I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

In response to Lois's question, Gretchen quickly nodded her head and answered.

Seeing the atmosphere between the two, Leos raised an eyebrow and hurriedly asked, "Wait... Lois, are you going to agree?"

“Otherwise what? Little Gretsch has the ability to protect herself. We can’t keep her locked up in a safe place forever.”

Upon hearing her friend's question, Lois gently curled the corners of her lips and smiled as she countered with her own question.

"...Alright, alright, Little Gretchen's partner is indeed very strong." Leos turned to look at Lois and then shrugged helplessly.

"Then remember to come back early, little Grey, and be careful." Lois said with a smile, patting the little girl's head.

"Hmm, have you had breakfast?"

After Lois agreed, a hint of joy flashed in Gretchen's eyes, but then, as if remembering something, she asked softly.

"Don't worry, Lois and I have already eaten. Little Gretsch just needs to take care of herself and your friends."

Before Lois could answer, Leos spoke up first.

"OK then."

Gretchen gently nodded her little head, then lifted her little foot, intending to leave and head outside.

However, at that moment, a hoarse voice filled with urgency suddenly rang out.

"Wait a minute... I'll go with you."

Upon hearing this, Gretchen paused, then turned around and saw Alyona rushing out in a panic as soon as she put on her clothes.

"Okay, don't rush."

As she spoke, Gretchen stretched out her small hand to the girl running towards her.

Greta didn't mind having another travel companion on her journey; in fact, she was quite happy about it.

And she also has the power to protect her friends...

Normally, Alyona would never take Gretchen's hand, but this time... by a twist of fate, she grabbed the soft little hand that was reaching out to her.

"..."

When Gretchen saw that her hand was being held, she turned around and grabbed the other hand, then led Alyona slowly outside.

As they walked, the little girl kept warming the girl's hands, which had grown cold from getting dressed and getting out of bed, with her own warm hands.

"Thanks……"

And clearly, Alyona noticed this as well, and then whispered something in Gretsch's ear in her hoarse voice.

"..."

Alyona's sudden thank you caused Gretsch to pause slightly in her steps. Then, a hint of helplessness flashed in her large violet eyes.

Honestly, Gretchen didn't like her friends being so polite to her in all sorts of little things.

That would give her...

A sense of alienation washed over her; she wished her friend wouldn't be so polite.

However, the little girl also knew that this kind of thing couldn't be changed in a short time; it required a long period of companionship.

But coincidentally, Gretchen has no shortage of time... If she wanted, she could stay by her companion's side forever.

……

Not long after leaving the warehouse, Gretchen was once again the center of attention... The large number of infected outside were all staring at the two little girls.

Suddenly being stared at by so many people, Alyona instinctively took a step back.

"Don't be afraid, I will protect you."

Unlike Alyona, Gretchen was completely unconcerned by the stares and wasn't intimidated. She subtly adjusted her position to shield her companions from most of the gazes.

"It's alright, I wasn't scared, I was just startled." Looking at the petite figure blocking her way, Alyona's eyes flickered, and then she explained softly in her hoarse voice.

"Ah."

After hearing Alyona's explanation, Gretchen nodded and continued to lead the girl forward.

--------------

After taking Alyona to the campfire, Gretsch temporarily entrusted her to the care of Mr. Wolf, who was busy working in a small apron.

She then strode off quickly to find Yelena.

However, after Gretsch was left alone, the infected around her looked at her even more strangely, with some hints of malice mixed in, accompanied by whispers.

If some of the infected people used to report to the Yeti team, they now realize that Gretchen, the non-infected person, is with the Yetis.

But it is precisely because of this that these infected miners are even stranger and more astonished.

Because they hadn't seen anyone in Ursus who didn't discriminate against the infected for far too long. Even if that person was just a child...

Faced with all these chaotic gazes, Gretchen's expression, eyes, and emotions remained completely unchanged; she simply focused on heading towards Yelena's current location.

Although in a sense these people could be considered as having been rescued by Gretchen, she had absolutely no desire to get close to them...

It's possible that some of these infected miners are very kind, innocent, and even beautiful, but they are far too few...

At this moment, almost everything the little girl could see was a large expanse of murky color.

……

When Gretchen finally found Yelena, she was just about to send someone back to inform Talulah.

