Being Picked Up and Adopted by Talula

To Orson's left, FrostNova, whom the Enforcement Team called the "Snow Monster Princess," was vaguely holding a bowl of white porridge, awkwardly and shyly cooling it down. She then scooped a spoonful of icy porridge mixed with ice shards (literally) and desperately suppressed her shame, trying to feed it to Orson's mouth.

"Teacher Orson, let's play 'Apple Game,' it's said to be a very popular game recently!"

To Orson's right, Ino smiled as she peeled and cut an apple, then popped a piece into her own mouth. She held the apple with her tongue, gently biting the front end, preparing to present it to Orson in this manner.

If one looked closely, they would also notice that a piece of Originium Arts, written as Originium Arts but read as computer components, a life-draining feather, was mixed into the apple.

"Get some proper rest, Orson. I'll tell you your favorite stories while I'm here: In the second year of Genroku, a gambler came to the Kashan family..."

Before Orson's hospital bed, Alina held a book titled "Ballad of the Wandering Knight," and the little deer slowly read in Orson's ear with her gentle voice.

Meanwhile, Junjun, as always, wore a mask and a hood. Not liking to be exposed to everyone, she was currently using a marker to doodle on Orson's cast, writing things like 'X Harassment Pervert' and 'Terrifying Fur-Rubbing Two-Legged Beast.'

"..."

Surrounded by girls (and a young boy) by his hospital bed, Orson felt no pleasure at all. The icy porridge mixed with the enhanced apple in his mouth, the ballad he had heard countless times in his ears, and he helplessly watched Junjun draw incomprehensible routes on him, his eyes gradually becoming vacant.

At this moment, Orson not only couldn't move his limbs but also couldn't control his Originium Arts to speak. He could only endure this situation, which was not much different from hell.

After the "Kazimierz City Incident" ended, the Third Army Group ultimately did not choose to continue fighting Reunion.

On one hand, this detachment was somewhat wary of the abilities of Silence, Patriot, and the "Snow Monster Princess." On the other hand, these soldiers were already tired of being bossed around and dominated by those old nobles.

After Lumen's broadcast, the two sides quickly drew apart and stopped fighting. Among those who were still alive, Orson was the most severely injured.

"Black Score," which represented the physical properties of objects, although Orson could not use it on living beings, he could achieve short-term physical enhancement by attaching "Rest Note" to his limbs. He could even maintain this enhancement during "Curtain Call."

This was the principle of "Fever Time."

Of course, the price was that after the time was up, the limbs that were attached would be difficult to separate... (referring to sequelae such as fractures, muscle tears, dislocations, and inflammation).

As for the "Rabbit Plan," which caused the army group to explode on the spot, it was actually a tactic of using the last digit of the Fibonacci sequence as a timer, closing and opening "Curtain Call" to achieve one-sided Originium Arts attacks on the enemy.

And "Protocol Three" was even easier to understand. Patriot threw Orson out like a discus/javelin. It was an excellent charge and surprise attack tactic that had no drawbacks for anyone except the person being thrown, and no one got hurt.

"Natalia, how is your father's condition?"

"Thanks to the help of the infected in Kazimierz City's Azazel, he only sustained some superficial injuries. Thank you very much, Miss Talula."

"I'm just acting according to Orson's previous plan—"

Talula and Lumen arrived at the hospital while talking. When they pushed open the door and saw the scene before them, they both froze in place.

"You... you guys are sneaking ahead again!"

Talula puffed up her cheeks and squeezed to Orson's side. Since she couldn't find any place to intervene, she simply reached out and placed her hand on Orson's chest.

"Let me warm you up, Orson."

In the spirit of fully utilizing the inherent advantages of the Sankta clan (burning people), Talula voluntarily acted as a hot water bottle.

"...Wait for me!"

Lumen thought for a few seconds and immediately turned to leave the ward. Before long, she came back with a large bag of expensive nutrient solutions whose effects were completely unknown. She pried open Orson's mouth and poured it in.

"Yo, Shadow Man. Heard you were hospitalized? I can easily take you down now... uh, what are you guys doing, having a 'happy funeral'?"

The last to arrive at the ward was W. This mercenary girl pushed the door open with her signature wicked smile, only to be stunned by the scene before her.

"This joke isn't funny, W."

