Ark Chess Player

Several seconds later, less than a minute later, there was a gentle knock on the office door.

Lin Lu called out loudly, "Please come in."

"Doctor, what can I do for you?"

Herag gently pushed open the door. His task for the day was to serve as the doctor's assistant, having previously conducted patrols within the ship's perimeter.

“General, I heard that Nain has reduced her playtime with the other children since arriving at Rhodes Island, and she also finds the repeated medical examinations tedious. I have some books here; please give them to her to pass the time. Don't worry, this is a proper rest period and won't cause any work-related conflicts. If she finishes reading, she can also come to my office to browse the books on the bookshelf.”

"Thank you for your concern for Nain. Don't let her current mischievousness fool you; she used to be quite quiet. I'm sure she'll like it."

Herag smiled kindly and gently, as if imagining Nain's expression upon seeing the book, and couldn't help but smile slightly.

"You, you, you are..."

A trembling voice of surprise came from the sofa. Natasha stared straight at Herag, her face filled with shock.

Herag shifted his gaze slightly, and upon seeing Natasha, he nodded slightly in acknowledgment, naturally bidding farewell to Lin Lu.

Lin Lu saw Herag off, pretending not to know anything under the other's helpless gaze, and returned to his seat.

"What did you just say? What's wrong with Ursus soldiers? What's wrong with Rhodes Island? Huh?"

"He...he...how could he be here!?"

"As a Fortune 500 company in Terra, what's wrong with Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals recruiting retired veterans as security directors? If you want it, I can arrange for you to be a lifetime assistant to a doctor at Rhodes Island right now. Let me tell you, this position isn't something anyone can just decide to do. First of all, you need to have a 36D... okay, you already have an E, so you qualify."

Lin Lu glanced at Natasha's voluptuous breasts without leaving a trace, then slowly tilted his head back and took a deep breath.

That's impressive.

Natasha clutched her head in disbelief, her small head filled with a huge question.

When she was a captain, she had fought alongside the general, so she naturally knew who he was.

That's why she felt incredulous, as if a character from a history book had come to her side, and she had an indescribable feeling.

Lin Lu extended his hand to Natasha: "Now, do you still have any complaints about Rhodes Island?"

“Why…why do you value me so much? My rank is only major, my noble status…ha, my family’s life ended after the Chernobog Incident.” Natasha stared at Lin Lu, seemingly seeking answers in his eyes. “Tell me, what is it about me that makes you do this?”

"Is that even a question?"

Lin Lu slowly raised his index finger and pointed it at the sky.

"Everyone who strives for survival and ideals deserves the utmost respect."

Chapter 157 Tea Ceremony

"gone?"

"Okay, I'm leaving."

Rhode Island doctor's office, 2:51 p.m.

Lin Lu sat at his desk dealing with the day's work that had fallen behind. He looked up and greeted Herag, then looked down again to continue working on the mountain of documents.

Helag stood silently with his arms crossed over his chest and his back against the wall.

The office was quiet, save for the soft scratching of pen on paper and the buzzing of the virtual screen as Lin Lu touched it. He meticulously reviewed each task, checking for omissions and filling in any gaps, breaking down the tedious work step by step.

The room was quiet, so quiet it made one drowsy, as if this was the only place on the entire Rhodes Island ship suitable for a nap.

"All done!"

Two hours later, Lin Lu slowly stood up, stretching his slender waist, which had become stiff from sitting for a long time, making a crisp popping sound.

"Finally, I can slack off! It's so great that Amiya isn't here~" Lin Lu stretched his neck, which was making a sound, and asked the old man who was standing to the side with his eyes closed, "Would you like some tea, General?"

Herag slowly opened his eyes, nodded and smiled, "It's an honor."

"Don't say that. It's my little joy to be able to brew tea for the general. As long as you don't say something like 'I don't have enough tea,' I'll be happy to have such good tea too."

"???"

Hellagur, subway, old man looking at his phone.jpg

"Ah...it's nothing. I just finished work and I'm a little out of my mind. I misspoke, please don't mind." Lin Lu rubbed his temples, indeed feeling somewhat tired.

"Doctor, why don't you let me do it?"

"It's alright, please don't worry."

Lin Lu smiled faintly, turned around and went to the hot water room to fetch water. Following the prompts from the digitized spiritual domain, he poured the hot water into the porcelain teapot that had been prepared beforehand. However, he did not rush to brew tea immediately, but patiently gave the teaware ample preheating time.

In the context of information technology, Attorney Lin is able to prepare things down to the second.

When the time came, Lin Lu poured the water onto the drain in the hot water room, then put the Lungmen tea leaves he had bought from that unscrupulous merchant Kroos into the warm porcelain pot, and slowly poured in the boiling water.

Porcelain teapots can perfectly lock in the fragrance, preventing it from dissipating.

There are also some points to consider when preheating teaware. This can remove lingering odors, raise the temperature of the cup, and, more importantly, ensure hygiene.

Lin Lu covered the porcelain teapot with the matching cloth. When the time reached three minutes and forty-two seconds, the progress bar of the spiritual realm made a loud sound in his mind.

"Hahaha."

The flavor of the tea leaves has been fully developed; if it is left to linger any longer, it will become bitter and unpalatable.

