Time in a collapsing world

Chapter 1296 The Tall Guy

Inside the assault ship on the return journey, the atmosphere was several times heavier than on the way there. It was no longer the relief of completing a mission, nor the tension of encountering a powerful enemy, but a somber atmosphere tinged with confusion, worry, and a nagging unease. Even the hum of the engines seemed monotonous and oppressive.

“That guy with the Otto Bishop face…” Kiana broke the silence, her brows furrowed, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest of her chair. “He said my brother might… ptooey ptooey!” She quickly shook her head, banishing the ominous word from her mind. “Anyway, he’s pretty dangerous, right? And the things he says are so mystical, he’s really asking for a beating!”

Mei sat down next to her, her hands clasped together, her purple eyes filled with worry: "He seems to know something we don't know about Mr. Zijing's current situation and future crisis."

"Mei-neechan, do you believe that person?" Bronya tilted her head and looked at her.

Mei hesitated and shook her head, clearly unsure of her stance.

Seele sat next to Bronya, looking somewhat lost at the various expressions on everyone's faces, and whispered, "Brother Zijing... he'll be alright, right? He's so strong..."

“Impressive as it may be,” Sirin said, twirling her hair in frustration, “but what that sneaky guy said might not be entirely baseless. That pink-haired woman definitely knows something! And there are other adults too… Instead of guessing here, we should just go and ask them directly!”

"Just ask?" Kiana's eyes lit up, but then she hesitated. "But... what if they don't want to tell us? And judging from how busy they've been lately, they might really have something important they can't tell us."

“Cirin’s approach is too direct and may backfire,” Bronya rationally judged. “The information asymmetry may be for protective purposes. Asking directly is unlikely to yield effective answers and may even arouse unnecessary vigilance or worry.”

Mei nodded in agreement: "Bronya is right. We need a more... roundabout way."

Their gazes all turned slowly to Seele, who was sitting quietly to the side.

“Seele…” Kiana leaned closer, clasped her hands together, and looked on with anticipation in her eyes. “Um… you and Seele… have a pretty good relationship, right?”

Because Seele and hope look extremely similar and share many personality traits—introverted, gentle, and kind—hope seems to possess a calmness and clarity that comes with age. After their first meeting, the two unexpectedly hit it off and even added each other as chat friends.

Seele felt a little embarrassed by everyone's stares, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she whispered, "Yes, yes, I can contact Sister Seele... She's a very nice person, very gentle. But..."

“Please, Seele!” Mei pleaded gently. “We’re not trying to find out any secrets, we’re just… really worried about Mr. Amethyst. If we could get even the slightest hint from Seele, even just news like ‘he’s doing well,’ it would put our minds at ease.”

Although Xilin didn't say anything, her eyes clearly said, "Hurry up, or I'll figure something out myself, like just 'borrowing' your phone."

Under the expectant gazes of Kiana and Mei, and the invisible "pressure" from Sirin, Seele had no choice but to nod, take out her phone, and bring up her friends list.

The group watched as she sent the message, and then received a reply within seconds...

"That's the same as saying nothing at all. We still didn't get anything out of them!" Xilin stared at the other person's response, which implied everything was normal, completely disbelieving. Even she could see through the lies.

"Sister Xi... seems to not want us to know too many specific details." Xi'er put down her phone and looked at everyone with some guilt.

Several people were somewhat disappointed, but there's always a solution. If one path doesn't work, try another.

"Sister Paddy!" Kiana had a sudden inspiration. "Doesn't she love all sorts of sparkly little things? Could we use that to exchange for some information with her?"

The proposal was temporarily approved. Upon returning to St. Freya, they immediately sprang into action. Kiana and Mei, who had "relatively abundant resources," took several beautiful "treasures" and found Padofelis, who was taking stock of her valuables in the warehouse area.

"Oh! It's Kiana and Mei~ and Bronya, Seele, and Sirin?" Paddo's ears twitched, her tail wagged happily, and her cat eyes lit up when she saw what they were holding. "Wow, these are some good stuff! What, want to trade something with Paddo-neechan?"

Kiana handed over the items, trying to make her expression look natural: "Sister Paddo, we just wanted to ask... do you know what Brother Zijing has been busy with lately? We're a little worried about him."

Mei added, "Also, we encountered a very strange person during the mission today who said some things... that his future might not be good. Sister Pado, you are knowledgeable and well-informed, could you tell us something? Consider this a token of our gratitude."

"A strange person? What's strange... Ah, that guy!"

Mei was about to describe it in detail when Pado seemed to remember something and slapped her forehead. The other "Li-ge" had been under Destiny's surveillance all along, so it was expected that these girls would encounter him.

But... what's that guy doing? Does he need to specifically go looking for these little girls?

Pado scanned the group up and down with a suspicious look until their expressions changed before she looked away.

Forget it, Ellie and the others already know what's going on. Anyway, if something happens, those tall guys will take the blame. She, a mere mortal, doesn't want to worry about it anymore.

Paddo looked at the glittering "reward" in her hand, then at the worried young faces before her, and a conflicted expression appeared on her face. After struggling for a few seconds, she sighed and actually stuffed the item back into Kiana's hand.

“These things…we can’t accept them.” Pado flicked her tail, her tone losing its usual cheerfulness and becoming unusually serious. “Kiana, Mei, and the rest of you, listen to my advice.”

She glanced around the warehouse, as if to make sure no one else was around, before lowering her voice and saying, "What Brother Li is doing is something we can't get involved in right now. It's natural to be worried, we're worried too. But asking around won't help, it might just make things worse."

Seeing the girls' unwavering gazes, she shook her head: "Isn't it great that we can just eat, drink, and 'stock up' as we please? If the sky falls, there are tall guys to hold it up. Brother Li is one of those 'tall guys.' All we can do is trust him and... mind our own business."

She patted Kiana on the shoulder, her tone carrying the wisdom of someone who's been through it all: "Stop worrying, girls. Some things are better left unknown than known. Some hurdles he has to overcome on his own. No matter how much you worry now, it won't help much. You'd be better off focusing on getting stronger, or... enjoying the peaceful days you still have."

After saying that, she stopped talking and turned to continue checking her goods, but the wagging of her tail was noticeably smaller.