Star's movements instantly froze, the vigilance and sharpness that had just ignited in her eyes quickly dimming like a snuffed candle flame.
She didn't even have time to let out a muffled groan before her body went limp, falling back to her original spot, her eyes tightly shut. She was
Black Herta looked down to see the system puppet, who had silently squatted beside Star at some unknown point, holding a tiny black rubber hammer that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
The system puppet raised its head, its inverted cross-shaped eyes calmly meeting Black Herta's gaze, and nodded slightly, as if saying,
Black Herta was silent for a moment, then a look of approval (moral approval) appeared on her face, and she elegantly gave a thumbs-up.
(Inner thoughts: Well done!)
She quickly absorbed the last bit of golden data stream, feeling the warm, complex data flow in her palm, and was satisfied, ready to find her next target.
Just then, she and the system simultaneously and keenly detected a faint turning sound from the doorknob of one of the guest rooms!
The master and servant instantly exchanged glances, no words needed.
Black Herta's figure flickered, like a drop of ink merging into shadow, and the system puppet moved in sync. Their figures flashed at the end of the corridor and then silently vanished from where they stood, as if they had never appeared.
The carriage door connecting to their
Almost the second they disappeared, a nearby guest room door was gently pushed open.
Welt walked out.
He had a complex expression on his face, and was even leaning on a cane.
His gaze immediately fell on Star, who was still
Looking at Star's
He was silent for a few seconds, and finally couldn't help but whisper, in a voice only he could hear, with an unspeakable hint of guilt:
...Sorry.
[Perspective Shift: Xianzhou Loufu - Snack Street]
Meanwhile, hundreds of years later on the Xianzhou Loufu, Baiheng was undergoing a baptism of taste buds and soul.
She sat in a bustling eatery, with a tall stack of empty plates already piled on the small table in front of her.
From translucent shrimp dumplings to steaming tapir bun rolls, from spicy and enticing to sweet and soft Qiongshi Bird skewers... she ordered almost every special snack, both from memory and newly discovered, driven by instinct and intense nostalgia.
(Inner thoughts: So delicious! When I was fighting wars before, who had time to savor these? I just shoved some military rations down and that was it... This is what life should be!)
She ate without any regard for appearance, her cheeks puffed out, her azure eyes sparkling with happiness, and her snow-white Foxian ears wiggling slightly with satisfaction, drawing curious and friendly glances from neighboring diners.
After devouring most of the food on the table like a whirlwind, Baiheng licked the corners of her mouth, still craving more. Seeing many untried items on the menu, she waved her hand grandly:
She thought that Cyrene must not have eaten these delicious things in that desolate place. Bringing them back for her to try might cheer her up.
(Inner thoughts: Although... so many years have passed, things have changed... but at least, the taste of good food seems to be the same.)
She watched the busy server packing the food, then looked out the window at the still bustling but now unfamiliar streetscape of Luofu. A hint of imperceptible melancholy flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly diluted by the
Just as Baiheng was engrossed in a freshly served delicacy.
She completely missed the slight commotion at the entrance of the eatery.
Until she felt the cloth curtain under her table being gently bumped by something, followed by a small, slightly cool figure deftly squeezing in, huddling against her leg under the table.
Baiheng's chewing motion instantly froze, and she instinctively looked down.
She met a pair of bright, large eyes like blue gems.
It was a very young girl, with a pair of adorable small dragon horns on her head, and a thin, scaly Tail wagging uneasily behind her.
She was wearing an exquisite dress in the Xianzhou style, and at this moment, she looked up with her small face, placing a chubby finger to her pink lips, vigorously
Baiheng:
Her mouth was still full of food, her cheeks puffed out, and she stared blankly at the little person who had suddenly appeared under her table.
Whose child is this? (Guess)
How did she get in here?
Following the little girl's nervous gaze, she looked around in confusion, and only then noticed several adults in uniform standing at the eatery's entrance, looking somewhat anxious. They were glancing left and right, seemingly searching for something, their eyes occasionally sweeping over the diners.
(Inner thoughts: Looking for her? Did this little girl sneak out?)
Baiheng instantly understood the situation.
Looking at the pair of intelligent and somewhat pleading blue eyes under the table, for some reason, her heart inexplicably softened.
This child... gave her a very peculiar sense of familiarity, as if she had seen her somewhere before, yet her memories clearly contained no such person.
She subtly averted her gaze, continuing to chew her food nonchalantly, even deliberately picking up a new skewer of bird meat and eating it louder, cleverly using her body and the tablecloth to block the space under the table.
She slightly adjusted her sitting posture, pulling her skirt down further to create a larger concealing area.
Under the table, Bailu saw that this unfamiliar big sister with beautiful white fur and fox ears didn't make a sound, but instead tacitly helped her cover up. She immediately breathed a sigh of relief, a grateful smile appearing on her small face, and she, too, imitated Baiheng, quietly shrinking and staying still.
The people searching at the entrance looked around for a while, didn't find their target, exchanged a few whispered words, and then went to search other areas of the eatery.
After a while, confirming the danger was over, Baiheng gently nudged the little one under the table with her foot and whispered,
Bailu cautiously poked her head out, vigilantly looked around, then crawled out like a nimble little lizard, patting away non-existent dust from her clothes.
She curiously observed Baiheng, especially her fluffy fox ears and long white hair.
"Thank you, big sister!"
Bailu's voice was clear and pleasant, with the unique vitality of a child.
Baiheng was a little embarrassed by the little girl's blunt praise. She swallowed the food in her mouth and wiped the corners of her lips:
She deliberately lowered her voice to avoid attracting attention.
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