I'm Not a Flame-Chaser - Chapter 604

"Captain Lin, here are some Zongzi for you."

"... What are you doing?"

"It's a custom in Shenzhou to eat Zongzi sticky rice dumplings) every year during the Dragon Boat Festival. Captain Lin probably doesn't know how to make Zongzi himself, so I bought some extra to give to you."

"... I know how to wrap Zongzi, but this is the first time someone has given me Zongzi as a gift."

In a time so long ago that he had almost forgotten, the gray-haired girl shyly gave him the Zongzi she had bought, and it was the first time he had ever eaten Zongzi made by someone else on the Dragon Boat Festival.

Before that, he would occasionally wrap and eat Zongzi, but he had never eaten them on the Dragon Boat Festival.

I've never eaten with anyone else before.

Lin gazed at the steaming hot glutinous rice treat in her hands, her thoughts drifting back to the past. It seemed that the girl who didn't know where to go had diligently carried on the civilization to the present, completing her mission.

This includes these customs.

"I miss someone..."

Kiana muttered something under her breath. She took her share of Zongzi, sat down a short distance away, and ate the meat zongzi in small bites like a cat.

She cautiously glanced at the man's back out of the corner of her eye. He was also unwrapping a Zongzi and eating it, his face showing no emotion, his expression as indifferent as that of an ascetic monk.

The flickering lights from a malfunctioning billboard on the side of a tall building shone on the man's face. His black trench coat fluttered gently in the evening breeze and the noise. He was elusive, but only tonight did he appear so real.

Who is he thinking about...?

Ever since Kiana saw what he looked like under the mask, his image changed. What had been hidden so tightly was revealed. He often sat quietly in secluded places, his eyes reflecting the past, and his cold face filled with an imperceptible sorrow.

He was even colder than when he was wearing a mask.

It was as if no one could get close to him; those who could once approach him were no longer there.

Kiana swallowed the sweet but somewhat bland rice dumpling and murmured softly, "What are Mei and the others doing right now...?"

In St. Freya, Mei and the Class President monitor were the ones who made rice Zongzi. She wanted to help them, but she was clumsy and could only make a strangely shaped rice dumpling, which Bronya then mocked.

She always said she wanted to eat Mei's Zongzi with them for the rest of her life, but now she can't go back to them or eat Mei's Zongzi anymore.

"It's unusually lively today. Everyone was hiding at home and didn't dare to come out, but today they've all come out. I even saw a dragon boat race on the river." Kiana listened to the noise of the people, which added a traditional Shenzhou atmosphere to this high-tech city. It seemed that no matter what era or place, the people here have always loved their history.

Even Kiana, who wasn't born in Shenzhou, would be infected by this atmosphere and smile as she looked at the bustling city.

"Perhaps the Dragon Boat Festival is also associated with warding off evil spirits and preventing diseases, so people think that the festival will ward off disasters and that they can return to normal life after this day. People who seek psychological comfort are often more devout than those who are truly superstitious, even if they know very well that it is all in vain."

The faint sound carried on the wind startled Kiana, and then she said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Do you think they don't know? They know better than anyone that it's just psychological comfort, but it's also the guarantee that they have the courage to face the life ahead."

The man put the unfinished Zongzi aside and said in a calm tone, "It's precisely because I understand things better than anyone else that I'm also more confused than anyone else."

Kiana was a little angry, perhaps because the man hadn't finished the Zongzi she bought, or perhaps because his arrogant attitude made her uncomfortable. However, she no longer voiced all her dissatisfaction as she used to, so she just sat in her seat, looking down at the city with a sullen expression.

The two of them sat silently on the rooftop, neither of them saying a word.

Suddenly, Kiana smelled a faint burning smell in the air, and then a striking orange-red color caught her eye, breaking the harmony of the night.

"Fire!"

The residential building to the north, nearly fifteen stories high, was engulfed in flames. Kiana saw it immediately, but when she stood up anxiously to tell Lin, she turned around and found that Lin was gone.

A blurry black shadow rushed into the firelight from the darkness of the night.

Before Kiana arrived, the black-haired man had already leaped out of the window of the fifteenth floor, carrying two adults in one arm, an elderly person on his back, and a child under his arm. Then, with his only free hand, he grabbed the edge of the balcony, flipped over, and landed steadily on the balcony of the fourteenth floor.

It's even more efficient than the superheroes in the movies.

"Let's go, the fire hasn't spread completely yet, and the people upstairs are already being evacuated." After putting down the few people who hadn't yet reacted, Lin nodded to Kiana and then jumped off the balcony.

