You Deserved It, I Deserved It, We All Deserved It! / "The Backup"

"Mr. Wei, the refugees in Chernobog need it more, and they still need it now." Amiya shook her head.

"Doing business this way will result in losses."

"If this can still make money, then one plus one should equal three or four."

"Hahaha! Doctor. Oute, you really know how to joke."

Knock knock knock.

"Wei Gong."

Outside the door, an aged voice said, "The princess couldn't stop the madam; she's already here."

"Understood." Wei Yenwu froze, hurriedly signed both documents, and then said goodbye, "Superintendent Chen will help you."

Before leaving, Wei Yenwu finally couldn't hold back and asked the question, the one that was practically the source of all his recent problems (in his view): "About Edward, about your father... you didn't come to kill me?"

Chapter 224 You deserve it, I deserve it, we all deserve it!

"I came here because Chernobog is the easiest city to take," Talulah replied. "As for my father? I hated you to the core because of him, and that's why I went astray."

This refers to the fact that she was abducted by Koschei.

"He wasn't that weak. If he hadn't wanted to, your battle would have been incredibly fierce—so fierce that you couldn't have kept his death a secret for ten years."

Talulah wasn't completely indifferent, nor could she be entirely at peace with it, but... there were more important things to do right now.

Faced with Talulah's attitude, Wei Yenwu felt relieved.

Hate me if you want.

I deserve it.

He pushed open the door and bid farewell. "Next, I will be visiting Saint Petersburg as an envoy. All matters, large and small, at Lungmen are entrusted to Superintendent Chen Ch'en."

Before leaving, he looked into Talulah's eyes, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

He hastily left out this half-finished sentence.

The instant Wei Yenwu's figure disappeared from sight, through Specter's eyes, Oute saw a dark corner of clothing.

That was clearly the special force directly under Wei Yenwu, the "old imperial guards" who followed Wei Yenwu to Lungmen. Obviously, with Ch'en serving as the "acting governor of Lungmen," this force did not follow the administration of Lungmen.

"Wei Yenwu just hinted that as long as you say it's supplies requested by Rhodes Island, he'll give them to you directly," Oute casually asked. "But you emphasized giving them to Patriot —was that intentional?"

Talulah did not answer directly, "Rhodes Island has helped me a lot, and I cannot implicate you in this military supplies trade that involves interference in the internal affairs of other countries."

So you're going to forcefully puncture Wei Yenwu's lungs? You insist he give it to you?

Oute raised an eyebrow.

Oh, right, he deserved it.

Oute looked at Amiya and explained, "In any case, Lungmen is still in a state of preparedness."

The little rabbit immediately realized, "Although Mr. Wei is preparing to go to Saint Petersburg to handle this matter diplomatically, Lungmen is still under military control due to the fact that the Yan has already mobilized its troops!"

Talulah smiled as she looked at the indifferent "Liberi".

His thin lips curved slightly. "That's right, Lungmen is under military control, and will remain so for a long time. Under these circumstances, let alone military supplies, even our regular supplies cannot be easily sold."

The bizarre and fantastical the Interstice and the powerful mental protective magic used when facing the Imperial Guards both demonstrate the Doctor's extensive knowledge in non-medical fields.

However, what Talulah most was his management skills.

We haven't yet witnessed Doctor's Oute -level strategic planning abilities, but his performance in logistics and tactical command is truly enviable.

Talulah herself is also a leader of a faction.

However, when it came to planning and preparing supplies on the snowfield, she was far less adept than Oute. When it came to tactical command, Talulah was quite self-aware: most of the time, she was merely relying on herself as the spearhead to break through the enemy lines first.

Her defeat was not solely due to the Black Snake's magic.

"... Thank you so much... Talulah for your help."

Upon hearing her name, the dragon girl snapped out of her daze, looking somewhat bewildered.

"What? Sorry, I was daydreaming."

Kal'tsit frowned. "Do you need to check again?"

"No!" Talulah was startled herself, then she explained, "It's probably because the Black Snake still has some lingering influence, making it easier to lose focus."

Amiya quietly tugged at Oute's sleeve and shook her head.

After a moment's thought, Oute put the "Medic's Pendant" on the little rabbit, establishing a spiritual connection.

[What did you notice?]

[Huh!?] Amiya was a little surprised, [Doc Otter!? Can this be used like that!?]

Her surprise was obvious, but Talulah didn't even notice.

[Considering the form of Koschei's Originium Arts, there should still be quite a few Black Snake alive.] Amiya explained, [but the one in Talulah's own mind has completely disappeared!]

Her emotions are very complicated right now.

[When the 'residual influence of the Black Snake's was mentioned, she was very shaken and didn't even believe it herself.]

