Gathering and separation

Author: Lin Zixie

Gathering and separation

Esther completely settled behind Chanis' door. Crestel gave her a pocket watch with a copper cover, saying it could let Esther know the time outside. The outside of the pocket watch was embedded with tiny diamonds like stars.

There was a black badge welded on the inside of the watch cover. Esther originally didn't want to accept such a valuable thing, but Crestel had a tough attitude.

"This is also a token. If you go to other cities, you can also ask the Church of the Night for help. If there is an accident, you can also smash it and stimulate the power of the goddess in a short time. Whether you want to escape or suppress yourself from losing control, it can help.

your turn."

Esther had no choice but to accept it, but she didn't like this exquisite and beautiful gift. She could feel that it had some secret connection with the outside world and would convey her location.

Although I can understand the methods of the Church of the Night, it still makes Esther uncomfortable.

Later, Crestel carved a rune that Esther couldn't understand at the door of Esther's room. According to Crestel's explanation, it was the ancient Hermes language for "sleep".

What Crested didn't say clearly was that the symbols he carved with his spiritual power would amplify the seal of Chanis Gate on this stone house, causing Esther to sleep longer.

Crested asked Esther to rest on her own first. He had other things to deal with, so he wouldn't disturb her.

Of course Esther remembered Daly's inspection. She returned to the stone house, sat on the bed and continued reading "Russell's Selected Poems", but soon tiredness and sleepiness came over her. She yawned and put the book away.

He placed it on the bedside, pulled the quilt over his head, and fell into a deep sleep within a few dozen seconds.

In Dunn's office, Crested sat on a chair and shook his head when Dunn asked if he wanted tea or coffee.

"As for Esther, I'm afraid she will be asleep for a while. I'm not sure how long it will be. You knock on the door once every morning and evening to make sure she wakes up. When Esther wakes up, she will be free.

Going in and out of Chanis Gate is equivalent to half a member of the Tingen Nighthawks."

"After that...are we going to get along with Esther as her?"

Crestel nodded expressionlessly: "Yes, this is how she understands herself now. If there is a mission that requires the use of dangerous sealed objects, you can take her with you, but before that, it is best to let her go through a normal night watch."

The training process, physical skills, shooting, and weapon distribution of the operators are all in order to avoid incoordination with other people’s actions.”

Dunn discovered that there was something important that Crested had left out: "What about the occult?"

"You can teach her basic language and writing, but keep her distance from spiritual vision, divination, sacrifice, or other things involving spiritual energy. She can watch, but it's best not to try."

Dunn noted this carefully.

"It is best for her to stay in Chanis Gate for more than eight hours a day, and she cannot leave for more than forty-eight hours at most. This is for insurance purposes, so I told her that she can be exposed to the power of Chanis Gate every night."

"Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?"

"In fact, her current state..." Crested pondered for a moment, "It is much more stable than the church expected, so you can safely communicate with her. The intersection between you is an ordinary interpersonal relationship. She

The special direction of the strange power has been transferred to the entire Tingen Nighthawks team."

"what happened?"

"It was a small accident, but she made an oath in front of the Goddess Sword, so you can rest assured."

Crested didn't explain in more detail, so Dunn knew that this was something he shouldn't know.

In fact, Dunn's impression of Esther was not bad. Excluding the threat posed by "it" in the first place and the fact that Daley was so deeply affected, he felt panicked. As far as Esther was concerned, he

You could feel that the smile on this young girl's face when she thanked him was sincere from the bottom of her heart.

After a brief inspection of Dai Li's situation, Crested took her to catch the steam train to Backlund. It was still Dunn who sent them away.

Dai Li lowered her black gauze hat, revealing only her lips painted with indigo lipstick. Whether it was her black long skirt or the bitterness in her eyes, she looked like she was going to attend a party.

A funeral.

Dunn watched the train pull out of the station in silence, hoping that today's foggy sky in Backlund would clear up for a moment, allowing some sunshine to shine through to Dai Li.

Goddess, she is so talented and will definitely get better and better.

——

However, what surprised Dunn was that Senior Deacon Crested said that Esther would "sleep for a period of time", which actually lasted for ten days.

Every day he would knock on the door morning and evening, but there was no response. According to the changing watchmen, there was no movement at all inside the stone house.

On the third day, Dunn had to take Luo Yao to the Chanis Gate, and asked her to stand by the door, open the crack, and use a light to check. Esther was still inside, lying quietly on the stone bed, breathing slowly.

So she is indeed asleep.

Dunn returned to the office angrily and sent a telegram to the church, but the response he received was just "don't worry about her." Dunn sighed and could only accept this arrangement.

On the tenth day, when Esther rubbed her eyes and opened the stone door, Dunn breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that Esther would really sleep forever and never wake up. The letter from Dai Li was still on his desk. Dunn

I don’t even know how to reply, but now I finally have a good result.

"Sorry, I feel like I slept for a long time." Esther covered her mouth and yawned, her sleepiness finally subsided.

Dunn shook his head: "From this moment on, you can move around on your own, but you have to come back to Chanis Gate to sleep for a while every day."

"Does this mean I can go back to the bakery and help?"

"Of course, this is your freedom. In view of the arrangements of the temple, you are now considered a member of the Tingen Nighthawks team, although the previous relationship was not pleasant..."

