The young Sarkaz woman smiled and pointed to one corner of the city. "I think Geller Patisserie is pretty good, and there's an inn right next door. Since you've just arrived in Scone Town, you can check into the inn first, take a nice hot bath to wash away the fatigue of the journey, then head to Geller Patisserie for a perfect dessert."
"Thank you!"
After rolling down the window, Kal'tsit nodded politely to the young Sarkaz woman in thanks.
"You're welcome. May your journey be smooth and safe."
It was obvious that the Sarkaz girl had been in quite a good mood while chatting.
Following the young Sarkaz woman's directions, they quickly found the inn she had mentioned.
To Kal'tsit's utter exasperation, Kanna spent a sweet evening eating nearly half the patisserie's stock. Fortunately, Kanna's physique was strong enough that she did not need to worry about cavities from eating too many sweets. Otherwise, with the way she ate, ten out of ten people would have gotten cavities.
The next day, Kal'tsit successfully obtained a pass to Laterano through an application at the local church.
Since it was already afternoon, they decided to rest for another day before leaving.
Standing on a stool, Kanna looked at the Sarkaz people constantly passing outside with some confusion.
"Didn't they say this was Siracusa territory? Why are there so many Sarkaz? I thought we'd already reached Laterano. Doesn't the 'Godfather' here do anything about it?"
Kal'tsit was actually somewhat puzzled by this as well. She had noticed it at the church that day: the concentration of Laterano here was a little too high. Compared to Siracusa, this place seemed more like Laterano territory.
But just as she had told Kanna, they were merely passersby. Since the residents of this small town had no objections to the current situation, it was hardly their place to worry about whom the town belonged to.
Fortunately, the inn attendant answered their questions when he brought them dinner.
It turned out that when the current "Godfather" took office, he had not been the strongest among the candidates. Although the previous "Godfather" had personally designated him as his successor before his death, he could not subdue the other heirs.
Left with no choice, he made a deal with Laterano's international envoy, who had come to mourn the previous Godfather. In exchange for allowing Laterano officials to send personnel to preach here, he gained Laterano's support and secured his position as the "Godfather" of this place.
Since Scone Town was Siracusa territory, Laterano had only sent a large number of missionaries rather than armed forces. Religious faith in the town had suddenly become extremely prominent, but it had not provoked resistance from Siracusa's authorities.
In the attendant's words, they actually welcomed the Laterano people. Though the sudden appearance of those glaring "light bulbs" often startled them in the middle of the night, the Laterano people were very law-abiding. They were nothing like those "Family" members, who would grab whatever was nearby and start fighting whenever two sentences failed to settle things.
After hearing him out, Kal'tsit and Kanna looked at each other. Well, this was practically a textbook case of letting the wolf into the house.
If anything happened here, this "Godfather" would surely bear the infamy of being a Siracusan traitor for the rest of his life.
Luckily, the Laterano people did not seem to have any ambitions at present. They simply wanted to open a foothold for missionary work here. Otherwise, this place would have long become the fuse and battlefield for a war between the two countries.
Kal'tsit understood now. No wonder she had seen Sarkaz and Liberi everywhere on the way to apply for the pass. This place had practically already been "hollowed out" by Laterano.
Early the next morning, Kal'tsit drove Kanna successfully into Laterano territory.
Compared to the desolation outside, entering Laterano was like arriving in paradise. Kal'tsit spoke as well.
"For now, Laterano's Infected are undoubtedly quite fortunate. They are merely forbidden from entering the various cities and territories, but because the land here is suitable, as long as there are enough people, they can establish small settlements in the wilderness that are perfectly livable. Laterano's tax burden is also very light, and its oppression of the Infected is minimal. It is only extremely strict about entry, or countless Infected would have settled here long ago."
Following Kal'tsit's guidance, Kanna saw people diligently cultivating the wasteland. The Originium Particles occasionally exposed on their skin made it clear that these were Infected residents.
Chapter 98: A Place Unloved by the Young Dragon
Compared to the Infected outside, whose faces were filled with sorrow and worries over survival, these people, with smiles and hope on their faces, were undoubtedly living in heaven.
After entering Laterano, Kanna also roughly understood why Kal'tsit had said the Infected outside could not get in.
Since Kanna and her group did not have searchlights on their heads, they faced constant inspections from the moment they entered Laterano. Because Kal'tsit was Infected, they were refused entry by every city along the way.
