【Interstellar Contract Magician】Ruyuanke

Chapter 474 [Empire] Tranquility

I narrowed my eyes, the smile on my lips deepened a little, and I slowly moved closer, deliberately lowering my voice: "Oh? Then how did you see it?"

Qianmo's ears were already turning slightly red, and he was clearly at a loss. He took a step back, but his back was already against the wall, and there was no retreat. He looked away awkwardly, his voice a little slurred, "It's just... a feeling."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at him. "Just a 'feeling'? Then your 'feeling' is pretty accurate."

He seemed even more uncomfortable, with his head lowered and his lips tightly pursed, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

As I watched him, my desire to tease him grew stronger. So I leaned in closer, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Have you been secretly observing me?"

As expected, Qianmo's body stiffened slightly, and even his ears were stained a suspicious red. He looked up suddenly and waved his hands repeatedly: "No!"

"Oh?" I drawled, my eyes full of teasing. "Such a big reaction?"

Qianmo took a deep breath, as if he had finally mustered up the courage. He looked at me seriously and said in a low, yet firm voice, "I am paying attention to you... but not in the way you think."

I was slightly stunned. I didn't expect him to admit it so frankly.

Qianmo lowered his eyes, as if thinking about how to organize his words. After a moment, he said softly, "Sometimes you don't look like you're here."

I was stunned for a moment, my joking tone slightly subsiding. This answer surprised me a little.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He pursed his lips and fixed his gaze on mine, as if searching for an answer. “When you look at the scenery, your expression is empty, as if… you don’t belong here.”

For a moment I didn't know how to respond.

I was silent for a long time, my eyes fixed on the ground, but not really focusing on anything.

His words surprised me a little, and made me...unsure how to respond.

It was like something was seen through, or like some thoughts that I had not even considered deeply were gently revealed.

"...Really?" I finally just responded softly, my tone was light and no emotion could be heard.

Qianmo didn't ask any more questions, but just stood there quietly, as if waiting for me to sort out my thoughts.

The wind came in through the gaps in the window, bringing with it the chill of the night, but I didn't feel cold. I even felt inexplicably at ease in this silence.

After a long moment, I let out a breath, raised the corner of my mouth, and said with a hint of self-mockery: "You are quite observant."

He lowered his eyes, his voice was very soft, but with an unquestionable seriousness: "...Because I want to know what you are thinking."

"So now, do you still want to know?" I looked out the window.

Qianmo was silent for a moment, as if he was thinking about my question seriously.

"Yeah." His voice was still soft, but with a certain firmness.

I looked away and turned to look at him. His expression was calm, without hesitation or attempt to avoid my gaze.

"What a pity..." I spoke slowly, my tone drawn out a little, with a hint of laziness and a hint of subtle provocation, "I don't even know it myself."

The wind blew gently outside the window, bringing with it a hint of night chill. Qianmo didn't respond, but just looked at me quietly, as if waiting, or thinking about something.

"But..." I paused, the corners of my mouth raised slightly, and a hint of unknown light flashed in my eyes, "If you are willing, maybe you can try to tell me - what I am thinking?"

He still seemed a little confused: "Are you really a girl?"

I was slightly stunned. I didn't expect him to ask so directly.

"What do you think?" I didn't answer him directly, but asked him back with a subtle smile on my lips.

Qianmo frowned, as if he was thinking seriously, but also as if he didn't know how to organize his words.

"You... don't look like one." He finally gave an ambiguous answer, "But you don't look like a man either."

"Then what do I look like?" I looked at him with interest and asked deliberately.

Qianmo stared at me, his eyes somewhat blank, as if he was stuck on this question. Finally, he muttered under his breath, "Like yourself."

I was stunned for a moment, then chuckled.

"Well, that's a good answer." I leaned back in my chair casually and looked out the window again. "But don't you already know the answer?"

He didn't ask any more questions, but just stood there quietly, as if he was digesting my words or thinking about something.

The wind outside the window was still blowing gently, but inside the house, the atmosphere had quietly undergone some subtle changes.

