Four in the morning.
Inside the largest hotel in the center of Clement City, Godwin Lopez opened his eyes as usual and sat up from the bed.
The head of the Horizon didn't take care of the armor placed on the wooden frame, only wearing pajamas, bare feet on the soft and comfortable carpet. Then he frowned and rolled up the rug, revealing the smooth wooden floor beneath it. After getting ready, Godwin quickly changed into the simple commoner for training, and grabbed the Dawn Sword and its scabbard beside the bed into his hand.
It's time to practice.
When he first got the Sword of Dawn, he could hardly control the huge burning power. In the frenzied battle day after day, Godwin finally mastered a little trick, barely able to hold more than 50% of the power in his hand, and use it for himself when necessary. It was not yet dawn, and the space in the hotel room was limited—there was no exaggerated movement of moving around, and the blade of the dawn-breaker cut the air dryly again and again, and the power fluctuation was suppressed by its owner in the room.
Godwin didn't slack off, this was just a normal day for more than a decade. He stared at the sword in his hand, letting the sweat seep into his eyebrows and over the bridge of his nose. Time passed quickly, and at the moment when the six o'clock bell rang, the sword body slid into the deepest part of the scabbard just right.
The practice ended on time, and Godwin seemed to be pulled out of the water. He wiped his sweat casually with a handkerchief, took a quick shower, and put on a tight-fitting top that matched the armor. Cleaned the perspiration from the floor, put the carpet up again, and there was a knock on the door every second.
It's the maid who came to deliver breakfast.
The breakfast was the same as always - coarse bread, salt and pepper poached vegetables with fried sliced mushrooms, a perfectly hard boiled egg in an egg cup, and a glass of milk. According to his request, the food in front of him was no different from yesterday's.
It should be.
Godwin raised his eyebrows and looked at the dishes in the corner of the tray. A tempting brownish-yellow dessert was lying on it, exuding bursts of sweet aroma - apples cut into extremely thin slices, rose-like blooms on the surface of the dessert, icing glittering. The dim sum is not big, and in terms of appearance, it can even be called a work of art.
"Our specialty is the caramel apple tart." The maid gave a decent smile. "This is a bonus. Our chef admires you very much, and he wants to show his respect to you."
Godwin narrowed his eyes slightly and was silent for a few seconds.
"Thank you very much." After a while, he replied in a cheerful voice. "It looks great. Too bad I've had a toothache lately and it's really inconvenient to eat sweets."
"Uh... do you have any teammates who like sweets?" the maid blinked. "If you bring it back to the kitchen now, it'll be cool. It's better to eat it warm-"
"Give it to you, lovely lady." Godwin said with a "shush" gesture, "Please help me keep my toothache a secret, how about you?"
Godwin took the tray, keeping a polite distance throughout, but the young maid's face was still flushed. She picked up the small saucer, looking a little bewildered. And the handsome big man in front of her showed a very kind smile, winked at her, and then tipped her a few silver coins.
The maid held the plate of expensive snacks and nodded with sincere gratitude.
Too bad she couldn't see it—the warm smile on Godwin Lopez's face disappeared instantly after the door closed. The young head of Horizon sat down at the table, looking at the steaming breakfast in front of him, and suddenly lost most of his appetite.
You still have to eat. Godwin inserted a fork into the soft mushroom, shoved it mechanically into his mouth, and chewed it carefully. But right now his attention is completely off the taste of the food.
Caramel apple tart, it's ironic. After swallowing the food in his mouth, he let out a sigh from his lips.
The whole horizon knew that Godwin Lopez never had a sweet tooth, and he wouldn't go out of his way to eat something insufferable like an ascetic. He's no different from everyone else when things get tough, and he's not picky about food. It's just that at the end of the mission, when everyone is enjoying themselves, their leader still eats only those few things for several years.
The strong people are more or less eccentric, and the members of Horizon have long seen it. After all, their team leader didn't go on a hunger strike and masochistically abused himself. Instead, he ate lightly and was healthy. Over time, no one would care about it.
Alcohol, tobacco, sugar, excess spices and oils, Godwin didn't touch anything.
If it was replaced by other desserts, he would not be shaken for half a second. Ironically, he did know what the caramel apple tart tasted like—Godwin finished his breakfast quickly, took a stack from the neatly sized pile of materials, and began to look carefully.
