46. The Soul Shattered, Folks / 47. Now, I'm Snake Girl!

However, since the other party had already answered her two questions very politely, Rita was not the kind of person who couldn't understand the situation. So, following Kal'tsit's instructions, Rita obediently prepared to leave the room.

As she stepped out the door, she caught a glimpse of an open photo frame and a picture, along with a silk scarf, on the table outside the living room.

She must have been wiping this photo before I arrived.

Because of the reflection, Rita couldn't see the location in the photo clearly, but the child in the photo was undoubtedly Xia Ling when she was a child.

And the young woman next to her... was that the person who grabbed her just now?

Rita had some guesses in her mind.

Meanwhile, Xia Ling was still on the Hyperion, undergoing her rehabilitation training for the day.

She recently discovered that losing her sense of taste doesn't seem to be such a bad thing.

At least when Theresa fed her bitter melon juice under the pretense of it being good for her health, she could drink it without any expression.

And she finally found a way to counter Theresa.

As is well known, Theresa often reads comics during her work hours. Back in the academy days, confiscating Theresa's comics was her and Himeko's favorite way to tease Theresa.

Then, when they get caught slacking off, they hand over the confiscated comics, achieving a similar effect to exchanging prisoners.

Perhaps because Xia Ling couldn't see, Theresa suddenly developed a strong interest in secretly reading comics in front of Xia Ling.

The pages for the comics are naturally different from the pages she usually uses for work.

And once she noticed this subtle difference in page turning, she was able to...

"Theresa, are you reading comics again?!"

Theresa, who was engrossed in watching, was suddenly startled by Xia Ling next to her.

"No, I didn't! I was just reviewing official documents!"

Theresa quickly tucked the comic book that was lying open on her lap under her skirt.

Then...

"Hmph, updraft!"

Xia Ling, who had already circled around to her side, forcefully lifted Theresa's skirt, revealing a comic book peeking out from under the skirt, with white stockings clinging to it.

"Yay! One more win!"

Xia Ling, finally able to vent her anger, revealed a joyful smile.

Then...

"Wait, wait, don't pounce on me! Here, take it! Here, take it!"

Xia Ling seemed to have forgotten that she was now completely powerless to resist, and that provoking her would only hand her over to Theresa and have no other effect.

Chapter Forty-Six: The Souls of Family Members Transformed

"Your Lord Bishop, I am sorry, the mission to bring back the killer of the Jackal has failed."

"Well..."

On the other end of the communication, Otto fell into a brief silence.

"If the information for the Stigmata Project was because World Serpent had prepared it in advance, then this mission is because..."

"That's right, Your Lord Bishop."

"The murderer who killed the Jackal..."

Rita somewhat embarrassedly, "I've found out who she is and where she is, but I haven't been able to defeat her."

"After several rounds of fighting with her, she summoned a monster I had never seen before. Caught off guard, I was subdued almost instantly."

"Instantly subduing an S-rank Valkyrie ..." Otto's expression was somewhat grave.

"Rita, how close do you think her strength is to Durandal's?"

"I'm sorry, because the battle was too short, I can only judge that her physical strength is slightly weaker than mine. As for that monster, it is probably much stronger than me."

"If it were Durandal, defeating her shouldn't be too difficult, but it would probably take quite a bit of effort."

Because Kal'tsit used Mon3Tr's strongest form, the Meltdown, Rita's assessment of Kal'tsit's strength was slightly inaccurate.

After all, two unfamiliar opponents would certainly not go all out immediately in a non-life-or-death battle. Rita's assessment of Kal'tsit's strength was based on the assumption that the opponent was holding back.

However, Rita was unaware that her information was actually transparent to Kal'tsit, and if she wanted to, Kal'tsit could even know what color Rita liked to wear the most...

On the screen, Otto paused for a moment in thought.

"Let's continue talking about her situation."

"Yes, Your Lord Bishop, after she knocked me unconscious..."

Rita slowly recounted her observations and speculations.

"Xia Ling's elders... her sister or mother? It can't be her grandmother..."

"Well, if that's the case, then the failure of this mission is indeed not your fault."

"You should go back to Schicksal Headquarters to report. Durandal has already returned, and I still need to handle the follow-up matters in North Africa."

"Durandal has already returned?"

Rita was slightly taken aback. "Has His Lord Bishop completed his experiments in North Africa?"

"Yes, Kiana has already escaped on her own, and I have also met with Kevin, the leader of the World Serpent and a pioneer of the previous generation."

"We have reached a deal. Now, the World Serpent has partnered with Schicksal."

Otto's expression remained as calm as ever. "Speaking of which, Rita, you have some past grievances with members of World Serpent. Should I avoid them during related missions?"

"Of course not. Personal grudges are insignificant to me in the face of His Lord Bishop's orders."

"Hmm... that's fine, but I wasn't just being polite. The world situation is changing rapidly, and I'm planning to activate some of Schicksal's trump cards."

