"Scarlet, we can't drink anymore today. Grim shook his dizzy head and said " " didn't we just have a drink yesterday?"
"Commander, Yesterday yes yesterday, today yes today. If you keep thinking about yesterday's good wine, today's wine won't smell like it."
Scarlet held a bamboo hat and pointed to the clear sky outside the window.
"Look out the window, the wind is right today, the water is calm, it should be a good day for drinking."
"But..."
"You don't want to eat meat? This is good venison, I brought it from Surface."
Scarlet pulled out a very tender and veined piece of venison from somewhere.
Seeing the White and red patterned flesh, Grim pursed his lips. It's been a few weeks since he last ate real meat. Ark meat products have always been of unknown origin, and they did not even want to disclose the list of ingredients.
How could the food of unknown origin be compared to the original delicacies from Surface?
"Then... one more little drink?"
"I know the Commander will not refuse."
While carrying venison, Grim returns to the Commander's Office. Inside a mess, but there is no one.
Anis was supposed to take Marian back to Nikke's dorm to rest.
Grim walked into the kitchen, lit the stove fire, and with the spices, made a delicious C
While preparing the roast, Scarlet mysteriously appears from behind Grim again.
"Commander's cooking is incredible."
"If we get back Surface in the future, have you ever considered becoming a chef?"
"Whose chef, Scarlet ?"
"If the Commander is pleased, it is not impossible. From now on, I will hunt, and you will cook. In our free time, we will prepare a table with wine and delicious dishes, and then invite a couple of friends for a small get-together. Does the Commander like such a life?"Scarlet asked with a smile.
"That's what needs to be talked about once we reclaim the Surface."
Grim put the boiled meat on the table and then took out a bottle of cocktail from the cupboard, then put it on the table.
"Today, only two small drinks, no more."
"Since the Commander said So, then just two small glasses are enough, no more."
"Come on, fill it up."
The party has just begun.
The three members of the Counterattack Squad came over, attracted by the scent.
"Commander, you are too greedy, you didn't even call us to eat meat!"
"Sir, I also want to eat!"
Anis and Neon shouted, pounced on the boiled meat on the table and joined the feast.
Neatly sat quietly and quietly added a pair of chopsticks to himself.
As for Marian, she seems to be still sleeping, after all, she is still a child, so it is only natural that she is a little sleepy.
The group's meetings continued late into the night.
And in the midst of constant toasts, the number of bottles of wine on the table grew, although Scarlet drank most of it , they both completely forgot the four words "not at all anymore".
"Uh ... why is my head so dizzy... is it because the room heating is turned on again?"
"Commander, turn off the heating, or come help me take off my shoes."
"Before going to bed, if you don't take off your shoes, gu wu..."
Scarlet, clutching a bottle of wine, lay half-leaning on a chair, muttering something indistinct.
"What heater? You've had too much to drink. Anis pursed her lips: "to be honest, I really find it hard to imagine that the legendary Pilgrim was really a drunken alcoholic."
Anis had seen other pilgrims before.
For example, the legendary" Snow White".
As pure as Snow White, she wielded an anti-ship rifle, walked cold and alone in the distant northern snow, and every time she acted, she would kill all the raptures there were, no one left. Even his personality is like a leader, quiet and very serious.
Logically, other pilgrims should also be like this.
But why is this Nikke in front of him a heavy drunkard?
Staring at a completely drunk Scarlet, Anis Pilgrim's filter shattered into pieces.
Scarlet, seeing that Anis seemed to have a strange perception of her, couldn't help but smile: "Hehe, this young Nikke, you should know that even a Pilgrim, in the end, is still a Nikke, right?"
Anis was astonished " " Hmm..."
Scarlet continued: "You are Nikke, and I am also Nikke, so I am just Nikke who has lived a little longer than you. Regarding the meaning of Pilgrim, It was just a title given randomly by someone else. Even the widely circulated stories on Ark are probably just made up with exaggerated details."
Anis: "come to think of it, it's true."
"But you come to The Outpost too often. As a Pilgrim, shouldn't you keep your distance from the Ark? At least give me a little fantasy about Pilgrim."
"Come too often?"
