After returning to Ponyville from the Eternal Free Forest.
The Summer Celebration officially began, and at the same time, Princess Celestia's sister, Princess Luna, was welcomed back to Ponyville.
Ziyue also received instructions from Princess Celestia to reside permanently in Ponyville and continue to learn the magic of friendship.
The entire Ponyville was filled with peace and joy.
And what was our protagonist doing at this time?
Originally, he was happily eating in the celebration, taking a bite here and a bite there.
"This donut is also very good, and the pumpkin pie is delicious."
But after Ziyue found Duocai, that happiness was gone.
The ancients were right; happy times are always short-lived.
Duocai looked at Ziyue in front of him, who had been asking him what the array disk was, how it was made, and how it worked, ever since she found him.
She also asked how the amulet was triggered, and so on.
"Alright, Ziyue, calm down. Anyway, aren't you staying in Ponyville? I promise I'll teach you later. Now it's the celebration; let's enjoy it properly," Duocai said, looking at Ziyue, who was excitedly talking nonstop beside him.
When watching the anime, he already knew that Ziyue had a fervent love for knowledge.
Now he finally witnessed it.
"And aren't you going to share what you learned in Ponyville with your teacher, Princess Celestia?" Duocai asked, looking at the somewhat calmer Ziyue.
"Phew~ Phew~, you're right, Duocai. Then I'll go find Princess Celestia first," Ziyue replied, calming herself down.
"Hmm, say hello to Princess Celestia for me," Duocai said, watching Ziyue go to find Princess Celestia.
Then he went off in search of more delicious food.
You ask why Duocai likes food so much?
Because in his previous world, he really hadn't eaten much delicious food.
He usually ate Bigu Pill .
You might ask, that's a cultivation world, what rare delicacies aren't there?
Yes, there are, and many of them, all incredibly delicious.
But, Duocai couldn't eat them because he couldn't cultivate.
Those delicacies contained a large amount of spiritual energy.
If a mortal ate them, they would very likely die.
As for the food ordinary mortals ate, there was some.
It's undeniable there were delicacies.
But that was only occasionally.
Anyway, for the vast majority of the time, Duocai ate Bigu Pill.
This is why he's constantly looking for things to eat now.
It's still the same saying:
The ancients were right; happy times are always short-lived.
His culinary journey was still obstructed.
Because Ziyue came back again, bringing Princess Celestia and Princess Luna with her.
"Uh, Ziyue, is there something you need me for?" Duocai asked, swallowing the food in his mouth as he looked at the ponies in front of him.
I just want to eat something quietly; why does it feel so difficult?
"Um, Duocai, when I reported to the Princess, I mentioned the magic you used, and then the Princess wanted to see it. Then I remembered the array disk you left with me, so I thought I'd demonstrate it, but as soon as I started, I seemed to hear a cracking sound, and then it couldn't be used. I'm so sorry, Duocai, I broke it for you," Ziyue said, lowering her head, looking like she had done something wrong, as she handed the cracked array disk to Duocai.
"Oh, that? It's fine, Ziyue. That array disk naturally has a limited number of uses, and it was only made temporarily. It's normal for it to be damaged now," Duocai said to Ziyue.
"Really?" Ziyue asked.
"Of course! You don't need to apologize for this," Duocai replied.
"Hello, Xuanli Duocai, I hope I haven't disturbed you," Princess Celestia said softly, looking at the pony in front of her.
"Of course not, Princess Highness," Duocai replied.
"Could you tell me about the 'magic' Ziyue mentioned? Ziyue said it's a new kind of magic," Princess Celestia said, looking at Duocai.
Duocai paused when he heard Princess Celestia ask about the array he used.
Although he had thought this day would come, he didn't expect it so soon.
Although he had thought of a story, he hadn't sorted it out yet.
It's a bit difficult.
Who has a story? Let me borrow it.
Waiting online, it's urgent.
Ah, I'll just use this version. What if they believe it?
Thinking of this,
"Of course, please follow me. I'll demonstrate it for you in an open area," Duocai said, leading Ziyue and the others towards an open space.
"Hi, Duocai, where are you going to play? Let's go together!" At this moment, Bi Qi saw Duocai and Ziyue, and bounced over to Duocai, asking.
Zhen Qi and the others followed Bi Qi.
"Okay, let's go, Bi Qi. I'll show you something magnificent," Duocai said, looking at Bi Qi and the others.
It's a good opportunity to tell them all at once.
At the same time, it can also give them a concept of arrays and cultivation.
What if those wild thoughts from before could be realized?
After reaching the spot, Duocai turned around and looked at the ponies.
He took a deep breath.
Then he closed his eyes and activated the magic within his body.
He projected various array diagrams on the ground beneath him and around him.
Beneath Duocai's hooves was the Taiji of the yin and yang fish.
Around him were Ju Ling Arrays, amulet shield array symbols, and various other arrays.
The various arrays operated independently, sometimes transforming from one into two similar but different arrays.
"Wow, so beautiful!" Bi Qi exclaimed, looking at the patterns appearing around Duocai.
Ziyue and the others, along with the two princesses, all gazed at these slowly operating array diagrams.
At this point, Duocai began to explain the origin of these array diagrams.
"First, he briefly explained why he went on a journey (I won't elaborate here; it's in the first chapter).
I encountered these array diagrams during my travels.
It was like a secluded paradise.
In the center of that place was a very ancient-looking ruin.
I was very curious, so I walked in.
Inside were a large number of these array patterns.
