Chapter 3 Magician Registration and Guardian Base Actually…

Bertha had actually noticed Ethan.

When Ethan noticed him, he was slowly crawling over at a snail's pace, making no attempt to hide his reluctance. He was so slow that his companion behind him pushed him, and he almost fell.

He kept looking back, like a fledgling bird tentatively stepping out of its nest, and when he hesitated, he looked at his companion as if he wanted to ask for help... Wait, you weren't kidnapped, were you?

This has happened before; it's said that passing magicians discovered a child's talent and, wanting to raise him, captured him.

If the child hadn't been clever enough to feign compliance for a while, he wouldn't have been able to ask for help when registering here. Of course, the ending was happy for everyone; the person who lured and abducted the child is still inside and hasn't come out yet.

She must be quite young; her skin looks very smooth, and she's not very tall. I don't even know if she's an adult yet.

However, that person looked really familiar, as if I had seen him somewhere before. With so many people coming and going every day, it's even more difficult to remember them all, except for some acquaintances and superiors.

Before Bertha could even remember the child, he had already arrived.

"Do we need to register?" Bertha asked tentatively.

Completely concealed by his cloak, he walked to a spot half a meter away from the counter, then pretended to be dead, remaining completely still.

Bertha waited a while and noticed that his lips moved a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word. She stared at him for a long time and noticed that he was also trembling a little.

Wait a minute... this seems to be social anxiety.

As a lobby server, Bertha has seen all sorts of people, from arrogant and conceited to timid and cowardly; she serves many every day.

Having dealt with people with social anxiety before, she immediately recognized the magician's condition—the child was clearly experiencing a social anxiety episode.

Bertha once became acquainted with a socially anxious magician. According to the magician, she had to mentally prepare herself for at least five minutes before she could speak, and she was afraid to make eye contact with people. She would even pretend to be doing something else when she met people on the street, and she was afraid of meeting acquaintances and having to say hello. She often felt that people were watching her.

"Please don't be nervous, the process is very simple." Seeing the other party nod almost imperceptibly, she took out the testing stone from the box under the counter, trying to soften her voice to ease the nervousness of the socially anxious man, before pushing it towards him: "This is the testing stone, which can test your aptitude. Only after confirming that you have the aptitude can you start the written test."

The other party reached out a hand and picked it up. Soon it turned purple. I didn't expect it to be a rare purple-tier weapon. Also, why are there pinch marks on your fingers?

It seems quite novel. Do people with social anxiety really pinch themselves to interact with others? That's rather pitiful.

“Okay, this is the written test.” Bertha pulled the test paper and pen from a stack of documents next to her, then pretended to do something else to keep him from getting nervous.

I never thought she'd have this day. As an E-person, she can become familiar with someone in just a few words. She's not good at social anxiety, but this one seems to be moderate to severe.

Then, because of the photo, the magician seemed reluctant, and he was slowly moving backward, as if that way no one would notice his desire to escape.

“The photo is automatic.” Bertha quickly stopped him, took out the camera, and the camera automatically disassembled and enlarged to cover her entire body. A few seconds later, it automatically shrank back to the size of a Rubik's Cube and spat out Bertha’s ID photo. Ethan slowly moved back.

Bertha successfully collected the ID photo, and then cooperated by entering her fingerprints, iris scans, and DNA. After the database was completed and the data was matched, the printer produced a sheet of paper.

Name: Ethan Nix

Gender: Male

Age: 14

Height: 5.58 feet / 1.7 meters

Weight: 99.21 lbs / 45 kg

Physical condition: Deceased

Attribute: Necromancer

City: Starfall City

Surviving immediate family member: Selene Nix…

Bertha doubted her own eyes when she saw the age. This magician, who wasn't even as tall as her, really wasn't 18 yet? She was going to call 911. He was so light. Wait, something's not right... Starfall City?

She remembered that the one just now was the incarnation of Starfall's will. Starfall had never registered anyone in his city before. This was the new guardian.

