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

"..."

Gretchen, who had been expressionless and devoid of emotion in her eyes, suddenly changed her demeanor after staring at W for a while and seeing her wicked grin and the mixed colors behind her.

The innocent and pure aura that once emanated from the little girl was completely swept away, replaced by a sense of madness and joy. And this seemingly contrasting temperament, surprisingly, didn't feel out of place at all on her.

Then, Gretchen reached out and gently ran her hand across her delicate lips, slowly curving her lips into a smile, giving W an almost identical wicked grin.

"..."

Perhaps because the contrast was so stark, everyone who saw Gretchen's smile was momentarily stunned.

However, she quickly realized what was happening, and her interest and excitement intensified in her beautiful golden eyes.

However, just as W was about to do something else, she suddenly stopped. Although her eyes remained unchanged, she suppressed the smile on her face.

Gretchen's large, violet eyes, which were filled with madness, were suddenly covered by a pair of small, calloused hands.

This sudden situation directly prevented the little girl and W from making eye contact, or more precisely, it prevented the little girl from continuing to gaze at the colors on W's body.

at the same time--

Having just finished discussing the next plan with Patriot and the others, Talulah, upon leaving the tent, saw the azure-blue knight and the two little ones in his arms not far away...

Then, following the direction Gretsch was facing, the Dragon Girl saw the mercenary W and her lips twitched.

Then, when she noticed the mischievous grin on her little one's face, her mind went blank for a moment. After realizing what was happening, she quickly ran towards Gretchen.

"Why did you come out?"

After rushing to Gretchen's side, Talulah carefully stood in front of her, blocking the view of others, and asked helplessly.

"..."

After hearing Talulah's words, Gretchen, whose eyes were covered by Alyona's hands, only shook the ahoge on her head and did not answer her question.

The little girl is still under W's influence and needs to calm down. She's also afraid that if she opens her mouth, she'll hear W's sarcastic remarks...

"Hmm? Are you feeling unwell?"

Looking at Gretchen, who remained motionless and did not answer her questions, Talulah frowned slightly, her tone somewhat worried.

You should know that, although there was some distance, the Dragon Girl had clearly seen the wicked smile on Gretchen's face.

"It should be nothing serious, just stained with someone else's colors." Looking at Talulah, who was frowning, Alyona slowly released her small hand and explained to her.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Talulah didn't say anything more, but turned to look at W, who was still standing not far away.

When W noticed the dragon girl's gaze, he showed no fear or avoidance. Instead, he shrugged with a somewhat smug expression.

Feeling bored, he didn't linger, waved, and turned to leave, leaving only his back view.

Seeing W like this, Talulah was momentarily confused as to what she had come for...

"?"

Just then, Yelena noticed what was happening and walked over, her eyes asking what had happened.

"The little one suddenly ran out and accidentally got her hands on someone else's color. Let's go find a secluded spot to let her recover."

Meeting Yelena's questioning gaze, Talulah gave a helpless look before explaining.

After speaking, the dragon girl turned her gaze to the azure-blue knight, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"..."

After the knight nodded, the group moved toward the tent where they had just been discussing matters.

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

Inside the tent—

Although she was dyed with the color of "w" this time, the contact time was short due to the interruption, so Gretchen quickly withdrew from the color and returned to normal.

After she recovered, the others, including the patriot who had returned, all turned their attention to her.

However, Talulah and Yelena only wanted to ask Gretsch why she had come looking for them. Patriot, on the other hand, wanted to know about what had happened with the two guards.

Suddenly being stared at by three people, Gretchen's big eyes flashed with a hint of guilt, and she quickly explained, "Um... I remembered something important, so I came to find Tarua."

After all, the little girl still remembered that she had sneaked out... and she also remembered that she had promised Talulah today that she wouldn't run around.

P.S.: Speaking of which, I suddenly feel like writing a female damsel in distress story. I mean, that bad girl with shoulder-length short hair, I find her kind of captivating.

Chapter 74 The Discovery of W

"Hmm? You wanted to see me? What's up?"

Although Talulah noticed the fleeting hint of guilt in her little one's eyes, she didn't say anything. Instead, she reached out and ruffled her soft blue hair.

?

"Well……"

After not hearing the expected reproach, Gretsch's eyes flashed slightly. She blinked gently before speaking, "It's about the painting I drew before."

"It's no use for me, so I plan to give it to Tarua."

After the little girl finished speaking, she took out the "Inner Guard" from her spatial storage and handed it to Talulah.

At that moment, the eyes of all four people present subconsciously focused on the painting in Gretchen's hand, examining it closely.

"Hmm... little guys, are they still alive?"

