Increasing the Soothing Slots

"Sys... bro, can we take a break? I really can't keep grinding!" Yuqing gripped the treadmill's handrails, gasping for breath. The wisps of hair at her temples were damp with sweat and clung to her smooth forehead, and her cheeks were lightly flushed from exercise.

The system had dragged her out of bed at daybreak that morning. She had done forty minutes of strength training, then immediately run at a steady pace on the treadmill for a full hour. Her calves were trembling.

Even more cruelly, the laws and regulations of the Interstellar Federation and the sentinel and guide rights regulations had played on a loop in her ears throughout the run. Listening to them had nearly turned her brain to mush.

[Your basic physical fitness compliance rate is up 0.3% from yesterday, and your accuracy at recalling general knowledge is 87%. Not bad.] The system's electronic voice was flat as it leisurely closed a virtual book, its tone carrying a hint of satisfaction with the results: [Hmm, it's almost ten. Just in time for work.]

"You can't work people this hard!" Yuqing wailed. She grabbed the towel hanging nearby and wiped away her sweat, then shuffled toward the door in her soft-soled shoes. She had thought she could head straight to the cafeteria when she opened the door, but the moment she pulled it open, several gazes in the hallway snapped toward her at once, startling her into shrinking back.

"Miss Guide." There were more guards outside the door than before, and they were all unfamiliar faces she had never seen.

"Ers..." Yuqing instinctively ducked behind him. "Who are they? What happened to the people who were here before?"

Ers lowered his gaze, his fingertips curling slightly. There was a barely perceptible note of disappointment in his voice. "They're sentinels assigned to a rotation by the military district. The marshal approved it. Team Three has regular patrols and military duties to handle, so they can't stand guard here around the clock. Starting today, the elite members of each team will take turns on guard duty, ensuring that a high-ranking sentinel is always on duty by your side."

However disappointed he was, he had to admit that the marshal's decision was correct. The fact that Liechuan had been able to slip quietly up to the window last night showed that relying on Team Three alone left gaps in her protection, and its members' combat strength was uneven.

As a military district admiral, he had a multitude of military duties on his hands. No matter how hard he pushed himself to stay up at night, he couldn't remain by her side every moment. A-Qing was highly capable; even at the Central White Tower, she would rank among the top ten percent. A treasure like her had to have a high-ranking sentinel protecting her at all times, even within the military district.

"I see." It was true that everyone had their own teams and things to do. They couldn't all revolve around her, so a change of guards was normal. Yuqing stepped out from behind Ers and greeted the unfamiliar sentinels. "Hello."

The leader's gaze paused for a moment before he quickly lowered his eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his voice was steadier than before, though it carried a barely perceptible tension. "Good day, Miss Guide. Guarding you is our duty. It's no trouble."

The sentinels behind him hurriedly nodded and bowed as well. None of them dared stare at the guide, but that brief glance had been enough to make their faces burn.

In the treatment room, sheer curtains were drawn, and warm yellow light fell across the pale examination bed. A faint fragrance lingered in the air, the scent of Yuqing's overflowing spiritual power.

Yuqing sat in the padded chair beside the bed, resting her fingertips lightly against the sentinel's neck. Pale white spiritual power flowed gently from her fingertips into his Spiritual Sea like a stream of warm water.

Unlike her tentative attempts of the previous few days, she now controlled her spiritual power far more precisely. Rather than spreading it over a wide area, she slowly sent it through the gaps in the spiritual barrier, wrapping it around the accumulated gray-black toxins and softening and stripping them away bit by bit.

The sentinel sitting across from her had initially held his jaw tight, his shoulders and back taut as a drawn bow, with faint veins standing out at his temples. As the spiritual power flowed in, his deeply furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and his tense shoulders slowly sagged. The red veins in his eyes faded at a visible rate, and even his breathing became much steadier.

"All done." After about ten minutes, Yuqing withdrew her hand, and the faint light at her fingertips slowly faded. "Don't stay up through the night on duty several nights in a row lately. The toxins have settled a little deep, so take the A09 medication orally when you get back, one tablet in the morning and one at night. You can come back for another clearing next week."

"Thank you, Miss Guide!" The sentinel sprang to his feet, his face red and undisguised relief in his voice. After hurriedly thanking her, he reluctantly walked out.

One, two, three... After completing five scheduled soothing sessions in a row, Yuqing picked up her cup and drank some warm water. She still looked relaxed. She closed her eyes and sensed her Spiritual Sea. It was clear and vast, with none of the exhausted, empty feeling she had experienced after finishing in the previous few days. Instead, it felt as though she had used only half her strength.

"Sys bro, I really do seem to have gotten a tiny bit stronger..." The corners of Yuqing's mouth rose. Why did she feel kind of impressive?

[Keep up the good work, host,] 01010 encouraged her.

"I think I can soothe more sentinels within my capabilities." Yuqing walked over to the window. One look at the vast Ninth Military District was enough to tell her that there were many sentinels here. Five soothing slots a day were a drop in the bucket for the military district.

The Ninth Military District had given her a place to stay, and the people here were all very kind. She wanted to do as much as she could.

[Host, then let's increase the number of soothing slots. Although these sentinels can't increase your spiritual power, they can at least help you practice your skills,] 01010 added:

[Host, if you really want the Ninth Military District to escape the shadow of death hanging over it, you'll have to work even harder to strengthen yourself. Once you reach lv1, you can unlock Group Soothing. When that happens, you can greatly reduce the death rate caused by toxins spreading through sentinels after battle.]

"Group Soothing?"

Yuqing wasn't familiar with the term, but it wasn't entirely new to her either. The interstellar general knowledge the system recited every day had mentioned that guides were very powerful in the beginning. They often served as commanders of military units and had made indelible contributions during the tens of millions of years of humanity's migration into the universe.

In that era, a single guide could soothe an entire squad of sentinels at once.

Not only that, but they could also use their powerful spiritual power to forcibly invade sentinels' minds during battle, using it both to attack enemy sentinels and to soothe their own side's sentinels at the same time.

So, going back a few light-years, seventy percent of marshals were guides.

[That's right. At lv2, host, you can try using spiritual power to attack or control sentinels.] Just imagining the scene thrilled 01010. [But the gap between each level is like an uncrossable chasm. Leveling up isn't that easy. You're still lv0, host, so you should prepare to endure some hardship.]

Yuqing picked up the personal terminal beside her and tapped the light screen a few times. She found Huosuosi's contact number and carefully composed a message:

"Hello, Marshal. This is Yuqing. After completing five routine spiritual clearing sessions today, I still have ample spiritual power remaining, and my control over clearing techniques has become considerably more proficient than before. I would like to request an increase in the daily soothing appointment slots from five to fifteen. I'll adjust flexibly according to my condition and won't push myself. Sorry for the trouble."

Less than half a minute after she sent the message, the terminal chimed.

Huosuosi's reply was concise but carried his usual prudence. "Approved. Make sure to balance work and rest. Stop immediately if you feel tired. I'll have the military affairs office adjust the appointment system and issue an announcement. The additional slots will open for booking this afternoon."