That's a record for the town of Signpost.
Before taking on Tumbleweed's investigation mission, after knowing Oliver Ramon's true identity, he had thoroughly researched this frontier town. But his engagement with it was not limited to paper and words.
He had been to the frontier forest near Waymark many years ago.
Godwin's scrolling through the pages slowed, and he looked down at the finely written writing on the parchment. When he was about six years old, his father took him to the frontier forest for survival training. That memory is still hauntingly vivid.
"That's the forest closest to the abyss." The father in memory has always been expressionless, "You will have a sword, and then you will have to live there alone for a week. Unless you are really dying, I will not shoot. Don't hold You can ask for help just by chance, remember?"
"Yes, father."
"Don't mention your identity to anyone."
"Yes, father."
"You just need to know one thing. You're not meant to die in that place, Godwin." His father stared into his eyes, filled with emotions he couldn't read. "Perhaps this task will cause you great pain, but you have to remember - man has power and naturally has responsibility for corresponding strength. You are destined to save the surface and maintain the well-being of mankind. Do you hear that?"
"…Yes, Father." He heard the words calluses, but to be honest, young Godwin couldn't really understand what it meant.
It wasn't that he didn't hate his father.
The depths of the frontier forest in the evening are no different from a demonic realm, with all kinds of strange and terrifying demons walking through the shadows. Even though it wasn't his first survival training and he was mentally prepared, Godwin was almost in tears. The shape of the plant was distorted, revealing unusual bright colors, and he didn't dare to eat it. And ordinary animals are extremely rare, unable to catch any prey, he was so hungry that he was about to faint.
Godwin, who was less than seven years old, clenched the silver plaque on his chest with the positioning circle engraved on it. Through it his father could know where he was, his emotional and physical state—
But his wonderful father had no intention of showing up.
My father was a liar, and he was about to die. Godwin touched his face with his sleeve, already soaked in demon blood, and sniffed. Hunger made him dizzy, and the demon he had just killed was lying beside him, his stench of internal organs running down the ground. And he stepped on the pile of slippery flesh and fell firmly into the pile of corpses.
A little bit of black blood got into his mouth, and Godwin quickly got up, and without hesitation, started to force himself to vomit. This thing is poisonous, and he doesn't want to fail completely so soon.
His stomach was so empty that he nearly vomited out bile. Godwin stabbed his sword into the dirt and held back his fall. The blood that was scratched by the demon was still burning with pain, and his limbs were as soft as cotton.
I don't want to continue.
Godwin grabbed the silver medal tremblingly, threw it on the mound of bloody corpses with the fear of rebelling against his family for the first time, and then stumbled towards the edge of the forest—if he remembered correctly, there should be some near the frontier forest. a small town. To live means to have food, to have clean water, to have the breath of the living...
He was running away, Godwin knew that fact. He could still feel the magical fluctuations from the silver sign, which reminded him all the time.
But Godwin couldn't take care of that much now. The sun is about to set, and when night comes, the depths of the forest will be more dangerous. He's had enough of this, he can really smell the strong breath of death. Godwin thought desperately. Tiger Poison still doesn't eat children, is he really his father's child
After running for an unknown amount of time, he stopped at the edge of the forest. The sword stained with purple and black blood was casually inserted under his feet, and Godwin held his knees with both hands, breathing hard and painful.
Then he saw food.
There are small white mushrooms growing around the roots of the tree, which look round and lovely, completely different from those that are poisonous at a glance in the depths of the forest. Godwin vaguely remembered that this thing was edible, so in the current situation, it was enough to satisfy this one.
He rushed towards the pile of mushrooms, reaching out to pluck—
"You want to eat this?" someone asked curiously.
Godwin shuddered, and he took two steps back, his hand directly on the hilt. It was only after he could see the appearance of the person who was coming—for just two seconds, he let go of his weapon in frustration.
The figure in front of him had just climbed out of the swamp, his face was covered in mud, and the dried mud was rustling from his clothes. Even though he was now covered in blood, Godwin subtly thought he looked better.
It was a boy about the same height as himself, with only those green eyes and white teeth still in their original color. The little back basket behind him was not stained with much mud, and the rattan was glowing warmly in the setting sun.