Dunn stretched out his hand to Esther seriously and shook her right hand: "But now, you are welcome to join us, Esther."

Esther felt warm in her heart and nodded vigorously: "I - I just went back to the bakery to tell Grandma Wendy! If there is anything I can do, please tell me!"

Dunn nodded, but felt a little complicated in his heart. It was indeed as told by the church that she would give particularly obvious "command feedback" and was even extremely enthusiastic about helping them. Dunn did not completely let go of his wariness towards Esther.

, but it is difficult to maintain a cold attitude. Everything Esther shows will make people subconsciously label her as "harmless".

Dunn took Esther, who had changed clothes and fixed her hair, and introduced everyone on duty today, briefly mentioning the purpose of each room to Esther. Luo Yao and Xijia greeted Esther in a friendly manner.

After greeting him, nodding with Frye's character was the limit. Roseanne, Viola, Brett and Mrs. Oriana were full of curiosity. Cesar was a clerk in charge of purchasing and a part-time coachman. At this time, he went to the dock.

The warehouse has ordered the goods and I am not staying here.

It was the first time for everyone to meet this strange and gentle girl. Dai Li had not met anyone else when she brought Esther back. Esther spent the night on the sofa in the living room.

Only Old Neil, who was guarding the weapons arsenal today, seemed a little wary. However, under Esther's curious questions, Old Neil's good teacher character, which he had been practicing as a secret voyeur for many years, was inspired, and he couldn't help but give Esther some advice.

Esther listened attentively to the popular science knowledge about occult science, and from time to time would ask questions about things she was curious about.

Dunn, who finally returned from the office, reminded Esther: "By the way, one more thing. When you go to Slim Bakery, you can first withdraw part of your salary from Mrs. Oriana and buy some things you like on the way.

Salary payment will start this week."

"How embarrassing!" Esther's eyes were bright, clearly looking forward to it.

Old Neil put down the coffee cup with a smile: "Let me tell you, the church is responsible for reimbursing this. Since you want to stay in the Nighthawks, of course you can get your share."

Dunn nodded and did not make any comment on the "reimbursement science" that Old Neil taught him, which he was most passionate about. He just told Esther: "Your weekly salary is one pound per week. In comparison, it is not much."

The daily tasks are left to you. Except for emergencies, you can arrange your time freely."

One pound!?

Esther almost jumped with excitement. The salary of one pound per week was enough for the family of three on Iron Cross Street to live a life of fish and meat every day. This was unimaginable to Esther before.

Now, she can buy a lot of books that interest her, do baking experiments or cooking as much as she likes, and even save two weeks of money to go to an opera performance and enjoy the entertainment activities of this world.

Life suddenly had countless expectations, which gave Esther a deeper understanding of the power of money.

Old Neil winked at Esther, who was full of excitement: "You can ask Roxanne to help you order food from the restaurant on Front Street. You don't have to spend any money yourself. Haha, praise the goddess."

When Old Neil made the sign of the cross on his chest, Esther did not follow suit, but she nodded repeatedly and said, "Praise the goddess!"

If Senior Deacon Crestel saw this scene, he would probably be speechless.

At Oriana's suggestion, Esther withdrew two pounds of salary, which was given to her in denominations of ten soles and five soles. Esther had already made plans and purchased a light and easy-to-movement shirt.

and leggings trousers, buy a few novels or poetry books to pass the time, pack a few pieces of Wendy’s specialty lemon cake from the bakery to share with everyone at Blackthorn Security Company, and then buy a woven carpet to spread in the stone house, that way

He sat directly on the ground.

Since the total was only two pounds, Esther decided to find the cheapest ready-to-wear store on Daffodil Street when she took the public carriage. Although the clothes would be more expensive than finding a tailor, she didn't have to wait. She could buy less books.

, if you can’t, postpone the purchase of the woven rug, but you must buy Wendy’s Lemon Cake.

Fortunately, the restrictions given to me by the church are very loose and do not prevent me from continuing to help Wendy and Fiona. The bakery business will definitely get better and better in the future. They must be very busy these days with less manpower, right?

With this thought in mind, Esther jumped off the public carriage and walked cheerfully through the familiar intersection of Daffodil Street and Iron Cross Street. She couldn't wait to go in the direction of Slim's Bakery.

As soon as she stepped into the store, Esther shouted with a smile on her face: "Grandma Wendy! I'm back!"

The old and energetic woman raised her head from behind the counter and looked at Esther blankly.

It's like I've never seen her before.

But the habit of running a store made Wendy smile and nodded to the girl standing blankly by the door: "Welcome, little one, do you want to buy something?"

Esther was stunned on the spot. The person who was so familiar with each other more than ten days ago that he was willing to call her "grandma" looked at her, but he looked at her with the same look as a stranger.

A sad, cold barrier stretched across Esther's eyes.

It is clearly visible that the fate after separation is like a parallel line. As long as the connection is cut off, "Esther" will be forgotten by others immediately, and there is no need to wait for much time.

It turns out that’s the case, it turns out that all of this comes with a price.

Esther tried her best to smile, but her smile was uglier than crying: "Please help me pack half a pound of lemon cake and cut it into small pieces..."
To be continued...