Hello, Arknights

Count Scamander sat back down, his wrinkles appearing even deeper. Recently, quite a few nobles had wanted him to take sides and make a comeback. He had indeed hoped for a guest who could pull him out of his social obligations. Just now, his wish had come true, but not in the way he had imagined.

Well, nothing he could imagine could pull him out of the dull reception.

However, the special person he had been thinking about not long ago, who was likely to be very troublesome, took the initiative to come to his door. While he was still speculating about the other party's intentions and possible instigators, the other party's unnatural small talk and simplistic language made him want to get up several times—he thought this might be a warning from Kester or Faf—until the other party finished complaining about the weather and then asked a question that seemed to be a tangent: "How long does this part usually last?"

He couldn't help but wonder again whether this guy was putting on an act under someone's orders, or simply a lucky kid being carried around by the nobles.

In short, he did relax a bit after seeing off this special guest. The pale sky was beginning to darken, and it was time for dinner.

One by one, the lamps in the Earl's mansion were lit. He thought for a moment about how to arrange the follow-up visit, at least not to attract attention, lest the eyes of other dukes see it and cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.

A moment later, he stood up again, but a figure hurriedly arrived. The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere became silent for a moment.

"...You should be at the dining table now."

“Father, you too.” The girl lowered her head, not expressing her own wishes. Long ago, when she left home, the two could no longer understand each other, so she no longer opened her heart to this relative she once respected and admired the most, nor did she try to gain his approval.

Neither of them deliberately acted coldly towards each other during their homecoming, but an invisible barrier remained between them.

"I just finished entertaining a special guest, I'm going now."

"...You didn't see him off?"

The count raised his eyes and noticed his daughter's indirect questioning. While seeing the guest off was a matter of etiquette, it also implied his opinion on the conversation—but this kid was just there to go through the motions, so what right did he have to express his opinion?

He didn't even feel comfortable inviting the other person to dine with him, because when Julius brought him here, he had whispered about the "team building" scene outside. Even for the Earl's mansion, it was quite a challenge to properly host more than ten people without any prior notice.

The other party, however, seemed uneasy and didn't seem interested.

He once thought that the aloof Rupert, the girl beside that boy, was more like a viscount than he was.

"Rita, are you curious about this guest?"

The Luper girl lowered her head in silence, then gently shook her hair. "No, it's nothing, just asking."

With that, she lifted the hem of her white dress and left the room, turning to head towards the dining table.

"I plan to make a follow-up visit tomorrow or the day after; come with me." The unexpected words caught up with her. The man stepped over the threshold, deliberately avoiding his daughter's slender back, as if talking to himself: "The weather is getting colder every day..."

The girl, once known as "The Horn," turned her head to the side. The man's gaze was fixed on the old tree outside, its roots intertwined. Its green pupils were awake, or perhaps never asleep, and its gaze was very deep, just like the intertwined roots of the tree.

Autumn is chilly, and the falling leaves are destined not to stay in the air forever.

……

The day's journey had made Nightingale drowsy, so White Owl didn't want to burden Ling Dengxian any further and took Nightingale to another car. Ling Dengxian had intended to help Texas, but the latter glanced at him and asked if he had passed his driving test. After receiving a silent reply, he showed an expression mixed with helplessness and disdain, and waved for him to get in the car.

As the final leg of the journey took place along a lush forest road, the setting sun could no longer reach the horizon, and the shadows cast by the trees on both sides of the road stretched long. Gray Hat contacted his contact via the vehicle's communication system.

“Your Excellency, the courtyard and master bedroom have been cleaned, but…”

Even through the communicator, the voice in the grey top hat carried a deep sense of helplessness: "But because you brought so many people here at the last minute, the cleaning staff weren't notified, and the room has been vacant for a long time. Now you and your friends may need to do it yourselves..."

Grey Hat knew this only made Victoria's arrangements seem hasty, but Ling Dengxian's situation was indeed special. Before he nodded, the house might not have a new owner. He had originally planned to suggest staying in the city for one night while they were in Caraton, but Ling Dengxian acted quickly and even bought the ingredients with everyone—there was also the reason that he couldn't communicate with Daphne, but there was no way to change things now.

