The Melancholy of a Rhodes Islander

It wasn't her who felt lonely, but the ship itself—long ago, she had vaguely sensed that Rhodes Island possessed some kind of wondrous life structure. And what she had seen and heard within her consciousness was even more fitting and plausible evidence.

—A whale made of skeletons and machinery, a legacy of the old generation.

—Do you truly possess a vague intellect? Or is it due to the will of PRTS?

With her eyes closed, Miss Surtr extended her perception outwards until it encompassed the entire ship—in an instant, she determined the number of people still active on board. And that number was no more than fifteen.

Everyone's gone. No wonder this giant whale feels lonely— the Rhodes Island operators are probably being Persephone with all sorts of requests and missions. And this period of time is unlikely to be very short.

It's a pity, but it's a necessary sacrifice for the healthy operation of Rhodes Island.

Miss Surtr thought to herself, then slightly narrowed her senses—the mere double-digit number of personnel remaining on board came into view. And as she had expected, the vast majority of these personnel were Rhodes Island engineering operators, responsible only for the ship's daily operations and maintenance.

--etc.

—There's a familiar aura... Sarkaz... Sanguinarch... Is it Warfarin and Closure?

His eyes slightly opened, his sense of presence becoming clearer. The Sarkaz with the fiery hair quickly pinpointed the appropriate location. Checking his memories and the map, he discovered that the coordinates weren't the Medical Department or the main control center. Instead, they were in a place not even covered by PRTS's surveillance. The interior of some unused room?

This looks a bit like a spy rendezvous. But compared to this...

—How did those two end up inside Rhodes Island's main ship right now? Chernobog is in dire need of rebuilding. Persephone's need for Medical Operator and engineers is absolutely at its peak right now. They shouldn't have any free time at this point, should they?

—Is there some special mission? Or do they have something to catch up on even when they're extremely busy?

Miss Surtr blinked. Two Sarkaz subspecies with long lifespans, deliberately taking time out of their busy schedules for a secret meeting in an unknown location—this action, in her eyes, pointed to something truly bizarre and terrifying!

—Treason? No, absolutely not. Warfarin and Closure are both incredibly senior figures, practically living under their thumb. Objectively speaking, Rhodes Island even has shares held by them. For them to harbor any disloyalty, it would have to be Theresia jumping out of her coffin to issue them a Princess decree. But...

Miss Surtr glanced sideways and saw a lively pink and white furry creature frolicking on the metal surface of the spacious corridor, twirling and dancing – this Princess, whose true purpose was uncertain but who at least looked like a lazy bum, was having a great time on this long-absent Rhodes Island ship. When Miss Surtr cast a questioning look at her, the creature even winked playfully and twirled around her in another dimension.

Clearly, this pink-haired Princess, constantly jumping back and forth between the coffin and her coffin, seemingly caught between life and death, doesn't look like the type to issue a secret edict. If we rule out that option, then the most likely possibility is...

—Closure and Warfarin, are they... having a secret rendezvous?

She gasped.

Then, she turned off the PRTS terminal and silently disappeared into the air and light.

She decided to go and take a look.

It's my family's elder's birthday... Ah, I have to start paying off my debts tomorrow _(:з"∠)_

Chapter 167 The Melancholy of the Rhodes Island Islanders

Warfarin raised her eyes and glanced at her dark-haired kinsman sitting across the table—she blinked her large, crimson eyes. She felt as if a warm breeze brushed past her.

Illusion?

Yes, it was just her imagination. The doors and windows were tightly closed, and her skin wasn't showing any heat; it was just a fleeting thought running through her mind.

So she picked up the black tea on the table and took a sip.

"Speak, what is it that requires us to talk face-to-face?" she asked, looking at Miss Closure was different from her usual relaxed self.

Ah, that's right. She came here for a different reason than the previous drug deal. The initiator was Closure, and she went to great lengths to arrive here at this particular time.

After all, Kal'tsit fell ill.

She fell ill, and quite seriously. Naturally, many things had to be changed because of this—the commission for the drug to induce muteness had been cancelled. And the individual who proposed the cancellation was none other than Miss Warfarin.

