Crown of Thorns
"ring?"
Upon hearing this, Ruixia took the white flower from her hand, looked at it carefully, and quickly expressed her approval.
"Indeed, this damaged area looks like where the ring originally stood... and judging by the scratches and cracks on the edges, it looks like it was broken by a fall."
What did the old man mean by putting such a broken ring in the envelope?
It's not necessarily for them to learn and use it immediately, and actually practice the process of repairing jewelry...
Thinking of the book "Classic Styles and Restoration of Women's Accessories" that was forced upon them, Ruixia still feels both amused and sad.
"Could it be some kind of keepsake?"
Since the letter mentioned a lady's name, it was not surprising that Morina would think so.
After all, they knew nothing about Princess Milliana. If she was an old woman of the same age as the old man, who knows what stories the two of them might have had when they were young?
Although judging by the broken ring, their relationship was most likely over...but since the old man chose to entrust these young people to her, it was obvious that he still trusted her.
There's more useless gossip.
The three of them looked at each other, and finally put the broken ring back properly.
Although they have not met any "locals" like the old man with whom they can communicate normally so far, let alone being seriously interrogated by anyone...but if this is really a token of love or something like that, if they meet the real owner one day, it would be a real troublesome matter if it was lost or hurt.
"So... what's next? Are you planning on going to see other places, or staying to read the literature with me?"
Ruixia suggested this mainly because the old man had given him too many things. Now Ximu and the others had brought back a lot of diary manuscripts. He had to look at the blueprints and set up the base by himself, so he was really too busy to handle it.
Ximu's first reaction was actually to refuse.
She was indeed literate and read very quickly, and could memorize a lot of information at a glance - but compared to these paperwork, she was still better at walking on the edge of life and death, exploring those flaws and secrets that were difficult to see in ordinary times in danger.
Moreover, she had to find out where that "gaze" that had been staring at her came from, whether it was the family's lost holy weapon "The Thorn of the End", and what the sudden healing of her hidden injury meant.
But just as she was considering her words and preparing to speak, she suddenly realized something belatedly.
She was actually - ready to put forward "her own" opinion.
Moreover, this wasn't the first time... The previous time she wanted to go out and explore alone, it was actually "herself" who suggested it.
Ruixia and Moli Na were certainly not surprised by this. After all, they grew up in a normal environment, and it was normal for them to make their own decisions without external interference.
But Ximu is not like that.
After years of deliberate training and guidance, her own subjective initiative is very low. In the absence of clear orders, she is accustomed to protecting herself and staying on standby.
The instruction that initially supported her actions was "Return Ruixia's favor and help him leave here";
Gradually building trust with Ruixia and feeling that he was reliable, she began to follow his instructions and let him make decisions on all matters, big or small...
Since when did she start to... have her own plans and ideas?
So...she can make decisions for herself?
"...It seems Ximu doesn't really want to stay and read."
Seeing that she was in a trance and silent for a long time, it was Morina who came out to smooth things over.
Mistaking Ximu's silence for not knowing how to refuse, Ruixia smiled, having obviously anticipated the possibility of disagreements among her companions.
"I was originally asking for your opinions. If you have any ideas, you can directly raise them. Don't worry. Then... Ximu still wants to go out for a walk, right?"
Seeing that he was determined to confirm his thoughts, Ximu no longer concealed it and nodded gently.
"Hehe, then I can't accompany you. After all, protecting our strongest force is more important."
The short-haired girl smirked beside her, and Ruixia sighed in feigned helplessness.
"Well, alright, it seems I'm the only one left to delve into this... Oh, right."
As if she remembered something, Ruixia suddenly stood up and climbed back to the high workbench. She rummaged through it with a clatter, took out something, then ran back excitedly and handed it to Ximu.
"Take this with you when you go out this time."
Lying in Ruixia's hand was a ring-shaped women's hair crown.
Crafted from an unknown metal, the crown was a single piece, its shape sharp and pointed, like a thorn braid. It was adorned with an unknown flower-shaped ornament, but unlike typical crowns, it wasn't positioned directly in the center of the forehead, but rather on the side. From the metal base beneath the flower, several thin claws extended in all directions, resembling spider legs or spikes.
For an ordinary girl, this style is a bit sharp - but Ximu saw it and felt that this design suited her very well with a dagger in hand.
"This is……?"
"This is made of a special alloy metal and has a positioning function. This way, even if you leave the range monitored by the 'Insect Swarm', I can still know your approximate location, making it easier to rescue you if you need help."
