Chapter 50: The Visitor
——The End of the Land——
Lobby
Texas was holding her phone,
expressionlessly recording another embarrassing moment from the two disgraces
in front of her.
"Uh, Texas, I don't think
this is a good idea, is it?"
Texas tilted her head slightly,
glancing at Empty and the phone casually tucked into her chest pocket.
Texas was silent for a moment,
then slowly said, "...Next time, you can hide your phone better. That way,
you'll look more innocent."
Empty looked down at the camera lens peeking out of the phone in
her chest pocket. "Ahem, it's nothing."
Reinette glanced back at the two
watching the show, sighed, then turned to look at the two troublemakers
performing seiza. "Alright, get up, you two. Really."
"Wuwuwu." Exusiai rubbed
her head as she stood up. "Croissant, I feel like
my halo is a bit crooked."
"Don't even talk about it, Exusiai.
I feel like my horns have been pulled crooked." Croissant touched
her horns, seemingly confirming whether they were indeed crooked. "This is a
huge loss."
"Reinette is clearly a Liberi,
how can she have so much strength?" Exusiai took
out a mirror she carried with her, confirmed her halo wasn't crooked, and
looked at Croissant beside her.
"How would I know? Anyway, none of the Liberi I know have that much strength." Croissant spread her hands. In her
impression, Liberi, even if not delicate and
weak, weren't far from it.
But the strength Reinette displayed when she pulled
them earlier, although Croissant didn't
resist with all her might, only struggled symbolically, that strength really
didn't seem like something a Liberi could
possess.
The two spoke while watching to see if Reinette was paying attention to
them.
Exusiai continued in an even
softer voice than before, "We've already taken the punishment, wouldn't it be a
loss not to get the recording?"
"Good point. We've already taken the punishment; it would be too
much of a loss not to get the recording." Croissant thought
for a moment and nodded slightly, afraid of attracting Reinette's attention, who wasn't
focused on them.
"You two really are unrepentant." Reinette turned her head,
narrowing her eyes at the two who instantly stood up straight. "I, however,
think you two won't find the recording..."
A stream of water extended from behind Reinette towards the wall. The
surveillance camera they had placed so much hope on snapped, pulling the camera
down.
Reinette broke open the
surveillance camera in the stream of water and showed it to the two of them.
"See for yourselves. It's just a shell."
"Eh, no way?" Croissant looked
at the camera in Reinette's hand, which was
just a plastic shell and some wires. "The boss shouldn't be so cheap as to use
a fake, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. The boss values his liquor so much; he wouldn't use
a fake to fool us, would he?" Exusiai also
showed a puzzled expression, looking at the plastic lump in Reinette's hand.
"It wasn't fake originally." Reinette casually tossed the lump
of plastic into a nearby trash can. "But wasn't the bar torn down yesterday?
Although it was restored by my restoration crystal later, electronic components
are not within the recovery range of the restoration crystal."
"So~" Reinette smiled at the two troublemakers. "You two
are definitely getting punished today, and without any reward. As you two would
say, today is a huge loss, a super huge loss."
"Woo!" Exusiai immediately
abandoned Croissant and hid
behind Texas. "Texas,
save me!"
"Hey, do you really have to sell out your teammate so
decisively?!"
"In this situation, we are no longer teammates, Croissant!" Exusiai made
a cross sign over her chest towards Croissant and
made a praying gesture. "Please, Croissant,
you take the punishment for me first!"
Just as Exusiai was
shouting this, Skadi, who had been standing
idly behind her, suddenly walked over, picked up Exusiai who
was hiding behind Texas, and then walked
to Reinette's side.
Skadi then put down the
still-stunned Exusiai and patted her
halo, though it seemed she originally intended to pat her head.
"You should apologize properly." Skadi looked
at the still-stunned Exusiai and seemed
to urge her with a nudge.
"Are you serious?" Exusiai stared
intently into Skadi's eyes, seemingly trying
to find a hint of mischief in them.
But, unfortunately, there was no impurity in Skadi's eyes; she was serious. She brought Exusiai over truly just wanting the other party to
apologize properly, without any mischievous intent, after all, she was Skadi.
