I, the final BOSS of the beta test server!

However, staying in the safe zone also means that they will never have the opportunity to find out the truth about Frozen Water Town and the fog.

Fortunately, the mayor's house seemed to have more than one spare room to accommodate orphans. After tidying up, Rast and Hiltina slept in the adjacent room.

Time passes quickly in the dark night.

At about eleven o'clock, there was a very faint sound of footsteps pausing at the door of Rast's room.

Then, a few seconds later, the door of the room was opened silently.

A thin figure tiptoed into the room and glanced at Rast who was sleeping soundly on the bed.

Then, the footsteps paused beside the wooden table, on which lay the windbreaker that Rast had taken off before going to bed.

She stared at the windbreaker for a long time.

Or to be more precise, he stared at the sterling silver shore guardian wing emblem on his windbreaker for a long time.

After a long silence.

Just when she finally made up her mind and reached out to grasp the shore guardian's wing emblem in her palm—

"Can you tell me why you are so interested in becoming a shore watcher?"

In the silent darkness, Rast's calm words were heard.

Almost as soon as she spoke, she quickly put the wing emblem back in place and pretended to pick up the entire dress with her other hand.

The gray-haired girl seemed frightened, her slender shoulders trembling slightly. "Brother Last, the mayor sent me to pick up your and Sister Hiltina's clothes and take them to be cleaned."

"Originally, I should have come to get it before you went to bed, but I accidentally played too much and forgot about it. I was afraid of being scolded by the mayor and worried about disturbing your sleep, so I thought of sneaking in to take it away."

She lowered her eyes, her frail figure trembling uncontrollably, and coupled with her timid voice, she looked like a little girl who had accidentally done something wrong and was worried about being scolded by her elders.

"Don't perform this in front of me. It's a pure waste of time."

"I know you are good at acting and you are also good at disguising yourself with false masks."

"You know deep down that most adults prefer children who are sometimes innocent and cute, yet at other times well-behaved, sensible, and polite. So you put on a mask, disguising yourself as this kind of person who doesn't exist in reality, but is the most likable."

"Your acting skills are excellent. Not only did you fool your playmates and the old mayor, but even Hiltina didn't notice."

Luster's voice was calm: "But unfortunately, you met me."

“No one knows more about acting and wearing masks than I do.”

There was a brief silence in the room.

After more than ten seconds, the gray-haired girl raised her head slightly, as if she had finally confirmed that Last was not lying to her.

She still looked thin, but the childish timidity was no longer in her gray eyes. Instead, there was a kind of numbness like a young animal.

"So, can you tell me now?"

Luster looked at the little girl in front of him and asked, "Why did you steal the shorekeeper's badge?"

"Because I want to be one of the shore keepers."

Luster frowned. "Do you think that as long as you get the badge, you can become a member of the Shore Watch?"

"As long as I get the badge, I can say that this is the last legacy my parents left me... Even if I'm not selected then, the Shore Guards will definitely take me in out of basic courtesy."

Good man, are you directly going to reserve me and Hiltina as your spirit rings?

Luster's voice couldn't help but pause. "Why do you want to join the Shore Watchers so badly? Don't tell me those fake excuses you used before."

"Because I want to live." An inexplicable glint suddenly flashed in her numb eyes.

"Survive? Don't you like life in Frozen Water Town?"

"I wasn't born in Frozen Water Town. Before arriving in Frozen Water Town, I had already wandered through five cities and four villages... but all of those places were destroyed without exception. Some were submerged by tsunamis, some were transformed into cannibalistic people, and some were devoured by wild beasts."

"I've lived in Frozen Water Town for a year and a half. The mayor and the others treated me very well, but I know it's not safe here. Only places with the most powerful people are safe enough."

The girl raised her head. "I heard from the mayor that the Shore Watchers are a very powerful and great organization... and that the Shore Watchers' headquarters houses the most powerful people in the world. Even the entire town combined is no match for them."

"So I must become a shore keeper, because only by joining the shore keeper can I be safe and continue to survive."

She looked at Luster with some hope: "Brother Luster."

"Tell me, can I become a shore keeper?"

Chapter 60 Then I'll Call You, Gray (Two in One)

Looking at the hope flashing in the eyes of the little girl who looked like a cub in the darkness, Rast did not answer immediately.

Then, her eyes dimmed little by little.

"As expected, is that so—"

"I heard from the mayor that only those who accidentally awaken superpowers, such as being able to spit fire from their mouths or control water flow, have a chance of being chosen by the shore guards."

"But I don't have any super powers. No matter how hard I try, I can't use them."

"The mayor said that perhaps the Shore Guardians have mastered some technology that can help people awaken superpowers."

There was a hint of loss in her voice.

"But whenever I tell the mayor about my desire to awaken my superpowers... the usually kind mayor becomes quite serious and cuts me off without a second thought."

"Even when I wanted to go to the lighthouse outside the town and meet you guys, the mayor would solemnly refuse, saying I was too young and told me to wait until I was older."

"It's weird..."

The little girl paused. "When the mayor was telling us bedtime stories, his eyes lit up when he mentioned the time when he was rescued by the shore guards."

"But every time I talk about the same thing, the mayor's attitude changes 180 degrees, as if he's become a completely different person."

"Did he say something like that?"

Luster glanced at the little girl in front of him and said, "The old mayor is really a good person."

"why?"

She raised her numb eyes. "Obviously, as long as you join the Shore Guard, you can pass the assessment, lie about being an orphan, and use a tragic performance to elicit sympathy. It doesn't matter what method you use to enter..."