Unfortunately, if Kal'tsit were unharmed, Warfarin, as Kal'tsit close friend, would absolutely not mind going with the flow... or even against it. She would risk getting stuck on the bridge to prepare an ideal occasion for Kal'tsit to showcase her charm. However, that's a strategy that can only be executed if Kal'tsit is healthy and without pain. But now...

Forget it. Given Kal'tsit's current terrible physical condition—her internal organs have practically been replaced, and much of her bones and blood have been rebuilt—giving her any more random medication would be tantamount to murder. And the reason Miss Warfarin is running around trying to bring happiness to this unfortunate child isn't to let her best friend and close companion rest in peace!

Therefore, the commission was cancelled.

The bottle of the mute compound potion remained in Closure's cold storage, waiting for its next opportunity to be used. The reason she was here now was because Closure suddenly sent her a signal for a secret meeting an hour earlier via Blood Demon exclusive communication method, bypassing PRTS.

Heaven knows how many years it has been since that kind of bloodline resonance communication, which was originally only used once or twice in court intrigues during the era when the Sanguinarch clan was still prosperous, appeared in this world? Five hundred years? Seven hundred years? Or more? If Warfarin hadn't been knowledgeable and her bloodline had some unique characteristics, she probably would have just forgotten about this abnormal resonance from the depths of her bloodline, treating it as high blood pressure from an upset stomach.

Of course, that was just a hypothesis. Warfarin read the signal in the bloodline resonance. And with her former kin using such a secret artifact, she naturally wouldn't hesitate or look back. Instead, as usual, she arranged trivial matters on her to-do list and wove a reasonable excuse, giving herself both the time and the motivation to appear on Rhodes Island's ship at this time.

That concludes the preface, and her gaze now turns to her kinsman, friend, and colleague.

Then...

She saw Closure make a gesture towards the air.

"PRTS, activate Special Plan Six."

She saw Closure, as Rhodes Island's chief engineer, trigger a switch—a special backdoor embedded in the PRTS's internal operating system. The next moment, she saw all external communication channels in the room completely shut down, creating an ideal state of airtightness, and all the electronic instruments within the room cease functioning at the same instant.

Nebula M78 756365104

PRTS's network was temporarily disconnected without leaving any trace.

Now, in all of Terra, nothing within the realm of common sense could comprehend the conversation within this secret chamber—she saw the sealed oxygen tank begin supplying oxygen. Several complex Originium Arts unit cluster also activated, transforming into tangible and intangible barriers and positions, blocking all external forces from a spatial perspective.

"That's fine." The black-haired Sanguinarch breathed a sigh of relief. "PRTS has already checked, and the closest active individual on Rhodes Island is currently 170 meters away in the Engineering Department. These Originium Arts will be registered afterward as a spellcasting research project led by me, applicable to Sanguinarch. I have already prepared the corresponding records, reports, and results. And now, no one can hear our conversation here."

Warfarin raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She simply raised a finger, gesturing for the audience to feel free to perform.

"Don't worry, many people will cover for us—this isn't a betrayal of Rhodes Island. Nor is it a conspiracy against the Doctor or Amiya. This is just... an internal discussion." Closure rubbed her forehead. The usually lazy girl now appeared serious and worried.

The white-haired Sarkaz tapped the table lightly with his fingertips.

"But you're very nervous, Closure. If it were just a 'normal' internal meeting, you wouldn't need to arrange such a huge and complicated process."

"I did not use the word 'ordinary'."

"Alright, no 'normal'." Warfarin's fingers paused slightly. "Then why did you insist on arranging this meeting? Such a complicated and rushed meeting, yet with such a clear purpose in my eyes?"

She looked up at her colleague. "You want to ask me some things without the Doctor knowing."

She used an affirmative tone.

She saw her colleagues and compatriots and a complicated smile appeared on her face.

"I want to ask you some questions without Doctor. Persephone's knowledge."

"You know this meeting can't be kept secret from Persephone; at most, it can only buy you time. And that time won't be long," Warfarin said, her tone still certain.

The complex smile on Closure's face turned into a helpless, bitter smile the moment she finished speaking.