The wistful and drunk Scarlet eyes stared at Grim who was dizzy from drinking. He pursed his thin lips and smiled, saying, " My real goal is not wine. As for why I came, you don't have to ask too many questions."
Anis " " Eh, why do I feel like you just want to drink?"
" Gu wu... "Scarlet muttered, then suddenly turned her gaze to Neon:" Neon, want to see rainbow vomit?"
"Rainbow vomit? What is it, pilgrims ' ultimate stance?"
"Mm, that's a very powerful ultimate move."
"I want to see it!"
Anis immediately shouted " " Hey, don't you dare vomit in the room, I don't want to be your cleaner!"
The meeting of the members of the Counterattack Squad and Scarlet lasted until late at night.
Grim, who has been talking and drinking since waking up, is drunk again.
Yesterday's hangover hasn't gone away, and today is another day where she was persuaded to drink by Scarlet .
Before falling asleep, Grim, supporting his dizzy head, looked at his slightly pale face in the mirror and could not help but sigh.
"I'm so tired of alcohol and fun, I'm so tired..."
"From today on, I have to stop drinking!"
After making a decision.
Grim immediately took a shower, then climbed into bed, and fell into a deep and vague sleep.
....
The next day.
New Day.
When the clear sky brightened again, Scarlet pushed the door of the Commander's Office hard.
"Commander, I brought vegetables today. You know what I'm going to say, right?"
"Wake up quickly, let's have a little drink, just the two of us."
"My head hurts and my shoulders are stiff today. I really can't drink anymore."
Grim answered from under the covers.
Scarlet walked to the side of the bed, observed the raised blanket intently for a moment, then suddenly turned her head away with a flushed face: "Commander, Are you really just a headache and stiff shoulders? However, I feel like your stiffness seems to be somewhere else?"
Grim threw down his blanket and explained: "that's a normal physiological phenomenon."
"Also, knock on the door before entering next time."
"Well then, today's wine..."
"I really can't drink anymore, Scarlet ."
"Really? A deep sense of loss appeared on Scarlet's face , as if not being able to drink was more frightening to her than fighting Rapture: "if the Commander didn't want to drink with me, you should have said So yesterday. Today I came as promised, but was refused by the Commander, it was disappointing."
Grim was silent for a moment: "Scarlet, it's not that I can't drink with you, it's just that..."
Scarlet's lips that were bent downwards immediately curved upwards again: "then, that means you can drink?"
"Commander, don't talk anymore."
"Bring the wine."
....
Put the last precious cocktail bottle on the table.
After pouring Scarlet a drink, Grim asks permission to wash his face and immediately leaves Commander Center.
He couldn't stay long in this place.
If he stayed any longer, he would definitely get entangled in this annoying and subtle drunken fog, and spend the whole day in a drunken stupor.
He stepped out.
Grim took a breath of fresh air, opened his device, and was about to check if Nikke had sent him a message when Privaty's message came in.
Privaty: "recently I heard that a strangely dressed Nikke seems to be frequently in and out of The Outpost, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a sword around his waist. And Nikke's appearance was very similar to the Pilgrim recorded in the Ark."
Privaty: "Commander, is this true?"
Privaty :" please answer me."
"Come that fast?"
Central Government has always been sensitive to pilgrims.
Especially for those who held important positions in government, any excessive contact with Pilgrim could lead to unfounded charges and imprisonment.
Grim: "I don't know."
After giving Privaty a perfunctory answer, Grim rushes back to Commander Center, grabs Scarlet's still drinking wrist, and pulls her out the door.
Scarlet was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled shyly: "Commander, bravely holding my hand, are you perhaps planning to elope with me?"
"What time is it, and you're still joking? Grim sighed, " I'll send you to the Surface. You better not come back for a while."
"What has happened?"
"You come too often. The Central Government already knows about your frequent visits to The Outpost. Once they make sure you're still here, they'll most likely send someone to arrest you right away."
"So that's it. I've been a little sloppy lately..."
Scarlet recalled the meetings of the past few days; she did come quite often.
In any case, wandering alone for long periods of time on the Surface, with no familiar faces to see except for daily farming and no wine to drink, inevitably generates feelings of loneliness.