Fortunately, they were merely passing through Laterano. Even if they could not enter cities meant for the uninfected, they could still obtain sufficient supplies at Infected settlements outside, so it was not much of a difficulty for the two of them.
Still, Laterano's lax exterior and tight internal policies made Kanna feel uncomfortable. Laterano truly was a good place, but its unconditional preferential treatment was reserved only for the Sarkaz with halos over their heads. Everyone else was always just a little worse off. Even though the Laterano garrison troops they encountered along the way did not look down on Kal'tsit for being Infected, Kanna still did not care for the place.
"What's wrong?" Kal'tsit found it strange that Kanna had been somewhat listless ever since entering Laterano. After all, Kanna's body made it impossible for her to catch a cold. She had been so energetic in Siracusa, so why had she become so downcast after arriving in the more pleasant Laterano?
"Nothing. Before coming here, I thought I would like this place, but after arriving, I found reality was not the same as I imagined. I don't like this country. I don't know why, so let's leave quickly!"
Rubbing her horns, Kanna took a deep breath and drove away the irritation in her heart. Rarely, she urged Kal'tsit onward.
Kal'tsit was slightly stunned upon hearing Kanna's words, then stepped on the accelerator. "Whether you like it or not, it will still take us at least a week to cross Laterano's borders. If you're uncomfortable, go sleep in the back of the car!"
"Fine!" Kanna climbed from the front seat to the back, curled up on the cushion, and quickly fell asleep.
Kal'tsit, driving in front, thoughtfully looked toward the Laterano capital. Silently, she changed their previous plan of crossing through the middle of Laterano and instead took a longer route around the side toward their intended destination.
Over the next few days, Kanna did exactly as she had said, eating and sleeping all day as if she intended to sleep her fill for a lifetime. Kal'tsit could not help but drive a little faster.
Finally, nearly a week later, the vehicle reached the border between Laterano and Iberia.
After entering the city, they saw a Liberi in a Rhodes Island uniform standing by the roadside and looking around for something.
Kal'tsit drove over and rolled down the window.
The person became extremely excited upon seeing Kal'tsit in the car and hurried over. "Hello, Doctor Kal'tsit. Operator Luosha reporting to you."
Kal'tsit nodded. "Hello, Luosha. I'm Kal'tsit. Let's keep this brief. Have the documents we need to enter Iberia been prepared?"
Luosha nodded. "They've been prepared, but there probably isn't enough time today. If you don't mind, you can rest here for the night and go to the border administration office tomorrow morning to get your travel authorization."
Kal'tsit nodded. "Then I'll trouble you."
Luosha was visibly delighted by Kal'tsit's words. "It is the honor of all field operators to serve Doctor Kal'tsit. Your accommodations have already been prepared."
"Kanna! Wake up. We're resting here for the day, then leaving Laterano tomorrow."
Only after hearing Kal'tsit did Kanna sleepily rub her eyes and poke her head out of the car.
Seeing the operator in the Rhodes Island uniform standing nearby, Kanna waved at him friendly. "Hello, I'm Kanna!"
"Hello, Kanna. I'm Luosha, the field operator responsible for this area!" Upon seeing Kanna, Luosha first shot Kal'tsit a very surprised glance. Only after realizing that a Feline could not possibly have given birth to a Vayvan did he nervously shift his attention to Kanna and greet her with a smile.
Kanna naturally saw that little sequence of movements very clearly. But thinking that laughing would most likely earn her some payback from Kal'tsit, she held it in.
Under Luosha's lead, they drove the car beside a house and went inside.
"This style is very Rhodes Island!" After entering, Kanna looked around at the furnishings and found them strangely familiar. After thinking about it, she realized it was the same decorative style often used on Rhodes Island and could not help praising it.
"That's right. It has been three years since I left Rhodes Island to come here, but I still remember what every part of Rhodes Island looked like." Luosha nodded proudly.
"I remember you submitted an application to return?" After setting down her backpack, Kal'tsit looked at Luosha and asked.
"Yes. It's a little embarrassing to say, but I've worked hard here in Laterano for three years and still haven't achieved much. The people here are too stubborn. Even among the Infected, few are willing to deal with us. As for the Sarkaz, most of them choose to leave Laterano after becoming Infected."
