabeth, had asked him to give the device to Jia, but it had disappeared just minutes after being activated; he decided to simply let the matter slide.
Breaking the silence, the Venerable Lotus Flower, Jihao Yuxuan, spoke while looking at Jia: "There is no need to dwell on what just happened. Overthinking is pointless; if it is meant to be useful in the future, it will reappear. If not, it won't."
Jia turned to look at him, a faint smile playing on her lips as she listened to his words. "You are right, Venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan. I suppose I should simply enjoy the peace and quiet until the time comes for the truth to be revealed. Thank you."
The Venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan offered no verbal response to her thanks—nor did she expect one—and she rose to leave, walking away and leaving the Venerable Lotus Flower behind. Jiehao Yuxuan watches her disappear from sight, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Meanwhile, Jia is wandering through the neighborhoods of Berhais—the city streets almost deserted—wearing a gentle, relieved smile. She pauses to gaze at the crimson moon, though her smile does not last long.
Sensing a slight weight in her pocket, she reaches inside and pulls out the same phone; she turns it on and finds a voice message waiting.
She plays it immediately, her expression betraying the tension she feels about what she is about to hear.
[February 23, 2027, at 12:34 PM]
In a neighborhood known as "New City" in Bel-Abbes, months have passed since I was struck by that curse—inflicted by entities from a realm of pure fantasy.
I feel a profound loneliness; no one remembers who I am anymore. Everyone has abandoned me—my family, my friends, and anyone who knew me or would have known me; they constantly forget my existence.
I neither want this life nor this power, yet I am forced to endure this wretched existence. I desperately want to survive, but I cannot—to the point where I have started recording what happens to me, day by day. This is the very first entry.
I don't know what to say, as I am unaccustomed to this; I have never kept a diary or written anything like this before, given the way I live.
Nevertheless, if there is anyone listening, I hope they might help me—or actually, no, I don't want help. But remember: sometimes, the cause of a person's suffering is something they wrote with their own hands. That is why I never, ever, *ever* want anyone to read my journals—even though they contain nothing mysterious or special. It is just a trivial story, 345 pages long—nothing more. I spent nearly five years writing it, plagued by sheer laziness and writing so poorly it's pathetic.
Regardless, it doesn't matter; just do what I asked of you. I am Bou-Taleb, a 19-year-old young man. It seems that calling myself "The Great Outcast" as a joke is actually becoming a reality.
You know, the thing I regret most is not deleting it back then, when it was only three chapters long. If I had done that, I wouldn't be living through this endless torment...
Jiya's gaze was sharp as she listened. She didn't feel the warning was directed at her, yet when she tried to access the diary again, the same notification appeared in the center of the screen, leaving her extremely annoyed:
[Host level insufficient]
[Inappropriate time to open the diary]
However, another notification appeared in a striking gold color, taking Jiya completely by surprise:
[Loading phone data... Mr. Boutaleb, please wait a few seconds for the download to complete.]
Jiya looked at the phone with a bewildered expression before opening a portal to her own spiritual realm.
She materialized in her private mansion and sank wearily onto the sofa, gazing at the phone resting on the table. She recalled the audio recording—it had sounded incredibly familiar.
It was as if she had heard it before, or perhaps even spoken the words herself—but when? And how? The voice was male, yet she was a girl. Who was this "Great Outcast"? And who was this "Boutaleb"? She had never even heard the name in her entire life.
She massaged her forehead, staring up at the ceiling with a look that sought to make sense of it all. For the past year, she had felt as though she were searching for something—something about which there was absolutely no information in the world she inhabited.
She turned her gaze back to the phone, where a notification in a soft golden hue had appeared; she picked it up immediately, filled with an inexplicable sense of excitement.
[Data download complete.]
Jiya eagerly activated it and discovered two new applications: one was a novel with no title, and the other was an app labeled "Life Without a Name and the Great Outcast."
She opened it. She opened the "Memories" app, only to find the same old video—nothing more. Frustrated, she turned to the "Novel" app and tapped to open it, but a notification appeared instead:
[Hidden Quest Completed: Acquired the First Creator's Phone]
[Reward]
[Acquired New Ability: Memories of the Queen of the World "I am the Great Outcast" and the Palace of the Nameless]
Jiya stared at the message in bewilderment. She tapped the app again, triggering a series of notifications:
[Host's level insufficient]
[Inappropriate time to open the memo]
[Cannot open the Novel or Memo apps at this time]
[We request Master Boutaleb to return to their complete form to proceed]
Jiya sighed angrily as she looked at the notification. The phrase "We request Master Boutaleb to return to their complete form" made no sense to her; she considered herself a complete entity—how could she be merely half an entity or a fragment of one?
She placed the phone back on the table in deep annoyance; the notification was incredibly irritating. Nevertheless, she decided to be patient and wait for the right moment to open the memo.
She turned back to pick up the phone, only to find it had vanished again—a discovery that left her extremely annoyed.
She checked her list of abilities and items, wondering if it had automatically been moved to the System's storage:
[ Ability: Ruler of Healers (Rank: ???)
Ruler of Elements (Rank: ???)
Ruler of Beasts (Rank: ???)
Master of Sins (Rank: ????)
Sword Emperor (Rank: ????)
