She is not an investigator.

If they really have a chance to meet again, Igris will consider it, but not now.

She's always thinking about it.

“I won’t easily fall in love with someone I don’t love because of your changes, but… Simia, you don’t need to change yourself because of this. I prefer you as you are now to the person you’re pretending for me.”

As she spoke, Igris closed the distance between them again, pulled the finger out of Simia's mouth, and gently lifted her chin.

"You are just as charming now."

"...!"

Having said that, Igris released Simia in front of her, and waved with a smile as Simia looked on with a somewhat lost expression.

"Go ahead, you haven't eaten anything either. I'll come find you in a little while."

"Um... Ah, okay..."

Simia touched her lips, her body felt weak as she took a step, but she still couldn't help but look back, appearing extremely reluctant to leave.

Only after she reluctantly left the tent did Igris finally breathe a sigh of relief and sit down on the ground.

She found it difficult to spare the energy to deal with more people, but she also found a good way to best handle the situation.

This is probably the biggest change she has undergone since she woke up.

She can ignore others and postpone all problems and troubles. As long as she makes a slightly intimate gesture, most people will fall into chaos and eventually become almost thoughtless fools.

Normally, Simia would never have let Igris off so easily, but in that situation, she probably didn't have the energy to think any further.

Although this approach always felt a bit excessive... even Igris didn't know if it would actually work.

Let her think about and worry about those issues when she has fully recovered. Right now, she just needs to focus on doing her own thing.

For example, think carefully about future plans, how to deal with potential dangers, and what you might have to worry about when everything is over and you travel alone to the deeper parts of the Arctic.

…However, perhaps the last one is the one she needs to worry about the least.

“Igris—”

"Again...?"

Igris looked towards the outside of the tent, and Philina's voice, accompanied by her light footsteps, quickly reached Igris's ears.

Finally, she stopped in front of the tent, but did not choose to go in. Instead, she called out softly to Igris from outside.

“Igris Igris, I brought you some food. I guessed you must be hungry, but they told me you wouldn’t be here for a while. I thought you must be a little tired, so I came to find you.”

Igris always felt exceptionally comfortable when she was with Felina.

Her voice was soft, not loud, and not noisy; her gentle voice could make people feel happy.

She didn't choose to barge into the tent, but stood outside and politely asked Igris about her needs, even thoughtfully bringing some food.

It must be said that Igris really couldn't bear to leave her standing outside like that.

"...Come in."

"Hum~"

Felina walked into the tent, carrying a plate in her hand, and hummed softly in a good mood.

Compared to her, Igris's expression at this moment was indeed not very cheerful.

"This is…"

Philina put the plate down, and the contents inside caught Igris's eye.

Perhaps it was because her appetite, which had been dulled by strange foods, had been rekindled, that Igris did indeed develop some appetite.

Even if it's just an ordinary sandwich inside.

"Thank you, Felina. You've gone to so much trouble."

Igris took the plate and couldn't help but smile.

It's rare to see her smile like this; it's genuine. She truly feels that this moment is worth being happy about.

This is probably why she developed feelings for Felina so quickly; after all, no one dislikes a cute girl who is very comfortable to be around.

Especially since she's quite wealthy.

"It's ok."

Philina did not leave, but knelt on the ground and quietly watched Igris eat.

She was still holding her umbrella, her quiet demeanor making her seem especially endearing, and one couldn't help but want to pat her head.

Of course, Igris wouldn't do that, since she was still eating.

The sandwich was a bit cold, which was normal, partly because of the weather, and partly because dinner had actually started quite early, but Igris had simply not gone.

Although it was a bit cold, it still tasted quite good, although the meat inside was still a bit of an unknown substance.

Only after swallowing the entire sandwich did Igris look at Felina, who was quietly staring at her.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

She couldn't help but ask the question.

Although Felina's eyes were pure and showed no other emotion.

When faced with Igris's question, Philina snapped out of her daze and gave an awkward smile.

"I just wanted to see you a little longer."

