Guided by the two, Melantha soon found her accommodation. Whether it was because she was not checking in as a patient, her bed was not arranged in the inpatient area, but rather in the operator rest area. Naturally, this meant changing from a four-person room to a two-person room. Coincidentally, no one else had moved into this particular room yet, so it was effectively a single room.
As it happened, Kanna needed to recharge at night and worried that sharing a room with someone else might lead to an accidental touch and a shock, while Rosemary had her own craft-related reasons to avoid unconsciously using her abilities in her sleep and hurting a comrade. Thus, both of them also had single rooms.
After putting her luggage away, Melantha finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the two about to leave, she called them to a halt, then took two sachets out of her backpack.
"Thank you so much for your help today, Kanna-chan and Rosemary-chan. I made these two sachets myself and am giving them to you now. I hope you both like them."
Taking Melantha's sachet, Kanna sniffed it. The scent was not overly strong, but it was steady and persistent, failing to become overpowering. No matter who wore it on their body, the subtle floral fragrance gave a sense of adding frost to snow.
"Speaking of sachets, Lena-sister seemed to be worrying earlier about how to make the fragrance of a sachet last longer. Melantha-sister's sachets are so well-made; if Lena-sister knew, she would definitely be very happy."
Holding the sachet, Kanna suddenly remembered seeing Perfumer worrying in the greenhouse earlier. Because the floral scent of the greenhouse helped stabilize patients' emotions, the greenhouse had always been an important part of the sanatorium courtyard, and she had constantly been trying to find ways to preserve this floral scent using sachets so patients could carry it with them at all times. Unfortunately, due to a lack of understanding of the manufacturing process, the sachets she made either smelled wrong or didn't preserve the scent long enough.
Hearing this, Melantha grew interested. After all, hailing from a prominent perfumery family, she had a very strong say in the art of making fragrance, so she felt the urge to visit this Miss Lena whom Kanna had mentioned.
However, since Kanna had helped her so much, Melantha found it difficult to bring it up right now. She thought about it, and since it was nearly dinner time, she invited the two of them to go have dinner together.
Kanna looked at the other girl's small crossbody bag and decided not to scam such a friendly young lady. Let's go to the staff cafeteria! The food there tastes good and the portions are quite generous, much better than eating outside! Of course, on the condition that we don't run into Pheobe-san.
Even with Melantha's deep pockets, eating outside would probably empty her wallet quite a bit. The cafeteria was different—Kanna didn't have to pay to eat in the cafeteria!
The reason, naturally, was that she was too young, so Rhodes Island decided to cover her meals, lodging, and tuition, and then deducted it from Kanna's salary as expense fees.
However, by Kanna's own calculation, that little bit of salary of hers wouldn't even last half a month even if she ate every single meal at the cafeteria, so she didn't dare ask Kal'tsit for it.
Otherwise, if Rhodes Island really paid her wages, but she had to pay for her own meals, she would probably have to tighten her belt and live frugally.
Unaware that her wallet had just dodged a bullet, the three arrived at the cafeteria.
Upon seeing Kanna, the chef at the entrance changed expression and hurriedly bolted into the kitchen.
Kanna didn't find it strange, because this situation happened every time she went to a cafeteria, though today the other person seemed even more nervous. (Moon-fee group 694936135)
Just as she was feeling puzzled, she saw a blonde Perro sitting there constantly stuffing food into her mouth, while a Hooves beside her kept handing more over.
"Eyjafjalla! Big Sister Vulcan!" Kanna waved at the two of them.
Seeing Kanna and the others, Eyjafjalla turned her head while chewing and excitedly waved back at the three of them.
"Don't move around. Your hands are covered in grease, you flung it onto the neighboring table." Seeing Eyjafjalla trying desperately to wave because her mouth was too full to speak, Vulcan couldn't help sighing, then pushed a bottle of water to Eyjafjalla's mouth.
"Gulp, gulp!" Accompanied by a bout of frantic drinking, Eyjafjalla finally swallowed the food in her mouth.
