The New Guide

After she reached level six, the energy in the Insect Jade had not been completely depleted, and she could still absorb it. But Luo Ruzhuo could feel that this power could no longer help her improve; it could only replenish what she had used up.

If she wanted to advance further, she would have to find a new energy source.

But that was still a long way off for her. In the apocalypse, she had been stuck at level five in her mental ability for so many years that she was used to waiting for an opportunity. She had plenty of patience.

Rather than overtax her body to have Guide Element extracted, Luo Ruzhuo would rather enter Xianzhu's Mental Domain again.

Xianzhu was silent for a long time, until the only sound left in the air was the turning blades of the purification room's air exchanger. At last, he spoke, his voice dropping. "Then what does Miss Luo want?"

Luo Ruzhuo answered without hesitation, the words tumbling out.

"What I want, I'll get for myself. Not by having Guide Element extracted once every half month."

She raised her eyes, her gaze calm and sharp, like a blade still in its sheath.

"You know perfectly well that it's harmful to guides... don't you?"

Her tone could even be called gentle, but it silenced the great dragon completely.

Indeed, Xianzhu admitted it.

He really was restoring himself at the cost of overtaxing the girl before him-because he had been backed into a corner.

Before this bout of mental contamination, Xianzhu had scarcely ever experienced what it was truly like when his contamination level flared up. A Dark Sentinel's mental barrier was strong enough to block eighty percent of the damage. But the small amount of contamination blocked outside the barrier had seeped in over the years, leaving a hidden danger long ago.

This contaminated Mental Domain was merely the spark that ignited the affliction buried in his Mental Domain for years, driving him into a dead end.

And Luo Ruzhuo was his only chance.

"I'm sorry." The dragon lowered his enormous head, the horn on his forehead pointing toward Luo Ruzhuo. "I shouldn't have tried to bargain with you like that."

His voice grew solemn. "If you're unwilling, then let's pretend I never said it."

Since the girl before him was his only hope, and she was willing to take on this assignment, he shouldn't push his luck.

Luo Ruzhuo snorted inwardly.

She knew this attitude all too well. Some people had held high positions for so long that they came to believe the world revolved around them. Even when they needed a favor, they still looked down from above, trying to retain a sense of control in the exchange.

She had gone through that stage herself. But she had soon fallen from her lofty position, and had learned to keep a low profile ever since.

The dragon before her was clearly the same. Fortunately, he was smart enough and knew when to adapt.

"Don't worry, I'll help purify you." Luo Ruzhuo looked away, her tone flat. "But I'll do it my way."

"I already promised Vice-Captain Lin that I'd provide you with Guide Element regularly during the assignment. Nothing more."

She had originally planned to explore Xianzhu's Mental Domain again today, but seeing that the dragon could still maintain his senses, she figured things weren't too bad. She could slack off for a few more days; there was no rush for now.

The conversation ended. The purification room fell quiet again.

As usual, Luo Ruzhuo reclined against the sofa, watching a show. A floating screen projected by her optical computer flickered before her eyes. Her hand wasn't idle either; she held a dumbbell, unhurriedly doing small-range exercises. Her joints clicked faintly as she turned her wrist, her movements smooth and focused.

The difference was-

Before, the dragon had always lain beside the glass, his two big eyes like light bulbs rolling around as he watched her. He looked stupid, but somehow cute.

Now, the dragon, his senses restored, lay quietly at a distance neither too close nor too far from her. His enormous body was drawn in, his scales tightly closed and his eyes shut, like a silent, dark mountain range.

Neither of them spoke.

The air was much more stagnant than before, as though a thin, invisible layer of ice lay between them.

Luo Ruzhuo paid it no mind. When it was time, she got up right on schedule and clocked out as usual on her optical computer. The moment her finger pressed the interface, her wristband vibrated.

It was Lin Sheng.

Lin Sheng: A new double-S-rank guide is arriving tonight. The Guide Association pushed her on us, and we couldn't refuse.

Lin Sheng: She also specified that you purify the captain together with her.

After a pause, another message popped up.

Lin Sheng: Rest assured, just in case, we'll stagger your purification sessions and try to avoid direct contact with her. If anything unexpected happens, press the emergency button in the room, and we'll be there within thirty seconds.

Luo Ruzhuo's expression remained unchanged as she read the messages. She was about to put away her wristband when her optical computer vibrated softly again.

A name that had been lying dormant on her contacts list for a long time had lit up.

Fenrir Talo (damn wolf): They let Zhu Rongtian out.

Luo Ruzhuo waited a moment, but he sent nothing more. The chat window remained still, with only that abrupt message hanging on the screen.

She frowned slightly and quickly typed a few words on her optical computer, then sent them.

Luo Ruzhuo: Who's Zhu Rongtian?

Luo Ruzhuo had no recollection of the name, but it looked very familiar.

The reply came almost instantly.

Fenrir Talo (damn wolf): My regular partner... It's been almost a month since you disappeared after going to those birds' base. Is that all you have to say to me?

Luo Ruzhuo: ? Weren't you the one who brought it up?

The cursor on the screen blinked twice, and a final message popped up, its wording clearly emotional.

Fenrir Talo (damn wolf): I haven't seen you in ages. Video call me tonight, and then I'll tell you who she is.

Luo Ruzhuo: ...

Luo Ruzhuo expressionlessly switched off her optical computer and left the purification room.

Evening came a little later on Planet b-475 than on Seona. The setting sun dyed the clouds on the horizon orange-red, and the water beneath the bridge at the center of the lake reflected the last rays of light on the snowcapped mountains.

She followed the plant-lined path back to her quarters. Just as she rounded the last bend, the roar of an aircraft engine came from overhead.

She sent her mental power after it and found a small aircraft coming in to land. It looked much like the one Liu Sui and Liu Qing had given her, and it bore no markings.

The landing platform staff jogged over to guide it in. The hatch opened, and two sentinel guards in black uniforms came down first, Guide Association badges pinned to their chests.

The two stood at the front and raised their hands to help the last figure down.

It was a girl in a white dress.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with long black hair falling down her back and regular, even delicate features. But her face held no expression. Her eyes were pitch-black, like two beads nailed into their sockets.

She descended the boarding stairs without accepting anyone's help, her pace even, each step covering almost the same distance, as though measured with precision before she took it.

Is this the newly dispatched guide Lin Sheng mentioned?

Luo Ruzhuo frowned.

There was something strange about this person... about the overall impression she gave her.

She was like a lifeless doll, with an eerie air about her.

Luo Ruzhuo didn't know whether the girl had noticed anything.

The guards led the way, with the girl following behind. The hem of her white dress suddenly stopped, and she abruptly glanced up, but above her was an endless sky.

The last rays of the sun fell on the puzzled faces of the sentinels.

Only Luo Ruzhuo knew why she had stopped.

She hastily withdrew her mental power, secretly startled. This person's mental perception is so sharp!

Afraid the other woman might notice something amiss, Luo Ruzhuo didn't linger downstairs. She hurried back to her dormitory and locked the door behind her.

She had just placed a video call on her optical computer when it was answered after a single ring.