"Alright, Exusiai, I'll give
you two choices." Reinette said with a smile, stroking Exusiai's head.
"Wh-what?"
"1, for at least a week, you won't be able to touch any
sweets..."
Before Reinette could finish her
sentence, Exusiai crossed her arms over
her chest. "Absolutely impossible! I choose the second one!"
"Quite the backbone, aren't you?" Reinette nodded, her smile
widening. "In that case, want a sip?"
Reinette smiled and took out the
hangover remedy she had just put back in her pocket, shaking it in front
of Exusiai.
"That's even more impossible!"
"Then be good. Otherwise, next time I might have to take
coercive measures." Reinette patted Exusiai's
head, put the hangover remedy back in her pocket, and then turned her gaze
to Croissant.
Croissant immediately raised her
hand and swore to Reinette, "Absolutely no more troublemaking, absolutely
obedient! If I do it again, I won't touch money for three days!"
Reinette looked at the
sensible Croissant and nodded. Just
then, Reinette's phone in her pocket suddenly rang.
"Hmm?" Reinette took out her phone,
puzzled as to why it was ringing; no call was coming in.
Texas, who was beside her, spoke up,
looking at the confused Reinette. "It's our APP ringing. This
music means someone has sent a designated request for you, Reinette."
"Designated request?" Reinette tapped open the APP. In
her information bar, it showed a designated request.
Exusiai curiously leaned over.
"Who is it? Who sent the request?"
"Miss Swire's..." Reinette looked at the requester
and nodded, then turned to glance at the Emperor, who was adjusting his
sunglasses and trying to look cool.
"You handle it." The Emperor shrugged at Reinette.
"What is it?" Exusiai scratched
her head, looking at the two. "What riddle are you two talking about now?"
"Nothing, just a medical event. It's just that I think your
break time might end very soon."
??? x4
——————
"This should be it, right?" Chen
Huijie looked up at the bar's nameplate.
"No need to look, it's The End of the Land." Police Officer Shire also looked up. "Only that
penguin would come up with a name like that."
"Then let's go in." Chen Huijie nodded
and pushed the door open first.
"Welcome, Police Officer Chen, Police Officer Shire." Reinette sat at the innermost bar
table, raising the teacup in her hand to Chen
Huijie and Police Officer Shire,
who had just entered. "Hello, or good afternoon, ladies."
"Good afternoon, Miss Reinette." Police
Officer Shire walked over generously. "It smells quite good."
"Would you like a cup?"
"Then I won't be polite." Police
Officer Shire nodded.
Reinette picked up the teapot and
filled the teacup already placed in front of Police
Officer Shire with black tea. "Police
Officer Chen, would you like a cup?"
"No... I'm not used to drinking it."
Reinette nodded and put down the
teapot. "Then, are you two looking for me for something?"
Chen Huijie glanced at Police Officer Shire, who had already picked up her
teacup and was drinking black tea. "We came this time to ask why Miss Reinette joined Penguin
Logistics."
"That's a strange question. Is it very important?"
Police Officer Shire put down her teacup.
"It's very important. For the purpose of our visit, the answer to this question
is crucial. We need to know why."
"It's nothing much. Mr. Emperor gave me an offer I couldn't
refuse." Reinette picked up her teacup, took a sip of black tea, and
continued, "He's willing to use his connections to clear official channels, so
my medical activities are no longer persecuted by official organizations. So I
joined Penguin Logistics, it's that simple."
Hearing Reinette's answer, Chen Huijie and Police
Officer Shire exchanged glances, then Police
Officer Shire took a document from her bag and handed it to Reinette. "In that case, Miss Reinette, our Lungmen Guard Department hopes you will
participate in a free clinic in the Slums under
our name."
Reinette took the document and
casually flipped through it twice. Most of it was an introduction to the Slums. Reinette then closed the document
and placed it on the table. "Of course, I can. And in return..."
"All surgical expenses and security escorts can be covered by
our Lungmen Guard Department at public
expense." Police Officer Shire immediately
interjected, finishing Reinette's unspoken thought. "If the
other members of Penguin Logistics also
wish to participate, we will also pay their wages."