Looking at the painting handed to her, Talulah took it and asked with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

“I didn’t harm them; I just invited them into the world of the painting. If Tarua needs them, I can release them.”

After hearing Talulah's question, Gretchen gently shook her head and then began to explain earnestly.

Before Talulah could react after the little girl finished speaking, Patriot's eyes flashed red, as if he had thought of something.

After all, his purpose, or rather his doubts, had just been resolved.

However, even the patriots couldn't help but marvel at Gretsch's powerful abilities.

In particular, this ability to seal people into paintings is a powerful tool against human contamination bombs like the internal security forces, except for the time required for preparation.

Even Patriot had to admit that if he hadn't known Gretchen's abilities beforehand, he might have been caught off guard and ended up in a painting sealed away like those two bodyguards.

"So, this painting is the same as the last one? It can release the person, or it can be torn up." As she spoke, Talulah glanced at G.

Leishu is seeking to verify her own answer.

Although she had experienced it many times and gained some experience, the little girl's special characteristics meant that Talulah couldn't be completely sure that the painting in her hand was the same as the one from last time.

So, just to be on the safe side, she asked again.

“Yes, if you destroy the painting, everything inside will be destroyed. If you need to release the person, you'll have to come to me.” Upon hearing this, Gretchen nodded her little head again.

"Thank you so much, little one. You've been a great help again this time." Looking at the little girl's well-behaved appearance, Talulah couldn't help but pat her soft little head again.

Meanwhile, Yelena and Patriot, who were standing to the side, realized the value of the painting "The Inner Guard" after listening to Gretsch's explanation.

After all, it's important to understand that interior defenders are not easy to develop. Two interior defenders are a decent asset, even a relatively lightweight and portable one.

Suddenly, Yelena seemed to remember something, a smile appearing on her cold, serious face. She then softly spoke to Gretchen and Alyona:

"We're about to get moving again and leave this place. This time, Greta, you'll go with the Yetis."

"it is good……"

Gretchen agreed without hesitation to Yelena's request.

The little girl had already guessed that the Reunion Movement would relocate again, or rather, it was inevitable. So she wasn't surprised at all.

However, for this migration, Gretchen plans to lend a small hand. She intends to summon all her companions and have them scout the surrounding area to ensure the team's safety.

This will prevent a repeat of the sudden attack that happened at noon today.

After sharing her thoughts with Talulah and receiving her consent, Gretsch left to go back and find her sister Alina.

—————————————————————

Mercenary encampment —

"You seem to be in a good mood. You didn't make that child cry, did you..." Ines, sitting by the campfire, raised her eyes slightly to look at W as he walked back, and asked with a hint of suspicion.

As for why she asked that question, it's because both W's current expression and her shadow told Ines that her comrade-in-arms was in a very good mood.

"Although I really wanted to do that, it's a pity." W, who walked to sit down by the campfire, showed a regretful expression and said "dejectedly".

"..."

Upon hearing this, Ines glanced at W indifferently and said nothing more. If she hadn't known W so well, and hadn't observed her shadow beforehand, she wouldn't have believed it… No way!

If Ines believed W's nonsense so easily, then she wouldn't be Ines.

"Did you find anything?"

Hedley, who was sitting to the side, also spoke up, looking at W with curiosity.

“We have indeed discovered some interesting things, but… we still need to confirm them a bit more.” After hearing what Hedley said, W did not answer directly, but chose to keep it a secret.

Although W had only had a brief, distant encounter with Gretchen just now, that brief moment, coupled with the little girl's sudden change, led her to many speculations.

She might not be so sure about other things, but based on the smile Grey had given her earlier, she was almost 100% certain that it was "her" smile.

Moreover, W was very perceptive in noticing the change in the little girl's demeanor at that time. This alone almost completely rules out the possibility that the child was simply imitating.

If that's the case, then there's only one possibility left...

However, all of this is just based on W's analysis and speculation after this contact, and further confirmation is still needed.

However, you have to understand that W has plenty of time right now. She's finally discovered something so interesting, so she's definitely not going to let it go so easily.

"As long as it's not excessive, I'm happy."

Seeing W's expression, Hedley knew he wouldn't get any answers. So he simply shook his head helplessly and gave another word of advice.

P.S.: Long time no see, here are some votes. I'm a little early today, but strictly speaking, I still mailed them tonight. My mom plans to drag me out of bed at 5:30 tomorrow to go for a run, which is terrifying.

Hey everyone, let's give them a heads-up.

Chapter 75 The Sarkaz Young Lady

Before long, the members of Reunion were almost ready, and they had brought everything they needed. Then the migration began.