A Romantic Showdown

The moment Fenrir Talo appeared, his face and double-S rank made him seem almost impossible to fault. All the sentinels standing there immediately felt threatened.

The threat himself seemed entirely unaware. He strolled over to Luo Ruzhuo, took the imperial-green badge from his collar, and pinned it to her hoodie under the girl's threatening gaze.

"Relax." Under that death glare, Fenrir Talo had no intention of making a poor second impression on the guide. His gaze passed over the open collar of her hoodie and locked precisely onto the badge, without straying in the slightest. "Your Mental Entity just hatched. How could rubbish like growth fluid provide enough nourishment?"

The moment he opened his mouth, he dismissed the Federation's carefully formulated Mental Entity growth fluid as utterly worthless.

The sheer wealth dripping from his words left Luo Ruzhuo speechless.

"This is Insect Jade I found in the Gamma Galaxy." His tone was cheerful, and he said nothing about how he had obtained it. "Wear it close to your body, and it will nourish your Mental Entity."

At that, the expressions of the surrounding sentinels all changed.

Insect Jade. Luo Ruzhuo's thoughts stirred. She had come across the term during her extensive surfing on the star network. Supposedly, it was a treasure that could only possibly form in the innermost core of a source of contamination. It was priceless, able to strengthen Mental Entities and reduce contamination. A small piece alone was worth a starship.

She hefted the badge pinned to her clothes. It was heavy, a visibly enormous piece.

She had never believed in windfalls, nor did she like beating around the bush.

She wanted it. But-

"What do I need to give in return?" Luo Ruzhuo asked.

Her gaze was intent and clear as she looked at him, neither humble nor overbearing, just as she had been in the gravity chamber.

The air seemed to still for a moment. Light fell across her shoulders in the restaurant, and it was quiet enough to hear the clink and scrape of other diners' cutlery.

At that moment, Fenrir Talo suddenly lost himself in thought.

It's this attraction... he thought involuntarily. The guide before him was clearly not highly ranked in the Black Tower's records, and her Mental Entity was so weak. Yet from the very first moment he had seen her, he had been drawn to her every second—her scent attracted him, her voice attracted him, and her bearing and personality all fascinated him.

Compatibility rating. The concept abruptly surfaced in his mind.

He thought they must be highly compatible.

"I want one purification..." The sentinel's throat tightened, his voice so hoarse it sounded as though it had been forced from a cracked, parched throat. Luo Ruzhuo frowned, seemingly unconvinced that was all he wanted. Sure enough, his next words were like a drop of water falling into boiling oil. "And to be your permanent sentinel partner."

The silence in the air was suddenly broken.

Lin Sheng clenched his fists, and the Desert Team members all frowned deeply. Even Anna looked somewhat surprised. But none of them said a word, because none of them was Luo Ruzhuo, and no one could answer in her place.

Luo Ruzhuo tilted her head slightly and looked at his face. The sentinel simply smiled. The madness in his eyes held a restrained intensity, like embers smoldering beneath ash.

She was a little puzzled. A permanent sentinel is a permanent sentinel. Why add the word "partner"?

It makes it sound strange.

She had known from the start that a C-rank guide could only have two permanent sentinels.

Though Miss Weina had worn a peculiar smile when she first explained the concept, Luo Ruzhuo understood a permanent sentinel to be the equivalent of a regular long-term patient—the kind she would be responsible for throughout their life.

The star network had said much the same, with the additional explanation that as the number of purifications increased, permanent sentinels and guides would grow dependent on each other. Superficial purification would no longer meet the sentinel's needs, and deeper purification would become necessary.

But as for exactly how those deeper purifications were performed, she had been unable to find anything else on the star network. Miss Weina had not mentioned it either.

With so many people present, Luo Ruzhuo was even less likely to ask Anna. Though she did not know, she instinctively felt it would be a rather private subject.

Forget it. There haven't been many purifications yet anyway. I'll ask about it later.

For now, raising her ability level was the most important thing. Ever since her Mental Entity had hatched, it had shown no change despite her drinking growth fluid every day, and it remained a point of light.

Luo Ruzhuo had been stuck at level five as a psychic ability user for a long time. She had a faint sense that when her Mental Entity finished growing, she would make a breakthrough.

So Luo Ruzhuo really did need this Insect Jade right now.

A patient for life?

Luo Ruzhuo glanced at Fenrir Talo's face and nodded, speaking as calmly as if she were discussing the dishes on the table.

"All right."

In an instant, every sentinel present except Fenrir Talo felt an indescribable sense of loss.

Lin Sheng finally unclenched his fists. He lowered his eyes, trying to hide the bitterness at the corners of his mouth, but ultimately fell apart and hurriedly found an excuse to leave.

Among the Desert Team members, Chiya remained calm and composed. Heisha stood frozen in place, though he had not entirely given up hope. Only Luo Xi's eyes filled with tears, which were on the verge of falling. In the end, he raised his head and blinked, struggling to swallow the ache inside him. "Sister Luo, you... can come find me whenever you want to try that shop. I, I have something else to do." With that, the young man disappeared into the crowd as well.

Shuangya and Changgeng scratched their heads at the back, having had no idea what was happening the whole time.

After Luo Xi left, the Desert Team members worried that he might do something foolish and soon took their leave as well. In the end, only Fenrir Talo and his wolves remained.

Without the stink of those low-ranking sentinels, the air was finally fresh. Fenrir Talo stepped forward and leaned close to Luo Ruzhuo. At last, he could openly breathe in the scent that lifted his spirits, and the satisfaction in his heart was beyond words.

Then the guide ruthlessly pushed him away with both hands. Luo Ruzhuo frowned, unsure what had gotten into him again. For the sake of her long-term patient, she held back from losing her temper. "You should leave too."

Right, she had not forgotten the purification she had promised him. Luo Ruzhuo tapped the table. "Remember to book an appointment with me at the Black Tower."

If he waited too long, there was no telling when his turn would come.

Having finally seen a crowd of people off, Luo Ruzhuo could hardly describe today's farce to Anna.

Those sentinels had ruined what should have been a lovely time for the two of them!

She gathered her thoughts and was just about to explain to Anna when she saw the worried look the other woman gave her.

"If I'm not mistaken," Anna said, unable to hold back, "that sentinel just now was the leader of the Wolf Pack Team, wasn't he?"

Luo Ruzhuo nodded. "What's wrong?"

"I've only seen him in the news, but this lord's kind... well, they really are very brawny." Anna opened her mouth and hesitated several times before finally saying it. "With you and them, can you... handle them on your own?"

Luo Ruzhuo thought, It's just purification, so why does she make it sound so suggestive?