Bertha looked at Ethan's ID photo. The young guardian had medium-length hair that reached his collarbone, black hair and black eyes. His gaze at the camera was somewhat unnatural, and people would believe he was under 14.

Bertha cleared her mind of the thoughts that flashed through her head, quickly organized the information and got Ethan his magician certification. Only after watching Ethan disappear through the portal did she begin her brainstorming session again.

Necromancers, Bertha remembers that group of necromancers were all very keen on making their own hellish jokes, often saying things that would leave people speechless. Based on her brief contact with Ethan, his personality didn't seem like that kind of person who enjoyed making jokes.

Her personality still needs to develop. I wonder what kind of person this child will become. It's really something to look forward to. Bertha, who is in her 30s, sighed.

Then, while searching for the cause of death, he discovered it was domestic violence. Enraged, he looked up Ethan's father's information and found that he had been sent to prison by Starfall, and the criminals killed him because they couldn't stand him. His anger subsided somewhat.

...

Starfall waited for who knows how long before Ethan finally returned.

Ethan seemed to have come back to life when he returned. He breathed a sigh of relief, took off his cloak, put his documents away, and looked at Starfall, hoping to get reassurance that he wouldn't have to socialize anymore: "Is everything alright now?"

Starfall gave him a strange look: "Have you forgotten your job? You still have to go to the Guardian Base. Go by yourself." He deliberately emphasized the last sentence, dispelling Ethan's last shred of hope.

“I’m terrible at socializing,” Ethan said with a pained expression. “I’ve been staying at home the whole time. I avoid everyone except my mom, let alone people my own age. I’m even afraid of being seen or talked to. What if I ruin my relationships with my colleagues?”

Starfall didn't speak, but snapped his fingers, and a stack of books reappeared in Ethan's hands, the top book titled "Social Skills and Eloquence".

Ethan read through them one by one: "The Art of Communication," "Influence," "Humorous Communication," and "Difficult Conversations."

"Well, I have no work experience before this," Ethan asked timidly. "Even if I can talk, what if I don't know how to handle things?"

Xingyun remained silent, then snapped his fingers again, and several books floated in front of him: "Lateral Leadership," "Nonviolent Communication in the Workplace," "Deep Work," "Quiet: The Workplace Advantage for Introverts," "The Prince," and "The Sour Grapes Effect."

Ethan didn't dare to raise any questions and silently put the books away, secretly amazed by Starfall's thoughtfulness, as if he had anticipated his question.

After understanding Ethan's personality, Starfall also had a headache about how to help him grow up. In the past, the guardians he chose were all adults with mature values ​​who did not need his guidance. He only needed to remind them when they should not do something. This was the first time he had raised a child.

Because it was my first time raising a child and I had no experience, I thought I knew a lot after reading many parenting books. Also, because my child's previous environment wasn't very good, there were some problems, big and small, that needed to be corrected slowly.

The most important thing is his social anxiety. Not only can he not communicate normally with people, but he also becomes like a mute when he meets people and is afraid of seeing people. How can this be acceptable?

Xingyun found the books for him because she was worried he wouldn't get along well with others. Actually, there were more than just these; she just gave him a few to read first, because changing a person can't be rushed.

It will be another year before Ethan finishes his studies and is discovered by Starfall, but he still can't speak or get along with his colleagues.

After giving Ethan the coordinates of the Guardian Base, Starfall left him to his own devices, letting him go on his own. Social anxiety needs more practice. If he avoids contact with people out of fear, it will only get worse, so he needs to complete it independently first.

After mentally preparing himself for what seemed like an eternity, Ethan finally opened the portal and arrived at the Guardian's base, only to find it deserted. Ethan's mind was torn between "going in and taking a look" and "should I go back?" In the end, he decided to wait and see if anyone came.

Although he knew his actions were foolish, if he went in without permission, given his inability to speak, he might be mistaken for an enemy. But there was no way to explain it in that situation; he became socially anxious as soon as he encountered someone.

