Chapter 6 [Pioneering] At first, both March 7th and Danheng felt...

At first, both March 7th and Danheng thought you were just joking.

But for several days in a row you were engrossed in playing that stupid game on your phone, losing your appetite and ignoring jokes. On March 7th, I casually glanced at you as I passed by behind you, and the screen was still black.

Danheng is very worried about you.

He tried to get your attention, even flicking his long tail in front of you, each scale shimmering with iridescent light under the lamplight—normally you would have already clung to him and rubbed against him, shouting, "Where are you going, little green dragon…!"

—But this time you didn't even notice, you were just chuckling to yourself while holding your phone.

Danheng tucked his tail in and exchanged a glance with March 7.

March 7th scratched his head in distress, "Hey, this is really weird, what kind of evil spirit is she possessed?"

Dan Heng frowned, "Could it be some kind of conspiracy..."

The two of them discussed it and decided to ask you directly.

So, when you yawn as you walk out of the room and sit down at the bar, ready to have a drink and relax, two familiar figures sit down on your left and right, squeezing you in the middle with nowhere to escape.

You: ...W-what are you doing? Are you going to torture me? I'll confess everything!

On March 7th, I wanted to exchange a few jokes with you as usual, but before I could even begin, Danheng stopped me. He cut straight to the point:

"Is that child you mentioned last time still being raised?"

You nodded in confusion, "That's right..."

"What does it look like?" he asked patiently.

You can't describe what it looks like to them. They can't see Little White, they can't see the game interface, so how can you describe it...?

Ah, I've got it!

You take out a piece of paper and a pen, and scribble a white puppy on it. The puppy's fur is fluffy, and it has an angelic smile on its face—if you ignore your messy lines.

"..." Dan Heng sighed, "I asked you to draw children, not Peipei... Don't look at me like that, not even Peipei's own kind."

"Hey! What are you saying!" You shook your head. "This isn't a drawing of Pepe, it's clearly a Samoyed!"

"Then what do you think it should be called?"

"Call him Xiaobai!"

Dan Heng was speechless. "Isn't this a dog?"

You abruptly stood up, determined to prove your artistic abilities. Sunday, who was passing by, was quickly caught in the crossfire; you grabbed her and shoved a blank sheet of paper right in her face.

"Old man, you be the judge!" you said. "You're the most artistic person on this train, so tell me, what am I painting?"

On Sunday, I looked at Danheng's face, then at your expression, and finally at the pile of indescribable things on the white paper that could barely be identified as a dog.

“…Hmm…” he carefully chose his words, “You draw very well.”

He completely avoided your question, only offering praise. That's why he has such high emotional intelligence and is a capable head of the household.

"What's the point of asking him? He'll praise you no matter what." Dan Heng closed his eyes, feeling a vein throb on his temple. "Don't you know him—"

"Wow!" March 7th suddenly let out a thunderous cough. "Cough cough—Teacher Danheng, are you finally going to say it!"

Danheng took a deep breath, and under your strange gaze, he shut his mouth in annoyance and stopped talking.

On Sunday, he remained as nonchalant as ever, his eyes slightly drooping, his earlobes twitching, and he even had the leisure to smile at you when you looked over.

"But..." he seemed genuinely curious, "what children were you talking about just now?"

"Oh." You didn't detect anything amiss in his words. "It's my child."

"Click".

On Sunday, he cracked the glass in his hand by gripping it too tightly.

*

In the end, this farce was barely brought to an end only after you explained at length what the "child" really was, and that you were not harmed by any evil forces, and that you could run, eat, and punch three Annihilation Lords to death.

On Sunday, I used the power of [harmony] to examine you and found that you were full of energy and there were no signs of your body being eroded by other energies, which put my mind at ease.

That said, perhaps he's a bit...too controlling. You were right before, he gets nervous and uneasy about things that are beyond his control, and he always unconsciously wants to completely control you.

"Well……"

You also felt something was off, but after playing for so long, you've developed a very deep affection for Little White Wolf, making it impossible for you to let him go. Besides, it's unlikely that Silver Wolf would harm you, right?

"I'm fine, everyone don't need to be so nervous."

Dan Heng earnestly advised, "You can tell us anything, even if it's just for casual strolling, like that night. You know I'm usually at the think tank."

You put your hands together in prayer, "Teacher Danheng is the best...!"

Just as Sunday was spent cleaning up the broken glass, Pam was still nagging beside her, "Be careful, Pam!... What? You think this is public property of the train, and you're sorry, but you want to pay for it...? It's just a glass, nothing is more important than the safety of the passengers, Pam!"

So Sunday paused for a moment, seemingly surprised, "...I understand, conductor."

He turned his head to face you again, his tone gentle, "Although I have lost a lot of my strength, if you are feeling troubled, I can still play music for you to relax... I can still do this little thing."

