Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

This was originally just a casual complaint.

However, after thinking for two seconds, Black Tower calmly nodded his chin.

"Can."

"ha?"

Qi Zhimu's eyes widened, wondering if he had misheard.

"Are you serious, kid? Even though I may look like a gentleman, and I really am, at least..."

"What does it matter?"

Hei Ta interrupted him, went into the bathroom, squatted down, and tested the water temperature in the bathtub.

Qi Zhimu's eyes twitched; he was extremely unwilling.

Having a little girl help you take a bath?

But I said it myself, so wouldn't it seem cowardly to take it back now?

Qi Zhimu stood frozen in place, unable to move forward or backward.

Black Tower turned around and saw his conflicted expression. A faint hint of mockery suddenly flashed in his usually calm eyes.

"What? You're too scared?"

She tilted her head, her tone calm, yet it seemed to convey emotions that infuriated the former.

"A grown-up like you can still be shy? Or... are you actually a minor who looks mature on the surface but is actually quite young?"

"Who's shy?! What kind of situation haven't I seen?"

Qi Zhimu glared and sneered before striding in.

"Fine, I'll take a shower! Just don't complain about being tired later!"

……

A misty haze hangs in the air.

Qi Zhimu leaned against the edge of the bathtub, his arms hanging awkwardly at his sides, trying to avoid getting them wet.

Heita knelt by the bathtub, gripping a wet towel and vigorously wiping the bloodstains from his back.

The atmosphere was quiet, yet somewhat inexplicable.

"Nice figure."

Black Tower suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

"Your muscles are very defined, with no excess fat. It seems you were right when you said you knew a little about martial arts. Have you trained?"

Qi Zhimu almost choked on his words.

You brat, do you always sound so sarcastic when you praise someone?

He snorted irritably:

"Nonsense, do you think I'm making fun of you? Do mages have to be frail and weak? That's just an outdated, classic trope from old works."

"really."

Hei Ta echoed, his fingers sliding across his shoulder through the towel, and gave it a firm squeeze.

"In my memory, most magicians in many works are physically weak and are used to chanting spells in the back row."

"Of course, it's also possible that I've only seen a limited variety of works, while your concept seems to incorporate many different elements."

She thought for a moment, then asked:

"Were you the protagonist in the world you were born into?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Zhimu's embarrassment and discomfort vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of joy.

"Of course!"

He proudly raised his chin, and a drop of water slid down his Adam's apple.

"Someone as powerful, handsome, and all-around capable as me, isn't it only natural that I'm the protagonist? Supporting characters never get this treatment!"

"But you're a magician who likes to eat people."

The Black Tower points out the key to the setup.

"In the human worldview, this kind of behavior and setting usually belongs to the villainous BOSS, while the weaker ones are the minions."

"Pedantic."

Qi Zhimu scoffed disdainfully.

"Who says villains can't be protagonists? Villainous bosses can be very charismatic too. Principled bad guys are often more pleasing to the eye than hypocritical heroes."

"These words are not mine; they also come from a story created by humans on Azure Star."

Upon hearing this, Hei Ta turned his head thoughtfully and gazed at Qi Zhimu's profile.

Both righteous and wicked, doing whatever one pleases...

Perhaps it is precisely because of this unrestrained nature that he is able to live so comfortably in the endless labyrinth of the Memory World.

Hei Ta stopped talking and focused on washing his body, carefully avoiding the stitches on his arms.

Soon, the upper body was washed.

Following the abdominal muscles downwards, Black Tower blinked and calmly gestured to a certain area beneath the water's surface.

"Does it need washing there?"

Pfft—Qi Zhimu almost spat out a mouthful of blood, nearly launching himself out of the bathtub.

He instinctively brought his legs together, his facial muscles twitching wildly.

I really want to pry open this kid's skull right now and see if there's any part inside called a sense of shame!

"Need not!"

The two words were almost squeezed out from between his teeth.

Qi Zhimu gritted his teeth and said, "That's a forbidden zone! Don't you even know what a forbidden zone is?!"

"oh."

Black Tower seemed somewhat disappointed, but didn't react in any particular way.

Just when Qi Zhimu thought the awkward conversation was finally coming to an end, she suddenly said softly:

"It's okay."

"What do you mean it's okay?" Qi Zhimu was taken aback.

Black Tower raised his gaze, his purple eyes meeting his directly, filled with seriousness.

"Whether you're the protagonist or the villain, and regardless of any so-called sense of shame."

"You are my only hope to bring the critical data back to Azure Star, and my only support."

"You saved me several times in the deadly mirror image."

"But there's not much I can do for you before we return to Azure Star, so now I want to do what I can for you."

"..."

Qi Zhimu was stunned.

My heart, which was wrapped in cynicism and nonchalance, felt as if it had been gently tickled by willow catkins.

It feels a bit strange, a bit inexplicably soft.

He turned around and his gaze met that small figure kneeling by the bathtub, hesitant to speak, yet still wanting to speak.

After a moment, he chuckled softly, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"I just can't do anything with you. If you want to feast your eyes, just say so. Why beat around the bush?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Creditor, I didn't mean it that way."

"Do you think I believe you?"

I don't need to guess whether you believe it or not.

"Just you wait, I'll eat you alive sooner or later!"

……

after a while.

Qi Zhimu changed into clean gray casual clothes and sat in the living room of the suite, using magic to soothe the stitched areas on his arms. He nodded slightly after discovering that he could perform simple movements.

He grabbed a towel to dry his half-dry hair and looked at the beef slices in the self-heating hot pot.

The water in the bath had been changed, reheated for the Black Tower, and a flame that could self-ignite for a period of time was left to maintain the water temperature.

He thoughtfully left some instant food so she could eat while washing up, so she wouldn't faint from hunger inside.

"Hey kid, hurry up and wash!" he shouted toward the bathroom.

"Mmm..." came a soft response from the bathroom, along with the faint sound of running water.

Half an hour passed.

Qi Zhimu called out again, but there was silence.

He frowned, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Could he really have fainted?

Or is it that some mutated zombie crawled in from the sewers? That doesn't make sense, since there's a barrier.

"The Little Black Tower?"

Qi Zhimu threw down his chopsticks, rushed to the bathroom door and turned the handle, only to find it unlocked.

"What are you doing—"

The sound stopped abruptly.

In the rising steam, the girl who could sometimes make people angry was leaning against the edge of the bathtub, her whole body submerged in the water.

His eyes were closed, his breathing was long and even, and there were empty food wrappers next to him.

She fell asleep.

Beside her only sense of security, she let down all her defenses and revealed the true nature of a child her age.