Esther completely settled behind Chanis' door. Crestel gave her a pocket watch with a copper cover, saying it could let Esther know the time outside. The outside of the pocket watch was embedded with dots of star-like diamonds, and a black badge was welded on the inside of the watch cover. Esther originally didn't want to accept such a valuable thing, but Crestel had a tough attitude.

"This is also a token. If you go to other cities, you can also ask the Church of the Night for help. If there is an accident, you can also smash it and stimulate the power of the goddess in a short time. Whether you want to escape or suppress your loss of control, it can help. your turn."

Esther had no choice but to accept it, but she didn't like this exquisite and beautiful gift. She could feel that it had some secret connection with the outside world and would convey her location.

Although she could understand the methods of the Church of the Night, it still made Esther uncomfortable.

Later, Crestel carved a rune that Esther couldn't understand at the door of Esther's room. According to Crestel's explanation, it was the ancient Hermes language for "sleep".

What Crested didn't say clearly was that the symbols he carved with spiritual power would amplify the seal of Chanis Gate on this stone house, making Esther's sleep longer.

Crested asked Esther to rest on her own first. He had other things to deal with, so he wouldn't disturb her.

Of course Esther remembered Daly's inspection. She returned to the stone house, sat on the bed and continued reading "Roselle's Selected Poems", but soon tiredness and sleepiness came over her. She yawned and put the book away. He placed it on the bedside, pulled the quilt over his head, and fell into a deep sleep within a few dozen seconds.

In Dunn's office, Crested sat on a chair and shook his head when Dunn asked if he wanted tea or coffee.

"As for Esther, I'm afraid she will be asleep for a while. I'm not sure how long it will be. You knock on the door once every morning and evening to make sure she wakes up. When Esther wakes up, she will be free Going in and out of Chanis Gate is equivalent to half a member of the Tingen Nighthawks.”

"After that...are we going to get along with Esther as her?"

Cresty nodded expressionlessly: "Yes, that's her current self-perception. If there is a mission that requires the use of dangerous sealed objects, you can take her with you, but before that, it's best to let her go through a normal night watch." The training process, physical skills, shooting, and weapon distribution of the operators are to avoid incoordination with other people’s actions.”

Dunn discovered that there was something important that Crested had left out: "What about the occult?"

"You can teach her basic language and writing, but keep her distance from spiritual vision, divination, sacrifice, or other things involving spiritual energy. She can watch, but it's best not to try."

Dunn noted this carefully.

"It is best for her to stay in the Chanis Gate for more than eight hours a day, and she cannot leave for more than forty-eight hours at most. This is for insurance purposes, so I told her that she can be exposed to the power of the Chanis Gate every night."

"Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?"

"In fact, her current state..." Crested pondered for a moment, "It is much more stable than the church expected, so you can feel free to communicate with her. The intersection between you is an ordinary interpersonal relationship. She The special direction of the strange power has been transferred to the entire Tingen Nighthawks team."

"what happened?"

"It was a small accident, but she made an oath in front of the Goddess Sword, so you can rest assured."

When Crested didn't explain in more detail, Dunn knew that this was something he shouldn't know.

In fact, Dunn's impression of Esther was not bad. Excluding the threat posed by "it" in the first place, and the fact that Daley was too deeply affected, he felt panicked. As far as Esther was concerned, he You could feel that the smile on this young girl's face when she thanked him was sincere from the bottom of her heart.

After a brief inspection of Daley's situation, Crested took her to catch the steam train to Backlund. It was still Dunn who sent them away.

Dai Li lowered her black gauze hat, revealing only her lips painted with indigo lipstick. Whether it was her black close-fitting dress or the bitterness in her eyes, she looked like she was going to attend a party. A funeral.

Dunn watched the train pull out of the station in silence, hoping that today's foggy sky in Backlund would clear up for a moment and give Dai Li a little sunshine.

My Goddess, she is so talented and will definitely get better and better.

——

However, what surprised Dunn was that Senior Deacon Crested said that Esther would "sleep for a period of time", which actually lasted ten days.

Every day he would knock on the door morning and evening, but there was no response. According to the rotating watchers, there was no movement at all inside the stone house.

