"What did you say?" Douglas glared at Ratton like a roaring tiger, "Nolan, what does he want to do?!"

"The principal didn't tell me, just asked me to report the news to you. Ratton's head tilted to one side, he didn't dare look Douglas in the eye, "The headmaster added, and if he didn't return with the mission, he hoped that the news would be buried forever under the ice fields of the Brussels. ”

"Bastard!" Douglas was stunned, "You tell him that Lao Tzu was originally the vice principal of the school, and it was because of his face that he agreed to the temporary management of the academy by those officials, and now he wants to push all this mess to me, no way!"

"But—" Raton was about to say something.

"But, you're endless, I'm throwing you downstairs!" Douglas turned pale, "Nolan's secret is for him to keep by himself, and I don't have time to deal with the between the academy and the royal family." ”

The two corners of Douglas's leather coat collided in the sea breeze blowing from the side, like two hunting black flags on a battlefield filled with gunpowder.

"You tell him, don't always think about being a lonely hero, I've experienced a lot of things like that. Douglas turned his back to the bald Ratton, "There are still people waiting for him in the school, don't let them down!" If he dares not to come back, Lao Tzu will find him out even if he digs up the entire dragon snow mountain!"

"Vice Principal, if you don't agree, how should I reply to Principal Nolan?" Seeing Douglas put his hands in the pockets of his trench coat, as if he was about to leave, Ratton, who was at a loss, hurriedly asked.

"You feel free. Douglas threw away the cigarette butt that was about to burn out in his hand, and the dark shadow fell on the hard lime ground, sparks splashed everywhere, "And, from now on, you remember, Lao Tzu is just Douglas, not some vice principal." ”

Watching the teacher who had taught him martial arts skills walk away without looking back, Raton was a little stunned.

He put on his night-walking gear again, and jumped cleanly from the roof of a ten-story administrative building, the sound of the tightrope sliding down was fleeting, and Raton once again melted into the thick darkness of the distant night.

The soft light of the early morning softly smeared on the floral curtains of a ward in the school hospital, the hyacinths in the flowerpots on the windowsill finally opened the petals that had been stingy all winter, the pale pink flowers warmly embraced the warm sun, and the elegant room was full of fragrance.

Some people say that people who are prone to insomnia are children of the night, their eyes are deep or shallow fog under the bright moon, and their hearts are like stars flickering above the clouds.

Last night, Al had been sleeping almost all night in his hospital bed, until the eastern sky was slightly white, and the ocean-going ship from the harbor of Truf had left the ferry, and Al finally couldn't hold back the surging fatigue and fell into a deep sleep.

He had a bizarre but surprisingly real dream.

In the dead of night, Snow controlled two elk to carry him on the stone path of the Imperial Military Academy, and the shadows of buildings and trees outside the window crashed into his heart one by one. There are no words along the way, and the past is slowly unfolding in Al's memories like a picture scroll, he knows that the choice of fate is in his own hands, but he always vacillates between escaping and confronting.

Back at the hospital, most of the lights in the windows had been extinguished, and Al lit an old-fashioned kerosene lamp, and by the dim light, he opened the letter that Uncle Paul had given him.

"Dear El, when you open the envelope, you already know that I wrote this letter to you. ”

When Al saw the first line of text, she already understood that there was any so-called "Mr. Newraif", and that it was just a lie that Uncle Paul told him.

Al didn't have time to think about it, he settled down and continued reading.

"Al, forgive Uncle for saying goodbye to you in this way. Nack Town is not your home, your destiny lies far away under the vast sky. Since you're gone, don't come back easily, a man should have his own ambition and backbone, this is what I often tell you, although I know that every time you don't listen. I'll keep the hammer for you, and come back and look at it when you're confused. If one day you will never find a man named 'Paul Jones' again, then I will always live in your heart and silently bless you. - Love your Uncle Paul. ”

Al read the yellowed letter in his hand over and over again, and the crooked writing didn't know how long Uncle Paul had been secretly practicing before writing it.

The lights flickered in the dimly lit room, and only the sound of El's rapid breathing could be heard, like a bellows pulling rapidly.

Suddenly, the dream shattered like glass, and Al awoke like an electric shock, exhaling the cloudy air in his lungs. His forehead was covered with sweat drops the size of beans, and his cheeks were stained with tears.

Yes, what happened just now is a dream, but it is also real.

Uncle Paul's letter, Al opened, after returning from Professor Russell, in the silence of the night. Al guessed correctly, the letter was addressed to him, as it replayed in a dream.

"What's wrong, Al, have a nightmare?" a woman's voice came from behind Al, "I heard you call 'Uncle Paul' all the time, is that your family?"

