Chapter 59: "Rast-gege, do you think I can become a Shoreguard?"
"The hourglass in the fire?"
Through the spiritual link with Rast, Shiltina gazed at the world outlined by spiritual strokes in front of her.
"Mhm."
Rast nodded. "I’m not sure what form it exists in—perhaps a lingering soul, a phantom, or maybe some kind of doll or puppet..."
"But what I do know is, if she were still the real Flan, her mental manifestation would never look like this."
"There's no doubt about it. Flan’s true soul has already perished... what you’re seeing is merely an empty shell in its likeness."
Shiltina stood where she was, watching that symbolic hourglass of Flan fade into the flames, until it vanished completely from her spiritual vision.
She gently closed her eyes.
After a long while, when Shiltina opened them again—
All the confusion, reluctance, and mixed emotions in her light brown eyes had completely faded away, replaced once more with calm, like a serene star resting at the bottom of a lake.
"I understand now."
Through the spiritual link, Rast heard Shiltina’s voice—clear, without a trace of gloom.
"Where are we headed next?"
"To the mayor’s residence in the center of town… according to the guidance of the 'Eye of Secrets', the clue in Frozenwater Town may be there."
...
When Rast and Shiltina arrived at the small building that belonged to the mayor, they were warmly welcomed at once.
"A Shoreguard, of all people!"
The elderly mayor with a greying beard greeted them enthusiastically at the door. "You two must be the Shoreguards from the lighthouse outside of Frozenwater Town. It is my honor to receive you both."
"Never thought this old man would live to see another Shoreguard again in this lifetime."
See again?
Rast caught the implication in the old mayor’s words.
He thought of the predecessor who had left a diary in the lighthouse—Foden, a Shoreguard.
At the end of Foden’s diary, he mentioned he was heading to Frozenwater Town to investigate a potential contamination incident.
"As far as I know, our organization doesn't usually like showing our faces in public... Have you seen someone wearing this badge before?"
Rast pointed to the wing-shaped emblem on his chest.
"Hmm... No mistake about it, that’s the emblem."
The old mayor adjusted his reading glasses and stared at the wing emblem for a long time, his expression becoming slightly emotional.
But what he said next was quite unexpected to Rast: "When I was younger, I worked as a sailor on the ocean routes between the remaining human nations."
"Once, I fell into the sea during a violent storm, and it was a few people wearing this very emblem who saved me. I later learned they were Shoreguards, tasked with guarding the 'Shattered Coast' and maintaining the final sea route."
"When the lighthouse outside the town was built, I knew Shoreguards would be stationed there, but I was afraid of disturbing your mission, so I never visited... I never expected you both to come voluntarily. My humble home is honored."
As he spoke, he enthusiastically led Shiltina and Rast into the residence.
Rast and Shiltina exchanged a glance.
There was no doubt that this old mayor had never met the diary's author, Foden, nor had memories of any other Shoreguards portrayed by Travelers.
If Foden’s diary was truthful, then this old mayor must also be affected by some kind of temporal distortion, having lost parts of his memory.
As they followed the mayor into the living room, Rast felt a gaze watching them.
He followed it and saw a little gray-haired girl peeking timidly from the backyard of the residence, observing him and Shiltina.
Or more precisely, she was staring at the winged emblems worn on their chests.
"Xiao Hui, don’t just stand there. Go call your friends in for dinner."
The old mayor called out, and the gray-haired girl politely bowed before retreating into the backyard.
Her footsteps gradually faded away, and from the backyard came a few childish cheers.
After that, the old mayor explained to Rast and Shiltina with a slightly apologetic tone, "Sorry to let you see that."
"Does the mayor often take in children at home?" Shiltina glanced toward the direction of the laughter.
"Yes." The old mayor nodded. "You both understand how things are nowadays. A town that's safe today might be invaded by the Iron Cross tomorrow and become wasteland. Many children lose their parents while still very young."
"Most of the ones I’ve adopted are orphans from the town, though there are some like Xiao Hui, who came wandering in from outside."
"Because I was once saved by Shoreguards in my youth, I’ve always wanted to do what I can. After I left the sea and returned to Frozenwater Town, I helped the town grow, was elected mayor by the people, and adopted the orphans—these were all things I did from that intention."
"Of course, these small deeds are nothing compared to the heavy burden you Shoreguards bear."
The old mayor looked toward the children playing in the backyard. "It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I often told the kids stories about the Shoreguards back in the day. Most kids took them as bedtime tales, but Xiao Hui took them seriously. She always asked me about the Shoreguards."
"I only met your organization once in my youth, so I don’t really know much about Shoreguards... I could only rely on vague memories and scattered rumors I heard to answer her. Xiao Hui always listened intently."
"If she says anything rude later, I hope you won’t take offense."
...
Dinner came early.
The mayor had intended to set a separate table for Shiltina and Rast, but Shiltina politely refused and pulled Rast to sit with the children.
The meal wasn’t lavish, but the atmosphere was lively, and everyone ate happily.
"Shiltina-jie, Rast-gege."
"Can you take me back with you and let me become one of the Shoreguards too?"
"I’m good at enduring hardship and very obedient. I definitely won’t cause you trouble."
