A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

“But you’re different.” After saying that, he gave Luo Shiqi a special look.

This brat caused a family conflict, and he hates it so much.

"Gulp." Luo Shiqi forced down the steamed bun and took a deep breath.

He said this countless times: “Teach me swordsmanship, and I’ll do anything for you.”

He didn't know what else to say, but if saying it could sway the other party, he wouldn't mind saying it a thousand times.

Unfortunately, even if Luo Shiqi said this a thousand times, Bray would still not be considered a teacher.

Luo Shiqi is still too inexperienced when it comes to patience.

“Actually, what you want to learn isn’t really swordsmanship, right?” Bray said to Luo Shiqi after thinking for a moment.

Luo Shiqi said he wanted to learn swordsmanship, but what he actually wanted to learn was not swordsmanship.

“You just want to learn how to ‘become stronger’,” Bray bluntly revealed Luo Shiqi’s thoughts.

Luo Shiqi remained silent for a long time before finally nodding stiffly.

"That's right, I want to learn any method that can make me stronger." His still-childish voice struggled to express his true purpose.

It's honestly a little upsetting to have someone tell you your true thoughts.

Bray knew this feeling too, because he had often had his inner thoughts revealed by Nicolas.

That was more than just a little painful; it felt like you couldn't hide anything from anyone.

When someone is "transparent" to another person, anyone will instinctively feel resistant to that person.

"Is there anything wrong with this?" Luo Shiqi couldn't help but ask. Was it wrong for him to learn how to become stronger in order to survive?

Luo Shiqi's pursuit of power was not aimless; he sought power for the purpose of "surviving the apocalypse."

Is there something wrong with my idea?

“No mistake, it’s even quite right.” Bray took out a candy cigarette from his pouch and took a sad puff.

Now, all that's left in his wallet is a box of cigarette candy that Naruko gave him before, so under normal circumstances, Bray wouldn't eat it.

But right now Bray is really sad, so he might as well find something to chew on.

“…” Bray looked at Luo Shiqi again and again, as if he was thinking about something.

Bray's dead fish-like eyes made Luo Shiqi a little uneasy.

I didn't feel anything special before, but when I was stared at by those dead fish eyes, I felt a strange sense of oppression.

Is this the pressure of being strong?

No, no, no, it's just that dead fish eyes are really annoying. That so-called oppressive feeling is just an illusion caused by being too annoyed.

"Little brat."

"My name is Luo Shiqi." Luo Shiqi was a little annoyed. The pretty older sister with the pink ponytail next to him knew his name, but Bulei still didn't remember it.

"Yes, Luo Shiqi, right?" Bray nodded, not thinking there was anything wrong with not remembering someone's name.

"If you just want to become stronger, there are many ways."

"By the way, my swordsmanship is not an example of this; learning my swordsmanship will not make you stronger," Brey added deliberately.

“If you want to learn, there are plenty of people who can teach you, and I happen to know some of them,” he said to Luo Shiqi, his eyes lowered as he smoked a candy.

"..." Luo Shiqi did not speak, but waited for Bray's next words.

"Do you want enough power, or enough wisdom?" Bray asked the brat in front of him, organizing his thoughts.

"Wisdom...?" After hesitating for a few minutes, Luo Shiqi finally spoke.

---

"Achoo!" Eric, with his legs propped up on the rotten wooden table, sneezed loudly.

"Which bastard is plotting against me?" He frowned, feeling a sense of unease. The car overturned, leaving him with head and hand injuries. He could only type with one finger, so he'd be updating with a stockpile of chapters for the next few days until he recovered. The injuries were quite severe. "Soldier, long time no see," Bray greeted Eric formally.

Bray and Eric were in a rather shabby room, which also contained Captain Alice and a bunch of other random people.

This could barely be considered an office, but as for a private office? There's no way such a thing exists.

Eric received the best treatment; he had his own desk and could even occasionally put his feet up on it.

All the odd jobs within the safe zone can be found here; Eric and Alice are in charge of this area.

What's worse, Eric not only has to handle clerical work, but also regularly gathers people to explore the safe zone together.

It wouldn't be surprising if you encountered a little monster that day and got killed with a single blow.

Carrasco was pushing himself to the limit... Eric was very depressed every day.

"Yes, yes, it's been a long time. The last time we met was four days ago." Eric waved his hand casually, giving Bray's opening remarks a perfunctory reply.

"A day apart feels like three autumns," Bray said earnestly.

"Yes, yes, four days is a year, right?"

“You should add some more lights here; these two or three aren’t enough,” Bray said, trying to avoid an awkward situation, so he changed the subject.

“Find more lights, and I’ll install them,” Eric said dismissively.

"Emmmmmmmm" Bray rubbed his chin, a little conflicted. He had picked up a lot of junk in the ruins, but the chances of finding a light were extremely low.

The important thing is that even if they find him, they will take him to the market to sell.

This request is a bit difficult, so Bray decides to change the subject.

"Are you married to Captain Alice?" Bray asked, glancing at Captain Alice behind Eric.

“It’s settled.” Eric glanced at Bray and said in a nonchalant tone, unaware that Captain Alice was behind him.

Alice remained calm and showed no intention of denying it.

"??????????" Many question marks appeared above Bray's head.

How could Bray not know when this happened? He... was just trying to change the subject.

