Marg stopped picking up the pills, looked up at Bai Ci, and then at the master he served.
After receiving a look of instruction from Violita, he placed the medicine bottle by the wheelchair's armrest and took the initiative to say, “Young Master, I will go to the dining car to ask for a cup of warm water.”
Violita nodded, letting Marg leave.
Bai Ci sat down in Violita's seat. Since he was in a wheelchair, his fixed seat was left vacant.
“Then let's just have a casual chat. We can talk about whatever you like,” she said, looking at Violita and guiding the conversation. “Like hobbies, for example?”
Violita was silent for a moment, then slowly began to speak. “My health has been poor since I was a child. I couldn't go out to play like other kids my age. I couldn't run, I couldn't jump, and I couldn't even walk for a long time.”
“So most of the time, I stayed home alone. My only pleasure was reading.”
“I read all kinds of books—novels, poetry collections, history, geography, and even some obscure, difficult theoretical books. I've read them all.”
“After reading them so many times, I can recite the contents of many of those books from memory.”
As he spoke, the pain on Violita's face seemed to ease slightly. His eyes softened, and a faint trace of pride carried in his tone.
Bai Ci nodded, her face showing just the right amount of envy. “That's wonderful. I like reading too.”
“But I prefer storybooks. I don't have the patience for those dry, theoretical books, nor do I have such a strong memory to recite so many of them.”
Her tone was sincere. After all, for someone tormented by illness year-round to have such perseverance was indeed admirable.
Violita smiled. “It's really nothing. It's just that I have far too much free time. Aside from reading, there's nothing else for me to do. But what about you, Miss Lora? What kind of stories do you like to read?”
“I like reading adventure stories,” Bai Ci said after a moment's thought.
In truth, the text she read the most consisted of various scripts, campaign books, and their related supplementary materials.
Leading players through all kinds of mysterious events, exploring the secrets behind them, solving them, or being solved by them—how was that not a type of adventure story?
The last time she had read books in a traditional sense was back in high school.
Without a phone, she could only raid the class reading corner to read various magazines and Chinese and foreign classics.
In her high-pressure academic life, she would use any spare moment to read, securing a brief, legitimate pocket of relaxation.
“In those stories, there are always people who refuse to give up in the face of adversity, who strive to find hope, and who eventually break free from their shackles to achieve self-redemption. I find that very powerful.”
To see players stay true to their character designs and backgrounds yet forge their own endings outside of the script's preset path was truly deeply moving.
The two of them chatted casually like this. Most of the time, it was Violita talking about the books he had read. When he spoke of their contents, his tone became much lighter.
Bai Ci listened patiently, occasionally chiming in to keep the conversation flowing. She made no deliberate attempt to pry into any secrets about the train or his own person, simply keeping him company.
Since she didn't know what literary works existed in the historical background of this instance, Bai Ci spoke about some of the wonderful scripts she had read and the memorable performances of certain players.
She presented them as unforgettable characters and plots she had forgotten which book she read them in, or had heard about from people around her.
“I once read a story in a very small section of a newspaper.”
“There was a character in it who, upon encountering a man-eating monster, willingly used his own body to block it to protect a girl he had fallen in love with at first sight, buying her a slim chance of survival.”
“In the end, not even his bones remained. But even so, he never regretted it.”
Bai Ci remembered that line: “Are you going to stay here and watch him get eaten to the bone?” It had brought many tears to her eyes back then.
Violita, who had been smiling gently all this time, gradually narrowed his eyes. “Miss Lora seems to have a strong preference for this kind of... useless tenderness.”
“In my view, one-sided, weak kindness is completely meaningless.”
“In a desperate situation, you either completely crush the obstacles or are completely devoured. There is no room for a win-win compromise.”
“Leaving a way out is merely an excuse for the weak to move themselves. In the end, it only causes more tragedies that shouldn't have happened to repeat themselves over and over.”
He spoke calmly, even with a slight wheeze from his illness.
Yet every single word carried an indisputable certainty, as if he had already nailed all possibilities in the world down to a single answer according to his own logic.
The moment he finished speaking, Violita fell into another fit of coughing. Once he finally managed to quiet his breathing, his tone softened as well.
“My apologies, Miss Lora. It's rare for me to have the chance to share my thoughts with a friend. I got a bit excited and spoke too absolutely.”
He lowered his eyes slightly, his tone even carrying a hint of apology. “Actually, thinking about it, you're not wrong either.”
“Such a character might not be considered weak, but rather too attached to a certain thought in his heart. That kind of courage is indeed admirable.”
“It's just that... I've grown too accustomed to seeing the evils born of favoritism in books, so I couldn't help but speak a bit too extremely.”
Bai Ci was speechless for a moment, only sighing softly in her heart.
She realized that although Violita was in poor health, his knowledge was extremely vast.
No matter what topic they discussed, he could express his own views clearly and with unique insights. It was obvious that he had indeed read a lot and done his own thinking.
This seemingly weak and gentle youth harbored a streak of paranoia at his core. Truly, appearances could be deceiving.
As they chatted, Violita's voice gradually grew softer.
Looking up, Bai Ci realized he had actually fallen asleep, his head tilted slightly, his breathing even and gentle.
Marg returned at just this moment, carrying a cup of warm water.
He set down the cup, turned, and bowed deeply to Bai Ci, his tone full of gratitude. “Miss Lora, thank you so much.”
“The Young Master rarely sleeps this peacefully. Every time his pain flares up, he has to toss and turn for a long time before falling asleep. Today was all thanks to you keeping him company.”
Bai Ci waved her hand gently. “You're welcome, it was no trouble at all. He is a very pleasant conversationalist.”
Bai Ci stood up and returned to her own seat.
Leaning against her seat, she watched the pitch-black scenery flash past the window, her mind constantly replaying her conversation with Violita.
Violita was very weak and had a contradictory personality; there must be a secret hidden within him.
Yet, despite chatting for so long, Bai Ci still hadn't found any clues. She didn't know what connection he had to this train, the Mary.
Could he actually be an associated NPC?
He did have secrets, but perhaps they had nothing to do with the current instance, and he was an important character for a future instance instead?
Rate on N.U.