Talula frowned, her tone somewhat annoyed. W then pointed to the electrocardiogram next to them.

Beep, beep, beep————

"Orson!?"

Everyone was startled. Orson lay on the hospital bed, smiling as he left this beautiful world.

3 days later

"Congratulations on your discharge, Orson."

Orson, covered in bandages, slowly left the hospital. As soon as he stepped out, he saw the people he had been fighting alongside during this time.

"Everyone..."

Orson was deeply moved, then turned and ran.

The medical skills of this group could only be described as tragic...

And the only Liberi youth who possessed proper medical care skills was solely focused on "big birds spinning."

According to intelligence department investigations, the body of Mayor Boris of Kazimierz City was discovered in a wasteland on the outskirts, and Kazimierz City is temporarily without a mayor.

Although the infected played a crucial role in this Kazimierz City incident, Kazimierz City cannot accommodate so many infected. Moreover, most Kazimierz City citizens, even after understanding Grand Duke Baikal's conspiracy, no longer harbor the same obvious hostility and fear towards the infected as before.

It is still incredibly difficult for ordinary people to accept the infected.

Baikal's remnants might still be lurking in the shadows, seeking revenge, and no one knows how other old nobles will view Reunion after learning about the Kazimierz City incident.

As a result, Talula and the others only extinguished this "Mars," but did not fundamentally change the "powder keg nature" of Kazimierz City.

But at least—Reunion, the infected, and the abandoned Northern Territory Civilians, who once couldn't even muster the courage to resist, have all taken the first step.

Perhaps it wasn't the most difficult step, but it was the most meaningful one.

Meanwhile, in a room inside a massive landship, a small Caster girl wearing a blue-toned coat was staring at the screen in front of her.

"Doctor's signal confirmed... we can finally confirm it. But... Chernobyl? That's Ursus territory, we can't act recklessly."

The Caster girl frowned, pondering something. After a moment, the little Black Rabbit seemed to have finally made a decision.

But just then, the bunny-eared girl suddenly noticed an anomaly on the screen.

"The Doctor's signal... was it like this before?"

The young Rabbit frowned.

66. Overbearing Early Sister, Snatching People Online

It had been nearly two weeks since the Kazimierz City Incident.

Many things had changed, but more remained the same as usual.

Due to Ursus's national conditions and the general mainstream sentiment, the infected organization "Reunion," including the infected warriors who volunteered from the clinic "Azazel," their actions were not publicized.

But conversely, there was no news smearing or persecuting these infected, even though these were the very attention-grabbing tactics the media prided themselves on.

Most citizens vaguely knew that Chernobyl had almost been used as a pawn by the old noble Grand Duke Baikal to instigate a war. And that the Rostov family, along with other nobles, Duchess Koschei's heir Talula, and the people of the Northern Territory, had jointly thwarted Grand Duke Baikal's scheme.

This matter became a topic of conversation among people, and countless versions of it spread through hearsay.

In some versions, the heir of the Rostov family awakened the power of the Flesh-Ball Fruit, and that voluptuous JK could slap ten Orsons to Sabaody Archipelago with one palm.

In some versions, the silence of the Northern Territory activated Infinite Void on the battlefield, and then they used Reverse Cursed Technique to obliterate the enemy. Unfortunately, after accidentally touching a rabbit's tail, they were slammed into the ground by Spear of Ursus with one palm.

In some versions, the young Sankta was reborn from the ashes, the Female Fire Dragon soared through the sky, roaring "All Ursus people are trash!" and carved despair into the hearts of all participating soldiers with dragon's breath.

In some versions, someone claimed to have seen a Lupo/Feline/Perro girl who had fallen into a pit by the roadside.

These stories were obviously nonsense, yet subtly contained elements of truth.

People's attitudes towards the infected hadn't changed much, but at least there was some change. The Enforcement Team had temporarily suspended searches for the infected, and each Kazimierz City noble needed to inspect the living conditions of the villages within their territories.

Lumen's Father, being a businessman at heart, immediately began constructing formal trade channels for border villages upon hearing of Talula's previous actions of uniting villages. He also planned a small town near Chernobyl, primarily for logistics transfer and absorbing those Northern Territory residents, acting as an intermediary to earn the price difference.

Of course, the matter was exposed within a few days. After being subdued by Lumen's powerful grip, Lumen's Father obediently used the money to repair the basic infrastructure for the people of the Northern Territory as agreed.

