Skadi, My Wife

It took Chen An quite a while to finally clean up the mess in the kitchen.

He washed his hands and walked out of the kitchen.

In the living room, Swire had taken off her filthy apron and washed her face. When she saw Chen An approaching while she absentmindedly watched TV, her heart suddenly tightened, and her tail shot upright.

Worried that Chen An would mock her for turning the kitchen into a complete mess, she decisively struck first:

"Watch your mouth! This is my home. If you dare laugh at me, I won't go easy on you!"

She was putting up a front, like a big cat with its fur standing on end.

"When did I say I was going to laugh at you?"

Chen An was speechless. "I just wanted to say that it's getting late. If you don't mind, how about coming over to my place for a bit and having lunch there?"

Huh, he was inviting her over?

Swire's heart inexplicably leaped with joy, and she wanted to agree immediately, but a young lady's reserve stopped her.

The tip of her tail curled slightly. She pretended to hesitate for a moment before saying, "Fine. Since we'll be neighbors from now on, I'll give you that honor. You should be moved to tears with gratitude."

Seeing through Swire's act at a glance, Chen An could not help curling his lip.

Such a hopeless tsundere.

A Culinary Genius Little Tiger

Only after treating Swire to lunch at his home did Chen An get the chance to ask why she had appeared in the apartment next door and claimed they would be neighbors from now on.

Faced with Chen An's curious question, Swire shamelessly declared, "Of course it's for my dream. I've always dreamed of changing Lungmen and making it better. That's why I joined the Lungmen Guard Department, just like that Street Dragon. I thought I could change Lungmen that way, but later I realized that becoming an inspector in the Guard Department wasn't enough to change it properly, so I decided to learn from you."

Swire loved Lungmen and dreamed of making it a better place.

To that end, she had joined the Lungmen Guard Department and put in a great deal of effort.

But she later discovered that those efforts had not produced any significant results.

Especially in the Lower District. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed to remain the same. Many times, when something happened there, she could not even get involved.

Everything began to change only after she discovered Chen An and got to know him.

In just over half a year, the Lower District, once poor, violent, and backward, had begun to develop, and its economy had noticeably improved.

Many people who had once lacked food and clothing, surviving only through petty theft or by joining gangs as thugs, had found the right path with his help. They had even begun contributing their own strength to steer the Lower District in a better direction.

There were also abandoned orphans, children with no presence whatsoever in the Lower District who had originally been on the verge of dying. Because of Chen An, not only had they survived, but some had even begun attending school, becoming students with bright futures.

Even the conflicts between the Infected and ordinary people, so common in the Lower District and always far from harmonious, had clearly decreased.

Chen An was merely an ordinary person. He held no status in Lungmen, did not even have a proper job, and was not even from Lungmen.

Yet in just over half a year, he had changed the Lower District, a place countless people had been powerless to improve.

Even the thugs and gangs of the Lower District would unconsciously behave themselves whenever they saw Chen An passing by, even if they had been robbing someone or brawling. They would not resume their business until he had left—not because they feared him, but because they respected and appreciated him.

Even though, in the eyes of nearly everyone in the Lower District, Chen An was merely an ordinary man with superb medical skills and no combat ability whatsoever.

It was precisely because she had noticed the changes in the Lower District that Swire, the young lady, had met Chen An. While becoming one of his figurine customers, she had taken the opportunity to help the Lower District progress and change, becoming the rich lady he spoke of.

Otherwise, how could she, a senior police superintendent of the Guard Department and the daughter of a wealthy family, possibly have anything to do with an outsider like Chen An? And why would she come to buy figurines from him every so often? She was not like Exusiai. Her fondness for figurines was merely an excuse.

It was also because she had participated in so much of the Lower District's transformation that Swire realized something.

Changing Lungmen from the top down did not seem to work, but perhaps the reverse—from the bottom up—could. After all, what Lungmen needed to change most was the Lower District, not the Upper District.

So she planned to change her original strategy.

Like Chen An, she intended to immerse herself in the lives of ordinary Lower District residents, learn what they needed and lacked, then use her own power and methods to help them obtain those things.

After hearing Swire's words, Chen An was utterly baffled.

Learn from him? Learn what from him? He had nothing but good looks. If she wanted to learn how to change Lungmen from him, had something gone wrong with her brain?

Ugh, narcissist!

Swire looked at him in disgust, then said angrily, "Did you just badmouth me? Are you looking for a beating!?"

Chen An was even more baffled. When had he badmouthed Swire? At most, he had merely wondered in his head whether something was wrong with her brain.

