Chapter 5: The Reliable Guard
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When Shiyuan, decked out in shiny armor and wielding a weapon like he was auditioning for a knightly role, strutted back to Lin Nan, she actually wanted to refuse him.
She never imagined this goofy guy would follow Little Drill Wind around for a spin, return with the title of Captain of the Guards, and plop himself down beside her like a loyal dog.
This was unacceptable; she absolutely needed to return this merchandise!
But Little Drill Wind, bless his clueless heart, didn’t catch on at all. It was safer to send Cooler Moon to handle the situation.
What really took her by surprise was that Cooler Moon had whisked Little Drill Wind out of the city to inspect the construction of the defense towers, and it was rumored they wouldn’t be back for two or three days.
This construction plan was something she’d approved.
After all, with more people flooding into Cold Wind City, they couldn’t just sit around twiddling their thumbs if a new enemy showed up, could they?
The defense towers were essentially tiny barracks scattered around Cold Wind City for surveillance. If any enemies dared to show their faces, these towers would provide early warning and disrupt enemy attack patterns.
As soon as Lin Nan heard that Cooler Moon and Little Drill Wind were out, her irritation deflated like a popped balloon.
She really didn’t want more people knowing about her connection with Shiyuan.
Fine, she decided to wait a couple of days; when they returned, she’d rethink this goofy guy’s job.
Honestly, she couldn’t fathom how Little Drill Wind managed to get Shiyuan such a position. Now, wherever she went, this guy seemed glued to her side, frozen in place like a statue, terrified that something horrible would befall her.
“Hey, are you tired or something?”
“Nope! Not tired at all! I’m super happy to be your guard, Sis!”
The boy’s expression was resolute, as if he completely missed the sarcasm in Lin Nan’s tone.
Lin Nan sighed; no points for guessing, he didn’t get it.
Even though she was, on paper, the top ruler of Cold Wind City, ever since the little red-fingered manager had vanished, she had been lobbing all city affairs over to Cooler Moon and the others like a hot potato.
It was hard enough leveling up her character without dealing with city politics too.
Luckily, Cooler Moon was an incredible tool—she rarely had to worry after handing over tasks, just needed to guide the overall direction.
So when it came to specifics, like arranging a job for Shiyuan, she was as clueless about the inner workings of Cold Wind City’s politics as a baby bird trying to fly.
After all, he was her lifesaver. Although he might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, she couldn’t be too harsh on him.
To do that would just gnaw at her conscience.
“Come over here and sit down.”
Lin Nan coaxed him like a child.
“I can’t! I’m your guard; guards can’t just sit around!”
Shiyuan shook his head earnestly.
Lin Nan took a deep breath, nearly losing a couple hundred points of cold value.
“I’m your sister, and if I say sit, you sit!”
“Okay.”
This time, Shiyuan indeed took a seat without hesitation.
It dawned on Lin Nan that, to get him to obey, she had once again verbally acknowledged their relationship.
This goofball—was he really this clueless, or was he putting on an act?
Why did it feel like she was the one being played in his little game?
Since the boy had suddenly appeared, she hadn’t found time for a detailed chat. This seemed like a good opportunity.
“So, your name is Shiyuan, right?”
“Yep!”
“If I’m your sister, shouldn’t I also have the surname Shi? But guess what? I don’t, so I’m not really your sister.”
Shiyuan stubbornly shook his head. “I told you, you are my sister.”
That line of questioning had hit a dead end, so Lin Nan shifted gears.
“Okay then, where’s your hometown? Do you remember your parents?”
Shiyuan looked puzzled, as if Lin Nan had just asked him to recite Shakespeare backward.
“Hometown… parents?”
After repeating her question, his eyes went blank.
Lin Nan patiently rephrased, but after a painful scratch of his head, he grimaced, “I don’t know.”
I don’t know? What in the world?
But seeing Shiyuan’s distressed expression, Lin Nan couldn’t keep prying.
At this point, aside from his name—although that could very well be fake too—she knew next to nothing about him.
Yet, she could sense that when he called her “sister,” his eyes sparkled with genuine emotion.
Maybe her previous self and this boy were quite close.
But then she took over this body, and he lost whatever connection they had; all he retained was his name and feelings for her. Everything else? Poof!
And now, here they were, wrapped up in this awkward situation.
Oh well, considering he saved her life, having a goofy little brother didn’t seem like such a bad deal.
It just so happened that while she was maneuvering her character card, the room lacked any reliable guardians. Those butterfly demons might be loyal, but their skills left much to be desired. At least this guy was as tough as nails; even the wrath of thunder couldn’t touch him.
In a pinch, all he’d need to do was stall for a second or two, and she could quickly jump back to her body and turn the tide.
With that thought, she resolved not to dwell on Shiyuan’s job any longer. Sure, “Captain of the Guards” had a nice ring to it—just as long as he didn’t mistakenly guard her bed.
But would this blockhead even get what she meant? So, Lin Nan laid out his guarding duties for when she was in seclusion.
The determined look on Shiyuan’s face almost made her doubt herself; she had merely asked him to guard the door, not to go all-out superhero on her!
Conveniently, she still needed to mull over that stone tablet Cooler Moon had brought back from the Main Peak. So let’s see if this boy could actually handle it.
After explaining to the butterfly demons that she’d be in seclusion for at least two days, Lin Nan retreated to her room and shut the door tight.
Given that the stone tablet might have triggered some bizarre phenomenon, and that someone could be plotting her demise through the system, she needed to study it closely.
Although it was just a few short sentences and began with two “wrong” remarks, Lin Nan read it over and over, diving deep into her thoughts.
But whether or not it was true would require practical verification.
Before she knew it, ten whole hours had zipped by.
When Lin Nan finally snapped back to reality and checked if Shiyuan was still outside, she just so happened to overhear his conversation with the butterfly demons.
“Mr. Shiyuan, have some tea! You’ve been standing for ages; your body must be stiff by now!”
“Back off! Don’t get close to the bedroom!”
The butterfly demons instantly turned pale and fled like their lives depended on it.
Shiyuan the Ironclad Man wasn’t going anywhere.
But for some reason, Lin Nan felt a little thrill of delight within her.