"I understand. Then I'll just have to clean up properly before dinner." Ling Dengxian didn't particularly expect everything to go smoothly; rather, he felt more at ease knowing that Victoria was less involved.

As we drove out of the forest road, a breathtaking scene unfolded before us, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. Lavender fields, resembling a purple lake, rippled gently in the sunset, the crimson sun reaching the tips of the purple, undulating leaves, as if melting into the watery landscape.

"Didn't go the wrong way?" After getting out of the car, Ling Dengxian saw the steps at the end of the path. The house was very conspicuous. The three-story building cast a shadow in front of them. The wind chimes, which looked a bit old, swayed slightly, as if the house was greeting everyone. The dirt path under their feet forked before leading into the courtyard.

“Yes,” Daphne got out of the car from the other side, said something to the man in the grey hat, then came to his side and pointed to the fork in the road. “Two miles to the left is the village of Ragon. If you need to travel there, just say you are Violet’s new master.”

The man in the grey top hat nodded, then greeted Ling Dengxian before returning and driving away with his companions. It seemed he had already discussed with Dai Feien who would stay behind.

"Violet...violet?"

"Yes, the previous owner was in the dye business. These plants were originally grown as ornamental and raw materials. I heard that the area planted was much larger than this, but it was abandoned and is now like this. If you don't like it... never mind, you seem to like it."

Ling Dengxian certainly liked it, but it was clear that someone liked the scene before him even more.

“Ling Dengxian!” Provence tugged at him, his eyes almost shining. Before he could ask, she hugged his arm tightly, her eyes sparkling. “I love it here!”

"If you like it, then stay a few more days." Seeing that long-lost simple smile again, Ling Dengxian couldn't help but sweep away the dust from a corner of his heart.

Pushing open the door that hadn't been opened or closed for a long time, everyone filed in. Ling Dengxian looked around and saw that the living room was very clean. He didn't know if the people in charge at Victoria were strict enough or if the previous owner was stingy. Apart from the most basic furniture, there really wasn't a single extra thing. It was spotless, though. Ling Dengxian looked at the bright windows and guessed that the bedroom upstairs probably didn't have curtains either. When the sun rose, it would unreservedly pour its warm rays into the living room. He sighed and mentally prepared himself to be woken up by the unwelcome sunlight the next day.

"Alright friends, in order to rest later, we will now split into two teams. One team will be responsible for tonight's food, while the other team will have to work harder to clean the empty rooms. As a reward, you can choose your room and roommate first."

The white-faced owl raised its hand: "Can I choose the master bedroom?"

"Get out of the way, that's mine," Ling said righteously.

The white-faced owl nodded and raised its hand again: "Can the dormitory be inherited indefinitely?"

"Permanent inheritance?" Bagpipe and the others all looked at her.

"Yes, that's right. Will Ling Dengxian reserve a room for us that will always welcome us back?" White Owl asked calmly.

Before Ling Dengxian could speak, Shuangye tilted her head and said, "Nominally, this is Baige's private property, right? If we're just friends, wouldn't that be putting him in a difficult position?"

Ling Dengxian certainly didn't think that way. He cleared his throat, preparing to give a serious rebuttal, but the white-haired Li Boli nodded again, only to utter a surprising statement:

"Friends won't do, so let's use the cannon—"

Ling Dengxian had never "arrested" someone so quickly in his life; the white-faced owl seemed to be unleashing his potential.

"Anyway, let's get started. He'll definitely be the head chef." Mostima smiled as he watched Ling pin Bai down. The others were used to it and knew it was their daily routine. Anyway, Ling's intentions had been conveyed, and they all knew it was necessary. Despite the long journey, they all rolled up their sleeves and prepared to start working.

“It’s not what Shuangye meant…” Ling Dengxian’s voice caught up a beat later. At this moment, he was covering the mouth of the white-faced owl and pressing her to the side. He only let go after confirming that she had admitted defeat and would not speak out.

The group, who were about to take action, turned around and stopped, clearly intending to listen to him carefully. Ling Dengxian scratched the back of his head and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

“In my opinion, this is not a difficult thing,” Ling Dengxian said, trying to remain calm. “This place was just a coincidence that I got here. I have never been a petty person… Each and every one of you is more important than this place.”

