Guo Suo woke up early in the morning, rubbed his sleepy eyes and prepared to go into the kitchen. He found that the light was on in the kitchen and there was some movement coming from inside.
She was horrified. Could there be a thief in the house?
It is impossible for the young lady to enter the kitchen. It would be a disaster if she entered the kitchen.
The tentacles have no eyes and love to make trouble. They smash things and steal things. They can turn the kitchen into a disaster movie scene in no time.
Mr. Gardener doesn't need to eat anything except drinking water, and he never goes into the kitchen.
Before the young lady came, when she was hiding in this yard alone, some thieves often sneaked in, but most of them were quietly scared away by her.
Since the young lady came back, and especially since the gardener came, there has been no thief in this house anymore.
Too? Abominable, there is a thief!
Guo Suo's eyes flashed with ferocity. He mustered up his courage and pushed the door open.
He looked into the eyes of Ni Ji, who was beating eggs by the stove in an apron.
The two of them looked at each other in shock for a long while.
"Ah... this... you," Xiaosuo fumbled around and gestured for a long time, his eyes widened, "You, you, you stayed at our house last night?"
Yesterday, she thought the sentry who went home with the lady was terrible.
He drew the knife with a ferocious look on his face. He stepped on his own legs, flipped over his head, and pinned Mr. Gardener to the ground.
Mr. Gardener is already scary enough. This one must be an even more formidable and powerful sentinel.
They were as powerful as the sentinels who had captured him when they entered the contaminated area. This made the little crab a little scared.
But now, the sentinel stood in her kitchen, wearing her pink apron, holding a bowl and chopsticks in her hands, looking at herself in surprise, her hair a little messy.
It doesn't seem so scary anymore.
Didn't he leave yesterday? When did he come back?
Guo Suo looked around and found that the young lady was actually asleep on the sofa in the living room, covered with a thick blanket.
Did these two do something last night that she didn't know about?
Last night, Ni Ji was supposed to leave after the counseling session.
But it was too cold in Kyoto late at night, and this room was too warm.
The two of them sat on their respective sofas and chatted for a while.
The living room was very empty, with only a small reading lamp on. The warm yellow light dispelled the darkness in this small area, enveloping the two incomplete people in the warm light.
Instead of talking about the upcoming dangerous journey, they talked about some irrelevant and unimportant things.
Ni Ji talked about life at the northern outpost and some of the people there. Lin Yuan mentioned a little about the disaster that happened in his family when he was young, and about his mother.
They were each wrapped in a thick blanket, which was thick and warm, and the air was filled with the scent of roses.
Lin Yuan was the same as usual, not very expressive and not talking much, but she was a good listener.
Under the light, those amber eyes were like stars, and his head, resting on the armrest of the sofa, was full of interest.
Instead, Ni Ji laughed several times.
It has been many years. Ever since he became the captain of the sentry and shouldered the responsibility, he seemed to have rarely smiled like this.
He still remembers that many people used to say that he looked particularly good when he smiled.
He hoped that he could look better in front of Lin Yuan.
Such a little thought is too stupid. It's probably all because of that song that appeared inexplicably at night.
Ni Ji knew that he should leave. It was already too late, and it was inappropriate and impolite to sleep here.
But Lin Yuan's fair little hand stretched out from the blanket, reached over the gap between the armrests of the sofa, and touched his hair - when he mentioned that he bought candy in accordance with his comrade's will and sent it to the orphanage.
She did this very naturally, her palms were warm, as if she knew that was a problem in his heart that he couldn't get over.
The resolute will to leave dissolved.
Amidst the chatter, she didn't know when she felt sleepy. She vaguely saw Lin Yuan yawn and narrow his eyes.
So he fell asleep again without realizing it.
When I opened my eyes, it was already dawn.
Lin Yuan curled up in a blanket and slept on the sofa next to him.
In such a quiet morning, standing so close, the sentry's strong hearing allowed him to clearly hear every moist breath of the girl and her rhythmic heartbeat.
The guide wrapped in the blanket had smooth, white skin that seemed to glow, and long, seaweed-like black hair that stretched out outside the blanket.
An arm stretched out from the blanket and fell on the edge of the sofa. Ni Ji's eyes followed the arm down and saw the slightly bent white fingers.
Remembering what those fingers had done last night, he avoided his gaze.
It seemed inappropriate to leave without saying a word at this time. He stood up and tidied himself, thinking of at least preparing a breakfast for the guide who stayed up late to help him refresh himself.
The body feels relaxed, and the mind has undergone efficient counseling. The picture is blue.
The kitchen was filled with abundant ingredients and fully equipped, making the sentry almost want to hum a song.
The unknown tune that had been playing in his mind all night.
A princess who is just beginning to fall in love sings a song to the moon in her heart.
Lin Yuan slept too late last night and couldn't wake up in the morning. He lay listlessly with his head drooped on the dining table.
