◎ Is he deaf or just ignoring me? ◎
". . . . . ."
Mr. Harris didn't answer for a long time. The golden sphere with fluttering wings stopped moving, and the huge room fell into silence after I finished speaking.
I waited for I don't know how long, squeezing my fingers, until I heard a sigh in my ear. I looked up and saw the golden sphere flying to the left, as if guiding me in that direction.
I wasn't sure, so I looked at Lin Qingshu, who walked straight in that direction, and I followed.
The sphere led us all the way inside, stopping in front of a door at the deepest part. Lin Qingshu pushed the door open, and I walked in.
The decoration inside the room was similar to that outside, except for a white seven-petal flower on the bedside. Mr. Harris lay on a bed with a dark red velvet canopy, his whole body tightly covered by the quilt, only his neck and head exposed.
His hair was light brown and slightly curled, and his face looked very young, with a high nose and deep eyes. He seemed only slightly more mature than me in appearance, but his voice was incredibly old.
Mr. Harris smiled slightly at me when he saw me come in." I'm sorry, I can't stand up to greet you."
It turned out that he didn't come out in person, but used the golden sphere's voice transmission function to talk to me, because he had completely lost his mobility. . . I thought it was just Mr. Harris's special hobby.
I was too shocked and stood there frozen. Mr. Harris seemed accustomed to my reaction and asked me to sit on the cushion next to him. Before I could react, Lin Qingshu walked over and adjusted the white halo on his wrist as if it was second nature to him.
I slowly sat down and saw the white circle on his hand, which looked very familiar - it was exactly the same as the healing device that Axiu had used at home before.
I could now guess that this kind of device was probably only available to the upper echelons of the empire. Based on my parents' job level, it wouldn't be difficult for them to have a high-end healing device at home. Axiu should have seen it too. Maybe when he was tortured in the prisoner of war camp, they used this thing to treat him, so he was so skilled at using it.
Lin Qingshu looked at the healing device and frowned, saying, "Mr. Harris, your physical condition. . ."
"That's enough, Qingshu." Mr. Harris withdrew his hand and shook his head slightly, "After so many years, I know my own condition and have gotten used to it."
Lin Qingshu didn't say anything, and I sat there with my mouth open, not knowing what to say for a moment. I regretted sitting down so quickly.
I didn't see what operation was performed, but Mr. Harris's upper body suddenly lifted up with the bed. He looked at me with a calm expression and a loving gaze. After looking at me for a while, he sighed, "Good child, you look so much like your parents."
Perhaps because my parents were his first students and sacrificed themselves in a foreign land, Mr. Harris seemed to miss them especially.
I nervously smiled, not expecting that the respected Mr. Harris that Lin Qingshu and I talked about in the elevator would be in such a restricted state, lying in bed.
Although this was the first time I had met Mr. Harris, as I looked into his deep, gem-like eyes and listened to his voice that had clearly experienced many hardships, I suddenly felt a lump in my throat. My head was hot, and before I even realized it, I blurted out, "My parents mentioned you before!"
Mr. Harris smiled kindly, and I felt a sense of warmth in my heart. Mr. Harris looked surprised and taken aback, but since the words were already out, I had to steel myself and come up with a story that was somewhat coherent.
"Um. . . it was when I was very young, my parents were cooking in the kitchen and I was sitting by the door. I vaguely overheard your name mentioned in their conversation, but I can't remember the specifics because I was so young. But I do remember that my parents spoke of you with gratitude and they definitely haven't forgotten about you."
Mr. Harris was momentarily stunned, but then he smiled. Despite his weathered voice and immobile body, he was a very reserved and dignified gentleman.
He said, "Thank you, Mr. Yu."
I felt a bit embarrassed and touched my nose awkwardly, saying it was no big deal.
I think Mr. Harris could tell that my story was a bit flimsy, but he tactfully didn't say anything and instead began to answer my question, "You're right, if the document your parents sent back had made it to the military, how could the Empire have lost so badly in that war?"
I was a bit taken aback, sensing that there was something else in his words.
I slowly asked, "Are you saying. . ."
His expression grew somber, "We never received that document."
Mr. Harris explained that just before the war broke out, Gao Qingping had quietly carried out a major power shuffle within the cabinet, even meddling in military affairs and secretly getting rid of several generals and officers. Meanwhile, the old king was already in his twilight years and the royal family was embroiled in a power struggle over succession. So when the Federation attacked, the upper echelons of the Empire were in disarray and could only hastily mount a defense. The document was never received because it disappeared during the chaos in the country at that time. Later, the empire surrendered and signed a humiliating treaty with the federation, and the war ended.
Gao Qingping was not Harris's student. When Harris tried to use his influence to call on students scattered throughout the empire, Gao Qingping drugged him, and his health has been deteriorating ever since.
If it weren't for Prince Deli overthrowing the old king and consolidating the royal power in his own hands, and inviting Mr. Harris to the Spiral Tower under the guise of apprenticeship, he would not have survived until now.
"And Huaiyuan. . ." He finally mentioned Bu Huaiyuan.
