SDIWD - Chapter 78
Chapter 78
What is the duty of a guard?
The selection of exclusive guards for members of the royal family almost always involved a rigorous selection process. For a direct heir like Hua Mu, who was second in line to the throne, the standards for selection were second only to those for the Queen's guard. And compared to the strength tests, what left a deeper impression on Bai Zhen were the various types of psychological exams.
The Tower had a specialized team of psychological experts who tested the Sentinels' personalities and loyalty in various ways, so no one knew how it was graded until the results were out. Bai Zhen received the highest score and entered the final assessment—the Leader's "Interrogation."
The so-called "Interrogation" by the Leader was not just a simple Q&A. As the Leader's only disciple, Bai Zhen knew better than anyone how difficult this stage was. In front of the Leader, no lie could escape.
This was Bai Zhen's final hurdle, and the only one where she lacked confidence. She had unspeakable secrets, things she needed to conceal, and reasons why she could not fail.
She cheated for the first and only time in her life.
What is the duty of a guard?
The Hezhou Rainforest is the only habitat of the Black-Eyed Clan, and the Black-Eyed Clan is one of the few groups that still maintains a primitive way of life today.
Bai Zhen had never seen her parents since birth and was raised by an elderly woman called "Granny." The clanspeople treated her well enough, and she never felt inferior because of her orphan status. Outside of school, she spent her time roaming the embrace of the jungle; those were her most innocent and carefree days.
The members of the Black-Eyed Clan were all agile and skilled, the most dangerous predators in the jungle. Although they were generally not tall, they were born with exceptional endurance and robust physiques, making them one of the races with the best physical constitution.
Bai Zhen was a standout among them. Her tall stature didn't hinder her agility in the slightest. Even as a child, her strength was incomparable to that of adults, and by the age of ten, she was already following the clan's adults to hunt deep in the jungle. In the Black-Eyed Clan, where strength spoke for itself, no one treated her as an outsider.
She grew up happily until the age of twelve, when a sudden awakening completely changed her life.
What is a Sentinel?
Before her awakening, Bai Zhen had never even heard the word. There wasn't a single Sentinel or Guide in the Black-Eyed Clan. Aside from the school established by the government in their village and periodic exchanges of goods with civilized society, they were almost completely isolated from the world.
Due to the aftereffects of her awakening and a lack of Guide-hormone, the ice wolf lost control and destroyed half the village. Many clanspeople were injured as a result, and she was urgently sent to the branch Tower in Hezhou.
In the Tower, she received treatment and testing, and also overheard many secrets. Because she always appeared to be in a comatose state, the adults didn't censor their conversations around her.
The Black-Eyed Clan's lack of Sentinels and Guides wasn't simply because of their small population. Official statistics from the past showed that the Black-Eyed Clan and the Temir Clan, who lived in the frigid zone, were known as the two races with the lowest Sentinel-Guide awakening rates—both had an awakening rate of zero.
And there was a reason for such a low probability. Both the Black-Eyed Clan and the Temir Clan were races whose physical constitutions far surpassed ordinary people. Their living environments were also quite unique, making them highly exclusive. Data suggested that such races were rarely inhabited by spirit animals, so the probability of awakening was naturally very low.
The reason Bai Zhen was able to awaken was actually very simple: she was not a pure-blooded member of the Black-Eyed Clan. Being mixed-blood was the reason for her tall stature, the reason she awakened as a Sentinel, and even the reason her spirit animal was an ice wolf, completely at odds with the tropics.
She had been sent to the Black-Eyed Clan by the Tower in the first place. This time, it was merely a return to where she belonged—she had been completely abandoned by her clan.
After becoming capable of carrying out missions independently, Bai Zhen used many methods to investigate her own origins and had even found some faint clues. But after becoming Hua Mu's guard, she gave up the search, letting everything sink into oblivion.
The past was no longer important to her. Her only duty and mission now was to protect Hua Mu's safety. For the little girl who made a promise to her, for the princess who saved her from her confusion, for the monarch who would one day lead the nation and its people.
