Deviation

That's why Oute plugged the iron into a power source.

The cloak has several pockets inside and out. Before and after sewing the pockets on, an iron is used to smooth out any wrinkles in the parts.

Oute asked "casually," "Speaking of Chinese, isn't there a song in the Yan... something... 'Outside the Long Pavilion'..."

Ch'en had just read this to Wei Yenwu not long ago.

Embarrassingly, Wei Yenwu was unreliable. After reading it aloud in private, he went out for a walk and came back! By the time he officially left, Ch'en had already vented her emotions, and in front of everyone... so he simply didn't read it aloud again.

"That's a 'Farewell Song,' but it's not a song, it's a lyric," Ch'en replied. "It was written by a modern Yan poet, and because it's so well-written, it's become a popular lyric for farewells in recent years."

In the prototype of Earth, it's indeed difficult to determine whether the Farewell Song is a song or lyrics. If we consider it a lyric, then its title would probably be "Friendship Forever".

This problem doesn't seem to exist in Terra.

Oute steered the conversation again. "Parting... Superintendent Chen, when did you and Talulah separate?"

Talulah's expression was not good, but she still told the truth, "It was a moonlit night with a torrential downpour."

"Koschei arrived with a secret—he revealed how Wei Yenwu killed my father."

"As the former crown prince, Wei Yenwu became sworn brothers with the deposed royal family of Victoria, and even allowed me... our mother to marry my father."

"But when his secret was exposed, he facilitated my father's death."

The veins on Talulah's fist gradually became visible.

"After that, Wei Yenwu forced..." Talulah forced herself to shake her head, saying, "No, to protect my mother, he forced her to marry him..."

"My father," Ch'en said expressionlessly, "Or rather, my biological father."

Matchmaker Wei Yenwu, with two red strings, created three cups, resembling a tea table.

"Um..." Amiya said with difficulty, "The cloak seems to be almost finished being sewn..."

But actually, there's no need to use little rabbits to ease the tension.

Ch'en suddenly asked, "Wait, Talulah!"

Was it raining that day?

She exclaimed incredulously, "It was a sunny day!"

Ch'en suddenly realized something, and she quickly discovered another suspicious point. "Wait! Putting aside the fact that all of that happened during the day, it was very dark that night! There were no stars, and certainly no moon!"

She hesitated, then said, "Talulah, your...?"

Ch'en gently tapped her scalp with her long, thin index finger, which resembled a scallion root.

"By Koschei..."

Did you break it?

Fine beads of sweat made Talulah's forehead glisten, and a scrap of cloth was gently wiped on her brow.

Talulah unconsciously grasped Alina's hand, but it was a larger, warmer hand.

Seeing this ambiguous scene, Ch'en secretly made a mental note of it and glanced at Oute again.

Chapter 240 Deviation

Inside the warden's residence.

Talulah no longer looked haggard; on the contrary, she shone brightly under the lights.

The dragon girl extended her hand from her sleeve and stroked the cloak. A pair of "shackles" made of intertwined linen pretended to restrain her strong yet delicate wrists.

Talulah could feel the uneven texture of the fabric as she rubbed her thumb and forefinger together through it.

Beneath the delicate, intricate, yet tattered lace lies a rugged cloak. Just as a shrimp or crab's molting shell reveals a new, inevitably stronger one, its design is deliberately crude, yet perfectly captures its essence.

Since Koschei's beloved dress was already full of holes, disassembling it would only make it more fragile. It's likely that after a period of proper use, these exquisite materials would fall apart even further.

Stroking the stitches of the cloak, Talulah recalled Oute and Alina.

Ch'en inadvertently made Talulah truly and irresistibly aware of her problems. After realizing that Talulah's memory and psychology were not quite normal and could not be ignored, with Alina's concern, Oute offered a miraculous solution:

There is a private prison on Rhodes Island.

Although there are no prisoners at present, there is also a lack of a warden.

If Talulah is willing to spend her own money to capture herself and serve as a part-time warden while still a prisoner, then Rhodes Island will do everything in its power to ensure that Talulah does not pose a threat to society.

Leaving aside why a pharmaceutical company would have a prison, let's just examine Oute's statement—it sounds outrageous at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it's even more outrageous.

But Talulah believes...

Oute is truly a good person who refuses to admit he's a good person.

That's not surprising.

The dragon girl's slender fingers continued to trace the seams of the cloak, savoring the gift from the dead.

