Chapter 19 requires an autograph and a city map? Because I waited all night for the stars…
Because Starfall hadn't returned after waiting all night, Ethan got so bored that he started flipping coins.
"Heads await Lord Starfall, tails to be discussed." Ethan finished speaking, tossed the coin high into the air, and caught it before it hit the ground.
Ethan looked and saw that it was the reverse side; Starfall wouldn't be back anytime soon.
Because Ethan imbued the coin toss with magic, the result was very accurate; Starfall simply wouldn't return for a short time.
Since Starfall didn't return yesterday, Ethan had no one to supervise him, so he did nothing but look at Selene with the crystal ball for a long time.
Mary reminded him of Selene, and he missed his mother, but he was afraid that going to Selene's side would make him seem like a pervert, so he didn't go.
Ethan asked, "Studying? If so, that's a positive thing."
The coin falls, and it lands tails.
Ethan sensed something was wrong and changed the subject several times, but each time he threw out a negative idea.
He didn't doubt that his magic had gone wrong; he wondered if he hadn't hit the mark.
"...Then, should we go out and face the front?" Ethan hesitated before choosing to go out, which he didn't really want to do.
The coin was tossed up again, caught by him, and when he opened his hand, it was heads.
Ethan refused to believe it and threw the object over thirty times, finally convincing himself that today was a good day to go out, but he didn't know where to go.
Starfall City has been in a bit of chaos lately, so it's not a good time to go out. You're likely to get caught if you do. His policies have been a bit too provocative, and I bet quite a few people still want him dead.
Yangyan City? I'm not familiar with it. I've heard that the people there are warm and generous, but Ethan is socially awkward and terrified of social bullies. He's really afraid of encountering kind-hearted people.
Novigrad? I heard it's famous for its vast collection of books. He probably didn't go there to study, did he?
Victoria City? I heard it has lots of flowers and plants, all well-maintained, and many famous tourist attractions, so I'll pass.
Ethan remembered Nadia and quickly checked on X. Sure enough, she had posted photos of herself with the children today, doing charity work again.
How about... I ask for an autograph?
Last time, he went to make an appearance—no, he should have said he let the other guardians know that Starfall City had also found a guardian. He didn't even have the nerve to ask Nadia for an autograph; he was just thinking about when the meeting would end so he could make a run for it.
Ethan was still somewhat hesitant, but after flipping a coin three times, he finally decided to go out.
Nadia's post on X had an address, and Ethan found the coordinates and directly opened a portal to that area.
Ethan first peeked out to see if anyone was around, but to his surprise, the portal opened to a public restroom where only Ethan was present.
Ethan looked at himself in the mirror. He had changed into an inconspicuous black casual outfit before going out, and wore a baseball cap. He was also afraid of making eye contact with others, so he wore a mask so that he could completely avoid eye contact if someone tried to look at him.
He zipped the jacket all the way up, the high collar completely concealing the scar on his neck. Although it was autumn, it was still a bit hot to wear like this, but thankfully Ethan wasn't alive, so even if he could feel the heat, it wouldn't be too hot.
Ethan was completely unaware of how suspicious his appearance was. He walked towards the spot where Nadia was doing charity work, where a large crowd had gathered. Ethan stopped in his tracks.
Nadia was surrounded by children. At first, the children might have been a little intimidated by her aura, but they soon realized that the gentle older sister in front of them was actually a good person.
So the children chattered and pulled Nadia to talk. Nadia patiently waited for them to finish speaking one by one, and responded from time to time, which made the children even more eager to talk, and they looked at her with bright eyes.
Ethan watched as Nadia, whom he had met before with a fierce demeanor, softened her features, stroking the heads of the children around her, kissing the forehead of a disabled child, and wishing her a bright future.
They're practically two different people...
But Ethan, ironically, found women like that to be more beautiful.
They can gain powerful strength to protect the people they want to protect, and at other times they can also be kind-hearted women who sponsor more children and do charity work in different places.
Leaving the battlefield where they had to be tough, they softened and checked on everyone they were protecting to see if they were doing well.
In the distance, some people were even using cameras to capture this beautiful moment.
To be honest, Ethan was envious.
He watched as Nadia was loved by the residents she protected, who expressed their gratitude and greeted her. The sight of this harmonious scene warmed his heart.
Ethan recalled the character of the people of Starfall City and felt that the fact that no one threw tomatoes at him when he appeared showed that they were taking care of the food.
That was close! He almost forgot that he hadn't participated in any battles to protect Starfall City yet; he was so engrossed in the story that he forgot about reality.
Ethan wiped his sweat. Sometimes getting too involved is a bad thing; he'd forgotten that his city wasn't as friendly as other cities. Other cities cared for their guardians, but in his city, it was a nationwide hunt for them—after all, the policies he'd implemented had caused quite a few problems.
As time went by, fewer and fewer people gathered around, and Nadia's event was coming to an end.
"Sister Nadia!" A little girl with a small bun waved to her, tears welling up in her eyes: "Thank you for always protecting us. You must take good care of yourself! We'll wait for you to come see us again next time."
