Sachertorte (1) ^……

There are many rumors about Lin Changli. Sangye also carefully studied the "target person" he was exiled to Black Tower Star on the Star Network.

Some of the facts that can be confirmed are that he was a highly decorated and renowned military leader. From the age of fifteen, he led the Imperial Expeditionary Force against the Zerg, conquering multiple star systems, expanding the Empire's territory, and constantly putting pressure on the Zerg and the Federation.

His portrait still hangs on the Imperial Palace's official wall of honor, followed by more than ten pages of his achievements.

Some of the rumors, whether true or false, are just gossip from the forum. In addition, Lin Changli has been away from the army for several years, and many things have long been blurred from their original appearance.

Lin Changli did not come to Black Tower Star from the beginning. After the spiritual riot, he left the army. The Empire has always retained the title and treatment of such sentinels, but no longer enjoys real power.

During this time, the emperor's second child was born, a woman named Lin Yangchuan, who was a guide. The spiritual power that erupted at her birth enveloped the entire central city, and everyone was passively subjected to this "spiritual cleansing".

Everyone knew perfectly well that Lin Changli had lost his right to inherit the throne.

Although imperial law stipulates equal inheritance rights, this is not always the case in practice. Whether in royal families, noble families, or even commoner families, women, due to their far greater mental stability than men, have priority in inheritance rights over men, and guides have priority over sentinels.

Especially for royal families that do not have a clear rule on primogeniture, since their lifespans are too long, long enough to select a suitable successor.

Moreover, the sentry was already in a state of mental riot.

Not to mention the incurable ancient spiritual sentinels.

Lin Changli appeared at Lin Yangchuan's full moon celebration, his expression calm; he disappeared for several years afterward, and no one knew where he went.

Until they arrived at Black Tower Star.

Rumors circulated that Lin Changli was personally "arrested" by the emperor. He had caused a lot of trouble during his years away from home, and the news was suppressed by the royal family and not exposed to the general public. The military high command also kept quiet about it.

There were also rumors that Lin Changli had always been short-tempered and was known for cruelly abusing prisoners of war and his sentries when he served in the army... This was later refuted by the authorities and his former subordinates, who severely reprimanded the person who spread the rumor.

Kuwano had seen Lin Changli's portrait on the wall of merit long ago, and had to admit that it was impressive.

With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, he was solemn and dignified, with a dignified demeanor.

But seeing him in person was even more awe-inspiring.

Contrary to his actual age, Lin Changli looked far too young, like a teenager.

Perhaps it's because he's taken off the marshal's uniform that represents authority; he's lost his majesty but gained a sharp edge.

Dressed only in a black combat suit, he was like a silent, sharp blade, capable of cutting through all resistance and severing all unknowns.

His body radiated a violent spiritual energy, like a raging fire, far surpassing that of General Aso.

But the moment Kuwano looked at him, his burning spiritual energy froze. A strange spiritual comfort seeped into his mental landscape, as if he had been drawn in.

Sangye naturally sensed this stagnation as well. She was somewhat puzzled, but did not act rashly.

"...Who are you? How did you get here?" Lin Changli asked in a flat tone.

"It was arranged by Admiral Aso," Kuwano replied matter-of-factly. "She wants me to stay here, far away from the base, and not appear in front of her."

"Then why did you come to Black Tower Star? Aren't you a guide?" Lin Changli took a step closer, with shattered moonlight behind him.

He was too tall; Sangye was a full 1.8 meters tall, yet he was still half a head shorter than him.

Sangye clearly remembered that many people had reminded her never to mention anything about the royal family in front of Lin Changli.

Lin Changli had a pair of amber eyes that resembled gilded gold, shimmering with a beautiful luster. If one ignored the raging spiritual energy surrounding him, he appeared quite calm and undisturbed.

Sang Ye hesitated and did not answer. Lin Changli's eyes flickered, and he chuckled knowingly, "I know, you were sent by His Majesty the Emperor."

He deliberately leaned closer, his breath hot: "You dare to come here with such a huge difference in level? I advise you to run back quickly, or I'll burn your mental image to ashes."

Kuwano sensed that he wasn't threatening at all, but rather teasing her maliciously.

But Sangye had nothing to fear, because she had nowhere else to go.

She raised an eyebrow and looked back at him quite frankly: "Marshal, I am a guide who was exiled to Black Tower after being sentenced to death. His Majesty said that I can only return if I heal you."

As she spoke, she pointed to a necklace-like ornament around her neck. It was thin and delicate, but it contained 100,000 units of energy that could be released instantly and quickly kill brains below A-level mental capacity; those below S-level would also be paralyzed and their location would be reported as a military fugitive.

If you try to remove it by force, it will immediately initiate a self-destruct program.

"If you're going to kill me anyway, which kind of pain is less? Being burned to death by you or being blown up by it?" Sangye's expression was very calm, with a "what can you do about it? I might as well just give up" attitude. "As a marshal, you shouldn't be so petty, right? At least let me choose a less painful way to die."

Lin Changli really couldn't do anything about her. He even knew that Aso Ment had deliberately arranged for her to be here to make things difficult for him. At this point, he felt a rare pang of guilt and touched his nose.

He was rather dull; in fact, since leaving the army, there was nothing that he found valuable.