"Then I have no problem." Reinette nodded. "But I imagine
you two probably just came to discuss whether I would be willing to provide
medical services, right?"
"Yes." Police Officer Shire nodded.
"In fact, we haven't even found a suitable location for the free clinic yet."
"I see."
"Hmm, I apologize for disturbing your afternoon tea. We will
find a location as soon as possible and contact you again." Police Officer Shire stood up. "As for this
commission fee, consider it a partial advance payment."
Reinette smiled, watching Police Officer Shire pull the bewildered Chen Huijie out of the bar.
"She truly is a young lady, so quick to react."
——Outside the Bar——
"What's wrong, Swire? We haven't finished talking,
have we? Why are we leaving like this?"
Police Officer Shire shook her head, looking
at the still-confused Chen Huijie. "My dear
Chen, haven't you realized yet?"
"What?"
"I guess we've probably been tricked." Police Officer Shire looked back at the bar, then
pulled Chen Huijie into the car.
"What do you mean? Explain it clearly."
"At the department, didn't you say it was too easy today? Yes,
how could it not be easy today?" Police Officer
Shire sighed. "Since Miss Reinette joined because the
Emperor promised to use his resources to help her clear official channels for
her medical activities, right? Then why, after almost half a month, hasn't
Miss Reinette been able to conduct a free clinic here?"
"Of course, it's because..." At this point, Chen Huijie also understood what Police Officer Shire meant. "I knew something was
up today..."
"Alright, alright, no swearing. Chief
Wei agreeing is a good thing. Let's go do other things, like
finding a location for our free clinic."
Chen Huijie pinched her nose. "Who
should we ask?"
"Who else? Go ask Yuxia. I don't believe she knows nothing about
this matter!"
——The End of the Land——
"So, this is what you were doing on Christmas Eve." Texas said, looking at Reinette, who was drinking tea.
"Yes." Reinette nodded. "As for what the
others thought? Why they agreed, I'm not sure."
After speaking, Reinette stood up, stretched, and
walked towards her room. "I'm going back to sleep. A nap is a good habit, even
if it's delayed a bit."
"It's already past three o'clock."
"Just wake me up at six. Anyway, you probably won't be hungry
then, right?" Reinette waved her hand and entered the room.
Exusiai looked at Reinette, who had entered the room, and
turned to look at the others. "So what do we do?"
"Go do whatever you need to do." Texas glanced
at the crushed pack of Pocky on the table, put on her jacket, and turned to
leave the bar.
"Hmm, I got a big order, so I don't need to take any jobs for a
while." Croissant thought for a moment.
"I'll still go set up a stall."
"I'm going to practice singing too. Bye."
...Everyone's gone out. Should I go out for a walk?" Exusiai looked at the few people who had left one
after another, thinking that since she had nothing to do anyway, she might as
well go out for a walk. She could just come back around seven o'clock and wait
for Reinette to cook or just eat.
Inside the room, Reinette closed the curtains, then
turned to look at Red, who had pushed the door open and immediately sat on the
bed, staring at her.
"Red, what's wrong?"
Red raised her hands to Reinette, making a 'grab-grab' gesture.
"Mom, the promised reward."
"You mean that..." Reinette looked at Red's watery
eyes. "Alright, alright, alright."
Reinette walked towards the bed,
her trench coat rippling behind her. A dragon tail quietly slid out with her
steps. When she reached the window, Reinette picked up Red from the
bed, placed her on her lap, and her tail naturally swung to Red's hand.
Red skillfully grabbed Reinette's tail and rubbed it against
her face. "Hehe~ Mom's tail~"
"Honestly." Reinette casually stroked Red's
small head. Since it was offered, Reinette also raised her hand and
stroked Red's tail. Anyway, Red wouldn't get angry; she was happy to let Reinette touch her tail.
——————
At some point, the surroundings became silent. In this
environment, Red, while stroking Reinette's tail, slowly fell asleep
in Reinette's arms.
Reinette stroked Red's head, then
gently placed Red on the bed. After covering her with the blanket, she turned
to look at the door.
"ishar'mla?"
