Rest and Reflection / A Sense of Ceremony, a Candy Box, and Intelligence

After playing wildly all afternoon, Griseo, feeling sleepy and tired, covered her mouth and yawned slightly.

Despite being tired, she had no intention of leaving at the moment. Instead, she remained obediently seated, quietly listening to everyone's conversation. She wasn't sure if they would need her later.

After all, all the supplies are still stored in her spatial storage...

"If you're tired, little Griseo should go back and rest."

The observant Alina noticed the little girl's drowsiness, so she quietly stopped talking, leaned over, patted her head, and whispered in her ear.

"No! No..."

The little girl, who had been somewhat drowsy, became much more awake after hearing Alina's whisper and refused, saying, "Don't worry about me, you guys continue..."

"You."

Hearing this, Alina smiled helplessly and stopped insisting. Instead, she adjusted her position and gently pulled Griseo into her arms.

"Um..."

Nestled in Alina's warm embrace, Griseo offered no resistance; instead, she nuzzled closer and buried herself even deeper into her arms.

"Good boy/girl~"

This impromptu resource allocation meeting finally ended before Griseo, half-asleep, completely fell asleep.

After quietly declining Alina's offer to carry her back to the tent, Griseo yawned slightly and left her warm embrace.

"Um, Sister Alina, Talulah An'an..."

Goodnight, little one.

"Yes, goodnight, little Griseo."

After greeting Talulah and the others and saying goodnight to each other, Griseo gently rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked out of the tent.

After leaving the tent, the little girl saw Yelena and Patriot walking not far ahead. She then perked up a bit, quickened her pace, and ran after them.

"Sister Yelena, wait for me... I have something to tell you!"

P. S.: Wow, I almost threw up writing this. It's like I'm stuck in a word game, with a few paragraphs that just don't make sense no matter how I write them. So I gritted my teeth and revised it dozens of times.

Speaking of which, this year's book club event runs from the 28th to the 7th of next month. This year's writing activity is a bit different from previous years; let me show you...

So, if I subscribe, will you guys be supportive?

Chapter 140 Rest and Thoughts

"Um?"

Hearing the familiar voice behind her, Yelena, who was beside her father, subconsciously slowed down and turned around.

Soon, a petite and adorable little girl appeared before her and hugged her cold body tightly.

"Remember... to go back early and get some rest."

Patriot glanced at his daughter and Griseo, but didn't intend to disturb them. After giving them a word of advice, he left and headed towards his tent in the distance.

"Okay, you should get some rest too."

Upon hearing this, Yelena responded with a single sentence to the departing back of the Patriot, then looked helplessly back at the person clinging to her, unwilling to let go, and said:

"Griseo, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Hmm..."

When Yelena asked her question, Griseo didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked around to make sure there were no other people before taking out some things from her storage space and handing them over.

"Here you go, these are candies in various flavors. If Sister Yelena isn't used to sweet candies, we also have chili-flavored ones."

"..."

After hearing Griseo's words and seeing what was being handed to her, Yelena was slightly taken aback.

After a moment, she finally realized what was happening, a helpless smile appearing on her lips. She patted the little girl's head and said, "You called me over, acting like you were afraid someone would notice, just to give me more candy?"

"Um!"

Hearing this, Griseo nodded slightly, then lowered her voice and said matter-of-factly, "I want Yelena to have what others have too. Chili candy doesn't taste good at all..."

"... You, I'm clearly the older sister."

Looking at Griseo, Yelena felt even more helpless, and her usually calm tone softened completely.

"Hmm, there's no conflict at all..."

Without giving Yelena a chance to refuse, Griseo stuffed several boxes of candy that she had barely managed to grab into Yelena's arms.

After doing all this, the little girl took two steps back, a smile appearing in her big eyes, and said, "If Sister Yelena feels bad about it, please come and spend more time with me when you have free time in the future."

Although she herself hadn't experienced it firsthand, Griseo possessed the lonely memories of "Griseo"... She truly loved the lively atmosphere here and the company of everyone.

"Okay, sure."

Meeting Griseo's eyes, which seemed to sparkle like starlight, Yelena's eyes flickered slightly before she softly agreed.

"Thank you, Griseo."

"No, I should thank Sister Yelena and everyone else... It really was a pleasure to meet you all." With that, Griseo stepped forward and hugged Yelena again around the waist.

These words weren't just to appease Yelena; they came from the bottom of the little girl's heart.

It's important to understand that the Reunion Movement isn't just where Griseo's journey began. As they spent more time together, this place also became home to her earliest and longest-standing family and friends on this continent.

"Well, I... no, it should be that we are all very happy to have met you Griseo." After hearing Griseo's words, Yelena reached out and gently rubbed her little head, responding earnestly.

In fact, while Griseo felt warmth from everyone in the Reunion Movement, didn't everyone also feel her care in return? You see, in this situation, love and warmth are mutual.

"Alright, go back and get some rest. I saw you were dozing off the whole time," Yelena said softly, withdrawing her hand.

"Okay, sister, you should go back and rest early too. An'an..."

"Um."

