Hua Mu recuperated for a period of time. Just as her injuries had finally healed enough for her to run and jump around, her miserable period arrived right on schedule.

By her calculations, the two of them had been on the island for four and a half months.

Four and a half months was nearly half a year. If someone were stranded alone on a deserted island for that long, they would likely go mad, if not become depressed.

The prospect of rescue seemed increasingly remote, and Hua Mu could no longer even be bothered to think about it. Only Bai Zhen persisted, checking the smoke signals and markers every day without fail.

It wasn’t that Hua Mu didn’t want to go back; she was simply too conflicted and felt that overthinking it was pointless. It was better to let nature take its course. Their relationship had clearly changed since that day, but as for how much they resembled a couple, Hua Mu didn’t really feel it.

The Sentinel was more gentle and considerate, her attitude toward Hua Mu having long surpassed the boundaries of master and servant. But with only devotion and no demands of her own, could this be called love?

Hua Mu was faced with a dilemma.

She had never been in a relationship before. At most, she had read a few romance novels, and it wasn’t long before her reading tastes were led astray, leaving her with a rather poor theoretical understanding of what a proper romance entailed.

But she at least had common sense. Now that they were in a relationship, shouldn’t their forms of address change? Bai Zhen still called her “Miss” every time she opened her mouth; Hua Mu was starting to think her actual name was Miss!

Several times, Hua Mu had tried to talk to Bai Zhen about it, but the moment those gentle eyes looked at her, she forgot everything she wanted to say.

She had to admit, her friends had excellent taste—just like her. What an adorable creature Bai Zhen was, so fierce yet so gentle. She had a body that sent one’s imagination running wild, yet she was as pure as a little lamb.

Hua Mu considered herself one of the more innocent ones in her circle of friends, but the Sentinel was easily ten thousand times more innocent than her.

As cute as it was, it was also frustrating. And why hadn’t her second binding heat arrived? It had been half a month—far too long!

Bai Zhen also found it strange. Although she had never encountered a one-hundred-percent match or abilities like Hua Mu’s before, based on the circumstances, her second binding heat should have arrived ten days ago.

Hua Mu had still been recovering from her injuries back then, and Bai Zhen had prepared herself to endure it. But not only did the expected binding heat fail to arrive, she remained full of energy for the following ten days.

She had gone nearly twenty days without a mental grooming, something that was almost impossible without frequent use of the Little White Pills. While the naturally emitted Guide-hormone had some effect on Sentinels, its low and untargeted concentration meant it could only serve as an auxiliary barrier and a mood stabilizer.

Bai Zhen considered a possibility: this was one of Hua Mu’s abilities. If it truly had this effect, perhaps it could be called “Liberation.”

But the time frame was too short and the sample size too small for her to determine if it was a fluke. For now, she could only shelve her questions and continue to observe. Hua Mu’s progress in her training over the past dozen days had been astonishingly rapid. She could not only make Luna teleport but could even achieve brief periods of spiritual possession.

And she had achieved this by practicing only two hours a day. At the Tower, such lessons often took half a year to teach.

Luna had grown another size without them realizing and was now as tall as Bai Zhen. Her slender limbs, elegant posture, glossy black coat, and flowing mane made her look noble and graceful—except for when she and Hati were passionately grooming each other.

Hua Mu had even begun to understand how she had awakened Bai Zhen. Normally, pulling a Sentinel out of the Eternal Night was no easy feat. Bai Zhen had sensed a flash of light and followed its path back to consciousness. That light was likely one of Luna’s abilities.

“Attraction,” “Awakening,” and “Liberation.” All three were support abilities targeted at Sentinels. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that none of them were suited for critical, battlefield-like situations.

Bai Zhen had a faint suspicion. She recalled the promise the little girl had made to her twelve years ago.

The two girls seemed to have endless things to talk about. Though it was mostly Hua Mu talking and Bai Zhen listening, they both enjoyed the conversation immensely, only stopping when Hua Mu’s stomach began to rumble.

“Are you hungry?”

Hua Mu rubbed her flat tummy and nodded pitifully. “I didn’t eat lunch. I’m so hungry now.”

Bai Zhen had been surviving by catching fish and digging up wild vegetables these days, but she felt these things weren’t quite suitable for Hua Mu to eat. How could such a cute and noble little girl eat things like that?

“D-do you want to eat fish?”

“Is there fish?”

“I can catch…”

Hua Mu thought for a moment, then shook her head. “It would take too long to go catch one now. But you’re amazing, you even know how to catch fish. Let it be my treat this time. Let’s go eat at a restaurant… but you have to protect me.”

Restaurants didn’t require identification, and her height was enough to get by. The only problem was that both of them were surely being searched for. If they walked the streets openly, it wouldn’t be long before they were found.

But Bai Zhen was unwilling to refuse Hua Mu. And to be honest, she didn’t know how much longer she could last. If she were caught and taken back this time, perhaps it was fate.

“Okay.”

