Chapter 1: Crossing Over to Another World for Twenty Years
City of Brilliance, 233 White Rose Avenue, early morning.
Lloyd lingered in his small bed, holding an exquisite invitation letter in his hands and continuously rubbing it, a look of quiet ambition on his face.
The invitation had a wonderful texture, featuring a frosted base with embossed golden patterns forming an intricate design: a straight knife and a flintlock pistol crossed amid flames.
This was a conscription notice sent to him by the Holy Judgment Tribunal, one of the Three Great Tribunals under the Radiant Cult.
"Crossing over to another world for twenty years—I can't say I've accomplished nothing, but I certainly haven't achieved much. As a progressive youth who received a higher education, I truly feel ashamed..."
"But that's all in the past. Starting today, everything is going to be different!"
As Lloyd muttered to himself, he suddenly heard a soft, sweet voice from outside the door:
"Xiao Yi~ Time to get up! Breakfast is your favorite beef noodles."
"Coming!"
Lloyd quickly answered, got up to tidy himself, and walked out of the room. He was greeted by the sight of a petite and adorable girl bustling about in the kitchen.
Her figure was remarkably diminutive, standing only slightly taller than the stove, and her features possessed a childish, endearing quality. Yet, she had her long white hair wrapped up in a silk scarf, leaving only a single strand of hair stubbornly standing straight up on her forehead. This revealed a domestic diligence completely mismatched with her appearance, making her look as though she were trying too hard to act grown-up, adding a unique charm to her demeanor.
To make breakfast, she had to stand on a small stool and carefully tiptoe on her bare little feet to scoop two bowls of noodles out of the pot. It looked exceptionally strenuous, yet remarkably endearing.
Bright sunlight poured in through the window, making her figure appear even more vibrant, and her raised tender feet looked like two gleaming little white fish, seemingly even more appetizing than the breakfast.
This was Lloyd's older sister and his only remaining family in this world, Evrore.
Lloyd hurried over to help his sister with the prep work, carrying out two fragrant bowls of beef noodles.
"Wow! It smells so good. Sister's cooking is getting better and better!"
"Heh-heh~ I am your omnipotent older sister, after all. How could a little thing like this possibly stump me?"
Beef noodles were not a recipe from this world, but a taste from Earth. Simply because Lloyd wanted to eat them, Evrore had recreated the familiar flavor of his memories after dozens of failures.
Lloyd went to pour two cups of milk, and when he turned back, he saw Evrore climbing up onto a high-backed chair using both hands and feet. She sat up straight, her feet, now wearing cartoon animal slippers, dangling beneath the chair.
Then, she untied the silk scarf from her head, letting her soft white hair cascade down like a waterfall, and reached out to tuck a few strands of hair behind her pointed ears.
"Sister, why don't... why don't we switch to some lower furniture?"
This was probably the umpteenth time Lloyd had made this suggestion.
Yet Evrore shook her head vigorously, just as she had every time before.
"No, no! You're so tall. If the seating is too low, you won't be able to eat properly... Besides, you're about to step out into society, and there are still many places where you'll need money. We have to save where we can."
Lloyd could only smile helplessly and sit down beside his sister.
She had been like this since they were little, always putting her younger brother above all else.
After slurping down a couple of mouthfuls of noodles, Evrore's large emerald-green eyes narrowed slightly, and her feet under the table swung happily, clearly very satisfied with her culinary progress.
Then, she looked at the two chopsticks in her brother's hands that moved as fluidly as his own arms, glanced down at the fork in her own hand that always felt awkward to use, and finally stared at her own delicate little hands. Pouting her cheeks, she changed the subject and asked:
"By the way, Xiao Yi, you're going to the Holy Judgment Tribunal today, aren't you?"
"Yes, today is the deadline."
"Sigh~ Although Sister supports your decision and believes in your choice, I still feel like Xiao Yi, you're much better suited for a profession like a doctor or a lawyer? Or perhaps somewhere like a securities firm?"
"But I majored in civil engineering in college..."
Lloyd replied with a wry smile, then followed up with an explanation:
"Joining the Holy Judgment Tribunal is pretty great. Not only will nobody dare to bully us in the future, but we won't even have to buy tickets when we go to amusement parks or ride the trams."
