"What do you want, you two?"
"Southern crispy steak with French fries, pulled pork burger, and onion soup. I also want a raspberry cake and mini burgers to take away after the meal."
The waiter's fingertips pressed back and forth on the small tablet, and the material looked like cherry wood: "That's a good appetite. How about you?"
"Garden salad and nachos. Is there any ice wine?"
"We've got every kind of wine in the United States - not the finest ones, of course."
"Want a drink."
The waiter quickly took down the bill, smiled at the two of them, and walked away. The restaurant bar "Smoky Cowboy" was bustling with activity. The yellow lights flickered due to the rotating fan blades. The cut-off light reflected in front of the pool table and the poker table. The smoking area on the other side was shrouded in smoke.
Maho looked at the exotic restaurant: "I rarely come to places like this."
"You usually have a bar, a coffee shop or a high-end Western restaurant. It's good to try a different style occasionally."
The doctor looked askance at the strong men in front of the billiard table: "Those people will raise their glasses and make a lot of noise when they get drunk."
"There aren't that many drunkards who cause trouble in real life."
"It's just that you haven't seen enough."
The doctor's wine was served quickly, and she drank her pre-dinner drink quietly. Gongsun Ce looked at her face through the clear golden wine in the goblet.
The doctor's indifferent demeanor always made him a little afraid in the past, so when he was a child, he never dared to stare at the doctor, and only dared to glance at him quietly when he was talking. In the past, Gongsun Ce always paid attention to her makeup and clothes. He felt that Sister Maho was mature and mature like a big shot in society. Now Gongsun Ce realized that the outline of her facial features was actually very soft. He noticed that her eyes were a little tired after the ice had melted and she was excited about being exposed to a new environment. Alcohol accelerated blood circulation and made her cheeks slightly red, as if she had experienced the world. A cute girl who hasn't matured yet.
"What's wrong?" Maho noticed his gaze.
"I'm looking at you." Gongsun Ce smiled, "I think you are cute and beautiful."
"I would be happier if I took away the cuteness." Maho sighed, "Since when did the naive little boy turn into a glib man?"
"It's hard for me to be scolded even if I praise you."
They both laughed together. Not long after, their dinner was served. The salad that Maho ordered looked ordinary, but Gongsun Ce's steak looked particularly unique. It was two large pieces of beef that were fried to a golden brown and crispy state, with a layer of creamy sauce on top, and a large layer of thick French fries underneath as if they were free of charge.
"It's very unhealthy." Maho commented, "All you want is high-calorie fried food..."
"Come here and I'll give you half!"
Before Mahon finished her comment, Gongsun Ce put a piece of beef on her plate. She didn't want to refuse her brother's kindness, so she picked up the knife and fork, reluctantly cut a piece for herself, and found that the steak tasted surprisingly delicious. The coating is not thick, just as crispy and thin as the fried chicken crispy skin of a chain store. The beef itself is juicy and not heavily seasoned. The flavor mainly depends on the sauce on it. She can taste the flavors of buttermilk, pepper, butter and garlic. .
For someone who had worked all day, this steak was such a perfect reward that she decided to cut another small piece for herself.
When she was about to stop her knife and fork, the beef was already finished.
Maho's face turned slightly red, and Gongsun Ce asked with a smile: "Sister Maho, how long have you not eaten fried food?"
"It didn't take long." She replied subconsciously, "The last time was..."
When was the last time? Maho couldn't remember it all at once. When she and Kardesia had parties, she would often see the girl feasting on fried chicken, milkshakes, barbecue and the like, but she often refused the recommendations of her schoolmates. Now when she talks about food, the first thing that comes to her mind is always the taste of black coffee left in her mouth, as well as those delicate and small portions of shrimp, scallops and thin slices of beef.
"...A long time ago." Maho felt a little depressed.
"Listen to me, it's okay to indulge in food once in a while. High-calorie foods can bring simple and pure happiness."
"When you are happy in the end, you will become like Mo Yuankai."
"That's because he is extremely happy and sad. You see how well Chi Zijing maintains it." Gongsun Ce shrugged, "We are all still young. Don't live like uncles and aunts early. If you do that, you will be very regretful thirty years later. .”
