Just kidding~
Vane understood that the reason the boy was so widely accepted here as Aegir was definitely not because of his adoptive father, the mayor.
"Mrs. Lauren, is your leg feeling better? Have you taken your medicine on time?"
"Little Pete, you can't climb that high! Come down now!"
"Uncle Hans, do you need help moving this? I happen to be free."
The boy will pay close attention to the needs of everyone around him and lend a helping hand when the time is right.
What's even more remarkable is that he was completely unaware of how precious his genuine attitude towards others was.
It's incredible that such a quality could emerge in the harsh environment of Iberia...
Vane felt a pang of emotion; could it be said that good things were being reaped from bad soil?
"Sorry, sorry!"
The boy ran back, his cheeks slightly flushed.
"You promised to show me around, but you keep running off halfway through..."
"It's nothing," Vane shrugged, glancing at the townspeople.
"In any case, personnel evaluation is also an important part."
"Huh? What are you saying?"
"Just pretend I'm talking to myself," Vane smiled and said nothing more.
The boy stopped asking questions, rallied his spirits, and continued to fulfill his duties as a guide.
Time slipped by unnoticed, and soon it was noon.
"Mr. Vane, it's getting late. Would you like to come with me to the church? Today's relief meal is quite substantial!"
Jordi extended a sincere invitation, Vane couldn't help but facepalm.
"Hey bro, do you think I'm some kind of refugee needing welfare?"
Seeing the boy's hurried explanation followed by his inner frustration, Vane sighed.
"Alright, it's good to eat some whole grains occasionally, after all, the kid's family is so poor they only have meat left."
"So poor... all they have left is meat?"
Jordi was somewhat confused; could these words actually form written language?
Without pressing further, Jordi assumed the other person was joking.
When the two arrived at the chapel--
I regret it.
Vane stared blankly at the bread in front of him, then tentatively picked it up and tapped it on the table.
Bang! Bang!
"Mr. Vane, that needs to be soaked in soup until it's soft so it's easier to eat..."
Do you eat barbecue?
"Ah?"
After making a small donation to the church, the two collected all the spices and headed towards higher ground in the town.
The buildings gradually thinned out, and they eventually arrived at an abandoned old watchtower.
The watchtower looked quite old, but the entrance was kept relatively clean.
"Please come in, Mr. Vane!" Jordi pushed open the wooden door, her tone tinged with pride.
"This is my 'secret base'!"
"A secret base?" Vane walked in, looking around the small space.
"If others know, is it still a secret?"
"Forehead..."
With a single sentence, he successfully made the boy fall into deep thought, Vane began to survey the space.
Various metal parts, tools, and books are neatly arranged on the iron shelves against the wall.
The old wooden table was wiped very clean, and the documents and drawings on it were neatly stacked.
A hanging board was nailed to the wall, covered with many hand-drawn sketches and notes.
Vane's gaze was drawn to the drawings, his tone tinged with uncertainty.
"This is... a searchlight?"
Upon hearing this, Jordi immediately looked up and took a few steps closer to Vane.
"Can you understand it?!"
Before Vane could answer, he excitedly turned and ran to the wooden table, pulled open a drawer, and carefully took something out—
It was a rudimentary device prototype, which bore a striking resemblance to the drawings on the wall.
"Look! I tried making this myself!"
Jordi held the small device up like a precious jewel, explaining its working principle to Vane in great detail.
He spoke with such passion that his face shone with a radiant glow, the unique brilliance of someone immersed in something they love.
Vane didn't interrupt him, but listened quietly, nodding occasionally.
After a while, Jordi finally realized that she was just spouting out her professional knowledge all at once, and her voice gradually faded.
"Can I take a look?" Vane extended his hand at the opportune moment.
"No!"
Jordi almost instinctively pulled the device back, a reaction that surprised Vane.
Jordi immediately realized her lapse in composure and quickly explained:
"There are very small Originium units inside. Although they've been isolated, direct contact is still too dangerous!"
Vane squinted at him:
"Don't you just hold it with your hands too?"
Jordi paused, then awkwardly scratched her nose.
"I'm used to doing experiments on my own, so I haven't paid much attention..."
"Take good care of yourself..."
"Yes!"
Jordi quickly responded, put the device back in a safe place, and deftly assembled the grill using the materials.
Vane remained leaning against the table, his gaze returning to the design drawings on the wall.
Jordi's parents were lighthouse engineers. In a typical story, the child would inherit their skills and carry them on to great effect.
Unfortunately... reality is often harsher than ideals.
Watching the boy's busy figure, Vane suddenly thought of the old man by the sea.
An old man waits by the sea for his child to return... Did the boy ever wait by the sea for his parents?
"It's finished, Mr. Vane!"
Jordi's voice pulled Vane back from his thoughts, and Vane took out a few pieces of fresh meat.
Jordi glanced curiously behind Vane —where was he hiding?
"Are you curious?"
Vane noticed his gaze and asked with a smile.
"Yes, a little..."
Vane suddenly grinned, and to Jordi's utter horror, Vane's body split open without warning.
With his body still cracked, Vane gave Jordi a thumbs up:
"Vampire, isn't that amazing?"
"I... I understand! Please restore it to its original state immediately!!!"
Seeing that Jordi's voice had changed from fright, Vane readily recovered and closed his body cavity.
"This... this meat could be...?"
Jordi's voice trembled slightly, and Vane readily denied it.
"No, it's just ordinary animal meat."
Jordi reluctantly believed it; surely no one would actually roast their own flesh and blood to serve as a treat?
