My portable grandfather refreshes every week

Chapter 373 Solutions to the Effects of Nothingness

The next morning, when Fafnir opened her eyes, she was startled awake from her bed.

She had originally planned to wait for her teacher to return in the room. Based on her guess, her teacher must have been teleported away to other places and was not in the room. However, she waited in bed for quite a while, so she drifted off to sleep.

Now, it's already broad daylight, teacher?
She got up in confusion and found herself covered with a quilt. The weather was getting cooler and cooler, with the temperature dropping to as low as ten degrees Celsius at night. She hadn't gotten into bed when she came here to wait.

However, with the blanket covering her, Fafnir felt a dazed and confused feeling. Then, her toes, clad in white stockings, instantly curled up, as if she could carve a three-bedroom apartment out of the bed with her toes.

When she hurriedly left the room, she saw Xue Daolu already washing up, his mouth full of toothpaste foam, mumbling, "Are you awake?"

"Mmm..." Fafnir's voice was very weak. She felt her face burning hot, as if it were steaming.

"Don't go to the wrong room next time. Also, it's a bit chilly lately, remember to cover yourself with a blanket," Xue Dinglu reminded him.

Although I don't think Fafnir will catch a cold, after all, she has a body that has been able to fight the Shub insectoids for more than ten years. The little girl is in great health and is the kind of person who wouldn't catch a cold even if she were placed in Siberia.

But not catching a cold doesn't mean you won't feel uncomfortable. Low temperatures can still cause some discomfort. Just like Xue's Law can survive in a vacuum for more than an hour, he won't go crazy and suffer by deliberately going to a vacuum to experience life.

Fafnir nodded silently. At that moment, she could only look down at her shoes and ankles, feeling utterly pathetic...

“Teacher, I’m going to make breakfast,” Fafnir said.

"Hmm." Xue Dinglu held water in his mouth and continued to brush his teeth as usual.

It was only at times like this that he realized how useful the Cleansing spell was, but unfortunately, with the disappearance of the Evil Eye's power, the Cleansing spell could no longer be used.

Unconsciously, Xue's Law reminded him of old Green again.

He really wanted to carry on old Grimm's last wish and establish a magic academy. The school had even been built for quite some time, but unfortunately, he was still not skilled enough. In terms of magic proficiency, he had only barely reached the fourth level.

Furthermore, his abilities are limited to Holy Light magic; he struggles even to reach the legendary level in other types of magic. It's fair to say that he's a complete novice when it comes to magic.

His main expertise lies in ritual studies and conceptual studies.

He embarked on a completely different path from the Great Sage. The old man was mainly proficient in magic, and could reach the near-5th rank with magic alone, while he devoted most of his energy to ritual studies.

It seems that I am more of a mystic than a magician.

It's just that his mysterious academic method is Genesis.

His thoughts drifted a bit, and Xue Dinglu thought of many other things. If he really wanted to establish a magic academy, he would need teachers. Who were the right people to become teachers?

Old Barack? He could be a physical education teacher at best.

As for other acquaintances, they may not necessarily like teaching, and many are not suitable to be teachers, such as the Greek prisoners. Xue's Law is afraid that they might give their students an ultimate insult while teaching.

He didn't want his magic academy to become a holy site for male cults.

After thinking it over, it seems that only the old undead can be recruited as a laborer. If only old Green were here, he would be a great person. He is the principal of a magic academy and has a deep understanding of this.

Unfortunately, old Green is gone, and Xue Law doesn't know if there will be any chance to bring him back.

……

"Wow, did Sister Fafnir make breakfast today?" Little Dragon Girl washed her face vigorously in her aunt's arms before getting on the table.

She was holding a flowerpot in her hands, in which her younger sister, Xue Lingshu, was planted.

The little fairy's daily routine is completely different from others, and even her living habits are different from others. She is essentially a plant, and she prefers sunlight and water. She is usually planted in a flowerpot and watered.

When you want to go out and play, pull yourself out of the flowerpot and wash off the dirt.

"Yes, I made breakfast today..." Fafnir forced a smile and stood on tiptoe to pat the little dragon girl's head.

Little Dragon Girl showed an expression of enjoyment, and couldn't wait to tap the bowl on the table, while picking up the water she had prepared and pouring it onto her sister's flowerpot.

Although Little Tree Mother didn't open her eyes, she instinctively opened her mouth after sensing the water and drank it little by little. She smacked her lips and said, "Overnight water... this boiled water has no taste..."

