Chapter 206: Welcome Back, Guardian Rast (Two-in-One)
“Just as I thought.”
Mr. Silver flicked his tail and nimbly leaped from the computer desk, perching on Rast’s shoulder.
“I knew that little girl you saved back then must have some significant secret.”
“Even now, she is likely connected to the origins of the Night World… After all, there were no such things as the ‘Night World’ and ‘Night Travelers’ in the first six epochs; they only came into existence after the Sixth Epoch.”
“What do you think…”
He winked at Rast: “Do you feel regret now for saving that little girl in Frozen Water Town?”
“If you hadn’t acted back then, maybe all of this wouldn’t have happened, and the world would have taken a completely different turn.”
“Who knows?”
Rast repositioned the gaming headset on its charging dock.
“That is the great power known as ‘Fate’; perhaps even before I entered the echoes of history in Frozen Water Town, the course of fate had already been set.”
He gazed at the computer monitor, which was flashing game news and advertisement pop-ups: “But—”
“I won’t regret it.”
“That was a choice made of my own free will. Since it’s the path I chose, I will see it through, no matter how absurd it may be.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Mr. Silver shook his head with boredom: “I almost forgot, I was asking you.”
This was a character who clawed his way out of hell, as hard-hearted as a machine.
In his dictionary, the words “regret” probably never existed—because, in his eyes, wasting time on lamentation and resentment was nothing but pure time wastage, reducing one’s efficiency.
He flicked his tail, moved the mouse, and opened the activity leaderboard for “Poetry of the Guardians.”
At the top of the leaderboard, the ID “Little Ferret Candy” stood out with a staggering score of one hundred thousand, a lead of more than three times over the second place.
Based on this, one hundred thousand must be the score limit for the limited-time event in Deep Blue Harbor. However, the game company clearly did not expect someone to actually reach this theoretical limit.
In a corner of the leaderboard, a countdown timer was prominently displayed, indicating that there were just under two hours left until the end of the event.
“The official announcement says they will contact us offline… but I wonder when that will be.”
Mr. Silver peered at the big first place and the ID “Little Ferret Candy,” becoming increasingly pleased, taking a few steps around the computer desk:
“I really wonder if the game company can be trusted to take us deeper into understanding the secrets of the mechanical research institute conducting the ‘Artificial Angel Program.’”
“If it’s just like elementary students visiting on a field trip, casually touring the mechanical research institute and calling it a day without touching the core secrets—then that would be meaningless, and we would have wasted our effort clearing this virtual game.”
At this point, even Rast couldn’t help but glance at Mr. Silver.
“What do you mean ‘wasted our effort clearing this game’?”
“So, does clearing this game have anything to do with you, Mr. Silver?”
“How can it not be related? Didn’t I help you choose your nickname?”
Mr. Silver extended his little paw and wiped the nonexistent sweat off his forehead: “Although I don’t really know what I did, I still worked hard for you.”
Rast was silent for a moment before he directly reached out and grabbed Mr. Silver by the scruff of its neck.
Ignoring Mr. Silver’s struggles, he lifted it into the air and scrutinized it carefully for a long time.
Even though they had known each other for a long time, Rast sometimes couldn’t help but wonder—was this foolish, cute demeanor a deliberate disguise created by Mr. Silver over his long life, a protective coloration to shield himself? Or was the little weasel simply like this by nature?
Of course, it could also be a bit of both.
However, such musings were unlikely to yield any conclusions.
A moment later, Rast set the little weasel back down.
“That game company for ‘Poetry of the Guardians’ should be reliable.”
He looked at the countdown timer on the leaderboard page, which was gradually ticking down: “The other party and the institute conducting the ‘Artificial Angel Program’ should be part of the same organization and are bound to be related to Grey, possibly the original Guardians, continuing into the technological age.”
“Even…”
Rast paused for a moment: “I suspect that even this time-limited challenge at Deep Blue Harbor was arranged by Grey herself.”
“Arranged by Grey herself?”
Mr. Silver blinked in surprise: “But that little girl went missing in this era more than a decade ago!”
“She has ascended to the eighth tier of angels, a long stage in the ‘Fate’ sequence.”
Rast smiled slightly: “Little Grey, even before she had broken through the legend at the fifth or sixth tier, had already been able to rewind time under restricted conditions, even stopping an entire city.”
“And now, not only has she broken through the legend, but she has also become an angel… No one can know the extent of her control over ‘Fate.’”
According to the current timeline of historical echoes, it had been two hundred years since the Battle of the Broken Coast.
In those two hundred years, Grey had led the human civilization of the Sixth Epoch to purge the Iron Cross, Beast Tide, and cultists from the entire continent, establishing an incredibly brilliant and prosperous technological civilization, making her the undisputed leader of the Guardians.
Thus, even Rast himself found it hard to grasp and see through her now.
“Even if Grey has gone missing for some reason, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to have foreseen decades into the future before her disappearance and left behind her contingency plans.”
“By the way, Mr. Silver.” Rast glanced at the little weasel beside him: “Don’t you think this event for ‘Poetry of the Guardians’ seems to have been specially designed for me?”
“Now that you mention it, it does seem so.”
Mr. Silver also came to his senses, curling his tail around a piece of dried fish and stuffing it in his mouth, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
“When it comes to the speedrun challenge at Deep Blue Harbor, who could possibly compare to you, the very person who originally cleared Deep Blue Harbor?”
