Night World Players

Chapter 60 Then I'll call you Gray (Two in One)

Looking at the hope flashing in the eyes of the little girl who was like a baby in the darkness, Rast did not answer immediately.

Then, her eyes dimmed little by little.

"As expected, is that so—"

"I heard from the mayor that only those who accidentally awaken superpowers, such as being able to spit fire from their mouths and control water flow, have a chance to be chosen by the shore guards."

"But I don't have any super powers. No matter how hard I try, I can't use them."

"The mayor said that maybe the Shore Guardians have mastered some technology that can help people awaken superpowers."

There was a hint of loss in her voice.

"But, every time I told the mayor about my desire to awaken my superpowers... the usually kind mayor would reveal a very serious expression and would interrupt me without giving me any further explanation."

"Even when I wanted to go to the lighthouse outside the town to meet you guys, the mayor would solemnly reject my request, saying that I was too young and should wait until I grow up."

"It's weird..."

The little girl paused for a moment. "When the mayor was telling us bedtime stories, his eyes lit up when he mentioned the experience of being rescued by the shore guards."

"But every time I talk about the same thing, the mayor's attitude changes 180 degrees, as if he has become a different person."

"Did he say something like that?"

Luster glanced at the little girl in front of him and said, "The old mayor is really a good person."

"why?"

She raised her numb eyes: "As long as you join the Shore Guard, you can pass the assessment, lie about being an orphan, use a tragic performance to arouse sympathy, and it doesn't matter what method you use to enter..."

"But as long as I join, I can get the protection of the most powerful and go to the safest place in the world."

Luster smiled.

He stood up, walked to the wooden table by the window, and lit the small oil lamp.

The wick of the oil lamp was ignited, emitting a warm orange glow, illuminating the surrounding space.

The light from the oil lamp divided the room into two distinct sections: one side was bright, and the other side was pure darkness.

It seemed that my eyes had adapted to the darkness in the room, making the light too dazzling.

The moment the oil lamp was lit, the little girl was like a frightened little animal. She stretched out her hand to block the glaring light and retreated into the shadow on the other side.

"how to say……"

Last thought for a moment and said, "No matter who is in charge, they can do a pretty good job."

"It's like, if there's a kid in front of me shouting to the world that he wants to be the richest man in the world, I might just casually respond with a few perfunctory words like yeah, yeah, yeah."

"But your wish... is not the kind of enthusiasm that makes you want to announce your ambition to the world, but forgets about it in the blink of an eye, right?"

His voice rang out in the candlelight.

“Anyone can do it by cheering for other people’s dreams irresponsibly.”

"But only those who are truly close to you will consider you personally and worry about you."

"So, the old mayor clearly longed to be a shore watcher... but when you expressed that wish, he would rather frown and harden his heart, making you feel dissatisfied with him, rather than casually supporting your dream."

"Besides..."

"Do you really think that the Shore Watchers are what you imagine them to be?"

Rast stared at the flickering lights and said, "Perhaps there really is the strongest human being there."

"But there is no such thing as a free lunch. In this world, effort and reward, rights and obligations are always equal."

"You just want to gain the protection of the strong and enjoy a safe, rich, and stable life... But you have never really considered the weight and responsibility of the three words "shore guard."

"Such an idea is a bit too arrogant."

……

The little girl's figure swayed slightly in the dark.

Although she heard what Rast said, she only understood half of it and could not fully comprehend its meaning.

In her limited knowledge, the human settlements scattered across the continent were like wolf packs in the wilderness, and she was a wolf cub wandering among the wolf packs.

Some wolf packs were weak and on the verge of death, so after the wolf packs were devoured by other stronger beasts in the wilderness, she could only wander again... For example, the human town where she had lived before but no longer existed, and the Frozen Water Town which still existed but could not bring her a sense of security.

Some wolf packs were strong and had the strongest leader, so that was the safest place in the world, enough to protect her from being killed by other wild animals in the wilderness. Therefore, even if she only heard a few words from the mayor, she still had the desire to join the shore watchers.

Most wolf packs are closed and xenophobic, so during her wandering, the girl learned to use protective colors to disguise herself, trying to make herself look well-behaved, smart, obedient, sensible, and likable... Because only in this way will those wolf packs be willing to accept a stray wolf cub who looks harmless.

The wilderness, the beasts that take lives, the wolves and the long wandering... this is the world in the eyes of the girl.

She didn't understand what Rast meant by "the weight of the word shorekeeper."

But the girl, who had wandered to many places at a young age and witnessed the warmth and coldness of countless people's hearts, keenly noticed the denial and rejection of her in Last's words just now.

So she stood up quietly and bowed deeply to Rast.

"I'm sorry to have made you listen to so much of me."

"I will report everything I did to the mayor. I wanted to steal your things... Even if I am expelled from Frozen Water Town for this, it is the punishment I deserve."

After saying these words in a clear but numb voice.

The gray-haired girl walked towards the door without disturbing anyone, following the shadows and darkness in the room that had not been dispelled by the light.

"then."

The little girl turned around subconsciously, and something drew a parabola in the air and fell precisely into her hands.

It was a pure silver badge, with simple lines outlining the coastline protected by the wings.

It was the Watcher's Wing Emblem that she had always longed for, and even went so far as to sneak into Rast's room and steal it.

She raised her head and looked at Luster in confusion.

"After all, this thing isn't worth much."

"I can't decide on Hiltyna's, but I'll give my own away if I give it away."

Luster's calm voice sounded behind her.