"Oh dear, I took the wrong one!" Little Dragon Girl looked at the kettle, then immediately went back to her room to get another kettle of freshly mixed water and poured it on.

"Ah~!" Little Tree Mother continued to open her mouth, her whole body was in the soil, only her head was above ground with an expression of enjoyment.

Soon, Auntie, who also seemed half-asleep, scratched her hair and came to the dining table, saying, "Thank you, Fafnir."

Xue Dinglu also came downstairs, and Fafner brought out the first bowl of noodles and a fried egg: "Teacher, breakfast!"

"Okay." Xue Dinglu took the breakfast and started eating.

"Wow, Fafnir is being unfair! I was the first one here, why did she give breakfast to Dad first! She's being unfair, she's being unfair..." Little Dragon Girl chimed in from the side.

Fafnir paused for a moment, then her face flushed slightly. Whether she had thought of something or was angry, she flicked Little Dragon Girl's forehead hard, then immediately brought out the second bowl of egg noodles: "Alright, alright, this is yours."

"Great!" Little Dragon Girl immediately poured vinegar into the noodles and started mixing.

Then the noodles were served one by one, and Xiaolongniang was still preparing her own seasonings. She preferred a stronger flavor than the others, and liked more salt and vinegar, so her family would prepare a small sauce for her separately, or she would add more vinegar and soy sauce herself.

By the time she finished preparing the concoction, Xue Dinglu had already eaten more than half of it.

"Teacher, how is it?" Fafnir looked at Xue Dinglu with a hopeful expression.

This was the first time she had ever cooked for her teacher, and she still remembered that this task was still listed in her system's task list.

"Very good," Xue Dinglu commented after taking a big gulp of soup.

Fafnir immediately smiled happily.

Then, everyone else's noodles were white, but Xiaolongniang's bowl was completely black, which was from the soy sauce. She immediately picked up a fried egg and put it in her mouth.

For a moment, she trembled, then her face showed distress, as if she had entered a members-only restaurant and put on a mask of pain.

"What's wrong?" Fafnir asked immediately.

"Sister Fafnir, have you ever tried it...?" Little Dragon Girl revealed a mask of pain.

"Uh, I forgot..." Fafnir suddenly realized that she had been spacing out while cooking, and her face immediately turned ugly. However, seeing Xue Dinglu eating as if he was not affected at all, she felt much relieved and asked, "What's wrong?"

“Salty…” Little Dragon Girl said with teary eyes.

"Indeed, there's a little too much salt... a tiny bit..." Auntie commented, putting down her chopsticks with a troubled expression. Fafnir fell silent, picked up a noodle, and took a bite.

In an instant, my tongue reflexively pressed against my palate, and the salty and astringent taste exploded on my taste buds like a tidal wave, burning down my throat, and even my nasal cavity was filled with a rusty, fishy smell.

She covered her mouth instantly, not spitting it out directly, but silently went to the trash can to vomit. Then she took out a bottle of cola from the refrigerator to rinse her mouth and felt the salty taste subside.

Then, looking troubled, he glanced at Xue Dinglu, who had already finished eating all the noodles.

"Teacher, you..." She stared in disbelief at the empty bowl.

"I feel fine." Xue Dinglu finished eating quietly, then took out a tissue to wipe his mouth.

Fafnir felt as if a needle had pierced her brain. Her first thought was that her teacher was being accommodating and encouraging her, but her second thought was of something terrifying.

She immediately took out a preserved plum candy from her pocket, which she had bought earlier but couldn't eat because it was too sour. She unwrapped it and handed it to Xue Dinglu, saying, "Teacher, have some candy."

"Mmm." Xue Dinglu ate the candy and noticed a faint sweetness.

"Teacher, what does this candy taste like?" Fafnir asked, seemingly very seriously.

"It's sweet, so what?" This time it was Xue Dinglu's turn to be puzzled.

In that instant, Fafnir felt as if struck by lightning, her mouth agape, speechless.

Little Dragon Girl seemed to realize something, and perhaps under Xue Lingshu's guidance, she said, "Sister Fafnir, give me a piece of candy."

Taking the preserved plum candy, Little Dragon Girl ate it and immediately said, "Ugh...it's so sour, but I like the taste..."

Xue Dinglu was also taken aback. He didn't taste any sourness at all, only an extremely faint sweetness, like the faint sweetness of eating steamed buns.

Then suddenly, he tasted a sour flavor... but only a very faint sour flavor...

