Judging by Camearra's personality, she probably hadn't eaten anything.
After all, with Yu Zhou not around earlier, she naturally wouldn't have been in the mood to eat—especially not the kind of "dark cuisine" she herself tended to prepare.
Carrying a little guilt, Yu Zhou filled his stomach in the palace dining hall, then returned to his room.
Camearra's chamber was right next door. Staring at her closed door, Yu Zhou wondered whether she was inside or not.
After a moment of thought, he left his room and went straight to the Crystal Palace kitchen.
Inside, some of the ingredients Camearra had left behind were still there.
Yu Zhou casually picked a few, then began cooking.
For him, cooking was a small matter—within moments he had finished one dish, then immediately started another.
By the time he had used up all the ingredients, the kitchen door suddenly swung open.
Yu Zhou froze.
The person who walked in was none other than Himala, who only moments ago had looked half-dead.
"You? Weren't you just lying in bed, completely helpless?" Yu Zhou asked in surprise.
"My recovery ability is decent. A little food poisoning is nothing to me."
Himala waved dismissively as she answered.
"Then what are you doing in the kitchen?" Yu Zhou frowned. The recovery ability of aliens might indeed differ from Earthlings, but why would he come here?
"I'm here to clean," Himala replied, raising the broom in her hand.
"Really?" Yu Zhou was sceptical. Himala looked serious, but he knew he was always calculating something in his head.
"It's true." Himala nodded firmly.
"There's coal here!" Yu Zhou said suddenly.
"Where?!" Himala's eyes lit up.
Yu Zhou: "???"
Himala: "…"
"…Fine, I admit it. I came looking for coal."
It didn't take long for Yu Zhou to get the truth out of him. Himala sighed helplessly.
"Forget about the coal," Yu Zhou told her. "Take these dishes and come with me."
He picked up several plates and headed toward the kitchen door.
Seeing this, Himala obediently set aside the broom, picked up the remaining plates, and followed after him.
Himala was no fool.
On the surface, nothing was said outright—but in secret, he could clearly see Yu Zhou and Camearra's relationship was unusual.
If he could build a good rapport with Yu Zhou, then maybe one day his own position in the Crystal Palace would rise.
The palace was vast. Himala didn't believe for a second he would be the only alien ever brought here to do hard labour. More "colleagues" would surely appear sooner or later. And when that happened, his experience as a senior would make him a natural leader.
"Why is this guy listening to me so easily?" Yu Zhou thought, a little surprised by Himala's obedience. Still, he didn't mind. At least he wasn't causing trouble.
The two of them walked down the palace corridor, one after the other.
Before long, they stopped before Camearra's room.
Of course, Himala knew who lived here—his boss.
So, it's true. This guy and Miss Camearra share a very delicate connection, Himala thought, balancing the dishes in his hands.
Why else would Yu Zhou be able to come to Camearra's quarters so casually? Normally, only Camearra, Hudra, and Darramb resided here. Outsiders hardly ever appeared.
And this wasn't Yu Zhou's first visit.
Not to mention, the way Camearra spoke to him was clearly different from how she spoke to Hudra and Darramb.
Himala also remembered clearly what Camearra had said back in the arena, when Yu Zhou fought Hudra and Darramb.
"Not bad at all… my man."
Himala had replayed those words in his mind many times since. The meaning behind them was unmistakable.
"…Your man?"
Yu Zhou turned suddenly, frowning in confusion.
That strange phrase had just come out of Himala's mouth without warning, and it left him unsettled.
Could it be… is she some kind of philosopher?
"Eh—no, I mean Camearra's man," Himala quickly explained, flustered. As a dignified collector, his reputation and innocence mattered.
"What nonsense." Yu Zhou sighed, shaking his head. Clearly, Himala had misunderstood something.
Without wasting more words, Yu Zhou knocked on Camearra's door.
Almost instantly, it opened from the inside.
Before Yu Zhou could react, Camearra's smiling face appeared.
"I knew you'd come to see me."
She beamed, eagerly taking the plates from his hands before stepping back into the room.
Though still a bit dazed, Yu Zhou took the dishes Himala held and followed her inside.
The door shut behind them, leaving Himala standing alone outside.
"…Why do I feel like I'm already full, even though I didn't get any coal?" she muttered, scratching her head. Then she turned away, planning to resume her search in the kitchen.
Inside the room, Yu Zhou set the dishes on the table and asked Camearra,
"How did you know I'd come?"
"Because," she replied softly, her eyes misty with memory, "thirty million years ago, you did the same. Carrying food, searching for me everywhere, afraid I would go hungry."
Her thoughts drifted, carried back to that distant age. To every little memory of him.
"…So, Camearra's feelings for Tiga really do run that deep."
Yu Zhou could only sigh at the thought.
Tiga had broken away from darkness, embraced the light, and sealed Camearra for thirty million years.
Yet now, she bore him no hatred. On the contrary, her heart was still bound to him, dwelling on those long-lost days.
In the original tale of the Final Odyssey, Camearra's first appearance had her seeking out Daigo. She told him she still loved Tiga, that she could forgive everything.
But she was speaking to the wrong man. Daigo was Daigo. Tiga was Tiga.
What Camearra resented most was not betrayal, but that when Tiga turned to the light, he hadn't taken her with him.
For her, it didn't matter whether it was darkness or light.
As long as she could stay with Tiga—live by his side—that would have been happiness enough.
"…Haa."
Yu Zhou exhaled deeply, gazing at Camearra as she sat lost in her memories.
From somewhere deep within, a sense of guilt stirred.
(End of Chapter)