But, the Young Lady said she no longer needed her. In fact, it seemed she really wasn't needed anymore. It was a deserted island for two, and the most important person was right by her side, yet she felt a loneliness and confusion she had never experienced before.
What did the Young Lady mean?
Bai Zhen watched Hua Mu's stubborn face from slightly behind and to the side, feeling a throbbing headache.
The heavy rain fell for two full days, only gradually stopping on the morning of the third day. But the sky remained overcast, showing no sign of the sun coming out.
Hua Mu's mood was also a bit down due to worry and the gloomy weather. The firewood had become damp and produced too much smoke, making it too suffocating to use in the bamboo shelter, so she had eaten several meals of dry rations. Seeing that the weather was still not cooperating and the rain was likely to continue, she decided to use this break in the downpour to gather some food.
The jungle was difficult to navigate after the heavy rain, so Hua Mu gave up on her plan to pick breadfruit and other fruits, deciding instead to go to the beach to collect some shellfish. Based on past experience, if she was lucky, she might even find some fish that had washed ashore.
Bai Zhen had been out of sorts for the past two days, still somewhat dazed while repairing the bamboo shelter. Watching Hua Mu run energetically to the beach to forage for food, she felt an empty, unanchored feeling in her heart.
The dark clouds hung low, making one feel oppressed and heavy-hearted.
Bai Zhen's thoughts were in turmoil. She kept feeling that something bad was about to happen, but the two of them had spent so much time safely on the island that she really couldn't imagine what danger could befall them.
A storm?
Although the sky was gloomy, it didn't look like the precursor to a storm. The shelter should still be able to withstand this kind of rain.
"Whoa, Bai Zhen, Bai Zhen, come quick and look! There are so many fish here! And squid and spider crabs!"
Hua Mu was overjoyed when she saw the scene on the beach and hurriedly waved at Bai Zhen.
"Stop looking at the bamboo shelter, come over and help!"
Hua Mu wanted her help, so Bai Zhen immediately dropped what she was doing and ran towards the beach.
It wasn't just Hua Mu; even Bai Zhen was shocked by the sight. The beach was littered with the bodies of many sea creatures. Although not packed densely, the sheer size of the individuals made it a stunning sight.
Giant squid over two meters long, spider crabs the size of washbasins, tuna thicker than an arm, and countless other strange and bizarre sea creatures.
Although she had lost count of how much seafood she had eaten, Hua Mu couldn't help but be overcome with the joy of finding such a bounty. So many high-quality ingredients! If processed, it would be enough to feed the two of them for a long time!
"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and help! They'll start to stink if we leave them out any longer!" Seeing Bai Zhen standing there in a daze with a frown, Hua Mu eagerly beckoned her over. "I found this, so I get sixty percent... no, seventy percent!"
Bai Zhen snapped back to her senses. She vaguely felt that something was wrong, but Hua Mu had a point. She hurried back to the bamboo shelter to get a basket.
Hua Mu recognized the tuna and, not minding its texture, grabbed it by the tail to drag it back.
It looked relatively fresh, probably having died not long ago, but it was too risky to make sashimi. It would be better to grill it.
Just as she was mentally planning how to prepare the tuna, she accidentally stepped on something.
"Whoa!" Hua Mu looked down and couldn't help but jump in fright.
A flat, ugly monster of a fish was lying at her feet. Its appearance was no better than the sapient creatures she had once seen in a museum.
"Young Lady, are you all right?" Bai Zhen arrived just in time to steady her swaying body.
"Ahem, I-I'm fine. I was just caught off guard. It's not like I was scared."
Bai Zhen let her go without saying much, her expression grave as she stared at the fish she had just stepped on.
"What's wrong? What's so interesting about such an ugly fish? I wouldn't want to eat it no matter how delicious it is."
The ugly fish's mouth was wide open, revealing a set of sharp, serrated teeth that made it look absolutely terrifying. In the past, Hua Mu would probably have been so scared she would have jumped straight into Bai Zhen's arms, screaming.
