Chapter 63: Chapter 58: If You're Reading Light Novels, Don't Haggle Over Words, Alright? / Chapter 64: Chapter 59: Operators Having Priority, Isn't That Normal? ...

On the third day of Kanna's lessons, she dragged Rosemary—who was likewise doing nothing—over to join them. Of course, her reasoning was that taking classes alone was a-meow-zingly painful; sitting face-to-face with the teacher meant she couldn't let her guard down for even a second, so she pulled someone in to share the incoming fire.

When Kal'tsit found out, she said nothing and simply had a set of lesson plans sent over to Weifeng's office.

For Weifeng, herding one sheep was herding, and herding two sheep was the same... Plus, both Kanna and Rosemary were rare good kids who actually listened attentively in class, so she didn't feel like her burden had increased by much.

Because she frequented Weifeng's place, Kanna also ran into the Followers much more often. Although Silver Ash had initially maintained a sliver of vigilance toward Kanna, after spending time together, she realized that Kanna's actions simply moved faster than her brain most of the time, and that she held no malice whatsoever toward either the Sarkaz or the infected.

Liz, moreover, struck up a friendship with Kanna, who was much younger than her.

In Liz's words, the first time she saw Kanna, she felt a trace of jealousy. As a "doctor" well-versed in human anatomy, her first impression was of being drawn to Kanna's "healthy" physique.

And when Kanna conversed with her, her eyes never held pity or sorrow, which made Liz feel immensely pleased. Coupled with Kanna's frequent offerings of food, Liz and Kanna grew to have the most harmonious relationship among the Followers.

Aside from the Followers, over the past few days Kanna had also run into the Blacksteel International comedy duo: Franka the "fat fox" and Liskarm the "power bank."

When she crossed paths with them, the two were walking out of the doctor's office shoulder-to-shoulder, looking like a pair of sparring bulls.

As they walked, the two were still taking jabs at each other.

Seeing Kanna staring at the two of them, they didn't feel embarrassed at all, instead offering a friendly greeting.

After all, even though Kanna hadn't crossed paths with them directly, both of them recognized her and knew that this little cub was currently the red-hot favorite in the eyes of Rhodes Island's leadership.

Watching the two leave, Kanna reached up to touch her dragon horns. Since Liskarm's Originium Arts also involved electricity, and she was a genuine Vayvan, Kanna had originally wanted to rub elbows and get familiar.

Clearly, though, now wasn't the time. After all, the others were busy getting all chuggy-huggy; running over to act as a lightbulb would be a rather lack-of-tact move, and even though she could provide a continuous power supply to said "lightbulb," that wasn't how you used it (laugh).

Yet seeing Liskarm and Franka reminded her of Popukar and the members of Squad A6 who were out on field operations. They had already left Rhodes Island for half a month, and she had no idea when they would be back.

On this day, Kanna headed toward Weifeng's office at her usual class time. Because Rosemary had been summoned away by Kal'tsit, today was once again a rare one-on-one small class.

Entering the room, she saw that Weifeng was not inside; the only occupant was a purple-haired, pink-eyed Feline young lady who looked every bit like a young noblewoman.

When she saw the door open, she still looked somewhat nervous, but upon discovering that the intruder was a cub who looked less than ten years old, she relaxed again.

"Hello, are you looking for Dr. Grace?"

Hearing the other girl, Kanna's head sprouted a question mark. Grace? Who's that...

Stepping over to Weifeng's desk and seeing the name tag, she finally remembered Grace. Arizona was Weifeng's given name, but operators generally addressed one another by their code names, so hearing the kitty's words, she hadn't immediately realized the other person was talking about Weifeng herself.

"My name is Kanna, and I'm here for class!" Kanna pointed at the small blackboard next to the Feline and the book she had casually picked up and flipped through, which clearly didn't fall into the medical category.

Hearing Kanna, the Feline stood up nervously. "I'm sorry, I didn't know these were your study books, I was just curious..."

As she spoke, her face flushed bright red, and she returned the book to its original spot.

Chapter 63: Chapter 58: If You're Reading Light Novels, Don't Haggle Over Words, Alright?

"Are you new to Rhodes Island?" Kanna felt the other girl looked somewhat familiar, but once something converted from a 2D drawing to reality, unless their appearance was particularly striking or you knew their code name, it really was quite hard to recognize them.

"Yes, my name is Melantha. I'm from Victoria. Because of my illness, my father contacted Dr. Grace. This morning I boarded the landship on a Rhodes Island transport vehicle, and the people inside brought me here. But Dr. Grace had to leave temporarily on business, so I've been waiting here." Perhaps because Kanna was young and looked reassuring, Melantha naturally spilled the details of her situation.

Ah, the Mel-swordmaster, Kanna thought with a sudden realization.