At that time, I didn't know what they were.
But after I went in, I had a feeling, as if there was something I had been searching for here.
Then I followed my intuition and walked to a place that looked like a Library.
The entire room was covered with these array patterns.
There, I saw many things similar to gems.
However, they were in the form of jade slips.
They were placed one by one in places similar to bookshelves.
I looked up at these jade slips and walked to the center of the room.
When I reached the center, the patterns on the ground began to emit light.
What happened after that, I'm not quite sure.
After the ground emitted a strong light, I fainted.
When I woke up, I was in the forest.
And that ruin had disappeared, but the knowledge in my mind reminded me that it wasn't a dream.
These patterns are called 'arrays,' a way of using magic, which can achieve various magical applications through arrays.
The levitation array and the amulet's shield array symbol I gave to Ziyue are both applications among these.
And I obtained my cute-ceuticals there.
"Wait a minute, you said you obtained your cute-ceuticals after this?" Ziyue asked, surprised, upon hearing Duocai say he obtained his cute-ceuticals later.
"Yes, Ziyue, I didn't have a cute-ceuticals when I first started traveling."
One of my initial travel goals was to find my own cute-ceuticals.
I don't know why, but I never obtained my own cute-ceuticals.
But after I acquired this knowledge,
I tried to make the first array.
When I successfully arranged it, my cute-ceuticals appeared.
And then I came here."
After speaking, Duocai also showed his cute-ceuticals to Princess Celestia and the others.
"Cool, a mysterious adventure!" Yun Bao exclaimed excitedly upon hearing this.
"I think that was a legacy ruin, but it's too ancient, and the arrays haven't been passed down. However, I heard from my teacher, Xingxuan, that when he was young, he saw similar array patterns on a ruin site somewhere, but they were too ancient and incomplete," Princess Celestia said to Duocai after pondering his story.
"Xuanli Duocai, the knowledge you gained might be the arrays Xingxuan saw back then. I hope you can thoroughly understand them and let them be passed down in this era," Princess Celestia said, looking down at Duocai.
"Yes, Princess Highness, that is also what I wish to do," Duocai responded to Princess Celestia.
"Alright, girls, I won't disturb your enjoyment of the celebration anymore. We'll take our leave now; there's still some work to attend to," Princess Celestia said, looking up at the ponies in front of her.
"Okay, Princess Highness," Duocai and Ziyue responded.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna turned and left.
After the princesses left,
Bi Qi, Zhen Qi, Fluttershy, Yun Bao, and Applejack all gathered around, asking questions left and right.
Duocai answered Bi Qi for a moment.
Then he answered Zhen Qi.
He could barely keep up.
What? You said Ziyue?
Ziyue was still standing in the same spot from earlier.
"Oh, my goodness, goodness, goodness, Duocai, I want you to teach me right now! Let's go back to the Library immediately!" Ziyue reacted.
Then she pounced directly, pinning Duocai beneath her.
She said a string of things to Duocai.
"Calm down, Ziyue, the celebration isn't over yet," Duocai said helplessly, lying on the ground, looking at Ziyue, who was pinning him down.
"Calm down? How can I calm down? This is brand new magical knowledge, knowledge no pony has ever known! Do you know how exciting this is for a pony?! Ah~" Ziyue said excitedly, looking at Duocai beneath her, finally letting out a loud shriek.
His expression also became, well, a bit exaggerated.
"Ziyue, calm down. How about this? I'll start teaching you tomorrow, how does that sound? I need to organize things before I can start teaching you arrays, don't you agree?" Duocai said, appealing to Ziyue with reason and emotion.
"Alright, you said it. I'll come find you first thing tomorrow morning," Ziyue calmed down a bit.
"Then can you let me up first? Bi Qi and the others are watching," Duocai said, looking at Ziyue, who was still pinning him down.
"?" Ziyue looked at their current posture, then at Bi Qi and the others who seemed to be snickering nearby.
She then remembered that Duocai was a stallion.
With a slight blush, she quickly got up and looked at Duocai, saying, "Ahem, excited, a bit excited."
"Alright, girls, let's continue enjoying the celebration! There's still so much fun to be had!" Ziyue said, looking at Zhen Qi, who was still watching them from the side, trying to divert attention.
"Bi Qi, do you have any fun ideas?" Left with no choice, Ziyue directly pulled out her ultimate weapon.
"You've asked the right pony for this! Come on, Ziyue, Zhen Qi, Fluttershy, Yun Bao, Applejack, Duocai, let's get this party started!" Bi Qi, upon hearing Ziyue ask her about fun party ideas, instantly pulled out her party cannon.
After that, they played every game they could at the entire celebration.
They played pin the tail on the donkey together.
They pulled pranks with Yun Bao and Bi Qi.
For a time, Ponyville was filled with laughter and joy.
Still, the same saying holds true:
Happy times are always short-lived.
But I want to make them no longer short-lived~
Even if it means paying some "insignificant" small price.
This was Duocai's last thought before falling asleep on the bed in the Library.
...
"Duocai, wake up! Duocai, you said you'd teach me arrays today! Why aren't you up yet? The sun's already high!"
Duocai heard a series of knocks on the door from under his covers.
He reluctantly looked up at the alarm clock.
Only 4:55 AM? What time did I go to bed yesterday? I remember it was past midnight, right?
Duocai suddenly regretted living in the Library now; otherwise, he could have slept longer.
"Xuanli Duocai~"
Ah~ I want to sleep more, even just 5 more minutes....