My heart tightened, and I immediately sat up straight.
"It's another time that I failed to protect my student." Harris's voice was full of deep regret and self-blame. He said that for these years, he had always thought that Bu Huaiyuan had really sacrificed himself, until Mu Haichao came to him recently and he found out that Bu Huaiyuan had been imprisoned by Gao Qingping.
"No matter how high those people outside elevate my status, in the end, I'm just a teacher."
Mr. Harris closed his eyes in silence for a while. Before I could come up with any comforting words, he changed the subject: "I heard about your situation from Xiao Mu, so I asked her to bring you here to meet me."
I hesitated and said a little confusedly, "So Mu Haichao brought me here just so you could meet me?"
"No." Mr. Harris seemed to know that I didn't understand much about the various powers in the empire, and patiently explained to me the entanglements between the royal family, the cabinet, and the military.
. . . Although I nodded along, I didn't really pay attention and only understood that after Prince Deli and Mu Haichao took power, the three sides were once again barely balancing each other out. This deepened my understanding that Gao Qingping was the biggest black force that messed up the upper echelons of the empire.
As for other things, I don't think as an alpha who grew up in an ordinary life, I can participate much.
I know Mu Haichao probably thinks the same way, so he never actively discussed anything with me after I arrived at the base for a few days. . . but it could also be because I've been sticking with Axiu and she's not easy to disturb.
But to show respect for Mr. Harris, I tried to think and asked a question, "So Mu Haichao came to see you to balance the friction between the royal family and the military?"
He nodded and said that he is now Prince Deli's teacher, so he still has some influence with Prince Deli. Although he can't persuade Prince Deli to reconcile with the military, he can at least ensure that he doesn't interfere in Mu Haichao's plans.
What is Mu Haichao's plan? I don't know, and I'm not interested in getting involved in this kind of intrigue. After all, my most important goal now is still Axiu.
So I started to cautiously ask Mr. Harris if he could tell me more about Bu Huaiyuan's past, about his time in military school or what happened after he graduated and went to the battlefield. I want to know everything.
"Is Huaiyuan doing okay now?"
Mr. Harris looked at me attentively and expectantly, and I hesitated for a moment before nodding, "He's much better than when he was rescued."
He didn't ask any more questions, just looked away and looked up for a long time before saying, "That's good."
"Huaiyuan was very outstanding when he was in school. Every teacher who taught him thought he would have a great future." Mr. Harris looked at the ceiling and fell into reminiscence." Although he is a beta, he is the most suitable person I have ever seen for the battlefield."
"But he is only suitable for leading soldiers to charge and fight, not for joining the military. I advised him, but he insisted on his own way."
Mr. Harris didn't know what he was thinking, sighed again, and said, "Huaiyuan is good in every way, but he has a fatal flaw."
I pricked up my ears sensitively.
"His sense of morality is too high, and it is not directed at the outside world, but completely directed at himself. . . He always over-examines himself and requires himself to have absolutely pure motives for anything he does."
"This is not necessarily a bad thing, but being too rigid makes him vulnerable to self-destruction. If he encounters insulting setbacks, he is very likely to voluntarily drag himself into the mud before counterattacking."
The more I listened, the more familiar it sounded- wasn't this exactly the same symptom as Axiu's before?
I immediately remembered Axiu's excessive reaction to the mecha before leaving the base, stood up suddenly, and hurriedly asked, "Do you know any way to. . . to alleviate this kind of mentality he has and help him recover?" I paused for a moment and continued, "Can he recover from it?"
I was too impatient and forgot to address Mr. Harris respectfully. But he didn't seem to care at all, as if he knew everything, looking at me gently and lovingly." Back in school, I tried desensitization therapy on Huaiyuan. If you need it, you can try it too."
Desensitization therapy?
I was stunned.
I know about desensitization therapy, but how can it help with Axiu's reaction to mecha?
Author's note:
Alright, it's time for the little couple to make an appearance again!
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution between 2022-03-21 23:57:48~2022-03-22 23:58:51.
Thank you to the little angels who irrigated me with nutrient solution: one day, one kilogram, 10 bottles.
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
◎ Latest comments:"Yay! The big bun is as delicious as Axiu/licks lips"
"Sweet couple stickers, yay!"
"Eh hahaha, I understand after reading the comments. So this is the method for desensitization therapy hahaha. I'm eager to see it."
"Why do I have so much nutrient solution?"
"Yay!"
"Sweet couple stickers, more please!!!"
"If we pour nutrient solution on the big bun, will it grow into a fat bun with ten thousand characters? If we pour nutrient solution into a small tree pit, will it grow into a towering tree?"
"I understand now. After experiencing it inside, the little dog's first reaction when seeing each scene is to think of the posture at that time, so there won't be any strange thoughts. But will he become more and more shy and emotional as he thinks about it, and then have uncontrollable tears in the mecha? (I feel like this placement is also very fragrant www)"
"The author's imagination is great. Come and brainstorm with another bottle of nutrient solution~"
"Wow!""Do it in front of the mecha?"
"Little lovers sticking together, I love it!!"
-End-