Chapter 32 Bertha felt that Ethan was somewhat different from her impression of him...
Bertha felt that the guardian of Starfall City was somewhat different from her initial impression.
She was just drifting through life as usual, working when people came and slacking off when no one came. Slacking off was her nature, and besides, she was now so powerful that no one could control her.
Until Lily sent her a message.
"Lustful glutton: Sister, have you checked Porn?"
No, Bertha hasn't touched her phone much since she woke up today because it's her turn to work at the front desk.
The receptionist isn't a permanent staff member; usually, several capable "magicians" take turns working there. Except for a few truly incorrigible shut-ins, everyone has to go to work.
"You lecherous glutton: Go check it out!!! That socially awkward account you follow! There's a super big surprise!!!"
Lily used a bunch of exclamation marks to emphasize the importance of this matter. Seeing her excitement and urgency, Bertha couldn't help but become curious and went to check Ethan's account on X.
[Starfall City Guardian - Ethan: "Shared a link"]
Bertha saw tens of thousands of comments in the comment section, all with question marks, and clicked on the link shared by Ethan.
That was a live broadcast from the Starfall City official account, showing the prisoner being held in an empty square, surrounded by a dense crowd that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see... Was this an execution?
Bertha was shocked. Everyone had heard of Starfall City to some extent. It was a city known for its sins and chaos. Its death rate and crime rate were comparable to several cities combined. People from other cities who went in would either die or be robbed and beaten several times.
So why is Starfall City starting to change? The voices coming from it sounded like they were reciting a crime. It was going on and on. For example, the one in front of us had been reciting for two minutes and still hadn't finished. People from other cities were asking questions, marveling at the simple and honest folk of the Starfall people. Some of them even hoped that the current criminal would be executed soon.
Bertha watched for a while, seeing many prisoners receive their due punishment after their crimes were read out. Then she looked at other posts on the official account and found that several new rules had been improved today, and the Starfall people in the comments were all cursing.
Some people went crazy, some hurled insults, and some didn't understand.
Without exception, "Guardian of Starfall City" was the most frequently mentioned phrase. Everyone was moved by Ethan's actions and sent a lot of heartwarming greetings.
For example, ask if the current owner is really from Starfall City? Are they all from the same family doing this? Is their brain made of shit?
Oh, of course, these are some rather subtle greetings.
Some people were worried about Ethan's health, asking if he would die soon. Others inquired about his family and friends, wishing them to be as rotten as his current partner. It was very heartwarming, warming the hearts of those who had passed away; their faces flushed with concern, perhaps because their words were so passionate.
Bertha only then realized that Ethan had done all of this. Was it true or not?
Bertha recalled Ethan in her mind: a socially awkward Ethan who hesitated to approach, dared not look up to speak, and spoke in a soft, stuttering voice.
Bertha glanced at the comments section again, piecing together the image of Ethan from the comments of the Starfall City residents.
A cold-blooded and brutal guardian who does whatever he wants, even overturning the long-standing rules of Starfall City. He not only affects the interests of many people, but also turns the whole game upside down. He is a terrifying guardian who will pursue and kill even the smallest things.
Some even think Ethan is more villainous than the villains. Is he really a guardian? What did he protect? What did he save? All they got in return was chaotic days.
To be honest, these two images were fighting in Bertha's mind, making her hesitate.
Could it be that I misjudged him this time? Even if someone is socially awkward and overly polite, they're not necessarily a good person. Was the time we spent together just a facade? That would be terrifying. Bertha broke out in a cold sweat.
How long has it been since she encountered someone like this? How long has it been since she made a mistake in judgment? Has she become so careless? Bertha Manton, have you become so weak and incompetent?
"The Lustful, Greedy Cat: How about it?"
Bertha replied helplessly, "What? How about it?"
"The lecherous glutton: I never thought our great magician would make a mistake."
Bertha didn't reply immediately; instead, she carefully reviewed the newly released regulations before responding.
I still stand by my point of view.
"The lecherous glutton: ? You're being controlled by him?"
"Of course not, have you read the laws?" Bertha quickly replied, afraid that she would open a portal to 'rescue' her directly: "Those laws are normal, it's just that there are too many lawbreakers in Starfall City, and those laws also exist in other cities."
The other end showed that it was typing, and it took a full half minute for Lily to send the message.
"Lustful Glutton: But you can't deny that he's not the kind kid you claim to be, right? What kind kid has the power to force their city to implement new laws and kill so many people?"
"The lecherous glutton: He may have some kindness, but I believe he's also ruthless. Bertha, no new Guardian can achieve such amazing results."
Bertha could not deny this, which is why she still harbored a last shred of hesitation and uncertainty.
Bertha felt that this matter couldn't be decided based on her own subjective opinion, so she decided to see what netizens in other cities thought.
