Our Goal-Eat Rhodes Island into Bankruptcy / The Young Dragon Worried Before Her Mission Was Complete ...

Misery had noticed the situation around them as well. But entering the island in the middle of the night was exactly the sort of arrangement that old woman Kal'tsit, with her nerves wound so tight, might make. So he did not feel angry or dissatisfied about it.

Chapter 9: Our Goal—Eat Rhodes Island into Bankruptcy

After approaching the vehicle, ACE looked inside and found nothing wrong—apart from the little Vayvan sleeping soundly in Outcast's arms.

"So the reason was that you found this little Vayvan named Kanna on the way, and she ate an entire day's worth of food for all of you, which was why you couldn't return to the island according to schedule?"

In the cafeteria, ACE stared wide-eyed at his colleagues stuffing themselves. He had never imagined that Outcast and Misery, both elites, would be late for such an almost laughable reason.

Misery shrugged. Previously, if anyone had dared to show up late before him with that excuse, he might have treated them to a hard slap. But when it happened to him, he had no choice but to sigh that reality could sometimes be even more ridiculous than a lie.

Afterward, Kanna, who had woken up after entering the island and had been led hand in hand by Outcast to the cafeteria like an obedient little girl, showed them what an extremely hungry dragon truly was.

After receiving word that Outcast's group had arrived safely, Kal'tsit brought Gavial, who was on duty, along with her apprentice Ya Ye to the cafeteria. They saw everyone enjoying dinner—if they ignored the plate in front of a certain little girl, which was almost as tall as she was.

She had already learned what had happened through her earpiece, but even someone as composed as Kal'tsit froze for a moment when she saw it in person.

Ya Ye walked over to Kanna. "Can her body really handle eating so much at once?"

"I had doubts at first too, but look..."

Outcast reached out and patted Kanna's head, drawing her attention away from the food before her, then pointed at Kanna's flat stomach.

"Even though she's eaten food amounting to nearly half her own volume, you can't see a thing. I even suspect the food gets transferred to another space the moment it enters her mouth."

As the people before her began discussing things, Kanna shifted her attention back to the food. After all, compared to everyone else, food merely provided energy needed for activity. Her ability to convert food energy into "electricity" and store it in her body was not something normal people would ever think of.

For her, listening to those incomprehensible and highly specialized medical terms was nowhere near as worthwhile as eating more.

After all, what she could not understand would remain incomprehensible no matter what, but what she ate could quickly become part of her combat power.

When everyone else was nearly done eating, Kanna also "timely" ended her meal and sat there obediently.

Kal'tsit checked the time. Though she had developed some interest in this little Vayvan, it was already too late. Since Kanna had arrived on the island, there would be opportunities to study the girl later. So she decided Outcast would look after the child for one more night.

Since Outcast had brought Kanna onto the island, suddenly separating her from Outcast and taking her somewhere else might provoke an extreme reaction from the child. It would be better to have Ya Ye take her to meet the other children tomorrow. With companions her own age, Kanna would find it much easier to fit in.

As they left the cafeteria, Gavial looked approvingly at Kanna's retreating back. Stroking her chin, she said,

"This little one can eat so much that, back where I'm from, she might be worshipped as the next village chief."

???

Seeing Ya Ye's confused expression, Gavial patted her shoulder.

"You have to understand, normally, eating is meant to replenish the body's energy, while digestive capacity reflects how quickly someone can absorb that energy. This little one eats so much without gaining any visible weight, which can only mean one thing: not only does her body have an enormous energy deficit, but she also has exceptionally powerful digestion. Once she begins using the energy in her body, those accumulated reserves will become the foundation for her to soar."

Chapter 10: The Young Dragon Worried Before Her Mission Was Complete

Ya Ye was astonished after hearing Gavial. "You mean she wasn't actually full just now? She only stopped eating because everyone else had finished?"

Gavial nodded. "That's right. A child this young with such strong self-control... Kal'tsit, Outcast may have brought an extraordinary talent to the island."