Because fires are more frequent during holidays, the fire-fighting robot arrived shortly afterward and extinguished the blaze before it escalated into a large-scale fire, preventing any casualties.

Lin and Kiana, wearing hats, stood in the crowd watching the fire shrink and eventually be extinguished. The family of four who were rescued hugged each other downstairs and belatedly burst into tears.

They cried tears of joy simply because they had survived.

"We can't expect everyone to have the courage to face tomorrow with their heads held high, but at least those who live in the present give us the courage to face tomorrow."

Kiana was stunned. She turned to look at him, her eyes beneath the hood fixed on the family who had survived the ordeal. His tone had softened unconsciously.

"Let's go."

Lin called out to Kiana and then turned to walk away from the crowd. Just then, a childish voice called out, "That's the big brother! I saw him rescue my dad, mom, grandpa, and me!"

Before Lin could even react, he was surrounded by the crowd.

"..." Lin's face was tense. He held onto his hood with one hand to prevent it from being pulled off, but there were too many people around. Many people wanted to see what the hero who rescued four people from the fire looked like, so they all reached out to pull his hood.

The couple came forward, grasped Lin's hand, and thanked him profusely with tears in their eyes. He couldn't shake them off no matter what he did, and could only helplessly whisper that he was welcome, but they seemed not to hear him at all.

Kiana looked at the usually cold and aloof man in front of her, now completely flustered and at a loss, and couldn't help but smile.

The Journey Begins in the Sky: Dragon Boat Festival Special - Enchanting Moonlight (Part 2)

"Big brother, please have Zongzi. Goodbye!"

After handing the two Zongzi to Lin, the child returned to his family and waved to him.

The family originally wanted to give them some money as a token of gratitude, but Lin kept looking at them with an extremely cold gaze without saying a word, which eventually made them back down.

The onlookers dispersed, and Lin's reward for saving the person was two Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).

After walking up to Kiana, he casually handed her one, which Kiana accepted without hesitation. The two walked along the bustling street, eating the Zongzi as they went.

The two silently watched the dazzling lights of the street, unaware that a massive conspiracy was brewing in this prosperous city. Everything that seemed beautiful to countless people could vanish in an instant.

But they have the right to enjoy this moment, and until that day comes, someone will stand in front of them to protect these small moments of happiness.

Kiana marveled at the richness and diversity of Shenzhou and Sky City. This was the first time in all her time in Sky City that she had walked down the street normally and viewed the city from such an ordinary perspective.

As she was thinking, she unconsciously shifted her gaze to the person beside her, and then she was surprised to find that Lin had already finished eating the Zongzi.

A hooded man strolled along in the warm yellow light, his hands behind his back. His gaze rarely lingered on the novel programs or stalls, but always fell on the people walking together. Even his sharp eyes seemed to soften amidst the shouts and laughter.

What's wrong with him? He finishes everything that other people give him, but he only eats a tiny bit of what she gives him...

Kiana felt inexplicably annoyed again at the thought of the half-eaten Zongzi left on the rooftop.

"Would you like to try making Zongzi yourself?"

"Huh?"

Kiana was still thinking about the Zongzi when Lin asked her a question. Before she could react, the man pointed to a small stall not far away, and Kiana squinted at it.

Pots, stoves, glutinous rice, Reed Leaf, Holly Leaf... The sign says "made to order and cooked on the spot." It seems that this is a stall that specializes in letting people experience making Zongzi themselves. After all, with the rapid development of technology, not to mention Sky City, a technological city that ranks among the world's top, making Zongzi by hand is no longer an annual event for most young people.

But... why would Lin want to make Zongzi?

Just as Kiana was pondering, the stall owner's eyes lit up when he saw them and immediately called out, "Hey, wouldn't you two like to try making Zongzi yourselves? They're freshly made and cooked, so you only need to wait a little while before you can eat them. Making a Zongzi by hand for your boyfriend or girlfriend is a very thoughtful gesture!"

"Ah... wh-what boyfriend/girlfriend... we're not in that kind of relationship..."

Kiana's delicate skin immediately flushed a light blush, and she shook her head shyly.

Lin didn't care what the stall owner said at all. He walked to the stall, examined the ingredients, and then turned to Kiana and asked, "Would you like to try it?"

"I..."

Kiana's previous attempts at making Zongzi were all sorts of strange things. They would either fall apart during cooking or be half-cooked, and eating them would give her diarrhea for the whole morning. As a result, after trying it once, neither Mei nor Kiana dared to let her touch Zongzi again.

But this time, after seeing Lin ask a question as if it were just a routine matter, and then pick up the Reed Leaf and Holly Leaf on her own, she couldn't help but puff out her cheeks. Remembering the Zongzi she hadn't finished eating, she quickly walked over to Lin's side and said, "I want to wrap some too."

