Sie... Siesta?
A few question marks popped up over Lucas's head.
Where was that?
Does Iberia have a city called Siesta?
He had no memory of this place, Siesta.
"By the way, where is Siesta, Amiya?"
Lucas and Amiya, one tall and one short, walked down the corridor inside Rhodes Island like a brother and sister.
"The Doctor doesn't know?"
"Nope."
Amiya explained as they walked: "Siesta is an independent city near Victoria, its nature is similar to Lungmen, but Siesta is relatively smaller, just a pure tourist city. And it's located on an inland sea, making it a true seaside city."
Inland sea?
Oh...
So that's how it was.
An inland sea is a sea that extends deep into the continent, surrounded by land on all sides, connected to the ocean only by a narrow strait.
As soon as he heard 'seaside,' Lucas subconsciously thought of the time he and Skadi had fought the Seaborn on the coast, and the Bishop who had exploded into a flower of flesh.
But...
An inland sea...
is still a sea. And its connection point to the main ocean is that big. Won't there be Seaborn?
"By the way, Amiya, the inland sea... won't it have Seaborn?"
Lucas asked casually.
And Amiya sank into thought.
"Seaborn?"
Amiya scratched her head in confusion.
"What are Seaborn, Doctor?"
Oh!
Lucas suddenly remembered that due to Amiya's age, Kal'tsit hadn't told her much about the deeper secrets of this continent, like the Seaborn...
Things like the Seaborn were basically impossible to find on any public network. Even in Iberia, which is close to the sea, only the highest levels of leadership know of the Seaborn's existence. Many people in inland Iberia had no idea, let alone landlocked countries far from the sea.
"Ahem!"
Just as Lucas was wondering how to explain, Kal'tsit's ill-timed cough sounded from behind them.
That voice was like a ghost's, appearing inexplicably without any warning.
"Hsss...."
Kal'tsit still had that same cat-faced bastard expression.
"Don't worry, there won't be any Seaborn. If there were, Siesta would have ceased to exist long ago."
What a death flag...
Still, Kal'tsit doesn't have a cursed tongue, so it should be fine.
Thank goodness it wasn't Magallan who said it. If Magallan had said it, Lucas could basically guarantee that something strange would absolutely happen in Siesta this year.
"Dr. Kal'tsit? What are Seaborn?"
Amiya raised her head and asked in confusion.
"A type of monster from the deep sea. When you're older, I'll tell you in detail, Amiya. You're still too young right now."
Kal'tsit's voice only became gentler when she was speaking to Amiya.
"Oh~"
Amiya said "oh," seeming unsatisfied with this perfunctory answer used to brush off a child. Although Amiya was indeed a child, only 14 years old after all, in her heart... Amiya no longer considered herself a child.
The three of them walked down the corridor toward the cafeteria. Kal'tsit was on the left, Lucas was on the right, and Amiya was in the middle. At first glance, it had the feeling of a family of three. However, Kal'tsit and Lucas were basically silent. Amiya wanted to say something, but the atmosphere was just too oppressive. Her beautiful big eyes darted back and forth, and after thinking about it, she closed her mouth again.
The 'Rhodes Island Triumvirate' slowly arrived at the cafeteria, casually grabbing some food and sitting in a corner.
Kal'tsit didn't particularly like meat; even when she did eat it, she would choose lean beef or the like.
Like a doting mother, she supervised Amiya's lunch selection the entire time, ensuring a balanced diet.
But when she saw the pile of fried food on Lucas's plate, her already serious, pale face seemed to be covered in a layer of frost.
"Doctor... eat less of this fried food."
Kal'tsit said slowly. If it were anyone else speaking, it would sound like a suggestion, but coming from Kal'tsit's own mouth, it gave people the sense of a direct order.
"You lack exercise in your daily life, and your constitution is different from the combat Operators—it's too ordinary. Excessive grease intake, combined with your lack of exercise, can easily lead to fat accumulation. Fat accumulation can, to a certain extent, also affect the processing speed of your brain."
"For the sake of this land."
"From now on, I will supervise your diet. I don't want you to deliberately indulge your eating habits and gradually become fat, just like that group of pedantic, incompetent, and short-sighted nobles."
Kal'tsit said a lot.
If a normal girl had said it, it probably would have been just one sentence.