"Besides, there's no need to report to the old mayor... If Hiltyna knew that I was angry with a child, she would probably laugh at me."

"As for the wing emblem, it doesn't matter whether you sell it for silver or really treat me and Hiltina as spirit rings and use them to deceive the Shore Guards headquarters and say that you are orphans or something like that."

"But I just hope you remember one thing."

His voice echoed with the whistling evening wind outside the window.

“What ‘shore watchers’ represent is not the safe and stable life you imagine.”

"It is a pair of shackles, a yoke, and even... a curse."

"A curse that will stay with you for the rest of your life, like a thorn in your flesh, from which you can never escape until the end of your life."

"Before you make up your mind to bear this curse, don't talk about becoming a shore keeper."

……

The gray-haired girl glanced at Rast and nodded silently.

She held the silver winged emblem tightly in her palm and walked out step by step. Just as her figure was about to disappear outside the door, Luster's voice sounded again.

"Speaking of which, do you have a name? Xiao Hui shouldn't be your official name, right?"

The girl paused for a moment: "I don't have a name. A street kid doesn't need a name."

"Xiao Hui is what the town mayor called me. Because of the color of my hair, everyone started calling me that."

Luster paused and said, "So that's how it is. What a coincidence."

"I have a friend who also forgot his name at that time. It was only later that he got his name back after being told by others."

There was a hint of smile in his voice.

"It's pitiful for a person to have no name. You don't want to be called "Xiaohui" or "Hey", "You" or "You" when you grow up. "

"Grey...Grey...Grey."

"In that case."

"From now on, I will call you——"

"Gray, right?"

Gray...?

The little girl repeated the name silently in her heart.

For some reason, when she pronounced this name, she felt an inexplicable warmth in her heart.

It reminded her of the warm summer breeze.

……

Rast stood like this by the door.

Only when Gray's footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor did he turn around and look at the balcony deep in the room.

"I say, Miss Hiltina."

"There's probably no such thing as eavesdropping on other people's conversations in the family motto of the Rangers."

As soon as Rast finished speaking, a girl with long chestnut hair walked out from the balcony.

It seems that she must have flipped over here directly from the outside of the balcony of the next room.

"Of course not."

"However, as a single man, you are in the same room with a little girl in her early teens, so I must keep a closer eye on you."

At this moment, Hiltina was not wearing a knight's uniform, but a plain white home dress and a skirt that was less than the knee.

She looked at Rast with a hint of smile in her eyes: "Fortunately, under my supervision, you didn't do anything out of line."

"If you really do that, it's not out of line, it's abnormal."

Luster smiled bitterly.

He was not surprised by the appearance of Xiltina.

Although the noises of Gray's previous infiltration and the two's conversation were slight, they were not enough to deceive a "Chariot" with intuition that could break through to the fourth level at any time.

“He’s really a child who’s suffered a lot.”

"Gray, that's a nice name."

Looking at the direction where Gray disappeared outside the door, Hiltina couldn't help but sigh.

"And, I don't know why..."

"She gives me a feeling that is very similar to you."

Hiltina looked at Last with some suspicion.

She clearly felt that in the conversation just now, not only was Gray's disguise exposed, but even Luster's mask disappeared briefly, revealing some of his true appearance.

But it was obvious that if Rast didn't confess himself, she would never know the truth.

"Now that it's over, I'm going back to my room."

Hiltina tidied up her chestnut hair that was a little messy after being blown on the balcony, and was about to go out and return to her room, but was interrupted by Rast.

"Wait a minute."

"Let me confirm that you don't have any nightmares that have been haunting you for a long time or any unbearable memories from the past that would become a memory that breaks your mind, right?"

There was a rare hint of seriousness in Rast's voice.

"If so, tell me."

"I can use mental suggestion to help you delete those memories."

Hiltina turned around and looked into Last's eyes. After a few seconds, she understood the meaning of Last's words.

"You mean, what will happen at midnight? Have you found the clue?"

"Ah."

Rust nodded. "This should be some kind of regular mental pollution. If we don't return to the safe zone of the lighthouse outside the town before midnight and stay in Frozen Water Town, we will inevitably face this kind of pollution."

"Your Sequence Master and Night Blade are both specialized in physical enhancements, and have little effect on mental and spiritual enhancements. Fighting against mental pollution is not your strong point... Let me use hypnosis to make you forget those things and directly erase the flaws in your mind. This is the simplest option."

"Like everyone, I do have some memories that stick out, and my soul is far from perfect."

Xiltina smiled: "I know you mean well, Last."

"But no matter what, that is my past. No matter how painful it is to look back on, it is still a part of me."

She walked straight towards her room without pausing.

"Possessing the determination and courage to conquer all obstacles and desperate situations, this is the justice of a ranger, and it is my justice."

"And if I had not chosen to face those memories and those flaws in my heart, but had forgotten them and escaped, and violated justice... then Hiltina Ingulite would not exist."

"Really, this is very much your style."

Behind her, Luster sighed.

"In that case, I will leave a mark for you in the spirit world. If necessary, I will try to wake you up by force."

Hiltina did not stop, but nodded silently.

The figure of the young knight and her fluttering chestnut hair soon disappeared into the next room.

And Rast didn't say anything else. He just turned off the oil lamp and lay back on the bed quietly.

Time passed by second by second in the darkness.

pat.

pat.

Until the moment the clock hand pointed to twelve o'clock midnight.

The thick white fog silently engulfed the entire Dongshui Town, along with all the living things in it.

(End of this chapter)