Hello, Arknights

Ling didn't think it counted as a kiss; Xiao Ke had even bitten him before.

And it was terrible, terribly terrible! Lappland had used all his strength, and the teeth marks on his face wouldn't fade anytime soon. He temporarily put aside the thought of what was wrong with this guy again, and focused on solving the immediate problem.

"This is a familiar scene. Back in Lungmen, you showed up uninvited, just as brazenly." Mostima's gaze shifted from Rupert to Ling Dengxian, her eyes filled with reproach. "Have you forgotten your lesson again?"

"The price was too high, we can't forget it. Let's go over there..."

"So you really care about this pigeon? When it was recuperating before, who in Penguin Logistics didn't go to visit it? Does Senior Mostima know?" Lappland was indeed unrestrained. She walked around from behind Ling Dengxian to his other side and very naturally hooked her arm around his. Ling Dengxian was startled and instinctively tried to break free, but her serious strength made it impossible for his hand to escape for a moment.

“Well, just cleaning up the mess after someone acted on their own,” Mostima glanced at him, thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed, moved to his other side, and, under Ling’s terrified gaze, hooked his other arm, grinning mischievously, “Oh right, Ling, did you pay for the damage to your bed she broke?”

Before Ling could speak, Lappland let out a strange cry and said jokingly, "Haha, of course we settled that matter a long time ago. It seems that Senior Mostima is quite concerned about remembering it for so long—are you curious about how the bed collapsed?"

“Well, about the old story—” Ling Dengxian awkwardly tried to explain, but Mostima interrupted him again: “No, Ling Dengxian explained it very clearly. Being misunderstood is very troublesome. If you use it as leverage to spread rumors, you will fall hard when the lie is exposed.”

"Sigh~ I remember that very enthusiastic Exusiai-san seemed to be waiting for her senior's response, but unfortunately, the wandering senior seems to be the avoidant type—"

“Lappland.” Ling’s voice cut straight through the conversation, his words leaving no room for argument. The two girls stopped talking abruptly. His awkwardness and embarrassment vanished, replaced by seriousness: “You’ve crossed the line. Some things shouldn’t be done.”

Realizing his slip of the tongue, Lappland scratched his head, smiled apologetically, and politely took his leave, saying, "I was a bit impulsive today, it was my fault. Senior Mostima, Ling Dengxian, I'll go find Texas now—"

“Why don’t you come for a walk with me?” Zi’s figure appeared like a ghost, clearly taking Ling Dengxian’s concerns into account. Lappland pursed her lips, then shrugged: “Alright, alright, we might get along well.”

As he left, the white-clad Rupert glanced back at him, and the madness in his eyes gave him a clue.

...What is that woman up to now...?

Ling Dengxian exhaled a breath to his side and looked at Mostima. The latter's eyes flickered for a moment before returning to calm, and her gaze towards him was warmer: "That's a big plus, junior."

"Mastema..."

"I know, I know, just kidding." Mostima smiled. "Thanks."

"Alright, what do you want to buy? If we keep dawdling, Texas and Bagpipe might say I ran away without permission."

"Run away? What do you mean, run away?" Ling Dengxian looked at her. The incident in Lappland had ended, but she still showed no intention of letting go. His heart skipped a beat.

Mostima smiled without saying a word, released his arm, and in a moment of inexplicable loss, hooked her fingertips around his fingertips again, their palms touching. Her fingertips rested between the Originium crystals, and he could no longer feel the touch of the angel's fingers.

“The Ling Dengxian I know doesn’t tend to overthink things.” The words, a multitude of meanings condensed from them, dispelled his growing confusion. Sakta pulled him along and they strolled out.

Every day...

Defiance, who was observing from a distance, witnessed the whole thing. Although she couldn't hear the conversation, her expressions were enough for her to analyze the situation. This guy is really... She shook her head. The man in the grey top hat next to her was sweating profusely. He wasn't backed by Windermere, and he didn't know if he would be punished by this maverick viscount after seeing all this. He could only curse himself for making the decision to secretly observe Ling Dengxian not long ago, but it was no use in the current situation.