Someone placed breakfast in front of her: a cup of freshly made caramel egg pudding and freshly baked red bean French toast, as well as a small plate of red apples cut into the shape of rabbits.
The sweet aroma awakened Lin Yuan's stomach. She immediately became energetic.
The pudding is a mixture of the aroma of milk and eggs, smooth and delicate, with a layer of golden caramel on top, which makes a crunchy sound when bitten in the mouth, which is the finishing touch.
The French toast is soft inside and crispy and sweet on the outside. When you take a bite, the hot red bean sauce slowly flows out.
Finally, a few slices of refreshing sweet apple.
The perfect breakfast for those with a sweet tooth.
Lin Yuan's breakfast was gone in a flash. After licking the syrup on the spoon, he found that the breakfast was made by Ni Ji.
The sentry's own breakfast was simple, just boiled eggs and toast.
However, in front of Guo Suo there was a large basin of cleaned and shelled oysters, accompanied by a plate of cute rabbit apples.
Guo Suo was holding a knife and fork, his cheeks puffed up, his eyes sparkling, and he no longer cared about talking to Lin Yuan.
On Lian Xunhua's seat, the exclusive golden water cup had been washed clean and filled with mineral water.
When Xunhua entered the room, she saw the water cup in front of his seat and was slightly stunned.
"You've only been to my house once, right?" He sat down, picked up the cup and took a sip of water. "You have such good observation skills. I almost thought you were the guide."
Guo Suo really wanted to express his own opinion at this time.
This house is so big, it can accommodate more people. Since we already have a maid and a gardener, we can definitely have a cook. She tried her best to hint to the lady with her eyes.
Unfortunately, the young lady is a piece of wood, and the gardener is also a piece of wood. No one understands her hint.
After breakfast, Ni Ji and Lin Yuan asked Xun Hua to teach them some skills, which were new to them, the coordinated combat skills between guides and sentinels from hundreds of years ago.
These two people have a very consistent and amazing passion for improving their combat capabilities.
"The common way of coordination at that time was for the guide to control the field and the sentinels to fight in close combat," said Xunhua.
To make it easier to understand, he took the two of them to the game room on the second floor and turned on several screens at the same time.
In the game, a small character starts running and different screens light up at the same time, allowing you to see scenes from different perspectives.
"It's like a multi-screen game." Xunhua pointed at the moving screen. "The guide is pulled out of the room and connected to the senses of the sentinels. He can better observe the battle situation from all angles and detect danger. At the same time, he can transmit information to the sentinels synchronously."
"It seems like the more sentinels there are, the better the coordination?" Lin Yuan discovered a problem.
Xunhua looked at Lin Yuan. Lin Yuan usually looked a little cold and dull, as if he didn't care about anything. But every time it came to fighting, he had a natural sharpness.
If she was not born in this era, but was born hundreds of years ago, she would have already been a world-famous warrior.
"You're right." Xunhua said, "The more sentinels a guide can coordinate at the same time, the better. Compared to verbal command, thoughts only transmit information in a split second, which is a very efficient way of teamwork. In that era, multiple sentinels and one guide were the best combination, and those who served as team leaders were mostly mature and powerful guides."
"But Her Majesty the Queen seems to want me to choose a dedicated sentinel," said Lin Yuan.
"Your Majesty is right," Xunhua explained. "On the battlefield, the guide has a heavy responsibility. Not only does he have to control the situation, disrupt and attack the enemy, but he also has to observe the conditions of the sentinels at all times, adjust their emotions, reduce their sensitivity, and even directly control the sentinels in times of crisis."
"These are not just about having strong mental strength. They require a lot of running-in and training. Almost everyone starts with one-on-one pair training."
Lin Yuan understood, "So that's how it is."
Delicate teamwork, not just individual incompetence, is indeed an area she is not familiar with.
"Speaking of which," Xunhua thought of something, "it seems that Her Majesty the Queen is very familiar with the cooperation between sentinels. She knows the term "exclusive sentinel" and seems to know how to start with one-on-one cooperation."
Lin Yuan propped his chin on his fingers and expressed his intuitive impression of the Queen, "Well, Your Majesty is a very gentle person, and is very good to me."
Xunhua asked her, "Why do you think she treats you well?"
Why?
Lin Yuan thought for a long time and found that he couldn't answer this question.
Objectively speaking, she had only met His Majesty once.
Her Majesty the Queen assigned her a mission to the contaminated area and assigned her a dedicated sentinel to go with her.
Other than that? Nothing more. No rewards or medals for unlocking the Golden Tree Contamination Zone, not even data or equipment for new missions.
If you think about it this way, there's nothing particularly good about it.
Why? Why did I have a deep impression in my heart that His Majesty was very kind and good to me?
