C.E. 62, Autumn
Nangong Wentian sat under the old locust tree in the backyard, eyes closed, motionless.
Leaves drifted down, landing on his shoulders and hair, but he showed no reaction. The distant sea breeze blew past, carrying a salty, fishy scent, yet he seemed not to smell it. The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, but he appeared completely unaware.
He sat there like that, like a statue.
Xiao Guang crouched in the distance, watching him nervously. Wentian had been sitting there since four in the morning. First, he completed his daily physical training, then he sat down, and he had remained there until now—the sun was already high overhead, time for lunch.
He wanted to call Wentian to eat, but didn't dare. Wentian had said that he must not be disturbed during meditation.
But this was taking too long, wasn't it?
Just as Xiao Guang was hesitating, the back kitchen door suddenly opened, and Sister Mary poked her head out.
"Xiao Guang, where's Wentian? Call him for lunch."
Xiao Guang quickly raised his index finger to his lips, making a "shh" gesture. Sister Mary paused, then followed his gaze to the backyard, spotting the child sitting under the old locust tree, covered in fallen leaves.
"What's wrong with him?" Sister Mary walked over and asked quietly.
"He's... he's thinking," Xiao Guang scratched his head. "He's been at it all morning."
Sister Mary frowned, about to walk over and wake him, but Xiao Guang stopped her.
"Sister Mary, don't..." Xiao Guang lowered his voice. "He said not to disturb him at times like this."
Sister Mary looked at the child's back, fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
"Save some food for him after we eat," she said, turning back inside.
Xiao Guang continued crouching, continuing to watch.
The sun slowly sank westward, the tree shadows slowly lengthened. Wentian still hadn't moved.
Xiao Guang began to worry. He wanted to go over and check, but feared disturbing him. He wanted to wake Wentian, but feared he might be doing something important.
Just as he was agonizing over it, Wentian suddenly opened his eyes.
Xiao Guang jumped in surprise.
Nangong Wentian turned his head and looked at him. There was something indescribable in those eyes—deeper than before, yet clearer than before.
"Xiao Guang," he said softly, "you were just thinking about whether to call me for lunch, but were afraid of disturbing me, weren't you?"
Xiao Guang's mouth fell open, speechless for a long moment.
"You... how did you know?"
Nangong Wentian didn't answer, only smiled. He stood up, brushed the fallen leaves off his clothes, and stretched his stiff legs.
"Let's go, time to eat."
Three months.
From summer to autumn, a full three months, he had persisted with training every day. Waking at four in the morning, starting with physical training, then meditation. At first, he could only sit for ten minutes, then it became twenty minutes, half an hour, an hour. Today was the first time he had meditated for over four hours.
That door had finally been pushed open a crack.
For the past three months, he had been recording his changes every day.
In the first month, he could only vaguely sense the emotions of those around him. Whether Sister Mary was tired today, whether Uncle Tanaka was in a good mood, what Xiao Guang was thinking—all were very vague feelings, sometimes right, sometimes wrong.
The second month, the sensations became clearer. He could "hear" Xiao Guang's emotions—whether he was excited or tired, happy or worried. Once, before Xiao Guang even spoke, he knew what Xiao Guang was going to say. Xiao Guang was startled and chased after him, asking if he could read minds.
The third month, which was now, he could finally stably sense the life aura within a fifty-meter radius. Not emotions, but something more fundamental—heartbeats, breathing, body temperature, and that indescribable "sense of presence."
Moreover, he began to anticipate certain things.
For example, just now, before Sister Mary called him to eat, he knew she was about to come out. It wasn't hearing footsteps, but sensing—sensing her impending appearance.
Over these three months, he had been studying the NT development materials from the UC Era.
Although those materials didn't explain how Newtype abilities were born, they still required training. There were many training methods—meditation, focus, emotional control, sensory deprivation… Each required long-term practice.
He organized those methods into a systematic training plan:
First Stage: Sensory Deprivation. Close your eyes, block out hearing, concentrate, and feel the changes within your body. One hour daily.
Second Stage: Focused Perception. Choose a target, concentrate, and attempt to sense its "aura." Start with inanimate objects, then plants, then animals, and finally people.
Third Stage: Emotional Perception. Attempt to sense others' emotional changes without excessive interference. Learn to distinguish the frequency and intensity of different emotions.
Fourth Stage: Anticipation Training. Based on perceived information, attempt to anticipate what will happen next. Start with simple things, like "who will speak next."
He recorded his progress every day.
Day One: Completely unable to calm his mind. His head was filled with all sorts of thoughts—technical data, experimental results, future plans, worries about Kanade… Those thoughts surged like a tide, impossible to control.
Day Seven: Finally able to calm his mind for ten minutes.
Day Thirty: Able to calm his mind for half an hour. Began to vaguely sense the emotions of those around him.
Day Sixty: Able to calm his mind for two hours. Began to "hear" what Xiao Guang was thinking.
Day Ninety: Today, he sat for four hours.
