Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

Not to mention the incredibly useless ability of the hangar, Luo Tianming himself has the ability to transform three-dimensional objects into two-dimensional storage that is completely weightless.

He wouldn't even consider a higher-level hangar unless there was one available.

And the most useless thing is this hydroponic farm.

Putting aside how much can be grown in a 4x4 space, the fact that it's hydroponically grown alone means this thing can't stay in a submarine.

After entering the Europa Ridge, Luo Tianming often noticed strange noises coming from the Nautilus's water pumps, which was a sign of ballast plant invasion.

A parasitic plant that is extremely annoying to submarine crews. Its spores can travel with the water flow into the water pumps, which can not only damage the pumps, but also emerge from the pumps and take over the cabin, posing a risk of taking control of the cabin.

Why would someone want to do hydroponics on a ship when such a thing already exists?

The captain who wants to do that will probably have to say goodbye to his ship soon.

Unless Luo Tianming only travels within the topmost 'Frozen Cave' and the bottommost 'Hydrothermal Wasteland', there is absolutely no way this thing could be put into the Nautilus.

Special recruitment ticket fragments... It's an old topic, just collect them when you see them, since you won't need them for the time being.

The last item surprised Luo Tianming a little.

It turns out that the 'upgrade' the customer service representative was referring to was enabling the sale of special traits in the store.

He was curious about how this thing could actually be bought and brought into the real world.

Luo Tianming: [If I buy this trait, how do I use it?]

Customer service representative: [You've seen CD burning, right? It's an ancient technique. The principle is the same, except instead of burning to a memory device, it's burning muscle memory and knowledge into your brain.]

【Hi~ Are you interested in this trait? Now all you need to do is…】

"Forget it." Luo Tianming immediately rejected the customer service representative's sales pitch.

This 'loader' ability is utterly useless. Who would lack the speed to reload ammunition? Besides, the Nautilus has long been converted to an automatic loader; even in case of an accident, manually reloading is a simple matter.

【…】

After looking at the others, Luo Tianming decisively chose to buy the 'Mining Laser' and the 'Fragment'.

Originally there were 19 recruitment tickets, but now only 4 remain.

Other things... even if he had spare money, he wouldn't buy those things.

After dealing with these trivial matters, Luo Tianming felt that he should first focus on the current task at hand.

It's still a long way off before we can achieve 'skin-like symbiosis'; at least we'll have to wait until Archbishop Yakov is released from the capital prison.

However, I should probably take a look at this 'Son of the Clown Mother' quest; that strange [psychic energy] might actually come in handy.

If Luo Tianming wanted to make contact with this organization, the safest place he could think of was the costume shop at Chongshan Station... They were currently on their way out of Vienna Station.

…………

After leaving the room, Luo Tianming immediately asked Lucy, "How far are we from Chongshan Station?"

Lucy: "Well, if we don't go to the transit station, it should take another 7 hours. The main part of the journey is on the surface, but we'll get there quickly after a slight adjustment below."

Luo Tianming: "Then prepare to ascend at full speed... Everyone, return to your posts!!"

"..."

Hearing Luo Tianming's strong and resonant voice, they felt a little relieved.

The man who never gave up has returned.

Nan Mengya, who was on the bridge, asked with some concern, "Hey, Captain, are you having some difficulties? Should we... tell us so we can all help?"

"..."

Upon hearing this suggestion, everyone remained silent for two or three seconds.

The other three women felt that Nan Mengya had not yet grasped the true nature of Luo Tianming.

This guy has a typical outwardly warm but inwardly cold personality. He can chat with anyone, but he can't really get to know anyone's true inner thoughts.

And the more time you spend with him, the more you'll discover this.

Once he treats you like an old friend, he will barge into your life without hesitation and occupy a corner like a cold feline.

When you try to stick close to him, he ignores you.

When you don't want to contact him, you exude an aura that makes people want to get close to you.

Well, when Revy, Lucy, and Takemi Tae first discussed this, they were all wondering what was so likable about him?

However, as they spent more time together, they all inevitably fell into the trap.

Another point is that if a person with this personality encounters a problem, their first thought will definitely be how to handle it themselves, rather than finding others to share the responsibility.

Levi, Lucy, and Takemi are all adults, so they understand and tacitly approve of Luo Tianming's idea.

Adults should handle their own affairs, because that's the price of adulthood.

But Nan Mengya was different; she was only acting out of goodwill rather than concern.

However, such concern is destined to go unanswered.

Because from the moment they reach adulthood, all adults are destined to bear their responsibilities alone.

Whether it's concern from elders or greetings from peers, they will all give the same answer...

Luo Tianming: "I'm fine, everything is alright."

"..."

Nan Mengya was clearly taken aback for a moment, then said with a slightly downcast tone, "Ah... I see~"

Even the usually 'manly' Levi couldn't help but feel a little worried for this high school girl, because bumping into her in the wrong way would only expose her 'cold' side.

Perhaps Luo Tianming also felt awkward, so he changed the subject in a very cold manner:

"My thoughts were affected by a slight emotional fluctuation due to immaturity, but it's fine now."

