Experiments with gunpowder weapons are inevitable.
It just shows that Xindeli has strong safety awareness—at least there were no casualties.
Seeing Xindeli at a loss, his face bright red, stammering without uttering a word for a long time, Alicia could only console him.
“Failure is the mother of success. Keep trying. If necessary, set up a training ground and build some specialized testing bunkers. Above all, please be careful!”
The girl’s Firearm Squad plan would have to wait a while longer.
Though disappointed, failure is an essential part of any new technology’s birth—nothing to regret.
Therefore, she decided to check on the EDF’s training on her way back.
Even though her training method had been formalized and was being implemented, so her presence wasn’t necessary, as the Chief Instructor it would be improper not to show her face.
Besides, hadn’t Lai En mentioned that Andrew was running gambling rings in the army? This was the perfect chance for a surprise inspection!
Without a second thought, she entered the camp through the back gate without having anyone announce her.
Today happened to be the soldiers’ day off.
According to regulations, aside from necessary guards and duty personnel, the rest could have free time in shifts.
These hot-blooded young men, with money and leisure, would naturally find ways to vent their energy.
Most would choose the city’s brothels, releasing their desires in cheap flesh trade and squandering the few copper coins of pay they had barely warmed.
Others preferred the bottle, heading to taverns to drink themselves silly.
After all, Alicia’s regulations strictly controlled alcohol within the barracks, so they could only indulge during leave.
The remaining soldiers chose bare-knuckle boxing matches on the training ground, venting their excess energy on their comrades.
Right now, the training ground was in just such a lively scene.
Two bare-chested, muscular men were wrestling in a ring, surrounded by layers of soldiers cheering and whistling.
The atmosphere was boiling over.
“Coming up! Bets are open! Last chance!”
From far away, the girl heard Andrew’s voice.
“Now entering the ring is Squad One Captain Xia Luo Te! His opponent is Squad Two Captain Bo Fu Si! Both are strong fighters! Place your bets! Xia Luo Te at 2 to 1, Bo Fu Si at 3 to 1, and 10 to 1 that the Lord and Master will show up to disrupt things!”
Alicia laughed in exasperation.
‘Good for you, Andrew, actually running this kind of thing behind my back. 10 to 1 that I’ll disrupt it? Fine!’
The girl crept closer, listening to Andrew bantering with the soldiers.
“Sergeant Major Andrew, why are the odds so high for the Lord and Master showing up?!”
“Oh, haven’t you noticed? Whenever the Lord and Master goes to the castle, she definitely won’t be coming out anytime soon!”
Andrew was speaking with great animation, spittle flying.
“Oh?”
A chorus of curious jeers rose around them.
Seeing this, Andrew grew even more excited.
Lowering his voice but making sure everyone could hear: “And let me tell you, I think Her Highness has some feelings for our Lord and Master! Think about it—what lord would casually hand over such huge matters as training a new army and reforming the military system to a young female sergeant major?”
A roar of realization and laughter erupted around them.
Andrew added fuel to the fire: “So I think every time Her Highness calls the Lord and Master over, besides official business, there must be some other stuff—like dates, walks… ahem, can’t say too much. And on top of that, our Lord and Master is a lazy bug—if she can sit, she won’t stand; if she can lie down, she’ll be horizontal. The day’s almost over, so if she shows up, it’d be a miracle!”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Andrew was busy counting money, collecting bets, and keeping records, grinning from ear to ear.
He didn’t notice that the previously raucous soldiers had suddenly fallen silent, their expressions stiff and eyes darting.
“Of course! I know our Lord and Master—she’s definitely napping at home right now! Come on, come on, place your bets!”
A delicate hand slapped a bag of silver coins onto the table in front of Andrew.
“I’m all in. All in on the Lord and Master showing up to disrupt things.”
The girl said with a forced smile.
“L-L-Lord and Master?! How… how did you get here…”
Andrew’s smile froze, sweat trickling down his forehead.
“Lord and Master, you can’t do this…”
“Why can’t I? Let me tell you, you made a bet and you lose! I win everything. This bag has twenty Cuini. Ten times that is two hundred. No more talk, pay up!”
Even if Andrew pawned his underwear, he couldn’t come up with two hundred Cuini!
“Look at yourselves! What kind of behavior is this!”
The girl slammed the table, hands on her hips, eyes sharp.
“You’d better raise your ideological awareness, recognize your duties, focus on your main task of combat readiness, strictly prohibit indulging in pleasure, take personal responsibility, and strengthen discipline!”