Chapter 51: Ascent
"ishar'mla? Come in." Reinette said softly, looking at
the door.
The next moment, the door opened, and 'Skadi'
walked in.
"Ocean, you called me?" 'Skadi,'
no, ishar'mla, looked at Reinette with eyes full of faith,
completely different from Skadi's.
"Ocean... you don't have to call me that. Just call me Reinette." Reinette said softly, looking
at ishar'mla.
"Alright, Lady Reinette."
Reinette nodded. "Where's Skadi? Did you take over her account?"
"She's asleep. As an estranged child, having felt the ocean's
aura after a long time, she returned to the ocean's embrace and naturally fell
asleep."
Reinette scratched her head,
listening to ishar'mla's explanation. "I always feel like there's something strange
about that explanation."
"Is there a problem, Ocean?" ishar'mla asked, puzzled, looking
at Reinette, who was scratching her head.
"Didn't I say not to call me that? Ah, never mind, call me
whatever you like." Reinette sighed, then thought of another question. "ishar'mla, do you know about the
situation in Iberia?"
"Iberia?" ishar'mla tilted her head.
Reinette looked at ishar'mla's actions and immediately
understood, saying, "Oh, you don't understand how countries on land are
referred to?"
Just as Reinette was about to explain
what Iberia and countries were, ishar'mla suddenly interjected,
"I already know from Skadi what Iberia is."
"But I am afraid, Ocean, I cannot answer your
question." ishar'mla shook her head. "I have already left
the Great Swarm and currently have no contact with it, so I temporarily do not
know what happened in that country called Iberia."
Reinette nodded, "I see, it
seems we can only wait for news from the Great Emperor."
"But, why does Ocean ask me?" ishar'mla looked at Reinette strangely.
"Because I don't know, that's why I need to
ask." Reinette looked at ishar'mla, who had asked the question.
"I am not omniscient; I also need to inquire."
ishar'mla tilted her head, then
said, "But Ocean, weren't you always there? Always by our side."
"Uh..." Just as Reinette was about to explain that
she was still a little different from the true ocean, ishar'mla continued.
"You have come among us." ishar'mla looked into Reinette's eyes. "You truly, truly
came among us. The Origin played music for you, I sang for you, and all things
played their melodies for you."
"You need not ask me; you should already know."
"..." Reinette looked at ishar'mla, "I've been there?"
"You have always been here, never left." ishar'mla's gaze was extremely serious.
Reinette naturally
understood ishar'mla's look. She had been there, but why did she have no memory of
it at all?
After a moment of silence, Reinette took a breath, opened her
system, and clicked on the panel she hadn't looked at in a long time.
[Personal Panel]
[Healer: Reinette]
[Codename: Tiamat]
[Race: Pure Water Spirit]
[Physical Condition: Healthy]
[Racial Skills]
[Water Creation (Conceptual
Ability): The ability to create water sources. The wetter the place, the faster
the creation speed. However, even in completely arid deserts, or even
theoretically absolutely waterless environments, water can still be created, just
at a slightly slower speed.]
[Water Control: Can control a
certain volume of water. The upper limit of control depends on the upper limit
of mental power.]
[Water Form: Water has no fixed
state, water has no fixed form. Pure water takes shape, and water also has a
spirit.]
[Its Body Is The Ocean
(Conceptual Ability): Its very being is the ocean, the master of water.]
Reinette looked at the last skill
in the racial skills, which glowed with a dark golden light.
"Its very being is the ocean..." Reinette murmured as she looked at
the skill, "The master of water..."
Reinette closed her eyes and took
a deep breath. She didn't know when, but some whispers seemed to have appeared
in her ears. Was it just now? Or had they been there a long time ago?
"I understand." Reinette nodded to ishar'mla. "Since that's the case,
I'll go take a look."
Then, Reinette simply lay down on the bed. Anyway, she
didn't know how to get to that ocean, so she might as well leave it to her body
to move on its own.
She only told herself one thing: I want to go, to that ocean
over there.
Hmm, as for why she was lying down? Reinette just wanted to be a
little more comfortable.
