Back at work again.
If he made a prediction now, how would he handle the negative effects caused by The Die?
Especially within the city—it would be too easy to slip up and expose something.
Ever since the Roundtable, The Die's activity had clearly been increasing.
Li Xin held back the urge.
As his shift neared its end, Wu Gang, Dinary, and Vanga walked out joking around, each wearing that kind of expression only men understood.
“Ah Xin, still on duty this late? Wanna come with us, hmm? Broaden your horizons a bit?” Wu Gang winked. “The big bros’ll help you grow up…”
Bang!
The three of them flinched—startled. A bullet zipped past overhead.
Kario calmly blew the smoke from her rifle’s muzzle. “How could you leave me out of such a fine educational experience?”
“Sis O, we didn’t do anything! Totally proper work! Don’t—don’t waste ammo—we’re going, okay? Bye-bye-bye~”
The trio, arms slung over each other’s shoulders, bolted off.
Li Xin looked at the always-cold Kario.
“Sis O, when can I start going on missions?”
Kario gave him a cool glance. “You’ve got a bright future. Don’t fall in with them. Keep up your training and your mindset. When the time is right, you’ll be told. The Night Watchmen never run out of missions.”
Then she strutted off with a walk like she didn’t know anyone.
Li Xin watched her go longingly. Even after the door closed behind her, he could still hear Wu Gang and the others joking around:
Which house tonight, which girl had top-tier service, which place had a special show today… once the rhythm starts—spin, jump…
Li Xin pressed his lips together.
He wanted to relax too.
Relieve the stress of a working stiff’s life.
Wasn’t it said that a squad was like a family?
“No one left behind,” they said?
Lies!
Hmph. He didn’t want to go at all!
(Absolutely not.)
Awakened ones didn’t need as much sleep. If needed, they could stay awake for days during missions.
But getting proper rest was still important for one’s vitality.
The Church had done studies on this—most Awakened actually had shorter lifespans than ordinary people.
Awakening psionics meant stepping into a much more dangerous world.
The survival risk skyrocketed.
People who could suppress their curiosity and were willing to lie low were incredibly rare.
And those who possessed a Divine Relic faced even more problems. Even if you tried to stay out of the world’s way, you’d be punished for holding something so valuable.
Besides, Divine Relics didn’t let their users live quietly.
In the following days, Kario seemed to deliberately watch over Wu Gang and the others—refusing to give them a single chance to “help Li Xin grow up.”
For this “kindness,” Li Xin was so, so grateful—and still had to greet her with a smiling face.
Saturday afternoon after work, Li Xin called a carriage home.
This week, he had taken over someone else’s shifts and spent time chatting with Old Mo, receiving quite a few gifts in the process.
He’d been accumulating them all week—now it was time to bring everything back.
Most of the gifts weren’t expensive, but they were practical.
Everyone knew Li Xin had just moved into the city and needed to buy daily necessities.
Well—except for Casey.
Knowing Li Xin had a younger sister, she’d gone full “fantasy aunt” and bought a pile of gifts girls would like…
Li Xin always felt like she was getting some kind of joy from giving these gifts that he simply could not understand.
Still, Casey’s taste could definitely be trusted.
Before he knew it, he had bags and boxes all over.
Besides—how could he refuse something that brought someone else happiness?
Carriages were the main mode of transportation in Tianjing.
It was his first time riding one.
It was very comfortable—spacious, steady, and clean. Definitely better than Bus 11 (a.k.a. walking).
The fare was 90 Lido, and only after a long bout of haggling.
It hurt a bit.
When he got off, the driver—possibly intimidated by Li Xin’s Night Watchman uniform—helped carry all the bags out with the utmost politeness.
Hearing the sound outside, Xueyin immediately came running out screaming—
and leapt onto Li Xin.
“**Ah Xin! Waaah! Brother! Did you bring anything yummy?!”
“There’s food. And a lot of gifts.”
Seeing Xueyin made all his worries vanish instantly.
At the door, Lin Fei also walked out smiling.
Since moving into the city, she had been rapidly returning to her noblewoman form—fair skin, healthy flush, radiant charm.
A good mood was the best skincare—and of course, her genetics helped.
Her voluptuous figure no longer hidden, she was like a ripe peach, exuding natural allure.
Casey was just a pretend young widow—Lin Fei was the real deal.
If it weren’t for Li Xin’s intimidating uniform, the coachman might not have wanted to leave.
The three of them carried the gifts back inside.
Seeing her presents, Xueyin cheered again and again.
Ever since the move, she felt like she was living in heaven.
“Ah Xin, why so many expensive gifts? Won’t that affect you?” Lin Fei was still a little concerned.
