Back to the Future 1999: Raining at the Same Time

Chapter 139 Word Street

"Wait...what did you say?"

"You said the goblin stole my...name?"

"Unbelievably repeated" was something she'd always put in the "silly" category, but Liberty really couldn't care less about that right now.

Unlike her expression of shock, the lantern operator's expression gradually became serious.

"Yes! And it's night time now. This is bad... 'it' is coming!"

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, the forest in the darkness in the distance surged.

Something was there, and the girl who lost her name had a bad feeling.

"Then...what is that?"

Liberty's eyes widened as the "it" gradually spread like a tide.

"It's Banach...!"

The lampkeeper raised his staff and slammed it on the ground, increasing the brightness of the lamp a little.

"A killer in the darkness, a terrifying monster! It hunts those who have no name!"

After saying all this, the lantern operator seemed to remember something and glanced quietly in the direction of Chen Xi.

I slowly breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that he was just standing there with a calm expression and no intention of interfering with us.

"what?!"

Liberty's scream pierced the night, but the darkness had gradually swallowed up the distant landscape, just as the moon had disappeared and handed the world over to the lightless abyss.

It all happened so suddenly that there seemed to be no time left for the girl to "repeat it in disbelief".

"It's coming this way! Let's get out of here!"

The lantern operator grabbed the girl's hand and tried to run with her, but she broke free and stood still.

"Chenxi! Let's go!"

The darkness behind them made a terrifying hollow roar. Liberty grabbed Chen Xi's hand, then grabbed the lantern attendant's wrist and asked her to take the two of them away with her.

……

“H-Hoo… Thank goodness, my memory of how to run wasn’t stolen…!”

The black shadow had been left far behind the three people, but the heavy roar could still be heard even from here.

Liberty could no longer run and stopped to catch his breath.

"Hurry up, we can get back to the street after passing through that cave!"

The lamplighter took Liberty's hand and pointed to a cave not far away.

"A... cave?"

She didn't remember there was such a cave here, but the current situation did not allow the girl to think about it. Following the lamplighter, holding Chen Xi's wrist, the three of them rushed into the dark tunnel.

Naturally, it was pitch dark in the tunnel.

"...!"

Liberty's feet were forced to step into complete darkness. This liquid-like darkness enveloped all around her, so even if she lowered her head to observe carefully, she could not distinguish where the ground was.

The monster in the dark - Banagher.

The name that the lantern attendant had just called out in panic came to her mind.

"Wait, lantern operator! It's so dark here... I can't see the road!"

The girl couldn't help but call out in the direction of her companions.

"Sorry, it's my fault. Wait a minute..."

The girl's expression couldn't be seen in the darkness, but her tone was full of apology.

With crisp knocking sounds, the darkness was dispelled.

"Your lamp! I had forgotten all about it."

The lamplighter also smiled at Liberty, whose expression also brightened.

"That's why everyone calls me 'the lantern bearer'. I use it to guide people. But this little light isn't enough to scare off Banagher. We have to get back to the street quickly. Come on!"

After saying that, she wanted to hold Liberty's hand again, but when she was about to do so, she was blocked by something.

"Have you forgotten something? You little fool who lost your name."

"Oh! Mr. Chenxi."

"I'd be very sad if you forgot about me."

Liberty wiped his eyes pretending to wipe away tears, but he shook his body with an expression that said, "Don't worry."

"Of course not, you see!"

After saying that, he raised the hand that he was holding Chen Xi's hand with, expressing in this way that he had not forgotten.

"That's great."

He touched her head, and an emerald green light lit up at this moment.

It swept away the fatigue accumulated from her previous frantic running and soothed her pounding heart.

"Chen Xi!"

"This is a reward for good children. And then..."

As he spoke, a bright ball of light gradually appeared in Chen Xi's hand, and it became bigger and brighter, and soon surpassed the staff in the lantern keeper's hand.

"I wonder if this light is bright enough to scare Banach away, Miss Lantern~"

The lantern attendant who was being questioned had an ugly expression on her face. It was obviously something she should be happy about, but she hesitated and didn't know how to start.

However, having gotten the expression he wanted, Chen Xi extinguished the "lamp" in his hand at the right time.

"It seems that my ability is not long-lasting. I'd like to trouble Miss Lantern to lead us to the street."

After all, it was just a little prank, and Chen Xi had no intention of tearing up the entire script. After all, he also thought these adventures were quite interesting!

She swallowed her saliva. Although the lantern attendant didn't know why Chen Xi stopped, she still forced herself to lead the way.

After an unknown amount of time, the darkness was finally left behind by them.

Suddenly, the view in front of her became clear, and an incredible street appeared before her.

Enthusiastic vendors: "New products have arrived, come and take a look! The best Condoleezza can help you harvest potatoes and zombies in the field!"