Maho thought that what he said made sense. Gongsun Ce's youth was so enriched that he was particularly convincing when talking about such topics. They shared the burgers, nachos, onion soup, and glass of wine that followed, with Maho forcing some green vegetables into someone's mouth to encourage him to be nutritionally balanced.
"Please, I'm not a child." Gongsun Ce protested.
"Be obedient and eat the vegetables." Mafan straightened his face, and the gray-haired young man had no choice but to chew the fresh vegetable leaves. After the pleasant dinner, he raised his hand to indicate that he was ready to pay. Maho stood up across the table and wiped the corners of his mouth with a tissue.
The curves wrapped in black clothes were clearly visible in this posture. Gongsun Ce didn't know where to put his eyes for a moment. He realized that it was inappropriate to look anywhere, so he simply turned his eyes to the woman's collarbone.
He felt it was even more inappropriate to stare.
"My mouth is full." Maho sat back in his seat, showed the sauce on the paper towel, and scolded, "It's so frizzy."
"Um...thank you..."
Gongsun Ce wiped his nose nonchalantly, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the waiter who came to pay the bill trying to suppress a smile.
They left the noisy restaurant and bar. The Bird Market at night was much quieter than during the day, as if they were in a real forest. Maho naturally took his arm and walked side by side with him.
"Let me tell you, Sister Mahon." Gongsun Ce couldn't help but say after holding it in for a long time, "That is to say, I know I shouldn't be sentimental, but your attitude towards me has changed a bit..."
Maho raised his head and said, "Is he too nice to you?"
"It's so good that I'm not used to it."
"Actually, I have wanted to do this for a long time." Maho said, "When I saw you eating, I felt that you were frizzy and wanted to wipe your mouth. When I was treating you, I wanted to tell you to stop going out and be a hero. Stay safe. In life, when I was prescribing medicine for you, I wanted to supervise you to take it every day... But I restrained myself every time, thinking not to add too many details to protect my image. Except for that time when you tried to hypnotize me, I rarely planned to cooperate with you. For a moment, it’s a pity that I was disturbed by Caldesia.”
Gongsun Ce was shocked: "Why is it true or false?!"
"The day before was the Mid-Autumn Festival. You and Mo Yuankai spent the whole day and didn't have time to eat moon cakes." Maho said calmly, "You just feel a little uncomfortable thinking about it and want to find sister Maho to accompany you." "
That day he went to the doctor with a broken coin to practice so-called hypnosis, but was discovered by Caldesia who came to visit. So he was chased by the red lion and the doctor for half of the sky. The eldest brother who was watching Laughing like a pig. This matter has become one of the butts of jokes, but in fact, he has never believed in the hypnosis of Laoshizi. He just wanted to find a reason to talk to his crush, hoping that the doctor could see through his hesitation and let him stay for a while. meeting.
Gongsun Ce thought that Mafan only regarded that incident as another bad prank, but he didn't expect that his thoughts at the time were revealed, and he felt a little embarrassed for a while.
"You know I was stupid at the time..."
"I know, I was stupid back then." Maho got closer to him, "I always acted like that for the sake of security and face, but after Kongfang left, I felt that it was very shameless. Meaningful things. Relatives and friends are not always with me. They will grow, change and leave. By then, it will be too late for me to regret it.
Thirty years later, when I looked back on my youth, I realized that I once had a very close school girl, but I never played seriously with her once. I once had a boy who I cared about very much, but I never expressed any kindness to him. I should have How much self-pity and regret? But by then, everything can't go back. I can't take Caldesia, who is a mother, to the amusement park, and I can't tell you hesitantly at that time. In fact, I cared about you back then, but I was embarrassed to explain...I We are not even sure whether we can survive thirty years in this dangerous world, so what is the point of caring that cannot be expressed? "
Maho said so many words in one breath, and her profile turned a little sad. Only then did Gongsun Ce realize that he was empty
Her departure was such a great shock to her that it could make an indifferent person change his rock-solid concept of life.
