Finding Your Father

The phrase "night falls" doesn't quite capture the essence of the underground world. Only when the lights of the Blue Eagle Stadium are completely turned off do people realize, in a daze, that another day has passed.

The children of the Fairy Tale Kingdom knew nothing about the newcomer, Sister Guozi, only that she seemed to be a very professional and powerful ally. Like a senior in school, it was rare for a junior to proactively knock on a senior's door to discuss academic matters.

If FE204863 were here, the older brother might use the power of the [Regret Pill] to sigh – youth is wonderful, these kids would never have imagined they could have such a dreamlike summer.

Coach Shasha arranged a room for each member, with two people sharing a room, which is beneficial for promoting team cohesion.

Hao Bro and Daniel shared a room, just like in their student dorms in Galahad. The dorm leader walked a huge circle around the railway network and returned to his original spot.

At 10 p. m., Hao Bro was still too excited to sleep. Perhaps he hadn't used up all his energy during the day when facing the Hua Ling Club. The fight ended prematurely because the enemy was too weak, before it could even be properly finished.

Like the talkative guy in our dorm who never sleeps, he pulled our dorm leader aside and started talking about everything under the sun: life philosophy, career ideals, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and countless tomorrows.

A Hao: "You can see the stadium from here, Daniel."

Daniel: "Hmm."

A Hao: "Who are our opponents tomorrow?"

Daniel: "We'll find out then."

A Hao: "Are you scared?"

Daniel: "You'll see when the time comes."

A Hao: "To be honest, just thinking about all those people in the audience makes my heart pound so hard it feels like it's going to jump out of my throat."

Daniel: "That's a good thing."

A Hao: "Is this a good thing? I'm so nervous. What if I do something embarrassing? My face will turn as red as a monkey's bottom! I've never been this nervous in front of the boss."

Daniel: "The right amount of pressure can make you perform exceptionally well; that's your talent."

"Is it talent? Hahaha, I really am a genius!" A Hao rested his hands behind his head, separated from Daniel by only one bed.

Fog rose outside the bay window; it was the signal that the condensate cannon trucks, used for dust removal on the streets, were starting up.

The air from the air conditioner and the damp air rushed into the room together, like a sea breeze, except this sea breeze carried a hint of disinfectant. A Hao's mind couldn't stop, and he started talking about another topic.

"Duo Hun, have you ever been to the beach?"

Daniel: "Just call me Daniel, or you can call me the dorm leader."

A Hao: "Why? Do you hate this ID? Why don't you talk to the coach about it?"

Daniel hesitated for a moment. He was like the occasional piano note in an absolutely quiet music room—that was his personality, making him seem aloof, cold, and elegant.

"If the coach thinks that's a more appropriate way to address me, then go with Sharks Chili's suggestion."

"How can you do this?!" Hao Bro's voice rose. "This won't do! If you don't like the name 'Duo Hun,' you should change it! You should refuse anything you don't like immediately! Otherwise..."

Daniel slowly interrupted, "Haw, I'm not like you, and people are different too. There are other people who need to sleep, so let's keep it down?"

"Hmm," Hao Bro immediately lowered his voice, but also curled up, becoming furtive. This scene made Daniel both laugh and cry. It seemed that there were indeed such people in the world—their brains, mouths, bodies, and hearts were all connected. What they said had to be what they did. If they lowered their voices, their behavior would also change accordingly.

Daniel's tone was gentle, his voice deep, like the sound of autumn wheat bending and rising again in the warm breeze. He came from a wealthy family and had a strict upbringing, but he really liked A Hao.

He patiently explained the differences between people.

Some people are made of water, some are made of stone.

"People who are made of water are easily changed by their environment and can adapt to it according to people's wishes."

"People made of stone are not easily changed by their environment, but they can easily become leaders who can change the will of others. They are both creating and destroying the environment."

"These two types of people are rare, because people are not so pure. They are all like water and mud mixed together, becoming materials of different hardnesses, slowly living and growing, and then taking on all sorts of shapes."

A Hao: "That's so profound!"

Daniel: "Is it that profound?"

A Hao: "It's really profound!"

Daniel patiently explained, "I don't have such a strong personality. The name 'Duo Hun' is too heavy and too flashy for me."

"I understand what 'too flashy' means," A Hao immediately asked. "What does 'too heavy' mean? Fragrak—don't you like your family? Don't you like this surname?"

Daniel's eyes reflected the lights of the tall buildings lining the streets. He deliberately turned his head away, avoiding A Hao's burning gaze. "You could say that."