"Big Sister Vulcan, aren't you usually locked in your workshop? What brings you out with Eyjafjalla to eat today?" Kanna sat next to Eyjafjalla, completely unbothered by her greasy hands, and the two clapped hands in mid-air to produce a crisp sound.
"Eyjafjalla ate all the food in the workshop, and since I didn't have much going on lately, I brought her out for a stroll and to clear her head," Vulcan answered Kanna's question unhurriedly while passing new food to Eyjafjalla.
Understanding instantly, Kanna figured Vulcan must have felt it was unhealthy for Eyjafjalla to stay cooped up in the workshop for too long, hence taking her out for a walk.
Come to think of it, they rarely ran into each other ever since Eyjafjalla boarded the ship. Because Eyjafjalla's Originium infection was in a very grim state, she had always been a key observation target for the medical team, and Eyjafjalla herself was hardly someone who liked running around. Aside from her dorm and Vulcan's workshop, the only other places she frequented were the kitchens of various cafeterias.
Perhaps it was Eyjafjalla's care for her own weapons that had touched Vulcan's heart, leading her to make an exception and take in this troublesome girl, becoming her guardian on Rhodes Island.
Therefore, whenever Eyjafjalla tried to sneak into the back kitchen, she would be escorted back to Vulcan's workshop by the staff.
Chapter 61: Common Interests Facilitate Communication
Just as the few of them were chatting and waiting for their food, they watched the main door open once more, and batch after batch of food ingredients were brought in through the door and sent into the back kitchen.
While Melantha was still wondering why so many ingredients had suddenly arrived, Eyjafjalla suddenly leaped up from her stool and looked down imperiously at Kanna.
"Kanna-chan! I refuse to accept losing the food battle to you last time. I challenge you again!"
Hearing Eyjafjalla's words, Vulcan pressed a hand to her forehead. Sigh~ I knew it would turn out like this.
"What?" Melantha wore a blank expression. Although she understood Eyjafjalla's words, what the heck was a food battle? Did they throw food at each other? Did Rhodes Island allow such extravagance and waste?
"Yare yare! Eyjafjalla, your challenge is pale and weak, and all your efforts are muda. However, considering you are the only champion who dares to challenge me, I grant you this glorious opportunity for a duel!" Kanna covered her left eye with her left hand and spoke in a deliberately low voice.
Amidst the "sword-drawn, bow-bent" atmosphere, the kitchen door opened, and dish after dish of food was served toward the "battlefield."
Next, under Melantha's completely dumbfounded expression, plates of food were fed into the mouths of the two like a conveyor belt.
"Sigh~ It was like this last time. They happened to bump into each other during a meal, and that day they not only polished off the food of an entire cafeteria, but even devoured the emergency reinforcement ingredients sent from the neighboring cafeteria clean to the last scrap."
Knowing the "duel" was inevitable, Vulcan had no choice but to step aside to make their competition look smoother. At this moment, she was grateful that most of the food was going into Kanna's stomach, so although the stack of plates in front of the two looked exaggerated, Eyjafjalla's actual food intake was less than one-tenth of Kanna's.
Sure enough, in less than ten minutes, Eyjafjalla collapsed onto the stool with a large piece of beef stuck in her mouth, completely unable to swallow another bite. On the other side, Kanna was still unhurriedly "dumping" food into her mouth.
Another half-hour passed. Elegantly wiping away the residue at the corner of her mouth with a tissue, Kanna looked at the empty opponent's seat that had long been hauled away by Vulcan, giving off a strong vibe of having no rivals left in the world.
Earlier, Melantha had worried that the money she brought wouldn't be enough, but fortunately, Rosemary comforted her and told her that Kanna didn't have to pay when eating in the cafeteria, which finally set Melantha's mind at ease.
The moment she stepped out of the restaurant, Melantha felt her whole body grow much lighter. Just as she was about to say goodbye to the two and go back to calm down her fluctuating emotions, she heard Kanna say she was planning to go to the sanatorium courtyard with Rosemary.
On the way there earlier, she had heard Kanna mention that the girl trying to make sachets was the person in charge of the sanatorium courtyard. Swallowing her impending farewell, she followed the two toward the greenhouse.