"I don't want to be like Boli, an old man who blindly reaches out for the past. "Maho sighed, "So I want to cherish the present time and accomplish everything I want to do as much as possible, so that my memories after a long time will not only be about the blood and regrets of the past.
I went out with Caldesia and Yun Yinglang a few days ago. We went to the movies together, ate desserts, and talked about non-nutritious topics. It felt surprisingly good to spend time like ordinary students. I think I will still think of these meaningless activities many years later, just as I will think of walking with you in the shade, dining with you in exotic restaurants, and growing up and sharing time with that little boy. , we all have common memories that leave no regrets. "
The cold and awkward girl in his memory flashed through Gongsun Ce's mind. The doctor back then never wanted to talk to him about personal matters. They had known each other for many years but most of the time their communication was limited to a few words after treatment. Such a person has become more talkative now, as if he wants to say all the words he had been holding back before.
[In view of the general environment,
Gongsun Ce patted her shoulder and walked with her in the night under the lights, listening to the chirping of cicadas on the trees.
"Maho-san, you think a lot."
"Nagging like a single mother." Maho smiled bitterly.
"Little Ayane is older than you. You are not a single mother." Gongsun Ce scratched his head, "I wanted to enlighten you but it made me hesitate... After all, you have thought so thoroughly, why should you hesitate about career issues? Just resign if you don’t want to.”
"I know, but..." Maho got stuck mid-sentence.
But what? She has already thought so clearly, why is she still unable to make a decision? It seemed that there was still a stumbling block in her heart that was stubbornly blocking her decision. She kept telling her over and over again to think about it carefully, Akaguchi Maho, but she didn't say the reason for thinking about it again, and she just felt stuck there and panicked.
"...Let me think about it again."
·
In the end, Maho didn't come to a conclusion. She was extremely indecisive at this time. After Gongsun Ce contacted the girls, he learned that they were doing a big data survey. Alandia suggested that he use his evening time to think about his spiritual practice.
So the two of them wandered around for a while and sat down on a bench next to the open square. The huge screen in the center of the square was playing a live evening program. The two parties competing on the debate program were Gaius Optimus and Jago Drusus, who had just appeared in the Magnetic State a few days ago. .
The two big figures went into battle in person, discussing "the cultural realization of ancient spirits in contemporary times" in front of two billion people. They exchanged words with each other, just like two superstars with excellent acting skills. When Jago spoke, he changed his usual approachable demeanor. He often threw out sharp questions and heart-wrenching words. Gaius remained motionless in front of each question, and defused the red governor's offensive one by one, using the words in the holy scriptures. The original sentences and allusions serve as shells for his counterattack.
Gaius said solemnly: "We must note that some of the familiar stories in the Holy Scriptures - the verdict of the cross, the right fist of revenge, the tour carrying revolvers and hand axes - bear the strong cultural imprint of the saint's era. . From today’s perspective, the words in the holy scriptures are full of strong colors of violence. They are rude and even barbaric. This is the iteration of concepts brought about by progress, and it is also the inevitability of the development of civilization.
Ancestors taught their children to be brave in revenge and retaliation because children thousands of years ago lived in a cruel and barbaric world, and they needed brute force and bravery to protect their lives. And now we live in a steel forest, and our United States is the epitome of modern civilization. I sincerely ask you, fathers and mothers, to think for a moment. In the 21st century, should we still teach our children to kick and kick their peers? Or can we teach our children to solve problems in a more civilized way? "
Although the hedgehog-headed Jago tried his best to defend the legitimacy of the Holy Scriptures and the Church in the following time, he still lost in this argument. Gaius Optimis' speech won over the house both on and off screen
Cheering, people in the square discussed his point of view. Gongsun Ce saw the convinced trust in people's faces, and he realized that this person's reputation among the people was probably not low.
"Gaius Optimis is as hypocritical as his son." Maho commented, "If he was truly a civilized man, he would not have taught Aurus to be like that."
"Politicians are all double-faced." Gongsun Ce was concentrating on flipping through the drawings on his phone. "I met Mr. Jago a few days ago, and his level is also not low. He wants to use his power to overwhelm others. Gaius labeled himself an apostate, but..."
