SDIWD - Chapter 127
Chapter 127
In the past, aside from holidays, Hua Mu had to wake up before six in the morning every day. She would spend an hour on her appearance and another hour on breakfast, and her private tutor would arrive punctually around eight-thirty.
After three and a half hours of lessons, she would dine with her father at twelve-thirty. Lunch was finished within an hour, followed by a one-hour nap, and then two hours for hobbies. She would usually practice a musical instrument, tend to her flowerbeds, or go horseback riding. If she wanted to be lazy, she would read a book, watch a movie, or communicate with her close friends under the guise of a chat.
At five in the afternoon, she would go to the royal palace to visit the Queen—this was more casual, and the two would usually have dinner together. The time after seven in the evening was hers to use freely. She would typically… read some risqué books or watch movies, and write some impromptu verses to share on the weekend. She had to be asleep before eleven at night, or she would likely be unable to get up the next day.
On holidays, she could sleep in a little later; waking up at eight or even nine was forgivable. After brunch and some light preparation, she would rush off to various salons or parties—or, when she was the host, prepare to welcome her guests.
Festivals were usually even busier, with all sorts of celebrations and banquets to prepare for and attend. Her aunt had started involving her in these things after she turned sixteen, and she had gradually become quite adept at them.
This had been her past life as a noble young lady: "leisurely, elegant, refined, and busy."
It was already nearly ten-thirty, but Hua Mu, still lazing against Bai Zhen, had no intention of getting up.
The Sentinel, worried she would upset her stomach by being hungry, tried to wake her.
"Miss."
"Mmm, don't bother me," Hua Mu mumbled discontentedly, nuzzling against her soft "pillow." "So sleepy…"
"It's already ten-thirty."
It wasn't like there was anything important to do. Even if it were one-thirty, if she didn't want to get up, she wouldn't.
Hua Mu managed to lift her head and give the Sentinel a kiss on the jaw, half-soothing, half-rewarding, before burying her face back into the other's full chest. Her voice was muffled. "Be good, let me sleep a little longer."
Bai Zhen's face flushed red. She endured it for a long moment before speaking again. "Are you not… not hungry yet?"
Hua Mu was still incredibly sleepy. The Sentinel had been very passionate recently. Hearing her ask if she was hungry in her drowsy state, she responded without thinking, "Let me rest a bit more, I really can't eat another bite…"
What exactly did the Young Lady mean by "can't eat another bite"?
"But…"
It was almost time for lunch.
Hua Mu sighed softly as if in resignation, shifted her body down, and murmured, "Even if you really like it, this is a bit much… Have you been spoiled? My aunt said…"
Bai Zhen no longer wanted to think about what Hua Mu had misunderstood; she only knew it wouldn't be a misunderstanding for much longer.
"Miss, I'm sorry…"
"Eh?"
Aah, her day now began with being "summarily executed" in the morning!
The Sentinel, refreshed and invigorated, went to make break… no, it was already lunch. Hua Mu, on the other hand, was completely sprawled out on the bed, not wanting to move an inch.
If she could, she would have no problem sleeping for an entire day.
Lunch was boiled cassava, clam and kelp soup, small crispy fried fish, a cold salad of palm flowers, and stir-fried flying squirrel meat.
Unlike her past elegant and proper way of eating, now… she often didn't have to lift a finger at all.
After eating her fill, Hua Mu decided to wash up and get out of bed to start her day's… or rather, half-day's work.
They didn't need to replenish their sauces for now, nor did they need more sea salt. Her main task today was to process the honeycomb Bai Zhen had brought back yesterday.
They had eaten fried bee pupae last night. Today, she used the collected honey to pickle lime slices. The remaining beeswax, besides being useful for making candles, was also a nice snack to chew on.
It wasn't strenuous work. Hua Mu hummed a song as she worked, and soon she had prepared two large jars of honey-pickled lime slices.
Lying in the shade of a tree by the beach, feeling the sea breeze, looking out at the ocean, and enjoying a glass of sweet and sour iced lemonade was definitely one of life's great pleasures.
She finished her task faster than expected. Bai Zhen had gone to the sea to catch fish, and since she had nothing else to do, she decided to put the previously dried mushrooms and bamboo shoots out in the sun again. While they were drying, she went to check on the nectar collection from the sugar palms and picked some fruit along the way.
Bai Zhen still hadn't returned. Hua Mu took some ice from the "refrigerator," made a glass of lemonade, and lay down in the shade to read. The books here were completely different from the ones she used to read, and a certain amount of tedium was inevitable.
Lately, Hua Mu had been focusing on just a few specific projects, and she quickly found herself growing drowsy.
With Bai Zhen away, her greatest form of entertainment was unavailable. Since the weather was nice, she might as well take an afternoon nap.
The moment the thought crossed her mind, sleepiness washed over her. Incense made from beeswax mixed with various herbs to repel mosquitoes, insects, snakes, and ants was burning beside her. Emergency Rations, sleeping on her stomach, also served as a guard against danger. After confirming her surroundings were safe, Hua Mu quickly drifted off to sleep.
The sky was high and the clouds were leisurely. Under the brilliant sun, the calm surface of the sea suddenly churned. A dolphin leaped high out of the water, tracing a graceful arc through the air. A woman was sitting on its back. She had a fine figure, a lean and powerful build, and her tan skin, sharp features, and long black hair and eyes gave her an exotic look.
