Chapter 13: Swindler

Swindler

That ball of fire instantly reached Fu Guang's face; Fu Guang hadn't expected to see the great lion again, but compared to their last meeting, it shone even brighter, like a small sun, the burning flames seeming to merge into its fur, resembling blazing glory.

Aooo.

The instant the great lion pounced on a person, it let out a howl at the master who had just stepped out of the training room.

The red-haired man swept away the sweat-soaked bangs on his forehead; tiny flames flickered, and his hair became dry again.

His exposed forearm showed smooth muscle lines as he forcefully closed the training room door.

The lion conveyed its excitement at having found the treasure.

His sharp red eyes met her gentle blue gaze; the flames fell into the vast ocean, were accepted, wrapped, and became sea‑fire.

It was her.

Those eyes he had dreamed of every night were also the guide that purified him.

Li Shao strode forward with long steps; his 1.9‑meter tall, slender frame, combined with his sharp brows and eyes, gave an oppressive feeling.

His military boots tapped on the floor—tap, tap, tap—echoing inside the room.

His silhouette gradually approached, stopping when just a step away from her; he looked down at the extremely fragile guide.

It was the same gaze as that day, like a knife's edge sweeping over her.

"Long time no see—should I call you Bai Yu or Fu Guang?"

"How did the guide who appeared alone in the dark alley show up at Alliance University? The locator tracking the guide's position malfunctioned, yet it became a major star‑wide news."

Li Shao's hoarse voice reached Fu Guang's ears.

Fu Guang noticed that the sentinels behind her showed little reaction, realizing they hadn't heard those words—Li Shao had said them only for her.

Since that's the case, Fu Guang had prepared a return gift.

She curled the corners of her mouth, squatted down, and stroked the lion's head; its fur was like fine silk—soft, smooth, and warm.

Li Shao's face darkened.

The spiritual body and the sentinel himself shared sensation; Li Shao only felt his head being stroked twice, and since he could remember, no one had ever touched his head.

The spiritual body turned into a ball of fire and dissipated; his narrow eyes narrowed slightly as he stepped forward.

Sheng Lai Ke Si behind Fu Guang also stepped forward, blocking the rising Fu Guang from behind.

"Captain, the guide just woke from a faint and needs rest."

Sheng Lai Ke Si briefly explained the situation, telling Li Shao to stop; if the guide fainted again, though there'd be no punishment, it would still be a hassle.

S-rank Sentinels' best destiny is to die on the battlefield—this is also the wish of the military and some sentinels.

Li Shao raised the corners of his eyes: "Guide, let's exchange contact info."

"I want it too."

"I need it as well."

Almost all sentinels were happy to add this contact method, and Fu Guang didn't refuse.

"Adding them one by one is tedious; better to create a group."

After Fu Guang set up the group, she released the invitation code into the air, and once everyone had joined, she set the permissions.

The group included only seventeen people besides her, while eight were at her side.

Nine more she had never met.

S-rank Sentinels are truly rare; wherever they are, they exist like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

They have the capital to look down on all beings, yet why does it feel so aggravating when it falls on her?

She walked to the second‑floor observation chair and sat down; it's better than staying cooped up with this group of sentinels indoors, where it's hard to run.

The observation chair overlooks everything downstairs; on the wide battle platform, people are as tiny as a speck the size of a solar corona.

Fu Guang raised her eyebrows at Li Shao and Sheng Lai Ke Si appearing on the battle platform, while a unfamiliar female sentinel sat down beside her.

"Li Shao has never stopped fighting since he entered the academy." Wheat‑toned skin, icy brows and eyes, and strong, powerful arms were Fu Guang's first impression of Yin Zhu.

She carried a special feeling of being both soft and strong.

"No matter how many wounds he sustains, he won't stop fighting."

Fu Guang listened quietly to the sentinels' evaluation of Li Shao.

"He is a born warrior, a born sentinel."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Yin Zhu stared at her, his eyes holding beast‑like wildness and laziness: "A guide who comes here normally wouldn't step out of the room at all."

"You're special, and sentinels are born to love challenges."

"It's like placing a bet—if you guess right, I can still come to you for guidance; if wrong, it doesn't matter."

Yin Zhu stood up, revealing a large patch of tattoo on his waist.

"I see you like that big lion—interested in petting a cat?"

Huh?

Fu Guang still wasn't used to the sentinels' blunt nature when she saw a spotted kitten, smaller than her palm, leap onto her leg and find a spot in her arms to curl up, half‑asleep.

The kitten had three fluffy tails, two tucked under its head and one curled beneath its body.

Yin Zhu's face showed the expected expression.

Fu Guang's guide spiritual power should be very pure; the purer the spiritual power, the stronger its attraction to spiritual bodies, and since water can accommodate all things, it shows she does not reject any spiritual body, even if she is of the dark affinity.

Fu Guang also does not reject small animals, and the information the other side sent to bribe her was very useful.

Fu Guang closed her optical brain, on which a few words of S‑rank sentinel information were faintly visible, and the other party promised to go onto the battlefield together with her.

Drop a fishhook, and there will always be a hunter bringing fish to trade.

"If you feel offended, just cut the link first."

Once it's in her hands, it's her cat, and she won't treat it like a person.

Yin Zhu gave an agreeing gesture, her eyelids drooping, somewhat half-asleep.

Heaven knows, she hasn't slept well in years—she gets excited at night, and during the day she eyes this bunch of Sentinels disapprovingly, wanting to fight.

They say Li Shao is a battle maniac, but really nobody's any better than anyone else.

Bai Gao is A-rank; just now an S-rank snatched him away—he must have gone to fight.

Downstairs there are two, one sleeping nearby, and four more.

Fu Guang stroked the cat, thinking lazily, when she saw someone walking toward her.

The visitor wore gold-rimmed glasses and expensive-looking clothes; his whole appearance didn't resemble a Sentinel but rather a young master, his face bearing an expression of utter confidence.

Fu Guang could tell at a glance that he'd come to cause her trouble.

If you didn't say Sentinels run on a wolf-pack system, it's one leaving, one arriving, one arriving, one leaving, one after another.

She watched the man detour past Yin Zhu and deliberately sit on her other side.

"Fu Guang Guide, hello. I'm from the Federal Starlight Group—also the heir of the Second Group—pleased to meet you."

"I heard you arrived at the White Tower a month or so ago; you must have witnessed the splendor and grandeur of Capital Star."

The visitor seemed to speak gently to her, and he actually was gentle—just unclear what he wanted to say.

"What brings you here?" Fu Guang didn't really want to talk, but the other party directly transferred three thousand star coins to her, apparently aware that she's not exactly popular.

"It's like this: within Alliance University, only points may be used."

"If you need points, you can trade star coins for them."

"How much?"

"Ten thousand star coins per point."

Fu Guang confirmed he'd come to cause her trouble—her monthly salary is only a hundred thousand star coins.

"You're dreaming."