Melantha hailed from Victoria, and her lore cast her as a rich-cat, while Weifeng was a noblewoman from Victoria. It stood to reason that when Melantha contracted Originium infection, she would seek out Weifeng—a doctor at Rhodes Island, an organization centered around treating Originium infection.

Knowing the other girl's identity, Kanna sidled a little closer. Among Arknights cats, two traits stood out particularly clearly among operators: one was the rich-cat archetype like Melantha and Jessica, and the other was the tragic-backstory archetype like Ch'en and Rosemary.

If the latter were more deserving of pity, the latter... ah, the former were the absolute premier choice for hugging thighs.

Who could possibly turn down the chance to be friends with a rich-cat?

Kanna pulled out a copy of Victoria Royal Guards School: A History, then began pumping Melantha for information about the school.

"The Victoria Royal Guards School is a great institution. The swordsmanship I studied comes from there, but unfortunately, I was too young before, and now that I've contracted Originium infection, I've missed my chance with the school." Seeing the book, a flash of sadness crossed Melantha's eyes, but as she spoke the words, she clearly let go of the matter that had brought her sorrow.

Noticing Melantha's change in mood, Kanna swapped it for another Victoria-related book and continued her inquiries.

Melantha took it and saw it was a Victoria geographical science magazine. The book introduced many of Victoria's specialty products, and what made her feel particularly close was that this book happened to feature an introduction to Victorian perfumes, specifically mentioning her family.

Seeing this book put Melantha in a much better mood, and she picked up the magazine to introduce its contents to Kanna.

Just as the two were chatting happily, the door pushed open again, and Weifeng walked in from outside.

Seeing Kanna and Melantha chatting up a storm inside, she let out a sigh of relief.

Over the past few days, quite a few new patients had entered Rhodes Island, putting heavy pressure on the Medical Department. Today, she hadn't stopped bustling from morning until noon. Originally, she had remembered that today was Kanna's study time, but she still had several surgeries scheduled for the afternoon and couldn't get away, so she had returned intending to let Kanna study on her own. Along the way, she had seen a message that a patient who had been in contact with her earlier had been sent to Rhodes Island by her father and hadn't been assigned quarters yet. She couldn't help feeling a bit of a headache; with Rhodes Island being so huge, what if that patient got lost?

Just as she was feeling irritated, she pushed open the door to see Kanna chatting with a girl—and that girl was precisely the new patient who had just boarded the ship.

Weifeng patted her chest. Luckily she had seen the other girl's photo beforehand, so she recognized her at a glance. And fortunately, the patient had stayed put in her office all this time; otherwise, if news that she had lost a patient reached Kal'tsit, even if Kal'tsit could smoothly track the person down, she herself would likely have to shoulder a hefty share of responsibility.

Seeing Weifeng enter, Melantha immediately stood up and offered a careful greeting.

Weifeng waved a hand.

"No need for formalities. Your father already briefed me on your situation, but I have several surgeries this afternoon and genuinely don't have much free time. Here's what we'll do: Kanna, take her to Human Resources to check in, then go get her medical exam done, and bring a copy of the report back to me. I'll take a look when I have time tonight. Kanna, help look after Miss Melantha this afternoon, and tomorrow I'll bring you some delicious desserts."

With that, thinking of the several surgeries ahead, she hurried out of the room again.

Watching Weifeng vanish through the doorway, Melantha stretched out a hand in a futile attempt to make her stay.

Originally, she had imagined that upon meeting, the two of them would share afternoon tea, bond a bit, and then, under the other person's guidance, she would smoothly complete her tests and be admitted. Never had she expected the script to completely ignore her plans from the very beginning.

Kanna, taking it all in stride, dusted off her backside. Rhodes Island's Medical Department was no sinecure; squeezing out time to teach her studies was already the result of other colleagues sharing the load.

With a fresh batch of people boarding the ship over the last few days, the Medical Department's workload had surged once more, leaving naturally fewer idle moments.

"Let's go! I'll take you to Human Resources to get checked in." Since there was work to do and no studying required, Kanna neatly tossed her small book under the table and stood up.

Looking at the young-looking Kanna, Melantha felt a twinge of worry about whether someone so small would be reliable. Kanna, having reached the door, saw Melantha hesitating and patted her own chest.

"Don't worry, Sister Melantha,

Nobody,

Is more,

Familiar,

With Rhodes Island than me."

Seeing the other girl preparing to lug her luggage along, Kanna waved a hand. "Human Resources is in the upper district; it's inconvenient to drag luggage around. Besides, we have to go to the Medical Department for a check-up later, and hauling all these bags through a high-traffic area like the Medical Department makes it hard to move. Just leave it here. Aside from Weifeng—uh, Teacher Grace—nobody else ever comes in here. It's much safer leaving it here than dragging it with you."

