The Wanderer's Archive

[...]The voice in his head fell silent for a long moment before speaking again:[Was this influence from past experiences?]

"You've looked into me?" Siegfried was surprised but quickly realized, "Right, you're the Chronicler."

Even without investigation, just looking at Siegfried's specialized skills would reveal that his past was anything but ordinary.

At that moment, their colleagues, seeing Zhang Yu leave, curiously gathered around. Before they could ask, Siegfried flashed his usual gentle and easygoing smile—his carefully maintained workplace persona.

"Don't worry, he won't be coming back."

"Really?!"

"What happened? What did you two talk about?"

Hearing this, the younger women in the office visibly brightened, crowding around to ask for details while subtly vying for the attention of this handsome, amiable, and promising young talent.

But Yang Jing was faster. Before anyone else could react, she had already positioned herself silently beside Siegfried, her expression cool and detached, as if nothing had happened.

"Thank you for stepping in."

"No problem."

Then came an awkwardly long silence.

Their conversations were always like this—brief and to the point. One never initiated small talk, and the other was practically mute. Siegfried couldn't understand how someone like her ended up in HR, a role that required strong communication skills.

All the while, Yang Jing was studying Siegfried up and down—not with admiration or flirtation, but with the scrutinizing gaze of a shopper inspecting a piece of meat at the market. It made Siegfried's eyebrow twitch.

(What's her deal…?)

He had always felt there was something off about Yang Jing but couldn't quite place it. His instincts told him that even if he hadn't intervened, she would've had her own way of dealing with someone like Zhang Yu.

Glancing at his watch, Siegfried realized it was already ten minutes past quitting time.

He quickly bid his colleagues goodbye and headed home—there was a mouth waiting to be fed.

...

Hui Le Road

Siegfried's apartment complex was located here.

Snack stalls, hardware stores, real estate agencies, art studios, music shops, wet markets, supermarkets… This street had it all, catering to nearly every daily need of the surrounding residents.

Back when the government's crackdown on vice wasn't as strict, there had even been two foot massage parlors operating openly.

Thanks to the Zhang Yu incident, Siegfried arrived home an hour later than usual.

His younger sister, Qi Ling'er, was sprawled on the living room sofa watching TV, her fair feet swaying lazily in the air.

The moment she heard the door open, the girl put on an exaggeratedly sweet voice:

"Wow! The sun must be rising from the west—my big brother actually worked overtime today. Hmm… No, no, something's fishy."

She knew her brother too well. This man was out the door at 5 PM sharp, rain or shine, always home before her. Normally, he'd already be in the kitchen cooking by now.

(Big brother would never work overtime. In that case, there's only one possible explanation…)

"Big brother, you've got a girlfriend! Oh my god, after twenty-two years of being single, my brother finally has a girlfriend!"

The excited girl leaped off the sofa and latched onto her brother like a koala, arms wrapped around his neck.

"Mom and Dad would be so happy in heaven. The Qi family line will finally continue!"

Siegfried nearly lost his balance from the sudden assault. He sighed and looked at the girl clinging to him.

Dressed in her white school shirt and red tie, her fair skin peeked out from the collar like polished jade. Her budding chest rose and fell with excitement, her delicate face alight with gossipy glee.

(She's gotten heavier… This kid's body is growing, but her brain isn't.)

Grabbing the back of her collar, he peeled the koala off and fixed her with a stern glare.

"Girlfriend my foot. I had actual business to take care of today."

Qi Ling'er squinted skeptically.

"You? Business? What kind of business could possibly be more important than securing the Qi family's future?"

Siegfried studied his sister, eight years his junior. The little girl who once clutched his sleeve in tears had grown into a stunning young woman.

(Pretty face, nice figure… She'll definitely rival Yang Jing and Catalyna when she's older. Too bad her brain's not keeping up.)

"Big brother, your eyes are being super creepy right now."

Qi Ling'er noticed his odd gaze and took two steps back, arms crossed defensively like a startled deer.

Siegfried coughed awkwardly and looked away.

"Quit overthinking, brat. Go set the table—I ordered pizza."

"Yay~"

...

"I'll protect Nezuko!"

The TV blared with the latest hit anime, which his sister was apparently a die-hard fan of.

Siegfried had watched a few episodes at her insistence. Frankly, his only thought was that if his sister were half as sweet and gentle as Nezuko, he could die happy.

At the dining table, Qi Ling'er held a slice of pizza in one hand, her cheek smudged with cheese, while the other hand brandished a butter knife at her brother.

"Big brother, you really should find a girlfriend. Twenty-two years old and you've never even held a girl's hand—Mom and Dad would be worried sick up in heaven."

(Who says? Just the other day, I was touching a certain female knight's… Ahem. That really was something.)

Siegfried listened to his sister's lecture while silently reminiscing.

"Look at other Siegfrieds—dragon slayers, S-rank Valkyries… How come you're so lame you can't even get a girlfriend?"

(How is that my fault? It's not like I chose this name.)

Siegfried's eye twitched. He'd always stood out because of his flashy name.

But though the name was borrowed, his twenty-two years of life had been anything but ordinary—full of enough twists and turns to rival the sagas of The Song of the Nibelungs and Honkai Impact 3rd's protagonists.

When Siegfried was sixteen, his parents died in an unexplained accident, leaving behind him and his eight-year-old sister.

The siblings inherited a house and a substantial insurance payout, enough to keep them comfortable until adulthood.

But the money was soon swindled away by "kind-hearted" relatives.

If not for Uncle Xie's intervention, they would've lost the house too.

At sixteen, Siegfried learned just how dark human nature could be.

Still, life went on.

Despite being a top student, he gave up his education to support his sister, entering the workforce early.

Over the years, he'd delivered takeout, worked in factories, hosted weddings, carried corpses at funerals, and even served as a forensic sketch artist for the police.

His varied experiences honed his resilience far beyond his peers and equipped him with an array of survival skills.

Uncle Xie had repeatedly offered him a cushy job as his assistant—easy work with generous pay.

But Siegfried always refused. Even at seventeen, he understood one thing: comfort breeds docility, not strength.

And he had too many people he wanted to devour.

Siegfried glanced at his sister, who was acting unusually mature, set down his utensils, and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"You're only this quiet when you're eating, and you only ramble when something's bothering you. Spit it out—what's wrong?"