Upon entering, Lena was watering the flowers not far away. Seeing Kanna and the others, she waved a hand to signal them to go play in the hut by themselves. As for the newcomer behind Kanna, although she only glanced at her, it looked roughly like a girl with very good upbringing, so Lena didn't bother asking.
After observing the garden, Melantha couldn't help nodding inwardly. Although the footprint wasn't large, it boasted a rich variety of flowers, mostly plants aimed at calming the mind and soothing the nerves. One could tell that the master here was quite proficient in the way of flora.
Lightly sniffing the fragrance in the air—elegant yet orderly—she felt a deeper wave of goodwill, deciding she must have a good chat with this Miss Lena later on.
Walking into the hut, Melantha casually picked up a botanical magazine from the bookshelf and began to read quietly. As for Kanna and Rosemary, neither being particularly fond of noise, they flopped down, each picking up a comic book and becoming completely engrossed. Aside from the rustling sound of turning pages, the entire hut fell back into tranquility.
Before long, Lena walked in with fine beads of sweat dotting her brow.
Melantha closed the book in her hands and politely greeted her.
Kanna seized the moment to make introductions. Upon learning that the other party came from a prominent perfume family in Victoria and was exceptionally well-versed in the path of utilizing scents, Lena was overjoyed.
She fetched a notebook, pulled Melantha over to the side, and began seeking instruction. Because Melantha had held a continuous stream of favorable impressions toward Lena's sanatorium courtyard ever since she stepped inside, she held nothing back, reviewing her own experiences while offering her own perspectives to Lena.
The two were like Boya meeting Zhong Ziqi; their friendship warmed rapidly through the exchange, causing Kanna, who was reading a comic book nearby, to unconsciously scoot a section away.
After reading a bit longer, Kanna felt her eyelids begin to droop. Looking at Rosemary beside her, the latter's head was already bobbing up and down as if she would drift into dreamland the next second.
Originally, she wanted to say goodbye to Lena and Melantha, but seeing the two engaged in such a heated discussion, she quietly pulled a drowsy Rosemary along and walked out of the greenhouse without disturbing the still-chatting pair at all.
After sending a sleepy Rosemary back to her room, Kanna finally returned to her own room while yawning.
Early the next morning, after waking up, Kanna came to the cafeteria for breakfast as usual. The moment she stepped through the door, she saw Lena and Rosemary sitting not far away; the food in front of them remained untouched, but their conversation still hadn't stopped.
To this, Kanna could only express that such matters were far too complex for a mere toddler to resolve.
After heading out, she ran into Amiya passing by. Amiya was struggling with how to carry such a massive stack of files back to the control room, but upon spotting Kanna emerging from the cafeteria, she grabbed labor without a second thought. The two of them, each cradling a giant stack of documents, reached their destination amidst a chorus of greetings along the way.
"I heard you skipped class yesterday afternoon and almost caused a ruckus at the medical examination office?" Kal'tsit's voice came from behind the desk.
"How can you say I skipped class... It's clearly because Pheobe-teacher's surgery schedule was too packed and she didn't have time, plus I wasn't just playing around either. Didn't I bring in a new recruit for onboarding!" Kanna raised her head and looked rebelliously in Kal'tsit's direction.
"You have the nerve to say that. The person clearly went through formal procedures to board the ship for Originium infection treatment, yet you dragged her to the operator recruitment office and even hoodwinked that pushover 12F. If Pheobe hadn't asked me about her new patient's situation and I checked the records, I wouldn't have known she'd already become a Rhodes Island operator."
Come to think of it, Kal'tsit had a bit of a headache. The sources of new operators for Rhodes Island basically fell into two categories: one consisted of talents recommended by other operators who acknowledged the place and were willing to join Rhodes Island; the other consisted of patients with certain specialized skills residing at Rhodes Island who, after agreeing with Rhodes Island's philosophy, voluntarily applied to Human Resources. Following an evaluation, HR would promote them as trainee operators.