"I know, but it's a military organization after all. You'll always have to face those man-eating monsters; it's terrifying! Sister is afraid you'll run into danger..."
"It's fine, Sister, don't be afraid. Nothing will happen. After all, I promised you that I'll take care of you for the rest of my life... Once I get promoted to the upper echelons of the Cult, you won't have to work such tiring jobs every day, Sister. You can just spend your days growing flowers, raising small animals, and doing whatever you like."
"Heehee, Sister is looking forward to that day! Sister believes our Xiao Yi will definitely amount to something! You're bound to rise rapidly within the Cult, become a lofty and powerful figure, and then marry a pretty, virtuous girl and have a cute little Xiao Yi. That way, I'll..."
"Ahem, Sister, let's focus on reality for now..."
Lloyd awkwardly persuaded her.
If he didn't stop her train of thought, a few seconds later she would probably be discussing where to hold their future grandson's wedding...
The two of them chatted casually like this, harboring wonderful hopes for the future as they finished this warm and cozy breakfast.
Lloyd voluntarily went to wash the dishes, while Evrore returned to her room. Seeming to have forgotten to close the door, she immediately began changing her clothes.
With one foot on the bed, she slowly pulled a pair of exceptionally textured white silk stockings up her leg, letting the milk-like, glossy white gradually swallow her tender, delicate skin. The two blended together, presenting the sweet aesthetic of ice cream.
Next, she changed into a shirt, a jacket, and a long skirt, dressing in a style somewhat too mature for her youthful appearance. Beneath the hem of her skirt, only her plump calves, tightly wrapped in white silk stockings, were visible, looking as sweet as creamy vanilla ice cream.
Once changed, Evrore sat before the vanity table and watched as Lloyd hurried over, still wiping his hands as he walked.
Lloyd then picked up a cartoon animal-shaped comb and helped his sister brush her long white hair into two playful pigtails, tying them into bows on the left and right with two purple ribbons.
Every morning was the same: Sister prepared breakfast for Brother, and Brother styled Sister's hair.
The siblings had always been like this, supporting each other, leaning on each other, and weathering the hardest times together.
Looking at her brother's tall, handsome reflection in the mirror, Evrore smiled sweetly and said in a soft, delicate voice:
"Heehee, our Xiao Yi is so gentle. I wonder which family's girl is going to end up with you in the future?"
"No matter whose family it is, she has to win your approval first, Sister. Likewise, if you want to find a boyfriend, you'll have to pass my test first."
"Then Xiao Yi, you'll have to work hard, because Sister's standards are very, very high!"
"My standards aren't low either... By the way, what was that project you were helping Miss Desta with these past few days? Is it tiring?"
Lloyd suddenly changed the subject.
"It's not tiring. Miss Desta suddenly decided she wanted to become a folklorist during this time, so I've just been helping her collect some interesting little stories and rumors. Every day is quite leisurely."
As she spoke, Evrore rolled her emerald-like, beautiful eyes and added:
"I'm sure Miss Desta will become an outstanding folklorist, giving lectures everywhere every day, publishing books that fly off the shelves, having fans line up for her autograph, and then..."
"Ah, haha, yeah..."
Lloyd chimed in with a thoroughly helpless smile.
His sister was always like this, forever hoping that everyone around her would do better and better, while holding no expectations for herself.
"As for me... As long as Xiao Yi doesn't dislike me in the future and is willing to stay with me always, that's enough."
Her vision for her own future was so simple—so simple that it made Lloyd's heart ache.
Soon, her hair was done. Evrore hopped down from the chair, stretched her arms out as far as she could, stood on her tiptoes, and gave Lloyd a warm hug.
"All right~ Sister is off to work. Xiao Yi, you need to do your best today too."
Lloyd looked down at his sister, who—even on tiptoes—only reached his waist. He gently hugged her back, completing their farewell ritual.
After Evrore left, Lloyd returned to his room to clean up properly. Then, looking into the mirror, he whispered:
"Panel."
A series of subtitles immediately materialized before his eyes:
[User: Lloyd]
[Status: Normal]
[Madness Value: 0/100, Upper Limit: 200]
[Sanity: 2]
[Spirit Power: 1]
[Inspiration: 3]
[Cognition: 4]
[System: Incomplete Enlightenment]
[Acquired Skill: Efficient Learning]
This was something he had awakened just a few days ago.