What's a good title for Chapter 12? And how does it end...?

Ethan couldn't remember how it ended.

He finished his meal in a daze. Everyone around him was talking to each other, but he only dared to keep his head down and eat, afraid that if he looked up, he would accidentally see someone and they would start chatting with him.

The heat on his face didn't subside until the party ended, and even though he knew that others might not be looking at him, he still couldn't help blushing.

He didn't come to his senses until the event ended. He had actually taken off his cloak in front of so many people, and ate his food with his face completely exposed right under their noses.

Ethan didn't know why, but the magician named Mary really gave him a motherly feeling, and he did as she said in a daze.

It's strange, Marie and Selene are clearly not alike.

Mary has the air of someone who lives a good life. She's a little plump, but not too fat; rather, it complements her smile and makes her seem more approachable.

Selene's figure was abnormally thin, like someone suffering from malnutrition. Both Ethan and she were very thin, and Selene's appearance was no less than Mary's. Selene was even more gloomy.

Mary's eyes are green, reminiscent of midsummer; looking into those eyes, one can almost see the hustle and bustle of summer, full of vitality.

Selene's eyes were black, as black as ink, and when he stared at someone for a long time, it made people feel uncomfortable, like a vortex that sucked away all emotions.

Mary's hair was reddish-brown, long and curly, casually draped over her shoulders. Selene's hair was black and straight, reaching about to her collarbone, just like Ethan's.

Why does he always feel a sense of déjà vu between these two people who have nothing in common?

Ethan didn't know the answer, but he was starting to miss Selene.

Ethan thought that perhaps Mary also had children.

This makes sense; all mothers in the world are alike. Women with children tend to be more tender because the children they love are born of love.

However, a mother's gentleness does not mean weakness or incompetence. On the contrary, women with children become more resilient, and they grow stronger by protecting their children.

At the same time, "mother" should not be a label attached to women, and children should not be a constraint on women, but unfortunately, such a label still exists.

Magicians are not only able to become magicians when they are young; there are also older people who join in their forties or fifties. They do not feel anxious or wasteful because they joined so late, but instead work even harder to learn.

Ethan found this respectable.

“Me? My family doesn’t know.” Mary, who was still standing nearby, chatted and laughed with Cassie: “I’m not going to tell them. My children are about your age now. They’ve grown up.”

Cassie nodded in agreement: "You're right. As your children grow up, you should also enjoy life. They are no longer fledglings who need their parents to follow them closely."

"Haha, little Casillas doesn't need to be addressed with honorifics anymore."

"How can that be? I respect women like you."

Ethan unconsciously revealed an expression that said, mixed with a hint of starry eyes, and then turned to meet Bertha's gaze, who was looking at him.

Ethan: "..."

Bertha smiled in response.

Ethan conjured a cloak in an instant, then covered his face and casually used magic to condense words above his fingers: "I'm leaving now."

“Well, bye-bye, Mr. Knicks,” Bertha said with a smile.

Ethan turned around and opened a portal; his retreating figure could only be described as fleeing in disarray.

"He runs so fast." Lily exclaimed as she watched Ethan's portal merge. "He's so easily embarrassed. He's not like the people from Starfall City I know."

“They do have very different personalities, but they’re adorable, aren’t they?” Bertha retorted.

Lily nodded in agreement: "Yeah, it's been a long time since I've seen a kid like this. So funny, let me tease him next time."

“No, Ethan isn’t one of my pets.” Bertha pressed down on the restless Lily, her smile stern. “He’s only 14. Please treat him as a minor, or at least as a child. But don’t treat him like one of my cats or dogs.”

“I still think he’s like a cat… Can we invite him out to the party again next time?” Lily looked at Bertha expectantly, hoping to hear the words she wanted to hear.

"We can't fool them anytime soon." Bertha thought it was unlikely: "Socially anxious people are afraid of social interaction. After being fooled once, they won't be so easy to fool for a while... Why do we sound like bad people?"

Lawful evil Lily patted chaotic neutral Bertha: "We're not exactly pure good people either."

Bertha slapped Lily's hand away, hesitated for a few seconds, and said, "I want to invite him to our party."

Lily didn't seem to care that her hand was a little sore from being slapped, and just looked at her with surprise: "Isn't this a bit too hasty? What did you just say? I don't think I heard you clearly. You mean, you want someone who just joined and whose background we haven't fully figured out yet, someone from that criminal city, to join us?"

“He is the guardian,” Bertha declared emphatically.

“But he’s a Starfallman!” Lily couldn’t control her voice. “Even if he’s of good character, what if it’s Starfall City’s designation that makes him who he is, and not just some ordinary person?”

Bertha didn't think so. A person's background is not a standard for judging their character, but Bertha also knew that Lily was stopping her out of concern and vigilance.

But from the first time she met Ethan, she couldn't help but feel fond of him. Her guard was dead, and she couldn't help but show kindness to Ethan, who was like a cub in her eyes.

Wait a minute... no, now that you mention it, where did her vigilance go? Why did she trust Ethan Nix so easily?