“Miss Defiance, let’s rest in the lobby…”

"That's fine. If I see something I shouldn't see, I'll have a hard time not running away overnight."

It seems there are others even more panicked than he is. The man in the grey top hat felt ashamed.

……

As autumn deepens and the air grows cooler, the wind rustles the metal ornaments in front of the door, producing a low, resonant chime. Footsteps have eroded the moss on the meticulously crafted bricks and tiles, and the flowers and plants by the door droop, withered and cold from the dust and disturbance. Even with the diligent cleaning staff's repeated efforts, the tire tracks left behind still bear the marks of time on the roadside.

“How about we renovate the road in front of the house for the master sometime, and build a new parking space while we’re at it?” the gardener suggested to the Caprini butler, who was heading to the kitchen. “There have been too many people coming to see the master lately, and they don’t seem to pay much attention to him.”

"These are turbulent times. Don't worry about things that aren't your business. The master knows what he's doing." The butler, leaning on his cane, reprimanded him lightly. After taking a few steps, he added, "You're not responsible for dealing with people. Be careful what you say and do when guests come to you asking about things these days."

"Understood. Please be careful. There have been a lot of people coming lately, and some of the bricks have become loose over time. Be careful not to slip."

"Then report it for repair. That's what you should be concerned about." The old goat glared and puffed out his beard, getting a little angry.

"It's already been reported, but since some things have already started to loosen up, we still need to be careful about those that haven't loosened up yet." The gardener shrank his neck.

The butler calmed his breathing and tapped his cane: "I've got this in mind. You can rest early today. The master has a schedule tomorrow, so don't cause any trouble."

"Mr. Julius Pardis, please wait a moment." The envoy, wearing a top hat and a coat, stood under the wind chimes outside the door, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"you are……"

"Please excuse me, sir, as I announce that the newly appointed Honorary Viscount, Lord Ling Dengxian, has come to visit Earl Scamanderross in hopes of fostering friendship and promoting harmony."

The gardener's eyes widened slightly.

The Viscount? He hadn't seen the Viscount visit the Earl these past few days. He'd met quite a few important figures who wanted to win over his master and ask him to take charge during this turbulent period...

His gaze shifted to the doorway, where he saw a line of people carrying large and small bags of various ingredients. Forgive his poor eyesight, but he couldn't immediately identify which one was the viscount.

Ha, with this kind of setup, I'm afraid we'll be turned away.

Julius paused for a moment, then asked in a deep voice, "Is it that honorary viscount?"

"Yes, that's the viscount who passed the parliament's review."

Since when has the conferment of viscountships required parliamentary review? Does the new speaker like to make a mountain out of a molehill?

"Then please come in, Mr. Ling. The master just mentioned you today, and I'm sure his arrival is a pleasant surprise for the master."

When Ling Dengxian himself walked to the negotiation position, Julius's gaze focused on him, his brows furrowing as usual. Although he had heard about it, the 'Viscount' in front of him was indeed completely lacking in manners, which gave him a headache.

As autumn approached, the master had already put on a thick fur-lined lining and began to pay attention to the preheating checks of the indoor heating pipes, preparing for the upcoming winter. In a while, his favorite fine hat would also appear on his head. The young man in front of him was dressed simply, with some flaws that could be found upon closer inspection... and traces left by blood and fire. Putting aside the issue of appearance, this was a question of whether the clothes had fulfilled their due duty of keeping warm.

“Your Excellency, please rest for a moment.” The decision was made in a split second. As the Earl’s doorman, Julius could not be impolite. He gestured to the arriving guest, but before they arrived, everyone had already reached a consensus that, in any case, it would be very impolite to bring a group of people to visit an Earl. Only Texas would accompany Ling and others into the room.

“Ahem, Your Excellency… As for the gift, you can give it to Mr. Julius now,” the man in the grey top hat reminded him, his heart filled with unease.

"Ah, I understand, sir. Thank you for your help."

His rashness, his bewilderment, and his inappropriate reactions suggested that perhaps he shouldn't have been so harsh on the rumored honorary viscount regarding etiquette.

But how long can this kind of candor, which is not found in noblemen, last?

