“You brat. It hasn’t even been two days since I gave you that armor and protective equipment, and you turned out to be so talented that you even managed to bring them back as heaps of scrap metal! I really take my hat off to you.” The shirtless Lin Tuo felt a headache rising up as he looked at the completely deformed helmet, as well as the damaged exterior of the brigandine armor. He was completely clueless as to where to even begin.
“You can’t fix it?” Ji Bai tilted his head.
“I wouldn’t put it in such an absolute manner, but these deformations can still be fixed… Is something only a dwarven blacksmith could say, mhm.”
“So, you can’t fix it?”
“You’re valuing my skills too highly. Such a deformation is already enough to send it to a scrapyard. The only way to restore it is to melt it down and recast it again… What, kid, have you grown attached to wearing it?”
“Not really.” Ji Bai shook his head.
“I’m broke.”
“Hey, hey— This sentence is almost becoming your catchphrase, you know? Is it possible to switch it out for something else? While you’re at it, can’t you just convert the points you’ve received from the exploration into some cash?”
“…” Ji Bai didn’t respond.
“Fine, fine, fine… Consider it my loss, young master Ji. How about this, we’ll go find Huo Lei later and see if he has a solution. This should satisfy you, right?” Lin Tuo supported his forehead with his hand.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t. I’m unworthy of your gratitude.” Said Lin Tuo unhappily.
“That’s right… Did something extraordinary happen in the sewers?” Asked Lin Tuo casually as he picked up his forging hammer.
“I guess so.”
“Oh.” Lin Tuo didn’t follow up his question and single-mindedly resumed forging.
…………
“Creak.” The firmly closed door opened.
“Isn’t it Ji Bai? Is something the matter?” Lan Yi sorted out the mountain of paperwork before her without raising her head.
“Patter, patter, patter.” The footsteps came to a halt before her.
“If you have anything to say, then say it. That is, if you really do not want to trouble me.
“The girl that had set off together with us.” Ji Bai pulled a chair over and sat down.
“…” Lan Yi’s hands froze.
“Xiaomu, was it?”
“She had nothing to show except the year she had been part of the order. You shouldn’t allow a child to accept such a mission as her first step into a battlefield.”
“Life or death is up to fate. She should’ve realized this before she stepped through the gates of the Moon Knights… I’m already aware of the matter. So, are you here today to harshly criticize me?” Lan Yi heaved a sigh and closed her eyes.
“No.” Ji Bai shook his head.
“Did she have any close relatives, friends or others?”
“This child, Xiaomu, was an orphan. If we’re talking about friends however, there’s one.”
“Can you tell me her name and address?”
“…”
“Thank you.” Ji Bai didn’t plan to linger around any longer.
“You’re holding back some information, am I right?”
“Why do you think that?”
“Well, just treat it as groundless speculation.” Lan Yi smiled.
“Recently, an orphanage in South City seems to have reports of missing people. If you’re idle and have nothing else to do, you can go over there and have a look.”
“I’m not one of those knights responsible for managing law and order.”
“It’s just something off the top of my head, that’s all. Probably nothing important… This reminds me: The martial art tournament for probationary knights is going to take place next month. It’s going to be something that’s going to affect your knight ranking, so don’t try to hide your skills when the time comes, do you understand?” The loud sound of a door closing resounded just after Lan Yi had finished her words.
“This brat…”
…………
“U-ha! The Magical Girl sitting on a plane, Deformed Helmet Restoring Punch!” A large but nimble figure turned around with a flip and landed a ferocious punch on the iron-winged helmet.
“Creak, creak…” Like a magic trick, the hollowed and deformed part of the molybdenum helmet was restored to what it had been before. This made it look like a soft object that could be shaped at will.
“Huff, huff, huff… This was so exhausting, thank god it’s done. Take it, brother!” Huo Lei heaved a sigh. He then handed both the folded brigandine armor and iron helmet back to Ji Bai who had been waiting at the side.