"You might not realize it, but I'm usually quite casual, but I actually value my friends a lot..."

"Check if the refrigerator is plugged in. We're going to be busy today, so get the ingredients ready." Texas turned to Mostima and said, "You bought some desserts, right? They'd be better chilled."

“That’s true, it’s been a long time since we’ve eaten together, but I’ll choose to do the cleaning.” The blue-haired fallen angel nodded.

"Then I'll go pick a room..." Platinum led Provence to the cleaning room.

"Let me check the things in the kitchen..." Zi moved to the kitchen first, as she was more concerned about safety.

“I’ll help too…” Melanie hesitated for a moment before following her upstairs to the second floor.

Skadi couldn't really help on either side, so she found a corner in the living room and sat down to keep Nightingale company. Frostleaf, surprisingly, chose to go into the kitchen to help peel potatoes.

Lappland remained silent the whole way, clearly affected to some extent, but she didn't stay idle and quietly went up to the second floor.

After pondering for a moment, Dai Feien glanced warily at Mou Ling again before going upstairs.

Everyone sprang into action. Ling Dengxian was slightly taken aback. He poked Ling Dengxian's face with a finger, but the White Owl remained calm: "Ling Dengxian's dazed look is worth filming."

Bagpipes wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, rested her head on his shoulder with a bright smile, and nuzzled his neck: "Xiao Xian, you don't need to say things like that..."

“We know what kind of person you are.” Fengdi exerted force, her upper body leaning onto his back, and Ling Dengxian carried her on his back as well, the girl pressing her cheek against his.

“...Speaking and not speaking are always different.”

Vayvan leaned against his back, the touch warm and soft, an indescribable sense of satisfaction washing over him. The girl whispered:

“I want to ‘even’ with what Texas did…”

Before Ling could ask any further questions, Fengdi had already let go and jumped down. Although she was heading towards the kitchen, Ling felt it wasn't appropriate to continue the conversation...

Because Texas was also in the kitchen.

……

After all the commotion, it was finally time to rest. White Owl and Nightingale shared a room, Frostleaf and Melantha shared a room, Texas and Bagpipes shared a room, and Platinum and Provence seemed to have developed some understanding and also shared a room. Skadi was all alone and stubbornly chose to sleep on a makeshift bed in the living room. He knew about Mostima's situation and figured Miss Liberi would probably climb in through the window later, so he didn't lock the second-floor corridor window. Purple said there was an attic on the third floor, so she made some simple arrangements and stayed there, while also keeping an eye on Lappland.

Defiance's situation was special; she also had to take charge of her own room.

The second floor of this house has eight rooms, including the master bedroom, which is quite spacious. Once the remaining rooms are cleaned out tomorrow, Zi and Lappland won't have to live in the attic, and Skadi won't have to sleep on the floor anymore.

After washing up, Ling suddenly collapsed onto the soft bed. The silky fabric of the bedding almost made his bones go weak, and most importantly...

He got into bed, jumped around, and found the ceiling so close. He lay down and tossed and turned to his heart's content. The width of the bed, which could comfortably accommodate two people lying on their sides at the same time, made Ling extremely happy, as it meant an unparalleled sense of security.

He had never slept in such a big bed before! To be honest, it was a bit of a luxury for one person to sleep in it; he felt that several more people could sleep in this bed without any problem.

But I'm really tired today, so I should get some rest. I turned off the lights and let my fatigue flow freely through my body. There's still bright moonlight tonight. As my consciousness began to fade, I heard some noises in the corridor. Someone had come in through the window.

The pre-arranged white flames flickered, and he sensed that the person approaching was a slender red-haired girl, and there was no sign of danger.

Mostima's partner... arrived quite early.

Ling turned over casually, trying to find the most suitable position to enter the dream.

The white flame node continued to operate, and he was ready to truly enter the dream. Ling's illusory image had already returned to the dream, but a vague unease made him toss and turn.

He rolled over again, opened his eyes, and met a pair of purple eyes in the darkness.

Oh... that Ms. Liboli doesn't seem to have long hair, and he has indeed forgotten someone.

He was awake, but Surtr didn't seem to be planning to let him explain quietly.

She pounced on her.