The tout: "Empty cart~ Only fifty sharp teeth are needed to give a tour~"

Peddling Ghost: "Huh... Anyone need a fresh Wail...? We accept custom orders..."

Busy mother: "Hoo! Girls, keep up! Stop looking around, you'll be late for class...Hoo! Put it down, we're not buying that!"

Newspaper Plant: "Latest news! Latest news! The bully Scone who extorted pocket money from the minor Bagbill at the amusement park has been arrested by Boss Gilt..."

The streets were bustling with activity. The stalls were filled with a wide variety of goods, all of which were rare and exotic things that had never been seen before, and all kinds of creatures were wandering around.

The magic elves soliciting customers, the talking coal balls, the cramped ghosts, the hurried beasts, the strange plants selling newspapers...

There were also little dots of light playing around on the rooftops, a bear monster drinking from a honey jar on the street, a scarecrow knitting while looking at a vegetable stall, and more... and more...

Liberty's mouth was almost open.

"Here...where is this place?"

"This is Arcadia Crossing. Haven't you been here before?"

"My mom said that Cross Street was where occultists gathered, and she was afraid I'd learn bad habits, so she wouldn't let me get close...

But... I've never heard of so many different residents living in Cross Street. Is this really Cross Street?"

"Of course! This place has been the residence of demons since ancient times.

It’s just that it may appear different in the eyes of different entrants.

Not everyone can find the entrance to 'this' cross street, especially without someone to lead the way.

follow me! "

The lantern bearer led the girl whose name was lost, while she, holding Chen Xi's hand, walked through this incredible street, taking many strange snacks from the mysterious residents hawking along the street and stuffing them into Liberty's arms.

Chen Xi went to buy a can of the new Scream that he had always been very curious about! (Scream!)

Monsters of various shapes kept greeting the lantern bearer.

The little fool who had lost his own name ate until his cheeks were bulging, stuffed the leftovers into Chen Xi's hands, and waved to the curious goblins.

"correct!"

After swallowing the snacks in his mouth and taking a sip of the water handed to him by Chen Xi, Liberty asked:

"Won't that 'Banagh' come over?"

"No, it was driven out of this street a long time ago. Although I haven't seen it in person..."

"But everyone knows it's a bad guy who attacks kids who lose their names."

"Oh, and my name."

"Does Chenxi know what to do?"

Liberty turned to his new friend for help. He didn't know when it started, but he became very dependent on him.

"Hmm~ I don't know either. Maybe the manager here knows? The one the lantern attendant mentioned earlier."

Trying his best to suppress his laughter, Chen Xi also cooperated by acting innocent, only slightly snatching the lights bearer's lines.

I hope she doesn't mind.

"Yes, she is the fairest, most respectable, and most learned person in Cross Street—she knows everything!"

She took over the topic with a smile, not at all angry about what happened just now. This made Chen Xi feel relieved.

"She will surely be able to tell us what to do! Follow me—

Um... I don't know what to call you yet."

"Yeah, it's really inconvenient not to have a name."

“Let me think, maybe I can come up with a temporary name, a nickname.

That way, people don't have to yell 'Hey, that little idiot who lost his name!' every time they want to call me."

A trace of awkwardness spread between the two of them, but soon, a good idea came out of the lamplighter's throat:

"How about 'paper letter circles'?"

"'Paper letter circle'...?"

Liberty kept murmuring the name.

"Yes, I thought of it from your mysticism, and I think it suits you very well. It reminds me of lovely birds and a fresh breeze.

Do you have any paper?"

The origami bird was taken out. The lantern keeper unfolded it and wrote the name on the last line of the shopping list.

"Paper letter circle... What do you think, Chen Xi?"

"And cute, it suits your name very well."

"I thought so too. I like this! Thank you, Sister Lantern."

"That's a great offer, I accept it! From now on, until I find my name again, just call me Paper Letter Circle."

"Yes, Paper Circle. That's what I'll call you."

The lantern operator seemed very happy and called out the name obediently.

But Liberty turned his gaze to Chen Xi, expecting him to speak:

"What a nice name, Miss Paper Letter Circle~"

After touching the head of the paper letter circle, they finally arrived at the foot of a five-story building. The lamplighter slowly pushed open the creaking door.

Books, books, books, and more books are what greet you. They overflow from the shelves, flooding the floor and nearly every space a visitor can see.

"Manager, where are you? I brought two friends with me and I have a question for you."

The respectful and polite words echoed in the ocean of books, gradually pushing out the woman whose face could not be seen.

"Let me see who's here... Ahaha~ a little idiot who lost his own name."

A voice came from above, and Paper Letter Circle looked up.

At the top of a row of bookshelves, between piles of precariously tumbling books, sat the administrator.