“Thankfully, the time it had been damaged wasn’t too long ago. Otherwise, even I would be helpless…” Huo Lei’s complexion was pretty terrible, as he incessantly wiped off sweat.
“Are you alright?”
“Are you talking about my injuries? I’ve long since recovered from them…It’s just that I needed to expend an extremely large amount of magic in order to restore an object that has been damaged for too long. I just need some sleep right now… Haaa(Yawn).”
“Thank you. I’ll try to give you the money as soon as possible.” Ji Bai nodded as he received the protective equipment. He had absolutely no intention to make him work without any compensation.
“Ahh, you don’t need to, no need at all. You’re my brother, so there’s no need for us to draw a line between each other… Money isn’t a problem. No matter what, I still have dealings with each of the blacksmith clubs… Brother Ji Bai, is there another request that you need to complete? Mhm, as expected of a man who carries out the knight’s way all the way to his bone, you have my respect!”
“It’s not considered a request, just some unimportant matter to pass time.”
“Haaaa(Yawn) …God, I can’t hold on for much longer. Sorry, but I won’t be able to accompany you this time. I’m too tired and have to go back inside to catch up on sleep.” Huo Lei shrugged as he lowered his head and entered his house.
Without the slightest bit of hesitation, Ji Bai put on his brigandine armor and iron helmet. After placing the sheathed fang-shaped longsword onto his back, he left Huo Lei’s courtyard.
…………
When compared to other districts of the Border Town, the South City seemed extremely bleak.
Desolate, cold winds that chilled one to their bones brushed past the wrinkle-filled cheeks of the pedestrians on the streets, who walked in groups of twos and threes. Around them, short tiled houses built from wood emitted a lifeless aura, making the contrast towards the bustling central zone particularly eye-catching.
The thick brigandine armor, as well as his crossed-shaped iron helmet, made Ji Bai look very conspicuous. Even so, the passersby merely shot a glance and moved along; As people who were busy earning their daily bread and butter, they didn’t have the luxury to stop and observe others.
The orphanage in South City wasn’t hard to find, and could even be said to be extremely eye-catching. Amidst the short buildings, a sharp, tall western-styled building towered over them like a crane in a flock of chicken.
There was absolutely no need for Ji Bai to conduct a thorough investigation on this trip, as he had already adopted the negative mindset that it was nothing more than a waste of time. As such, he planned to just circle a few rounds around the area where the orphanage was located, then leave the place. Missing people were the jurisdiction of the knights responsible for maintaining law and order and as such, it was completely unnecessary for him to intervene. Instead of lending them a hand, his assistance might even hinder their investigation.
The area occupied by the orphanage was small, roughly equivalent to the size of a courtyard. Across the street, one could hear the frolic sounds and laughter of small children from within.
Ji Bai stopped.
In the entrance to the orphanage’s courtyard, a golden-haired girl wearing a beautiful skirt was speaking with a staff member.
“Miss, what sort of illness does Xiao’an have? Is it serious??”
“It’s just the ordinary flu. You don’t have to worry about her, Miss Sha. I believe she’ll be up and running in a couple of days.” The staff member gave an amicable smile.
“Can I visit her?”
“Uhm…”
*Pat*.
“Gu-nyaa!?…” The golden-haired girl quivered as someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder.
“What? Why are you here, obscene middle-aged man?? …Don’t tell me you’ve been tailing me all along??”
The golden-haired girl was no other than Lil’ Sha, who was currently using a hairband to cover up her cat ears.
“No, not interested.” The head covered by an iron helmet shook from side to side.
“…So, what is someone like you doing around here? Also, why are you still covering up your head with this broken tin can? Do you think you’re still not conspicuous enough?? Remove it for me.” Lil’ Sha’s expression looked like an octopus as she clung onto Ji Bai and hit her small claws incessantly against his iron helmet.
“You are putting me in a very difficult position.”
“Uhm, the two of you…”
“What is going on?” Before those words could trail away, a benevolent looking elderly with a head full of white hair walked over.
“You’re here, director.”