Oute head.

Talulah's current mental state is very unhealthy—or rather, it would be a miracle if she were healthy.

While bravely taking on the mess left by the Black Snake, she also intentionally or unintentionally ignored the workings of the Black Snake's Originium Arts. When a thought of "extreme evil" suddenly arose in her mind, she subconsciously attributed it to "the residual influence of the Black Snake."

When Rhodes Island offered to re-examine her, she vaguely realized that the influence of the Black Snake was indeed gone.

[Previously, when Miss Talulah first woke up, she was secretly pleased about the possibility of war (Chapter 206). But her secret pleasure quickly turned into fear and self-loathing.]

Before receiving the results from a professional, she could still deceive herself, but if she actually underwent some tests... how would she cope with the surging "evil" within herself?

Sure enough, we need to find an opportunity to deal with it a little.

"Regardless of the doctor's considerations, whether or not to accept medical treatment and examinations always depends on the patient and their family," Kal'tsit said.

"..." Talulah slightly, then quickly changed the subject, asking, "How is Patriot's recovery going?"

Bringing up this issue at this time...

Why didn't you ask when we were on this ship?

This topic wasn't shifted very well, but it's definitely worth discussing.

"The artificial organs from Bohdrokasthim are expected to have a lifespan of five years," Kal'tsit said.

"The Black Snake has been dealt with; there's no longer any need to maintain his current state of having both artificial and crystalline organs." Oute, ever outspoken, added, "Considering that Bohdrokasthim still harbors the intention to kill Talulah, extending his recovery time under the pretext of organ replacement might be more appropriate."

This strategy was initially adopted to ensure a sufficient hand of cards when facing a fully unleashed Black Snake. However, Black Snake itself created a "Spatial Pincer Offensive," transforming from a powerful and terrifying Draco Warlock into two Draco sleepwalking between the Interstice and reality.

Talulah stunned.

No, that's not necessary.

She expressed a thought remarkably similar to Wei Yenwu's: I deserve it.

It seems that Talulah has simply given up on actively seeking death.

Kal'tsit replied, "On this matter, you are not the patient."

She glared at Oute and repeated what she had just told Talulah: "Regardless of the doctor's considerations, whether or not to accept medical treatment and examinations ultimately depends on the patient and their family!"

Oute deserved to be glared at.

Chapter 225 "Backup Plan"

Knock knock.

The noise outside the door interrupted the conversation inside.

"Doctor! Miss Swire... needs to speak with you," the office clerk said.

Specter quietly took out a coffee pot from a nearby cabinet, his movements practiced and efficient.

The silent nun astutely noticed the keyword "Miss Swire" rather than "Operator Swire".

Talulah seemed to have found another opportunity to change the subject. She stood up and said to Oute and the other two, "I won't bother you any longer."

Watching the dragon girl's fleeing figure, Oute felt that she bore a striking resemblance to Wei Yenwu.

I'm afraid I'll have to watch Ch'en again...

He called a halt, saying, "Miss Talulah, this is no different from what just happened. You'd better stay."

Seeing the Dragon Girl's confused look, Oute explained, "Governor Wei's initiative to visit exceeded my expectations."

Oute originally planned to visit Ch'en and Wei Yenwu when they were both present. This way, he could satisfy his perverse tastes and use his two nieces to pressure Wei Yenwu into quickly agreeing to some reasonable requests—otherwise, this political animal would definitely try to manipulate Rhodes Island.

Before making his visit to Wei Yenwu... Oute also met with Beatrix Swire, the unofficial leader of the Swire Family after the "martial law" was declared.

"Not bad coffee!" The little tiger tossed two sugar cubes into the coffee cup, closed his eyes, sniffed it, and said mercilessly, "Last time you were here, you used two different kinds of tea leaves at the same time, and the flavors were all mixed up!"

Swire was referring to her and Jie's "interview" experience.

At the time, Oute prepared decent tea for the two "guests," but for himself, he only had a lot of broken tea leaves...

"We talked in the office last time," Oute retorted.

"Hmph! That kind of thing doesn't matter at all!" The little tiger crossed its arms and snorted twice.

Noticing Talulah, she politely asked, "By the way, how should I address this lady?"

"Talulah, just call me Talulah. I'm just listening in."

"I am Beatrix, Senior Superintendent of the Lungmen Special Inspectorate!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Swire looked at Oute, eager to speak, and said, "Hurry up and state Rhodes Island's demands! Are you short of manpower? Or short of money? It would be such a waste to bankrupt you!"

Amiya said awkwardly, "Although Rhodes Island's cash flow is a bit tight right now, it's far from being on the verge of bankruptcy..."