Kal'tsit said nothing more in response. She turned and headed toward the Medical Department.

"Whether she can become strong is something for the future. There are still six surgeries tomorrow. Gavial, have you arranged everything?"

"Orthopedic surgeries? Easy! By the way, I heard Huang returned yesterday afternoon. How about having her assist me tomorrow? She's handier with a chainsaw than I am."

Gavial followed calmly behind Kal'tsit as they began discussing the next day's operations.

Ya Ye, following behind them, let out a breath. Thank goodness Gavial was on duty tonight. If it had been Warfarin, seeing Kanna's abnormalities would probably have caused another uproar.

Besides, it was still freezing outside at night. If she got hung from the bridge, even a blood demon would freeze stiff, wouldn't she?

Lost in wild thoughts, Ya Ye walked down the corridor. The cafeteria, so lively just moments ago, fell silent once more as the operators departed.

Outcast took Kanna to her room. Rhodes Island had suffered a series of upheavals and lost many talents, so even Elite Operators like her had been assigned individual rooms. That was why she could bring Kanna back. Otherwise, if she shared quarters with other operators, casually bringing someone in without notice—even a child—would have been overstepping.

After lying down, Kanna unusually found herself unable to sleep. The reason was her mission. She had thought that simply arriving at Rhodes Island would naturally complete it. Yet not only had she entered the island, she had even met Empress Kal'tsit, the person actually in charge, but there was still no sign that the mission had been completed. That meant she had not truly joined Rhodes Island yet.

So where was the problem? Did entering as an ordinary civilian not count as "joining" for the mission? Or was there some condition she had yet to fulfill?

After thinking for a while, Kanna came up with one possibility.

Although most of Rhodes Island's authority was currently in Empress Kal'tsit's hands, she had not yet met Amiya, the nominal leader. Perhaps she needed to meet her before she could fulfill the conditions to complete the mission.

But it was so late that even if she wanted to meet Amiya, it would have to wait until tomorrow. After agonizing over it for so long, Kanna realized her worries had mostly been pointless. Whatever the condition was, now that she had arrived at Rhodes Island, she would complete it eventually.

Besides, using Palm Thunder had already given her a direction for how to use the "electricity" in her body. Even if she failed the mission, she believed that with her brains, recreating those flashy lightning-based skills in her mind would only be a matter of time.

Relieved, Kanna turned over, shut her eyes, and soon went to find Duke of Zhou to begin a new game of chess.

Early the next morning, Outcast woke Kanna. According to Kal'tsit's message, the plan was for Outcast to first take Kanna to the cafeteria to meet Amiya in the morning, then to the Medical Department for a physical examination, and finally to the sanatorium run by Perfumer Lena. It also served as Rhodes Island's children's center, and Kanna would be arranged to live there afterward.

Chapter 11: Warning! Don't Let the Young Dragon Enter the Cafeteria Alone!

Kanna followed behind Outcast, yawning.

Perhaps last night's "thinking" had consumed too much energy, leaving her severely short on sleep. Or perhaps the soft, warm bed had sealed away her "frail" body.

For once, Kanna felt the urge to stay in bed.

But in order to join Rhodes Island successfully, after struggling several times, she finally used her "powerful will" to overcome the bed's seal and climbed up with great difficulty.

As she walked, she wrinkled her nose and sniffed.

Mm~ This was the way to the cafeteria—Rhodes Island was a good civilization.

The moment she thought about eating, the faint discomfort caused by getting up early vanished completely.

Quite a few people had already gathered in the cafeteria to watch the show. Somehow, Kanna's feat in the cafeteria the previous night had spread, and many operators were curious about what kind of person could eat food equivalent to her own body weight.

Naturally, the Medical Department had sent the most people. One unnamed blood demon had learned the news upon waking that morning and had originally rushed off to demand Kanna directly from Outcast. But Kal'tsit had firmly suppressed her, and she was currently hanging from the bridge to greet the sunrise.