Skadi quietly reminded him, "You said her brain might be broken again."

Chen An: "..."

"Ahem. Details. Don't worry about such minor details."

With a righteous wave of his hand, Chen An pretended nothing had happened and changed the subject. "How about this? Didn't you say the fish you bought was supposed to be made into boiled fish, but it refused to cooperate and jumped out of the basin of hot water instead of letting itself be cooked? Since we have time, I'll teach you how to make a similar dish."

Swire's ears twitched, and she looked intrigued.

Then Chen An began his cooking lesson with a solemn, righteous expression. "When you take a bath tonight, if you soak in the tub, add some salt to the water. Then do nothing at all. Just soak there for a while, and a delicious boiled rich lady can be served."

Since Swire thought tossing a live fish into a basin of hot water would turn it into boiled fish, then tossing herself into a hot bathtub and soaking for a while to become boiled rich lady was perfectly reasonable too, right?

Swire's expression gradually stiffened, and then...

"You're asking for it!"

She had been enraged. Chen An's attempt to change the subject had succeeded.

On a road near the apartment building, Chen An accompanied Swire on a walk... well, it was not really a walk. Swire said she had not come here many times and asked Chen An to familiarize her with the area.

Of course, Skadi was with them as well.

Chen An rubbed his still-aching arm, looking aggrieved. "I was just joking with you. You actually scratched me? Isn't that a little petty?"

Swire snorted and proudly raised her chin. "Be glad I didn't bring my weapon. Otherwise, I'd have smashed your face with my flail. How dare you laugh at me."

"Who laughed at you? You're just genuinely stupid, okay?"

Chen An muttered under his breath, "If boiled fish means throwing a fish into water, does braised pork mean painting meat red with red dye and then setting it on fire? With cooking skills like that, how did you dare cook for yourself? Where did you get the confidence?"

He looked at Skadi beside him, and then there was this one. She could destroy any kitchen utensil, yet she still did not know where she got the confidence to want to help in the kitchen every time.

Skadi blinked innocently.

"You're still saying it!"

Swire became embarrassed and furious, her fur bristling again.

Seeing her bare her little tiger fangs as though she wanted to scratch him again, Chen An jumped in fright and hurriedly moved several steps aside.

Skadi also stepped forward nervously, placing herself between Chen An and Swire.

With Skadi blocking her attack route, Swire pouted and settled down. She was only familiar with Chen An; she had barely spoken to Skadi a few times. Though Swire seemed quick to anger around Chen An, she was still quite composed around people she did not know well.

"The environment here really isn't great."

After following Chen An around the neighborhood for half a circuit, Swire looked thoroughly displeased. "The streets are only moderately clean, the landscaping is terrible, and there isn't even a garden. How have you lived here for so long?"

Chen An was speechless. "What do you think this place is? A garden? This is where ordinary people live. Having conditions like these is already pretty good, okay?"

Skadi nodded. Whether when she had been a Bounty Hunter in the past or when she had traveled around with Chen An, the places they rested in had generally been quite poor. Sometimes, they even had to sleep outdoors.

Compared with the past, this place was already very nice.

Swire did not argue. She was a Guard Department officer and sometimes went to the front lines, so she understood how Lungmen's lower classes lived. She was not some sheltered young lady who had no idea of the hardships people endured.

Her tail swayed, and she suddenly asked, "Have you thought about the future?"

Chen An froze. "What future?"

"The future."

Swire glanced at Skadi, her tone casual. "Getting married, having children, that sort of thing. You've helped so many people change their futures. Don't tell me you've never thought about your own?"

Getting married and having children?

Skadi looked at Chen An, her eyes filled with longing.

"Didn't you say we were just getting familiar with the area? Why did you suddenly bring up such a serious topic?"

Chen An gave Swire a strange look and shrugged calmly. "What is there to think about? I've never particularly wanted anything. As for the future, I'll just let nature take its course."

Swire raised her brows, looking as though she hated to see him waste his potential. "You want to leave everything to nature? You're far too unambitious! Forget everything else—you look about the same age as me. At this age, you can put other things aside, but surely you should at least think about starting a family?"

She tilted her head and glanced at Skadi again, hesitating briefly before saying, "I don't think it's good for you to keep living like this. How about I introduce you to a job? Join the Guard Department? If you don't like handling cases, I can arrange something at a bank or another company. I have ways. Those jobs pay very well. Otherwise, if you keep going like this and can't even afford clothes for yourself, where will you get the money for a bride price when you get married? Don't tell me you'll borrow it from me?"

Skadi muttered softly, "I don't need a bride price."