Lin glanced at her and handed her a Reed Leaf he had chosen, but Kiana refused it outright. "I'll do it myself."

The man didn't say anything to Lu Ciling. He just skillfully scooped out an appropriate amount of glutinous rice (about 8 packets) with a spoon and placed it in a bamboo leaf. He pressed it down with the spoon, moistened his finger with a little water, and sealed the Reed Leaf into a perfect and delicate triangular cone. Then he let the smiling boss take it to cook.

As for Kiana...

She clumsily scooped the glutinous rice onto the Reed Leaf, but there was too much at once, making it difficult to close the leaf. In her haste, a lot of the white glutinous rice fell to the ground.

Just then, Fu Hua flew out of her consciousness and stood curiously beside her, looking at the two people in the temple fair and asking, "Kiana, are you... wrapping Zongzi?"

Kiana was stunned for a moment, then said in her mind with delight, "Class President, quickly teach me how to wrap Zongzi."

"Hmm... why don't you fold the Reed Leaf first?"

"Fold it neatly? Shouldn't you put the rice on first and then wrap it with leaves?"

"Then how are you going to determine how much rice to pack?" Fu Hua shook her head, mentally demonstrating the process of wrapping Zongzi to Kiana. "Why are you guys here at a temple fair?"

"Hehe, I'll tell you later, let me wrap this up first..."

Soon, with Fu Hua's guidance, a "Zongzi" that looked a bit like a wilted eggplant appeared in Kiana's hand.

"..."

She silently handed the food to the strange-looking boss, then lowered her head and said sullenly, "Laugh if you want, I just can't cook well anyway."

"..." Lin crossed his arms and said calmly, "There's nothing funny about it."

Kiana stood in the shadows, head bowed, looking enviously at the groups of people walking in twos and threes. "I always mess things up, cooking, studying, and being Valkyrie... I don't get anything right at all."

"That's probably why the whole world has abandoned me."

After learning her true identity and Herrscher of the Void, bringing deadly disaster to the world, everything Kiana once possessed collapsed.

She killed her teacher, leaving countless people homeless, and she lived in fear and dread, never daring to face her former friends again.

"..."

Lin and Fu Hua stood silently to the side, their presence a stark contrast to the cheerful laughter of the crowd.

"Hey buddy, your Zongzi is cooked."

"Call..."

Lin let out a breath, took the Zongzi he had wrapped, and handed it to Kiana.

"Huh?" Kiana looked up at him blankly, then glanced at the savory rice dumpling in front of her that looked even more delicious than Zongzi others. "For me?"

"This is a thank you gift for treating me to Zongzi today," Lin said casually.

Then, the black-haired man's heterochromatic eyes met the girl's eyes, and he said softly, "But you have already overcome your past. One cannot dwell on a past that disappoints oneself. It should become the motivation for you to move forward, not a heavy burden you carry."

Because that's just the kind of person he is.

He didn't want anyone to end up like him.

He whispered to the silver-haired girl holding the steaming Zongzi, "So even if the whole world abandons you, I'm still on your side now."

"..."

"..."

The world is so quiet.

Suddenly, all other sounds seemed to disappear.

"Miss, your Zongzi is ready."

Back on the rooftop, the two sat side by side on its edge. Kiana held the Zongzi Lin had given her, while Lin held... something that looked like it came from a laboratory.

Kiana scratched her pretty face shyly, while Lin casually unwrapped the Reed Leaf and began to eat them bite by bite.

"How about it?"

"...good."

It wasn't as soft, chewy, and springy as regular Zongzi, probably because the person wrapping Zongzi wasn't tight enough. The taste was also very ordinary; it was barely edible.

The two were very close, and the crescent moon was also very close. The silvery light of the crescent moon, like fine silver sand, sprinkled on their shoulders.

The girl, eating Zongzi, was lost in thought about what had just happened. Besides the delicious food in her hand, there was also a faint fragrance that she had only smelled in her dreams, mixed with the aroma of glutinous rice.

When she came to her senses, she was surprised to find that Lin had already finished the "wilted eggplant," and...

The man took out half a half-eaten Zongzi from his pocket and continued to eat it silently. This half was clearly the Kiana had given him before he went to rescue the people.

So it turns out that she didn't not want to eat at the time, but rather saw the fire before her and decided to go save people?

Thinking of this, the silver-haired girl lowered her head, her ears turning bright red, looking as delicious as a ripe apple.

"It's already... cold, isn't it?"

"It's okay, you can still eat it."

"Let me heat it up for you."

"Um?"