, Page 45

Chapter 45, The Forty-Fifth Peeping Mirror

……

The next morning, before the first rays of dawn shone through the window, Ian had already woken up early.

After washing up and getting dressed, he went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Actually, Ian doesn't have to do these things himself, especially now that the two of them live together, he can completely leave the task of cooking every day to Eileen.

But Ian didn't do that, because he thoroughly enjoyed the process of cooking with magic. It was like being a conductor of a symphony orchestra, where with a gentle wave or flick of his wand, all the ingredients would be neatly arranged and then placed there in an orderly fashion, waiting to be cooked—fried, stir-fried, deep-fried, steamed, braised, boiled, stewed, whatever he wanted.

This is undoubtedly a very interesting thing. In the past, only top-level chefs could do it. Various knife skills, such as carving, slicing, and thin slicing, can all be accomplished with the help of magic.

Ian's breakfast preparation is relatively simple. First, he lets the wheat flour float to the bowl and ferment. Then, he puts the flour into the bread machine one by one and bakes a few fresh breakfast breads.

Next comes the daily must-have: fried eggs, a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, and two cups of mixed grain soy milk. This fusion breakfast is now complete.

The breakfast that had already been prepared flew to the table by itself and was neatly arranged.

Then Ian calmly walked to the dining room, took out the tea leaves he had prepared beforehand, and brewed himself a warm cup of black tea. While leisurely sipping his tea, he flipped through the pages of "Rosen's Fantastic Journey," which he hadn't finished reading yesterday, quietly waiting for Eileen's arrival.

Less than 10 minutes later, Ian heard a slight opening of a door upstairs, and he knew that Eileen must have gotten up. Sure enough, a short while later, Eileen appeared on the stairs.

Good morning, Eileen. Come on over, breakfast is ready. I'll probably be busy today, so I won't be back for lunch. Don't wait for me for lunch, just eat by yourself.

Ian looked at the other person and said softly.

Good morning, Ian, thank you for breakfast.

After a polite thank you, Eileen said with a hint of disappointment:

"I know I'm useless, but I still want to say that if there's anything dangerous, I can help, even if it's just to distract them. So, promise me you'll be careful, okay?"

She had truly adapted to this period of life and genuinely enjoyed this quiet and ordinary time. Therefore, she dared not imagine what she would be like if something were to happen to Ian.

Upon hearing this, Ian said with relief, "Don't worry, I just wanted to go to the library to organize and bring back some books. Firstly, I can read them to pass the time. I really can't bear to let those books sit idle there, otherwise I'm afraid our brains will deteriorate over time."

After a brief pause, he continued jokingly:

"And I can also bring you some useful books. You're so clumsy at growing vegetables, so I'm planning to bring back some gardening books so you can learn how to become a qualified gardener. That's why I said you don't need to wait for me for lunch, because this will take quite a while."

This somewhat relaxed explanation successfully dispelled Eileen's worries. However, the subsequent teasing clearly made her a little unconvinced.

She pouted and gave Ian a slightly flirtatious glare. Even Ian was captivated by the unintentional allure that Eileen exuded.

Eileen looked at the somewhat dazed Ian and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. She was all too familiar with that expression. The men around her used to unconsciously make that face, which was undoubtedly the best affirmation of her charm.

However, what the other person said did make sense. After all, she had been planting in the vegetable garden for a while and was well aware of her shortcomings. The most obvious example was that the potato seedlings, which were originally quite vigorous, were now clearly leaning and malnourished.

But her competitive nature led her to quietly retort, "At least I managed to keep them all alive..."

Ian pretended not to hear, trying to be considerate of her feelings. He immediately changed the subject, saying, "Let's eat, it's gotten cold. Try it and see how it tastes."

……

The brief exchange and interaction were enjoyable for both of them. Their past struggles for survival had taught them how important it was to have a trustworthy companion in this desolate world, someone to talk to, and someone to live with.

Otherwise, despair and loneliness can truly drive a person insane.

After the two finished breakfast, Ian used magic to clean up the dishes and then turned to go to his room. Although he planned to explore the library today, he hadn't forgotten what he'd thought about yesterday: installing spyglasses at their hideout.

After all, the sooner these safety-related tools are installed, the sooner we can have peace of mind.

He had already made up his mind. He had previously purchased three spyglasses in Hogsmeade. He kept one in his room, and the remaining two, one hung on the front door and the other on the back wall of the villa, would cover the security of the entire stronghold.

In the future, even if some parasites manage to slip through the net and approach the wall while he is away, the peephole's alarm will give Eileen some time to prepare.

There's really no trick to installing a speculum. You just need to find a place to fix it in place. Use a cutting spell to cut a gap of about 10 centimeters in the back of a wooden wall or gate, and then put the speculum in.

To prevent it from falling, Ian added a 5-centimeter-high wooden strip to the outside. This way, it wouldn't affect the flashing light screen when the peephole alarm is activated, nor would it interfere with the sound transmission. It would also protect the peephole from falling due to wind and rain.

After doing all this, Ian found Eileen, who was busy in the vegetable garden, and told her the location and function of the spyglass. He only told her that the spyglass would sound an alarm when the parasite got close, but did not mention that it would also sound an alarm when an untrusted person appeared in the vicinity.

After all, he felt there was no need to say it; saying it would only create a rift between them. Secondly, this could be considered Ian's final test for Eileen; his past life's environment had instilled in him a degree of reservation about trusting human nature.

After exchanging a few brief words with the other party, he picked up the city map, hopped on his broom, and headed straight for the library.

According to the map, the city has at least five libraries, but Ian did not intend to explore them all. Instead, he chose to go to the largest city library in the city center.

After all, anyone with a bit of common sense knows that a city's library is authoritative. That is to say, its collection of books must be the most abundant and comprehensive, surpassing the other four libraries, in order to match its authority.

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(End of this chapter)