After saying goodbye, Griseo, with a yawn over her mouth and under a sky full of stars, walked towards her tent.

Back in the tent, Griseo moved quietly, tidied herself up briefly, and then gently blew out the warm candle her companions had left for her before quietly climbing into bed.

Then, before the little girl could make any move, the thick blanket was lifted up and wrapped around her.

"Waaah..."

The sudden "change" and the warmth that followed made Griseo let out a soft hum.

"I got back a little late today, go to sleep."

"Alyona, you've been waiting for me again..."

Hearing the whispered words and feeling the warm breath on her, Griseo buried herself in the arms of the person beside her, and then said helplessly in a low voice.

"An'an..."

As a soft "goodnight" faded away, the little girl slowly closed her eyes; it was time for her to sleep.

It wasn't just because she was tired, but also because Mobius still needed her tomorrow morning, or rather, her Tyrant uncle needed her.

That's right, Griseo left her Tyrant uncle in Trimount, where he lay low. Tomorrow, this scarlet Tyrant will temporarily assume the role of "robber."

After all, it's much more cost-effective than exposing one's identity compared to others. It also makes it very convenient to escape and create a commotion—fire, explosion, hijacking, and finally disappearing... it's practically perfect.

However, although the Tyrant has his own consciousness and is aware of this plan, to prevent any accidents, Griseo should ideally be awake when the plan is carried out tomorrow morning, so... she should still get some rest.

Rhine Lab, Structural Department

Compared to Griseo, who quickly and peacefully fell asleep, Ifrit, who was tossing and turning in her room at the same time, seemed rather energetic, even excited.

"Ah..."

After rolling around in bed twice more and failing to fall asleep again, Ifrit rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up.

Then, as if remembering something, she slowly reached under her pillow, took out a small bag of candy, picked out a candy, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.

Soon, a refreshing sweetness filled Ifrit's mouth, temporarily suppressing her restless emotions.

Actually, you can't really blame her for not being able to sleep... Quiet nights like this are the easiest time to overthink. What's more, she received a message from Mobius this afternoon.

To be honest, Ifrit was very happy to hear that her ailment would be cured tomorrow.

Because she also wanted to have a healthy body like a normal child... without having to endure pain anymore, and without having to stay in her room all the time.

However, along with her joy, a slight worry arose in her heart. She feared that once she recovered, Silence and Saria would no longer see her...

P. S.: Checking novels is such a hassle. I'll revise the next chapter and update it later.

Chapter 141 Ritual, Candy Boxes, and Intelligence

However, while Ifrit at night, Silence was also tossing and turning in her dormitory, too worried to sleep.

"..."

Lying in bed with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling, Silence thought about the day's events, a complex expression appearing in her eyes.

But the next moment, remembering Ifrit's pained expression, only determination remained in her eyes.

"No matter what, I must protect Ifrit!"

Having reaffirmed her resolve, Silence stopped agonizing and forced herself to rest by closing her eyes.

After all, there's a checkup tomorrow morning that she needs to cover up before anything else happens, so she needs to be fully focused...

Early morning of the second day--

"Didi--"

"Smack!"

Awakened by the noise, Muelsyse yawned and fumbled to turn off the alarm clock on her bedside table.

"Ugh, why am I up so early... I don't want to go to work."

Slowly opening her misty eyes, Muelsyse's somewhat bewildered face was filled with reluctance.

"Honestly, I definitely need to ask Kristen for a leave of absence next time..." After being in a daze for a while, the elf girl finally came to her senses and muttered to herself.

Although somewhat reluctant to go to work, she was, after all, the director of the Ecology Department of Rhine Lab Ecology Department, so after fully waking up, Muelsyse slowly got up and went to wash up.

After spending some time washing up and getting ready, Miss Elf decided to head out. After all, she needed to go to the cafeteria for breakfast.

However, just as Muelsyse was changing her shoes at the door, she seemed to suddenly remember something, paused slightly, then quickly changed her shoes, stood up, and looked at the box of candy on the cabinet by the door.

"Hmph~ What a ritualistic little kid. Well then, I'll grant your wish!"

As she spoke, Muelsyse reached out and took the box of assorted flavored candies from the cabinet, then skillfully opened the box and poured out the candies.

However, a note that was poured out along with the candy caught her eye and attention.

"?"

Muelsyse placed the candy and candy box she was holding on the table next to her with some curiosity, then picked up the folded note and unfolded it to read it.

To be honest, when Muelsyse first saw the note, she thought it was some kind of promotion by the candy company, since the box of candy was intact and unopened.

However, when she saw the contents of the note, her pupils couldn't help but shrink slightly, and she was greatly alarmed.

"This..."

Although very surprised, Muelsyse quickly composed herself. She stuffed the note into her pocket and left the room without lingering. She rushed to the Ecology Department.

It looks like Miss Elf won't have time for breakfast this morning.

Just as Muelsyse discovered the clues left by Griseo early in the morning, Sakura was also nearing her usual time to leave work.

"Good morning, Miss Silence. You look a little tired this morning. Didn't you get enough rest?" Sakura greeted Silence, who had a slightly weary look on her face, in a soft voice.