A slight smile appeared on Nadia's lips as she slowly waved her hand: "Yes, I will, little Hailey. You also need to cooperate actively with the treatment, okay?"
“Mmm—” The little girl called Hayley nodded frantically, tears streaming down her face. Even though she knew it was only a short separation and that Nadia would come to see them again in a few days, she was still reluctant to part.
The little girl and her friends went back to the orphanage.
Most of the people had left, and since Ethan only had five people with him, his social anxiety wasn't as severe.
Ethan, pen and paper in hand, dawdled over to Nadia, stammering as he forced himself to speak: "...Hello, Miss Nadia, I'm a fan of yours. May I ask...for an autograph?"
Nadia heard the voice and looked up at him.
The person in front of me was dressed entirely in black, completely covered up. Even on this not-so-cool day, they wore long sleeves and trousers, a mask, and a baseball cap, keeping their head down and avoiding eye contact.
It's similar to how Nadia occasionally encounters enemies who pretend to be fans to assassinate her.
Nadia became secretly on guard, took the paper and pen, and thought, "Good, the pen isn't a hidden weapon, it's just an ordinary pen."
"Who should I sign this to?" Nadia asked casually. She didn't particularly like signing her name in blank spaces; someone had almost forged a contract to scam her before.
"Ethan." Ethan's voice was weak, and the heat of the day was beginning to spread for the first time.
She signed her name in a few seconds, and when she handed the paper and pen back to Ethan, she noticed his reddened earlobes and hesitated for a moment.
Is this sunburn or...?
Nadia didn't ask any questions and remained secretly wary. Only after Ethan left and still didn't do anything did Nadia lower her guard, realizing that he really was a fan.
No, Nadia, you can't relax too soon.
There have been assassins who scouted the area before; what if they were just scouting ahead?
Nadia couldn't guarantee it, because Ethan was dressed too conspicuously. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but he just didn't look like a good person, making her want to stay away from him at first glance.
"Waaaaah—"
After Ethan left the area around Nadia's activities today, he originally wanted to find a secluded place to open a portal back. However, he felt that he had used up all his social energy for the day, and he was prepared to flip a coin dozens of times to live a reclusive life where he wouldn't even leave the house.
But the crying interrupted his hand as he was about to open the portal. Ethan followed the sound and found a green-haired woman with braided hair covering her face and crying on a park bench.
Ethan didn't want to get involved, so he quietly stepped back. The crying grew louder. There was no one else around. Could this be a trap? Ethan, who came from Starfall City and had seen people tricked into giving away women or children, wondered to himself.
Ethan retreated to a corner, to a place where no surveillance cameras were pointing at him. He had just opened a portal when another cry rang out, causing him to stop in his tracks.
Why don't we go ask him? If it's a trick, he can just use a portal to escape. You can clear his memory after he runs away, when he's not looking.
With that thought in mind, Ethan stepped out from the corner and approached the green-haired woman: "...Hello, do you need any help?"
The green-haired woman's sobs gradually subsided. She looked up at Ethan, her eyes still red, and asked somewhat shyly, "Is it alright? Won't this be too much trouble for you?"
Ethan's alarm blared. One of the lines Selene had taught him was this one, which she said was a trick human traffickers used to lull kind-hearted people into a false sense of security.
“Of course.” Ethan forced a smile, but then suddenly remembered he was wearing a mask and the other person couldn’t see him, so he quickly withdrew his smile: “I will do my best.”
The green-haired woman—Vidalis, who is curious about the Starfall Guardians.
After leaving the party, her curiosity about the Starfall Guardian grew stronger. Today, as soon as she sensed the Starfall aura, the Guardian rushed over. However, Starfall was still engrossed in fighting Yang Yan, so it couldn't be his real self.
She originally intended to pretend to cry to get the Starfall Guardian to approach her, but she didn't expect him to be so wary. He wanted to leave as soon as he saw her, and she only managed to keep him there by crying so loudly.
But looking into those eyes that held a hint of wariness, Vidalis knew she had been too hasty. When the other person responded, their gaze changed, and they looked cold and indifferent, as if they weren't smiling.
The guardian of Starfall doesn't seem like a good person, just like Starfall itself.
Vidalis assessed her first impressions, but her curiosity remained strong; she really wanted to get to know her, or him.
Gender doesn't matter. What matters is that Vidalis knows that the wills of other cities will soon come to contact Ethan, and if she doesn't act decisively, she might not even be able to compete with everyone else.
People won't easily give up on something they've finally managed to get interested in.
A note from the author:
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Nadia is a person who loves children and has sponsored many children, helping children in orphanages to see a doctor.
Actually, the Guardians aren't short of money. Besides their own cities potentially providing some, the government also gives them funds. [doge emoji]
The city's will was probably the kind of person who went out of pure curiosity, with no malicious intent.
And please, everyone! [kiss emoji] I love interacting, so please interact with me!
I just made eye contact with a cockroach on my bed while I was typing. Does anyone understand the bliss of that moment? How many cockroaches are there in the dorm? [Crying emoji] I didn't use a bed curtain, so please, cockroach buddy, don't bite me!
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