Herag observed Lin Lu's tea-making process quietly the entire time. Every step was taken with such seriousness and meticulousness, as if it were not just a simple matter of steeping tea leaves, but rather a matter of respecting something.

Hrag, a former general of the Ursus Empire, knew absolutely nothing about tea ceremony. In his mind, it was nothing more than child's play among nobles. They would waste half a day on trivial matters before discussing anything, and the tea ceremony itself wasn't even very good. All show and no substance.

It's just pouring hot water into tea leaves and then drinking the mixture, right? What's the big deal?

But now, Helag realizes he was wrong.

He saw a sense of ritual in Lin Lu's back view.

It wasn't a crude performance, but rather a genuine inheritance of some ancient craft.

Lin Lu removed the tea cloth from the tea set, opened the teapot lid, and gently stirred the tea with a slender spoon. He then poured the tea into two pre-prepared teacups, gently swirling them over the filter screen, allowing the rich aroma of tea to permeate every corner of the office.

"Please use it, General."

Lin Lu placed the tea set on the table in the office's reception area, and then held the teacup in both hands and placed it in front of Herag.

Herag quickly took it, and looking at Lin Lu's expectant expression, he smiled somewhat awkwardly. He hadn't expected that a simple tea drinking session would turn into such a serious atmosphere; he knew absolutely nothing about tea ceremony.

In the past, during wartime, tea was used to stay alert, since most Ursus people simply couldn't stomach coffee. Vodka, the "water of life," was a good thing, and it was okay to drink a little to replenish energy while on duty, but not all the time. Drinking too much could easily lead to mistakes, which is why alcohol was forbidden on the march.

Herag raised the teacup to his lips, and before he could even take a sip, the rich aroma of tea filled his nostrils. His stiff expression softened involuntarily, and a genuine, expectant smile appeared on his face.

"It smells good."

Herag took a small sip, the scalding tea moistening his teeth, melting in his mouth, and spreading across his tongue. He couldn't help but tilt his head back, inhaling softly, the lingering aroma still spreading in his mouth.

The day's fatigue seemed to vanish instantly, and the long-standing depression in my heart also dissipated considerably.

"Delicious."

Herag didn't know the difference between different teas; he simply thought the taste was good—bitter at first, then sweet, with a lingering aftertaste. Even after putting down the cup, a pleasant fragrance still lingered in his throat.

"I'm glad you like it."

Lin Lu sat in the main seat, holding the cup with both hands and sipping it slowly.

Lin Lu's cobalt blue eyes were slightly veiled by the rising steam as he savored the taste of the tea and searched for memories of the past.

He still remembers how to brew tea, but he doesn't remember where he learned the technique.

Even though he had forgotten many things, Lin Lu's body still deeply remembered the precious daily moments.

Lin Lu knew that this tea set belonged to him. As his hand traced the patterns on the porcelain teapot, countless emotions welled up from his chest, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

"Thank you for your hard work, General."

Lin Lu spoke, placing the teacup in front of him on the table.

"If you mean last night when you were getting a back scrub with some Ursus soldiers in the bathhouse, or when you used me as a wingman to lure young girls, then this is nothing."

Herag slowly shook his head, his gaze seemingly passing over Lin Lu and looking into the distance.

-

"What are you willing to lose to heal her?"

"Everything except her."

“I want your dignity, my lord. What the Ursus Empire has taken from us, we will take from you as well.”

"I'm not sure if I have even the slightest bit of dignity left."

"Yes, sir. Welcome to be one of us."

-

From the moment Hrag joined Rhodes Island, he was prepared for the worst.

It's nothing more than being used as a tool.

Now, even if it meant turning against Ursus, it didn't matter. His loyalty and honor had been completely given up during his forty-four years of military service. Now, only illusions and shame remained etched on the blade, each swing revealing his past self. For the children, Hrag would not back down, nor would he surrender to his afterimage.

"Doctor, have you already won over that child? If it is her, she is certainly qualified to be your partner. I remember her; her heroic bearing on the battlefield truly lives up to her name."

Herag remarked that even he rarely encountered such a formidable woman. "She's just too straightforward, but otherwise, there's nothing wrong with her."

"Ugh, what are you saying? How vulgar! Do you think I'm the kind of person who can't resist pretty girls? I'm not lusting after their bodies, I just... okay, I am lusting after them. They're so well-developed, so well-developed."

Lin Lu looked up at the operator information provided by the digitized Spirit Domain and couldn't stop smiling.

Who wouldn't love a six-star vanguard?

Chapter 158 How Does the Player Arrange the Moves?

"Do you mind if I smoke, General?"

Lin Lu asked, feeling a strong urge to smoke after finishing his tea.

“I don’t mind, but as a former clinic director, I can tell you with certainty that smoking is harmful to your health.”

“You need not worry about that, General.”

Lin Lu carefully took the cigar box from the pocket of his hooded coat. He remembered when he bought the cigars from Kroos, the seller had acted as if she were a ruthless merchant, repeatedly emphasizing that if Kal'tsit found out, she absolutely couldn't betray Lin Lu. Otherwise, even if she died, even if she was dragged to the deck and hung on the mast, she would draw a tragic mark on Lin Lu's leg.