Crownslayer was frightened. Felix's attitude toward her was strange, calm yet piercing, and seeing her tearful eyes made her look like an abandoned puppy.
Putting himself in her shoes, it was easy to understand. First, in Chernobog, Felix had almost cleaved her in half with a single strike. Then, after arriving in Lungmen, she had nearly been cut down again by Hellagur. Two close encounters with death in succession—even if Crownslayer claimed she didn't care, could she truly remain indifferent when facing it?
"Reunion is launching its final counterattack. Their defeat is only a matter of time. Crownslayer, if you are truly just a scout as you claim, maybe you should start thinking about what comes next for you."
Felix walked away slowly. At that moment, Crownslayer suddenly rose and called after him.
"Wait… I want to know… how will you treat the other Reunion leaders?"
Felix paused. "Those who commit crimes will naturally pay the price. If this world is unfair, I will bring fairness for those who died in vain."
"What about the high-ranking members you know—like Mephisto? Everyone knows the crimes he's committed. How do you think the law would judge him?"
"…Most of the high-ranking members have been brainwashed by Talulah."
"Brainwashed… that's an interesting word. Aren't you one of Talulah's subordinates?"
"Tch. Even I can see that Talulah now is completely different from who she was in the past."
Crownslayer clicked her tongue. "But I'm just an Infected. Without Reunion, I have nowhere to go."
"That's the most honest answer I've heard so far."
Felix nodded calmly. "Think about it carefully."
"…"
Crownslayer remained silent. Only after Felix walked away did she let out a sigh. Reunion was nearing its end… This organization had been burning itself out from the start, and Talulah's changes had merely poured more fuel on the fire.
Reflecting on Talulah's recent actions, Crownslayer realized that she was deliberately cutting off her own options—but why? Even if she racked her brain, Crownslayer couldn't figure out the answer.
Felix left the camp and boarded the Venus for a brief return. With the Lungmen Reunion offensive coming to a halt, the previous storyline had shifted dramatically. He remembered that in the past, he had been fighting several Russian players in the alleys of Chernobog with his close friends. Now, those same Russian players had joined Tomorrow's Development, while Reunion's subordinates were nothing but red-name players.
From Crownslayer, he also obtained another piece of intelligence: Patriots had received orders from Talulah and were advancing toward Lungmen.
Thinking of this, he gave the crew an order. "Anchor the Venus halfway between Lungmen and Kursk."
"Yes, sir."
The crew began moving the Venus, and Felix headed to the conference room. Yesterday, Loughshinny had mentioned a lady from Siracusa worth meeting—someone who might provide information about that region.
Felix now knew more about Siracusa than before. After studying its history, he understood that Siracusa had been founded by a group that split from Leithanien. Its entrenched family culture made technological and cultural progress slow.
It gave off an unmistakable "Italian mafia" vibe—but in terms of combat strength… if soldiers in high-tech armor showed up, Siracusa would play the part of France.
Upon entering the conference room, Felix saw Loughshinny and a scarred Vulpo woman. She wore a tight-fitting coat, her expression calm with a faint, cold smile—an icy beauty at first glance.
From Loughshinny, he learned her identity: she had met the Vulpo assassin while executing a contract in Siracusa. Her daughter had fallen seriously ill with Oripathy after an accident, and the local medical facilities were not advanced enough, unlike in Columbia. Some special medicines could alleviate the condition, but they could not cure sudden Oripathy flare-ups or multiple complications.
"Ma'am, how should I address you?"
After Felix sat down, Loughshinny gave him a slight nod and then left the conference room.
"Ingrid, an Assassin from Siracusa."
Her tone was gentle and calm, reminiscent of cherry blossoms blooming in a quiet afternoon garden. "I am grateful to Tomorrow's Development for saving Lisa's life. This is the best place for her treatment. Even the civilians of Ursus speak highly of your organization. Should I address you as 'Your Highness'?"
"That's just a title used internally within Tomorrow's Development. I don't care if others use it. You can just call me Felix, Ms. Ingrid."
"As for your daughter, I just heard Loughshinny's report. She has passed the danger stage and is now recovering. Truly a relief."
"I owe Tomorrow's Development a debt of gratitude."
"If everyone had your sense of duty, Ms. Ingrid, this world would be a much more beautiful place. Tomorrow's Development has always focused solely on its path and goals, never seeking repayment. If all we did were for thanks, such a motive would be far too shallow."
Felix smiled, and Ingrid returned the gesture, taking a sip of her tea.
"Due to my work, I may not always be on the Venus. Lisa's condition… may not allow her to travel long distances."
Felix understood immediately, reading between the lines. "In that case, she can stay on the Venus temporarily. Once she recovers, she can leave with you."
Ingrid let out a relieved sigh. This suggestion significantly eased her worries. As a Siracusa assassin, her work always brought her to the edge of danger. Having her daughter nearby could be a vulnerability, and she didn't want Lisa harmed.
Meanwhile, Felix's mind wandered to other considerations. Ingrid was the mother of the operator Lisa of the previous timeline, a character beloved by both players and operators, she is a light that shine bright enough to illuminate to whole universe. He had not had personal contact with Lisa, but had seen many player-taken photos—she truly was adorable. It was reasonable to deduce that in the previous timeline, Ingrid had sent Lisa to Rhodes Island for treatment.