Master of Primordial Chaos (Rank: ???) ] Master of Devouring (XXX++)
Master of All (XXX++)
Saint of Weapons (XXX++)
Memories of the Queen of the World "I am the Great Outcast" and the Palace of the Nameless: Level 1 [Synchronization Rate: 00%]
Items:
[25 × Legendary-rank Energy Recovery Potions
12 × Legendary-rank Refinement Pills
10 × Legendary-rank Healing Potions
13 × Rank 9 Gu Refining Scrolls
3 × Rank 9 Enslavement Gu
14 × Legendary-rank "Shun Kung" 100-Move Art Manuals
Phone of the First Creator (Rank: ????) ]
Jia's gaze was filled with astonishment and bewilderment as she looked at the list of abilities; the Rank XXX Healing ability had evolved into "Ruler of Healers," while the Rank XXX Elemental Master ability had evolved into "Ruler of Elements" (????). Her "XXX-Rank Beast Tamer" class had evolved into "Rampaging Beast Ruler," then into "Primordial Chaos," while her "Devouring" skill had advanced from XXX-Rank to "Master of Devouring."
She recalled losing consciousness on Jeju Island and the subsequent failure of her ability menu to appear—a situation that led her to simply ignore the issue and focus on the immediate challenges before her. She had battled the minions of the Scorpion Organization and monsters of various ranks and high-level dungeons, culminating in a fight against the Goblin Ruler, Kavlur.
Then came the week-long Furslikin Academy Festival—held to commemorate the millennium since the defeat of the Demon World—followed by grueling training that lasted until the end of her studies. The events of the past seventeen days had kept her too occupied to check her status again.
Nevertheless, she felt a sense of relief upon spotting a phone in her inventory. She ultimately decided to leave it be; it wouldn't be of much use since the memo function wasn't working. After all, how would knowing the past of the "Great Outcast" (the Nameless One) or reading what Boutaleb had written actually help her?
Meanwhile, there was the matter of the dragon, angel, demon, and Saiyan genes evolving within her. Although she hadn't taken any specific action to trigger it, she remembered that—unlike Armin—this evolution hadn't occurred when she first broke through to the "Expert Ruler" rank....who had become half-dragon and half-phoenix.
She rose and headed to the garden of her own private spiritual realm to rest and gather her scattered thoughts.
Yet, she found herself lost in deep contemplation, ignoring the advice of the venerable Lotus Sage, Jihao Yuxuan, who had told her not to overthink things—though, as always, there was a difference between words and actions.
Several matters weighed on her mind: the identity of her true family, the reason she was a hybrid of four races, and the origin of that strange "System"—which did nothing but guide her, having introduced itself as a guidance system on the very first day.
Her thoughts then turned to the Magic Emperor, Aster Guilford: why had he chosen her? Why did he forbid her from using her abilities? Was he exploiting her to become a resource that would increase his own power? These were just a few of the hundreds of questions swirling in her mind.
She tried to organize her thoughts, but the questions only seemed to pile up rather than find answers. She also pondered the upcoming summer festival; there were only five days left until it began—or perhaps two days, depending on the count—yet she was puzzled by the specific reference to "the week."
It eventually dawned on her that the festival in question was not the one celebrated by the residents of Berhais City and the surrounding areas, but rather a different summer festival—one where a certain truth would be revealed, and which was set to begin in four days. She wouldn't mind, though, as he was about to answer the many questions weighing on her mind: Who was her real family? Why had Aster Guilford adopted her? Why did she resemble Yuta Casiral? Did Aster intend to kill her and use her as fuel to become stronger?
Furthermore, why was there such a striking resemblance to Yuta? Was it because they were hybrids of the same entities, or simply because they were the same age? She didn't know the answers yet, but she was certain she would have to accept them, as they would determine her entire destiny.
She lifted her head toward the sky with a vacant gaze—crimson eyes staring up at a beautiful blue expanse that suddenly seemed unnervingly realistic, leaving her deeply puzzled.
Then, a message appeared before her eyes, evoking a strange mix of unease and relief.
To her surprise, she felt no drowsiness—unlike the protagonists in novels who would fall asleep the moment an ability notification appeared. Instead, the opposite happened: the world around her began to transform completely.
She found herself in an ordinary village—nothing special about it. There were standard brick and cement houses, along with the kind of infrastructure typical of rural areas or places almost entirely cut off from civilization.
She looked around and spotted a mosque and an old, rusted water tank, alongside another cylindrical structure made of stone rather than metal.
Jiya had no idea where she was; everything felt alien. Even the inhabitants looked different—their hair textures and builds varied, displaying a wide range of colors and shades. From one person to another...
She took out the phone that Muwaqqar Jalil—Lotus Flower—had given her. The time read 4:36 PM, and the date was March 23, 2024.
She turned her gaze toward the house on her left—a place that felt strangely, deeply familiar for reasons she couldn't explain—and headed straight for it without saying a word.
She knocked on the door several times, her expression calm. A woman in her forties opened the door, looking flustered as she studied Jia.
The woman asked in a puzzled tone, wondering about the identity of this stranger—dressed in expensive, somewhat unusual clothing—"What do you want? Is something wrong, or did you get the wrong address?"
Jia remained composed as she listened. She gathered from the woman's words that she lacked social graces; she hadn't used a polite title like "Madam," and her bluntness—while perhaps normal to her—would strike others as rude.
Nevertheless, Jia decided to overlook it. Speaking calmly, she stepped inside after the woman allowed her entry. "Does Boutaleb live here? Here is a photo to confirm."
The woman looked at her for a few seconds before glancing at the photo Jia was holding. She spoke in a somewhat bewildered tone: "There are many people with that surname, and my middle son's name is also Boutaleb. Are you looking for my son, or have you made a mistake? Is it a surname or a first name?"
However, the woman's expression shifted as she looked at the photo of her son; she glanced at Jia again with visible nervousness, which made... Jiya realized she had arrived at the right house.
A woman spoke in a nervous tone as she ushered her into the guest room: "Please, come in—yes, you are in the right place."
Jiya said nothing in response to the woman—whose name was hovering on the tip of her tongue. As she sat down, she thought to herself: "Her name is Maryam; she is the mother of the person who owns the phone—Boutaleb. Yes, that's her; there are one or two photos of her in the gallery."