If he encounters more of these, he will be even quieter than a mute, his mind will go completely blank and he will only want to escape the scene, with no time to explain.

Another possibility is that I'll be ganged up on by my future colleagues until I can't speak. I can't even imagine that situation; it's too suffocating.

So he waited and waited until he counted to five digits, when finally someone arrived—a woman.

She had short, neat hair, wore a sleeveless bodysuit, and the muscular arms she exposed were a symbol of her strength. Her eyes were sharp, and her body seemed ready to fight at any moment. She was Nadia, the guardian of Dream City, which was quite far from Starfall City, a strict and disciplined lady.

Ethan knew her; Nadia was quite famous. She seemed cold and aloof, but she actually had a warm heart beneath her cold exterior.

Aside from the Guardian Base and Dream City, she spends most of her time doing charity work. You can see her real-time location on X, where she often shares photos with the children.

Although this made it easier for the enemy to attack her, she continued to fight without hesitation, and because of her, the country was inspired to establish more charitable organizations.

Ethan admired her quite a bit, even though he had only recently learned about her good deeds from the internet when he was tired from studying. His time admiring her was rather short, but that didn't stop him from being so nervous that he couldn't speak. He could only show her the token that represented her identity as a guardian.

Each guardian has a token, only the city name is different. The guardians can tell the real one from the fake one. There is a trace of the city's will in the token. It was given to him by Starfall when he saw that he was finally coming to the base.

After an unknown period of silence, Nadia seemed to finally confirm his identity, unlocking the door with her identification information: "Come with me, I'll show you around and help you register your information." Ethan followed, maintaining a safe distance.

It was supposed to be a free morning, and Nadia, having finished her business, wanted to train in the base's training room, only to find someone standing at the door.

Upon seeing a figure standing motionless, Nadia immediately went into battle alert. The other guardians could open the door and usually had their own lives, so they weren't so bored as to stand at the door in a daze. Therefore, it was likely an enemy.

When she got closer, she found that it was a mysterious cloaked figure who had been looking at something with his head turned to look at her when he heard her.

Nadia didn't make any rash moves immediately. She was observing whether the person in front of her had any intention to attack so she could deal with them. She quickly realized that there was no such intention, because the other party took out the Guardian's Token and handed it to her.

Nadia checked it, and it definitely has the aura of the city's will. It's engraved with Starfall City. This guy is the new guardian of Starfall City.

This freak who makes himself look like a vampire who can't be exposed to sunlight? He doesn't even show his face or say a word, and he's actually a future colleague?!

That person was just standing there, seemingly lost in thought, actually spacing out in front of her? Wasn't that a bit arrogant and conceited? Had she confirmed his identity?

Okay, she accepted this cruel reality and wanted to show the newcomers around the base, gradually introducing the training room, medical room, and Starfall City Guardian's room. Because it had been uninhabited for a long time, it was quite dusty, but fortunately, Ethan was best at housework and magic, so the amount of cleaning work was not much.

During this time, Nadia tried to start a conversation, but Ethan didn't respond at all, acting as if he hadn't heard her. Nadia's impression of him was that of an arrogant jerk.

Nadia has already made a bad first impression, while Ethan, due to his social anxiety and the person he admires, is as silent as if he's taken a poison to speak. He wants to say something but doesn't know what to say or can't say it, leaving a bad impression without the person's knowledge.

Finally, Ethan sat in the hall in the position designated for the guardians of Starfall City, afraid to go back to his room for fear that he wouldn't want to leave again.

Nadia informed the other guardians that the last guardian of Starfall City had been chosen. While waiting for everyone to arrive, she also took the time to tell her colleagues that Ethan was the guardian of Starfall City, not someone else.

"Is this the guardian of Starfall City?" Tenas from Yangyan City, who arrived late, asked curiously upon discovering Ethan, the central figure in the story.

Ethan's hand, hidden beneath his cloak, had been nervously and secretly pinched quite severely.

All he wanted to think was, "City, save me—"