I'm fighting Kal'tsit? Really?

"Regardless of the past, the future always needs to be handed over to pioneers and children."

"So, I want to ask you a question."

Seemingly not expecting the conversation to end this way, Saria's expression froze slightly, and her previously tense brows relaxed a little.

But she didn't respond immediately. Instead, she looked at Lamarlene and nodded, waiting for her question.

And the succubus asked thus:

"what your name?"

"...Is that all?" Saria didn't seem to realize the implications of the question. "Saria, that's my name."

The banshee tilted her head slightly, her bright red pupils reflecting Saria's figure, a gentle smile playing on her lips: "Well then, I am honored to have met you, Saria, and I am also glad that he chose you."

“My name is Ramalene, Gerald’s lover and wife, the mother of the current Lord of the Royal Court, and the former master of the Deathstroke Royal Court.”

"I hope we can get along well in the days to come."

dong dong.

This was the third time the door had been knocked on.

This time, the wind from Gerald brought in the scent of a certain lynx doctor from outside. At the same time, the closed door opened, revealing Kal'tsit's figure.

But this time, in a corner where no one was paying attention, the moment Kal'tsit's face appeared in the room...

With a bang.

Warfarin, already aware of her own limitations, punched herself in the temple and collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Reunion (5K)

As it turns out, Kal'tsit's resilience is far superior to Warfarin's.

After realizing that Saria, who had come to Rhodes Island with Gerald's companion, had just had a minor conflict with Lamaren in this room, and the specific cause of the conflict.

The older lynx simply placed one hand on its chest and used the other to search its pockets.

However, she soon discovered the pills used to treat heart disease, took one out and swallowed it directly, her movements fluid and effortless.

"Your medical exam is this afternoon, Gerald." After swallowing the pills, Kal'tsit, somewhat reassured, informed him in a calm tone: "Considering yesterday's situation, we haven't received any valuable information, and the file remains blank. Therefore, your operator test has been rescheduled to after the medical exam."

"Please be careful not to damage the site like you did last time. Otherwise, I will immediately demand that you fully compensate Rhodes Island for all the damages caused by Logos Operator over the past few years, and also settle the repair costs for yesterday's training ground."

Gerald, who had originally planned to deal with the chaotic situation first, could no longer remain silent after hearing this news.

Before Kal'tsit could completely lose her temper, Gerald quickly seized the opportunity to press, "Wait a minute, how much money does that kid owe?"

“According to the installment agreement, his next repayment will be due at the end of this month, amounting to approximately 50,000 Columbia Gold Vouchers, calculated at the international exchange rate.” Kal'tsit glanced down at the terminal in her hand and calmly confirmed. “You can rest a little more assured; based on the amount entrusted in the last crisis contract, he has the financial capacity to pay this portion of the compensation.”

Gerald breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the number.

Fifty thousand? That's a small amount.

Although he hadn't paid much out of his own pocket in the past eight years, and even traded the only pure Originium ingots he earned to Kannot, the amount was far from unacceptable to him, and was much better than he had expected to mortgage his house to pay off the debt.

He felt a little relieved, then casually asked, "So how many installments did he divide in total?"

"Four thousand eight hundredth round, not including the damage you caused to the venue yesterday."

"?"

But it's not over yet.

While he was still processing the number, Saria suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind, pulling him off balance.

Pegasus saw that Vayvan, who had always been calm, finally changed color, his voice almost incredulous: "Wait a moment, Gerald."

"Who is this Logos operator you're talking about?"

……

Kal'tsit practically fled Gerald's room.

Behind her followed closely the Mon3tr, who seemed completely oblivious to the air, and Warfarin, who was being held by its claws.

The moment Mon3tr was summoned, it thought it could fight Gerald again, so it excitedly neighed and was about to pounce on him, intending to give Pegasus a warm hug first.

Unfortunately, it had barely taken a step when the Banshee Queen coldly swung her bone pen and instantly cast a spell, throwing it to the other side of the room, where it fell to the ground alongside Warfarin.

Sensing a real threat, Kal'tsit immediately ordered Mon3tr to grab Warfarin and sprint towards the door, trying to escape the battlefield as quickly as possible—after all, although Gerald liked fighting, he always had restraint and wouldn't kill.

But the Banshee Queen was different; when facing anyone other than Gerald, she would ruthlessly and cruelly eliminate them in the swiftest and most brutal way.

At this moment, Kal'tsit only hoped that they would listen to what she had just said; as long as they didn't cause any more damage to the ship, everything would be fine.

Fortunately.