On the third day, Dunn had to take Luo Yao to Chanis Gate, and asked her to stand by the door and open the crack with a light to check. Esther was still inside, lying quietly on the stone bed, breathing slowly.

So she was indeed asleep.

Dunn returned to the office in distress and sent a telegram to the church, but the response he received was simply "leave her alone." Dunn sighed and could only accept this arrangement.

On the tenth day, when Esther rubbed her eyes and opened the stone door, Dunn breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Esther would never wake up. The letter from Dai Li is still on his desk. Dunn doesn't know how to reply. Now he finally has a good result.

"Sorry, I feel like I slept for a long time." Esther covered her mouth and yawned, her sleepiness finally subsided.

Dunn shook his head: "From this moment on, you can move around on your own, but you have to come back to Chanis Gate to sleep for a while every day."

"Does this mean I can go back to the bakery and help?"

"Of course, this is your freedom. In view of the arrangements of the temple, you are now considered a member of the Tingen Nighthawks team, although the previous relationship was not pleasant..."

Dunn stretched out his hand to Esther seriously and shook her right hand: "But now, you are welcome to join us, Esther."

Esther felt warm in her heart and nodded vigorously: "I - I just went back to the bakery to talk to Grandma Wendy! If there is anything I can do, please tell me!"

Dunn nodded, but felt a little complicated in his heart. It was indeed as told by the church, she would have particularly obvious "command feedback", and she was even extremely enthusiastic about helping them. Dunn has not completely let down his guard against Esther, but it is difficult to maintain a cold attitude. Everything Esther shows will make people subconsciously label her as "harmless".

Dunn took Esther, who had changed clothes and fixed her hair, and introduced everyone on duty today, briefly mentioning the purpose of each room to Esther. Luo Yao and Sika greeted Esther in a friendly manner, nodding in Frye's character was the limit, while Rosanne, Viola, Brett and Mrs. Oriana were full of curiosity. Cizer was a clerk in charge of purchasing and a part-time driver. At this time, he went to the dock warehouse to order goods and did not stay here.

It was the first time for everyone to meet this strange and gentle girl. Dai Li had not met anyone else when she brought Esther back. Esther spent the night on the sofa in the living room.

Only Old Neil, who was guarding the weapons arsenal today, seemed a little wary. However, under Esther's curious questions, Old Neil's good teacher character, which he had trained in mysticism for many years as a secret peeper, was inspired. He couldn't help but give Esther some advice. Esther listened attentively to the general knowledge about occult science, and from time to time would ask questions about things she was curious about.

Dunn, who finally returned from the office, reminded Esther: "By the way, one more thing. When you go to Slim Bakery, you can first withdraw part of your salary from Mrs. Oriana and buy some things you like on the way. Salary payment will start this week."

"How embarrassing!" Esther's eyes were bright, clearly looking forward to it.

Old Neil put down the coffee cup with a smile: "Let me tell you, the church is responsible for reimbursing this. Since you want to stay in the Nighthawks, of course you can get your share."

Dunn nodded and did not make any comment on the "reimbursement science" that Old Neil taught him, which he was most passionate about. He just told Esther: "Your weekly salary is one pound per week. In contrast, it is not much." The daily tasks are handed over to you. Except for emergencies, you can arrange your time freely.”

One pound! ?

Esther almost jumped with excitement. The salary of one pound per week was enough for the family of three on Iron Cross Street to live a life of fish and meat every day. This was unimaginable to Esther before. Now, she can buy a lot of books that interest her, do baking experiments or cooking to her heart's content, and even save two weeks of money to go to an opera performance and enjoy the world's entertainment activities.

Life suddenly had countless expectations, which gave Esther a deeper understanding of the power of money.

Old Neil winked at Esther, who was full of excitement: "You can ask Roxanne to help you order food from the restaurant on Front Street. You don't have to spend any money yourself. Haha, praise the goddess."

When Old Neil made the sign of the cross on his chest, Esther did not follow suit, but she nodded repeatedly and said, "Praise the goddess!"

Senior Deacon Crested would probably be speechless if he saw this scene.