Chen An said helplessly, "I told you, it's not that I can't afford clothes. I'm just not used to wearing anything else."

Swire ignored him and continued, "If you don't like any of those jobs, you can come be my chef... Um, don't misunderstand. I only think I really liked the food you made at noon, so I'm giving you this opportunity. Don't worry, even as a chef, your salary won't be lower than those other jobs. Well? Well? Do you want to come?"

For some reason, she became a little nervous.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll pass."

Chen An smiled. "I'm not from Lungmen, and I don't plan to stay here forever. I might leave after a while, so I won't trouble you."

"What?!"

As if she had heard something impossible to accept, Swire stood there in stunned disbelief.

An Orca Has Set Its Sights on You.jpg

Chernobog was a long way away. After several days of travel, Shining and the other three were still on their way back.

That day, the four passed by a small stream. Since it was noon, they stopped there to rest and recover for a while.

They gathered some dry branches and wood from nearby to light a campfire, then used a small pot to fetch clean water from the stream. Nearl boiled the water, brewed several cups of black tea, and handed them out to her three companions.

Resting was a rare moment of leisure during their journey, so Nearl casually brought up a topic.

"Come to think of it, so much time has passed. Has any of you figured out why Chen An left Chernobog in the first place?"

Even now, Nearl had not figured out the reason.

After all, once the Reunion Movement took control of Chernobog, Chen An had not participated much in the transfer of power. Yet his contributions had been indispensable when it came to bringing ordinary people and the Infected together afterward, as well as establishing Dawn.

Whether Infected or ordinary people, practically everyone in Chernobog who knew Chen An respected him. That was true at the bottom, and even more so at the top. Talulah might have been the leader of the Reunion Movement, but if Chen An disagreed with her, even Talulah herself would carefully consider his opinion.

All in all, Chen An's reputation was exceptionally high. If he had not always refused to be the leader or involve himself in management, it was uncertain whether Talulah would have become Dawn's leader at all.

Under such circumstances, Chen An had actually chosen to leave—and to leave quietly at that. Nearl truly could not understand it.

"Because Chen An's heart was not in Chernobog."

The freshly brewed tea was hot, so Shining carefully blew on it for a while. After taking a sip, she said softly, "I once heard him say that he was not from Ursus, nor was he from the Yan Nation or Higashi. His homeland was somewhere very far away. The only reason he helped the Reunion Movement was because Talulah and the others were his friends. He may have done a great deal, but from beginning to end, he never joined the Reunion Movement."

Nearl was greatly surprised. "Really? Wasn't Chen An one of the founders of the Reunion Movement?"

"No, he wasn't. Actually, Talulah wasn't either. The Reunion Movement had existed long before that, though it was only an obscure little organization at the time. It only began to grow after Talulah joined."

Although she had joined Dawn at the same time as Nearl, Shining clearly knew far more than she did.

They were companions who shared the same ideals, and the information was not especially secret. More importantly, they had time to spare, so Shining explained in detail.

"FrostNova and Mr. Patriot were not founders of the Reunion Movement either. They had originally been guerrillas active on the Ursus Icefield. After Talulah joined the Reunion Movement, she met them and invited them to join. Chen An was already their friend at that time, and he had helped them quite a lot. It is said that when Miss Alina encountered danger once, Chen An, who was still with them then, was the one who saved her."

Nightingale looked thoughtful. "Miss Alina... I see. No wonder she always seemed to care so much about Chen An."

Shining continued, "But later, after the Reunion Movement began to grow and the situation stabilized, Chen An left the Reunion Movement and traveled outside. It was only years later, when the Reunion Movement discovered that Chernobog was about to be struck by a Catastrophe and wanted to save Chernobog's Infected while seizing control of the city for a base of operations, that Chen An returned with Skadi."

At that, she could not help sighing. "Chen An helped the Reunion Movement only because of his friends, not because he wanted anything in return. Perhaps that was why, after realizing Chernobog no longer needed him, he left again."

"Is that so?"

Nightingale curiously looked at Red Skadi, who had been listening in silence. "Skadi, I heard you've known Chen An for a long time. Was that really why he left Chernobog back then?"

Red Skadi said nothing and silently drank her tea.

Nightingale was quite helpless at Red Skadi's indifferent reaction.

Nearl had been right then. Skadi really did seem like a different person. She had never liked speaking with others, but now she was even more silent.

During the days they had traveled together, Nightingale had barely heard her say a few words.

For a time, she had suspected that if their shared goal had not been finding Chen An, Skadi likely would not have traveled with them at all.