Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

The light ting of the wooden xylophone, akin to the sound of water droplets falling on a stone, emanated from the old music box in the attic, slightly distorted, a popular tune from many years ago.

The song was soothing and full of nostalgia, like the hazy silhouette disappearing under the setting sun, a blur that was once the best playmate of one's childhood, but whose face and name have since been forgotten.

Gu Qianlou silently sat in the attic he hadn't visited for many years, looking at everything that was once familiar in the room, recalling some memories from the past when he was young and impulsive, dreaming of changing many things, toppling the disliked adults and predecessors.

But in the end, he didn't do so. As he grew up, he understood the difficulties in everything he did, realizing that just maintaining the status quo was challenging enough.

Gradually, he had become one of those adults he used to despise, but he never regretted it.

The younger self only saw a corner of the world and foolishly thought it was all there was, spouting grandiose and embarrassing words. As he grew older, he no longer made such senseless remarks.

His sister was a kind and simple person, with a touch of naive cuteness and cunning. She would fantasize about many beautiful things and believe in strangers she had never met before.

She used to sit in this attic as well. It was their secret base as children, where they would keep books, movies, games, and interesting and novel things brought by visitors, all too captivating to let go.

However, such youthful days have long since passed.

With growing experiences and age, it became harder and harder to relate to those flawed stories, the bizarre plot twists meant for dramatic effect, and even the movies that moved others to tears seemed contrived and childish.

Life forced one to grow up, gradually losing novelty and fun, and he slowly focused on various matters, drifting apart from his sister, until one day when she naively mentioned her ideas in front of him.

He understood that these fantasies were also dear to many in the city, but such unplanned and unrealistic dreams only led to injury. He explained this, but unfortunately, 'hope' is the sweetest poison, luring those who harbor fantasies deeper into the abyss.

His sister nearly died in the turmoil; afterward, he vaguely perceived the other party's intentions and ultimately let them go.

"It's better if you leave on your own. I'll tell everyone that you're dead, and it's best if you never come back." Being heartless was better, that way one didn't have to be sad too often and could focus on accomplishing more.

Eventually, he had slowly gotten used to everything as it was now, forgetting the existence of that figure.

…Until that familiar-looking girl appeared.

"Your daughter is just as naive and stubborn as you were." He picked up the small photo frame on the desk, which contained a picture of a brother and sister, about thirteen or fourteen years old; the brother grinned broadly while the sister wore a sun hat, standing together in the sunshine.

Dust swirled in the attic, and the indistinct music box slowly came to the end of its tune, quieting the room.

Light footsteps could be heard from the stairs behind, with the old wooden steps trembling slightly underfoot and the rusty nails creating a creaking noise.

The wooden door of the attic was carefully pushed open, and a black-haired girl walked in, looking at the figure seated by the desk.

"Uncle…" The title was so unfamiliar that after the girl uttered it, she did not know how to continue.

The room fell silent for a few seconds before the figure stood up.

"Hmm." The response was low and light, only audible due to the silence of the surroundings.

Neither of them were conversationalists, they just looked quietly at one another before Hexia lowered her head slightly—after all, her mother had taught her that it was rude to stare at others for too long.

"Where is Yongrong buried?"

"The cemetery... in Payin City's lower-tier, at G19 graveyard," the girl answered softly, then suddenly remembered something.

"How do you know about her..." Her voice trailed off again.

"Hmph, if she were living well, why would she let you come here all alone?" Although it had been many years, Gu Qianlou was still clear about his sister's character.

Shaking his head, no longer dwelling on those past events, Gu Qianlou walked past Hexia and descended the stairs—there were still many matters waiting for his attention these past few days.

With the support of a T2 class AI from Edith Academy, things had started to change. Establishing a new city was challenging, but at least there was a foundation to make it possible.

With the detailed analysis and planning by High Rank AI, as well as its comprehensive coordination, just provide it with enough machinery and material assistance, and it can step by step complete the construction of a city. Moreover, the framework of the city's water supply, transportation, logistics, energy, sanitation, and other systems would also drastically reduce construction and operational costs due to the management of such High Rank AI.

Otherwise, if the people of Jielou City had to accomplish these tasks by themselves, it would be like primitives walking in a modern city, spending a tremendous cost to construct each framework, employing numerous administrative efforts for long-term maintenance, constantly making errors, and even dealing with corruption and inefficiency, making it virtually impossible to build a city that meets modern standards.

'Luoyu' was a very outdated model; it could maintain Jielou City yet it was far too stretched to construct a new city. Moreover, it was not long before it would disintegrate, and besides, it was an illegal AI. Running it concealed beneath Jielou City was one thing, but exposing it to the outside world would be an open defiance of the rules.

Although Hexia's remarks were somewhat naive at that time, she indeed brought the foundation that could change Jielou City, and everything became completely different.

The day after the girl received the Zhuomo Sword, the whole Jielou City quieted down. The people surrendered to the ancient and faith-representing legacy of the Sword. Then came the supersonic transport arriving through the sky and landing in Jielou City, bringing tangible and convincing material foundations.

The root of the conflict vanished without a trace, and faced with such a situation, Gu Qianlou was speechless. Perhaps his steadfastness was not wrong either, but the vicissitudes of life were too unpredictable—who would have believed that such a young and fragile girl could actually change the policies and thoughts of the Star Domain government?

The things that nearly a million residents of Jielou City had been yearning for over centuries had been realized so easily—it all felt like an unreal dream. Such is the disparity of the world, I suppose.

Descending from the attic, Gu Qianlou, together with the people brimming with anticipation and excitement, headed to the ground level. There, atop the high Crimson Tower, he revealed his figure and began delivering the speech that would change everything as it stands today.

"On July 10, 658 of the Sixth Era, our ancestors landed on this scarcely populated planet and started the arduous task of building a settlement. Since then, 593 years have passed, nearing six hundred years."

"Six hundred years is enough time for a dynasty to rise and fall, and then rise and fall again."

"We have been stagnant here for far too long, stagnant to the point of slowly losing the courage to embark on a journey forward again... Our past is no longer support but has become a weighty burden, one that is difficult to sever..." His voice softened.

"It is time to let go of all this."

"Whether be it the 'Godly General' or 'Sword Guardian,' let them rest in the history of the past; there's no need to cling to these ancient terms anymore."

"This is not only my opinion but also the ideas and suggestions of that child. Fortunately, we have waited for the 'Azure Bird' decreed by fate."

"The Azure Bird brings the branch, descends, and nations arise. We will also establish a brand-new city on that land."

"'Starting from scratch, to open up mountains and forests,' it will be tough, but there will be no more hesitations."

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