"Helena, thank you."
Bai Zhen was carrying a yellow diving bag that seemed to be filled with quite a few things.
"Eee~" The dolphin, receiving her thanks, happily dashed through the sea for a distance before slowly bringing her to the shore.
Bai Zhen dropped the things she had brought back from the base and returned to the water, rewarding the dolphin by stroking its upturned belly. Her lean muscles, soaked with seawater, seemed to glow under the sun, and her brilliant smile was infectious.
Helena circled her, rubbing and gently bumping against the Sentinel's body with her own and her tail, letting out affectionate, coquettish chirps. The Sentinel's long hair, casually tied back, quickly came loose from the dolphin's entanglement, and the somewhat sharp contours of her face instantly softened.
"Helena, haha, don't do that…"
The bottlenose dolphin gently touched Bai Zhen's abdomen with its long snout, rolling in the water as if seeking affection, kicking up wave after wave.
The Sentinel played with it conscientiously, stroking it lovingly from head to tail.
"Alright, Helena, go catch something to eat. I have to get to work."
"Yaa~"
The dolphin rubbed against her reluctantly with its tail, its cries lingering and sorrowful.
"I can't do that. When we can leave this island, I'll find you a handsome young fellow."
Helena seemed to understand her, flicking her tail aggrievedly as she swam away.
Bai Zhen returned to the beach, briefly wiped the seawater from her body, and dragged the diving bag over to the submersible. The back panel of the submersible was already open, revealing the craft's internal structure.
The working principle of the single-person submersible was very simple. The diving depth was adjusted by a ballast tank, while a 56-diameter, 600mm propeller controlled its forward direction. The submersible was equipped with an autopilot system; even someone with no experience could easily operate it as long as they knew how to input the settings.
Most of the submersible's space was taken up by the cockpit and the ballast tank. The actual propulsion system was not very large, and most of that was occupied by the battery.
After sitting unused for nearly thirty years, not only was the remaining charge in the battery low, but the battery's own capacity had also degraded significantly. Even at full capacity, this type of submersible generally only had an operating time of about ten hours.
This was the submersible's biggest problem at the moment. The solution Bai Zhen came up with was to replace the battery with the small nuclear reactor power system from a guard robot.
The Inner Tower naturally had a mechanics department, and even Sentinels and Guides who specialized in this field. Bai Zhen had always been a diligent student with a solid foundation, so simple repairs were no problem for her. However, this thirty-year-old piece of equipment had a very different structure from modern machinery. She had searched many times but couldn't find a manual, so in the end, she could only proceed by making educated guesses—that ability suspected to be Laplace's Demon didn't seem to be of much use here.
Because of this, her progress was rather slow.
She brought up materials batch by batch, but she still hadn't found a suitable transformer to replace the original battery. Either the voltage was wrong, or the size was too large.
Today again brought no significant breakthroughs. Worried that Hua Mu would be anxious waiting for her, she had no choice but to pack up her tools and head home with her fish basket.
As she neared the cabin, she saw Hua Mu sleeping in the shade of a tree from a distance. The blonde girl's sweet, peaceful sleeping face looked exceptionally beautiful under the soft, dappled light. Her thick, long eyelashes were like the wings of a golden butterfly; a mere flutter was enough to stir one's heart.
Emergency Rations lay comfortably on her abdomen, the picture of harmony between girl and cat.
Seeing that the insect-repellent incense beside her was about to burn out, Bai Zhen hurried forward to light a new one for her. Emergency Rations seemed to sense her, its ears twitching. It sat up on Hua Mu's stomach and gave a lazy yawn.
"Meow~"
"Shh…" Bai Zhen gently lifted Emergency Rations off Hua Mu and tossed it a fish.
The rusty-spotted cat snatched the fish by its tail and leaped onto a branch to nibble on its extra meal.
"Bai Zhen?"
Hua Mu hadn't been sleeping deeply, and the movement from Emergency Rations had woken her up after all. In her daze, she saw the familiar figure beside her and subconsciously reached out to touch her face.
"Miss." The Sentinel knelt beside the lounge chair, taking the girl's outstretched hand and kissing it. Her tone was gentle and full of affection. "Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
"Mmm~ No, that's okay. It's almost time for dinner, right? I'll cook tonight."
Bai Zhen brushed away the strands of hair that had become messy on Hua Mu's face as she slept, stroking her forehead gently as if she were a little girl.
"It's not late yet. You can lie here a while longer, get up slowly."
Hua Mu shifted her body, making room on one side.
"You've been coming back so late these past few days. Lie with me for a bit."
"I had a few things to take care of… I caught a blue crab today, it's quite big."
The Sentinel lay down beside her, speaking softly of everyday things.
"Then let's stir-fry half and bake the other half. We can make baked blue crab with mushroom sauce."
"Okay."
"I want to clear a patch of land in front of the house. We can plant some commonly used herbs and ingredients. It'll be more convenient when we need them for cooking."
"Then I won't go to the sea tomorrow. We can do it together."
"Mhm…"
Although the preparations were important, the time spent with her Young Lady was even more so.
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