"Teacher... have you... lost your sense of taste?" Fafnir looked at Xue Dinglu and asked blankly.

Xue Falu was silent.

He opened his mouth, and a guess instantly appeared in his mind.

Perhaps I have long lost my sense of taste, but the Sands of Light have given me a false sense of taste. Just like when Fafnir handed me this candy, I instinctively thought the candy was sweet, which is why I tasted sweetness.

When Little Dragon Girl said it was sour, he instinctively sensed a slight sourness...

Xue Dinglu realized that he had long since lost the ability to sense taste; it was all a false sense of taste given to him by the [Sand of Flowing Light]...

"Teacher, what happened? It was like this last time you came back. You started to fake smile in the habit, as if you had completely changed. This time you didn't fake smile, but why have you even lost your sense of taste?" Fafnir's voice came.

Her voice seemed to be choked with sobs as she stared blankly at Xue Luding. Everyone else looked over with worry. Her aunt seemed to snap out of her daze, her eyes filled with concern as she looked at him. Xue Lingshu also pulled himself out of the flowerpot and looked at him with a worried expression.

For some reason, seeing his family's worry, Xue Dinglu suddenly felt as if an endless void was expanding in his heart, gripping his heart tightly. He silently turned his head away and said, "Don't worry, it's nothing, I'll be fine soon."

"Teacher, what happened? I've experienced life without taste and smell before, but that was when I felt like I was about to die, when I couldn't control the evil god inside me. But teacher, what happened to you?" Fafnir's voice was indeed trembling with tears. If you looked closely, her pupils were glistening, but she was holding them back.

Little Dragon Girl quickly grabbed one of his arms and said naively, "Daddy, if you're sick, go to the hospital... We're rich..."

Xue Dinglu turned his head away again and said quietly, "Sorry, it's just a minor illness. The people from the Starfleet have already taken a look at it, and I'll be fine soon..."

Then, not wanting to see his family's worried backs any longer, he took out the [Sand of Flowing Light] in his hand and gave a forced smile: "Look, this is the treasure given by the Star Squadron. Wearing this can heal this old injury. It's an old problem. Barak knows me. I've had this problem for a long time. My sense of taste isn't very sensitive."

As she spoke, she didn't fake a smile, but instead smiled and patted Xiaolongniang's head: "Look, my mood has recovered now. My old injury flared up before, which made me feel very down, so I had to fake a smile so as not to worry you. Now everything is fine. As for my sense of taste, that's a minor thing."

Fafnir didn't know what to say. She could only clench her fingers tightly. At that moment, she thought of the Starfleet, and her aunts and uncles there. She had to go there to find a way...

Xue Daolu waved his hand dismissively as if nothing had happened and silently left home.

After Xue left, the room fell silent. Fafner simply said, "I'm sorry, Aunt, thank you for breakfast. I need to go back to my hometown to find some information about the teacher's condition..."

"Hmm..." Aunt nodded with concern.

Her slightly cloudy eyes glanced at Fafna, then she patted the child's head: "Fafna, search carefully. We can't let him shoulder this alone. Ah Xue, sigh..."

Fafnir could only nod.

At this moment, she finally understood what she had been told: her teacher was a person who was warm on the outside but cold on the inside. Even if he silently endured pain and injuries, he would never tell a second person.

They would silently lick their wounds, and then once again embark on that thorny path.

It's been like this from the very beginning. He never seemed to care about me; to him, I was always the last person he put in charge of...

……

Xue bought a chocolate and ate it.

It tasted sweet, exactly the same as he remembered, but he looked closely at the name of the chocolate.

Liquor-filled chocolates...

Only after seeing this did I taste a slight hint of alcohol in my mouth. Before I realized it was a liqueur-filled chocolate, I hadn't tasted even the slightest bit of alcohol in the previous few I ate.

"Perhaps, I am still a ghost at heart..." Xue Dinglu thought to himself.

“Once, I became a ghost. Perhaps this essence will never change. Just like before, I am still essentially a ghost now, just like before, only I have lost my sense of taste…” Xue Dinglu thought silently.

"Do you need the fruit?" Memories of the 10th Apostle flashed through my mind in an instant.

"As long as there is fruit, one can fully grasp power and go further in power."

This is the technique that the apostle taught Xue Lude on how to wield power.

Yes, with just one fruit, one wouldn't have to suffer the backlash of this self-destructive power...

It can return to normal on its own, whether it's emotions or sense of taste.

All I need is one fruit...

(End of this chapter)