High Above

In scorching July, on a hot summer night, a crescent moon hangs high, but there are not many stars in the sky.

Most of the originally bright galaxy is now missing, as if the vast sea of ​​stars is covered by a layer of dark mist.

But a scorching wind came swiftly from the deserts of the Firelands, igniting this starless night.

Because there is no starlight, the moonlight is brighter than ever, just like another sun.

Under the moonlight, the man surrounded by the golden mist was tall and tall, with long gray-white hair. He was about forty or fifty years old, maybe even a little older.

His cheeks were thin, his eye sockets were deep, and his old face was tired. It seemed that because he had been wandering for too long, his bones had been soaked in wind and frost.

But even so, he was as indestructible as a tower when he stood.

Ian saw that the other party just gently stretched out a hand and pressed it on the head of the still struggling aborigine hunter. As soon as it was twisted, the hunter who was still howling and screaming suddenly fell silent.

The man who easily killed one person turned his head to look at Ossina's body, and then turned his head to look at the white-haired boy.

He is watching.

At the same time, Ian was also observing the other party's clothes.

A half-handed sword hangs from the man's waist. The blade is more than one meter long and has no edge. It is not so much a sword as a ruler, and the hilt has traces of deliberate wear and tear, which seems to be an inscription of a noble family.

And he was wearing a navy blue cloak, which was tightly wrapped from head to toe, obviously for night travel, not a wandering knight or a forest hunter.

The two looking at each other looked at each other.

"Ahem..."

——This is the real body of the golden mist?

With a light cough, Ian will see the golden mist and realize 'this is my adventure? ’ Condensed in the joy, he was surprised: "I didn't expect it to be a living person..."

"But it might be better that way."

He collected himself and clenched the pitchfork in his hand. This series of actions was regarded by the knight as the surprise of meeting him suddenly.

"Take it easy, kid."

So the man put his hands behind his back and took a step back, signaling that he was not malicious.

At this moment, for the first time, instead of following behind the other party, he was face to face with Ian, carefully looking at this boy who repeatedly surprised him.

Surprisingly unexpected.

Not to mention other aspects, this time the unexpected is very simple - the child in front of him is also very good-looking.

"...There is such a beautiful child? It's just like the fairy in the lake in the legend."

Slightly amazed, in the eyes of the old knight, Ian's appearance is good-looking, although he is still a child, he can already see the integrity of the future, it is very different from those noble children in the imperial capital with their faces and body with baby fat, but the immigrants from the south The district has insufficient resources, and the children living here will indeed be thinner and weaker.

Of course, in terms of skin color, conversation, and behavior, Ian is not like a child from an ordinary fisherman and farmer's family.

Thinking about it carefully, the Bai Zhimin in Port Harrison do seem to have some impressions, are they the one that was exiled decades ago...

Withdrawing his thoughts, the man withdrew his gaze. This clean and simple child looked at him. Except for being a little surprised and nervous at first, most of the time his eyes were calm and his reactions were very orderly. He never put down his weapons and relaxed his guard from beginning to end.

More than that.

The old knight could also notice that this was an unusual boy from the people of Bai, who didn't even breathe irregularly.

While he was looking at the other person, the boy was also staring at himself, scanning up and down, regardless of the tears on his clothes, the old bloodstains that couldn't be washed off, or the scars on his face and back of his hands, he was carefully observing and analyzing them.

If I have to say it, it's like those grand masters of the Alchemist Academy, when they consider the price of their own experimental materials, the eyes and expressions that are philistine but out of the world.

--very good.

The old knight couldn't help laughing.

—— Quick and clear thinking, full of logic and planning, and based on the decisiveness and calmness of the aborigine hunter's stealth and counterattack just now, all qualities are top choices.

So, the man nodded and said, "Well done, whether it's the counterattack against the abusers at the beginning, or the selection of the area where the corpses are disposed of, the attack by Lin Bao and the natives is also impeccable."

He praised: "It's really well done."

"He knew from the beginning?"

Surprised, Ian recalled the golden flash he vaguely saw when he opened the window to observe the street before.

He couldn't help but understand in his heart: "So that's it, that's it... Has he started to observe since then?"

But if so, why didn't I see that golden light when I chose the West Riverside and the official road?

"It should be that there are 'dangers' that I don't know about in those two directions, which are enough to hold back this kind old man and make the other party unable to take care of me—or in other words, the danger over there is not so dangerous that it is almost certain to die, It is because the other party has already helped me to block part of the disaster."

Ian didn't think much about it. These are the minutiae, the most important thing is the flashing colors of the old knight.

Gold, an opportunity of this level must be seized, and the other party has goodwill towards him and will help him.

For that alone, he should be thankful.

So, in the subtle silence between the two of them looking at each other, Ian took the initiative to say, "Thank you for your compliment."

"Sir, you can call me Ian."

The boy, who was at most eight or nine years old, nodded slightly. His voice was immature and clear, and he seemed very serious: "Thank you for your help before, may I ask your name?"

"name?"

The old knight raised his brows, but he didn't realize that the other party was actually asking for his name.

Is now the time to ask this? He shook his head slightly, and said with some amusement: "This is not the time to ask the name, don't you know?"

"Of course I know." Ian also smiled: "But without your help, sir, I'm afraid I will be injured."

"I was cut on my right arm by an indigenous hunter's knife. How should I explain to the doctor? It's so hot in July, and my wound is likely to be inflamed and festered. Will I survive under such weather and medical conditions? It's all unknown. .”

"I want to thank you, so I need your name."

"You are no ordinary child."

Squinting his eyes, the old knight said firmly, "Your psychic powers should be reading minds, or sensing emotions, and predicting danger—you knew from the beginning that I had no malicious intentions, that's why you're so bold. No wonder you can discover that hidden A native hunter with decent skills."

"However, don't trust your psychic power too much."

At this moment, the man smiled, but soon his expression became indifferent and cold. The old knight took a step forward, as if he was about to reach out and grab Ian's neck: "I didn't have any malice before, but it doesn't mean I don't now."