So, the little girl naturally asked her driver sister to escort her.

The two chatted for a while longer until Yelena heard Gretsch's tummy growling, at which point she stopped talking and took the little cutie to have breakfast.

On the way, Yelena subtly intimidated these infected people who had only been rescued not long ago.

P.S.: I'm so sleepy. Actually, it wasn't that fast. It's almost midnight again. To be honest, you guys gave me a little surprise with your monthly votes tonight.

By the way, I might open a bounty next Monday and keep it open until the day I list the book. I'll post a separate page when it opens. Next, I'll recommend some books by a well-known author.

Chapter 43 New Mission

After having breakfast with Yelena, Gretsch, not wanting to cause trouble for the Yetis, led Alyona back to the warehouse.

If nothing unexpected happens, all we need to do now is wait quietly for Talulah to send someone to pick us up.

Back in the tent, Gretchen joined Lois's boredom squad, since there was nothing to do.

However, just as the little girl was about to take out her easel and paints to start painting, that long-lost voice rang in her mind again.

[Mission: Repel the invading enemy and ensure that over 80% of the infected in the mine survive (Mission limited to: Setsuna, Sakura)]

[Quest Reward: Divine Key: Seven Thunders of Purification]

“???)?”

After hearing the long-awaited system task, a big question mark slowly appeared on Gretchen's little head.

Putting aside the quality of the task itself, the limitations of that task alone left her somewhat bewildered...

After a moment of calm, Gretchen quickly opened the panel to check Sakura's unlock status.

And just as she expected, Ying Jieying had already unlocked it at some point...

"..."

After a moment of silence, Gretchen roughly guessed when Sakura had unlocked her character... Whenever this happened, she felt helpless about the system not notifying her when the character was fully unlocked.

Not only Sakura this time, but also Snake last time... If she hadn't noticed and checked, she wouldn't even have realized that the character had been unlocked.

After exiting the character interface, Gretchen turned to the mission interface to study and analyze the current situation.

Based on the mission description, the little girl guessed that the anomaly at the mine must have been discovered.

It's unclear whether the "enemy" mentioned in the mission refers to other infected individuals trying to get a share of the spoils, or to the Ursus authorities.

It's worth noting that the Ursus authorities have always had wanted posters and bounties for the Yeti Squad.

As far as Gretsch knew, her sister Yelena's head was actually quite valuable, even comparable to the combined bounties of many Yetis.

Then there's the fact that this mission is limited to a specific person, which she doesn't seem to mind... but...

However, there is a problem.

Each time Gretsch unlocks a new character, she doesn't get a matching weapon... Based on past experience, weapons, or like the Divine Keys this time, are usually rewards for completing missions.

But here's the problem: Setsuna Sakura was originally an assassin for the Poison Chrysalis, specializing in dealing with traitors and various targets for the organization... But even assassins need weapons.

Although Gretchen thought Sakura could probably strangle an enemy with one hand, it was too unsightly and too troublesome...

So, the little girl now needs to figure out a weapon for Sakura, who is about to transform. It doesn't have to be handy, but it has to be there.

"Well……"

As she pondered, Gretchen slowly cast her melancholy gaze upon Lois and the other woman, who were idly daydreaming.

You really can't blame her for setting her sights on the Yetis; the main reason is that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Yetis are probably the only ones in the entire mine who have weapons.

The various weapons and equipment that originally belonged to the mine had been collected by the Yetis long ago, and this was done in front of Grey.

But there's nothing we can do about it, since it can be considered a strategic resource after all.

"What's wrong? Little Greta, your eyes are kind of scary."

Feeling the intense gaze beside her, Lois turned around and met the little girl's eyes. A chill ran down her spine, and a bad premonition rose in her heart.

After hearing Lois's words, the other two people present also cast questioning glances at Gretsch.

"Hmm... I want a long sword."

After meeting Lois's gaze, Gretsch, with a hint of longing in her eyes, voiced her request.

“?”×3

After hearing Gretchen's words, almost instantly, a big question mark appeared on the heads of both the young and the old.

"...Can you tell me why?"

After catching her breath for a short while, Lois reached out and rubbed her forehead before continuing to ask with a helpless expression.

She now wondered what her little darling was up to this time...

“Because I want to.”