Chapter 518.1: One Step Further From A Normal, Regular, Ordinary Human Being

Next to the wheat field fence, Afrni stood at a distance, gazing at the lift connected to the steel airship and the figure standing beside it. A soft smile had unknowingly spread across her face.

Legends spoke of a great hero from the distant River Valley Province, who, together with a band of equally brave survivors, triumphed over mutants and marauders many times their number.

To be honest, the real him wasn't quite as towering or fearsome as the paintings depicted. His face lacked the thick beard, and he didn’t have the intimidating presence of a gorilla. Yet, he felt far more dependable than that imagined figure, especially with that calm, resolute face that always carried a warm smile, making the early winter of November feel like spring.

It was exactly what she had been feeling...

At first, she hadn’t quite understood what the feeling was. But at that moment, she suddenly realized,

What she admired wasn't just his bravery, nor the wisdom she looked up to. It had nothing to do with the kingdom he had saved. It was simply that smile, one that warmed her heart no matter how cold the wasteland.

Even in a land scarred and ruined, through those dark eyes, she could still see the reflection of hope and renewal.

It sounded strange, but she suddenly felt a little envious of the puppet sitting on his shoulder, able to see what she saw from such a special place.

It must be beautiful up there...

With that thought, Afrni, who had originally only intended to watch from afar, subconsciously walked over and stopped a short distance from him. She gave a polite bow. "Honorable administrator, congratulations on your victory at the front. During my stay in Dawn City, I’ve heard people singing your praises and awaiting your return every day."

Hearing the greeting from nearby, Chu Guang ignored Little Seven’s protest, plucked it off his shoulder and tucked it into his pocket, then turned to the foreign girl with a smile.

"Thank you for the kind words, Miss Afrni. By the way, when Somer bid me farewell, he said he was returning home for his father’s funeral. I thought you went back with your brother."

She wore a pale green dress, its flowing hem swaying like tender blades of grass and hiding her ankles. Beneath her gently curled chestnut hair was a youthful face, now bathed in the soft gold of morning light.

Gazing straight at him, Afrni blinked. "My brother went back ahead of me. He asked me to remain here and attend the New Alliance’s victory celebration on behalf of the Honey Badger Kingdom’s royal family. He also asked me to say goodbye in his stead and thank you again for your care during our stay. The Honey Badger Kingdom will always be a friend of the New Alliance, and he personally considers you his mentor."

Chu Guang chuckled and shook his head. "That guy, I don’t even know when I supposedly became his mentor."

Somer probably returned in such a rush because he was worried about the throne. After all, he was only acting as king, while Yard held all the military power.

As for calling him a mentor... That was probably said just to curry favor and win his support.

Still, Chu Guang had no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of the Honey Badger Kingdom. Both Somer and Yard had left a reasonably good impression on him.

The New Alliance would only be the New Alliance. It followed the principle of seeking common ground while respecting differences. It never forced other lawful settlements to follow the same path. Just as one should choose the major best suited to oneself, each group should choose its own future.

The main contradiction on the wasteland wasn’t about which road to walk, it was about chaos itself. Until all mutants and marauders were eliminated, even the Army could still be considered lawful evil factions.

As long as the situation in the Honey Badger Kingdom didn’t spiral into civil war, he wouldn't intervene. At most, he would suggest that the local rulers implement reforms based on the New Alliance's guidance.

Afrni looked at him with sparkling eyes. "Is that so? But I still believe you’ve influenced him a great deal... I often saw him copying your words and thinking them over. He used to say the future of the kingdom lay in uniting the wavering nobles, since most of the Resistance Army’s funding came from them. But lately, he sometimes mentions that the kingdom’s future depends on uniting the silent majority."

"They don’t have wealth, but they possess something more useful than money."

Chu Guang replied casually, "That shows he’s maturing. Maybe he was inspired during his time here, but I’d rather believe it’s his own insight."

He had no intention of taking credit. In the New Alliance, people were just people.

Afrni sighed softly, "Maybe so, but I still think he couldn’t have grown without your help. If possible, I hope I too can grow like him. Is there something I can do for you? Something beyond organizing books, like what Princess Teresa does..."

Almost involuntarily, she said the second half of that sentence, surprising even herself.

But she didn’t take it back.

A voice deep in her mind told her it might truly be what she wanted.

Chu Guang gave the girl a curious look, then after a pause, said, "You don’t need to help me. Just take what you’ve learned and use it to help your kingdom."

"Why? Because I’m the princess of the Honey Badger Kingdom? I can give up my title like Teresa and become an ordinary resident of the New Alliance..."

Chu Guang looked at her seriously. "You have to understand one thing. Teresa didn’t become the mayor of Pioneer City because she gave up her title. It’s because her abilities proved she could do the job."

Pioneer City might be the New Alliance’s fourth city, but its survivor population was smaller than Dawn City’s Baker Street back then, and the living conditions were much harsher than in the River Valley Province. Being the mayor there wasn’t exactly a cushy job. Staff at Dawn City’s trade station had it far easier.

In the New Alliance, the title of mayor was just a salaried position. It didn’t imply any actual hierarchy. If Baker Street gained strategic value and became an independent settlement, its village chief could also be called a mayor.

"Sorry, that was presumptuous of me. I didn’t mean to downplay her abilities. I just thought, if she could do something for you, maybe I could too." There was a faint trace of jealousy in Afrni’s expression, though she hadn’t realized it herself, she had no reason to feel that way.