Logically speaking, given Kanna's status as an Elite Operator, she did have the right to recommend personnel to become Rhodes Island operators. In reality, however, she was too young, and neither HR nor Kal'tsit expected a child with low life experience to recommend exceptional talent.
Chapter 62: Baseball is a Game You Can't Understand
Yet Kal'tsit hadn't rescinded this "voluntary" qualification. On the contrary, basically everyone currently in SWEEP possessed this qualification, but young Red and Manticore didn't know how to use it, while older ones like Scavenger and Ascalon didn't use it either. (The reasons for the two not using it were different.)
Therefore, she never expected Kanna to actually become the first child to actively recruit someone.
Of course, before Kanna arrived, she had already pulled Melantha's profile and her trajectory within Rhodes Island from Precise. It was clear that this Miss Melantha truly possessed the potential to become a Rhodes Island operator, and the fact that she could converse with Perfumer for so long proved she could bring outstanding improvements to Rhodes Island's recuperation system.
Coupled with the intelligence on Melantha from the outside world obtained from Pheobe earlier, Kanna had actually done a good job.
Yet thinking of this, Kal'tsit looked up and saw that smug little creature with her hands on her hips, chin raised, and tail wagging like a little windmill, and words of praise simply refused to come out.
After all, if she wasn't praised yet she was already flying high, giving her actual praise would probably cause her to turn Rhodes Island upside down.
"Ahem, joining as a Rhodes Island operator still requires a degree of caution. As a non-governmental organization, we try not to get involved in other countries' politics when choosing operators..."
Just as Kal'tsit was nagging away, Kanna saw that the situation looked bad and slipped away. Not involving other countries—that was practically a joke.
Letting someone like SilverAsh hang around under a nominal title was one thing, but they even dared to harbor someone with heavy Victorian strong-claims like Miss Queen Verna, not to mention Reed who also carried heavy Victorian strong claims, the three sisters holding Yan's divine fragments, and Jingzhe from the Grand Court's Inspection Division of Great Yan...
Thus, Kal'tsit's routine of political neutrality was a laughingstock in Kanna's eyes, seeing as it couldn't even hoodwink herself.
At this thought, Kanna remembered that the King of Jammers was also on the island. Kanna had crossed paths with her and her Glasgow gang a few times; their only interaction was during their very first meeting. Seeing Kanna was just a little kid, their Big Sister Queen Verna had fumbled in her arms for a long time and pulled out a lollipop.
As a result, the sourness of the candy the moment Kanna held it in her mouth almost made her question her existence.
Before Artoria, who realized she made a mistake, could even apologize, Kanna had let out a "wah" and bolted.
As for Thorns, after feeling awkward for a bit and not knowing how to handle such a situation, she took her subordinates and accepted a mission from Kal'tsit, leaving Rhodes Island.
Come to think of it, Kanna had been completely soured and paralyzed at the time, running over to the drinking water station by the cafeteria to chug nearly half a jar of water before washing away that "fatal" sourness from her mouth.
That incident gave Kanna profound trauma. From then on, unless it was food offered by acquaintances, she refused to accept anything she found remotely suspicious.
"Um, little sister, do you know where this is? I'm getting a bit lost," a bright voice drifted into Kanna's ear.
Turning her head, she saw a young lady with thick brown hair standing there with a rather embarrassed expression.
The large backpack on her back and the stick protruding from one corner of it clearly indicated that this was a combat-type maiden.
Seeing Kanna's observant gaze, the girl excitedly pulled the stick out of her bag. "What are you looking at? This is called a baseball bat, an indispensable piece of equipment in a sport called baseball."
"I'm Kanna! Sister, are you heading somewhere? I can lead the way!" Seeing that highly recognizable weapon, Kanna instantly recognized her—Rhodes Island's four-star Defender, also the Defender who could achieve the highest block count with a single panel: Shelter, the turtle.
"Then thanks a lot, Kanna-chan. My name is Shelter. Hahaha, wait, let me think about where I was planning to go..." As Shelter spoke, she suddenly began scratching her head. Her zoning out earlier had been too severe, and now she momentarily couldn't remember what she was supposed to be doing.