Afterward, Reinette felt her body becoming
increasingly drowsy, or rather, she felt less and less of the existence of her
hands and feet, but the whispers in her ears became increasingly clear.
From ishar'mla's perspective, Reinette was still there, but her
aura became increasingly ethereal; other than that, there seemed to be no
change.
No, there seemed to be some change. ishar'mla watched as the Reinette in front of her gradually
closed her eyes, and as she did, Reinette's beautiful azure eyes
gradually deepened, finally turning deep blue.
And the Reinette on the bed, with her eyes
closed, felt her body instantly sink and then seem to float up.
At this moment, Reinette could finally hear the
whispers clearly. Well, at this moment, those sounds were no longer
indistinguishable whispers, but excited cheers.
"Ocean! Ocean! Ocean!"
------ Iberia · Coastal
Defense Line ------
"The weather isn't very good today," Dario said, looking at the dark sea.
"Teacher." Eleni stood
up instantly when she saw her teacher approach.
"No need to be nervous, Eleni,
we should all rest." Dario waved
his hand at Eleni, then refocused his gaze
on the sea.
"Although the Seaborn's
attacks suddenly stopped yesterday for some unknown reason," Dario said, looking at the coastline, "we
don't know why they stopped, nor do we know if they will attack again."
"Everyone's spirits are tense, including mine. Wanting to
rest is not a bad thing. Proper balance between work and rest can relax your
strained nerves."
Eleni picked up the lantern on
the ground. "That, Teacher, did the Deepsea
Church follower we caught say anything?"
"Hmph, still those utterly foolish ramblings." Dario shook his head. "Even with the Seaborn's retreat yesterday, he only kept saying that
the Ocean had been found."
Dario looked at the ocean
before him. "Something so close needs to be found? A bunch of idiots whose
brains are filled with Seaborn flesh."
As he was speaking, the surrounding environment suddenly
brightened, as if illuminated by something.
Eleni instinctively looked up,
wondering if the sun had come out, but the sky was still filled with dark
clouds.
Eleni suddenly realized
something and looked down and forward. That was the direction of the coastline.
At this moment, in Eleni's
eyes, that ocean was emitting a faint, glowing light.
Eleni, seeing the unusual state of
the sea, instinctively called out to her teacher beside her, "Teacher, the
sea!"
"What's wrong?" Dario calmly
looked at Eleni.
"...No, nothing, Teacher. I want to go take a look, may
I?" Eleni was silent for a moment,
then shook her head, her grey-blue eyes fixed on the ocean before her.
Normally, Dario would
never agree to his student's request at a time like this, as no one knew how
many Seaborn were still hidden nearby.
But now, Dario just
nodded calmly, then picked up his lantern and left. In his eyes, he seemed
completely unaware of the glowing ocean.
Eleni put down the lantern in
her hand; it was so bright anyway, she didn't need the lantern's
illumination. Eleni nimbly crossed the
trench, walked past the vigilant soldiers, passed the sensitive landmines,
arrived at the coastline, and then stepped onto the surface of the sea.
--------
Reinette floated in the seawater,
listening to the cheers around her, then scratched her ear. "Alright,
alright, quiet down, it's a bit noisy."
Instantly, the surroundings fell silent. Reinette breathed a sigh of
relief. It wasn't that she disliked the cheers, it was just too noisy. That
moment just now felt like countless loudspeakers exploding in her ears.
Other than that, it was genuinely noisy.
"Phew, then next." Reinette looked down. If she
wasn't mistaken.
Reinette lifted her foot and
stepped down, as if she were walking down stairs. But what could she step on in
the intangible water?
However, Reinette's downward step seemed to
genuinely land on something, a 'thump' sound spreading through the water. As
her foot landed, the surrounding darkness gradually lit up with a blue glow.
With each step down, the surrounding darkness was gradually
covered by light, with only the surface beneath her feet remaining dark.
Reinette stood on that dark
surface, lifted her foot and pushed hard. Instantly, Reinette felt as if the world had
turned upside down, and she seemed to have broken through a certain plane and
stepped onto the other side.
Reinette looked around and found
herself standing on the surface of the sea. It seemed what she had just broken
through was actually the sea level.