The Gods' Fools - The Northern Train: Chapter Sixty, Night Talk

midnight.

Igris didn't know what time it was, but she knew it was definitely very late.

She couldn't sleep, but it wasn't just because she couldn't sleep. Another reason was that she needed to keep watch during this time to ensure that everyone at this temporary station wouldn't encounter any danger.

Unlike a moving train, they are resting in place now. If an accident were to occur that results in injury or even death, it would be difficult for everyone to notice it immediately and take appropriate measures.

Naturally, different people will take the night watch at different times.

Igris wasn't actually on night watch, perhaps because she was a patient, so everyone was always kind to her, and right now she was just having trouble sleeping.

Although it was a bit cold outside, Igris still stepped out of the tent to get some fresh air.

As she stepped out of the tent, the figure by the campfire turned his head and looked in her direction.

The person on watch now is Anfer, an elderly man sitting by the campfire, who still looks full of energy even though it's so late.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I'm having some trouble sleeping, so I came out for some fresh air."

Igris walked toward the campfire and sat down opposite Anfer.

She actually wanted to chat with the old man more; she was interested in his past and curious about his energetic appearance.

But perhaps there's nothing she's curious about anyway.

“Back when I was in the army, I often did things like this, keeping watch for my teammates at night.”

Seemingly aware that Igris had come to chat with him, he naturally began to recount his past.

"I've lost count of how many nights like this I've spent. My teammates have come and gone. I'm undoubtedly lucky because I'm still alive, and I'm also undoubtedly unlucky because I'm still alive."

His voice seemed to turn into a sigh as he talked to himself. He had felt sadness and despair countless times because of the departure of his teammates, but slowly, that feeling seemed to have left him as well.

People tend to become numb, towards death, towards separation, towards fear.

“Naturally, the longer I live, the longer I can live. I have seen many new recruits go, watched my soldiers die in battle, and even their bodies were torn apart by those monsters, leaving them with nowhere to rest.”

Finally, he raised his head and looked at Igris, who was listening quietly, revealing for the first time the weariness that came with his age.

"So I'm going to Frostville. I'm going there to find out what they're doing and what's causing fear in the people living there. We've spent half our lives fighting for peace and hope for humanity, and I never believed they would actually shoot innocent civilians."

I feel the same way.

Hearing Igris's reply, he sighed deeply, but couldn't help but grin.

"I don't know why, but you suddenly feel somewhat familiar to me. Perhaps we've met before, at some point that neither of us knew about."

Igris did not answer. Logically speaking, she had no chance of having seen Anfer, but Igris was precisely someone who defied logic.

Perhaps in a previous life, she had indeed met this soldier, or had a brief encounter with him.

Perhaps? But now, hardly anyone knows the answer.

"Do you know why I joined the army in the first place?"

Igris shook her head and continued to be a quiet listener.

“Money, for money… I was very poor, and my family was in dire straits. At that time, they were recruiting soldiers, so I went… I served in the army for thirty years, starting as a common soldier…”

Before joining the army, he never imagined he would live this long, and in those thirty years, he did indeed make a lot of money.

Although he was unable to be by his parents' side until their passing, and he still didn't have the chance to make a phone call to comfort them, he did improve the family's living conditions considerably, allowing his parents to enjoy a rare and prosperous life in their later years.

Gradually, he seemed to have less and less need for money.

In this protracted war between humanity and the world, he also slowly began to ponder another question.

Why do they fight?

Why are so many people sent to the front lines, to join the army, to fight those things with weapons they are not familiar with and with almost no training?

Why are so many people killed and sacrificed in battle, yet countless others still rush to the battlefield?

He asked many people, including his superiors, and their answers were mostly very simple: obey orders.

He also asked his comrades, and their answers were quite simple.

In order to live.

To live, one must give one's life.

In order to live, they plunder lives.

He also asked the later recruits, those who were clearly different from when he joined the army.

They are more capable, more disciplined, and are specially trained elites.

And their answers were mostly similar.