The guide before him exuded an aura of peace that he had never felt since birth. Not even from his mother, Lin Shuangqiao, an S-class guide.

Ironically, the one who had always been by his side was a spiritual entity regarded as the "source of evil."

"What do you smell like? That sweet smell?" Lin Changli finally couldn't help but ask.

"?" His topic changed so quickly that Sangye hadn't reacted for a moment. She looked down and smelled it. "Oh, I'm making chocolate. I'm going to make Sachertorte tomorrow."

This was one of the desserts she found in ancient books. Having learned how to make it before, Kuwano knew it was very complicated, and although she was very curious, she had put it aside.

But good things have been happening lately, and she feels she can treat herself.

Fortunately, there were some cocoa beans that their master had brought back from his travels in their storage ring. However, there wasn't a large quantity, and since they hadn't figured out how to eat cocoa beans at the time, they always felt that the taste was a bit strange, so they put them aside.

Today, I had Enzyme Fairy help ferment the cocoa beans, and then roast them to increase their aroma and remove acidity.

Next came separating the bean husks and adding flavoring. I wanted the robots to learn how to do it, but their hands simply didn't support fine motor skills, and they crushed a lot of her precious cocoa beans, shell and all!

Enraged, Sangye finally took matters into his own hands.

Kuwano then melted the cocoa blocks and cocoa butter at high temperature, turning them into cocoa sauce, and added a lot of refined granulated sugar.

When it was freshly made, Sangye smelled like a sweet and soft little cake with a delightful chocolate aroma.

But once she started making instant noodle sauce, that little bit of flavor was quickly overshadowed.

Lin Changli has a very sensitive nose; even though she herself can't smell it anymore, he can still accurately smell the sweetness.

Lin Changli didn't move, staring intently at Sang Ye.

Sangye: "...?" She asked tentatively, "Do you want me to do it now?"

"Aren't you His Majesty's guide sent to treat me?" Lin Changli asked matter-of-factly.

“I don’t want to,” Sangye refused decisively. “It’s too late. I’ve been busy all day and I’m very tired.”

Knowing that Lin Changli wouldn't really do anything to her, she grew bolder: "Besides, you broke the glass in my room. How am I supposed to sleep with such a big hole? I'm not doing it tomorrow. I'm going to find someone to fix the glass for me."

Lin Changli raised an eyebrow, incredulous: "This is my room!"

Now it was Sangye's turn to be incredulous: "You mean those prison-style furniture pieces were yours?"

Lin Changli: "?"

What prison style? That's minimalist combat style!

Of course, it's his furniture; this base, even this planet, belongs to him!

“It’s in the room across the street.” Sangye stepped aside, pointing to the opposite room, clearly unwilling to give up her little nest.

Lin Changli walked to the door inexplicably. As he approached Sang Ye, the sweet scent emanating from her became even more pronounced, making him feel a little itchy.

“You…” he began again.

Looking up, the eyes met his gaze. Upon closer inspection, they were truly beautiful, golden in color and sparkling like jewels.

Lin Changli's gaze moved down and finally settled on the teardrop-shaped mole near her eye.

Are you really not going to make that cake tomorrow?

So he still cares about it, even though he probably doesn't understand what it all means.

Sangye laughed: "You fix my glass, and I'll make a Sachertorte tomorrow."

Lin Changli breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay."

Fortunately, the base is currently in summer mode, with the temperature staying around 18°C ​​at night, enough to fall asleep with just a light blanket. If it were winter mode, the wind blowing in from the window would freeze Sangye to death.

Household robots came to clean up the broken glass, filling several small carts to the brim.

Kuangye curiously peeked out the window and saw a black ocean outside that the main base called "Tide Sea," which was no less dangerous than the snow mountain area. The Tide Sea District Base was built on the Tide Sea and was guarded by three Class A sentries.

Even when the tide is calm, the sea appears incredibly gloomy, a dark and oppressive expanse, as if a colossal beast from the abyss is lurking within.

At high tide, towering waves surge from below the cliff, relentlessly crashing against the cliff face, shattering rocks with a deafening roar, before retreating back into the sea, carrying the debris.

To this day, the base still has no grasp of the tide patterns, nor can it detect them. There are no seasons, and it is not attracted by planetary gravity. It's like a capricious child, doing only what it pleases.

Beneath the surface of the tidal bore lies an energy far greater than that of snow-capped mountains.

I wonder how Lin Changli got to this position. Did he fly here? But it seems that people in this world don't fly; they rely more on machines to achieve flight.

With these questions in mind, Kuwano quickly washed up and went back to bed, where she drifted into a sweet, chocolate-scented dream.

*---*

Sangye was awakened by the rustling of the sycamore trees; Tongtong woke her up anxiously.

Upon waking, before his eyes had fully opened from their drowsy state, Sangye was stunned by the sight before him.

A huge piece of glass is being lowered from the roof, and several robots are preparing to install it.

Lin Changli, meanwhile, was sitting cross-legged outside the window, leisurely watching Sang Ye, who was wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon on the bed.

He rested his chin on his knees, his long hair falling obediently across his chest, the golden-red color particularly eye-catching.

A mischievous smile played on his lips, which was rather playful.