“We didn’t have a wedding...and there’s no need to go around telling everyone.” Actually, Eric and Alice had already gotten married in the last two years.

Just as Eric said, the two kept a low profile, and holding a grand wedding in the wasteland... that was indeed quite difficult.

"Before and after marriage, it's really just a change in the two people's status, there's nothing surprising about it."

As Eric said this, Alice stared at him with a resentful look from behind.

“I’ve done all the romantic things I could… but I’ll make up for everything I owe her,” Eric continued.

He never intended to deceive himself, and Captain Alice seemed to have no intention of hiding her thoughts either.

Therefore, the key to whether the two people get married or not lies in who makes the first move.

Of course, it was Colonel Eric who spoke.

"Afterwards, I will make her the happiest bride in the world," the colonel said in a very ordinary tone, as if it were something that should be taken for granted.

No, this is a matter of course.

He and Alice only went through a formality; the actual wedding never took place.

If the world could return to normal before he dies, he would give everything he has to make Alice a true "bride".

"..." Alice, who was secretly standing behind the colonel, blushed a little. It was rare to see such a girlish demeanor on her.

Alice had initially considered calling out to Eric, but silently swallowed her words. After calming herself down slightly, she stood guard behind the colonel without uttering a word.

Bray tilted his head back slightly and looked at Eric with a strange expression.

"You two got married during this time? But why don't you and Alice seem like a couple at all?" Bray asked seriously.

Eric and Alice's daily life hasn't changed at all. Shouldn't things become sweeter after marriage?

"Go say that to yourself." Eric didn't understand where Bray got the nerve to talk about others; Bray and Naruko were the least like a married couple.

"Blind man, just tell me what you want from me, stop beating around the bush." ​​Eric's eyelids had been twitching since earlier, so Bray must be in some trouble.

"..."

"Your chatting skills are so bad, you might as well just get straight to the point." Eric was very disgusted with Bray, this chattering genius.

"..."

However, this guy usually knows he's a natural conversationalist, so he always gets straight to the point, but today he's acting a bit strangely.

Oh no, my eyelids are twitching even more.

"..." Helpless, Bray took a few steps to the side, allowing Eric to see Luo Shiqi behind him.

Luo Shiqi was unusually quiet from the moment he entered, causing Eric to momentarily forget that he was even there.

Eric glanced at Rox XVII, then fixed his gaze on Bray.

Bray wasn't the kind of guy who would pity someone just because they were pitiful; in other words, this wasn't some wild brat he'd picked up and adopted.

Eric exchanged a questioning look with Bray.

So who exactly is this little devil who looks like a scavenger? Could he be some kind of humanoid Aragami, and they've taken him in to study him?

Perhaps it's because he's been spending too much time with Bray, but Eric's imagination has started to run wild.

"What the hell?"

"I want you to teach him something."

“There are many flaws in what you said.” Eric stopped Brey from continuing after Brey finished speaking.

"First, what do you want me to teach him? Second, why should I teach him?" Eric asked, holding up two fingers.

Good question! Bray had no answer.

“He said he wanted to learn ‘wisdom,’ and then I thought of you.”

"What is this? Wisdom? You want to learn this from me? You might as well go find some unknown sage who has been living in seclusion for many years."

Eric was shocked. He finally understood why he had sneezed earlier; that blind man was definitely plotting against him again.

“If he says he wants ‘power,’ then I’ll go to Carrasco,” Bray said expressionlessly.

It seems that going to find Carrasco is not a big deal.

Although he had killed Carrasco, and although he had prevented Carrasco from usurping the throne long ago...

Kebrey felt that, strictly speaking, his relationship with Carrasco was pretty good (?).

"..." This time, the colonel was speechless.

“His name is Luo Shiqi, and he’s incredibly annoying,” Bray said.

“You are too,” Eric said.

"Why do you want to become smarter?" Although Eric knew that teaching others "wisdom" was a ridiculous idea, he still asked this seemingly precocious boy very seriously.

By the way, why insist on using the literary term "wisdom"? You could just call it "brain" too.

“Smart people…are more likely to survive,” Luo Shiqi said.

“There are many kinds of intelligence in this world.” Eric’s expression turned serious.

"Some smart people do live long lives, but some have particularly short lives." Eric was a little annoyed. This brat... if no one teaches him, he might cause trouble for many people.

“Scammers are clever; they can get things from other people that don’t belong to them.”

"Those behind-the-scenes manipulators are also very clever; they can manipulate everything."

"Despite how awful they are, it's undeniable that they have an easy time surviving and often live a more comfortable life than many others."

"This apocalyptic scene around us was created by a very annoying, very clever guy," Eric said, his posture unconsciously becoming quite languid.

"You said you wanted to survive, so you wanted to learn to be smarter, and you'll probably end up being one of those guys." The colonel's tone was casual, just like his posture.

"If we compare wisdom to water, then the two extremes of wisdom are ice and steam." He gave a nonsensical example, leaving Luo Shiqi completely bewildered.

"Okay, if you don't understand this, then forget it." Eric suddenly felt bored. He thought his example made a lot of sense, yet no one understood it.

"Some people are very smart, they see through everything, and then choose to remain neutral, only observing everything."

"Actually, these people are quite likely to survive, but of course, they are also quite likely to encounter unexpected disasters."

"There are also some people who are particularly smart, but they always do 'irrational' things, and these people have short lives."