Is This a Good Thing?

Their gazes met briefly before parting. Clearly, Persephone had no intention of confronting Talulah here.

So she continued—

"Kal'tsit and I had a brief discussion, and we both agreed that Surtr would be a good fit to manage the internal training department at Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals. After all, there are very few people in this world with more combat experience than you. Therefore, it is more appropriate for you to guide and plan the specialization of operators."

—Very good, training room supervisor.

—As expected, it's not exactly bad.

Miss Surtr thought about it. In her original estimation, she would only be able to take over one or both of the Human Resources and Skills Training departments. Since she had already mentally prepared herself, she could naturally accept this arrangement entirely.

"Understood. I will have Rhodes Island operators unlock the power beyond the limits of their abilities." Miss Surtr nodded. "So, what's next? Should I get started now? Or wait until we return to the main ship?"

"Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals' operational strategy is being adjusted. This ship is now approaching this location." The purple-clad Doctor responded, raising his hand, and a drone that had flown in projected a map in front of the two... three people. The map had cursors marking the locations of Chernobog and Rhodes Island.

"Rhodes Island's main ship will arrive in Chernobog in three days at most. After that, Rhodes Island will establish itself in Chernobog. We will develop this city into the company's base—I will handle the negotiations with Ursus and other countries around the world; you don't need to worry about that. In addition, I will carry out some renovations and expansions to the city."

The projection in front of her changed to a top-down view of Chernobog, and her fingertip pointed to one of the coordinates that was not particularly prominent.

"I've reached an agreement with the owner of Peterheim Middle School. From now on, this school will be Rhodes Island's property. Students lacking talent will be transferred to other high schools. And all the promising and talented students in Chernobog who are willing to join Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals —this will be their first step on the path to becoming Rhodes Island operators."

Rhodes Island Training Center — Surtr felt a certain familiarity with the name. Perhaps it was a landmark where she had interacted with an operator from a game. But she wasn't particularly concerned at the moment—she could recognize people just by looking at them. As for now, she'd leave it to her to look forward to.

"So..." Surtr nodded slightly. "My responsibility is this school?"

"When it was a school, you were the principal. Now that it's a training center, you're the director." Persephone made a nonchalant gesture. "You can manage it however you prefer. I believe you can, and I've also prepared some assistants for you."

The purple-haired Doctor reached out and naturally took the woven bag that Surtr was carrying.

"Whether as a supervisor or an Elite Operator, you must have your own squad now, Surtr. I'll take Miss Talulah for a full medical check-up, or do you have some other plans?"

Surtr hesitated for a moment.

"Don't bully her," she said, though it was unclear whether she was speaking to Talulah or Persephone.

Surtr is gone.

A few minutes after she left, Persephone placed the woven bag on the ground.

"Haste makes waste." She said calmly to the woven bag, "Surtr likes Yan proverbs. If you have time, you can learn more about them."

She saw the woven bag open in front of her.

Talulah was dressed neatly and had an elegant demeanor.

It is obvious that Talulah's previous explanation to Surtr was all just a bunch of nonsense.

"Just verification." Talulah stared at the Maiden Doctor before her, a hint of hostility flickering in her eyes. "Are you my rival?"

Persephone did not answer, but simply turned around, gesturing for her to follow.

"Being late doesn't necessarily mean being first, and being first doesn't guarantee an advantage." The Maiden Doctor's voice swayed in the wind. "Your understanding of this war is far too superficial."

"This track is wide enough. But right now, no one in the world has gotten a ticket to enter the track."

"Let me teach you some basics."

2077... the sky darkened... and I collapsed_(:з"∠)_

Chapter 76 Is this a good thing?

The sky was a pleasing light blue, and thanks to someone, there wasn't a single cumulonimbus cloud within a 100-kilometer radius directly above Chernobog. This meant that the northern city was about to enjoy a rare sunny day—and as the sun set, the warm temperature spread evenly, bringing joy to all the living things in the city that hadn't encountered any misfortune.

Miss Surtr glanced at the clock on the distant building; the number that caught her eye was a perfectly normal 10:00 AM.

She checked the time and mentally estimated the straight-line distance to Rhodes Island Training Center School. After thinking for a moment, she decided to sit down on a bench by the street—the bench was long enough to fit three or four people, so she placed Laevateinn next to her. It was as if she occupied the entire bench by herself.

—I'm so tired, I need to take a break.

Going to work is bad manners; slacking off is the right way.

She pondered, then leaned back in her chair, staring blankly at the sky. The warm sunlight couldn't stir her emotions, making them better or worse. And as she drifted into thought, the neighborhood around her gradually emptied out. Pedestrians, for various 'coincidences,' moved away from the area; after all, there weren't any shopping malls or high-rises nearby.

It is obvious that 'coincidence' is not 'accident'.

For a fleeting moment, Chernobog in Surtr's eyes transformed from a mobile city-state into a black and white chessboard. All people and things within the city became pieces of those two colors, chasing and fighting each other.

In chess, there is no opponent. Therefore, the move of each piece depends entirely on the whim of the sole player—she knew very well that Persephone would never have done this in the past on Rhodes Island, because her past self would have simply blown her head off to ensure that her subordinates at least lived like human beings. But now...

I neither wanted to stop her nor blame her.

—Was it because I made a promise to her? Or... because my way of life has changed, so my approach to everything has also changed?

She didn't know, and she didn't understand.

For the first time in so many years since arriving in Terra, she felt a deep sense of melancholy, a feeling of 'powerlessness'—not just because of Persephone, but also because of Talulah, because of Kal'tsit. And even... in short, all the people close to her. Her distress stemmed from the fact that as she visibly changed her lifestyle, she discovered that everyone else seemed to have changed in an instant as well.

—In the past, whatever Kal'tsit said or did would have had no effect on me. Her sarcasm or accusations wouldn't have mattered. Did I need her permission to help me? Did her satisfaction matter if I wanted to complete a task?

—In the past, what did Talulah's thoughts have to do with me? If she wanted to achieve her ideals, I would help her. If she wanted to give up her ideals, I would help her too. If she wanted to live a happy and fulfilling life, I would help her achieve that. If she wanted to die in agony to prove or change something, then so be it. If she died, she died. Surely I couldn't bear to watch a beautiful girl commit suicide before my eyes... Well, maybe I really couldn't?

—If it were in the past, Persephone ... well, before coming to Chernobog, I was planning to take her head straight back to Rhodes Island. Anyway, with the save/load function, a brain is enough; whether the body is intact... doesn't matter.

The girl's fingers gently traced the spine of Laevateinn's sword—the sword responded, releasing waves of warmth that calmed her restless heart—ah, yes. What the sun couldn't do, Laevateinn could. Because no matter what she chose, no matter what she did, Laevateinn was always by her side.

—Only Laevateinn has always loved me.

—May all the other annoying guys go to hell.

Surtr hugged the sword to her chest. The blade was the only thing in this world that wouldn't harm her.

She breathed softly—inhaling, breathing, inhaling again, and finally letting out a long, soft sigh.

—No, that won't work.

Things have changed; there's no going back.

—Although they all love to tell riddles and give me a headache, I can't just leave them alone.

A promise made should not be broken or reneged upon. Those you wish to protect should be cared for, both physically and emotionally.

—I can no longer do what I feel I should do, ignoring all the changes that have occurred. After all, occasionally caring about others and trying to see things from their perspective isn't so bad.