Anonymous: So cool, this should have been done a long time ago.
Anonymous: My husband and I went to Starfall City on a business trip. My husband was left there forever. I am glad that these demons got the punishment they deserved.
Anonymous: It's a little strange to have so many normal rules all at once.
Bertha silently took a screenshot and sent it to Lily.
"Lustful Glutton: ? Don't tell me you just believe that?"
Bertha was a little unsure how to respond, but her gut feeling was that Ethan was pretty much the same as she remembered. How could she tell her best friend about her intuition? She felt like her best friend would scold her for getting so old and confused.
So Bertha pretended to be dead, stopped replying to Lily, and set Lily's chat window, which was bombarding her with messages, to "Do Not Disturb."
Then I started working again, but I was still a little restless.
Later, Bertha also paid attention to some information about Starfall City. Ethan didn't cause any trouble after that, but he slowly became more active and even fought the octopus monster with other guardians.
Bertha watched the battle broadcast as well. The more Bertha watched Ethan, the more he seemed like a bloodthirsty person. But the way he acted seemed to fit his novice status. He wasn't skilled enough to quickly find weaknesses and defeat his opponent.
Ethan's activities were limited to his role as a guardian; he didn't accept or complete any magician quests during this period, and it's said that he would also go out at night to catch people and throw them into prison.
"Perverted Glutton: I finally saw the little kid you've been longing for! Time to turn in the quest. It's so rare to see him. [rolls eyes.jpg]"
Ethan turned in his quest? Bertha was only slightly surprised before quickly regaining her composure. She had almost forgotten that Ethan's deadline for completing the quest, which was mandatory for magicians, was approaching, and he should accept the quest and finish it.
Unfortunately, it was her day off today, so she couldn't see Ethan and chat with him.
Bertha didn't see Ethan again until several days later, after she had deliberately staked out the location.
As always, Ethan was taciturn. He placed the quest objective on the table, and magical characters appeared above his finger: "Hello, quest turn-in." Still doesn't like to talk.
A mage's missions are not just about hunting down criminals; some are also missions issued by other mages to find things that are relatively rare, or at least difficult for the issuer to obtain.
Ethan's mission this time was to find a stone containing an ancient and mysterious magic power. According to the magic book passed down from the poster's ancestors, its use was unknown, but it was said to be very useful, so the mission was issued. It was quite difficult to find, and Ethan searched for four days.
After Bertha registered him for the mission, she called out to Ethan before he left.
“Mr. Nix,” Bertha said with a faint smile, “we have a party the day after tomorrow…”
Upon hearing this, Ethan frantically waved his hands and shook his head. Bertha even saw him tilt his head back slightly the moment he heard it, as always, showing his aversion to socializing.
But who is Bertha? Ethan is not even a fraction of her age, yet she has dozens of times more experience. With her rich background, Bertha used her superb rhetoric, which she usually uses to mediate difficult customers, to make Ethan dizzy and confused. He agreed without even knowing why he had agreed.
This gathering wasn't like the previous welcome parties for new members; it was a small get-together for Bertha's own faction. She would maintain contact with her people every now and then, usually through team-building activities, such as having meals or traveling together. The relationships were generally quite good.
Bertha had been staking out the place for the past few days in an attempt to invite Ethan to join them. She even harbored some doubts, as she was still unsure whether Ethan was truly a ruthless person.
The truly ruthless Starfall, who threatened those in power, was bored in his alternate dimension watching parenting videos.
Because of this, Lily couldn't believe it and angrily accused her friend of being controlled by dark magic, most likely Ethan. Otherwise, why would he make such a decision? Wasn't that out of his mind?
Lily found herself unable to persuade him at all, and wondered what kind of spell the Starfall City Guardian had cast on her friend. Her friend was adamant, claiming that she knew the socially awkward guy well enough, and if all else failed, she could invite Ethan to another party and test him out.
You can invite me, but what kind of party is this? It's a party for our own people! You're crazy, absolutely crazy, to invite Ethan to this party.
Lily even complained to other friends about Bertha's impulsive behavior, wanting to persuade their mutual friends to help talk her out of her daze and stop her from doing these things.
As expected, it ended in failure. The mutual friends were either not very close to Bertha, or they felt that Bertha was not easy to manage. When they told the other members of their group, it aroused their curiosity. They wanted to meet this strange person and see how this strange person had managed to turn their leader into this.
They wouldn't even listen to their leader's best friend, Sister Lily. This was the first time they had witnessed such a scene since joining Bertha's side.
Lily: ...Is this funny? You guys!
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Author's Note: I'll see if I can add more scenes for my magician colleagues, because they'll have fewer scenes later on, which is tricky.
The old spot for slacking off has been put away.
Bertha saved Lily's contact name with a nickname because Lily liked dating younger men and had pretended to be a minor to do so on several occasions.
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