Lin Fei felt as though he had been lost in a long dream, enveloped in a tranquil, dark environment where everything appeared bizarre and surreal. The only constant in this dream was a black moon and a solitary, tall tower standing in the middle of a pitch-black lake, which persisted throughout the dream.
What did the moon symbolize? What about the tower? Or was this just a nightmare?
Lin Fei didn't know, just as he didn't know when he would wake up. This state persisted until he groggily heard a conversation—
"Freya."
"Briden, have you made contact?"
The voice was a girl's, bright and articulate—
"Not yet. A group of monsters is guarding the main road. We can't find Uncle Maden and the others, and there's this guy…"
The second voice was also that of a child, and Lin Fei felt a shiver as if a gaze was directed at him. This gaze seemed like a link to this world, causing his body to sink gradually, until the young man realized—this was gravity.
Lin Fei finally confirmed that he could feel his body, though it was still unresponsive.
His breathing became irregular. Was he dead?
"He's an injured person; take care of him," the girl's voice said.
Injured?
Was she referring to him?
Yes, he was severely wounded. His thoughts began to clear up, and everything that had happened earlier played out in his mind like an old film, starting from the moment he was reborn in the body of a young man named Charlotte—Lin Fei never imagined he would risk his life for something, a decision that didn't seem typical for a homebody.
But he had succeeded in the end, by the grace of Mars—
"Freya, he's awake," the child suddenly said.
"What?"
"I saw his eyelids move."
"Impossible. He was severely injured. Markmy said... eh!"
Severely injured?
Indeed, Charlotte was already seriously hurt. Later, when he activated his die-hard ability, he received three more sword wounds. He remembered clearly, each blow to his lower abdomen and right chest was a genuine puncture wound.
Lin Fei's senses became alert; with a shift of focus, the surrounding noises became clear. Panic-stricken shouts, crackling flames, metal clashing, and footsteps combined to drown out the earlier conversation. The temperature around him also began to rise, initially feeling a warm heat against his face, but soon becoming scorching.
Hot.
He blinked, struggling to open his eyes—his first sight was a girl's astonished face.
The girl, presumably named Freya, perfectly matched the bright and clear voice Lin Fei had imagined: light brown hair, bright large eyes, tied into a long ponytail that framed a face full of vigor. She was peering at him, while Lin Fei was also examining her. She wore a snug grayish-white leather armor over a thick cotton shirt, with an armband on her left shoulder—decorated with a beautifully painted black pine leaf.
A militia from Bucchi.
He also noticed the sword in her hand, a medieval Western long sword with a flame emblem on the guard.
The emblem of the Holy Flame Temple.
His gaze shifted to see bloodstained bandages on her other shoulder and left chest.
Had she been through a battle?
Every detail escaped Lin Fei's notice—
...
When he woke, there was a sudden silence around him.
"What… where is this?"
"Roman… cough cough!" As soon as Lin Fei spoke, his throat felt like it had fallen into a hot iron, burning and dry. A faint pain in his chest spread throughout his body, and he couldn't help but cough gently.
But the forest was eerily quiet, with only the wind from the mountains of Songshan gently blowing through the thick pine needles of the Golan, producing a faint, soft rustling sound, like a stream flowing beside his ear.
No one answered.
"He's awake."
"I can't believe he survived such injuries."
"Must be a dying light…"
However, the surrounding whispers only reached his ears. Lin Fei was puzzled. What was going on? These people must be Bucchi's militia, right? Had they saved him?
Then what about the merchant girl?
Did the plan succeed? Did Captain Maden understand his intention?
He couldn't help but turn his head. His first sight was a bright campfire, its flames dancing in his vision, sparks rising along the black pines and disappearing into the night sky.
"You're awake?" The girl finally reacted and hurriedly stopped him. "Wait, don't move. This is Bucchi. Do you remember?"
"Bucchi… Bucchi." Lin Fei repeated the name.
"Can you tell me what happened?" He sighed. Given his condition, he should have been dead by now, whether by game standards or real life.
The only possibility was if Miss Roman had truly found a life potion.
"Little Finis and Markmy found you in the nearby forest." Freya looked at him curiously. Although the young man named Charlotte had been in their village for almost a year, he hadn't interacted much with the other young people in the village.
He always stayed alone in his gloomy house, only occasionally accompanying Roman to the nearby town.
In the neighboring area, even a fool could tell that this young man was interested in the girl dreaming of becoming a merchant, though the latter was unaware.
Freya thought of this and couldn't help but glance at him again, her expression tinged with suspicion.
"You and Roman, I'm really curious how you managed to escape." The girl couldn't help but sigh.
"What about her?"
"She's fine, don't worry. Much better than you, by a long shot. You should focus more on your own condition," Freya touched her forehead and asked gently, "But she keeps insisting on going to the village. Do you know why?"
Lin Fei was taken aback.