A Hao immediately corrected him. "Right is right, and wrong is wrong. There's nothing [you could say that] -- Daniel, we grew up together! The principal and the boss both said that. Gaining a friendship at school is the most precious treasure besides family. We don't need to hide anything from each other! We're all good brothers who go into the same bathhouse naked to shower together! What can't we say?"

"Ah," Daniel thought for a moment, and finally decided to start with the [sea] mentioned earlier, "I have indeed seen the sea, the sea of Adulis, with my family."

A Hao pressed on, "What did it feel like?! I've only ever seen the sea on a computer!"

Daniel: "It's strange, and it's hard to explain in just a few words."

A Hao: "Who took you there?"

Daniel: "My mom and dad, and my older brothers."

A Hao: "Is it Adulis too? Are you going to watch the match? The Moon God Cup?!"

Daniel: "Yeah, I watched my older brother and second older brother's game with my parents."

A Hao: "They're also skilled in knightly duels?!"

Daniel: "That's right, and very good."

A Hao thought about it carefully, and even with his smooth, untroubled thought process, he could vaguely sense how Daniel's personality had become what it was today.

"The two older brothers didn't take the competition seriously, even though they were very good. Their uncle wanted to promote them and transfer them to the Department of Transportation for government jobs," Daniel continued. "That was their last competition, September 21, 2027, the Moon God Cup, the third day of the Adulis finals."

"In the eyes of tens of thousands of viewers, the lives of the two older brothers have ended—they felt no regret at the club's defeat; for them, it was just a game."

"Back then, my parents were like that too. I was only fifteen or sixteen years old, and I was still crying in frustration. I felt like an outsider."

"The sea in Adulis is beautiful. Three different suns seem to shine on the city. You can lie on the clean beach and watch the sunrise. After the season ends, it's the off-season for tourism, so you can be alone, with only the sound of the waves and your own breathing."

"I felt very alienated from my own family, especially after meeting Gunsmith and Meteor teaching assistant in Galahad."

"It turns out that the emotions between people can be so passionate and romantic; this is a luxury in the Fragerak family."

"I'm growing up every day, and my psychic abilities are making my brothers quite nervous."

"My parents are getting older, and when I come home for long holidays, I often argue with my father, not because either of us is right, but because I haven't listened to them. Maybe it's just that I didn't follow an order. This old lion sensed a strong territorial crisis and, almost out of biological instinct, wanted to protect his rights."

"When you talk about the sea in Adulis, I suddenly start to miss that silly version of myself when I was fourteen or fifteen."

A Hao: "You've always been very smart!"

"No," Daniel shook his head. "When I first met the gunsmith, I kept talking about my uncle from the Transportation Department, hoping to win his favor—because when I was little, my uncle was my secret weapon. If anyone bullied me, I would call for my uncle."

A Hao: "Help! Help! Help!"

Daniel: "Hahahahahaha."

A Hao: "Hahahahahaha!"

Daniel continued, "Isn't it amazing? Time can turn a silly kid into who I am today."

A Hao suddenly blushed and said, "I was even sitting by the window flirting with a female classmate!"

Daniel: "Who was your deskmate again? I don't remember. Your girlfriend?"

A Hao: "Don't even mention it, she dropped out halfway through."

Daniel: "You seem quite concerned about her?"

A Hao: "Men always have a special filter for their first love. Me."

"Then let's not talk about that?" Daniel said tactfully.

A Hao: "Let's not talk about this!"

Daniel relaxed and remained silent for a very long time.

"So what should we say?"

A Hao: "Hahahahahaha!"

Daniel asked, puzzled, "Is it that funny?"

A Hao: "No, it's just a kind of [too hot] awkwardness. After holding it in for so long, all you can say is this?"

Daniel: "How about I give you some more juicy gossip? About my family?"

A Hao: "Okay! You go ahead."

Daniel: "The gunsmith teacher made me realize that my uncle isn't all-powerful after all—and another thing shattered my romanticized view of this relative."

A Hao: "Hmm?"

Daniel: "It's a summer camp organized by Galahad. All the students' families have to come. My parents didn't have time, so they entrusted me to my uncle."

A Hao: "And then?"

Daniel: "The summer camp is located in a nature reserve in Zone 2, within a forest park."

A Hao: "And then?"

Daniel: "On the first night, my uncle was having an affair with another parent and kicked the kids out to another tent."

A Hao: "Huh?!"

Daniel: "That's not the point. It was a matter of free choice. My uncle was a bachelor back then."

A Hao: "Oh"

Daniel: "The key point is that his partner is also a bachelor."