Suddenly, as she was thinking, she realized something was wrong. Before Bertha could even begin her dramatic explanation to her friend that he was trustworthy and that she wasn't acting strangely, Lily's words made her start to doubt herself.

Bertha didn't argue; she simply used each of her detection spells on herself to see if she had been under any spell.

After casting dozens of spells, she not only failed to detect any trace of dark magic, but also discovered that she was perfectly healthy.

But Bertha remained wary and put aside her original idea of ​​inviting Ethan to her party.

Bertha was still worried: "You're right. Why don't we go back to the Magicians' Academy and use more precise instruments to check?"

“It should have been done sooner.” Lily took Bertha’s arm and said to the waiters following behind, “You can leave early today. You’ve worked hard today too.”

That's right, this private barbecue restaurant is owned by Lily. She opened it a long time ago because gatherings in her own place are more relaxing than dining in other places.

Meanwhile, when Ethan returned to the alternate dimension, he found that Starfall was not there. He was surprised for a moment but didn't pay much attention. Starfall didn't have to stay here all day. Even Ethan would secretly go to check on Selene from time to time to see how she was doing.

Ethan was more concerned about his upset stomach than about the starfall that was now nowhere to be found.

The meteorite repaired his body, allowing it to maintain circulation even without a heartbeat or the scar from the fatal wound on his neck. He could produce tears, sweat, and even gastric juices.

But he just can't digest food. He can't eat anything; if he does, he'll vomit it up. He can't get energy from food either.

At first, Ethan would often forget that he was dead and would drink water or eat things without being able to control himself. However, since his stomach couldn't digest the food, he would vomit it up every time. He gradually got used to not eating.

The fact that he couldn't digest his food was a constant reminder that he was already dead, so he chose not to eat. But how could he not eat when he was at a gathering with people? So Ethan ate anyway.

Ethan entered the room that the meteorite had created for him in the alternate dimension. He no longer needed to sleep, so the room only contained some of his personal belongings and there was no bed.

Ethan walked to the table, where a bottle of pale purple potion was placed. He had already prepared an emetic before deciding to attend the party, saving himself the trouble.

Ethan popped the cork and drank it all in one gulp.

It tastes like grapes, Ethan thought, considering he couldn't eat, yet the potion was still working for him.

So Ethan would sometimes mix food flavors into his potions, because he really didn't like drinking potions that were extremely bitter and smelly.

The potion worked quickly; less than ten seconds after drinking it, Ethan burped, feeling nauseous.

He rushed to the bathroom, vomited, and used several cleaning spells and air purifiers before he felt better.

The potion was truly effective. In the end, he could only vomit some stomach acid, and he even vomited until tears came out. The uncomfortable bloating in his stomach disappeared without a trace, and he finally felt a little better.

He had considered concocting a potion that could dissolve food directly in the stomach, but all the ones he found would damage his stomach and likely cause him to bleed.

He needed to repair his body and find Starfall, all to cause himself health problems and trouble Starfall over dealing with indigestible food. Ethan felt it was completely unnecessary; it was an avoidable accident.

Looking at his disheveled reflection in the mirror, Ethan casually conjured a clip with his magic and clipped up the thick bangs on the left side that completely covered his eyes.

Then he turned on the tap, put his palm under the running water, and the cool water stayed in his palm at a similar temperature. Soon his hand was full of water, and Ethan washed his face three times before the last bit of nausea disappeared.

He let out a soft breath, turned off the faucet, and grabbed the towel next to him to dry his face.

The soft towel absorbed the water droplets, then its owner performed a drying spell before putting it back.

Alright, with Lord Starfall gone, Ethan didn't want to read anymore. He also concocted a bunch of random potions, and his spell practice became more and more proficient with frequent use.

So what should he do now?

A note from the author:

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Bertha loves animals and has a bunch of pets, but she hasn't realized she's treating Ethan like one of her own pets.

The next time this woman sees Ethan, who is socially awkward, she will be even more certain of her idea of ​​inviting Ethan to join them.

I don't know if I mentioned it before, but actually, the kind of job that's done by a receptionist isn't something only an unknown mage would do. On the contrary, it's something only a powerful mage who can handle every troublemaker would do. They can deal with anything, so Bertha's position in the association isn't low.

So far, those characters with names have had more screen time later on. Although I don't even know what I'm writing anymore, it feels like only a few weeks have passed since Ethan, but a lifetime has gone by.

I'll post some related images on the old site, and maybe even a video. Speaking of which, yesterday I was planning to create a serious drama about Ethan and an "if" Ethan's relationship, but I bought the wrong template. I only realized it after I finished drawing and imported it…

More interaction will give me more inspiration. Yesterday I finally had real readers! [starry eyes] I felt so good interacting with them!

If no one's around, I'll secretly start writing other stories. Trying to sabotage me? I'll shut them down. [fist pump]

It's really cold here. I'll stop after I finish Ethan, and the two Osei ahead of me, and after I finish the OCs.