"Aunt Portis, when did you come?" Al's head hurt a little, probably because he hadn't slept well, he put his hands over his face and rubbed them gently, "It's nothing, maybe it was nonsense in a dream." ”

The simple window was opened, presumably just pushed open by Dr. Portis, the warm sun had dried the smell of sea salt in the air, the hyacinth flowers were blooming brightly, it was noon, and Al had slept for nearly six hours.

"I've just arrived, so I'll check on your recovery one last time, and if it's okay, you can be discharged today. Portis's voice is beautiful, and her years of medical care have made her voice as pleasant as the song of a lark.

"Aunt Portis, thank you for taking care of you these days and bothering you. ”

"You don't have to thank me, Al, it's a doctor's job to save lives. Portis had a big smile on her face, and she approached Al's side, carefully examining the wound on Al's back.

"Remember to attend tonight's freshman party on time, with that cute little Snow, I haven't seen him for a while, I miss him. ”

"Freshman party?" Al wondered, "What's that?"

"It's the party to welcome the new students, and it will be held on time at six o'clock tonight in the diamond auditorium in the teaching area of Department A. Portis saw that Al's wounds had basically recovered, and she nodded reassuringly, "Professor Russell asked me to bring you a black dress made for you and put it on the table behind you. ”

Al put on his upper clothes, and sure enough, he saw a black suit folded on the bedside table, with an inky blue bow quietly placed on top.

"Aunt Portis, did Professor Russell ask you to send it?"

"yes, he shouldn't have gone far just now, right?" Portis wrote "can be discharged" on the form in the medical record, "Professor Russell also said that he would come to the university hospital to pick you up later." ”

Al quickly rushed out of bed, and before he even had time to put on his shoes, he ran barefoot to the window, bringing a light breeze. Through the window of the ward, he saw the snow-white deer cart slowly walking away from the corner of the school hospital.

It walked so slowly, like a hobbled old man standing quietly on the seashore, silently watching some prodigal son who had traveled far away to change his mind.

At that moment, Al's heart pounded violently.

From five o'clock in the afternoon, there were more and more unfamiliar faces dressed in costumes on the campus, most of them were candidates on the freshman list, and after attending the freshman party, they were about to officially become a member of the Imperial Military Academy. There are also teachers and senior students who have participated in the freshman assessment. They all converge in a glass building in the teaching area of Department A.

The spire of glass rises from the ground, reflecting the fiery red glow in the afterglow of the sun's shadow in the west, and a touch of crimson from the fiery clouds blurs the brilliant color of the entire building.

Through the special high-strength glass of the Ministry of Armed Forces, you can see the steel skeleton of the main body of the building, and the diamond auditorium adjacent to the art gallery is like a crystal clear blood diamond set in the center of the teaching area of Department A.

Several crystal chandeliers in the Diamond Auditorium hang straight down from the heights, illuminating the interior of the entire building, like a dreamland built on a glacier.

In the teaching area of Department C of the Imperial Military Academy, on the open road, the slowly coming snow-white carriage was pulled by two or two snow-white elks and drove towards the teaching area of Department A.

"Brother Al, you're so handsome today. Snow's little face was filled with a warm smile.

Today, Snow is also dressed differently than in the past, he wears an elegant and formal dark blue gown, with a white shirt as a lining, which sets off him more like the prince of a small country far away.

"Snow, your bow is crooked, don't move, I'll help you get it. Al helped Snow get dressed like a big brother.

Only Professor Russell, who was sitting at the very edge, leaned against the soft backrest of the carriage and closed his eyes without saying a word. He was also wearing a black dress with a bow, and if you looked closely, even the style was exactly the same as that of Al and Snow.

Today's carriage was not as lively as the previous day, and although the sensible Snow was trying to find a topic to relieve the sudden silence, there was still a faint sense of embarrassment in the middle.

From the moment he got into the car, Al had swept the corner of his eye several times over Professor Russell, but Professor Russell's eyes had been closed. Al knew that Professor Russell was waiting for an answer from him.

"Professor Russell. "This time it wasn't Snow who took the initiative to speak, it was Al. As if having made a decision, Al pondered for a moment, then looked resolutely at Professor Russell on his left.

"I've decided. ”

Snow was originally flattening the corners of his dress with his two small hands, but when he heard Al's voice, he turned his head sharply towards Al, opened his mouth wide, and even forcibly stopped the use of "spiritual thoughts". The two elk stopped, staring around blankly, wondering why their master had suddenly stopped connecting.

"What has been decided?" replied Professor Russell in a deliberate pretence of nonchalance, but his heart was already beating rapidly at this point.

"It was decided to stay at the Imperial Military Academy. Al replied in a loud voice, "Follow you to the dark path up the mountain!"

Professor Russell let out a long sigh of relief, which he had been carrying since he picked up Al in the car, but in the end, God did as he wished, and what he inhaled at the time was anxiety, and now he exhaled with joy.

"Well, good. Professor Russell pretended to be deep, his eyes still not open, but they had bent into two deep crescents.