A Hao: "Huh?!"

Daniel: "Later, I became a bit withdrawn, you can understand, right?"

A Hao: "Oh, oh."

After a long time, about five minutes, neither of the boys spoke.

A Hao asked tentatively.

"How about we change the subject?"

Daniel: "It's pretty awkward."

A Hao: "It was indeed quite awkward."

Daniel: "How far can we go with the Moon God Cup?"

A Hao: "I'm going to win the championship!"

Daniel: "Let's be realistic—we haven't encountered the Morpho butterfly yet."

A Hao: "This is a morale booster I've created for myself. My goal is set here! I'll go as far as I can!"

Daniel: "Howe, speaking of Morpho butterflies, have you thought about this?"

A Hao: "What have you thought about?"

"Well... it seems like a lot of people think..." Daniel hesitated, but finally said it, "A lot of people think that a powerful guy must have an even more powerful father. At least this guy's strength can't be unfounded; maybe he has a powerful teacher as a father, right?"

A Hao: "I don't feel anything."

Hao Bro's family is just a bunch of Muggles, completely beneath the notice of the Galahad wizarding world.

Daniel continued—

"--I've always admired Gunsmith Master. When he was only twenty-one, he had already wiped out the Skull and Bones Skull and Bones Society's Corrupted Dragon Cult in the wilderness."

"According to this statement, did he also have a very powerful father?"

The Arcane Library don't record much about the origins of the anonymous person. Although the gunsmith's crew information card and identity card are not secrets, few people would believe that this mysterious person with the Soul Might possessing the elemental qualities of Ming De and Virtue was actually of ordinary birth, a victimized child from a family of human traffickers.

A Hao: "The gunsmith's teacher was Victor! David Victor!"

"But Mr. Victor doesn't have such excellent marksmanship, nor is his killing efficiency as high as the gunsmith's," Daniel analyzed logically. "He never taught the gunsmith how to fight; he only gave him a brave heart."

A Hao: "That's true!"

Daniel: "There's an old Chinese saying, 'A teacher for a day is a father for life'—so my gunsmith teacher must be my second father."

A Hao: "Hahahaha! Is Meteor Teaching Assistant the third one?"

Daniel: "It's different. Assistant instructor Meteor isn't as strict as Gunsmith. He's more like a gentle mother. He'll find us delicious food, fun things to do, and beautiful things to look at."

A Hao: "Keep your voice down! Let me tell you, Gunsmith Teacher is petty and holds grudges!"

Daniel: "Then let's not talk about this dangerous topic, shall we change it to something else?"

"You know that new girl on the team, Sister Guozi?" A Hao described with concern, "She's going to be my substitute, I don't understand—she's better than me, I should be her substitute. Why is this happening?"

Daniel: "Coach Shasha believes in you, and he believes I will become as valiant as Fragerak—become [Duo Hun]."

"Cough cough cough cough"

Jiang Xueming coughed a few times outside the door.

The two little idiots immediately fell silent, like Jerry and Tuffy trying to avoid Tom, their heart rate and blood pressure soaring.

Just then, Xue Ming used his spirit form to open the door and brought Sister Guozi in.

He said to the two kids, "Excuse me for bothering you, the new team members are signing contracts and redoing their physical tests this afternoon. They won't have time to get to know each other until tonight."

Sister Guozi greeted the two Xiao Shuai with a smile, "Hello!"

A Hao: "Okay, okay!"

Daniel didn't speak, but sat up in bed and nodded.

Jiang Xueming, acting as an intermediary, discussed the basic demands with Fujiwara Tamami.

"These two young men are my students. You can briefly share your experience on the field. You don't need to go into too much detail; just focus on the key points—they won't be able to digest too much anyway."

"Oh! Oh! That's easy!" Sister Guozi perked up.

So the two kids heard this active professional player talking about the basic tactical structure of the Laiyang Club.

"In a game, as a penetrator, my most important tactical strategy is to find a reliable carry. As long as this carry is dependable enough to spot the enemy's positions and find their weaknesses, things will be much easier!"

Hao Bro immediately raised his hand and asked, "What if there's no big dad?"

Sister Guozi: "Then become Big Daddy."

Hao Bro: "What if I can't become the big dad?"

Sister Guozi's expression changed very quickly, going from calm and rational to emotionally collapsing in just one second.

"I'm so weak! Waaah! I have no power!"

He quickly regained his composure and emerged from the shadow of the contract with Hua Ling.

"Well played, but I'm outmatched. I concede defeat. Next round."

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