Chu Guang understood her desire to prove herself, but he couldn’t give her an important task just because she had read many books.

Theory was important, but practice was more important.

Shelter 401 had been the clearest example. Those residents there were highly educated too, yet they ended up chained up by a bunch of club-wielding savages. Not because their knowledge was outdated, but because it was too advanced. It wasn’t suited for the wasteland.

Still, her willingness to help was commendable.

Just as Chu Guang was pondering how to respond, someone shouted his name in the distance. "Chu Guang!"

Hearing the voice, both of them turned in unison.

Upon seeing the fiery red hair, a trace of confusion flashed across Afrni’s face, while Chu Guang looked surprised. "Xia Yan? You’re back?"

Xia Yan grinned proudly. "I finished the credits required for this year already! The professor even praised my talent in mechanics... Though he said it’d be even better if I improved at math."

To earn recognition from Shelter 101, she most likely learned something...

Chu Guang smiled and asked, "What about Xiaoyu? Didn’t she come back with you?"

"She’s off doing something with Pai. Not sure what exactly. Said she’ll be back tomorrow. By the way, who’s she?" Xia Yan suddenly turned cautious, eyeing Afrni standing nearby.

That face looked innocent, maybe even cute, but somehow... It gave her a bad feeling.

"She’s the Honey Badger..."

"I’m the administrator’s student." Afrni gave a slight bow, eyes glimmering as she smiled sweetly. "You must be Miss Xia Yan. Chu Guang mentioned you before."

Xia Yan looked at Chu Guang in surprise, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "When did you become a teacher?"

"It’s a misunderstanding," Chu Guang coughed lightly. "I just lent her some books..."

"Those books have taught me so much. And your guidance has left a deep impression," Afrni nodded slightly. "To me, you are my mentor."

Xia Yan was momentarily stunned. "Huh? Guidance? What guidance?"

"It means patient instruction," Afrni’s eyes sparkled innocently as she gazed at Xia Yan, then feigned sudden realization, "... Ah, please don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean it that way."

That expression was definitely one to be misunderstood!

Staring at the little snake-in-sheep’s-clothing, Xia Yan felt her blood pressure rising.

Watching the two girls suddenly releasing killing intent, Chu Guang cleared his throat. "I only said what someone in my position is supposed to say. There’s no need to develop unnecessary feelings for me just because of my words. Alright, let’s not focus everything on me, don’t you two have things of your own to do?"

Speaking of which, it was almost time for his appointment with Hyrja.

With a bit of a headache, Chu Guang wrapped up the conversation and walked toward the truck that had been waiting for him.

That reminded him... Since a direct flight between Ideal City and Dawn City had been launched, maybe it was time to improve the transportation system.

Riding in a freight truck all the time really wasn’t appropriate. The vehicles from private shipping companies were all over the place in terms of quality.

He would have to ask the city hall to put out a bid for a few proper buses...

"Wa-wait a second!" Seeing Chu Guang about to leave, Xia Yan quickly turned away from Afrni and called out to him.

"What is it?"

Xia Yan’s eyes darted for a second, then she whispered, pulling out a palm-sized box from behind her back. "This is for you."

Staring at the plain-looking box, Chu Guang asked curiously, "What is it?"

"Don’t worry about it. Just look. It’s my project this semester."

Chu Guang took the box, opened it, and two pairs of flexible wings unfolded gently. A silver-white metallic sphere rested snugly inside the cotton lining.

Surprise spread across his face.

A hummingbird drone?

Well...

It was slightly larger than the ones he was used to.

From inside his pocket, Little Seven muttered, "Sloppy... But I’ll allow it."

Ignoring the little jealous ex-bin, Chu Guang held up the drone and examined it with delight. "Not bad! It’s really pretty impressive!"

It wasn’t quite on par with the Hummingbird drone he had once obtained from a loot box, but as a DIY project made from scavenged parts, it was already amazing!

He never expected that the NPC he once lured in with shell casings would have such potential. He was genuinely impressed.

It was a bit bigger than a hummingbird...

Right! I’ll just call it the ‘Sparrow’!

Seeing how happy he looked, Xia Yan couldn’t help smiling, though she quickly realized her smug expression was showing too much.

She coughed quickly, "

Ahem

, not bad, right? If I had more time, I could’ve made something even cooler."

Chu Guang laughed and tucked the drone into a pouch on his exoframe, handing it to Little Seven to play with.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Not bad at all. Now if you could build me an exoframe, I would be even more grateful."

Xia Yan felt her scalp tingle."

Uh

... I’ll do my best."

Afrni thoughtfully pressed her finger to her chin, then suddenly lowered her head in embarrassment. "A gift... I’m sorry. I overlooked that. Please give me a few days, I’ll prepare something for you before the celebration."

Seeing how serious she was, Chu Guang nearly choked. "What? No need to make it so formal."

Whether she prepared a gift or not didn’t matter. He had already received what he wanted from that war.

Afrni shook her head earnestly.

"How could I not? You saved us from those bandits. No matter what, I must thank you... please accept a token of our gratitude."

Seeing how insistent she was, Chu Guang gave up trying to convince her otherwise.

There was already a mountain of things waiting for him to deal with after his return, he really didn’t have the energy to worry about something like this.