Do I know this guy with brown hair and a big beard?
And he's a knight of the Eternal Domain —how many knights does he actually know?
Gray pondered for a moment, and although he knew it was completely impossible, his brain couldn't wait to control his vocal cords and utter the name hidden in his heart:
" Xilǐ'er!"
" Xilǐ'er."
Two voices, one high and one low, rang out simultaneously. The first was accompanied by Gray's surprised expression, while the second was Antasia's hint.
"It hasn't been that long? I knew you wouldn't forget, hahahahahaha!"
Xilǐ'er's hearty laughter rang out as he put his javelin back into his leather weapon scabbard and hung his lance and helmet on the side of his horse.
He casually tucked the knight's sword, which was strapped to his horse's back, into his waistband, then dismounted and strode forward.
"It's been so long since we parted ways at the Second Holy See, I never expected to meet you here, my friend!"
Gray looked down at the knight with his curly hair fluttering in the wind, his doubts churning like giant waves on the Floating Corpse Sea.
Having confirmed the other party's identity, the doubts didn't lessen; instead, they increased.
A cavalryman rode up to Xilǐ'er's side, bent down and said a few words, but only received a somewhat impatient wave from the winged knight.
The cavalryman immediately straightened up, turned his horse back to the ranks, and continued advancing with the infantry along with the other cavalrymen.
Xilǐ'er, meanwhile, pulled on the reins, slowly approaching the now completely stopped Antasia.
"Won't you catch up, my friend?"
Xilǐ'er's smile carried a lingering chill of conquest, causing Gray's facial expression to stiffen.
Just then, a head suddenly popped out from beside Gray:
"So you're Knight Xilǐ'er?"
She flicked Gray's cheek and teased him:
"He's got a big beard too."
Nora, looking on with surprise, glanced at the brown-haired middle-aged knight below the fortress and patted Gray on the shoulder:
"Didn't you tell me this was your friend? Why don't you come in and rest for a bit?"
"Yes... yes, that's right, that's right."
Gray's stiff expression eased slightly, and he casually pulled down a lever, saying in a low voice:
"Open the side door of the warehouse."
" Gray..."
This time, the alert was issued by Antasia.
"Open the side door of the warehouse, everything's fine."
He repeated it in a low voice, and only then did the sound of the machine running begin.
Xilǐ'er, looking at the unfamiliar faces appearing on the upper levels of the fortress, asked with some confusion:
Who is this?
"She is my wife."
"I see. Nice to meet you. I am Xilǐ'er, Knight of Conquest of the Eternal Domain."
Xilǐ'er was unconcerned, and as if he had seen this scene many times before, he performed a standard royal noble salute, and then tethered his mount Radish, to the side of the fortress.
The retractable steps slowly extended in front of him, and Xilǐ'er stepped onto them into the slightly dimly lit, empty warehouse.
At the same time, Gray descended the steps leading to the upper level, a smile on his face. He carried a small oak barrel in one hand and held his warhammer in the other, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, as if it were merely a cane.
When the light was dim, the Psionic Energy Circuit all over the Winged Knight's body became even more obvious. Gray was almost blinded by the pure-colored wings, and he endured the discomfort before walking down the stairs.
Unfolding the folding table and chairs, Gray leaned the warhammer against the side of the table, placed the oak barrel on the table, and then went to find two cups to place in front of himself and Xilǐ'er.
"Long time no see. This is a specialty of the Second Holy See. Want some?"
"Give me some."
Xilǐ'er seemed unfazed, watching Gray fill two glasses with wine, completely unaware that the merchant was staring at his face the whole time.
Taking the glass, Xilǐ'er seemed to realize something and casually asked:
Why didn't your wife come down with you?
you guess!
Gray muttered something to himself, but his smile remained unchanged on his face:
"The fortress encountered a minor problem while driving and needed to be inspected after it stopped. She went to take care of that."
"I see."
Upon hearing this, Xilǐ'er stopped thinking about it, and the two clinked glasses and drank together.
Meanwhile, on the second level of the fortress.
Nora leaned silently against a small door, her fingers already unlatching the bolt of the small dark room behind her.
Although Gray never said it explicitly, it wouldn't be difficult for the couple to convey such a subtle hint.
If a problem occurs below, the Pokémon Bennett will be immediately released and unleash its strongest attack.
Although it's probably not very useful anyway.
That gleaming knight was clearly no ordinary person.
If he really wanted to take action, let alone the couple and their Pokémon, even if you included the Antasia had only recently become sentient, they probably wouldn't be able to do anything to him.
However, it was precisely because of this thought that Gray made up his mind to meet the knight.
Given the current situation, wouldn't it be suicidal to continue giving Xilǐ'er the cold shoulder?
Even if that rigid knight isn't necessarily so vengeful, no one dares to gamble on such a thing. It's better to have a good drink and see if we can get any information out of him.
Separated by just one floor, the upper floor was utterly quiet, while the lower floor was bustling with activity far exceeding what the two people were experiencing.
Seeing Xilǐ'er drink three glasses of wine in the blink of an eye, Gray's face flushed slightly, and he seemed less reserved.
Although most of it was acting, it didn't stop Gray from starting to probe further.
He raised his glass and asked:
"Brother, don't you feel like you're different now compared to when you were in the Second Holy See?"
Xilǐ'er raised his glass and clinked it against his:
"Is there?"
He glanced at the wings behind him, which could only be described as dazzling:
"Of course there is. I did some small favors for His Majesties, and the changes to this armor are a blessing."
"So it was a gift from the Twin Kings, no wonder..."
Gray looked on with envy and continued to probe:
"It would be great if we had a chance to have a drink when we were at the Second Holy See."
After saying that, he looked at Xilǐ'er's face, which was also slightly flushed.
"Who says otherwise? It's just a pity we weren't that close back then."
Xilǐ'er downed another glass. What he said was true. Although the two had been colleagues for a time, they didn't see each other often when they were at the Second Holy See.
It all started when Gray returned to the Graycast Corridor and brought Xilǐ'er along. The two of them, along with three other players, spent a period of time together and got to know each other quite well.
Seeing that the other person didn't seem to notice anything wrong, Gray felt like he was about to slap the words "How did you get so fat?" right in their face.
The last time I saw Xilǐ'er, he was still wearing armor. How come he was drinking? Was he pouring it in through the observation window?
That's exactly what he wanted to ask, but Xilǐ'er kept avoiding the topic, whether intentionally or unintentionally.