"So, what's wrong with my body?"

Qianmo's expression suddenly became serious. He was silent for a moment, as if he was organizing his words, and finally whispered:

"You passed out."

I was slightly startled: "Fainted?"

He nodded, his brow furrowed with a hint of worry. "You haven't been in good shape lately. You've been dazed during training, and your reactions have slowed down. Yesterday, you collapsed on the training ground. Luckily, someone caught you in time, otherwise you might have fallen even more seriously."

I blinked, trying to recall the past vaguely, but it felt like a piece was missing from my mind, and I couldn't remember anything like this happening.

"After I fainted... I was brought here?" I subconsciously looked around and found that although the room was unfamiliar, it was simply and refreshingly decorated. There were a few pots of small green plants by the window, and there was a faint fragrance of plants in the air.

"Well, I took you to the infirmary for a checkup." Qianmo paused, as if hesitant, before continuing, "The doctor said you had no external injuries or signs of illness, but... your mental state is not very stable. I suggest you rest well and not continue with high-intensity training for the time being."

Mentally unstable?

I frowned slightly, a strange unease rising in my heart. Lately, I've been feeling a bit distracted, with occasional brief blackouts, but I'd always assumed it was just fatigue from overtraining. I hadn't expected it to be so severe it could cause me to faint.

Qianmo looked at me with mixed emotions in his eyes, and finally whispered, "So, what are you going to do?"

"Is that all? Nothing else?" I continued to ask.

Qianmo was slightly stunned, as if he hadn't expected me to ask that. He was silent for a moment, then he sighed softly, his tone somewhat helpless. "The doctor didn't say anything else... but your condition doesn't seem like just ordinary fatigue."

I stared at him, my eyes sharper. "So, do you know something else?"

Qianmo avoided my gaze, as if weighing something. After a moment, he whispered, "...The fluctuations in your mental power are very strange."

I blinked. "Strange?"

"I'm a plant-based person, and my perception of mental fluctuations is more acute than that of ordinary people." He pursed his lips and looked at me seriously. "A normal person's mental power, even if exhausted, wouldn't be like yours... Your mind seems to have some kind of unstable fluctuations. Sometimes it's clear, and other times it seems to be disconnected."

My frown deepened.

"And..." Qianmo hesitated for a moment, then continued, "When you fainted yesterday, I touched you and felt your mental strength...collapsed for a moment."

"Collapse?" I repeated the word in a low voice, my fingertips tightening unconsciously.

This wasn't something that could be explained by ordinary training fatigue. Mental energy was unstable, even disintegrating... This sounded more like—

Mental strength has been affected in some way, even eroded.

But the question is, who can corrupt my spirit? Or, what is it that is influencing me?

I sighed. Actually, I kind of understood. Before leaving the capital planet, I'd already sensed that the cyan seedling could no longer rely solely on plant essence energy. Now, it had once again chosen to "devour" me.

But I can’t say these.

Qianmo looked at me, as if he wanted to ask something else, but in the end he said nothing.

I lowered my head, rubbed my temple, and smiled nonchalantly: "Don't make that expression, I'm fine."

He stared at me, his tone taking on a rare, barely perceptible urgency: "This doesn't sound like 'nothing'."

"Yeah." I smiled, "But what else can I do?"

He was speechless for a moment.

I understand his concerns, but speaking out about them is pointless. The growth of the cyan seedlings has long since outstripped the normal energy supply. Even before leaving the capital planet, I'd sensed a subtle reliance on my spiritual energy—or perhaps, perhaps, that it had once again considered me a special "donor."

What it needs is no longer just nuclear energy, but something more essential.

Mental strength.

My mental strength.

It's not that I haven't tried other ways to feed it, but the satisfaction brought by those substitutes is always short-lived, and once it's "hungry", the feeling of being devoured will come back. But even if I knew this, I couldn't tell anyone.

Because no one will understand, or even... no one can stop it.

"Qianmo." I called his name softly and looked up at him.