"Young Lady, this is an anglerfish."
"What, this is an anglerfish? The same anglerfish from anglerfish liver?"
Anglerfish liver was known as the foie gras of the sea. Hua Mu had naturally tasted it before; she just had never seen the actual fish.
"It's way too ugly. I'm never eating it again."
"Anglerfish are deep-sea fish that live on the seabed at depths of fifty to one hundred meters. The squid, tuna, and spider crabs are also deep-sea species."
Hua Mu didn't understand what Bai Zhen was getting at right away. Thinking she was just giving a science lesson, she said impatiently, "Alright, alright, we can talk about science later. Let's move the edible ones back first. Once they're cut, you go start a fire. I'll marinate them first."
For the moment, Bai Zhen wasn't sure of the significance of what she was saying either. Her mind was just too chaotic, so she wanted to say the information out loud to try and clarify it.
"But under normal circumstances, it's impossible for deep-sea fish to be washed up on the beach on such a large scale, unless it's the breeding season and some of the species seek out coasts or harbors to reproduce."
"Didn't it just rain? We're just lucky. Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and move them."
Bai Zhen couldn't figure it out for the time being, so under Hua Mu's urging, she could only move as much of the edible seafood from the beach to the bamboo shelter as possible. Because there was so much, she even had to use the ice wolf's freezing ability.
Hua Mu was now beyond ecstatic about the food, completely absorbed in the task at hand. What needed to be frozen was frozen, what needed to be marinated was marinated, and what needed to be smoked was smoked. And of course, lunch was inevitably a huge feast.
The two of them were busy until the afternoon before all the food was processed. Hua Mu's back ached from exhaustion, but she was still overjoyed.
"Ah, I can't go on. I just want to collapse right now."
"Then you should rest first, Young Lady. I'll go clean up the beach, otherwise it will start to smell."
Hua Mu, who had been about to lie down, immediately straightened up. "I'll go too. It'll be a good chance to stretch my body."
She didn't want to be treated specially.
"...Alright."
Bai Zhen was in no position to stop her, so she could only nod.
Even after being picked over, the beach was still covered with the bodies of various sea creatures. If they weren't dealt with quickly, the stench would be unbearable once the sun came out.
Each carrying a bamboo basket on their back, the two of them meticulously cleaned the beach. They planned to take the raft out and dump the carcasses further out at sea, letting them become food for other creatures and return to the ocean.
As Hua Mu picked up the bodies of small fish and shrimp, she felt a sense of regret. If there weren't so many, fish and shrimp of this size would normally be considered a delicacy on their plates, but now they had to be wasted.
"Sigh, why did they all have to come at once? It would have been so much better if they came little by little. Then we wouldn't have to worry for over half a year..."
As she was describing her wonderful vision, the Sentinel walking ahead of her suddenly looked up at the distant sea.
"What's wrong?"
"Young Lady! Run!"
Bai Zhen suddenly dumped everything she had collected in her basket, turned, and rushed towards Hua Mu, scooping her up by the waist with one arm.
"Bai Zhen, what are you doing!"
Hua Mu nearly choked, quite annoyed by the Sentinel's sudden madness.
But Bai Zhen had no time to worry about that. She hoisted Hua Mu, basket and all, onto her shoulder and ran towards the bamboo shelter.
The fresh carcasses in the basket on her back slapped against the back of Hua Mu's head, and she was so angry she almost had a breakdown on the spot. She struggled a few times but couldn't break free. Pounding her small fists against the Sentinel's back, she said in frustration, "What-what's gotten into you... I can't breathe."
Bai Zhen seemed to say something, but she was running so fast that all Hua Mu could hear was the wind rushing past her ears, making it impossible to make out her words.
But soon, she saw a strange sight behind them—the sea was suddenly receding.
It wasn't high tide, so it couldn't be called low tide, but the seawater was being drawn away as if by some giant pump, the coastline receding at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The sight was so bizarre it made the hair on Hua Mu's arms stand on end. Even if she didn't understand what was happening, she knew something major was about to occur.
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