So great that he, who usually takes matters in stride, really wants the time spent drinking with Grim at The Outpost.
"After I leave, the Commander will definitely get into trouble. How do you plan to deal with those people?"
"Although I am not considered high-ranking, as long as the Central Government has no evidence, they will have no reason to arrest me, no matter what. Don't worry at all."
He drove Scarlet to the elevator at The Outpost.
The two mass-produced Nikkes guarding the elevator salute Grim but do not let them pass.
A moment later, the soldier on the left looked up and said, "Commander, we have not received a battle notification from the Central Government."
"After all, this Nikke beside you is not a member of the Counterattack Squad, right?"
"He's a new member of Team Infinity at the northern base. The mission is a covert operation. I'm responsible for bringing it to Surface and will be back soon. Please let us pass," Grim lied without changing his expression.
"Understood."
Ding!
The elevator door opened slowly.
Grim and Red Lotus stepped into the elevator.
Accompanied by a buzzing sound, after a while, the two returned to the Surface from The Outpost.
The morning sun began to shine, and a light breeze blew, but the landscape was rather gloomy. Within a radius of a hundred miles, ruins and metals were wasted everywhere, only the occasional Grim color could be seen among the ruins.
To ensure Ark's safety, Nikke often cleans raptures that roam around the elevator.
Therefore, this area is considered relatively safe.
"I'll walk you part of the way, Scarlet."
"Where is your house?"
"Commander, have you forgotten? I'm a wanderer; on Surface, there's no home I can go to. Scarlet corrected her bamboo hat, a sigh was inevitably heard in her voice: "if you mean defensive fortifications, there are quite a few."
"Every time I arrive somewhere, I dig and cultivate the land there, grow grain and vegetables, but I don't stay long."
Grim looked at his slightly melancholy profile and asked, "Are you so lonely?"
Scarlet paused for a moment, then pointed to the sky above: "loneliness is common, but fortunately there is wind, trees, rivers, and the bright moon always accompanies me. Once you get used to it, you won't feel alone."
"But you will still be lonely, right?"
"I have a gift for you. Catch it."
Grim pulls something out of her embrace and slaps it into Scarlet's hand.
Scarlet catches the item and takes a closer look at it, then discovers that it is a bottle of grain liquor that has not been produced for a long time.
Compared to yesterday's wine, a bottle of this grain liqueur is even more valuable. If it is auctioned on the Ark network, many wine lovers will definitely bid high.
Scarlet holds a bottle of wine. He turned his head in surprise, greeted with a Grim smile: "This is my last treasure, Scarlet. Enjoy it slowly when you come back; don't drink it all at once."
"Commander..."
Scarlet called her name softly, a charming blush appeared on her lazy and quiet face.
Indeed.
The place he liked was not the Outpost, but the place where he was.
"Commander."
"This wine is precious. Drinking it just like that will be very unsatisfactory."
"Since it's a rare trip to the Surface, how about we drink a little more?"
"Hmm? Still want a drink? Grim paused, "What if there's a Rapture..."
"Heh, Commander, did you forget? I am an unrivaled swordsman!"
Scarlet patted the long sword on her waist, then stepped forward, grabbed Grim's hand, and slowly walked with him through the wilderness.
Both found a windy hill to sit on. Scarlet took out two bottles of wine from her arms, then unscrewed the bottle of grain liquor. To the sound of gurgling wine being poured, soon the bottles were filled to capacity.
"Commander, look at the Grim mountains and clear water in the distance. Compared to Ark, which do you think is more beautiful?"
"Of course, the Surface is prettier."
"I think so too. Scarlet raised Grim's wine bottle to her lips: "Commander, did you know that in the past, people would express their affection for others by making a toast together?"
"In that case, may I offer you a drink as well?"
Grim held up a bottle of Scarlet wine.
Under the dim morning light, the two drank toast together.
Grim lowered his head, the lazy sunlight highlighting Scarlet's slightly reddened face.
He suddenly leaned on Grim's shoulder and whispered, "when I'm drunk, you're happy again; together, we forget about all worldly affairs."
"After the storm subsides, I hope the Commander will drink with me again."