Luosha could not help sighing as he said this.
Kal'tsit nodded after hearing him. "I understand Laterano's situation fairly well. When you came here three years ago, I actually thought you would quickly be defeated by the reality here and return to the island. I did not expect you to persist for so long before making this choice. But it's not too late now. After Kanna and I leave, withdraw from here and report back to Rhodes Island. It would be a pity to waste your talents here."
Luosha's eyes brimmed with tears. "Thank you, Doctor Kal'tsit. I'll work hard after I return."
While the two were talking, the sound of a melodious violin came from nearby. They followed the sound and discovered Kanna holding a violin against her chest like a cello, gently drawing the bow across its strings.
When the piece ended, Luosha clapped. "That was a very beautiful performance. Although the technique was somewhat unpracticed, it was undoubtedly an exceptionally perfect piece. May I have the honor of knowing what it is called?"
"Speak Softly, Love." Kanna picked up the violin and put it back in its case.
"Hehe, sorry. I learned violin from Amiya for a few days before, and when I saw there was one here, I couldn't help getting a little itchy."
"Speak Softly, Love. The name is as beautiful as the piece. When I was at Rhodes Island, I had some exchanges with Amiya regarding the violin. She is a very gifted child." Luosha looked even happier upon hearing Kanna mention Amiya. He slapped his forehead, ducked into the room, and brought out a large cake.
"When Rhodes Island sent word earlier, I was a little surprised because the letter said it would be best to prepare a sufficiently large dessert when you arrived. I estimated your itinerary and have been preparing one every day these past few days. Come and try it. This cake was made today."
Chapter 99: An Old Man of Iberia
"Wow, can you finish such a huge one by yourself every day?" Kanna was very pleased when she saw the cake being brought out. This person was good. Worth getting to know.
"Don't underestimate Laterano people's love for desserts. Of course, whenever I confirmed in the evening that you would not be arriving, I would divide the cake among the children nearby." Luosha smiled as he took out a plate and handed it to Kanna.
"You've gone to a lot of expense!" Kal'tsit did not take the plate. She merely nodded and sat to one side.
"Um, Luosha, are you going to eat?" Kanna pointed at the cake before her and asked Luosha.
Luosha waved his hand upon hearing her. "I've eaten quite a lot these past few days. You eat it yourself..."
Once Luosha finished speaking, Kanna narrowed her eyes and her hands whipped up a gust of wind. In less than a minute, before Luosha's stunned eyes, she stuffed the entire cake—enough for seven or eight adults—into her mouth.
After smacking her lips, Kanna gave Luosha, whose eyes were nearly popping out, a thumbs-up. "The cake was good. Kanna liked it."
"Th-this... Doctor Kal'tsit, this..." Luosha was so shocked by Kanna's terrifying appetite that he could barely speak coherently.
"Don't worry. Kanna's digestion is very strong. At Rhodes Island, she is the kitchen's number one hazard." Kal'tsit pinched the bridge of her nose and helplessly reassured Luosha, who was nearly at a loss for words.
"Hahaha, I never expected that in the three years since I left, Rhodes Island would get such an interesting little one." It took Luosha quite a while to accept reality as he stared at the empty plate. Since even the usually stern Kal'tsit described her that way, he could imagine what the kitchen must have been like every time Kanna went to eat at Rhodes Island.
Thus, the next morning, Luosha took a stack of documents and led Kal'tsit to the entry and exit administration office to complete the registration, then watched the two leave Laterano.
The vehicle quickly entered their destination, Iberia.
But unlike Siracusa, dominated by Families, or Laterano, loose on the outside and strict within, Iberia was another matter entirely.
Kanna's first impression after entering was silence.
Iberia, with its broad coastline, had suffered devastating losses during the Great Silence that had nearly caused the nation to collapse. With the Abyssal Church—a cult founded within Iberia by the Sea Creatures and their worshippers—causing trouble everywhere afterward, Iberia had faded from the mainstream view of the continent.
As the vehicle passed down the road, the Iberians on either side merely watched in silence. They neither greeted them nor rejected them, as silent as the very term Great Silence.
But Kanna was curious about one thing. In Siracusa, Kal'tsit had specifically concealed herself to avoid being seen as Infected. In Laterano, after openly acknowledging that she was Infected, she could only remain in the wilderness, staying for one night in a "village" near the border crossing just before leaving. Yet after arriving in Iberia, Kal'tsit openly drove into the city without concealing her status as an Infected person.