But when he discovered what the other party had given him, he still couldn't suppress his emotions. When Julius looked at Ling Dengxian with a dark face, he found that the other party had not noticed anything amiss. He then looked at the gray-hatted man and Daifion who had led the way, and they also had speechless expressions. He could roughly guess the other party's motives.

"Ugh……"

"Old sir?" Ling Dengxian also vaguely sensed the change in the atmosphere and began to consider retreating.

This is really troublesome...

"...Please follow me." The butler closed his eyes, bowed slightly to the two of them, and turned to lead the way.

Texas looked at him, expressionless, and said, "Next time, ask me for advice."

"If there's a next time."

He gave me a flowerpot, which wasn't ostentatious and had a certain style, but it was a mass-produced flowerpot from a shopping mall.

At first, they thought he bought them to add potted plants to his new home.

“…Miss Mostima, you should at least keep an eye on things…” Zi was a worldly woman, and even she found it hard to keep her composure.

"...To put it bluntly, what could you possibly buy in a shopping mall frequented by ordinary citizens that would catch the Earl's eye? Clothes and the like would only be harder to find...This is the result of careful consideration." Mostima was also helpless. What she didn't say was that when Ling Dengxian saw the flowerpot, he immediately decided not to change his mind.

"Hopefully this guy can end the meeting properly..." Platinum said, covering her face.

……

Scamanderos Rita walked dejectedly down the corridor, taking off her military uniform and relaxing. It had been a long time since she had done this before. Dressed in a white dress, she listened to the sound of falling leaves, which were becoming fewer and fewer each day. It was getting cold, and her clothes were no longer suitable, but she wanted to be like this. Perhaps being a little cold would help her stay more clear-headed.

Even the Duke was involved in such things, and her team members ended up becoming victims to pay the price for those sinners for such a vile reason. She needs some time to rest.

After the decisive battle against the Blood Plague, Stormstrike Force 2 could no longer function as a combat unit. The cello and oboe had already perished in the Battle of Longspring, the snare drum suffered permanent vision loss, the mandolin contracted Oripathy, the bass disappeared in the Blood Tide, and even he himself...

Like a mandolin.

She didn't want to look for the triangle and bagpipes... nor the mandolin. She retired with a meager compensation and chose to return to her hometown on a fixed plot of land to spend her last moments with her family. Her return was the final straw when the truth that the dukes were the masterminds broke the camel's back.

She didn't want to continue blindly persisting like a headless fly; she needed some time... a little time to pull herself out of that gray world.

It was dusk, and the yellow twilight was divided by the shadows of the pillars. She quietly walked into the dark corner. It was time for dinner, and she had to go and talk to her mother.

...Her father still didn't speak to her.

While pondering, Rita encountered the butler, Julius, and discovered that he was carrying a flowerpot she had never seen before.

"Grandpa Julius."

"Miss Rita, it's almost time for dinner. Madam is waiting for you." Seeing Miss Julius, who had recently returned, he became much more amiable. She was a child he had watched grow up, and he had seen Rita's behavior and was also very worried about her condition.

"I understand, Grandpa Julius. What is this?"

"Ahem... This is a gift from a visitor to the master. The visitor is not very polite, so please don't worry about it."

"They've come to visit Father?" Rita wondered. She had seen many visitors these days, but she had never seen a gift like this before.

“Yes, it’s the honorary viscount who arrived today… who made outstanding contributions in that war.” Julius, mindful of Rita’s feelings, did not name the battle, although everyone knew which war he was referring to.

Rita was silent for a moment, then shook her head: "I understand. Father probably doesn't like flowerpots like this either. Grandpa Julius, bring it to my room and I'll take care of it later."

"Don't bother with Rita, this guest is rather special... I'm afraid we can't handle it that way."

"Why?" she asked, even more puzzled.

"He... is the outsider who ended the war with the Breath of Kings."

Rita suddenly realized who Julius was referring to when the amiable figure and the blood-stained back overlapped.

"Wait, Ling Dengxian?"

Julius was taken aback: "Rita, you know him?"

"Grandpa Julius, I'll go take a look."

Rupert's figure disappeared in an instant. Julius remembered that the last time the young lady ran so fast in the corridor was on the day of her high school graduation.