Hearing Kanna, Melantha nodded, then pulled a small crossbody bag from her pile of luggage, slung it over her shoulder, and followed Kanna out of the office.

Led by Kanna, the two wound their way through a maze of corridors until they reached the doors of Human Resources. Along the way, Melantha observed her surroundings; though it looked like a bit of a detour, they bypassed the main thoroughfares where people crowded thickest. By minimizing congestion, their actual pace and efficiency had increased significantly.

This proved that Kanna's claim of knowing the inner layout of Rhodes Island inside and out was no empty boast.

Entering the office, Kanna waved at the lizardman inside.

"Wah! It's Lizard Uncle! You're in luck, Sister Melantha. Even though Lizard Uncle looks scary, he's actually a good guy!"

Working at his desk, 12F looked up and smiled at the sight of Kanna. "If it isn't little Kanna. Aren't you supposed to be studying at this hour? What brings you running over to my place?"

"The Medical Department is a bit busy today, and Teacher Grace asked me to bring a newcomer to report in. Look, it's her, Sister Melantha." Holding Melantha's hand, Kanna swaggered into Human Resources.

Chapter 64: Chapter 59: Operators Having Priority, Isn't That Normal?

12F nodded, signaling for Melantha to sit down at the front desk.

Melantha sat down and nervously drew a stack of documents from her crossbody bag. "Hello, my name is Melantha, and I just boarded the ship today. This is the infected report issued by my hospital in Victoria."

Puzzled, 12F took Melantha's paperwork, read through it carefully, then waved Kanna over to the front desk and lightly tapped her on the head.

"The report is fine, but this is the operator recruitment application desk for Human Resources. Since you're here on the island seeking medical treatment, you should be heading to the patient registration desk next door." Facing 12F's gesture, Melantha grew nervous; she could clearly sense that Kanna had likely brought her to the wrong place. Fortunately, knowing that ordinary people were unfamiliar with the procedures, 12F patiently explained.

"Isn't it the same thing?" Kanna put her hands on her hips in defiance.

"Look at it this way: Originium infection isn't something that gets cured in a day or two. Sister Melantha is going to be staying at Rhodes Island for a long time, but ordinary Originium infection doesn't affect normal life, so sooner or later Sister Melantha is going to find something to do around Rhodes Island, otherwise she'd die of boredom! And what is our best job position here if not becoming a Rhodes Island operator?! You get a salary, priority access to medical treatment, and you kill the boredom. I figure Sister Melantha is going to become our operator sooner or later anyway, so whether we come here or next door, isn't it all the same?!"

Kanna's speech left 12F completely speechless. He thought it over and decided against handing Melantha's paperwork back.

"Kanna makes a fair point. If nothing unexpected happens, Miss Melantha will be staying aboard the ship for quite a long time, and she'll likely need a job to make the days ahead more interesting. Here at Rhodes Island, we welcome all well-intentioned people of aspiration. As long as you're willing, whether you're a child or an elder, Rhodes Island will provide you with a suitable job to add a touch of joy to ordinary days.

Just as Kanna said, I can handle your registration right here. If Miss Melantha is willing, please wait a moment, and we can have your exclusive employee ID badge customized in no time."

"Eh? Ehhh?!" Melantha never expected that with just a few simple words from Kanna, she would transform from a patient seeking medical care into someone joining Rhodes Island.

While she was still stuck in a state of chaos, 12F efficiently entered Melantha's information into the system. Moments later, he walked over holding an armband and an ID badge.

"Welcome to Rhodes Island, Miss Melantha. This is your ID badge and armband—please keep them safe. If you lose them, come to Human Resources to report it immediately. Don't worry, Miss Melantha; becoming an operator will not affect your medical treatment. On the contrary, as Kanna said, Rhodes Island operators enjoy a much higher priority in the treatment of Originium infection than outsiders."

By the time Melantha was led out the door by Kanna, she had barely processed what had happened or how she had been sweet-talked by this little tyke into selling herself to Rhodes Island in such a baffling manner.

"Don't worry. With an ID badge, your admission medical check-up will be much more thorough than someone who hasn't joined. Our Kanna never scams anyone." While Melantha was still grappling with her thoughts, Kanna had already towed her to the entrance of the Medical Department.

Kanna swiped her own pass to open the doors, then pulled Melantha inside.

Entering the Medical Department, Melantha spotted a few familiar faces—other patients who had been brought aboard by the Rhodes Island transport vehicle earlier. At that moment, they were all anxiously standing by the entrance of the examination room, waiting for the doctor to call their numbers.

Seeing Melantha walk in, some of them inwardly scoffed. Taking this long to show up meant her turn probably wouldn't come until very late.