Once someone is deemed a good person, they can be easily manipulated by politicians like Wei Yenwu. Even ordinary bullies dare to threaten Rhodes Island with the lives of passersby.

In the most outrageous scenario, someone might plot to kill Rhodes Island operator to draw Rhodes Island's Rhodes Island and force them to prioritize disaster relief efforts in certain areas.

Regardless of what arguments this ridiculously stubborn person came up with, this subtle solution essentially used money as an excuse to take responsibility for me.

Talulah accepted the offer and decided to stay on Rhodes Island for a longer period of time.

Although the Reunion Movement's executives have disappeared, another founder remains active at Number Fourteen Facility — Bohdrokasthim.

Even though the reconstruction of Number Fourteen Facility has taken a long time, the Reunion Movement is not yet completely falling apart.

Dark thoughts surged again:

It would be more accurate to say it's fallen apart.

"Integration" is a concept, and concepts are hard to kill.

Especially if the Reunion Movement successfully takes over a Mobile City, these scattered members will act like sparks, spreading the Reunion Movement's ideals throughout the land!

The repeated Catastrophe only made my failures more...

No! Talulah!

The dragon girl closed her eyes.

"Miss Talulah, your blood pressure is abnormally high."

The ring-shaped "infection monitoring device" locked to the tail serves as a reminder.

"PRTS, thank you." She sighed.

"Your mood is very low, which may be jeopardizing your mental health. Should we call Doctor. Oute or another medical professional?"

Okay, I admit, it's not entirely a good thing either.

This shipboard AI is sometimes too sensitive!

Due to the previous "voice assistant" incident, Talulah harbors a biased dissatisfaction with PRTS's autonomous actions.

But wow, that's brave! Daring to speak disrespectfully to PRTS on Rhodes Island? Luckily, Oute didn't activate the defense system.

Medical Department.

"... Thank you so much, Folinic!" Eyjafjalla composed herself and handed Folinic the cake she had bought on her way to Lungmen.

"I would refuse any other kind of thank-you gift!" The cat's disciple glanced around furtively before cutting the cake in half.

"If I eat some too, then this won't count as a thank you..."

"Everyone who sees it gets a share!"

The two enjoyed their desserts while chatting.

"... Eyjafjalla, you're really perceptive in this area!" Maki- Folinic narrowed her eyes, enjoying the rare moment.

"I was shocked when I carefully filed the documents!" Eyjafjalla declined to elaborate.

"Even though another Catastrophe struck, most people's infection levels haven't worsened," Folinic asked. "This is completely different from what I know. Do you have any clues?"

The astute Caprinae had already suspected something—or rather, Oute hadn't been hiding anything too much. As an individual on the front lines, she was even more able to sense the peculiar nature of this strange "Catastrophe."

"Perhaps this is just... a natural phenomenon."

Folinic thought Eyjafjalla was joking, "Haha!"

"It's so uncomfortable to groom my hair every day, but if I don't, it might get moldy!" Folinic said with a wry smile, "At least the dehumidification in Rhodes Island's work and living areas is pretty good."

"Hey, tell me, Eyjafjalla! What's the relationship between Catastrophe and infections?"

Even a high-achieving student like Aya is completely clueless when it comes to things beyond her professional field. Perhaps this is because Kal'tsit has given Folinic too much responsibility?

"Most people might think that the formation of large amounts of Originium crystals during Catastrophe makes it easy for people to accidentally touch wounds, leading to infection and worsening of the infection."

"The relationship between Catastrophe and Originium Infection is not that simple."

Eyjafjalla's eyes were ethereal.

"Regarding infection, the mainstream academic view at present is the 'Active Originium theory'."

"Statistics were compiled on the Originium Infection status at various Active Originium, and the final results showed a very high correlation between the two."

"As for statistics on infections caused by other Originium exposures, the final results often show very low correlation."

"In other words, not all Originium or all parts of Originium can cause Originium Infection. Generally, only Active Originium will create or worsen the infection."

"A small Catastrophe can release far more Active Originium into the environment than a small Originium factory in Laterano can in a year."

Conversely, if a "Catastrophe" did not release so many Active Originium, then the number and severity of the infected would not change much.

But does such a "Catastrophe" truly qualify as Catastrophe?

Having obtained crucial information from the Medical Department, Eyjafjalla bid farewell to Folinic.

The little lamb turned around and went straight to Kal'tsit's office.