"On the ship, everyone has their own responsibilities... I will try my best not to let these personal factors affect everyone's safety, and of course everyone should do the same."

Nan Mengya reluctantly uttered a long "Yes~".

She seemed rather sullen...

During the rest of the voyage, no one uttered a single word.

Even Levi kept smoking and wiping the gun barrel...

-

This 'silent voyage' allowed them to reach Chongshan Station faster than expected.

As soon as the airlock closed, Nan Mengya, who couldn't stand the atmosphere, said:

"I'm planning to visit some other places I didn't get to see last time, may I go check them out?"

This was said to Luo Tianming, and she asked it somewhat cautiously.

Luo Tianming readily agreed: "No problem, do you need me to come with you?"

Nan Mengya quickly reached out her hand to refuse: "No need, I can manage on my own, I won't cause trouble for anyone else."

Luo Tianming: "..."

His previous words hit him like a boomerang, and after Nan Mengya left the airlock, Levi mocked her mercilessly:

"Honestly, Alo... getting angry with a child shows you're not mature enough either~"

Luo Tianming, of course, disagreed with her statement: "I didn't hold a grudge against her."

Revy: "Don't tell me this. Go and bring her back to tell her about it."

"Was it because a girl younger than you was worried about you that you had some problems you couldn't handle, and that's why you were a little embarrassed and angry before?"

"But the way you seem so eager to prove yourself right makes her worries seem unnecessary..."

"Sigh, it's just a pity for that little guy. He's been heartbroken by you, you blockhead. He ran out before even turning on his communication device."

Luo Tianming: "..."

He wanted to retort, but then he saw that Miaomiao had already come out and was giving Luo Tianming a meaningful look.

This indicates that he is indeed experiencing some mental health issues.

So he began to reflect deeply on his actions:

I was indeed too naive.

Nan Mengya's concern for him was genuine, but she suddenly felt as if a switch had been flipped, and she instantly wanted to deny it.

This is probably a common problem for all men: they don't want to embarrass themselves in front of women, and they don't want to give the impression that they are 'incompetent'.

He originally thought that these feelings of his should have disappeared along with the growing pains of puberty, but it seems that they are still the same as before.

(Perhaps this is why every man has a 'big boy' inside him.)

Now that Luo Tianming has admitted his immaturity, he should find a way to make up for it as soon as possible.

Apologizing to Nan Mengya in person... well, not only would her pride not allow it, but she would probably find it even harder to accept.

So, should we give her a gift and let this matter pass?

That's a good idea. We've come all the way to Chongshan Station, and we should be able to find some strange and unusual trinkets in the commercial area here, preferably fossils of some ancient marine creatures. That would probably make Minami Mumei happy.

Without further ado... Luo Tianming had just disembarked and was heading towards the path leading to the merchants when he heard:

"Oh my~ Oh my~ Oh my oh my...!"

A man making strange noises, wearing a red ball on his nose and walking towards him in shoes with comical sound effects.

"!"

Even without seeing them, Luo Tianming could guess who they were just by looking at them honking their horns from a great distance.

'The son of the Clown Saint Mother'... In the past, Luo Tianming would always avoid them, but now they have actually come to him on their own initiative.

The man with clown makeup approached Luo Tianming, staring at him with a crazed look, and exclaimed with wild joy:

"Sir, you seem to have quite a connection with 'Clown Mom'. Would you like to join me for a pie?"

"..."

Chapter 131 Being Deceived

Nan Mengya walked alone on the road, her melancholy eyes filled with confusion.

Ever since she ran off the Nautilus, she had been wandering the streets, not going to any of the places she supposedly 'wanted to see'.

Without the captain by my side, everything seems so boring.

"...What kind of childish tantrum am I throwing? Sigh..."

"..."

Nan Mengya's soft voice was drowned out by the surrounding voices.

Even she herself felt that she had been too petty before, acting like a child throwing a tantrum.

As for the reason for their falling out... she knew very well that it was because Luo Tianming treated her in a completely different way than he treated other people.

Although he was indeed in a bad mood for some reason, he did not explain the reason to Levi and the others after he came out. Instead, he simply assumed that the matter had been resolved.

When facing oneself, it's like an adult caring for a child who hasn't grown up...

Nan Mengya hated being treated 'specially' like this.

The more special treatment you receive, the further you are from Luo Tianming, as if an invisible territorial atmosphere is forming.

Only someone as carefree as Revy could approach him without any suspicion; anyone else would sense the distance if they took another step closer.

Actually, she's the same in this respect.

It was precisely because she and Luo Tianming both maintained a distance from everyone that they were able to so easily understand each other's territories.

But... this time she took the initiative to approach him; she even went up to show concern.

The captain, still acting all businesslike, kept his distance.

Wouldn't this be mistakenly interpreted as Nan Mengya being rejected?

What's worse is that if they are alienated again, they will be at a distance that is not even as close as acquaintances.

"...Ugh, this is so troublesome!"