*I don't like you being too fat...*
"I agree."
For once, Amiya didn't side with Lucas.
"Doctor, your diet really does need to be adjusted."
Kal'tsit rarely ate with Lucas, the number of times could be counted on one hand. But Amiya ate with him often. She had almost never seen Lucas eat many vegetables; it was basically all meat, and his drinks were high in sugar.
"Er... fine."
After Lucas replied, the three fell silent again for a while. Kal'tsit was again the first to break the silence.
"Doctor, how much did you study in your room this week?"
"Oh..."
Lucas quickly explained: "I was thinking about a new type of engine..."
Lucas casually spouted a lot of highly specialized, technical terms. He definitely didn't say he was studying his own previous knowledge. After all, what he used to know, Kal'tsit also knew. If he said that, and Kal'tsit casually asked a question he couldn't answer, it would be awkward. But when it came to mechanical engineering, Kal'tsit didn't know much.
"Mm."
As expected.
Kal'tsit didn't say another word, just hummed in acknowledgment.
"Dr. Kal'tsit, are you coming to Siesta with us the week after next?"
Amiya asked.
"I'm not."
Kal'tsit shook her head.
"You all go and have fun. I have something I need to take care of."
"Oh~"
After the simple meal, Kal'tsit rushed back to her office. The fact that she could come out and eat leisurely in the cafeteria meant that her current workload wasn't too heavy. Back when she was busy, Kal'tsit would basically just get takeout and eat while working.
After Kal'tsit left.
Only then did Lucas and Amiya start chatting freely.
They mostly talked about the trip to Siesta in two weeks. In fact, many other Operators in the cafeteria were also chatting about the same topic. After all... Rhodes Island very rarely gets vacations. Kal'tsit had rarely agreed to a long holiday, so everyone was extremely happy. Since they were going to the seaside, the topic the Operators discussed most was...
What swimsuits to wear.
Meanwhile, the male Operators were discussing...
Going to the beach to look at beauties in bikinis.
Of course, an even bigger topic was Siesta's annual Obsidian Festival. That was Terra's rare, annual music carnival. Basically, any musician with a name would be invited. Even for musicians without a reputation, there were dedicated live venues for them to promote their own work.
And the people from Rhodes Island were most excited about D.D.D., the *Alive Until Sunset* band.
Especially since the *Alive Until Sunset* band has been widely acclaimed in recent years, gaining more and more fans. After learning that this band would be at the Obsidian Festival, many *Alive Until Sunset* fans were also traveling all the way to Siesta.
Lucas was indifferent to music.
Especially *Alive Until Sunset*'s heavy metal. The music Lucas liked was mostly light music from Higashi or ancient-style opera rock from Yan. He wondered if Higashi's 'Ninth Master' would be invited. It was highly likely. After all, this genius singer had dominated Higashi's annual music charts for several years and was called an all-powerful musician who could do everything except give birth. His ranking in the entire Terra music scene was also quite high.
After finishing their meal with Amiya.
Amiya continued with her work and studies, while Lucas returned to his room, followed his old routine, lying on the bed and returning to Columbia.
Seeing Lucas pop out.
Jessica said in pleasant surprise.
"Mr. Reeve, you're back!"
"Yeah... Huh?"
Lucas first gave a simple reply, then it hit him.
"Huh? Jessica, why are you home at this hour? Shouldn't you be at the company on a normal day?"
Jessica smiled: "I'm not some workaholic. I have to give myself a few days off, right? My mom has been calling me a lot these days, telling me to work less, work less. Excessive overwork can easily make a girl age faster. I don't want to have wrinkles when I'm with Mr. Reeve."
Ever since waking up from the dream in Siracusa, it seemed that the personality she'd had in the dream had influenced her current personality, or perhaps Jessica had just grown up. Anyway, her words were becoming more and more direct, and sometimes, having gotten used to it, she wouldn't even blush.
"Huh?"
"Zumama, you're here too? It's not Sunday, is it?"
Lucas looked at Zumama and the High Priest at the dining table, somewhat surprised. The High Priest came over often, but due to her excessive and varied schoolwork, Zumama hadn't left the school in several months; she had been studying constantly.
"We're on summer vacation."
"Oh..."
Only then did Lucas remember. It dawned on him.
"By the way, Mr. Reeve."
