Emotional intelligence

Faced with Lumian's confirming question, Ryan nodded:

"That's one way to understand it, but if there are any other anomalies worth investigating, we can't let them go."

"Okay." Lumian actually thought so too.

He doesn't even plan to attend Lent Festival, lest he be tempted to take action upon seeing the "performances" at the celebration.

The four of them quickly arrived at Lumian and were led upstairs by Aurora.

Having changed into a pure white cotton Long Dress that emphasized comfort and homeiness, Aurora pointed to the open Lumian bedroom and Study, and said to the three official investigators, "You can choose either of these rooms."

Ryan turned to Lya, seeking his companion's opinion.

Lya thought for a few seconds, then raised her right hand and smiled, pointing towards the Study:

"That Armchair looks nice, let me sleep in it. Ryan, you and Valentine can share the room."

"Do they trust us a lot?" Aurora thought to herself as Lumian spoke aloud.

He had assumed that the Three Foreigners would choose to sleep on the floor in one room to avoid being targeted by malicious individuals once they separated.

Lya smiled as she answered Lumian's question, which sounded both sarcastic and questioning:

"My Divination tells me that you are both trustworthy."

As she spoke, she walked into the Study, and to the accompaniment of tinkling sounds, she lay down on the Armchair, looking completely comfortable and at ease.

Aurora found Lya quite interesting and approachable, and smiled as she offered a friendly reminder:

A friend once told me that I should believe in Divination, but not blindly trust Divination; Divination is not a panacea.

"My Mentor said something similar, but given the current situation, and the fact that we're all in the same house, what else can we do but disbelieve him?" Lya shifted in her Armchair and replied with a smile.

Aurora didn't mind her reserved spot being taken; she pulled over a chair and sat down.

Their Study also functions as a small living room, and they occasionally host afternoon tea, so the space is quite large and there are enough chairs.

Ryan glanced around the corridor for a while, then returned to the Study door and said to Aurora and Lumian, "I have some suggestions."

"Please go ahead," Aurora said politely, adopting a listening posture.

Ryan nodded slightly and said, "First, when we sleep at night, we shouldn't close the doors to any of the rooms, so that everyone is essentially in the same space. This way, we can react promptly if anything happens anywhere."

"Secondly, considering we damaged the Altar, someone might try to deal with us before Lent Festival. Starting tonight, everyone will take turns keeping watch, from 10 PM to 8 AM the next morning, two hours each..."

"So professional..." Aurora muttered almost silently.

Lumian then looked at her, as if to ask why she hadn't thought of that.

Aurora shrugged slightly, implying that I didn't have much experience with team operations.

She then looked at Ryan and Valentine and said with great certainty, "Lumian is in charge of the time from 10 p. m. to midnight."

Lya and the others had no objections to this arrangement.

In their view, this was perfectly reasonable, because among the five people present, Lumian had the lowest Sequence and the least experience, making him the most likely to make mistakes when it came to keeping watch at night. And between 10 p. m. and midnight, there were definitely other people still awake who could cover for him.

Lumian, however, understood that her Older Sister's intentions went beyond that:

He must explore the Dream Ruins after he falls asleep, and cannot be interrupted.

After the first time slot was decided, Valentine volunteered, "I'm used to going to bed early and waking up early, so I'll be responsible for the time slot from 6 a. m. to 8 a. m."

"Getting up so early, just to greet the sunrise?" Lumian instinctively scoffed.

Valentine's gaze softened as he looked at him.

"Yes, I want to greet the Sun and praise the light."

His eyes seemed to say, "Indeed, only you, a Devout follower of the ' Eternal Blazing Sun, ' understand me."

Hey, I'm mocking you, bro! Lumian's been getting a bit beaten by Valentine.

In the "Eternal Blazing Sun" Church, "brother" is a common term of address among fellow believers and book lovers. It is used by their two main internal organizations, the "Preaching Brotherhood" and the "Little Brotherhood".

"I'm not used to being woken up in the middle of the night," Lya added. "I'm on duty between midnight and two o'clock."

Aurora nodded:

"I like to sleep in, so I can be in charge from 2 to 4 pm. Um, don't call me for breakfast tomorrow, I'll probably get up around noon."

"The remaining time slot is mine." Ryan was quite satisfied to have taken on the worst time slot.

He went into the Study and found a chair to sit down.

Everyone chatted casually. Although Aurora rarely went out, she was knowledgeable about everything from astronomy to geography. She could easily recall the latest trends, gossip, and supernatural events in major cities like Trier and Backlund, which made Lya, Ryan, and the others secretly admire her.

"No wonder she's a famous author like Aurora Lee," Lya couldn't help but exclaim. "No wonder she can handle any subject matter."

