As the conversation between Shu and Siegfried progressed, an invisible sense of oppression slowly built up in Shu's heart, but the conversation between the two of them became smoother and smoother.
Shu began to no longer just respond. Instead, based on the information he had extracted from what Siegfried had said before, he began to appropriately propose some of his own opinions.
And these opinions were mostly used to be refuted by Siegfried, which was the fundamental purpose of Shu's proposals.
"Everyone is drunk, and I alone am sober." How many people fantasized about this scene happening to them? And to guide others onto the right path, how many people were willing to exchange their entire lives for this pursuit?
What's more, everyone had a past where they had not yet grown up. Even if the journey had been so smooth that there had never been any mistakes or deviations, correcting the mistakes of those ignorant newcomers was still an emotional value that had to be tasted.
So, after Shu expressed his great interest in what Siegfried had said, Shu officially entered the second stage of conversation.
Becoming a stumbling novice on the path that Siegfried had walked.
Making some laughable mistakes, while not becoming a person who was rejected by this path, he would also not become a hopeless fool.
Deliberately making mistakes, then being corrected, then admiring, then making a staged mistake, then being corrected...
The long-term extension of mistakes finally led to the feedback of a "self" that had finally grown, and it was "his" good teaching...
Shu was racking his brains to disguise himself, trying his best to show his liking for everything Siegfried said, and trying his best to imitate a qualified novice in Siegfried's mind...
Just like children trying their best to act like they are social novices who like to learn, in an attempt to gain the recognition and praise of those "elders who think they have learned something."
Perhaps they wouldn't even ask for praise... just hoping that their disguise would save them from those meaningless, pointless, and completely avoidable criticisms and so-called "teachings."
It seemed that this protracted "guidance" was finally coming to an end. Shu suddenly found that Siegfried had stopped talking and was just staring at him.
The prepared next line was once again stuck in his throat, like a huge stone blocking a spring, making Shu's mouth start to feel dry.
Did he... did he say something wrong? Why was he looking at him like that?
In that instant, from the moment he had seen Siegfried until now, almost a full hour's worth of content flashed back in Shu's mind in about a second.
He tried to find the sentence that had caused the mistake in this compressed and long second, or a small action of his own.
His breathing became manual at this moment. Those completely subconscious and habitual actions also became stiff. Shu's scope of investigation had even reached his natural appearance, his expressions, his eyes, and so on...
No, I can't find it... I must have missed some detail. This time, along with all the thoughts in my mind before...
"By the way..."
Like a guillotine falling heavily from the guillotine, it instantly severed Shu's thoughts. His ears pricked up almost in an emergency, trying to forcibly suppress those severed thoughts and listen to what Siegfried was about to say.
Seeing Siegfried's expression become more and more serious, the cold sweat on Shu's forehead became denser and denser.
He was like another prisoner, watching the falling guillotine, waiting for the death sentence to be announced without being able to struggle.
"Shu, you..." Siegfried's hands rested on his legs, his fingers intertwined, covering his mouth. He spoke in a classic gesture that Shu vaguely found familiar.
"How on earth did you meet my daughter?"
"...?"
Siegfried's hair was long enough to be tied into a ponytail. The lower half of his face was covered by his hands. Shu could only see the pair of bright eyes between his bangs and hands.
Was this... important?
Shu chewed on Siegfried's question several times but couldn't figure out what Siegfried was trying to do by asking this question.
"This... Kiana... didn't she..."
Siegfried shook his head slightly, his hands covering more of his face, leaving almost only his eyes staring at Shu.
They were a little wavering, but Shu didn't notice. He was stunned by Siegfried's denial.
Kiana actually hadn't told Siegfried how they had met... this
...this... was indeed not very important.
This was a lie—
Siegfried's eyes were a little evasive. If his hands hadn't been covering his face, his unhideable guilt would have exposed him long ago.
Shu did indeed feel a feedback of guilt, but this touch of guilt fell into Shu's heart like a drop of water falling into the sea. It didn't even stir up a ripple before it was swallowed by the monstrous waves.
Kiana had actually told them the whole story of how she had met Shu when she had met them. She had told it vividly, and Siegfried had been stunned as he listened.
Except for the "original story" and Shu's abilities that Otto had ordered them not to talk about, Kiana had told Siegfried and Cecilia everything she could remember.
Siegfried didn't think he had reached the point of senile dementia, so it was naturally impossible for him to have forgotten all this in a few nights.
And the reason why he was lying here was because of the look Cecilia had given him before she had left.
[This child is socially awkward. You need to guide him more~]
Who knew how a single look could convey so much information? Sometimes, when Siegfried thought about it when he was bored, he felt that the various tacit understandings in his small circle were ridiculously outrageous.
Socially awkward... meaning he doesn't like to talk?
Then couldn't he just talk to Shu more?
This was Siegfried's initial thought. So he casually found a topic and started chatting with Shu. He chatted happily and cheerfully. And Shu, as he had expected, was very interested in this game, and understood...
Bro gets me! My... how come I've only met such a kindred spirit now!
Siegfried felt that it was a pity that they had met so late. If Cecilia wasn't still cooking, Siegfried would have wanted to raise a glass and drink with Shu on the spot, just like how he had made friends in Future City and become sworn brothers with them.
How was the sworn brotherhood ceremony done in Shenzhou? Let's see... shā xuè wéi méng, right? Back then in the City of Sighs...
Hiss... something's not right... something seems to be wrong...