That door had finally opened.
"Wentian," Xiao Guang followed behind him, still hung up on what happened earlier, "Do you really know what I'm thinking?"
Nangong Wentian didn't turn around, only saying, "Not know, but sense."
"Sense?"
"Like…" he thought for a moment, "like how you can sense whether the wind is cold or warm, or whether sunlight feels comfortable or uncomfortable on your skin. Now I can sense your emotions—whether you're worried, happy, or nervous."
Xiao Guang scratched his head. "That amazing?"
"Still practicing," Nangong Wentian said. "It's still very unstable. Sometimes I can't sense anything, sometimes I sense it wrong."
Xiao Guang nodded, half-understanding, then asked, "Then what I just said, did you sense it?"
Nangong Wentian turned his head, looked at him, and said seriously, "You're thinking, 'Wentian is acting strange today, did something happen?' You're also wondering whether to wake him up, but you're afraid of disturbing him. And you're thinking, 'What if he never wakes up? Should I go get Sister Mary?'"
Xiao Guang's mouth fell open even wider.
What Wentian said was exactly what he had just been thinking.
"You... you really can read minds?!"
Nangong Wentian shook his head. "It's not mind-reading. It's perception. I can sense your emotional changes, and then infer what you're thinking based on those changes."
Xiao Guang stared at him blankly for a long moment before saying, "Then... then in the future, will I have no secrets in front of you?"
Nangong Wentian was silent for a while, then said, "Don't worry, I won't actively try to perceive your thoughts. And..." He paused. "What you're thinking right now, I actually don't know. I can only sense that you're surprised."
Xiao Guang breathed a sigh of relief and grinned. "That's good. I was just thinking, if you knew everything, then I wouldn't be able to secretly curse you in my mind anymore."
Nangong Wentian was taken aback for a moment, then he also smiled.
The two walked into the cafeteria, where Sister Mary was serving food to the children. Seeing Nangong Wentian enter, she froze for a moment.
"Wentian, you..."
"Sister Mary, I'm sorry for making you worry." Nangong Wentian walked over. "Next time, I'll tell you in advance so you won't be concerned."
Sister Mary looked at him, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
This child was becoming more and more difficult to understand.
But she didn't say anything, just handed him a bowl of rice. "Hurry up and eat, it's getting cold."
After finishing his meal, Nangong Wentian didn't return to the dormitory but went back to the back kitchen instead.
He opened "Star Core" 2.0, accessed the UC Era NT database, and continued his research.
Among those materials was an important name—the Psycommu System.
It was a system that used Newtype mental energy to control weapons. In the hands of a Newtype, Funnels could be as agile as one's own arms, and Mobile Suits could move as freely as extensions of the body.
Looking at the materials, he suddenly thought of someone.
Canard Pars.
That black-haired boy, the Super Coordinator who had been hunted for years. The files said he possessed mental energy and spatial recognition abilities far beyond ordinary people. If those files were true, if Canard really had such powerful mental energy...
Perhaps his abilities could be developed.
Perhaps it could be tested whether he could become a true NT.
Nangong Wentian created a new folder and named it "Canard Pars—Ability Development Plan."
He typed the first line:
Objective: Locate Canard Pars, assess his mental energy potential, develop his abilities, and prepare for the future.
Then he stopped and stared at that line for a long time.
Locate Canard Pars.
Easier said than done. That boy had been hunted for so many years and had long since learned to hide himself. Orleans was so big—where could he be found?
And even if he was found, would he trust a stranger?
How could someone who had been abandoned, used, and hunted since childhood easily trust others?
"Wentian," Xiao Guang's voice came from the doorway. "Thinking about that Canard again?"
Nangong Wentian turned his head and saw Xiao Guang walking in with a cup of hot water. At seventeen, Xiao Guang had grown a bit taller than last year, and much of the childishness had faded from his face, but his eyes remained just as clear.
"Mhm." He took the cup. "Thinking about how to find him."
Xiao Guang crouched beside him, also staring at the name on the screen.
"Are you sure he'll come to Orleans?"
"That's what the file says." Nangong Wentian pulled up the incomplete document. "The last time he was spotted was near Orleans."
Xiao Guang fell silent for a moment, then said, "Then if he's in Orleans, we'll run into him someday."
Nangong Wentian nodded. He thought the same. Orleans might be big, but if fate allowed, they would meet eventually.
"Wentian," Xiao Guang suddenly said, "you mentioned earlier that you can sense other people's emotions?"
Nangong Wentian paused, then nodded.
"Then if we find him, will you be able to tell what he's thinking?"
Nangong Wentian thought for a moment. "Possibly. But I'd need to be very close."
Xiao Guang grinned. "That's enough. Then you'll know if he's good or bad, if he's trustworthy or not."
Nangong Wentian looked at him, warmth welling up in his heart.
Xiao Guang always thought of the simplest, most direct solutions.
"Alright," he said. "Then we'll wait for that day."
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