Aurora asked curiously, "Have you read my novel?"

"I've been reading your first novel since I was a teenager back then," Lya replied Eyes a bright smile. "Oh, and could you sign it for me?"

As she rummaged through the Paper and Fountain Pen, the Silver Bells on her veil and boots jingled.

"Is it Sealed Artifact?" Aurora asked with a hint of curiosity, having already heard Lumian describe the behavior of Lya's four little bells.

Lya took out a stack of Note Paper and a Fountain Pen, and casually replied, "Yes, it can provide early warnings and enhance my Divination abilities. The downside is that it's quite noisy and not discreet enough. Also, it requires the wearer to be dressed fashionably, wearing a skirt, and looking good. Otherwise, it won't work and might even mislead you or cause you to encounter some Concealment, bad things."

"I couldn't immediately tell whether this bell originally belonged to Men or Lady," Aurora chuckled.

Lumian wholeheartedly agreed. If the bell originated from Women, it was a remnant of her instinct to be beautiful; if it Men, he was simply a lecherous scoundrel.

Lya smiled faintly:

"It involves classified files, I can't say any more."

She stood up and handed Aurora Note Paper and Fountain Pen.

As Aurora signed the books, she asked, "Which genre of novels do you prefer, mine or the books?"

"Relationships," Lya answered without hesitation, "Your first novel, * Eternal Love *, had a huge influence on me."

"This book is from too early. I was too young at the time, and my writing skills were not high enough. It was very immature, with many awkward plots and overly sentimental and unrealistic dialogues..." Aurora said modestly, somewhat embarrassed.

Lumian, as was his habit, added, "But its strength lies in its sincerity and novelty."

He had also read his Older Sister's novel, which told the story of a Couple's separation by death, and included elements of adventure, misunderstanding, and terminal illness. It was a groundbreaking work in the field of Intis novels at the time.

Of course, this also attracted criticism from many conservative writers and critics. The main drawbacks are what Aurora herself just mentioned. They even believe that this cannot be considered a literary work, but is simply a popular novel.

"Yes." Lya took back the paper and pen, looked at Aurora, and asked with a smile, "Great writer, is it possible that you could become Eighth Bureau Informant?"

Seeing Aurora's surprise, she continued, "We target Wild Beyonder mainly because they are uncontrollable and could easily Loss of Control or cause Calamity, or they use their Extraordinary Ability to do all sorts of bad things to satisfy their own desires."

"During my stay in the village these past few days, I have carefully observed you and your brother and confirmed that you are Beyonder are quite law-abiding. Furthermore, the intelligence we gathered before coming to Cordu also indicates that you have never openly done anything wrong."

"This meets our recruitment criteria, and once you become our informants, you won't need to worry about being targeted by Official Beyonder anymore."

Aurora's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Lumian and nodded gently, saying, "I'll consider it and give you an answer when the Loop ends."

Lumian, standing beside her, instantly understood the meaning behind her Older Sister's glance:

I have no problem, but won't you, with your heavily Corruption seal, fail the test?

After chatting for a while, the siblings said goodbye to Lya and the others and returned to Aurora's bedroom.

Aurora sat on the edge of the Bed, glanced at the door, and said in a low voice, "Lya has very high emotional intelligence."

"How so?" Lumian also felt that Lya had created a very harmonious atmosphere in the Study.

Aurora said with a smile, "She brought up my novel and asked me for an autograph in order to build a closer relationship. Building a closer relationship was a prelude to her subsequent recruitment efforts, which were intended to dispel any distrust or defensiveness we might have and allow for better cooperation in the coming days."

"The whole process was seamless, and it didn't make me feel any aversion or defensiveness. That's a sign of high emotional intelligence; you should learn from that!"

Lumian recalled the conversation and said with a self-deprecating laugh, "If it were me, I'd probably be kicked out of here by now."

Aurora chuckled, leaning slightly forward and backward, and said, "You're quite self-aware!"

She then rubbed her Golden hair and said, "I'll sleep for a while. My eyes aren't fully healed yet, so I need to rest more. Wake me up at 10 o'clock, and I'll keep an eye on things for you. It's better to be cautious since it's your first time on night duty."

Lumian had no objections and agreed without hesitation. Watching her Older Sister lie down on the bed without any hesitation, she pulled the blanket over herself and closed her eyes.

The room suddenly became unusually quiet.

Lumian quietly turned off the Radio Lamp and closed the curtains.

Then, he sat down in the chair near the Desk, quietly gazing at his Older Sister's unguarded sleeping face in the Crimson Moonlight that seeped in, and his heart gradually calmed down.