Although 037's voice trembled, Ruan Qing'an did not answer it. Instead, he stood by the bed, looking down at the tall man lying on the bed, his leaden eyes slightly cold.

037: [Ancestor, the male lead can't die...]

Upon hearing this, Ruan Qing'an couldn't help but chuckle, and the cold scrutiny in his leaden eyes vanished: "Little system, why do you always have such strange filters on me?"

Is there any possibility that...?

"Um?"

037 spoke up, sounding aggrieved: "Ancestor, you never play by the rules! It's really hard to fathom your logic!"

Ruan Qing'an, who doesn't play by the rules: ...Is it my fault?

She chuckled and shook her head before explaining, "It's very simple. The original text is mostly written from Eileen's perspective, so it only describes how Eileen encountered danger and how Aldrich appeared to save her after recovering, without explaining how he recovered."

"I need to know about Aldridge's physical condition, and it would be best if he could recover as soon as possible."

037 Seems to understand but not quite: [Because it's hard to攻略 (strategy/strategy) without restoring?]

Ruan Qing'an paused: "Little system, our most important task is to find the mission participant who was invaded by the negative force, as well as the virus carrier. If we can help Aldrich recover as soon as possible, it will be beneficial for the strategy and also for leveraging Aldrich's power."

037 suddenly realized: [That's right! In the original text, after Aldrich recovered, his abilities were extremely strong; he was a formidable weapon!]

Ruan Qing'an nodded. After explaining, she slightly raised her hand, palm facing Aldrich. In the dim light of the magic lamp, vibrant and flamboyant fire elements appeared in the air, then surged towards her palm—

A fiery red halo surrounded it, within which were fine, dense patterns resembling ancient script, flickering on and off as if breathing.

In a flash, it instantly disappeared into Aldrich's body!

But at the very moment of penetration, a jet-black light suddenly emerged from Aldrich's body, twisting eerily in the air before coalescing into black, serpentine lines that transformed into a long string of black characters—"death and curse."

As the characters appeared, they suddenly attacked Ruan Qing'an, carrying dark elemental power, like a chilling storm.

Ruan Qing'an's expression darkened slightly. She abruptly withdrew her hand, and the fire element she had gathered immediately condensed into a shield to block it. But strangely, the power of the black characters was incredibly strong. After only a brief pause, it pressed down again!

037: [Ancestor, be careful!]

But at the very moment 037 gave the warning, Ruan Qing'an had already made her move again, her other hand clenching into the air—

A gilded, dark gold scepter engraved with rose patterns appeared in her hand, held firmly by her slender fingers. The red gem at the top of the scepter shimmered with a fiery, dazzling light.

"break."

She opened her lips and murmured.

The next moment, the dazzling fire element collided with the black characters, and the characters finally gave up. It seemed that they were unwilling to be unable to deal with Ruan Qing'an. After floating in the air for a while, they were forced to disappear and re-enter Aldrich's body.

Ruan Qingan took a half step back and looked down again. Only then did he notice a black magic circle, or rather, a sealing array, faintly appearing on Aldrich's body.

037: [Oh my god, that's scary! How did it suddenly jump out? What is that thing, an ancestor?]

“...an ominous force.”

Ruan Qing'an paused, withdrew her hand, and looked down at her slender, fair fingertips. However, some black substance remained on the fingertips, as if it were an evil force like a curse.

She said in a deep voice, "This power is not simple. It should come from Aldrich's body. It has blocked my probe of his body. I'm afraid... his mind is like that of a five or six-year-old child, which is also a reason. Most importantly—this power is very strong."

037: [Even stronger than your ancestors?]

"The original owner's magic level was already that of a Magister. In the entire Lycas Empire, or even the entire continent of Hilar, there were no more than twenty Magisters, and Archmages were even fewer. The path of magic is extremely difficult."

"Each level is like an insurmountable chasm, which is why even though the original owner was ruined and his family fell into ruin by the female lead, Eileen, he was still able to keep going for a while."

Ruan Qing'an was silent for a moment: "And to be able to fight me, this is only a wisp of power. The owner of this power... is very strong."

037 gasped involuntarily: [That's terrifying!]

But Ruan Qing'an wasn't in a hurry. She carefully observed Aldrich and, confirming that nothing unusual had happened after the sealing magic circle disappeared, she prepared to turn around. But just then—

My hand, which I had just withdrawn, was suddenly grabbed.

Ruan Qing'an paused, her expression immediately turning cold. Could it be that she had triggered the seal, causing Aldrich to awaken?

"Mmm...so soft..."

Just then, Aldrich's voice rang out, and Ruan Qing'an was immediately pulled to the bedside. The original owner was a magician, and magicians are known for being delicate and frail.

Unfortunately, the original owner and Lucas had already determined that Aldrich probably not only had magical talent, but also the physical talent of a warrior. Beneath his tall stature, his strength was astonishing.

Without careful consideration, he was actually pulled down.

Ruan Qing'an instinctively grabbed Aldrich's collar, but he rubbed his head against her neck like a large dog. His actions were clearly aggressive, yet he was very innocent. Even the way he looked at Ruan Qing'an with a dazed expression was like that of a child.

"Master, you're so soft, just like..."

"Hmm...it still smells good?"

The girl's face flushed crimson. Clutching Aldrich's collar, she wanted nothing more than to beat the scoundrel to a pulp, but just as she looked up—

But then they noticed that Aldrich's eyes were like a child looking at their favorite toy, anticipating their favorite snack, or holding their favorite flower—pure and untouched by any desire...

"Get out of here."

As she was pressed down by that tall figure, she hurriedly suppressed her panic, twirled the scepter in her hand, and shoved Aldrich away: "Get away from me, go away."

Like a wronged big dog, Aldrich didn't dare to move, but silently shuffled to the side: "Oh, Master..."

Ruan Qingan: Don't look at me like I bullied you...

But she didn't say anything. She just stood up, touched her neck where Aldrich had been rubbing against her, and went back to her desk to continue working on the documents on it.

Before her was a magic lamp emitting a dim yellow light. The man lay on the bed, turning his head to look at her beautiful profile. Messy dark brown hair fell down, blurring his vision, but Aldridge's eyes were fixed on her neck.

That place, so beautiful it was almost swan-like...

Ruan Qing'an, who was looking at the documents, paused and subconsciously looked up. When she followed his gaze, she saw that Aldrich had fallen asleep again; the magic circle she had set up could induce unconsciousness.

Even if Aldrich is temporarily freed from the spell by the activation of the magic circle, he cannot avoid falling into a coma again...

037: [What's wrong, my ancestor? What's the male lead looking at?]

My neck?

Ruan Qing'an half-closed her eyes and subconsciously touched the spot where the finger had been rubbed. She began to realize something; Aldrich's mental age was roughly that of a five- or six-year-old child, and children are still very young—

Skin-to-skin contact, in essence, is also a way to convey a sense of security. Just like a child asking to be kissed, hugged, and lifted up by their parents, it is simply a desire for close physical contact.

"Sigh... Am I raising a child?"

After a moment, she sighed silently.