Regarding the current Emperor, it was fortunate that the Emperor was indeed as Lumen's Father described, someone who yearned for reform of the old nobility and a change in Ursus's warlike tone. This Emperor even held lenient policies towards the infected.

After Talula invoked the name of Duke Koschei, the Emperor, through Speaker Viter, did not approve but also did not pursue the matter. In reality, this was a form of support.

By not classifying Reunion as a "terrorist organization" but pretending to ignore it, this was the limit of what the Emperor could currently do.

After all, this Emperor, who in a sense was no different from sitting on a Golden Toilet, must have had his own battlefield and constraints.

"So, everyone is quite clear about the recent situation."

In the still-under-renovation villa's conference room of the Rostov family, Talula stood before everyone, her voice low.

"..." "..."

Around the conference table were the leaders of Reunion, the heir of the Rostov family, Lumen, and Orson, who was dragged along to make up the numbers.

"I've gathered all of you representatives here today, so you should have a vague idea of what I intend to do. This matter will be troublesome, but it cannot be avoided."

Talula took out an envelope, broke the wax seal, and poured out its contents—a letter, and a... blade.

Upon seeing the sharp blade, everyone present gasped.

"Let's stop making excuses. We must deal with this problem today—who gets to be the City Lord of Chernobyl? It's been a week and a half, and Speaker Viter is already stuffing blades into his reminder letters!"

Talula held the blade in one hand, tapping the table with the other, and complained loudly and powerlessly.

"Mmm... well..." "Zzzzz" "Ah wah wah wah—"

As soon as Talula spoke, everyone immediately pretended to be deaf and dumb, each in their own way. Some feigned idiocy, some shouted "ZZZ" loudly, and others stuck their fingers into USB Ports, pretending to be electrocuted.

"You bunch of people..."

Talula rubbed her eyebrows.

Due to Boris's death, Chernobyl was currently without a lord, which was absolutely unacceptable for a city-state. In normal times, the title of "City Lord" might have been tempting, but after the recent mess, no one wanted to be the one to step up and put out the fire.

"If no one else wants it, then let's give it to the Head of the Rostov Family. Does anyone have any objections?"

"No!"

Talula tried to pass the buck to Lumen's Father, who was not present. Just then, however, the butler delivered a letter stating that Lumen's father had gone to the Northern Territory to survey environmental resources and wouldn't be back for one to two weeks.

"..."

The young Sankta's forehead was covered in veins. The successor she had found had just slipped away.

"Talula, aren't you very suitable for this position? You are a Duchess yourself, so inheriting the City Lord's title is only natural."

FrostNova asked Talula why she didn't take the position herself. Talula shook her head.

"Although nominally, as the inheritor of the Black Serpent Title, I am the most suitable candidate, I've said before that I will only use this identity to help the infected and civilians. If I take this power, it means I will be bound by it."

Talula glanced at Patriot, then looked at Orson.

"Reunion should not be bound, at least not by Ursus for now. We still have many things to do, and the City Lord's position won't bring us much benefit, only drag us into an endless political vortex."

Patriot nodded, agreeing with Talula's words.

"What about those nobles? Doesn't anyone want to become City Lord? I thought merchants liked risky investments."

"They probably understand that business and politics are two different games..."

Lumen sighed in response, then looked at Talula.

"Did Father recommend me to be City Lord?"

"—You're right. He actually told me before that you would be a diligent and responsible new City Lord. And Natalia, what you did during this Kazimierz City Incident has become widely known and talked about. If you become City Lord, although your age might be a bit young, the public's support should be very high."

"Is this the only way... Alright, I accept this responsibility."

Lumen sighed, having somewhat expected the meeting to end this way. Moreover, after this Kazimierz City Incident, Lumen herself wished to do something for this continent.

"Is that it?"

The newly appointed City Lord signed her name and then pressed her fingerprint onto the letter.

"Natalia, wielding power means you can accomplish more, but don't forget that those deranged individuals trying to start wars are also slaves corrupted by power."

Talula earnestly cautioned Lumen, who nodded in response.

Don't be consumed by power...

"Alright! Since I've become the City Lord of Kazimierz City, then—Citizen Orson, I, as the City Lord, command you: you belong to me for the entire day today!"

"Eh? Eh!?"