Lu Chen reached out and ruffled her soft silver hair, his eyes filled with fondness. "Wow! Na'er, you're way too cute when you smile! Smile more from now on, okay? Come on, come on, your big brother's taking you to the cafeteria for a feast!"
As he spoke, he gently took Na'er's little hand, his tone utterly serious. "From now on, I'll definitely cultivate hard, become a super-powerful soul master, and protect you for the rest of my life!"
They walked hand in hand toward the cafeteria. Na'er's little hand was soft and carried a faint milky scent. Lu Chen held it in his palm, afraid that walking too fast would make the little girl stumble.
As they passed the old locust tree in the courtyard, a few sparrows fluttered up from the branches. Na'er's eyes lit up, and she tugged and shook Lu Chen's sleeve. "Look, big brother! Birds!"
Lu Chen looked in the direction she pointed and nodded with a smile. "I see them! Next time, I'll make you a little slingshot. We won't shoot the birds, just tease them for fun."
Na'er tilted her little head and thought for a moment, then earnestly waved her hand. "No, no. The birds would get scared."
Amused by her sweet, adorable manner, Lu Chen reached out and gave her little nose a playful swipe. "Okay, okay, we'll listen to our Na'er. No teasing them."
The setting sun stretched their shadows long, their figures, one tall and one short, nestled close together. Even the evening breeze carried a trace of sweetness.
They had only just reached the cafeteria entrance when the aroma of food reached them.
Na'er's little tummy let out a growl. She covered her stomach in embarrassment, her cheeks flushed red.
Lu Chen bent down beside her ear and said with a soft laugh, "Come on, let's get two extra bowls of meat today. Then Na'er's little tummy won't keep rumbling!"
They found seats by a window. Lu Chen first stripped the meat from the ribs and carefully arranged it in Na'er's bowl, then reminded her, "Eat slowly. Don't choke."
Na'er obediently nodded and nibbled at the ribs in tiny bites, her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster's. She was unbearably cute.
As they were enjoying their meal, a sudden clang came from the next table. A young lad had failed to hold his tray steady, splashing broth across nearly half the table. A few drops had almost landed on Na'er's skirt.
The boy was also from the orphanage and was usually a little mischievous. Now, his face scarlet, he stood there at a loss. "S-sorry..."
Lu Chen had only just furrowed his brows when Na'er lifted her little face and said softly, "It's okay. Just be more careful next time."
The boy froze for a moment, then scratched his head and smiled. He ran out to fetch some tissues, came back, and took the initiative to wipe their table. "Thank you, little sister Na'er! I'll definitely be careful next time!"
Seeing Na'er's smiling face, the trace of displeasure in Lu Chen's heart instantly vanished like smoke and clouds. He could not resist ruffling her hair. "Our Na'er really is kindhearted."
The setting sun streamed through the window, gilding their figures in warm gold. Amid the cafeteria's bustle of everyday life lay the boy and girl's most peaceful moments.
Night lay deep, and the orphanage dormitory was silent. Lu Chen sat cross-legged on his hard plank bed, closed his eyes, and slowly entered a state of cultivation.
When his consciousness was drawn into the familiar Nibelungen space again, he spotted Fenrir at once.
The fellow was sprawled in a heap of potato chip bags, still clutching a half-finished bag in his claw and munching away with noisy relish.
Seeing Lu Chen enter, he gave an indistinct grunt. With a flick of his claw, a stone tablet covered in strange patterns flew toward Lu Chen.
Lu Chen reached out and caught it steadily. Lowering his head for a closer look, he found the dragon script carved into the tablet crooked and twisted, like a ghost's scrawl. It left his head spinning.
He could barely recognize a few of the most basic symbols. After puzzling over it for a long while, his heart suddenly gave a jolt.
Could this thing be one of the legendary Word Spirits?
And judging by its style, it was most likely from the King of Earth and Mountain's lineage.
At that thought, Lu Chen's heart pounded, and his eyes instantly shone with startling brightness.
If his guess was right, even without a single soul ring right now, he could still swagger around unchallenged and crush a whole bunch of so-called geniuses!
He could not help pondering another question: did using Word Spirits consume Soul Power?
If not... wouldn't he soar straight into the sky on the spot and become practically invincible?
A flame of excitement leaped up in his chest. Lu Chen hurriedly lowered his head and began studying the dragon script on the tablet.
Whenever he encountered something he could not understand, he went over to Fenrir and poked the foolish dragon's claw. "Fenrir, what does this word mean? And this one, how do you pronounce it?"
With a potato chip in his mouth, Fenrir tilted his head and stared for ages, his large eyes full of confusion. Even after all that time, he could not squeeze out a single word.
Seeing his blank expression, Lu Chen could not help letting out a long sigh and silently grumbling, Sigh, if only Xia Mi had come instead. At least she's reliable.
Unlike this fellow in front of me. Apart from holding out his claw for potato chips, he's practically useless. Even a single question makes him freeze up for ages. I probably have to reboot that dragon brain of his.
During the lunch break the next day, warm sunlight bathed the academy's back garden. The leaves gleamed in the sun, and the cicadas' cries overlapped, carrying a languid air.
Lu Chen found a secluded corner and stopped. He glanced around, made sure no one was paying attention to the spot, then drew a deep breath and softly chanted the Word Spirit he had just learned from the tablet the day before.
Earth Vein Resonance.
He did not dare cause too much of a disturbance. He only dared cautiously stir his power, letting his spiritual power slowly spread along the ground like a fine, dense spiderweb.
As for a death-defying maneuver like stirring the planet's core, he would not have dared touch it even with ten times the courage.
Before long, he could clearly feel the soil beneath his feet, the deeply buried roots, and even the faint tremors in the rock strata all flooding into his perception like a tide.
At the same time, however, he also noticed something was wrong.
His spiritual power was being consumed bit by bit along the pathways of his perception, even causing the blood and Qi within his body to surge slightly.
Fortunately, though, the Word Spirit's own consumption was unexpectedly slight.
Lu Chen rubbed his chin and smacked his lips thoughtfully.
It looked like Soul Power alone wouldn't be enough to use this Word Spirit smoothly. He had to hurry up and improve his spiritual power too.
As Lu Chen rubbed his chin, a thought suddenly popped into his head.
He did, after all, wield the authority of the King of Earth and Mountain's lineage. Could he recreate that Solid as a Rock skill from the game?
At that thought, he could barely contain his excitement.
After all, that skill had been practically god-tier in the game. Having it was like gaining an extra layer of copper walls and iron ramparts, filling his sense of security to the brim.
Back when he played the game, activating that skill always put him completely at ease. No matter how fierce the enemy's attacks were, he could tank them head-on.
With the authority over rock in his hands, it wasn't necessarily beyond him!
The more Lu Chen thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He figured he would have to corner Fenrir later and question him properly. Perhaps that foolish dragon had some little tricks for using Word Spirits hidden away.
Even taking ten thousand steps back, if he couldn't get any answers out of Fenrir, once the tablet unlocked in the future, he could probably summon Jormungandr over!
Her brain was far more reliable than Fenrir's. She could definitely help.