After the door closed, it showed no signs of reopening until noon, nor did it emit any chilling explosion.

She had no idea what exactly happened.

All that is known is that when Saria brought Gerald to the medical department that afternoon, her face had a subtle daze, as if a mixture of entanglement and relief had finally reached a kind of barely acceptable balance.

Gerald, however, was clearly not in as good shape as she was. His face not only showed obvious fatigue, but also hinted at a stomachache.

For Tianma, only now did he truly understand that there were punishments in this world more painful than death. To relive the carnage he had just experienced was far worse than returning to prison and spending three years without dreams.

The main problem is severe stomach pain.

Gerald knew that once he knew the other person's feelings, there was no option of "giving up".

Therefore, he has only one choice from beginning to end, and he will definitely carry that choice through to the end.

However, the chain reaction brought about by this choice, and the effect of the sudden collision and explosion today, was still too significant—even though the situation was much easier to deal with than expected, Ramalen's subsequent efforts to win over and cooperate with Saria caught him completely off guard. When he tried to intervene, he was ambushed by the hidden spell.

Pegasus clearly forgot one thing.

Under his influence, through daily sparring, Lamaren is now in a state where she has actually fought against [Pegasus in Dreams] countless times.

in other words.

He was no match for the out-of-control Saria in terms of strength, nor could he overcome the peak form of Ramallen in terms of skill.

If they ever decide in the future that they want to beat him to his knees as well, then he will most likely only face death.

--------

Fortunately, Lamaren also understood the importance of moderation. After exchanging information with Saria with a smile, the tense atmosphere came to an end, and the afternoon arrived quickly.

Contrary to expectations, his various tests went quite smoothly.

During the physical examination, although Kal'tsit still had that indifferent look, she still took great care in examining every aspect of his body.

With his cooperation, this necessary process was quickly completed. The specific outcome will require further analysis from Kal'tsit herself in private.

The same applies to operator testing.

Perhaps because of what happened on the field yesterday, every operator Gerald encountered showed varying degrees of tension.

The maneuver test was the most troublesome. The elite operator who was originally in charge of the project was heard to have been hoisted onto the bridge, which made him hesitant about whether he should sprint at full speed.

Fortunately, two masters of Originium Arts were able to suppress his speed at the same time, which made the testing process less brutal.

Overall, apart from the bearded operator who was in charge of testing combat skills—who decisively blocked Pegasus's basic attack and then patted Pegasus on the shoulder at the end—most of the others hurriedly left the scene after the test was over.

After all, if this continues, their gossipy nature will probably become impossible to hide.

Gerald didn't think much of it; he simply nodded: "It's clear that there are many capable people on Rhodes Island, and most of them are friendly."

Let's skip the friendly competition...

His two procedures today went so smoothly that when he came out of the training ground, the sun was still hanging in the sky outside the window, and the stars had not yet had a chance to show their faces.

Pegasus's waist was empty—the sword that Lamaren had asked Kannot to give him had now transformed into a new incantation imprinted on his body, which could be summoned with just a thought.

Those elite agents probably assumed he had already gone through the personnel department visit process. Although they casually asked if he needed a guide before leaving, Gerald still wanted to rely on his own eyes to tour the place where he would be staying temporarily in the future.

So he strolled down the corridor, intending to walk back to his original room.

……

Arriving in a new place means experiencing a new atmosphere.

His aura determined his preference for a place. The journey from the neon lights of Kazimierz to the wheat fields outside the city felt like crossing two lifetimes, as the aura of each place was always different.

Kazdel carries an ever-present stench of blood and mud; the valley is a cycle of blooming flowers and falling leaves, of new life and death; Mansfield is a nearly rotten piece of flesh, swarming with flies, its interior riddled with sores; the Gaspar wasteland can only be described as "wilderness," for wilderness itself contains all the meaning it seeks to convey.

Rhodes Island gave him a fresh feeling.

The ship's exterior has been meticulously renovated, but Gerald can still sense its age.

However, its core is the most distinctive.

From the visually invisible Mantico who just passed by, to Caprini carrying a huge pile of documents, to the Sarkaz who brazenly held Originium to his neck without any attempt to conceal it, and the white-haired Sarkaz who happened to be passing by with a crossbow.

This is a very interesting kind of chaos—not driven by self-interest, but rather by a harmony fueled by ideals and empathy.

He rarely saw such an idea—to freely cover the canvas with various hues while still maintaining overall harmony. He also found it hard to imagine that the person who founded Rhodes Island was, two hundred years ago, a general who had assembled a three-nation coalition to attack Kazdel.