"You can't eat this stuff," the boy said solemnly, glancing curiously at the sword in Godwin's hand. "You are an adventurer's child? You should know this."
"Yeah." Godwin responded, biting his head, "I… don't remember exactly."
"We call it the Laughing Salt Mushroom." The boy shrugged and began to tug at the white mushrooms neatly. "Chop up this stuff and put it in the soup, it will give the soup a salty umami taste. Don't eat it empty-handed, you'll be salted to death. And—"
He paused mysteriously for a while, then gave a big smile, and another piece of dry mud fell from his face. "If you don't cook it with hot potato vine, it will keep you giggling."
Godwin glanced regretfully at the clump of mushrooms, giggling was second, the thirst from the high salt was killing him. He could only reluctantly give up on them, seeing the boy in front of him with his hands full.
"My name is Oliver." After the mud boy had cleaned up all the mushrooms, he introduced himself carelessly. "What about you? Why are you here?"
"Hmm." Godwin wasn't used to lying back then, so he had to look away in embarrassment. Anyway, the other party's name has no reference value, and he tried to find an excuse for himself - there might be more than ten little boys named Oliver in this town.
"Oh, okay. It's an adventurer's child after all, I understand." Oliver pouted, "Where are your parents?"
"I… got separated from my father." Godwin tried to get the lie out of his head.
"Oh, then you have to find him early." Oliver pulled out a thin hemp rope from the back basket and skillfully tied the mushrooms into a string. "Look, it's so late... My dad said that there are Paluru elephant trunks around here, and a lot of children have died recently. They specially pick children who run around alone, which is especially scary."
As he spoke, he raised his chest, obviously very proud of his knowledge reserve.
Godwin was dumbfounded. He had already memorized the Devil's Book by heart, and there was absolutely no such a ghost in it - eighty percent of the time it was the kid's father who made it up to fool him. But seeing the other party in an inexplicably cheerful mood, he didn't want to spoil the atmosphere.
"I see, thank you for your reminder." He coughed twice, preparing to look for food in another place.
Oliver lifted the lid of the back basket and put the bunched mushroom skewers in. The fleshy fungi rubbed against the cane, and Godwin couldn't help but turn his head and watch eagerly. "This... is it really inedible? Is there a way to get rid of the salt?"
"No way, unless I make soup." Oliver shook his head solemnly, "Don't look at me doing so much, I don't like this thing at all. This is a revenge prop, oh, do you see me like this? It was my father who did it."
Godwin wanted to slip away quietly, but was left in place by the words.
"I changed the sugar and salt in the store." Oliver sounded a little annoyed, "He's going to kick me with his shoes and chase me half a town - I can understand it here, after all, customers don't like sweet onion soup. But I accidentally fell into a mud puddle when I was running away, you know what, such a big mud puddle! As a result, my dad…”
"What's up with him?"
"My dad came home laughing wildly and didn't even pull me out." Oliver sounded extremely aggrieved, "so I decided to do something with the mushroom soup for dinner, I've replaced the hot potato vines with bean vines, That's about it."
He swayed with the mushroom skewers, "I'm going to make him giggle for a day."
"..." Godwin felt a little bit of cold loss in his heart. He looked at the boy of the same age in front of him, and some unfamiliar sour feelings spread instantly. He swayed and straightened his back, his face covered in blood, and planned to leave.
"Hey, wait. The sun is going down!" Oliver, who was squatting on the ground, stood up quickly, "Why don't you go to town for the night? There's an orphanage in our town—well, sorry, I know you Dad's all right—I just wanted to say that Grandpa Patrick is very kind and would definitely take you for a night."
"No," Godwin whispered. "I know where my father is."
He couldn't follow such a stranger lightly away.
"Okay, since you insist... ouch!" Oliver scratched his head, forgetting that the mushroom skewers were still in his hands. The back basket on the ground was involved and torn over, and two tied oil-paper bags rolled out.
The sweet smell of the baked apples leaked a little, and Godwin nearly staggered in place. He glanced at the two paper bags quietly, and decided to leave this unfortunate place quickly.
But his guts betrayed him - an embarrassingly loud sound came from his belly.
Oliver was stunned. He glanced at the paper bag, then at Godwin, and finally at the paper bag again. Even with his face covered in mud, Godwin could still see the struggle in the other's brows.