“Remember this! Gathering for gambling shakes the very foundation of military morale. Lax discipline erodes the basis for victory!”
After the scolding, the girl confiscated all the gambling money, then walked home contentedly with a bag of mixed coins.
However, this couldn’t continue.
Blocking wasn’t as good as guiding.
She needed a way to divert the soldiers’ attention, like holding some internal skills competition with rewards like food and extra pay.
—
Days passed with the girl writing furiously and waiting in boredom.
The scenery outside the window faithfully recorded the passage of time.
The weather grew colder, and the last withered leaf finally fell from the branches.
At first, only occasional cold raindrops tapped against the window frames; then, without notice, the fine drizzle silently turned into swirling white snowflakes—one, two, gradually linking into a flurry that blanketed Lide’an City in a soft, quiet silver cloak.
This world had no custom of celebrating a “Lunar New Year,” but at the year-end transition around the end of December, people still spontaneously held lively festivals to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new, praying for the coming year.
The market became especially noisy, taverns stayed open all night, every household lit extra candles, and the air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat, spiced hot wine, and cheerful songs.
Without realizing it, the girl had already lived in this strange other world for half a year.
After the boisterous New Year celebrations, the streets still held lingering embers of joy and scattered laughter.
But in an unnoticed corner, the girl silently returned to her empty, silent home.
The weather was already cold, and this silent, unsettling mansion only stirred the girl’s loneliness and sorrow.
The bits and pieces of the past half-year—the confusion of transmigration, the struggle to survive, the hardships of training, the anxiety of planning, the pain of injuries—all devoured her like a flood in this winter night with no one to share it.
So she sat down on the sofa by the fireplace, poured herself a glass of the liquor she had swiped from the festival, and stared blankly at the dancing flames.
‘I wonder how my parents on Earth are doing? How painful it must be for them to have me suddenly disappear. File a police report? Post missing person notices? Wait in despair, only to eventually accept the cruel reality of “missing” or “dead”? Would Mom cry herself to sleep every day? Would Dad’s hair turn white overnight? Sorry, Mom and Dad. You used to nag me every day, hoping I’d settle down soon, find a nice girl, get married, have kids, give you a chubby grandchild to enjoy family bliss. But now, your son isn’t just “gone”—he’s even changed gender. I’m struggling to survive in this bizarre world, and now I’m the one who might be “married off”… And my old buddies? How are they doing? Those friends who once made plans to travel together, start a business together… Do they still remember me? Death is not the end; being forgotten is.’
Thinking of how alone she was in this strange world, sorrow overwhelmed her and wouldn’t stop.
She tilted her head back and downed the red wine in one gulp.
The cold liquid slid down her throat, turning into a warm current, but it couldn’t melt the thickening knot in her chest.
This body didn’t seem to have much tolerance for alcohol.
After just two glasses of red wine, the girl felt her cheeks burning, and an impulse to vent her emotions built up in her chest.
Last time at the castle she wanted to sing at the top of her lungs but was interrupted by Lai En.
This time he wasn’t around, and there were no neighbors to complain about noise, so she might as well let loose!
We generally call this behavior “a drunken fit.”
Good children must never imitate it.
“Forgive me for my unrestrained love of freedom my whole life~”
Singing “Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies,” the girl couldn’t remember the lyrics clearly, and her head was spinning.
But even with slurred words and severe off-key notes, she roared with abandon.
slap The door opened from the outside without warning.
The girl startled, jumped up in a fluster, grabbed her dagger from beside the fireplace, and shouted shakily, “Who the hell is it? Breaking and entering! Name yourself now!”
“I suggest you put the dagger down, or you might end up hurting yourself.”
Lai En led Andrew and Mosuosi into the hallway.
“Also, are you drunk? Why didn’t you lock the door? The public safety in Lide’an City isn’t that good!”
“Lord and Master?” Andrew asked.
Lai En raised the basket in his hand, revealing steaming pastries and bread and several bottles of liquor.
“It’s me. I was planning to celebrate the New Year with you, but I didn’t expect to find you locked in your house howling like a ghost. What’s wrong?”
Startled, the girl sobered up considerably and quickly welcomed these “big buddhas” inside.
“Mm, I was feeling a bit down. And Lord and Master, that was passionate singing, not howling…”
But the girl still insisted, “This is called thrift…”
“Spare tonight. Anyway, it’s New Year’s Eve. Tonight, we don’t leave until we’re drunk!”
—
Bonus image.
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