So he hadn't used the life potion yet? What about his injuries? Instinctively, he opened his attribute panel. The emerald green data flowed across his retina, and in the character status section, he was stunned to see a line of small text:
Health (Near death, Weak): 10 (Bandaged state, recovers 1 point per day)
Impossible! Lin Fei's first reaction was that he was dreaming. No one knew his condition better than he did—serious, fatal injuries with massive bleeding. From any standpoint, he should have been dead.
How could there still be 10 points of health?
Lin Fei shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but saw the girl looking at him anxiously, "Don't move. You're seriously injured…"
"Don't worry." He instinctively waved his hand.
Lin Fei knew his own condition. Although there was some confusion, his current state was neither due to blood loss nor other anomalies. He was still in a weakened, near-death state—but he understood there was no rush; recovery could only come gradually.
Since his condition was stable, there was no immediate danger to his life.
This was the most puzzling part—how had his injuries stabilized on their own? The Unyielding Talent shouldn't have this capability!
"You—!" Freya's eyes widened. She had never seen someone so nonchalant about their life.
Initially, everyone thought he was as good as dead, and no one expected him to wake up. Just this alone should be a sign of divine favor from Mars, shouldn't it?
The problem was this annoying guy still appeared indifferent, and he should value his life more.
"Lie back down!" The girl couldn't help but take a deep breath and ordered through gritted teeth.
Lin Fei was stunned and looked at her in surprise. What was her problem?
"You—you've had militia training, haven't you? I'm Freya, the captain of the third squad of Bucchi's militia. I'm instructing you to follow my orders for now," Freya blushed slightly, realizing her loss of composure. "Is that alright?"
"You're Freya?" Lin Fei was surprised and instinctively asked, "Freya Alicia, born in the Year of the Shining Moon, daughter of the Grand Knight Everton?"
"Eh, what?" The girl was taken aback by the barrage of questions. "No, no. My father is just a carpenter in the village…"
Laughter erupted around them.
"Freya, this guy is quite the charmer."
"Be careful, big sis."
"Less talking or no one will take you seriously, Markmy, Ike!" Freya shot a disapproving glance at the young men nearby.
Lin Fei also took this opportunity to observe them—this militia squad had seven or eight people, consistent with the Eluin structure. However, the fact that the captain was a woman and there was a young lad…
Looking at the tall and short 'women and children' around him, Lin Fei felt a bit reflective. It seemed like an exception, but it indirectly highlighted how Eluin had been worn down by years of war.
The supposed revival might just drain the last bit of vitality from the country.
Lin Fei couldn't help but sigh.
He had witnessed this history from beginning to end and hadn't expected to relive it in this life. But perhaps he could change something. He gazed absently at the girl beside him—
Yes, Freya Alicia. The last general of Eluin, later known as the Valkyrie of the Kingdom. She was the daughter of the Fire Staff Everton, lost in the countryside in her early years, and later became one of the nation's top rising stars, favored by the regent princess.
He hadn't expected her to have gone through this war—
But unfortunately, it wasn't the time for her to take the initiative. Lin Fei understood he had to be responsible for his own safety and, of course, for the lives of these young people.
"What are you looking at?" Freya turned around, momentarily stunned by the young man's gaze.
The gaze wasn't admiring or infatuated, but rather seemed to view her as a curious creature, as if he was observing her.
But who's observing whom? She wasn't an animal.
"Have you never seen a dead person before?" Lin Fei suddenly asked.
"Ah?"
"I mean, are you afraid of seeing someone die?"
"No, I'm just…" The girl hesitated, momentarily speechless.
"So, my injuries are none of your concern. Can I sit up?" Lin Fei asked seriously.
"No, you can't."
"Why not?"
Freya was speechless. She was indeed afraid. Afraid of seeing someone die in front of her, whether it was anyone—compared to the future Valkyrie, who would be high and mighty, surrounded by countless halos, the current Freya was just a simple country girl.
She hadn't experienced the harshness of war and still held a pure admiration for the kind side of the world.
Lin Fei smiled slightly. He had never seen death either, but considering his experience in the "Amber Sword," he was at least twice as experienced as the current Freya.
He had at least experienced the pain of loss.
The longing for past people and events turned in his memory, tormenting and confusing him. It was such emotions that made a person mature, learn to cherish.
But they also sowed hatred.
"So, just a little girl after all? What makes you think I should follow your orders, Miss Freya?"
"You, you—"
Lin Fei knew lingering on this topic was not beneficial to him. He glanced at the bandages on his chest and quickly changed the subject, "Did you put these bandages on me?"
"Yes, it was the captain. She's the only one here who knows first aid." The young lad beside her answered eagerly, looking at the young man curiously. It seemed the young man was indeed experienced.
Militias from Braggus were different from those in small places.
"It's barely enough to stop the bleeding. Don't think you can move around freely. I don't want to have to bandage you again," Freya promptly reminded.
Besides stopping the bleeding, the bandages' healing effect could only be used once, and Lin Fei was well aware of that.
But this time, he replied politely, "Thank you, though your technique could use some work—"
"..."
Mars above, Freya took a deep breath. At that moment, she felt a strong urge to strangle this smiling guy. What did he want to do!