The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 627: Occam’s Razor

“Still.” Heavenly Dog blinked. “I don’t think that’s likely.”

“Why?” Gao Yang smiled.

Heavenly Dog scratched his face with a forefinger for a bemused moment. “Have you heard of Occam’s Razor?”

“Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.” Gao Yang had heard of the theory.

“Yeah.” Heavenly Dog nodded. “If you were trying to get your hands on the Psyche Rune Circuit, the ploy was too complicated and roundabout with many unnecessary little things. And there were too many coincidences that were necessary to reach the situation now, including Nine Frost’s acquisition of Telepathy. He couldn’t possibly decide which Talent to get. Long story short, this doesn’t seem pre-planned to me.”

You’re the complete package, Heavenly Dog, but it’s hard to recruit you.

When Gao Yang didn’t speak, Heavenly Dog took a sudden step back with wide eyes. “Wait, you didn’t really do this for the Rune Circuit, did you?”

Gao Yang smiled slightly. “Please wait here until Nine Frost’s Talent leveled up. Then you can leave with the Rune Circuit. I have other matters to attend to, so please excuse me.”

Heavenly Dog sighed in relief. “Right.”

“The Nine Scions don’t owe debts,” Gao Yang said. “So I’ll share with the Twelve Zodiac Signs a hypothesis that’s likely to be true.”

“What hypothesis?”

“The Five Stages for Talents. Nine Frost will explain to you in detail.”

“Okay.”

Gao Yang turned to walk into the bedroom.

Gao Xinxin was still sound asleep, tucked under the blanket, with only half of her serene profile revealed. Clack, clack, clack. Another subway train raced past the window, the light of it cast on Gao Xinxin’s eyelashes through the curtains, the shadows dancing on her face.

Gao Yang went up to shake her shoulder through the blanket. “Wake up, Xinxin.”

Gao Xinxin slowly opened her eyes, tired but wide-eyed like a deer in headlights. It took only a second for her to sit up. “What’s wrong, Brother?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Don’t be scared.” Gao Yang said softly. “I’ve done what I needed to do here. It’s time to go.”

“Okay.” Gao Xinxin didn’t ask any question. She had kept her outdoor clothes on so that she could move out at a moment’s notice.

She got off the bed and bent down to tie her shoelaces, her movement sluggish since she had just woken up. Gao Yang knelt down to tie her shoelaces for her, making two knots.

Gao Xinxin cracked a smile. “Silly brother, can’t do a butterfly loop even now.”

“Yeah.” Gao Yang smiled. He could actually do it, but he found a butterfly loop too unreliable and easily loosened, and his biggest fear now was separation.

“Alright.”

“Yeah.”

Gao Yang stood back up and parted the curtains, opening the window. He put on a face mask and a baseball cap, shouldering the small backpack he had packed beforehand.

Gao Xinxin had put on a fisherman hat and a face mask, too, as well as their mother’s wool scarf.

Gao Yang turned his back to her, reaching his two hands back. “Hop on.”

She jumped onto his back and put her arms around his neck. “Where are we going, Brother?”

“Where do you want to go?”

“I want to look at the ocean.”

“Okay, then we’ll go somewhere you can see the ocean.”

Whoosh.

The siblings disappeared from the small, dimly-lit bedroom.

Another subway train whipped past, the gridded white light shining into the empty room, flickering quickly.

...

North Harvest, nine o’clock in the morning.

North Harvest was a small seaside town located on the northern part of Island Nation, only reachable through the subway as the official channel. The actual area of activity was small.

It was already snowing here, pelting the town in white. The streets were lined with short light-colored houses, and through the narrow alleys inbetween the houses, the shallows and the sea could be seen.

Looking ahead, the town lay in the embrace of the mountain ranges on one side. Powder white clouds covered the sky above the mountain ranges, light and fluffy like strawberry-flavored marshmallows.

The trams made clinking noises as they moved. The atmosphere was serene and leisurely.

The siblings walked on snow that wasn’t too thick. Gao Xinxin was holding a paper box of takoyaki without wasabi. They blended into the environment perfectly like a normal pair of brother and sister.

“Here, Brother.” Gao Xinxin picked up a takoyaki with a bamboo skewer and popped it into Gao yang’s mouth.

“Hm...it’s good.” Gao Yang gave the food a thumbs-up.

He pulled up the map on his phone. “It’s right ahead.”

They soon reached a three-story B&B. The walls were sky blue, and hanging above the front door was a signboard that said, “Dolphin Inn.”

A stocky middle-aged woman was shoveling snow in the front yard, dressed in a blue sweater, jeans, black boots, and a leather apron.

“Miss Sato?” Gao Yang called out.

The middle-aged woman lowered the shovel and wiped the sweat from her face, turning to them. She had gentle facial features and a round nose that was considered auspicious. With a friendly smile, she greeted them with a booming voice. “You must be the brother and sister from Li City.”

“We are.” Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin were no longer in disguise. Gao Yang handed Miss Sato his fake ID. “I’m Liu Li. This is my sister, Liu Shisuo.”

Miss Sato took the ID from him and compared the appearances. Then she returned it to Gao Yang. “You may call me Sister Huang. I’m actually from Li City, too. After working a few years in this country, I got tired of it and started this business.”

“Sister Huang.” Gao Yang glanced at Gao Xinxin. “My sister isn’t in the best condition. She’s here to rest for some time.”

“Haha, it’s a bad time for that. The winter’s cold here.”

“I don’t mind the cold.” Gao Xinxin smiled. “I like the sea and the snow.”

“What a coincidence. I feel the same.” Sister Huang turned around. “Come on in.”

She took them to the second floor, opening the door to a room for two with sufficient sunlight and warm design. Through the small wooden door was the balcony, and it looked out to the sea.

“This balcony has the best view, and you can bathe in the sun, dry your clothes, and look at the sea here. Bathroom is that way. I’ll show you...” Sister Huang gave them a tour. Then she asked with a smile, “Is the room to your liking?”

“Yes, I like it a lot,” said Gao Xinxin. “It’s just like the pictures.”

“We’ll book it for a month,” said Gao Yang.

“Of course, but I’ll need a deposit.”

“Okay. I’ll pay in cash.”

Gao Yang reached into the inner pocket of his coat, pretending that he was fishing for his wallet when he was actually holding his Black Gold dagger. “By the way, Sister Huang, are you a delusion monster or something else?”