That night, listening to Seraphilia's breathing, which was heavier than usual, Robin lay with her eyes open in the darkness.
She quietly reached out her hand; in the air before her, a clover composed of countless tiny arms bloomed silently and then instantly dissipated.
She was also getting stronger.
For self-protection, and for... perhaps one day, no longer just passively accepting protection.
The real test came two weeks later.
A man wearing old but sophisticated clothes stopped her in the gray zone of the docks.
"I need someone to transport a fragile cargo," the man said bluntly. "The reward is one gold coin."
That glimmer of gold almost stung Seraphilia's eyes.
High reward meant high risk.
"Why me?"
"I've been observing you for a long time," the man's voice was flat. "Some say you have a special way with 'moisture' and'stability.'"
He knew.
Seraphilia understood. This was aimed at her ability.
A test, or a trap.
But one gold coin was enough for them to spend the winter in peace.
"Half the deposit first," she proposed. "I need to see the cargo and the route first."
The cargo was a fragile piece of ancient glassware, and the route would pass through "Sawtooth Alley," the most chaotic part of Black Iron Town where robbery was as common as a home-cooked meal.
It was an absolute trap.
But Seraphilia took it.
She needed that gold coin, and even more, she needed a real battle to test the results she had exchanged her blood and sweat for.
At midnight, the operation began.
Seraphilia didn't touch the box with her hands.
Her eyes were slightly closed, her mental energy highly concentrated.
A stable and moist "Cloud Mist Airbag" appeared out of thin air, gently lifting the wooden box and suspending it half a step behind her, three inches off the ground.
The mist was controlled to be extremely thin, almost invisible in the night.
The moment she entered "Sawtooth Alley," the air became thick.
In the shadows, pairs of ill-intentioned eyes gleamed like beasts.
Seraphilia moved along the shadows of the wall, her breathing steady, her control over the wooden box behind her showing no sign of disorder.
Just then, two brawling drunks suddenly rushed out from the corner!
One of them lunged straight toward her and the wooden box behind her!
In a flash, Seraphilia's gaze hardened.
No dodging, no reinforcing; any extra movement would attract prying eyes.
She simply manipulated the "Cloud Mist Airbag" with exquisite skill, letting the wooden box glide up half a meter silently like a swimming fish just an instant before the drunk crashed into it!
The drunk's body brushed past the bottom of the box and he stumbled to the ground, not even noticing anything unusual.
Seraphilia didn't stop, bypassing him as if nothing had happened.
Only she knew that her back was already soaked in cold sweat.
When she arrived at her destination without further incident, the butler was already waiting at the door.
After checking the goods, he placed the other half of the cold gold coin in her hand.
"You did very well," the butler showed a look resembling praise for the first time. "My master may have more 'delicate' work for you."
Seraphilia gripped the gold coin tightly and turned to disappear into the night.
The sharp pain of mental exhaustion began to hit her mind, but in her chest, a fire was burning.
She had done it.
By the time she returned to the small house, the sky was starting to lighten.
Robin seemed to still be "asleep."
Seraphilia hid the heavy gold coin and leaned tiredly against the wall.
Outside the window, the smog of Black Iron Town remained as always.
But she knew that something was already different.
Her blade had been sharpened.
Her shield was being forged.
And this path was only just beginning.