When Outcast brought Kanna inside, Kanna saw many curious eyes looking at her.

Very quickly, Kanna was led to a seat that had long been cleared for her.

Across from her sat Rhodes Island's poster girl, the top-tier capitalist who had once boldly declared, "Doctor, you still have many things to deal with. You can't rest yet," and the heir to the Demon King—Amiya. She was smiling warmly.

Kanna knew that Amiya possessed Originium Arts inherited from Teresa, likely allowing her to probe others' emotions or empathize with them.

That way, anyone harboring ill intent toward Rhodes Island would immediately be exposed before her.

But Kanna was not worried. As the protagonist of the story and the "Eden" of the Terra world, she had nothing but goodwill toward Rhodes Island's ways.

More than ill intent, what she felt right now was hunger...

Gasp~ There are soup dumplings, and fried dough sticks too. Rhodes Island's breakfast is making me tear up.

There was no need to deliberately sense anything. From the way Kanna stared straight at the food, not only Amiya but even the people around her could tell exactly how she felt.

Amiya lightly nodded, signaling someone somewhere, before speaking.

"Eat first. Kanna looks like she can't wait anymore."

After receiving approval, Kanna stretched out her little hand toward the food before her.

Across from her, Amiya quickly finished her own breakfast. After signaling Outcast, she stood and headed outside.

As Rhodes Island's heir, Amiya had been assigned a great many things to learn by Kal'tsit. She had only waited here for Kanna because Kal'tsit suggested it. After all, as Rhodes Island's leader, a combatant with a "promising future" like Kanna would inevitably become her right-hand woman.

The sooner they met, the sooner they could form a bond.

For now, they were merely becoming familiar with each other's faces. Kal'tsit would later arrange time specifically for them to spend together and grow closer.

As Amiya left, Kanna demonstrated before everyone what it meant to eat anything she dared to take.

Not only did she finish all several dozen baskets of soup dumplings prepared for her, she also polished off an entire cart of freshly delivered fried dough sticks and half a bucket of soy milk.

Even after finishing, she still looked unsatisfied.

Fortunately, Kanna had self-control. Once she felt that this meal had increased her "electricity" by nearly three points, she stopped eating. Even so, this method of "gluttony" terrified the spectators nearby.

Chapter 12: Different Worldviews Naturally Mean Different Bodies

"To be honest, after watching that little one, I feel full."

An operator who had entered the cafeteria from outside, watched Kanna eat from beginning to end, and had not eaten a single grain of rice rubbed her stomach. She quietly complained to a colleague beside her while heading out.

"Who doesn't? Let's go together!"

The colleague beside her also shook her head and left the cafeteria with her.

Meanwhile, after finishing breakfast, Kanna was escorted by the Medical Department's operators toward the examination room.

Since Amiya had confirmed that Kanna posed no danger, Rhodes Island identification would be issued to Kanna after her physical examination, signifying that she had officially joined Rhodes Island.

By the time they reached the examination room, everyone was ready. Even a certain blood demon who had previously been hung from the bridge had been retrieved and was participating in Kanna's examination.

First, the physical measurements surprised everyone, because they entirely matched what a little girl should have. But just before this, Kanna had eaten food that, by weight, was nearly more than half her own body weight.

So where had all that weight gone after she ate it? Could Kanna herself weigh less than ten catties? That was obviously impossible.

The only explanation was that all the food had been digested by Kanna and converted into energy.

But less than half an hour had passed since she finished eating. Even if she had merely drunk water, digesting so much of it would not be accomplished in such a short time.

As head of hematology, Warfarin carefully drew some blood from Kanna's hand, then took a small piece of skin tissue before following Kal'tsit into the laboratory.

Kanna's report came out very quickly. Her blood Originium crystal density was 0.01u/L, and the fusion rate between her somatic cells and Originium was 0%. It was confirmed that Kanna showed no signs of Originium infection.

The next section stated that her blood contained an abnormal ion concentration of 50u/L.