You nodded. "Thank you for your concern, Lao Ri. I'll consider your suggestion if needed."

Caught in the middle, March 7th felt dizzy and her face clearly said, "My sister is amazing." She turned to look at Danheng, then glanced at Sunday, "...We don't have much to say. You know how close we are!"

She leaned closer, and under the gaze of the other two, she reached out and hugged your neck, her fluffy pink hair tickling your neck.

"But you have to swear that we're the best of friends! No one can shake our friendship!"

She thought for a moment and added, "Men won't do... um, children won't either."

You reached out and hugged her back.

“Of course,” you said. “We’ll be train crews for life!”

Dan Heng nodded indulgently. Sunday cast a glance that seemed to be a mixture of envy and helplessness.

Pam quietly walked up to you, without saying a word, just staring at you with wide eyes, her gaze filled with longing, yet shy and hesitant to speak.

So you picked it up too, and together with March 7th, you ruffled the train conductor's hair.

"—Oh, I misspoke. It's a train crew that's been with the train their entire lives, led by the great Train Conductor Pam!"

"...Don't touch the train conductor's ear!"

Himeko and Lao Yang leaned against the door of the party carriage, listening to the noisy commotion inside, and laughed.

Himeko took a sip of her coffee. "Youth is wonderful. Walter, would you like a cup of coffee?"

"...No, let's leave it at that."

*

On the phone you placed to the side, Little White E is dozing off against the tree trunk.

He had a dream.

Children's dreams are always whimsical—Bai'er used to dream that he was flying in the sky, or suddenly becoming a super powerful hero, helping the village solve countless problems and crises, with everyone surrounding him and praising him with admiration:

"Bai'e, you're amazing!" "Bai'e truly lives up to his name, you're so brave! Ai Li Mi Xie is so proud of you!"

But this dream was clearly different.

He dreamt that you came to this small village, grew up with him, ran barefoot in the fields, fished and caught shrimp together... You would go to Xi Lian for divination, nod seriously at the results, and sit on the edge of the field dreaming about the possible future.

He knows you have companions. During your time together, you would often casually mention those mysterious partners: the pink-haired "Zhao Camera" girl, the reliable think tank administrator... But he's a bit too greedy. From your descriptions, he also wants to join those epic adventures, to travel through the universe with you, and to right wrongs wherever he goes.

However, if you come to the Elegant Secret Pavilion, he will be very happy.

You would probably run around with him like crazy, get soaked in the rain, have your hair blown around by the wind, laugh out loud pointing at each other's mud spots on their noses, and then go running around like idiots to find Xi Lian, trying to drag her into the madness as well.

At this point, Xi Lian would helplessly shrug and complain, "You can't get a pretty girl's skirt dirty..." Then, you would indulge her by pulling her hand and running together into the depths of the mysterious wheat field, where a group of legendary elves lived.

Two parallel worlds, two completely different lives.

It seemed that anything was better than this endless waiting. As she thought about it, Bai'er smiled unconsciously—so this is what a happy smile looks like.

He hadn't really grasped the meaning of the village school before, but now he seemed to understand it a little.

...

Bai'er's mother, returning from the fields, happened to see the small, dark figure lying under the tree. Helplessly, she covered him with a coat, muttering to herself:

"Why does this child keep coming here lately..."

Bai E is naturally very sensitive to other people's scents, and when she smelled someone approaching, she opened her eyes alertly.

“…Ah, Mom.” He wrinkled his nose, lowering his guard. “Is the wheat harvest finished?”

"This is the last trip we're making," Bai'er's mother said, ruffling his hair. "Thanks to Xiaobai for helping out the whole time. When this batch of flour comes in, Mom will make you some bread, okay?"

"good--"

Bai E stood up and took one last look at the place you often frequented.

Well... but he's already quite content with things as they are now.

If you could play with him a little more often, he would be even happier—if you could pat his head and praise him, saying, "Little Bai, you've been so focused lately, you've made great progress," he would practically float on air with happiness.

...No, no, that's too much happiness. He understands that not everyone can be so lucky. Perhaps seeing you in this way is a way of balancing fate?

Bai Er shook her head. She took her mother's hand.

...If I cannot see you often, may Father Cephalus also protect you. Even though you are not a child of Onphalus, you are the best companion chosen by the great hero Behe! The merciful priest will also bless your future.

It seems like a long time later, yet it also seems like only a short future, you will hear a familiar voice ringing in your ears once again:

"In the name of Kefaller, I assure you—dawn will guide your path, and light will illuminate your future. From this day forward, when people speak of me, they will surely think of you. I promise you an undying soul, and an unyielding, invincible..."

"[open up]."

A note from the author:

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I don't know why Uncle Yang's name was blocked...