Under the gloomy night sky, the waves crash against the reef, the howling sea breeze carries the waves of the water, and flocks of seagulls wake up from their sleep, looking at the endless sea level and waiting for the sun to rise.

The guards on the high walls walked back and forth, sometimes looking into the distance, sometimes paying attention to the movement in the buildings under the walls. One soldier stopped, leaned against the stone wall, put his weapon aside, curled up, rubbing his arm with his hands.

"Tonight is a long night!"

The soldier sighed and took out a transparent container from his pocket, opened it and drank two sips, and for a moment, a wave of warmth welled up in his heart, accompanied by a strong sleepiness that made the soldier slowly close his eyes.

The noise under the walls woke the soldiers, and they quickly got up and tightened the mouth of the bottle, and then picked up their weapons again, and just as they were about to patrol, the distant chirp attracted attention. Looking towards the location of the sound, flocks of seagulls soared in song, and behind them, a looming sun was rising, and the sunlight that pierced the darkness was shining on the earth.

The boy stared at the sky, his brain empty, the towel on his forehead already dry. The crisp sea breeze beat against the window violently, and the cold through the cracks caused goosebumps all over the boy's body. I wanted to get up and close the window, but I was firmly controlled by the warm quilt, and I wanted to wrap myself in the quilt and sleep warmly, but I was disturbed by the noise coming from the window.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and the boy took the towel off his forehead and sat up, watching the dazzling light pierce the darkness and light up the room through the richly decorated curtains. The door was silently opened, and a familiar figure walked in.

"Already awake? Then get up and get dressed so you don't catch a cold. ”

The melodious voice woke up the boy's consciousness, and following the voice, Airi walked to the place where the sun was shining, still the familiar dress, that cute look, she bent down to arrange her clothes, and walked to the bedside.

"Come, raise your arms."

Arri smiled and said that the boy obediently did so, and in a short time the boy put on his clothes and got out of bed, and looked at her after arranging the bedding, and walked to the door together.

In the kitchen, many unfamiliar faces walked back and forth, and the dining room was full of people, and compared to the outside world, the sound of dishes and chopsticks on the table at the moment was all lively. Everyone's face was filled with happy smiles, and after eating the food in their hands, if they wanted to have another bowl, they only had to raise their hands and shake them a few times, and a smiling maid would come up with the food.

"Come on, come on, let's get ready for dinner!"

After rounding the crowd, they finally saw everyone in a corner, sitting around a small square table, and when they saw Airi and the boy coming, they adjusted their chairs to try to make the two empty seats comfortable.

"It has to be an early morning restaurant, and if you come late, you won't be able to eat breakfast." Jing brought a plate with a bowl of hot wheat porridge and three small golden breads.

"There's no way, they've just finished a day's work, and they won't be able to sleep if they don't eat enough." Shangshan said with a smile.

"But I hope they don't get too drunk, or they'll be tired of cleaning things up," complained Rom.

Pick up a piece of bread and stuff it into your mouth, chew it carefully to taste the sweetness produced by the reaction between flour and saliva, scoop up a spoonful of milky white thick substance and put it in your mouth, the glutinous sweet and delicate taste is full of heart, and you unconsciously shake your feet.

"Delicious, right? I added milk to it. Tia asked with a smile, and the other girls looked at the boy as well.

After eating and drinking, the diners in the restaurant left one after another, leaving the busy maid to clean up. In the face of drunken Kaoru falling asleep on the table, a lady like the head maid will call in soldiers to carry them away.

Outside the aisle, several maids were drying clothes and bedding in the sunlight under the high wall, while orderly steps and roars were heard from the other side. The boy stopped and stared at them, as the imposing soldiers gathered together wielding their weapons and slashing at the scarecrow, their heavy armor glowing metallicly in the sunlight.

"Those are the guards in the castle, responsible for our security, and they train there every morning." Arrie walked over and explained.

"Am I going to join them, too?" He asked, looking at a group of soldiers in the same armor, but clearly children.

"This... I don't know, it depends on Lord Heatrice's plans and arrangements. The kids you see are future reservists, and their training will be tough. Airi replied.

"Okay, if you want to see Earl Andrew, don't look at them in a daze!" Airi took the boy's hand, "Here, everyone admires Earl Andrew..."

Along the way, Airi kept telling the story of Count Andrew, and the origin of the castle, but the boy's eyes were only on the soldiers as they swung their weapons, and kept imitating their movements in his mind.