At Oriana's suggestion, Esther received two pounds of wages, both of which were given to her in denominations of ten and five soles. Esther has already made plans. She will buy a light and easy-to-movement shirt and leggings trousers, buy a few novels or poetry books to pass the time, and pack a few pieces of Wendy's specialty lemon cake from the bakery to share with the Blackthorn Security Company. Everyone, then buy a woven carpet and lay it in the stone house, so that you can sit directly on the ground.

Since there were only two pounds in total, Esther decided to find the cheapest ready-made clothes store on Daffodil Street when she took the public carriage. Although the clothes would be more expensive than finding a tailor, she didn't have to wait. She could buy fewer books, or postpone the purchase of a woven rug if that didn't work, but she had to buy Wendy's lemon cake.

Fortunately, the restrictions given to me by the church are very loose and do not prevent me from continuing to help Wendy and Fiona. The bakery business will definitely get better and better in the future. They must be very busy these days with less manpower, right?

With this thought in mind, Esther jumped off the public carriage and walked happily through the familiar intersection of Daffodil Street and Iron Cross Street. She couldn't wait to go in the direction of Slim's Bakery.

As soon as she stepped into the store, Esther shouted with a smile on her face: "Grandma Wendy! I'm back!"

The old and energetic woman raised her head from behind the counter and looked at Esther blankly.

It was like he had never seen her before.

But the habit of running a store made Wendy put on a smile and nodded to the girl standing blankly by the door: "Welcome, little one, do you want to buy something?"

Esther froze on the spot. The person who was so familiar with each other more than ten days ago that he was willing to call her "grandma" looked at her, but he looked at her with the same look as a stranger.

A sad, cold barrier stretched across Esther's eyes.

It is clearly visible that the fate after separation is like a parallel line. As long as the connection is cut off, "Esther" will be forgotten by others immediately, and there is no need to wait for much time.

It turns out that’s the case, it turns out that all of this comes with a price.

Esther tried her best to smile, but her smile was uglier than crying: "Please help me pack half a pound of lemon cake and cut it into small pieces..."

Wendy only thought this was a strange girl, but since she was a guest who wanted to buy something, Wendy had no reason to refuse. Fiona walked in from the back kitchen carrying fried dumplings that had just been cooked, and put the tray on the display window. She glanced at Esther at the door, and hurried back to the kitchen. She had the same attitude as when she saw other strange customers. difference.

Esther felt tears welling up in her eyes uncontrollably. The tempting aroma of croquettes floated in the store. Hanging next to the back door was the warm yellow checkered apron that Fiona had cut for Esther. It was in the shape of an animal. Sandwich bread is served on a tray, waiting for the children to act coquettishly and let their parents buy them.

But this has nothing to do with me.

Her fate with Slim Bakery seemed to have ended here. Wendy and Fiona no longer remembered her. Only the traces she left behind told Esther that she had stayed here for several months and was the most confused in another world. When she was there, she met two kind-hearted people who were willing to lend a helping hand to her.

The operation of the bakery was still so orderly. Wendy smiled and cut the lemon cake that Esther wanted to buy. During the chat, she told Esther that this was her "best thing", trying to liven up the atmosphere and make the girl look less so. sad.

Both Wendy and Fiona looked good, and they looked forward to a better life in the future.

Esther realized this clearly, and her tears finally fell, running happily to the ground like long-simmering rainstorms.

"Oh, why are you crying? You can have some more sweets. The meatballs in the store are very good. They are freshly fried. Do you want to make some for you too?"

Esther cried and nodded, but couldn't say a word.

Wendy looked at the girl who kept crying, and she felt a little pity for her. She didn't know what happened to the girl. After packing the things the girl asked for, she took a handful of Sule from the girl and specially handed over a cup of warm black tea with honey.

"Life always has a lot of ups and downs, little one. But there's nothing you can't get through. It will get better one day. Just have hope."

Before Wendy could give the crying girl change, she ran out of the store holding a paper bag and a paper cup of warm black tea. Wendy counted the handful of suler in her hand and found that the girl had stuffed a whole gold pound in it, which was far more than the price she paid for food.

But the girl ran too fast, and no matter how much Wendy shouted from behind, she did not look back.

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