As the flames licked at them, the sizzling fat and the enticing aroma of meat quickly dispelled the previous horror.
Jordi took the skewer of meat that Vane handed her, hesitated for a moment, and then took a bite.
"Delicious!" he couldn't help but exclaim.
"What kind of animal is this meat? It tastes so unique; I've never eaten it before."
"Hmm... you probably don't have a concept of wild boar," Vane said, taking a skewer and enjoying it immensely.
"Let's just say it's... a kind of camel that can grow to over three meters tall, with thick skin and great strength."
"Three meters?!" Jordi's eyes widened in surprise.
"So camel-like beasts can grow that big? The biggest one I've ever seen is only a little taller than a person..."
"A world-renowned masterpiece, bro."
Vane took a bite of meat, his gaze drifting through the small window to the somber horizon.
"If you're interested, I can take you on a spontaneous trip right now."
"The Knights' Tournament in Kazimierz, the snowfields of Ursus, Kazdel... let's skip that one."
Vane awaited Jordi's reply after ruling out a place that was absolutely unsuitable for tourism.
"Although I'm very tempted... I don't plan to leave right now, but thank you anyway."
The boy's answer was as expected, Vane shrugged.
"It's okay, you'll have your chance sooner or later anyway."
After finishing the grilled meat in his hand, Vane turned his gaze to the stairs.
"Want to go up and take a look?"
Jordi extended the invitation, Vane readily agreed.
The two reached the platform at the top of the watchtower, where the space was smaller and the wind was stronger.
But from here, you can see the entire Gran Faro and the surrounding ocean.
The town resembled a worn-out building block carelessly placed on a black velvet cloth.
Vane looked at the layout thoughtfully, while Jordi walked over to his side and pointed it out to him.
"It's a pity the weather isn't good today," the boy said with regret.
"If you come on a sunny day, you can see the sunlight gradually spreading throughout Gran Faro, it's very beautiful."
"If it's evening, the setting sun will dye the entire sea surface gold... that gold is alive, it flows..."
He described to Vane the magnificent scenes from his memory, using language to paint those colors onto the somber reality before him.
Vane didn't interrupt, occasionally nodding in agreement.
Jordi didn't take Vane's silence as a mere formality, and continued enthusiastically describing the places he planned to take Vane to that afternoon.
Vane suddenly spoke, interrupting his plans:
"Brother..."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
Jordi has stopped trying to correct the overly affectionate way she addresses him.
Vane raised his hand, roughly gesturing to their current height, then pointed to their feet.
"You want to build a lighthouse here, right?"
"..."
Jordi turned her head sharply and looked at Vane in shock.
"You... you could tell just by looking at it?!"
(That's because I know you too well.)
Vane silently complained in his heart. On the surface, he simply nodded.
Jordi was silent for a moment, then lowered her voice:
Don't you think... this idea is very impractical?
No.
Vane answered quickly, turning his head to look at the boy.
Why would you think that?
"Because..."
Jordi raised her head, her gaze involuntarily returning to the all-consuming black ocean, and further away, the seemingly eternal fog.
"Even a group of lighthouses that were once so glorious eventually perished. Even if I did manage to build a lighthouse... what good would it do?"
"Is that what you think?"
Vane's question silenced Jordi once again.
"Perhaps..."
The boy's voice was almost blown away by the wind.
"Although this place isn't the highest point, and the lighthouse I built might not be bright enough to illuminate very far... but, perhaps?"
His gaze refocused, fixed on the hazy gray expanse between the sea and the sky.
"Perhaps there really is a ship, or a person, struggling in the fog for too long, and almost ready to give up..."
"If he, they could get closer to the mainland, even just to see a glimmer of light..."
The boy's voice was softer, yet more resolute:
"Then... maybe they'll find their way."
"Perhaps, then I can go home."
This almost fantastical whisper is a silent resistance to cruel reality.
"But you know that's impossible."
"..."
Jordi's body stiffened slightly, but she did not refute, responding with silence.
Yes, of course not.
The sea shrouded in mist is no longer the smooth road it once was; it is now filled with unknown dangers and man-eating monsters.
People keep sailing into that gray expanse, but none of them ever return safely.
Including... his parents.
"Well..."
Vane suddenly spoke again, shifting to a more relaxed posture.
He leaned on the stone railing with his elbows, gazing at the sea, his tone revealing no emotion.
"Such a small lighthouse, built here, really isn't very useful."
Jordi's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly.
"--However, that lighthouse is quite useful."
The boy looked up and followed the direction Vane was pointing—
Is it dense fog from the depths of the sea?
Looking into the boy's bewildered gaze, Vane posed an unrelated question:
Do you know why Gran Faro is so highly regarded by the Inquisition?
Jordi paused, then recited aloud:
"Because this is an important coastal outpost in southern Iberia, it requires close monitoring of the coastline, defense against deep-sea threats, and maintenance..."
"Do you know why your parents... chose to come to this land, this small town?"
"!!!"
"Currently, the only lighthouse still in operation throughout the entire Iberia Peninsula—"
In Jordi's wide eyes, Vane clearly said:
"The Eye of Iberia is right here."
The boy's fingers tightened unconsciously. That legendary lighthouse... was it really here?
Is it in the direction he's always looked from as a child, the direction where his parents disappeared?
Are you interested?
Jordi nodded unconsciously.
"OK."
Vane withdrew his hand and patted off imaginary dust from his clothes.
"I'll take you to see it tomorrow."