"Iberia is different from other countries. There is no discrimination against the Infected here, but because cults have proliferated, this is not a suitable place for most people to live. Coupled with Iberia's increasingly restrictive religious rule, the once-glorious golden land has become what it is today."
It was clear that when Kal'tsit spoke of Iberia, she felt more remembrance and regret—regret for how things had changed.
Just as Kal'tsit was eating with Kanna at a small restaurant in the city, the front door opened and a handsome old man walked in from outside.
When they saw the old man, everyone in the restaurant, including the owner, became extremely tense. But the old man merely pointed toward Kal'tsit's table and said, "Bring me the house specialty."
With that, he sat across from Kal'tsit.
Kanna glanced up at him before lowering her head again to battle the ten-person meal in front of her. Kal'tsit showed no alarm or other reaction upon seeing him and calmly continued enjoying her food.
By the time the owner brought the old man's meal, Kal'tsit had just finished eating.
"Would you mind waiting for me?" the old man asked.
Kal'tsit said nothing. She simply sat there quietly, her gaze seeming to indicate that he should begin.
After offering an apology, the old man began working on the food before him.
"Kal'tsit, there are so many handsome older men at Rhodes Island, but I've never seen you look at one this intently. Is this your type?" Just as the atmosphere was gradually becoming heavy, Kanna suddenly spoke.
The old man was clearly caught off guard by her words. Startled, he failed to notice and choked himself.
"Cough, cough, cough! Sorry, I did not expect Kal'tsit to bring such an interesting little one to Iberia." After taking a drink of the water Kal'tsit handed to him, the old man finally recovered somewhat.
"Double your study time tonight!" Kal'tsit first delivered her vicious sentence to Kanna before continuing.
"My apologies. The little one does not know better. I hope Your Excellency the Saint and your friends will be understanding."
The old man whom Kal'tsit called "Saint" glanced at the people standing at the door, who had already drawn their weapons because of Kanna's remark, and frowned slightly. "She is only a child. Children speak without thinking. Was there really any need for you to draw your swords?"
"Our apologies, Your Excellency!" After being reprimanded, the group apologized while returning their weapons to their sheaths.
"Kal'tsit, these Iberians are as boring as fossils..." Kanna had naturally noticed their actions as well. They had drawn weapons in front of her over a single sentence. Did they really think she had no temper? Kanna could not help making another sarcastic remark.
"Shut up. Say one more word, and your studies tonight will be doubled again." To keep Kanna's sharp tongue from causing some inexplicable trouble, Kal'tsit suppressed her resistance without hesitation.
Kanna was very angry about this. She pulled over the owner beside her, pointed at the most expensive dish, rubbed her fingers together, then held up all ten fingers before him.
"Um... little one, do you mean ten portions of this dish?" The owner's legs were trembling slightly, but his mind still worked. Although Kanna had not said a word, he understood what she meant.
After speaking, he looked to Kal'tsit.
"Bring her ten portions." Kal'tsit took out a stack of money from her bag.
"Since you've come to Iberia, Kal'tsit, how could I let you pay? This meal is on me. Shopkeeper, feel free to serve the food. Send the bill to the church afterward, and you will not be short a single coin." The old man stopped Kal'tsit from handing over the money.
Only after the old man spoke did the owner nod repeatedly and retreat into the kitchen.
"May I ask what brings you to Iberia this time, Lady Kal'tsit? And with such an interesting little one, no less?" the old man asked elegantly between bites.
Chapter 100 Celebration: Let's Try Opening a Bounty Event
The event will run from midnight tomorrow until twenty-four hundred hours.
Let's be clear first... this is just for good luck, so I set the goals a little high to avoid having too much to write. Personally, I think it will be at most ten chapters. If I work hard, I can finish paying it off in a week easily????
One extra chapter for every 66 monthly tickets.
One extra chapter for every 88 blades. (Because if there are too many of these and I can't finish, I'll be in serious trouble.)
One extra chapter for every 5,000 in tips. Recommendation votes don't count. After all, I'm a big newbie with over two thousand daily subscriptions. Playing with that would kill me _(oωo "∠)_
It's tomorrow... today doesn't count, okay? (dog head + smug face, running away)
Before you continue