CHAPTER 134: CHAPTER 133: ETHAN NEEDS TO STRENGTHEN HIS BODY

Ethan was the type of person who would get depressed for a long time after encountering a bad ending in a game.

He knew what kind of era he was living in, so for the past two years, he tried to keep his distance from the people around him.

In this era, partings and deaths were all too common. Someone you saw in the morning might be dead by the afternoon. For most people in the Empire, dying of old age was an unattainable luxury, and even nobles, not to mention the Knight Commander of the Empire, were not exempt.

The apartment fell into silence, and the few people there were so overwhelmed by the sudden heaviness of the atmosphere that they couldn’t speak.

Ave originally thought that based on Ethan’s personality, he might deliver some grandiose speech, like initiating a grand expedition after completing the research on magic technology or establishing a new empire. However, his response this time was so ordinary that she found herself momentarily unable to reply.

Looking around, she found that this indeed was a grand goal.

Ave tried to imagine a life trajectory without Ethan: Sister Bi’an would die in Ximu Town, and after His Majesty Henry passed away, she would be accused by the church of being an Evil God’s Follower, tied to the stake, and burned like everyone else. Lindong and Rowena would continue their hunting, but perhaps one day in the unknown future, they’d fall prey to some scheme and perish in succession.

"So then..."

Ave steadied herself, her blond hair straightening as she stood up, "We’ll try our best to survive."

She pulled up the corners of her mouth with her index finger, revealing a stiff smile. As a follower of the God of Truth, she pursued an absolutely calm and rational heart. One of the courses at the Enlightenment Society was to teach them how to eliminate unnecessary emotions.

But now, even though she couldn’t fully smile, Ave felt she should.

"Are you okay? Is there a cramp at the corner of your mouth?"

Rowena’s concern came from beside her.

Rowena was very good at smiling, and her emotions were especially transparent. She never kept her emotions bottled up.

Ave thought that might be why she was so punchable.

Your mouth corner is the one with a cramp!

She glared at Rowena—serves you right if a cat scratches up your face!

Sister Bi’an seemed inspired as well, openly declaring, "Don’t worry, I won’t let any of you die before I fall!"

Even though she broke her oath and was no longer blessed by the Knight Lord, she still did not give up her duty as a knight.

The existence of a knight is to protect what’s before them.

"Sister Bi’an, stop jinxing it!" Ave rubbed her forehead, "Why do we always discuss things with the premise of you falling?"

Unbeknownst to them, the atmosphere returned to its usual state.

Ethan did not join Ave and the others’ discussion. He sat in the chair, supporting his chin with his left hand, silently observing everything happening before him.

The noon sunlight streamed into the room, warming him a bit.

Not long after, a loud voice barged into the house, accompanied by a rapid knocking on the door.

"Hey, Ethan buddy, Ethan buddy, are you in? I created a shooting club, come join us!"

As soon as the voice sounded, Sister Bi’an and Rowena reflexively transformed back into their small animal forms with two "bangs". Ethan always found their synchronized transformation amusing.

Ethan opened the door, and Hagrid stood there, already dressed in a ranger-style outfit, looking ready to transition into the role of an archer. He was carrying a crude crossbow, the type most commonly found in Ximu Town’s blacksmith shops, usually used only for hunting small animals.

"Actually, I ran into some issues while preparing, Ethan buddy. Your intelligence is in no way inferior to mine, so I came to seek your advice."

"What kind of issues did you encounter?"

Ethan was supportive of Hagrid’s shooting club in the town, as it would allow residents to learn self-defense and enrich their daily lives.

Even if magic weapons were powerful, one must first learn to shoot. Even Ave had received special archery and shooting lessons from tutors arranged by her family during her childhood. For those who had never handled a crossbow, using an electromagnetic crossbow was not easy. In urgent situations, at least half of the people could become team killers.

"You know, I’ve always been a practical fighter. I believe that instead of dull, stationary shooting, we should let club members adapt to real combat environments because battlefield enemies won’t just stand still for you to aim at!"

Hagrid had his own theories, but he faced challenges in practice, "However, using crossbows in daily training inevitably risks injuries. Even with protective gear, getting shot in the head could be troublesome. Is there any way to ensure safety while allowing club members to enjoy combat?"

"Just modifying the arrows would do."

Ethan recalled his childhood archery games, "Design the arrowheads with adhesive pads, so when hit, the arrows would stick onto the body. This way, it won’t hurt anyone and can also prove they were hit."

"Oh? Is there really such a method?"

Hagrid’s eyes lit up, excitedly grabbing Ethan’s arm, "It’s right to come to you, let’s go, let’s find a blacksmith to make some arrows like you mentioned!"

Another busy day.

By the time the first batch of training arrows was produced, it was already afternoon. Hagrid immediately organized to gather his soldiers for training, while Ethan politely declined the invitation, citing work at the Reception Bureau.

The moment he returned to the apartment, he jumped onto the bed, sprawled out.

He had pulled an all-nighter and then stayed busy the whole morning, feeling utterly exhausted.

Lindong observed all this and pondered.

Was Ethan’s constitution too weak?

She had to find a way to nourish him, but here’s the problem: she knew nothing about cooking. From the day she entered the academy, she never had to cook anything herself.

"Keroy."

"Goo?"

Miss Keroy looked up at her, "Is cooking hard?"

"Goo!"

Miss Keroy shook her head and puffed out her chest confidently, as if saying, "Leave it to me! I can do it!"

"Next issue is the ingredients. What kind of food is nutritious?"

This was another area beyond her knowledge; others had always racked their brains to prepare food for her.

"Goo goo (bone broth)!"

Miss Keroy recommended one of her favorite foods.

"No, that’s too ordinary. We need to find some high-quality ingredients. Hmm, go get Sister Bi’an, let’s go hunting!"

"Goo goo goo!"

Miss Keroy jumped three feet high, delighted, and with happy steps, "thudding" toward the neighboring apartment.