"Ok?"

"Don't ask about this anymore."

He paused, as if about to retort, but ultimately just nodded silently.

"How about you move into my dorm?" he said after a moment's silence.

I was stunned for a moment. I didn't expect him to make such a suggestion.

"Move to your dorm?" I raised my eyebrows slightly, with a hint of joking in my tone, "Are you sure you can withstand this bombshell from me?"

He seemed a little nervous and lowered his head, his tone still calm: "I just want you to have a good rest. After all, your current condition... I can see it."

I was silent for a moment, feeling a little complicated.

I don't know why, but when I heard him say that, I felt an inexplicable warmth in my heart.

"Do you think that changing the environment will allow me to get a good rest?" I asked in a low voice, with a helpless tone.

"Perhaps," he smiled faintly, "a change of environment might make things easier."

I didn't say anything, just looked at him.

His words were not a promise, but more like a silent concern.

I can't refute this kind of concern, and I even suddenly feel a little warm.

"Really?" I smiled faintly.

He lowered his head, as if he was a little hesitant to look me in the eye. After a moment, he said softly, "If you don't mind, let's go tonight."

I nodded. Although I didn't give a clear answer, there was no rejection in my tone.

"Okay." I said softly, with an indescribable sense of relief in my tone.

He seemed relieved and smiled faintly. We didn't say anything else, and there was an unspoken understanding in the air.

The dormitory was so quiet that one could almost hear their own breathing. The furnishings were simple, the bed neatly made, and the desk, save for a few books and training materials, was mostly unadorned. The only hint of life came from a small green plant growing quietly on the windowsill, seemingly blending perfectly with the atmosphere of the room.

I stood at the door, looking at the scene before me, and suddenly felt an unprecedented tranquility enveloping me. Compared to those places filled with noise and hustle and bustle, this place felt more like a safe haven.

He stood nearby and noticed I hadn't moved, looking a little uncomfortable. "You can sit anywhere. The bed is right over there."

I nodded, walked over and put my backpack on the bed, then turned to look at him. He didn't say much, just stood there silently, as if giving me enough space to adjust to this new environment.

"Feeling okay?" he asked softly.

I was silent for a moment, my eyes unconsciously scanning this simple and quiet space, and finally nodded: "Very good, thank you."

His face flushed for a moment: "There are fewer people in this room, and it's more convenient for you as a girl."

I smiled faintly, but a strange feeling welled up in my heart. After all, in a place like the military academy, being able to find a space where I didn't have to hide my identity or worry about excessive attention was truly a rare opportunity to relax. Although his words were a bit understated, I knew he was thinking about me.

"Yeah, that's true." I replied softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Looking at his somewhat restrained appearance, I couldn't help but feel curious about why he was so nervous.

He seemed to notice the change in my gaze, straightened his clothes slightly, lowered his head, and said softly: "If you need anything, please let me know at any time."

I nodded, feeling a little warm inside. Even though we had only just met, this little bit of concern made me feel less lonely.

"Thank you, Qianmo." I said softly, my eyes inadvertently falling on the pot of quietly growing plants, and suddenly I felt a little dazed.

There were plenty of empty beds in this room. I chose one by the window.

A gentle breeze blew past the window, bringing a hint of chill. I unconsciously tugged at my collar. The air here was quiet and fresh, a stark contrast to the clamor of the dormitory. I leaned against the headboard, gazing at the sky outside the window, and gradually relaxed.

That row of empty beds seemed to offer me a peaceful space, a place where I could temporarily escape from all the chaos. Although I was a little uncomfortable with this change, the quietness actually made me feel a sense of peace that I hadn't felt for a long time.

Qianmo walked over to a nearby bookshelf and sorted some things, occasionally glancing at me. There was a rare tacit understanding in the air, no one trying to break the silence. But occasionally, I could sense a hint of unease in his gaze, as if he was waiting for my reaction.

I was not in a hurry. I sat there quietly, feeling every second slow down, as if I could enjoy the tranquility of the moment.