Seeing that Ximu didn't reach out to take it immediately, Ruixia seemed a little nervous, and her speech speed gradually became faster without her noticing.
"I originally wanted to make it into a bracelet or something, but I was worried that hand jewelry would affect the battle, so I made it into a hair crown... Although this is made of metal, it's very light. I just need to use my hair to hold it in place, and it will definitely not fall off!
"But, but it can't be made any smaller. If it's any smaller, the alloy content won't be enough, and the positioning effect will be worse... Ah, it's not that I want to monitor you, nor that I don't trust you, but if something happens and I can't find you, I won't know where to go if I want to rescue you, so..."
The boy chattered nervously, and Ximu felt that if he continued talking like that, he might blush again.
I don't know why, and Ruixia is quite cute when she blushes, but...
If I continue to stare at him expressionlessly like this, I'll feel like I'm bullying him.
She reached out and took the crown and put it directly on her head.
"Is this okay?"
There was no mirror nearby, so she adjusted her hair crown, not knowing whether it was properly put on.
"...It's a little crooked." After hesitating for a moment, Ruixia raised her hand and helped Ximu adjust the position of the hair crown. "That's it. How is it? How's the weight?"
Ximu moved his head and hardly felt any weight.
It seems that what Ruixia said is true. Although the hair crown completely surrounds the head, it does not affect the movement.
"It's very light, very good." Ximu answered honestly.
Ruixia curled the corners of his mouth, although the angle was not big, but it was still obvious that he was very happy.
"If you're worried it might fall off if you move too much, just pick up some hair from here, tie it into a bun, and secure the crown." He gestured beside Ximu's head, then turned to look at another companion, "Morina, how about you help Ximu..."
"Oh, I can't."
Before Ruixia could finish her words, Molina stroked the ends of her hair, which was only just reaching her shoulders, and said with a straight face, "I've always had short hair since I was a child. I don't even know what a bun is."
Ruixia was stunned for a moment because she didn't expect the other party to do such a thing.
"Then... shall I come?"
This question was directed to Xiang Ximu, who nodded very naturally, as if he didn't understand why he was hesitant.
Ruixia is the kind of person who helps her sister choose clothes, so it makes sense for her to know a little bit about women's braiding.
Ximu herself does lack the relevant skills in this area. Instead of spending time learning it, it is better to let her companions do it for her.
However, when Ruixia walked behind him, inserted her fingers into her hair and began to weave it strand by strand, Ximu realized that he had been a little careless.
At first, she thought this inexplicable tension might come from her long-standing fighting instinct.
After all, having another person standing behind her without any defense was an experience she had never had in her life so far.
She couldn't see Ruixia's expression, nor could she observe his movements immediately. She could only rely on the touch of the strands of hair to guess the direction of his fingers.
This fear of the unknown tightened her nerves, causing her to sit upright between the instinct to "hold the other person with her backhand" and the advice to "not overreact", and she was as determined as if she was about to be martyred.
"How do you like my hairstyle? Since you're so fast and you're constantly moving around, a loose bun might not stay in place. I'll braid the hair on both sides, then coil the rest of the hair separately. Then I'll wrap the braids around the base to keep it in place. How about leaving the rest of the hair loose? Tying it all up would make it heavier... Oh, I wish I had a mirror so I could check it out for you."
Ruixia was combing her hair and talking beside her, but Ximu felt that she didn't hear a word she said clearly. Her ears were buzzing and she only said "hmm" subconsciously a few times.
"Then let me help you take a look."
Molina, who was originally sitting next to him, dragged her stool over with great interest. After looking left and right in front of Ximu, the expression on her face gradually changed from teasing to approval.
"...You're quite something, young man. After you've dressed us up like this, our sharp-edged Miss Blade looks a bit girlish."
The ornaments Ximu originally wore on her hair had long been lost due to the washing away of the underground river. Ever since she met them, she had always had that flying hair and heroic image.
But at this moment, the girl put on a hair crown and made some slight modifications. Against the backdrop of the flowers on the crown, she actually looked a little gentle.
At this moment, Ruixia had an idea and summoned a mechanical insect to them. Then she waved her hand and pushed a screen in front of Ximu as a mirror.
Looking at the strange yet beautiful self in front of him, Ximu inadvertently clenched his fingers, his heartbeat was so loud that it was deafening.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