Bai Zhen’s clothes were clearly not in the same class as Hua Mu’s. In the end, they agreed on a story: Bai Zhen was Hua Mu’s guard, and she was taking her out for the day.

Though only six years old, Hua Mu knew far more about the Imperial Capital than Bai Zhen did. Thanks to her special status and upbringing, she was already quite assertive for her age and took the lead the entire time.

“We can’t go to the East District. The food there is good, but it’s expensive, and all the shop owners know me. We’d be found out immediately. I heard from Manman that the North District has lots of food streets where things are cheap. Let’s go there.”

The little girl had clearly done her homework on running away, a testament to her determination.

They were in the outskirts of the East District, so getting to the North District required public transport. Neither Bai Zhen nor Hua Mu had ever used it before. After studying the options for a long time, they finally decided to take the maglev sky-train to the Fude Night Market in the North District.

Bai Zhen had no ID card, and Hua Mu didn’t dare use hers. The ticket machine wouldn’t accept large bills, so Bai Zhen had to brace herself and buy two tickets from the counter. Luckily, the attendant didn’t ask any questions, only giving her conspicuous appearance a few extra looks.

As technology advanced by leaps and bounds, so too did medical science. With the widespread application of artificial organs and bionic prosthetics, human lifespans had increased dramatically, and the population grew with each passing day.

This population growth inevitably brought all sorts of strains, especially in a city like the Imperial Capital, where the permanent population exceeded one hundred million. The pressure on transportation was immense, and the surface roads and underground rail lines had long been insufficient to meet daily demand. Skyways, maglev cars, and maglev sky-trains were developed to address this need.

The maglev sky-train was one of the most convenient and affordable modes of transport available. Its tracks were suspended high above the city, weaving between skyscrapers, with some stations located directly inside the buildings themselves. Most buildings in the Imperial Capital were over eighty stories tall; only the royal family’s private territory in the East District still preserved some of its luxurious, low-rise architecture.

The Fude Night Market was located inside the Fude Building in the North District. As a structure that was over a decade old, it was no longer remarkable in terms of height or amenities. But the place was still incredibly bustling. A wide variety of affordable snacks, entertainment, and shopping made it a popular destination for ordinary families, young people, and students.

With such a motley crowd, which included many foreigners, Bai Zhen and Hua Mu didn’t stand out in the slightest.

“Whoa, it’s so lively here!”

Hua Mu had spent her early childhood on her father’s fief, living a pastoral life. After returning to the Imperial Capital, her activities had been confined to the East District. She had truly never seen so many people in one place.

Neither had Bai Zhen. She had grown up in the tropical rainforests in the southern heartland of the empire. Her entire clan numbered just over ten thousand people, scattered throughout the jungle. She had seen fewer people on a regular basis there than she had classmates after entering the Tower.

“Mu… Miss, please slow down. Be careful we don’t get separated.”

Hua Mu was curious about everything and scurried about on her short little legs. It wasn’t that Bai Zhen couldn’t keep up, but with so many people, she was afraid they would accidentally get separated.

Hua Mu was far too excited to slow down. She simply grabbed Bai Zhen’s hand and pulled her along.

“This way we won’t get separated! Let’s hurry and get something to eat.”

The “food street” wasn’t a street, of course; the name was just a holdover from the past. There were more than ten floors filled with a dazzling array of snacks. Hua Mu wanted to buy a bit of everything, but she would take two bites at most before losing interest, leaving Bai Zhen to finish the rest.

They wandered for hours without realizing it. Hua Mu’s eyes were bigger than her stomach; she kept buying more food until even Bai Zhen couldn’t eat another bite.

“I can’t eat anymore…” Hua Mu collapsed onto a chair, rubbing her round little belly with a sigh of regret. “There’s so much delicious food, but my tummy is too small.”

Bai Zhen slowly chewed the meat pie Hua Mu couldn’t finish, a shy smile on her face.

“You’re so lucky you can eat so much,” Hua Mu said, looking at her with envy. She sighed. “When I’m bigger, will I be able to eat that much, too?”

Bai Zhen had never met anyone with a bigger appetite than her own, and she felt a little ashamed as she put down the food in her hand.

“Um… p-probably.”

“Really? You’re not lying to me, are you? My aunt and my dad eat very little, especially my aunt. She never eats properly. She says she has to maintain her image, so my dad always asks me to help coax her.”

The aunt the little girl mentioned was, of course, none other than the Queen. It was only natural that Her Majesty would want to maintain her image.

“Or maybe… I just eat a bit…”

Bai Zhen was mid-sentence when she suddenly heard the sound of orderly footsteps. It was different from the chaotic din of the night market—a synchronized rhythm that could only come from long and rigorous training. Though she had only been at the Tower for a few months, the sound was already familiar to her.

Were they here for Mumu, or for her? Perhaps it was both.

Bai Zhen felt a pang of regret, but she also thought that returning to the Tower now wouldn’t be so bad. Having this wonderful memory to take with her was more than enough.