"Hmm..." Reinette raised her hands.
"It feels a bit strange, like it's my own body, yet something isn't quite
right?"
"Ocean." A call came from behind her.
"Hmm?" Reinette turned her head, "Eleni?!"
Reinette was surprised to
see Eleni. 'You, a Judge, standing on the surface of the sea calling me
Ocean, and with such a faithful tone? Isn't something a bit off?'
Eleni looked at Reinette, who was dressed in luxurious
clothing. "Yes, Ocean."
Reinette looked at Eleni's state, was silent for a moment, then opened the
system and retrieved the life detection device.
Reinette caught the iron ball
falling from the air. It seemed the system was still effective and didn't
directly transmit this thing to her main body.
'Judging by Eleni's state
just now, it's definitely influenced by esoteric factors.' Reinette lightly weighed the life
detection device in her hand. She had to admit, this thing really was, as the
system said, a quick and convenient detection device. The question of whether
it was disposable, Reinette currently had no complaints about.
Hopefully, there would be a permanent version later.
Eleni looked at her deity's
actions, a little strange, but out of heartfelt respect, she didn't say
anything more.
Reinette flipped her hand and
aimed the life detection device at Eleni.
[Detected Subject]: Eleni
[Gender]: Female
[Race]: Sea Kin
[Height]: 156cm
[Oripathy Infection Status]:
Refer to medical examination report, confirmed as non-infected.
Comprehensive Physical Examination Test
[Physical Strength]:
Excellent
[Battlefield Mobility]:
Outstanding
[Physiological Endurance]: ▇ ▇
[Originium Arts Adaptability]:
Standard
Diagnostic Analysis: Imaging test results show clear outlines of
internal organs, no abnormal shadows observed, no abnormalities detected in
Originium particles in the circulatory system, no signs of Oripathy infection.
Currently considered a non-Oripathy infected person.
[Cell Assimilation with
Originium]:
0%
Operator Eleni shows no
signs of Originium infection.
[Originium Crystal Density]:
0.000 u/.L
Extremely abnormal state. Originium content in the detected
subject's body is zero, with no corresponding state explanation.
Note: This state does not affect the detected subject's use of
their own Originium Arts. The nature of the Originium Arts currently held by
the detected subject has undergone a severe change. The template used by the
current device is insufficient to explain the occurrence of this situation.
[Status]: Ocean's Blessing:
(Unexplainable)
"Completely Sea Kin?" Reinette carefully read the
report, finally focusing on the explanation under 'Race'.
Currently, Reinette knew of only three: Red
was Lu bo (Sea Kin), Skadi was Agor ·
Sea Kin, and now the standalone Sea Kin.
Reinette didn't think there was a
difference in the template's labeling method, so the difference in race on the
report could only be due to those differentiated Sea Kin.
'What factors influence the differences...' Reinette put away the report.
Although Reinette really wanted to research
why this difference appeared, for now, the control group was too small, making
it impossible to start research, so she could only put it aside for the time
being.
"Ahem, Eleni." Reinette suppressed her curiosity.
"What has happened in Iberia recently?"
Eleni tilted her head, unsure
what her deity specifically meant. So she simply organized her thoughts and
recounted everything she knew that had happened recently.
After listening to Eleni's
account, Reinette nodded and looked at the distant position. "Something
big really did happen. Tsk, what a headache."
"That..."
"What is it, Eleni?" Reinette looked at Eleni, who was hesitant to speak.
"Why don't Seaborn kill
people now?" Eleni looked at Reinette and voiced her question,
or rather, the question of the entire Iberia Punisher
Army these past few days.
"This..." Reinette recalled what ishar'mla had said during their
first meeting when she heard the question.
["All Seaborn long for your embrace. You nurture and
nourish countless beings. We have already learned your teachings."]
'The Seaborn coming
ashore was probably to find me, just like ishar'mla. It's all because of
me.' Reinette sighed, looking at the distant defense line. Although
the Seaborn didn't kill the Punisher
Army, they still did a lot to leave the defense line.
Finally, Reinette looked at Eleni and pointed to herself. "The reason is
probably very simple: I am a doctor."