In the Ark, Starting as Griseo

"……"

Sakura's last sentence had silenced everyone. Even Talulah didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Even the red glow in Patriot's eyes flickered slightly, as if he were lost in thought.

Seeing the expressions of the four people before her, Sakura frowned slightly, feeling a bit underestimated. She then said with a serious expression:

"I'm not joking. My strength is immense. I will absolutely keep the condition I mentioned above. Even if you asked me to assassinate the Emperor of Ursus, I could do it."

Honestly, Sakura wasn't joking with those words. If it were truly necessary, she would indeed take down the new Emperor of Ursus…

To her, it would only be a bit troublesome, but not a significant problem. At worst, after the deed was done, she could temporarily retract the identity of "Sakura" and go into hiding for a while.

"You… do you know… what you're… saying? The Emperor of Ursus… is protected by numerous… Royal Guards!"

After hearing Sakura's words, Patriot could no longer remain silent. A terrifying aura erupted from him, and his blood-red eyes stared intently at Sakura as he spoke in a deep, serious voice.

For anyone else, facing Patriot's immense pressure so suddenly would surely lead to timidity or even fear, unless their strength was comparable.

But Sakura was different. She was far too strong for Patriot. This kind of pressure and aura was completely useless against her, like a mere tickle.

"……"

Therefore, when faced with Patriot's oppressive aura, Sakura didn't even blink. She met his gaze calmly.

ps: I wish I could take a day off too, but I don't have a leave request form. So, I'll be posting at least 4,000 characters every day, unless something extremely significant happens. This is non-negotiable.

Don't worry about me; I'm fine. Today was purely because I was studying during the day. Alright, everyone, good night. Please keep urging me to update. Also, a book recommendation: a friend wants to make a push.

Chapter 61: On How to Poach Rhodes Island's Talent (Part 1 of 2)

Meeting Patriot's scarlet gaze, Sakura's expression remained unchanged. She spoke calmly, neither subservient nor overbearing, "No need to test me. This level of pressure has no effect on me."

"…You are indeed… strong. This… is… beyond… doubt."

Although the Caster girl before him showed no change in expression and appeared rather gentle, Patriot felt an intense sense of threat. His body was sending him a warning.

The others around them, and those eavesdropping from outside, all showed surprise in their eyes upon hearing Patriot's words, with some even being shocked.

After all, everyone present knew who Patriot was and how incredibly powerful he was. Anyone he acknowledged as strong was naturally formidable.

"But… even if you… are strong, how… can you kill… the new Emperor… while he is protected… by the Royal Guards…"

However, despite acknowledging the girl's strength, Patriot still didn't believe she could kill the Emperor of Ursus.

As a former Ursus soldier, he understood Ursus's military might far too well, and he had personally experienced the terrifying strength of the Royal Guards.

Patriot's experiences and understanding made him disbelieve Sakura's words at this moment.

"Whether Lord Patriot believes it or not, I will leave this condition here. If you ever need it, you can come find me," Sakura said earnestly, blinking her azure eyes.

Looking at the serious Patriot before her, Sakura didn't want to argue further. It was unnecessary.

Sakura realized that Patriot's perceptions and worldview were already set in stone. Unless she performed the assassination right then and there, his mind wouldn't be swayed.

Since that was the case, there was no point in arguing… Whether they believed her or not, she had made her offer.

"Hmph…"

Hearing this, Patriot let out a low snort and fell silent.

In a sense, he now shared Sakura's unspoken defiance. But he also knew that now was not the time for debate.

"We accept Miss Sakura's condition. We will also take good care of young Griseo. Now, can you tell us about her situation?"

Seeing the tension between the two, Talulah let out a helpless sigh and smoothed things over.

For Talulah, regardless of Sakura's condition, she had already planned to keep and care for Griseo. So, she wasn't too concerned about that matter…

Moreover, the little loli had helped her and Alina a great deal.

Hearing Talulah's words, Sakura nodded slightly, and couldn't help but add a final piece of advice:

"Yes, regardless of what others say or believe, I hope that as the leader, Miss Talulah will make good use of this opportunity."

Now, Sakura had said everything she, as an outsider, could say.

If Talulah still couldn't recall this condition when something happened, she would have to have Griseo subtly remind her.

"Okay."

Talulah couldn't say much more and simply nodded.

Seeing Talulah nod, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Sakura's eyes, and she then began, "Next, regarding that child, Griseo. I…"

"I assume that during the time you've spent living with her, you've all witnessed her abilities to some extent, right?"

"Yes, we have. Little Griseo has even drawn pictures for both of us…"

This time, it wasn't Talulah who spoke, but Alina beside her.

"She's already drawn pictures… Have any unusual incidents occurred here?" Sakura asked, first startled, then slowly frowning, before quickly inquiring.

Seeing Sakura's delicate brow furrowed, Talulah paused slightly before replying, "No, Griseo's drawings have been very helpful to us. Is there a problem?"

After all, she was also a beneficiary of Griseo's art. Her current transformation could be entirely attributed to the little loli's contribution.

"That just means you're really lucky to have only received positive paintings... No, wait, it's also possible that... you're too weak."

Sakura trailed off, realizing something mid-sentence. She swallowed the last part, not saying it directly, afraid of discouraging the people in front of her.

"If what you're saying is true, does that mean Griseo's paintings aren't always positive?" Alina caught the key point in Sakura's words and quickly asked.