The work of the Night Watchmen came with power—and danger.
She feared Li Xin might get drawn down the wrong path.
“Aunt Fei, it’s not bribery. They’re from senior Night Watchmen—I just covered some shifts and did them small favors.
Xueyin’s gifts are from Casey. She’s a little rich lady and wants to be my aunt. Just think of it as an advance payment.”
Li Xin laughed.
Knowing he’d be home that day, Lin Fei had already prepared a full feast.
Aside from beef, there was even a giant lobster…
“Mom waited for it all morning until afternoon—finally it kicked the bucket and went on 50% off!”
Xueyin gulped at the side.
Li Xin gave her a thumbs-up.
His stomach growled.
Xueyin, the little foodie, was practically crawling into the lobster with her eyes.
Lin Fei smiled. “You’ve been working hard. You deserve a treat. Don’t worry about money—I’ve found a suitable job. I wanted to talk to you about it.”
Li Xin cracked open the lobster, plucked out the best chunk of meat, and handed it to Xueyin.
“Eat up. You’re about to drool a waterfall.”
Xueyin stuffed the tender lobster meat into her mouth and munched away, adorable like a little pufferfish.
“What kind of job? Do I need to do anything?” Li Xin knew Aunt Fei had come from an elite background.
That wasn’t a big deal—being able to adapt to the underground city was the real accomplishment.
He’d actually thought about investigating the Lin Family through the Night Watchmen—but the files were sealed, and he didn’t have clearance.
Since Lin Fei hadn’t brought it up, he wasn’t in a position to ask directly.
He remembered that night.
“Nothing for you to do. But… that Gold Card—can we really use it freely?” Lin Fei asked.
“Gold Card? Oh, Casey’s? Of course. I think it’s got 1,000 Lira in it? What’s it got to do with work?”
“The Lira in it isn’t really for spending,” Lin Fei smiled. “The Treasure Lane Gold Card grants eligibility to purchase rare goods and skip queues for high-demand items. I can help people buy things and earn a bit doing errands.”
Li Xin gave her a thumbs-up. “Aunt Fei, you’re incredible! You even thought of that?!”
“I looked into it this week. Income won’t be stable—but long-term, there’s a strong market.
Once I’ve got a solid client base, it’ll improve—and there’s barely any competition.”
Most Gold Card holders wouldn’t bother with this sort of thing.
But there was a huge group of people who needed it but didn’t have one.
Lin Fei deeply understood the psychology of the noble and wealthy.
She knew exactly how obsessed the upper-middle class was with one-upmanship.
Her eyes glimmered as she spoke.
She was never one to sit around waiting to starve.
Back in the Underground City, she barely scraped by.
But that wasn’t going to work here.
And she had no intention of making Li Xin carry the burden alone.
At the neighborhood gathering, when the women weren’t gossiping, they were comparing jewelry and fashion.
If not bragging, then on the road to bragging.
When Treasure Lane came up, she remembered the Gold Card and immediately smelled opportunity.
Of course, she wouldn’t flaunt the card itself—her “status” didn’t match.
But saying she had a friend who could pull strings? That was plausible.
This was a large residential community.
Nobles wouldn’t live here—but apart from the Night Watchmen housing, there were plenty of wealthy merchant families.
The area was super secure, and everyone knew Lin Fei came from the Watchmen compound and had good manners.
They didn’t doubt her abilities.
People had their own schemes, sure.
But with her background, Lin Fei could easily outplay women who only knew bedroom politics.
She’d already completed two errands without charging extra—earning face for her clients.
This was about promotion and client building.
Back in the Underground City, patching and scraping was no different.
Now she already had the foundation of a good reputation.
Several clients had already approached her—but she turned them down politely.
Left a few lines open.
Let them chase a bit.
Even Xueyin was on board—
a little practical money goblin.
She loved good food and pretty clothes.
Her sweet, adorable manner could even serve as a wingman sometimes.
The three of them were completely in sync.
Li Xin found himself liking his “fantasy aunt” even more.
Next week, he had to put effort into pairing her with Old Luo.
“Have you invited Captain Luo Jin over for a visit?” Lin Fei asked.
Emotionally and socially, they should.
Luo Jin had helped them so much—it was only proper.
Besides, the life they had now was not just thanks to Li Xin’s capabilities—Luo Jin’s support played a key role.
“I did. Old Luo is busy with Order Academy stuff. Said he’d come another time.” Li Xin replied.
“He told you that personally?”
“Casey told me.”
Lin Fei looked at Li Xin, paused for a while, and asked softly:
“…Did something happen?”
(End of Chapter)