Terra: I Feel Like I Can Still Be Saved

She wrinkled her nose, made a face, and hugged the Flame Sword that was hovering beside her into her arms...

Little salted fish, so dull and listless, huddled under the covers, crying and whimpering.

She sniffed and took a few breaths. Sure enough, when she couldn't rely on herself, the only time she felt safe was when she was holding Laevateinn. Ah... damn it, if only she could have taken Laevateinn with her through the dream world, things wouldn't be like this now!

Why am I not Kamen Rider? — Wait! That's an outdated joke!

It's 2021 now—damn! That was the time before I died. What year is it in Terra now?

My mind was a jumbled mess, but the chaos didn't last more than a few seconds. After snuggling up to Laevateinn, I knew I had to go back to sleep. Just before I closed my eyes, a drone flew in from outside, and Persephone's words came through its speaker.

"Talulah and Alina have woken up and everything is normal. I will give you the relevant report tomorrow. Now you can get some rest."

Obviously, there's a kind of sleepiness that only Doctor can describe.

Since Persephone said she needed a nap before giving the report, it means she'll need a whole night to finish it. So, what should be done now is...

"Thank you for your hard work, Persephone," Surtr said softly into the speaker.

"It's not good to overwork yourself, and many things aren't urgent. Come over here, I'll give you a massage to help you relax. Or should I come to your office?"

She heard several seconds of silence on the other end of the speaker.

"Don't tempt me, Surtr." Persephone on the other end of the communicator gave a soft hum. His voice sounded hesitant. "Right now... I'm a little inconvenient."

Inconvenient?

What does 'inconvenience' mean?

Miss Surtr immediately thought of the menstrual cycle that every woman experiences every month—but that's Earth's custom. Terra doesn't follow that rule. The "slaying the red dragon and subduing the white tiger" techniques common in martial arts novels are a systematic art in Yan. And in other places, corresponding methods naturally exist—in a time of war, no sorcerer would leave themselves such a large opening!

So...

—Is this guy planning to do something bad behind my back?!

A chaotic thought surfaced in her mind. Regardless of how she came to this conclusion from such a subtle change in tone, and what did it matter to her what others did wrong, and why should they 'keep it from her back'? But in any case, she found an excuse to leave her bed and room, to escape the frustration of being 'politely escorted out of the country'. And so, naturally, she would act immediately!

—I'll let it slide this time! But next time I come back, you'll all be begging me to save the world!!

With a harsh word uttered in her mind, the girl, now transformed back into Sarkaz, burst forth from the spacious house with a 'whoosh'—the flames distorted the air, turning transparent, the moment they left the window. Laevateinn followed her, leaving the small building that had only been completed that morning.

She walked very fast.

It wasn't until she had flown several kilometers away that the drone that had come to communicate finally wobbled and slowly flew out of her bedroom.

Then, close the doors and windows.

Miss Surtr descended from the sky two minutes later.

Before descending from the sky, she spent one minute and thirty seconds locating the location of Persephone's true form.

She found a building that had originally housed the Chernobog Research Center. She descended from the top of the building down the elevator shaft to the basement. She found a heavy, locked metal door, but just as she was about to push it open, the door opened in front of her.

"I've come to find you! Persephone... nee?"

Then, the aroma of desserts wafted towards her, overwhelming her.

"I told you I wasn't available right now, but you didn't believe me." Behind the isolation door, the Maiden Doctor in a JK uniform and a home apron gave her a disgruntled glance. In her slender hands, the preparation of the ice cream was just reaching its final step. "But you're not too late. In about two more minutes, your ice cream will be ready to eat."

The sudden impact jolted the red-haired man in the waist.

"You, you... you're doing this?"

"Otherwise what? What do you think I'm doing?" Persephone's gaze swept across, strong and forceful. "Studying items brought from the world of Teyvat? Or observing Talulah and Alina's physical condition? I don't think those things are more important than what I'm doing now. Because I remember, when you were in Sarkaz Babel Tower, every time you came back from the battlefield, someone would make you a cup of ice cream."

"But, but... that!?" The person, who had not yet regained their senses, stammered incoherently.

"Don't worry. It's not the same flavor that Theresia is good at, so it won't overshadow the connection between you and her," Persephone said calmly, drizzling jam on the ice cream in her hand—she saw Theresia's shadow flailing about on the smooth surface of the ice cream, so she slapped a cherry directly onto the Terra ghost's forehead.

"Fruit flavor, you can try it." She handed the container of ice cream to Miss Surtr.

The latter instinctively held it in his hands.

"Thank you..." someone replied instinctively, then immediately realized what was happening. "Wait a minute! You definitely anticipated I'd come! You deliberately said that on the phone to lure me here, didn't you!"

This guy mustered up his courage, thinking that this would give him a psychological advantage.

"Yes." However, Persephone admitted without hesitation. "I did deliberately lure you here, and I did have another purpose."

What is it?

"To save a poor life," she replied calmly, while in her retina, a figure was reflected that only she could see.

She saw a green lynx, encouraged and urged by her best friend, standing in front of a small building where someone had been just two minutes before, dressed only in pajamas, clutching a pillow and with a death wish. The night wind blew, and the poor big cat trembled slightly, caught between anticipation and anxiety. She knocked on the door again and again, but her efforts were destined to receive no response.

Poor thing, if Alina hadn't pulled off that amazing move, she would actually have had a pretty good chance now.

But for now... let's not let her jump into the river and commit suicide out of shame and anger. It's too cold to get her out of the water in this weather, it would be too much trouble.

"I am being merciful," Persephone concluded, summarizing her actions—she felt she had become far too gentle and kind.

Although the red-haired guy sitting opposite her didn't understand anything.

I did something stupid.

As I was writing, I suddenly realized that I was actually writing this book, 42, as if it were Yuka... Damn it, I've been suppressing the plot, planting clues, and cramming at least fifteen foreshadowing elements into just ten chapters... Am I out of my mind?

I guess I should just go straight back to Terra and give Teyvat some time to adjust before going there. _(:з"∠)_

... Let's persecute a lynx first to persecute it and get our spirits up ( )

Chapter 99 Terra: I feel like I can still be saved.

—This guy is telling me riddles again.

—I already said I would pretend I didn't hear the riddle.

Miss Surtr gave this incomprehensible fellow a helpless glare—saving a poor life? Showing mercy? What kind of nonsensical line is this? And what does this have to do with me eating ice cream here?

—But the ice cream was still pretty good.

She brought the drink to her lips; the complex fruit flavor, the rich aroma perfectly masking the excessive sweetness of the cream. It tasted quite good, refreshing and invigorating. As for the specific taste—she glanced at the smooth metal surface of a large instrument behind Persephone. A pink-haired, white-haired figure was perched on it, looking at her pitifully.