Walking from the long corridor to the main hall, the lively atmosphere turns the boy's attention to reality, and all kinds of people attract the boy's eye, and there are gorgeously dressed and well-dressed men and women holding hands and walking towards the hall; There were also soldiers patrolling around in neat rows, armed with weapons; There were even old people with trembling legs and cautiously walking down the steps.

Arriving at the opulent, spacious and bright halls, a constant stream of people was being further examined by the soldiers, and on either side of the checkpoint they had set up, there were two additional passages, but few people walked, and only those who were richly dressed and well-behaved were allowed to pass after presenting their papers, or those belonging to the castle.

After briefly communicating with the guards of the guard, Airi took the boy's hand and walked through the fast lane, and the others could only watch. After walking through the steps laid down on the red carpet, we finally came to the gate, which was guarded by two majestic and burly guards.

"You're finally here, Count Andrew and Lord Heatrice have been waiting inside for a long time, do you need me to ask for your advice?" One of the guards spoke.

After saluting and thanking him, Airi turned to tidy up the boy's appearance, and whispered to him the etiquette language to pay attention to. When the door was opened, Airi checked his face and dressed in a cramped manner, and led the boy into the room.

Contrary to expectations, the room was dimly lit, with only a flickering light on the desk in the distance. Arri took the boy's hand and stepped forward cautiously, as if sensing their presence, as a figure swayed past the table, followed by the sound of a chair dragging away.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you, Airi. Is it okay to live here? A handsome man with brilliant blond hair and a delicate mustache stepped out of the shadows.

"Thanks to your care, we live well here, Lord Andrew Earl." Airi saluted him.

With the crisp applause, the lights in the room were instantly lit up, and Andrew walked up to Airi, kindly stroked her head, and lifted her up in front of her, looking at Airi's face.

"Are you still used to living here? Do you have any other needs? How is my sister living now? Andrew continued.

The boy stood by at a loss, and only felt that the earl in front of him was playing with Airi like a father. The furnishings are very simple, except for a large mahogany table full of paperwork and a bright lamp in the corner, which seems to be an office place.

"This is?" Andrew asked back.

I don't know if it was too busy or deliberately asking, when Andrew held Airi around a few times, put her down, and then turned to stare at the boy, Airi also looked at him with a happy smile.

"Fine, that's the name I gave him."

Just as the boy was thinking about how to speak, a familiar voice sounded again, and everyone looked at the desk in unison, and at some point Heatrice appeared there.

"Zero?" Andrew stroked his beard and muttered, "Start... Or the end? ”

Heatrice, who walked to her side at this moment, wanted to say something, but swallowed the words from her mouth again. Andrew thought for a moment and then returned to his seat, a wave of his hand to make the paperwork on the table disappear, and looked at everyone with a serious expression.

"I'm here today mainly to discuss something with you. My daughter, Lilia Alomereld, is confined to the Tower for some reason, and as a father, she can't be by her side. As she grew older, the cage couldn't trap her after all, but—" Andrew stood up with a lamentation.

"The world is impermanent, the sinister world is still too dangerous for her who is not involved in the world, she lacks the company of her parents and is unwilling to interact with people, looking at her lonely figure, there is no one who is not a heartache for parents. But the only thing I can trust is that Heatrice is loyal to me, so I would like to ask you to sign a pact with my daughter to stand by her side, so that she can walk in the sun one day in the future. ”

Andrew walked up to the boy with a sad face and blue eyes full of sadness. His eyes were full of anticipation, and he was desperate to get an answer from the boy, but what happened next disappointed him.

"To... How do I sign a contract? The boy asked timidly.

Andrew looked at the nervous and trembling boy in front of him, his answer surprised him, followed by incomparable anger, but looking at his pure and timid gaze, he had to control his emotions. After the anger passed, a deep sense of powerlessness and loss welled up in his heart, and Andrew returned to his seat and went limp.

"You guys just step down!" Heatrice said.

After watching Airi and the boy leave, the lights in the room dimmed again, and only the flickering lamp on the table illuminated the two of them.

"Did you fail this time?" Andrew sighed, burying his face in his hands.

Thinking back to the ritual a few days ago, the figure successfully manifested and entered the boy's body in the eyes of everyone, but the boy's performance did not meet expectations, could it be that the summoning ceremony went wrong?

"No, Andrew, maybe the power has fallen asleep for some reason, and I'll be responsible for awakening it." Heatrice said respectfully, and walked to the door.

"Then I'll leave it to you, and if that doesn't work, let Hyrock prepare the next container." Andrew said.

With Heatrice gone, the last light went out.