"Self-defeating?"
"Perhaps he underestimated his opponent." Gongsun Ce thought thoughtfully.
Maho brought his face close to him and looked at the exaggerated weapons on his mobile phone with him: giant hand cannons, pile drivers, deformable hand axes, rocket gloves... Mo Yuankai posted a large number of concept pictures of weapons early this morning. Come here, Gongsun Ce knows without asking that Alandia has given him instructions long ago.
Maho was confused: "What use are these things to you?"
"It's very useful..." Gongsun Ce briefly explained the concept of memetic thoughts to her, "I'm seizing the time to collect materials."
"You have succeeded once, why don't you keep doing it?" Maho asked, "Use the same idea to do similar moves."
"It's not that simple. It's like writing an article and composing a song. You always need inspiration." Gongsun Ce drew circles on his temples. "If you don't have inspiration, if you want to write a good article, you'll have to die at your desk day after day." Kung Fu, I hope that my sweat and time can produce a masterpiece. I have just finally come out of the extreme period after the end of my spiritual connection, and I don’t have that much time to practice slowly."
Maho joked: "If you use *** as research and development materials, your inspiration should be endless."
"Come on, I'm out of my pretty brat stage."
Maho's fingertips traced his neck: "Who was staring at my collarbone just now?"
"If you look at it openly, you won't call it a pervert, that's a vagabond!" Gongsun Ce said righteously, "Oh, to be serious, I feel like I don't have any ideas. I want to make a weapon that can be used once and for all, such as a hand cannon. , but you know I don’t usually fight with weapons.”
"You like to use small props, but you still have to rely on yourself to decide the outcome."
"Yeah..." Gongsun Ce frowned, "That's why I feel awkward no matter how I draft."
Maho was thinking about these words and suddenly thought of a good idea. She reached out to her brother.
"Give me your hand, don't move it."
Gongsun Ce obediently raised his right hand. The ability to control the body is activated upon contact, and the detailed transformation is completed in just an instant. His right arm was completely deformed after turning inside out from the forearm down. The bone structure moved to the outside to form a hard white bone armor, while the flesh and blood retracted to the inside, creating an unknown power source that emitted a strange blue light. His right hand was transformed into a long cannon barrel.
Gongsun Ce waved his new arm, his eyes changing from confusion to surprise.
"Prosthetic transformation? It feels really good. This way, I can truly control my arms. Unfortunately, I can't control my own..."
"You can." Maho pointed out, "Your telekinesis can realize an energy body. You can even turn yourself into a sword or a dragon."
"!"
Gongsun Ce stood up from the bench excitedly. When he noticed this, he suddenly became enlightened. Naturally, he cannot control his body under normal circumstances, but he can when he activates reincarnation! If he could further master his own way of communicating with the gods, if he could learn to use partial elementalization techniques like Caldesia...
"Sister Maho, you are right!" Gongsun Ce waved his arms excitedly, "I can refer to the prosthetic body construction technique! Let's go find a prosthetic doctor. Who is the most authoritative prosthetic expert in the Wood Mechanical State? "
"It's Baioli Dadalion." Maho said apologetically.
Gongsun Ce's enthusiasm was suddenly extinguished by a basin of cold water. He sat back on the bench, thought for a while, and called a certain ranger with the idea of being a living doctor.
"What's wrong, handsome?" Servais's voice was unclear. She seemed to be eating, "What are you doing here?"
Fang is lost? "
"That's not true." Gongsun Ce said listlessly, "I want to ask you something. Do you know any well-known prosthetics experts in the local area?"
"The most powerful prosthetic expert in the Wooden Weapon State is Baioli of the Dadarion family." Servais said, "Go to other rangers or researchers and they will definitely give you this answer."
Gongsun Ce heard the implication: "Do you have any other opinions?"
Servais smiled quite proudly, and one could imagine her complacent smile on the other end of the phone.
"Hey, I'm a devout believer, so the church naturally has its own people who are trustworthy. I know a priest named Gray Velus. That guy's skills are quite reliable. He even found agents from the headquarters who had lost their limbs. He helps."