Just as dinner was about to end, the gray-haired girl suddenly stood up and asked them brightly.
Shiltina was stunned for a moment and hadn’t yet figured out how to gently refuse without hurting the girl's pride, but Rast spoke first.
"Sorry, we’re just ordinary low-ranking members of the organization and don’t have the authority to recommend new members."
"And as far as I know, the selection standards for Shoreguards are extremely strict. Not even one in ten thousand may be chosen."
"Really?" Disappointment briefly showed on the gray-haired girl’s face.
But she still obediently stood and bowed. "I’m sorry to have disturbed Rast-gege and Shiltina-jie."
After dinner, Shiltina took out a silver coin, broke it into smaller pieces, and handed them to the children.
The other kids all ran off happily after receiving their silver.
Only the gray-haired girl remained, politely thanking her. "Thank you, Shiltina-jie. I’ll use this money to study hard, gain knowledge, and work hard to become someone like you."
"You don’t need to say that."
Shiltina patted the girl’s head. "Use the silver to buy candy, buy new clothes, or get toys for your friends, or eat something tasty at a restaurant—whatever you think is worth it."
"In this world—"
"Whether rich or poor, weak or strong, everyone has the right to enjoy life."
By the dim candlelight, her eyes gleamed.
At her side, Rast quietly observed everything, the icy blue light in his eyes flickering faintly.
Rast picked up his wine glass.
As the crimson liquid swirled, he downed the entire glass of the mayor’s homemade wine.
...
Nightfall came early in small towns.
Canaan was like that, and so was Frozenwater Town.
Shortly after nine o’clock, most of the lights in the town had already gone out.
Shiltina and Rast didn’t return to the lighthouse for the night, even though, based on the diary’s description, it should be a safe zone unaffected by “temporal distortion.”
However, staying in the safe zone would mean they’d never uncover the truth of Frozenwater Town and its surrounding fog.
Luckily, since the mayor had prepared extra rooms for the orphans, there were spare ones for them.
Rast and Shiltina tidied up briefly and settled into adjacent rooms for the night.
Time passed swiftly in the darkness.
Around eleven o’clock, a faint footstep paused outside Rast’s door.
Moments later, the door silently creaked open.
A small figure tiptoed in and glanced at the sleeping Rast on the bed.
She paused beside the desk, where Rast had casually tossed his coat earlier.
She stared at it for a long time.
Or more precisely, she stared at the silver Shoreguard wing emblem attached to it.
After a long silence—
Just as she made up her mind and reached out to take the emblem—
"Can you tell me why you’re so interested in becoming a Shoreguard?"
Rast’s calm voice came from the darkness.
Almost immediately, she shoved the emblem back into place and pretended to pick up the entire coat.
The gray-haired girl trembled slightly, as if frightened. "Rast-gege, Grandpa Mayor asked me to take your and Shiltina-jie’s clothes to wash."
"I was supposed to take them before you slept, but I lost track of time while playing and forgot. I didn’t want to get scolded and didn’t want to wake you, so I thought I’d sneak in quietly."
She lowered her gaze, her thin frame trembling, her voice timid—just like a little girl caught doing something wrong.
"No need to perform in front of me. That’s just a waste of time."
"I know you’re good at acting and at hiding behind a fake mask."
"You know that most adults prefer children who are sometimes innocent and sometimes well-mannered, so you wear that mask and present yourself as the perfect, lovable version that doesn’t exist in reality."
"You’re quite the actress. You’ve fooled your playmates and the old mayor—and even Shiltina hasn’t seen through it."
Rast’s tone remained flat. "But unfortunately for you, you’ve met me."
"No one understands acting and masks better than I do."
The room went silent.
After several seconds, as if confirming Rast wasn’t bluffing, the gray-haired girl slowly lifted her head.
She still looked small, but the childish fear was gone from her gray eyes, replaced by a numbness akin to a young beast.
"So… can I tell you now?"
Rast stared at her. "Why did you want to steal the Shoreguard emblem?"
"Because I want to become one of them."
Rast frowned. "You think having the emblem is enough to become one of us?"
"If I have the emblem, I can say it was my parents’ last keepsake… even if I don’t get chosen, the headquarters will still take me in out of basic decency."
Good grief, were she and Shiltina already marked as her spirit rings?
Rast’s voice paused briefly. "Why do you want to join the Shoreguards so badly? Don’t feed me the fake reasons you used earlier."
"Because I want to live." Her numb eyes flickered with a strange light.
"To live? You don’t like living in Frozenwater Town?"
"I wasn’t born in Frozenwater. Before coming here, I wandered through five cities and several villages… but all of them were destroyed. Some were swallowed by tsunamis, some became infested with man-eaters, others were overrun by beasts."
"I’ve lived in Frozenwater for a year and a half. The mayor and others are very kind to me, but I know it’s not safe here. Only the place where the strongest gather is truly safe."
The girl raised her head. "I heard Grandpa Mayor say the Shoreguards are strong, and that there’s someone in the headquarters who is the strongest among humans—stronger than an entire town combined."
"That’s why I must become a Shoreguard. Only then will I be safe and able to keep living."
She looked at Rast with a glimmer of hope. "Rast-gege..."
"Do you think I can become a Shoreguard?"