"You, you're hungry..." Oliver muttered softly, "Oh, okay."
With a scowl, he picked up one of the paper packets and shoved it into Godwin's hands.
"It's rare that I'm in a bad mood, and I spent all my pocket money in one go. This is to be eaten with Mr. White." Oliver's voice became smaller and smaller, "Although Mr. White can't eat by himself, I have to eat for him. Drop... Anyway, it shouldn't matter if I give you one! Mr. White certainly won't blame me."
Godwin's hands trembled a little. He thanked him with difficulty, quickly tore open the paper package, and threw the etiquette engraved in his mind out of the sky. The contents of the paper bag were not unfamiliar, he had seen it in the window of the dessert shop - caramel apple tart, beautiful little dessert.
The sweetness was so appealing that he asked his father for sweets twice, but unfortunately both ended in failure. Godwin never imagined that he would be exposed to this thing in this situation. He looked at the pre-cut half of the apple tart in the paper bag, took a deep breath, and bit it carefully.
It's this taste.
Godwin was speechless, and the dessert was delicious, better than anything he had ever eaten. But his tears suddenly flowed down. The boy with the muddy face on the opposite side didn't seem to expect such a reaction at all, and Oliver was stunned.
"Is it so delicious?" Oliver's voice trembled a little. "I... I know his apple tart is delicious. After all, it's really not cheap... But, is it really that delicious?"
Godwin didn't answer him, just swallowed the half of the snack and sniffled. Although half a piece of dim sum could not fill his stomach at all, the taste was enough to keep him quiet for a long time.
Oliver seemed to struggle even more, and he grinned and turned around a few times, as if he had made up his mind. He scratched his head vigorously, and pushed the only remaining paper package over.
"You eat," Oliver announced rather painfully, gasping in pain. "You move, ouch... you're still hungry, right?"
"Hurry up and eat, or I might not be able to help change my mind." Then he quickly put away the basket with determination, as if planning to escape from the half of the dessert left. "Just... that's it! I'll save some more money and eat with Mr. White next time..."
Oliver sounded like he was about to cry.
Godwin sighed and was about to refuse, but the other party ran out without looking back.
"...You have to find your father quickly!" After running about a hundred meters, the muddy figure stopped. Oliver turned around and added. "Watch out for the elephant trunk!"
Then he ran away in a hurry, and soon disappeared.
Godwin slumped to the ground. This time he unwraps the second paper very carefully, chewing in small bites, eating very slowly.
Very, very sweet snack, just with more and more saltiness in it. He couldn't hold back his tears, and the grievances and pains he had accumulated for a long time finally burst. He shoved the last of the snacks into his mouth with difficulty, and for the first time in his life burst into tears of grief.
They really are different, he thought.
Father did not lie, so is the rest also true? … Like, the fact that he can really bring true peace to the surface.
If the surface is destroyed, these kind people will disappear too. But the father said he was destined to save them. If this is responsibility, then "responsibility" may not be a difficult concept to understand. Easy and happy people, people who live lives beyond his reach—he likes those, and he wants them to go on living that way without understanding the bitterness he feels.
Such a world might be a little better.
Father was right, he thought bitterly. Sweetness can really degenerate and create an illusion of happiness. Godwin stood up, and again he drew his sword in the dirt. This time it was his own choice, and he once again glanced at the lights in the town not far away—
He escaped, and this time he chose not to.
Until now, he has never indulged again.
Pulling himself out of that distant memory, Godwin put down the page in his hand and began donning his armor. According to the contract, he should report the current progress to the employer-
"Mr. Lopez." The communication crystal lit up on time, and a warm and sweet female voice came from the opposite side. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Mrs. Mandy. Are you feeling better?" Godwin's tone was calm and polite.
"It's much better, thank you for your concern." The woman across from him chuckled, "I think I can go back to my post today... Oops, I haven't seen those little guys for a few days, I still miss them. Miss them. You don't know how sorry I am for the freshman enrollment."
Horizon's female employer paused.
"I hope there will be a few good seedlings in Abyss Magical Pathology." She sighed softly, "To tell you the truth, my memory is still a bit confusing. The research project on Trent blight... Well, I must have one. A smart assistant will do."
,Wonderful!
(m.. = )