What they hadn't expected, however, was for the little girl to pluck a pass from Melantha's hand, push through the crowd, walk straight inside, and hand it to the nurse at the door.

At first, everyone dismissed it, figuring that with how busy things were right now, the nurses wouldn't even bother paying attention to a child.

Yet a scene that stunned them all unfolded: upon seeing Kanna, the nurse proactively bent down to pat her head, then accepted the pass she handed over.

Taking the ID badge, the nurse swiped it against a machine nearby, then handed it back to Kanna.

Holding the pass, Kanna wove back through the crowd to find Melantha by the entrance and handed it back to her.

"Sister Melantha, your appointment is all set. They'll call your name very soon. I'll wait for you outside, and when the check-up is done, we'll go back to Teacher's office together."

Melantha took the pass in a daze, standing frozen in place.

Before Kanna had even stepped out the door for long, the loudspeaker began calling her name.

Amidst the collectively fixed gazes of the crowd waiting in line ahead of her, she walked tremblingly up to the medical counter.

After a brief comparison between the ID badge photo and her actual face, she was whisked into the examination zone.

Seeing Melantha actually go in for her check-up, the rest of the waiting crowd felt a surge of resentment. After all, everyone was here at Rhodes Island to seek medical treatment; by what right did someone else get priority?

Fortunately, the nurses had long anticipated this kind of situation. Seeing the crowd pressing forward, she took a step back as two heavily armed guards strode to her side, fixing the crowd with cold stares.

Faced with the flickering, chilling gleam of their weapons, the agitated crowd instantly cooled down.

Seeing the situation pacify, the nurse slowly spoke up.

"The young lady who just went in is personnel who has joined our Rhodes Island, and she is undergoing her entry medical examination in accordance with our internally formulated Operator Priority Act. If any of you possess a specialized skill, you are welcome to consult Human Resources and choose whether or not to join Rhodes Island. However, I'll issue a warning here: joining Rhodes Island grants you better medical services, but it also requires participating in work assignments arranged by Rhodes Island, which include but are not limited to field security and clearing out paths for the landship's advance. If you lack the courage to engage in combat, I'm afraid Human Resources won't be able to accommodate your requests."

Though the crowd had initially been indignant—wondering why anyone deserved priority—once they learned that operators had to undertake combat missions, everyone fell silent. Territorial conflicts plagued nations across Terra, but actual warfare still felt very distant to the people who had come here seeking medical help.

They were more than happy to enjoy the pure welfare benefits, but when it came to going to the battlefield, the majority preferred to politely decline.

While the commotion raged outside, Melantha completed all her medical checks amidst a haze of nervousness and anxiety. When she finally stepped out, she saw Kanna sitting on a bench not far away.

As she walked over, she saw that Kanna was holding a document in her hands—a closer look revealed it to be her very own medical report.

She never imagined Rhodes Island's efficiency could be this high; she had only just finished her tests, and the physical report had already made its way into Kanna's hands.

"Yup! Sister Melantha's baseline report is pretty much all here. Some of the blood tests take a while longer to process, so Teacher will probably go down to the lab to fetch those herself later. Let's head back first; I just went and asked Lizard Uncle, and your living quarters have already been arranged."

Chapter 65: Chapter 60: The Canteen Dragon-Dog Gathering

Stepping back into Weifeng's office...

The moment the door opened, Rosemary looked over with an expression of excitement. When she spotted Melantha trailing behind Kanna, she froze completely.

First came bewilderment, then her expression drooped, and tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any second.

That look in her eyes seemed to accuse Kanna of treason—she had only gone off to do a medical check-up for a moment, yet somehow another Feline had appeared by her side.

Seeing Rosemary's expression, Kanna assumed the girl was upset because she hadn't given a heads-up before leaving. She walked over and patted Rosemary's head; when Rosemary petulantly turned her head away, Kanna felt a bit puzzled. Normally, whenever Rosemary's mood fluctuated, she might throw a tiny tantrum, but a simple head-pat always fixed it. Why wasn't it working today?

Not far away, Melantha watched the interaction between the two little ones and tactfully stood by the doorway without stepping inside.

Fortunately, though, her moods came and went quickly. Within just a few minutes, after listening to Kanna recount the whole ordeal with a smug, self-satisfied air that showed zero remorse for her actions, Rosemary's anger evaporated.

She sheepishly yielded the doorway.

"Sorry, I caused you trouble!"

Only then did Melantha walk into the room.

"Sister Melantha just came aboard today, so we're taking her to the lounge area. Besides, it's been a few days since I went out to play anyway." Armed with teacher's orders, Kanna had finally managed to escape those boring books today; naturally, she had no intention of lingering here a single second longer.

Otherwise, what if Weifeng finished up early and happened to catch them right back at the office? She'd likely kiss this extra playtime goodbye.