Everyone was confused upon seeing that entry. How could normal blood contain such a huge quantity of ions, and why had it been specifically marked as abnormal?

Soon, Kal'tsit and Warfarin emerged together. From their astonished expressions, it was clear that even they had been surprised by Kanna's examination results.

In particular, while in the laboratory, the two had discovered that Kanna's cells possessed an extremely strong tendency to devour every substance containing energy. Under the microscope, they first dripped in sugar water and ketone agglutinate, both of which were swallowed by the blood cells and broken down into large quantities of "ions." They had initially based the report on that, but then Warfarin, driven by curiosity, dropped a single drop of Originium solution into the blood.

To their shock, that drop of Originium solution was also devoured and broken down by the blood cells, ultimately becoming clusters of dense ions.

After exchanging a glance, Kal'tsit spoke.

"Forget it. We didn't see anything."

They both understood what an upheaval releasing the report before them would cause. It might even become a new breakthrough in Originium treatment.

However, years of experience allowed Kal'tsit's rationality to prevail. Setting aside whether Rhodes Island could protect Kanna if that information spread, if her condition was a unique case or carried other dangers, Rhodes Island would become executioners who had killed an innocent child because of an incorrect conclusion.

Warfarin recovered from her shock and nodded. "It must be said that this little one's condition completely exceeds our imagination. I suggest that I personally handle all future blood testing."

Kal'tsit nodded. "No problem."

Chapter 13: Reporting Rhodes Island for Employing Underage Operators Under My Real Name

"Kanna's physical condition is extremely unusual. Her body contains a large amount of abnormal ions. You could say that she is essentially a humanoid battery.

"Warfarin and I suspect this is Kanna's Originium Arts. Her body can rapidly break down the food she consumes and convert it into large amounts of 'electricity.' This electricity fills her cells, so even when she uses Originium Arts, atmospheric Originium cannot enter her body because there is no room for it.

"This is also why she needs to eat so much food in order to maintain her bodily functions."

As they came out, the two had already agreed on their story. Compared to revealing that Kanna's body cells could break down Originium, it was far simpler to categorize this physical abnormality as a form of Originium Arts, and it would not draw excessive outside speculation or attention.

After all, there were many technologies on this land capable of actively isolating Originium. Compared to using Originium Arts to control Originium levels, scientists would be more interested in Aegirians, who were naturally immune to Originium contamination.

The doctors watching began discussing whether Kanna's method of controlling the Originium level in her body could be widely applied, but they concluded that it would be extremely difficult.

Not only would it require an exceptionally strong body, but it would also require an extremely high capacity for containing absorbed energy and powerful control. Otherwise, before the Originium could be expelled from the body, the person would become a walking bomb first.

Therefore, everyone cherished Kanna even more, seeing how lively she was despite all this.

"Before sending this little one to Lena, I suggest having her take the operator assessment."

Just as the physical examination was nearly finished, Warfarin spoke up unusually.

Everyone was surprised by Warfarin's words. Rhodes Island did have underage operators, and even Amiya, the main person in charge, was underage. But those cases were generally children with overly powerful Originium Arts who had been made operators so they could learn to control their "Arts," under the instruction and supervision of Elite Operators stationed on the island.

Warfarin pointed at the documents in her hand.

"The information provided by Outcast shows that they encountered Kanna in the wilderness, and there was a complete wild bear skeleton there at the time. Based on the intelligence we currently possess, we can determine that skeleton belonged to prey caught by Kanna.

"That means Kanna is capable of surviving alone in the wilderness and killing large beasts. So I don't believe we can regard Kanna as an ordinary child. Think about it—could any of us do better than Kanna with our bare hands in the wilderness?"

Kal'tsit nodded after hearing her. "I hadn't considered it thoroughly. Indeed, someone in Kanna's situation cannot simply be viewed as an ordinary child."

Hearing their words, Kanna raised her head and put her hands on her hips, striking a pose that said, I'm amazing. Hurry up and praise me.