Hearing Alina's question, Sakura gently shook her head and began to explain:

"No... that's not entirely accurate. Rather than saying they aren't always positive, it's more like Griseo's paintings have been negative from the very beginning."

After Sakura finished speaking, Yelena, Patriot, and even the Yetis outside, who hadn't seen Griseo's paintings, were all a bit confused.

However, Talulah and Alina, who knew about the little loli's peculiar art, couldn't help but have their pupils contract and a flicker of surprise cross their faces upon hearing this.

"This is exactly why I wanted to talk to you. I hope you'll remember some precautions I'm about to share."

As Sakura spoke, a hint of seriousness colored her beautiful, azure eyes.

Hearing Sakura's words, the others all perked up, paying full attention. After all, what she was about to discuss concerned Griseo's abilities.

This was something everyone had been curious about for a long time.

Sakura looked at the girls in front of her, who were now serious and even a little nervous, and began to explain.

"You've all probably experienced Griseo imitating you before, right? That wasn't her intentionally imitating you, but rather, she was forced to absorb your 'colors' from spending too much time with you."

"But don't worry, this usually doesn't last long. After a while, or if you let her be alone for a bit, she'll automatically shed the colors and return to her original self."

Sakura paused here, intending to give them some time to process.

"I have a question. Does she absorb everyone's colors?"

During Sakura's brief pause, Alina, who had been contemplating, slowly raised her head and voiced her question.

"Yes."

Sakura nodded, then seemed to recall something and added, "So, you need to be careful not to let Griseo come into contact with bad people. Otherwise, she might become terrifying."

"Okay, we understand."

After hearing Sakura's warning, Talulah nodded, indicating she understood.

"And after absorbing your colors, Griseo usually starts painting. However... the paintings she creates are not ordinary works."

"The effects of her paintings vary depending on who influences her... but without exception, they affect the viewer. Most of them will evoke the viewer's deepest fears."

"In fact, a very small number of her paintings can even manifest physical objects. You should have met Griseo's companions by now."

After this, Sakura stopped talking. She had likely explained everything she intended to. As for any further details, she planned to wait for them to ask.

Hearing Sakura's words, the girls present wore thoughtful expressions, then nodded, indicating they had remembered everything.

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Hmm, yes, there is one more thing, which is..."

After a further round of questions and discussions, the conversation finally came to a complete end.

After the talk, Sakura left her contact information and then unhesitatingly and quickly departed Reunion's camp, not even giving Talulah and the others a chance to see her off.

As for this so-called contact information, Sakura had lied, claiming she had given Griseo something and that they could contact her by finding the little loli.

Furthermore, Sakura hadn't truly left. After exiting the camp, she had dispelled her disguise and vanished.

In reality, there were many more things about Griseo that Sakura hadn't revealed to Talulah and the others that night.

Because many of those things were beyond their current understanding, much like Patriot's situation earlier. So, even if people believed her, there would be no benefit.

In fact, if any information were accidentally leaked, it could sow fear and be exploited by those with ulterior motives...

Moreover, the sole purpose of this visit was for these Reunion cadres to understand "Griseo" through another identity. Once this objective was achieved, there was no need to say anything further.

Unlike Sakura's relaxed mood after resolving matters, Talulah and the others, including the Yetis who had been eavesdropping outside, were all feeling rather complicated.

At the same time, they began to wonder in their hearts where Sakura and Griseo came from, or what organizations they belonged to.

After all, Sakura and Griseo's strength and uniqueness were undeniable; they couldn't possibly come from ordinary places.

"You... all... come... in. Don't... keep... eavesdropping... outside." Patriot glanced towards the tent flap with his scarlet eyes and said loudly.

Upon hearing their leader's summons, the Yetis hiding outside didn't hesitate. They successively pushed aside the tent flap and walked inside.

"Heh heh... What a coincidence, Big Daddy, Big Sister."

"Yeah, yeah, it's more than just a coincidence."

"Alright, stop messing around, we were discovered ages ago."

After all the eavesdroppers had entered the tent, Patriot spoke again, "What you... heard... just now, don't... spread... it. Since... we promised... that... Catters, we must... be careful."

"Understood, we'll all be careful."

"Don't worry, Big Brother!"

"Mhm."

Hearing this, the Yetis all nodded in agreement.

Even though they weren't usually the most reliable, they were dependable in crucial moments.

What's more, the Yetis were quite fond of Griseo, this cute, capable, and sensible little one. So, protecting the little loli, keeping a secret was no problem at all.

It was a brand new day, and the thin sunlight fell upon Ursus's cold snowfields as usual.

"Mmh..."

When it was time to get up, the blue-haired loli lying in bed instinctively stirred, then slowly opened her pair of slightly bewildered violet eyes, dazedly taking in her surroundings.

Upon noticing the little white bear tightly hugging her, she sobered up considerably, ceasing all her movements.

"..."

Griseo narrowed her big eyes, and after an silent yawn, she finally became fully awake.

Once fully awake, she instinctively turned her gaze to the other bed in the tent, but saw no one...

Realizing that Talulah and the others had already gotten up and left, Griseo shifted her gaze to Alyona, who was still sleeping soundly, hugging her tightly.

Perhaps because she hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time... the little white bear showed no signs of waking up.

However, Griseo didn't mind this at all, letting her companion hug her as she slept. After all, it wasn't a bad thing for her... and even if she got up, she wouldn't have anything to do.

She might as well use this time to review the final results from last night.

"..."

To be honest, after some investigation, Griseo was quite satisfied. After all, the desired effect had been achieved.