“This is clearly a tailored event for you, a customized version—”
Mr. Silver clapped his paws: “So, this is essentially an event that Little Grey instructed the game company to create specifically for you so you could win the championship?”
“Are you basically a customized champion?”
“Not sure.”
Rast shook his head: “But we shouldn’t dwell on that.”
“After all, if this is all meticulously arranged by Grey for me…”
“Then once we arrive at the mechanical research institute, everything will become clear.”
He looked out the window at the bustling, vibrant sci-fi cityscape: “If I’m not mistaken—”
“Then the contact information that will take us to the mechanical research institute should be coming soon.”
…
It turned out that Rast’s guess was correct.
The moment the countdown for the limited-time event ended, an official notification was sent to his email inbox.
[Dear player “Little Ferret Candy”:]
[Congratulations on achieving the top score in the limited-time challenge event of “Poetry of the Guardians.”]
[Leaderboard rewards have been issued, and the first place will receive an invitation to visit the Third Mechanical Research Institute.]
[According to the real-world address and iris identity information you provided during account registration, our unmanned hover vehicle is already waiting at the bottom of your building. If you wish to redeem your reward for being first in the leaderboard event, you can take the vehicle at any time.]
[To unsubscribe, reply with TD.]
“Wow, that was quick?”
“They must have sent the black luxury car in advance, just waiting for the event to end and for the leaderboard to finalize!”
Mr. Silver turned to look at Rast, his gaze becoming slightly subtle: “You still say you’re not a customized champion.”
“Ugh, capital, you’ve won… caught in a trap again.”
“Stop being sarcastic, let’s go.”
Rast picked up the little weasel and donned the mask he had prepared since entering the Night World.
He also placed a specially designed mini mask for weasels onto Mr. Silver.
“When the time comes, if the people at the mechanical research institute won’t let you in, you should know what to do, right?”
“Hmm… what should I do?”
Mr. Silver was startled.
“At that time, I’ll just say I’m a bipolar disorder patient, and you’re my emotional support ferret, who must stay by my side; the moment you leave, my bipolar disorder will flare up.”
“Hmm…” Mr. Silver paused, then suddenly realized: “Wait, does that mean I’ll become your pet?”
“Hasn’t it always been like that?”
“d*mn you!”
…
When Rast arrived at the bottom of the residential area, a sleek black luxury car was quietly waiting for him.
Unlike the black luxury car of a woman singing and a man dying, this vehicle, full of sci-fi vibes, was silently hovering in the air.
The driver’s seat was also empty.
The moment Rast’s right hand touched the car door, he felt an invisible wave scan over him before disappearing.
The door opened silently; Rast entered with Mr. Silver and closed the door. The sci-fi vehicle then rose straight into the air, carrying them off toward the distance.
“Ah, this light, ah, this water…”
“It really has a sci-fi world style in all aspects.”
Mr. Silver pressed against the window, marveling at the flickering, colorful sci-fi urban scenery outside, occasionally exclaiming in delight.
His fluffy white tail was wagging against the window, making Rast increasingly suspect that this creature’s true species wasn’t a weasel at all, but rather some otherworldly husky.
Time slowly passed.
Outside the window, the once towering skyscrapers gradually vanished as they passed by the hovering vehicle.
The prosperity of the sci-fi city slowly faded away, replaced by a colossal tower stretching into the clouds.
This tower seemed to be made of some alloy, reflecting a silvery brilliance under the sunlight.
The unmanned vehicle descended slowly at a certain point of the tower.
In the next moment, it appeared that a mechanism was triggered within the tower, quietly opening a gap, allowing the unmanned vehicle to enter the metal-crafted entrance of the tower.
“It seems somewhat similar to the Tower of Secrets in the modern world.”
Mr. Silver halted his constantly wagging tail and joined Rast in gazing at the magnificent alloy tower.
However, it was evident that compared to the current Tower of Secrets, this mechanical spire was far more grand and infused with a sci-fi and futuristic essence.
Rast remained silent beside him.
He had already discerned this location and the prototype of the tower before him.
This was clearly the “Watchtower,” the base of the Guardian organization, from two hundred years ago.
Before the betrayal on that rainy night, he and Grey had spent about half a year here under the shadow of the Watchtower and Leader Cisel, which were the best days of Grey’s life.
Now, two hundred years had passed.
The once-tall tower made of burnt bricks and stone plaster had completely transformed; it was now constructed entirely of high-strength alloys, grander and more magnificent beyond measure, filled with a sci-fi flair.
However, from the shape of the tower, one could still vaguely discern the former scenery of the Watchtower, which had not faded even after a century.
The flying vehicle entered the alloy tower.
After passing through several winding passages, the unmanned flying vehicle slowly came to a stop in a spacious and bright interior.
This appeared to be a vast library, with shelves of books stretching out to the deepest parts. Yet, Rast, taking a quick glance, found no other staff members within.
However, as Rast opened the door and stepped out of the flying vehicle, he heard a light mechanical voice echoing within the tower.
“Welcome to the affiliated Third Mechanical Research Institute of the Watchtower, player ID ‘Little Ferret Candy.’”
“And—”
The mechanical voice paused slightly.
“Welcome back.”
“Your Excellency, ‘Guardian’ Rast.”
(The End of This Chapter)
