When Li Xin woke up the next day, the memories of the Round Table Conference were still crystal clear. After a brief exchange among the four of them, the flickering of the constellations had signaled the meeting’s forced conclusion.
As for his impressions of the group—Taurus seemed indifferent, though clearly knowledgeable and mature. Cancer was mostly showing off, likely trying to impress Aries—his gaze lingered on her more than on anyone else. Miss Aries just seemed to enjoy the conversation; she probably had few real troubles. In the end, it felt like Li Xin was the only one who needed this meeting.
His stomach suddenly growled. He was starving.
After breakfast, he said goodbye to Aunt Fei and Xueyin. He might be staying a few days with the Night Watchmen. Showing up too punctually as a rookie was a good way to look clueless—and Li Xin was anything but. Even with Luo Jin's favor, he couldn’t afford to get lazy.
Right now, the livelihood of their little family of three depended on him. Back when he didn’t have the Night Watchman job, that was one thing—but now that he did, there was no going back. Not for Aunt Fei. Not for Xueyin. And not for himself.
As he walked, his mind kept circling back to the Round Table.
Taurus’s lie-detection ability... Aries and Cancer clearly knew about it. That whole “question round” had likely been a test. Taurus was making a point: more people would be summoned eventually, and not all of them could be trusted. At least with likeminded individuals, there was hope for cooperation.
So far, here’s what he’d gathered about the Zodiac Celestial Disc:
Taurus had said he could detect lies, and that much was probably true—but he hadn’t told everything. Those markings in the book were writing—Li Xin could feel it. Familiar, even. But he couldn’t read them, and that was maddening.
By openly revealing his power, Taurus had also revealed his intent. On one hand, it was a gesture of transparency; on the other, a subtle way of guiding the others to focus on exploration rather than paranoia. The man clearly had perspective.
For Li Xin, it was an unexpected stroke of luck. The Round Table had already answered questions he’d never found answers to as a Night Watchman. Unlocking a Fate Star wasn’t urgent, but managing a Divine Relic’s side effects absolutely was.
Back in the Underground City, he could just disappear into the forest whenever something went wrong. But now? That wouldn’t fly. He had responsibilities. Especially in the Night Watchmen—where his Divine Relic was still a secret.
Balancing elixirs? That was a pipe dream. According to Miss Aries, only the church that owned the Divine Relic could create those. Other forces had no way of making them. Each recipe was forged from hard-earned lessons. Back at the castle, several of his predecessors had died—possibly due to this exact issue.
Seek help from the church?
He wasn’t worthy.
The Sacred Grounds… Miss Aries had nailed it: pleasing the gods. But how do you attract the attention of a powerful deity? Imagine two ants fighting brilliantly on the roadside—sure, a person might stop to watch. But what kind of attention would that be? Kindness? Or cruelty?
What is a god, really?
There were too many unanswered questions. That was just his view, of course. Others saw things differently. Back in the castle, most people he met had faith beyond imagination. Sacrifice was part of belief.
Li Xin couldn’t accept that. But not everyone was like that.
In the Lilon Unified Kingdom, for example, faith… was a bit thin. Even after Grand Consul Luther's reforms, the churches had worked hard and gained followers—but mostly moderate ones. Sure, there were devout believers, but the general attitude was more like: “The gods bless me, so I honor them.” A two-way street. Even in the Night Watchmen, people were mostly respectful—not fanatics.
Sunday. He’d see it for himself.
Once someone with a Divine Relic and sufficient psionic cultivation met the criteria, they could open the “Gate of Truth” and enter the Sacred Grounds. The method? He’d already learned that from the Round Table.
Early in the morning, Li Xin arrived at the Night Watchmen headquarters and began cleaning.
That used to be Casey’s job. Starting today, he was taking it over.
From the day he arrived, Casey had helped him a lot—gave him food, supplies, advice. He had nothing, and she liked Uncle Luo. The least he could do was take care of small chores.
He cleaned everything to a shine, then heated the water. If Luo Jin wasn’t out on a mission, Casey would definitely bring him a fresh cup of fragrant morning tea the moment he walked in.
Clack clack clack—
Lively footsteps echoed in the hallway. Only one person in the whole department had that kind of bounce—Casey.
Today she wore knee-high heeled boots and a pale yellow coat, a delicate bow at her collar, and was dragging a very expensive-looking suitcase behind her. Her face was glowing.
Looked like things had gone well yesterday.
“Ah Xin, here’s your newspaper,” Casey said, handing over the suitcase. “I asked a friend to grab a few more from City Hall for you.”
Li Xin rushed to take it. “Casey-jie, I knew you were the best. I’ll go empty it out first.”
“Why bother?” Casey said. “Just keep using it. No need to clear it—it’ll just take up space. Studying is a good thing.” She nodded at the newspapers. They were packed with information about the church and the government.
At his age, Li Xin didn’t have to stay with the Night Watchmen forever. Just like she supported Uncle Luo taking on a part-time post at the Church's Command Office.
If he did well there, he could eventually resign from the Night Watchmen altogether. With enough progress, he could even land a position at City Hall—or become a councilor one day.
“Ah Xin… so, should I go again today?” she asked, watching him sort the newspapers.
Nothing had happened last night, but it was still the happiest she’d felt in years. Just like Li Xin said, once off duty, Luo Jin dropped his guard a little.
“How’d the talk go?” Li Xin smiled.
“‘Drink less,’ ‘Only one glass,’ ‘Slow down.’ That’s all he said all night. Dead serious.”
That was... a lot of progress, honestly. Casey wasn’t sure if Luo Jin’s scolding meant he liked her or didn’t like her.
The rest of the time, he just quietly drank.
“Go. Why wouldn’t you go?” Li Xin said firmly, gripping the suitcase.
Casey hesitated. “I thought about it… Maybe he’s just tired after work. Maybe he just wants to be alone. And I don’t even know what to say to him…”
Li Xin looked at Casey—equal parts young woman and mature lady. His cheap uncle really was something else. But wasn’t that Luo Jin’s problem to solve?
“Jie, it doesn’t matter what you say. Just sitting quietly and drinking together is a kind of joy. The important thing is honesty and companionship,” Li Xin said with a grin. “Uncle Luo’s that quiet type. Tons of thoughts in his head. Doesn’t say much, but when he does—it means something. Serious isn’t a bad thing. Think about it—when’s the last time he even smiled?”
“Nonsense! Luo Jin is in the prime of his life!” Casey’s eyes lit up. She stomped her heeled boots with renewed vigor. “Ah Xin, you might not be tall, but you sure know a lot. Just like Luo Jin—steady and dependable!”
(End of Chapter 18)