"We were just discussing, since the school is on summer vacation, why don't we all take advantage of this holiday and go on a trip together? It seems like we've never all gone on a big trip together."
"Hm?"
Lucas had a bad feeling.
Rhodes Island is going on a trip, and Jessica's side is going on a trip.
Don't tell me I have to become a 'time management master' again.
"Where are you planning to go?"
"Siesta."
Jessica said: "There's an Obsidian Music Festival in Siesta, and it's by the sea."
As expected...
Siesta, too?
By the sea?
At the dining table, Laurentina and Skadi's eyes flashed with surprise. The mouths that had been eating stopped chewing.
The seaside... is a place for fun?
The two of them remembered the endless Seaborn in the sea and the miserable scenes of themselves fighting them.
Are land-dwellers' forms of entertainment this hardcore?
That's a bit too brave.
Lucas explained that Rhodes Island was also planning a trip to Siesta.
Jessica said happily.
"That's great! This way, Mr. Reeve's physical body can go over too, and you won't need to trouble little Lisa. By the way, Mr. Reeve, how's the situation with the Reunion Movement? If there's not much going on over there, you should also ask Miss Alina, Miss Talulah, Mr. Patriot, and Miss FrostNova if they want to come. If they do, you can have [Stardust] go pick them up. It's not far anyway, just a few hours."
"Okay."
Actually.
Even if Jessica hadn't said it, Lucas was planning to ask the Reunion Movement anyway. The Reunion Movement was temporarily calm right now. FrostNova, Alina, and the others hadn't seemed to have ever gone on vacation, or even been to other big cities. Taking them out to have some fun would be good.
Lucas made a trip to the Reunion Movement.
Since taking in Hoederer's team, those people had been relatively well-behaved. At least, under the 24-hour surveillance of the Shieldguards, no problems had been found. This didn't mean there were no problems; perhaps they were also just looking for an opportune moment.
When Lucas asked Talulah and Patriot if they wanted to go to Siesta on vacation, Talulah and Patriot refused without even thinking.
The two of them were the core, spiritual leaders of the Reunion Movement and couldn't leave. In the end, Patriot asked Lucas to take FrostNova out. According to Patriot, FrostNova had grown up in a remote Ursus village, hadn't been to many places, and had never truly had fun. He wanted Lucas to take FrostNova out to relax. Talulah also asked Lucas to take Alina out, for much the same reason.
After all, Talulah and Patriot were people who had seen the world.
Only FrostNova and Alina had never left the remote, barren borders of Ursus. It would be good for them to go out and have fun.
About going on vacation...
FrostNova initially refused outright. However, when Lucas invited her a second time, she agreed without a second thought. Besides FrostNova and Alina, Amiya also brought a few children over. One child named Ino, and another named Sasha.
These two children were special; Talulah had rescued them before Lucas came to the Reunion Movement.
Ino used to be withdrawn and quiet. Moreover, because he had been abused as a child, his personality was already showing signs of twisting when they first met him. However, under Alina's guidance, Ino had gradually emerged from his isolation over the years and become a normal child. The biggest turning point was after Lucas obtained the 'Originium' Rule and weakened the lesions on Ino's vocal cords, allowing Ino, who originally couldn't sing anymore, to sing again, truly stepping out of the shadows.
Sasha, on the other hand, didn't have much of a presence. He was silent and taciturn, like Ino's shadow.
Since Ino liked to sing, he should be very happy to go to a music festival.
After the group was finalized, Lucas sent [Stardust] to pick up the four of them a week later and head to Columbia, then travel to Siesta with Jessica's large group.
Although the Obsidian Festival wouldn't start for another two weeks, they were definitely going early.
On the plane.
It was the first time Alina and FrostNova were meeting Jessica and the others, so they were inevitably a bit reserved. To prevent them from feeling awkward, Jessica and Franka actively chatted with FrostNova and Alina, telling them not to be so stiff, that they were all friends.
Lucas sat in the pilot's seat, looking down at Siesta and the adjacent inland sea that were about to appear.
He silently prayed in his heart.
Please... I'm begging you!
Please let this be normal. Even though Magallan is in the group, plus Kal'tsit's jinx, and the idler group of four... although so many debuffs were stacked together, Lucas still hoped that this two-week trip could be normal. He just wanted to have a nice vacation, without any other weird trouble popping up.