"But once I join, I can get the protection of the most powerful and go to the safest place in the world."

Luster smiled.

He stood up, walked to the wooden table by the window, and lit the small oil lamp.

The wick of the oil lamp was ignited, emitting a warm orange glow, illuminating the surrounding space.

The light from the oil lamp divided the room into two distinct sections: one side was bright, and the other side was pure darkness.

It seemed that my eyes had adapted to the darkness in the room, making the light too dazzling.

The moment the oil lamp was lit, the little girl was like a frightened little animal. She stretched out her hand to block the glaring light and retreated into the shadow on the other side.

"how to say……"

Last thought for a moment and said, "Anyone can do a similar job of giving out empty promises and making promises."

"It's like, if there's a kid in front of me shouting to the world that he wants to be the richest man in the world, I might just casually respond with a few words of 'yeah, yeah, yeah.'"

"But your wish... isn't the kind of short-lived enthusiasm where you're eager to declare your ambition to the world, only to forget all those empty promises in the blink of an eye, right?"

His voice echoed in the candlelight.

"Anyone can irresponsibly support other people's dreams."

"However, only those who are truly close to you will truly consider you and worry about you."

"So, the old mayor clearly yearns for the shore-watchers himself... but when you express that wish, he'd rather put on a stern face and harden his heart, making you resent him, than readily support your dream."

"Besides..."

"Do you really think the Shore Guardians are what you imagine them to be?"

Luster stared at the flickering lights and said, "Perhaps there really are the strongest humans there."

"However, there is no such thing as a free lunch. In this world, effort and reward, rights and obligations, are always equal."

"You simply desire the protection of a powerful individual, a safe, prosperous, and stable life... but you've never truly considered the weight and responsibility that comes with being a 'shore guardian.'"

"Such an idea is a bit too arrogant."

……

The little girl's figure swayed slightly in the dark.

Although she heard what Rast said, she only understood half of it and could not fully grasp its meaning.

In her limited knowledge, the human settlements scattered across the continent were like wolf packs in the wilderness, and she was a wolf cub wandering among the wolf packs.

Some wolf packs are weak and in danger of survival, so after the wolf pack is swallowed up by other stronger beasts in the wilderness, she can only wander again... For example, the human town where she lived before but no longer exists, and the Frozen Water Town which still exists but cannot bring her a sense of security.

Some wolf packs were powerful, with the strongest alpha wolf, so that was the safest place in the world, enough to protect her from being killed by other wild beasts in the wilderness. Therefore, even if she only heard a few words from the mayor, she still had the desire to join the shore watchers.

Most wolf packs are closed and xenophobic, so during her wandering, the girl learned to use protective colors to disguise herself, trying to make herself look well-behaved, smart, obedient, sensible, and likable... Because only in this way will the wolf packs be willing to accept a stray wolf cub who looks harmless.

The wilderness, the beasts that take life, the wolves and the long wandering... this is the world through the eyes of the girl.

She didn't understand what Rast meant by "the weight of the word 'shorekeeper'".

But the girl, who had wandered to many places at a young age and witnessed the warmth and coldness of countless people's hearts, keenly noticed the denial and rejection of her in Last's words just now.

So she stood up quietly and bowed deeply to Rast.

"I'm sorry to have made you listen to so much."

"I will report everything I did to the mayor. I tried to steal your things... Even if I am expelled from Frozen Water Town for this, it is the punishment I deserve."

After saying these words in a clear voice mixed with numbness.

The gray-haired girl walked towards the door, following the shadows and darkness in the room that had not been dispelled by the light, with footsteps that did not disturb anyone.

"then."

The little girl turned around subconsciously, and something drew a parabola in the air and fell precisely into her hands.

It was a pure silver badge, its simple lines outlining the coastline protected by wings.

It was the Watcher's Winged Emblem that she had always longed for, even going so far as to sneak into Rast's room and steal it.

She raised her head and looked at Luster in confusion.

"After all, this thing isn't worth much."

"I can't decide what to do with Hiltina's, but I'll give this one away."

Luster's calm voice sounded behind her.

"Besides, there's no need to report it to the old mayor... If Hiltina knew about getting angry with a child, she'd probably laugh at me."

"As for that wing emblem, whether you sell it for silver, or really treat Hiltina and me as spirit rings and use it to deceive the Shore Guard headquarters by claiming we're orphans, it doesn't matter."

"But, there's only one thing I hope you remember."

His voice echoed with the whistling evening wind outside the window.

"What 'Shore Guardian' represents is not the safe and stable life you imagine."

"It's a pair of shackles, a chain, and even... a curse."

"A curse that will stay with you for the rest of your life, like a thorn in your flesh, from which you can never escape, until the end of your life."

"Don't talk about becoming a shore guardian until you've made up your mind to bear this curse."

……

The gray-haired girl glanced at Rast and nodded silently.

She held the silver winged emblem tightly in her hand and walked out step by step.

Just as her figure was about to disappear outside the door, Rast's voice rang out again.

"Speaking of which, do you have a name? Little Gray isn't your official name, is it?"

The girl paused slightly. "I don't have a name. A street kid doesn't need one."

"Little Gray is what the mayor called me because of the color of my hair. Later, everyone called me that."

Luster paused. "So that's how it is. That's quite a coincidence."

"I have a friend who also forgot his name at the time. It was only after someone told him that he got his name back."