Ni Ji interjected at this time, "The Land of Pupilless is a very dangerous place. Especially according to your majesty's order, we need to go deep into it to search for the Dark Stone. The danger level is no less than that of the Golden Tree."
The atmosphere at the scene was stagnant.
The three of them fell silent, each with their own thoughts.
"No? Anyway, I think this Majesty may be a very powerful guide." Xunhua finally said.
"Her control over people's mental power has reached the point where it is so subtle and silent that even a guide like you can't detect it."
…
Lin Yuan and Ni Ji, who opened the door to a new world in Xunhua, began combat training for several consecutive days.
When Roy came to visit, he saw a courtyard that was so messy that it was unbearable to look at.
"Where did you hire this gardener? He's not worth it. You should change him."
Roy walked across the courtyard with difficulty, stepping on the broken branches and weeds all over the ground. He only nodded reluctantly when he saw the roses in full bloom by the window.
"That's all? These flowers are prettier."
As soon as he sat down, he asked Lin Yuan what he thought of being summoned by the Queen, "How was it? How was it? Was Her Majesty particularly gentle, wise, and beautiful?"
Lin Yuan gave him a positive answer, "She is very beautiful, and also very strong."
Roy was very happy, as if just hearing the queen's name could make him excited for a long time.
After a moment, he became worried again, "I heard that Your Majesty sent you to the Land of No Pupils? Why? Why did you send you there? It's a very dangerous place."
Lin Yuan asked him, "Roy, has my mother ever been to the Land of No Pupils?"
"Your mother, Elder Lin?" Roy thought seriously for a moment and shook his head. "I don't remember. I was just a newly employed clerk. I don't know where they have been."
"Our Special Research Department is directly under Her Majesty the Queen. I only know that most of the areas where these powerful sentinels go are assigned by Her Majesty." He thought for a moment and added, "By the way, we have data on the Pupilless Land in our data room. I'll send it to you when I have sorted it out."
Lin Yuan hummed and said nothing more.
That pale little face was the same as always, plain and without any special expression.
Roy became more and more worried, and rubbed his hands anxiously. "Although Her Majesty must have her own intentions, and I shouldn't question it. But I really don't understand why Her Majesty would send a guide like you to the contaminated area."
"Guides are so rare, and the number of guides in the Empire has been decreasing year by year."
Ni Ji was walking on the way back to the dormitory. His steps were fast and his body was relaxed.
Although every day was very busy, these few days were probably the happiest days he had since returning to Kyoto.
When I went up the stairs, I met the girl who delivered the coal briquettes again.
Her grandfather didn't come today, and the little girl, who was only six or seven years old, couldn't lift a whole box of honeycomb briquettes by herself. She could only carry them upstairs a few pieces at a time.
She ran many times, and her cheeks and nose were stained with black coal dust. Sweat flowed down, making her little face dirty.
Ni Ji helped her carry up the whole box of coal briquettes.
"Which floor?" Ni Ji asked her.
"Eight...eighth floor. Thank you, brother." The little girl followed him and ran upstairs.
She was very thin, with thin arms and legs and dry yellow hair. It was hard to tell whether she was six or seven years old. In short, she was a child who should not be responsible for such heavy work at this age.
"Where's your grandpa?"
"Grandpa is sick and can't get up at home." The little girl spoke clearly, with a maturity that didn't belong to her age. "There is no one else in my family. It's just me and grandpa. I will take good care of grandpa."
Ni Ji turned around and looked at her. In this world, there are too many hardships and difficulties, and almost every ordinary person has an extremely difficult life.
"Sentry brother." Halfway through the journey, the girl called out to Ni Ji.
Ni Ji held the black coal box in one hand and turned to look at the little girl who was not even as tall as his legs.
"Brother Sentinel, I want to ask you something. Is it true that after the age of seven, ordinary people can no longer differentiate into Sentinels and Guides?"
"Most of the time, that's the case." Ni Ji answered him.
The Sentinels and Guides in the Empire are all differentiated from ordinary people. Most children from ordinary families will complete this transformation before the age of seven.
After this age, there is basically no possibility of differentiation into a sentinel or a guide.
"Then once I turn seven, no one will come to check if I have differentiation, and I'll just live a normal life forever, right?" the girl asked, looking up at her dark little face.
Ni Ji raised his eyebrows slightly, "Are you afraid of becoming a sentinel?"
The little girl lowered her head and rubbed the corner of her clothes. "I, I'm afraid of becoming a guide. I heard that once you become a guide, you can only live in the White Tower and can't leave before you reach adulthood. Then... Grandpa will have no one to take care of him."
"It's very rare to differentiate into a guide." Ni Ji comforted her, "The number of guides differentiated from ordinary people every year is very small. It's not easy to meet, so you don't have to worry too much."
The little girl hummed softly, lowered her head, followed him, and carried the coal briquettes upstairs.