Recalling things for a moment, as the hardest woman of the early phase, Kanna vaguely remembered some of her settings—knowing she usually loved recommending the sport of baseball to operators, and the areas where operators were most numerous and concentrated, aside from the various workshops within Rhodes Island, were only the cafeteria and the training ground.
Obviously, neither the workshop nor the cafeteria was suitable for promoting baseball, so Shelter must have been heading to the training ground to promote it.
"Are you planning to go to the training ground?" Thinking of this, Kanna felt assured.
Hearing Kanna's words, Shelter slapped her forehead. "Ah, right, right, right! The training ground. I figured everyone had nothing much going on this morning, so I wanted to find a few interested friends to play a baseball game!"
Sure enough. Kanna nodded. "Then which training ground?" Come to think of it, there were several training grounds inside Rhodes Island, and she had no idea where Shelter usually played.
"The one in District A. I live in District A, and I usually play at the training ground there," Shelter answered without hesitation.
"All righty! Follow me." Kanna led Shelter toward District A.
They quickly arrived at the training ground. Pushing open the door, a few operators inside waved upon seeing Shelter following behind Kanna. After thanking Kanna, Shelter trotted over.
Watching Shelter converse warmly with the others, Kanna realized that this world didn't revolve around a single person; everyone had their own friends.
"Kanna-chan, we're holding a baseball game here next week. You're welcome to come watch!" After finishing her greetings with the others, Shelter saw Kanna getting ready to leave and shouted loudly, cupping her hands around her mouth.
Kanna happily nodded. "I will! You guys have to win!"
"We'll definitely win!" Shelter raised her small fist, expressing her determination to triumph.
Emerging from the training ground, she ran into a Lupo looking around left and right in a flustered panic. Seeing her tightly clutching the sleek, smooth purple tail behind her with a terrified expression as she jogged through the corridor, Kanna guessed the reason.
Sure enough, shortly after the Lupo left, a streak of red figure tracked along the Lupo's route.
"Yo! Red, are you hunting tails again?"
"Purple, big tail, very comfortable!" Seeing that she had been spotted by Kanna again, Red didn't react as intensely as the first time, and even lingered to chat for a couple of sentences.
"Then I wish you a successful hunt!" Without any desire to disturb Red's "hunting" mood, Kanna nimbly yielded the corridor.
After Red departed, Kanna looked down the corridor where the two had vanished, reminisced for a moment, and slapped her hand against her palm. That purple Lupo from earlier must have been Provence.
She hadn't expected her to be on the island as well. Come to think of it, since the other party was a Catastrophe Messenger, could her arrival on the island this time be related to a Catastrophe?
The reason she thought this was because Kanna's new quest was to participate in a "Catastrophe" rescue operation.
Chapter 63: I, Kanna, Field Operator
Come to think of it, nearly half a month had passed since that mission which had left her quite unsatisfied. During this time, the system had strictly maintained a frequency of refreshing one quest per week, punctually dispatching a new task to Kanna.
However, the episode of getting scammed last time left Kanna deeply displeased, so she hadn't chosen to accept any during this period. Besides, the new missions always required leaving the island, and recently Kanna hadn't obtained permission to leave, nor did she have any new plans.
If that person really was Provence, it was highly likely that a Catastrophe had occurred, or was about to occur, in the vicinity of Rhodes Island.
Although she was sulking with the system and unwilling to take the initiative on quests, if a quest was practically served to her mouth, taking it up reluctantly was acceptable.
At this thought, she headed toward the control room, because if it truly was a Catastrophe, Provence's reporting target would only be Kal'tsit.
Sure enough, just as Kanna reached the doorway of the control room, she saw Provence inside talking about something with a somewhat agitated expression, while Kal'tsit and Amiya across from her listened carefully.
Just as she reached the entrance, Kanna spotted a dejected Red not far away. She walked over and asked, "What's wrong?"
"The tail went inside. The hunt failed." Watching the continuously twitching purple tail inside the room, Red swallowed hard, then shook her head and vanished into the corridor.
"Ugh!" Seeing Red leave, Kanna was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure how to offer comfort.
Before you continue