Considering that Rhodes Island is the legacy of the Tower of Babel mentioned by Kal'tsit, the only possible source for him to be able to see such a scene is probably... Theresa.

Learning of her death a century later was a source of both regret and relief for Gerald.

If the demon king drags the banshee into the vortex of civil war as well, then whether he will ever see Lamaren again is still unknown.

Pegasus put aside the thought that had flashed through his mind and continued walking forward.

……

Walking through the crisscrossing passageways inside this massive ship, mingling with the flow of people coming from the opposite direction, I silently observed the expressions on their faces and what they were doing.

A faint smell of mechanical grease wafted through the air, mixed with the clean scent of disinfectant; he had probably entered the engineering department area.

Gerald passed a power bay under maintenance. An operator in engineering clothes was squatting on the ground, holding tools and inspecting the internal wiring through an open panel. A drone hovered nearby, projecting a holographic interface of technical data onto her. Gerald glanced at it briefly and continued on her way, not intending to disturb them.

He smelled the Blood Demon again, and he didn't want to encounter a third Blood Demon in just one day.

So he walked forward and reached the end of the corridor.

The signpost directed him up a short distance to the deck level. It was already dusk, and perhaps because most people were thinking about going to the canteen for lunch, there were only a few scattered figures in the corridor, who didn't appear to be maintenance personnel.

So he passed through the heavy metal door and came to the deck of Rhodes Island.

With this comes a broader perspective.

The moment he stepped out the door, the afterglow of the setting sun fell on Pegasus's shoulders. The fresh air carried a hint of the chill of the desert night and the faint warmth of the metal after being baked by the sun.

The sky above was dyed amber, as beautiful as Saria's eyes. The clouds were torn into pieces by the high-altitude air currents and drifted slowly. Looking out beyond the railings around the ship, the horizon was faintly visible, and the distant scenery blended into a riot of colors under the blurring sunset.

When Gerald actually got onto the deck, he discovered that it was much more spacious than the corridor.

Only a few workers in work clothes were inspecting the ship's structure, and occasionally patrolling officers passed by. The only ones who stood out from the others on the deck were the two people standing in the distance.

The black demon concealed his hair and face with a faded cloth, revealing only his white horns and beautiful face, and slowly pushed the girl in the wheelchair, like a shadow isolated from the surrounding world.

A typical Sarkaz, the simple cloth couldn't hide the long white horns on her head, nor could it conceal the imposing sword at her waist.

"Good" might not even be enough to describe it. Pegasus could easily tell that her posture had been deliberately corrected to its current state. Although her aura was far inferior to his and Theresis's, in terms of swordsmanship alone, she was undoubtedly among the top swordsmen he had ever witnessed.

No rush, no rush, he still remembers that promise.

The other person seemed to sense it as well, and looked in his direction.

When the gaze fell on his empty waist, the operator seemed to lower his guard and nodded in response.

So Tianma walked over and greeted the two ladies: "I'm sorry, this is my first time here today. I didn't mean to disturb you."

After hearing Gerald's words, the girl in the wheelchair turned around, blinked her bright blue eyes, and gave a sickly smile.

“This is a place where all the operators can enjoy the scenery together. We can’t monopolize it. You don’t need to feel like you’re disturbing us.” The black-clad Sarkaz shook her head, clearly in charge of the conversation: “I am Shining, and her codename is Nightingale.”

"Wind Chaser." Gerald always felt that calling himself that was somewhat awkward.

“You’re from Kazimierz?” Shining noticed the code name, which was somewhat similar to that of their companion, as well as the ears and tail that were symbols of Kuranta. After seeing the other person nod, she continued, “Our companion is also from Kazimierz. She told us about the villages and wheat fields there, where the wheat glows golden in the setting sun.”

Gerald smiled. "Then it must be a good Kazimierz. Apart from rangers, Scourge messengers, nostalgics, and some adventurers, few people go to the Kazimierz countryside anymore."

“In places where awareness of infection prevention is not widespread, the presence of healers is necessary.” Shining’s words did not conceal their identities: “...There are no neon lights there, only silent nights. She once told us that this is the real Kazimierz, not a dazzling arena or a noble banquet filled with the struggle for money and power.”

“That’s a pity. She’ll probably never find the Kazimierz she loves again.” Gerald didn’t say much. He unusually put aside his thoughts of fighting and just gazed into the distance. “But that doesn’t stop her from being a very interesting person.”

The black demon nodded. She could tell that the other party's mood was also very complicated. The feeling of being inexplicably watched had suddenly disappeared and vanished.

So Shining turned her gaze aside, leaving him some quiet time to process things alone.