"Considering you just finished your mission in Changkong City, let's give you a break for now. The mission to conduct experiments in Changkong City can be handled by others."

With the agreement reached between Schicksal and the World Serpent, the world entered a brief period of peace.

Time flies, and a week has passed in the blink of an eye.

Xia Ling, on the other hand, became visibly excited.

Because her vision is about to be restored.

These past few days, she has been experiencing both pain and pleasure, enjoying Theresa's attentive service while also having to deal with all sorts of humiliating play.

Although she couldn't see it, she knew that there was a small box in Theresa's room, which probably contained things that weren't so friendly to her.

After all, the collar he was wearing around his neck came from there.

Of course, she wasn't so opposed to taking her relationship with Theresa further, but the fact that Theresa made her feel a little strange.

Damn it, Theresa can only be arrogant for a few days while she's sick... Xia Ling thought viciously.

Once I'm healed, I'll definitely get my revenge!

As Xia Ling's dark little thoughts kept popping up, the night slowly passed.

Finally, it was early morning of the eighth day.

Xia Ling groggily opened her eyes from the bed, but this time, what appeared before her was not the familiar darkness she usually knew.

"!!!"

Xia Ling immediately perked up, her morning drowsiness vanished. She sat up abruptly and, amidst the fluttering blankets, ripped off the black veil covering her face.

"My soul has been transformed, family members... Wow—so bright!"

Xia Ling forgot that once the human eye adapts to darkness, even the faintest light becomes extremely irritating.

Even though the bed curtains were drawn, Xia Ling was still startled by the faint morning light.

"What's that noise...?"

Theresa, who was first woken up by the shrill explosion beside her after her blanket was pulled off, rubbed her eyes with a puzzled look on her face, and then saw Xia Ling rolling around next to her, covering her eyes.

Based on the sounds she had just heard, Theresa immediately understood what had happened.

"Where did you come from, you idiot...?"

Ignoring the fact that her body was partially exposed, Theresa climbed to Xia Ling's side and gently cupped Xia Ling's face in her hands.

Then, she stuck out her pink tongue and gently licked Xia Ling's tightly closed eyes.

Xia Ling stopped rolling, because her brain had shut down.

Although Xia Ling was used to Theresa's "attacks," being suddenly subjected to such intimate behavior still turned her into a steampunk princess.

"Hehehe... The knowledge I learned from books is really useful."

Theresa gave a strange smile. These days, she had read more than just comics; she had read all sorts of strange and doujinshi on Hyperion, whether they were pure love or not, or whether they were more or less intense.

And I learned a lot of practical skills from it.

"Theresa... where did you learn all this...?"

After finally recovering from her shyness, Xia Ling gradually adjusted to her restored vision.

She immediately blushed and looked at Theresa, intending to ask her what kind of nonsense this guy had learned while she couldn't see him.

Then, she once again fell into the state of being a steam princess.

"Theresa, why aren't you wearing pajamas...?"

"Silly, idiot, it's because you were so energetic this morning and haven't had time to get dressed yet..."

A piece of clothing was slapped onto Xia Ling's face by De, Junyang Yimiao 1 Qi V ( 9 )( 4 s 8 Lisa).

"Anyway, hurry up and change your clothes. Tesla just messaged me asking us to come over. We've probably been waiting for ages."

Chapter 47 Now, I am Serpent!

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Dr. Tesla."

Xia Ling, sitting in her wheelchair, sincerely apologized to Tesla, who had been waiting for her for a long time.

"It's alright, it's alright. I just regained my sight, and it's been a long time since you've seen Theresa's appearance, so it's understandable that you're a little excited."

Seeing that Xia Ling's clothes were a bit disheveled from her haste, Tesla gave her a knowing smile, which made Xia Ling and Theresa, who was pushing the wheelchair, both blush and lower their heads.

"Ahem, I didn't mean to wake you up so early, it's really a bit embarrassing."

"However, there is indeed something here that you must take a look at."

Tesla looked at Xia Ling.

"Must Xia Ling review it?"

Theresa's expression was a mixture of curiosity and wariness. "What is it?"

"Uh... it's hard to describe."

"Judging by its appearance alone, it's probably a package addressed to Xia Ling?"

"Quickly, a delivery?" ×2

Xia Ling and Theresa both showed surprise. Of course, Xia Ling was pretending; she already had a rough idea of what it was.

"Wait a minute, putting aside who sent it, we're on the Hyperion, aren't we?"

Theresa looked on incredulously. "Which courier company is so powerful that it can send packages directly to the airship?"

"This... it actually says so, it says Rhodes Island Courier Company."

"The reason I said this package was addressed to Xia Ling is because... Theresa, we know the sender."

"It's the person you met in Abyssal City, the one Kal'tsit."

"Kal'tsit, Dr. Kal'tsit?"

Xia Ling exclaimed in surprise, "How did she get here? No, how did she find Hyperion?"