In this timeline, a group of Sargon-contract assassins under Felix had escorted Ingrid to Tomorrow's Development, making matters far more convenient.
Keeping Lisa happy would be simple: there were plenty of children around her age within Tomorrow's Development. Let them play together, and Lisa would be reluctant to leave. If Ingrid eventually stopped her work as an assassin, boarding the ship herself would be only natural. The plan was flawless.
"Ms. Ingrid, I heard Siracusa may soon take significant action?"
Felix spoke gently, guiding the conversation. "The Grey Hall recently sent me an invitation to visit Siracusa for business discussions. Do you think there might be another purpose behind this letter?"
Ingrid hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Grey Hall has contacted several companies and businesses recently. But what they are planning, I do not know. I am currently loyal to the Venezia family, not a core member of Grey Hall."
"Do you remember the names of those companies or businesses?"
"Yes, I remember them."
Felix watched as she wrote down the names of a few companies and thanked her. He then smoothly shifted the conversation to Lisa's treatment. Ingrid was naturally deeply concerned. Felix, having graduated under Dr. Kal'tsit, was perhaps inexperienced in performing surgeries, but his theoretical knowledge was solid.
As they spoke, it was time to visit Lisa. Ingrid rose first. Lisa was now in the ICU, out of immediate danger but requiring constant monitoring to ensure the Originium nodules in her arm did not spread.
Felix accompanied her without hesitation.
They took the elevator to the medical floor, still bustling as ever. Here, the doctors worked harder than the crew and naturally received the best treatment. With little room to optimize their work, Felix could at least ensure they were well compensated.
Approaching the ICU, Felix saw through the window a little girl lying in bed. Her arm was carefully wrapped in bandages, her expression calm and peaceful. With her free hand, she flipped through a storybook. Upon noticing her mother outside, Lisa's face lit up, and she waved brightly.
Ingrid smiled and waved back. "Seeing her brings a lot of peace to the heart."
Felix watched Lisa with a faint smile. "There are many children in situations like your daughter's, Ms. Ingrid. Some are less fortunate. But our duty remains—to do everything we can for them. They are the future of Terra."
"Mr. Felix, you are truly a man of virtue."
Ingrid bowed slightly in respect.
Felix smiled and waved it off.
He turned and saw Alina lying in another room. The doctor was performing a routine checkup while she focused on knitting a scarf, her expression serious. The next moment, she seemed to notice Felix's gaze and looked toward him.
Upon seeing him, a faint blush rose on Alina's cheeks, and a gentle, happy smile appeared. She waved at Felix, who returned the gesture with a smile, not entering to disturb her. There would be plenty of time to talk later.
After parting ways, Felix returned to his office. He reviewed the list of companies and enterprises Ingrid had written down from Grey Hall's contacts. Most were agricultural firms, food producers, or trade companies. But what caught Felix's attention were a few specialized construction companies, mostly from Columbia.
He was very familiar with these firms. Several engineers who had worked on building the Venus had come from these companies. They had told Felix that besides shipbuilding, they were fully capable of constructing mobile cities.
Such a large-scale effort… what could it be for? Felix pondered. From the types of companies involved, it seemed Grey Hall might want to host some sort of festival. But looking further, perhaps their real goal was to construct another mobile city.
Currently, the balance among the existing mobile cities was only just holding. A new mobile city would be like a fresh, massive cake waiting to be divided by the families—a situation bound to bring chaos and bloodshed.
Would Lady Sicily really make such a reckless decision? That didn't fit her style. Yet, since Grey Hall had also invited Tomorrow's Development, he should send someone to talk to them, to gauge their intentions and why they had chosen to involve his organization.
After a long-awaited rest, Felix read through the reports from Kazdel before heading with Loughshinny down to the lowest level of the Venus.
Beyond the warehouse lay the detention area. Originally, Felix had planned to turn it into a space for housing exotic creatures, but the arrival of the Reunion Movement had forced him to abandon that idea.
Every cell was soundproofed and isolated from external visuals. Inmates could neither hear nor see what happened outside, only the darkness around them.
The first to experience this privilege was Mephisto. Though he took daily medication for Originium disease, he still looked haggard. Sitting on his bed, he held his head in his hands, fingers digging into his skull.
Felix wasn't here to see this little madman. He and Loughshinny moved to the innermost cell. Inside, Talulah, having completed her treatment, knelt quietly on the floor. Her posture and demeanor resembled that of an old elder from Yan's monastic orders. Her face was calm, her gaze fixed straight at the floor, lost in thought.
As the room's lighting gradually returned under Felix's clearance, Talulah finally saw the two visitors. She ignored Loughshinny and fixed her gaze solely on Felix.
"…I didn't expect our meeting to be like this."
"Yeah."
Talulah let out a quiet sigh, then lifted her head. "How do you plan to judge me?"
It wasn't defiance—it was acceptance of responsibility, a willingness to face the consequences of her actions without evasion.
"Let's start with that black mist around you. That… isn't really you, is it?"
Talulah smiled, though it was a bitter smile. "An Ursus immortal that has lived for who knows how long. They call it the Immortal Black Snake."
Felix hadn't known this in the previous timeline—after all, he wasn't the operator interrogating her then. He moved a stool, sat down, and interlaced his fingers. "Take your time and explain."