Consultant Suika

Matt and George made nearly a hundred phone calls and exchanged dozens of text messages together.

I quickly glanced through the text messages; they were all asking if she was safe, and telling her how the people of Rim Billiton avoided inescapable Catastrophe —by drilling holes.

Both of them told her about the entrances to the caves dug by the Rim Billiton in this area.

Although they were all strangers who met by chance, their sincerity and kindness made Suika quite happy.

I made a phone call and contacted the two people, briefly letting them know I was safe.

The two, who had been unable to receive any news from Suika, breathed a sigh of relief after learning that Suika was alright.

They were all discussing sending people to investigate, hoping to find any trace of Suika.

After making the call, Suika sent George a copy of the data and photos of the Catastrophe from her phone, and asked him to make a copy and send it to the Rhodes Island office in Steel Carrot City so that it could be handed over to the Rhodes Island main ship.

George was almost dumbfounded after just one glance at the information he received.

The data is so detailed it's as if it were collected by people right in the heart of the Catastrophe... After seeing the photos—well, it really was collected in the heart of the Catastrophe.

He also knew the value of this information.

In the past, there have been instances where Catastrophe Messenger attempted to venture into the midst of Catastrophe to gather information.

But Catastrophe are Catastrophe because, no matter how advanced technology has become over the past thousands of years, it has not been able to withstand their terrifying destructiveness.

These Catastrophe Messenger either perished in the Catastrophe themselves or managed to bring back incomplete data.

This is a truly unique set of atmospheric data records, complete from the beginning to the end of Catastrophe Suika disaster, complete with photographs.

After George told Matt about it, Matt immediately offered to drive.

After backing up the data, Matt drove George to Steel Carrot City and handed the important data to the operator, Rag Doll.

Although Rag Doll was just a doctor, he understood the importance of this data and contacted Misry, who was also at Rim Billiton.

Upon learning of this, the other party arranged for an operator to escort the document to Rhodes Island.

This data has had an impact on Rhodes Island's research on Catastrophe no less significant than the infamous bombardment Catastrophe in history.

Of course, that will happen several days later.

After finishing these tasks, Suika finally arrived at a small town around noon by walking along the main road.

The town is about 30 kilometers away from the Catastrophe.

The town was almost deserted due to the Catastrophe.

Only a small number of people were seen walking on the streets wearing gas masks.

They became very wary upon seeing Suika.

"Who are you, and why are you coming from the direction of the Catastrophe?"

A man who looked like a security guard stopped Suika, who was looking around the town with curiosity and regret.

Suika pointed to her armband.

"I am a Catastrophe Messenger. I just finished observing the Catastrophe in the north, and as I was heading south, I happened to see a town here, so I thought I'd stop by to resupply."

These kinds of small towns are very common in Rim Billiton.

Moreover, almost every town in the area shares the same surname, much like places like Wang Family and Lijia Ferry in the Great Yan.

The majority of people here live on the earth, not on Mobile Block.

Upon hearing Suika's self-introduction, Suika noticed a surprised expression on the other person's face behind their gas mask.

Clearly, what the other party cared about was that, as a Catastrophe Messenger, his protection after the Catastrophe was inferior to that of an ordinary person.

"Actually, you can take this thing off your face."

After all, the town was not affected by this Catastrophe; although the concentration of Originium increased slightly, it was still within a safe range.

Suika pointed to the mask on his face, then took out a portable detector. The detector showed that the current reading was still within the green safe range.

They haven't even reached the yellow warning line, let alone the red danger line.

Upon hearing Suika's words, the man paused for a moment, but then decided to trust the judgment of a Catastrophe Messenger.

He took off his mask and let out a long breath.

"Ugh, I'm suffocating... This thing is so uncomfortable to wear on my face."

After venting his anger, the man reached out his hand to Suika.

"I am John, the local sheriff. It's a pleasure to have you here, esteemed Miss Catastrophe Messenger."

"I'm glad you accepted my suggestion, Sheriff."

After Suika lightly shook hands with the other person, she looked north and asked with lingering fear.

"I thought the people left behind in our town were the closest to the Catastrophe, but I didn't expect you, Miss Catastrophe Messenger, to be even bolder than us."

"No need to be so polite, just call me Suika."

Suika introduced herself first, and then continued.

"I remember George issued the Catastrophe warning a day in advance, so you should have had enough time to evacuate."

Besides, it's not harvest season now, so the impact of the evacuation shouldn't be that significant.

John sighed upon hearing Suika's words.

"Indeed, we received a Catastrophe warning from the north the night before last."

However, upon learning that it was a minor Catastrophe, many people were unwilling to leave, saying that they would rather stay underground as is the traditional method.

As the sheriff, with so many people remaining here, I naturally can't leave either.

Fortunately, the Catastrophe didn't happen to us. Everyone will be able to continue their lives after we return."

Speaking of this person, he smiled optimistically.

Even Suika had to admire the audacity of the Rim Billiton people.

Perhaps they've become accustomed to living alongside Catastrophe and Originium. People from other countries would have already taken their families and gone as far as they could.

During the conversation, those around John noticed that he had taken off his mask. After asking why, they learned that the environment was safe, so they all took off their masks as well.

Chapter 503 Consulting Master Suika

After hearing that Suika was Catastrophe Messenger, they inquired about the situation in the north.

After Suika confirmed that the Catastrophe was over, everyone showed expressions of relief, as if it were finally over.

However, Suika still reminded them that it would be best not to go north for at least six months.

Unless there is a notification that it is safe, it is advisable to choose an alternate route.

After all, under normal Catastrophe, Originium that has been affected by Catastrophe will remain active for a long period of time.

During this period, the Originium is like a firecracker that is lit, burns out the fuse, and then suddenly goes out.

No one can guarantee that it won't explode before it's blown up.

Suika dares to dance on the edge of a knife because she has the skill to do so, but ordinary people should probably give up.

After confirming that it was safe, someone went to the underground passage to call those who had been transferred down to the surface back to the surface, while Sheriff John led Suika to the front of a restaurant, opened the door, and went straight inside.

"Our master hasn't returned yet; Taihe for us to go in like this..."

Suika, standing at the door, complained.

Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention.

This restaurant belongs to my dad. He and my mom are still underground, but don't worry, I'm a pretty good cook. I haven't finished taking everything from upstairs yet, so I'll make you something to tide you over.

"Once everyone comes up and brings all the food back, we can eat something delicious."

After Suika finished speaking, she saw him skillfully open the refrigerator, take out two eggs, a bottle of milk, and a white bread, and walk to the electric oven not far away.

"Wow, this is an electric oven!"

Suika raised an eyebrow. This thing wasn't exactly advanced, but apart from Columbia, most buyers were families, and very few shops would choose to use it.

After all, chefs believe their skills are more important than these new equipment.

"Haha, this is what I bought for the store with my first paycheck after becoming a sheriff... Hmm, Dad didn't even take this with him."

Damn it, it must be his so-called chef's pride that's causing this.

It's all the same—just baking bread. An electric stove is much safer than a traditional fireplace, but the old fogies just don't like it. These old folks just don't want to accept new things..."

John kept rambling on as he worked, acting as if he were an old friend, even though they had only met recently.

"Um, Mr. John, is this how you usually are?" Suika said, indicating that she was someone who liked making friends, but she wouldn't talk to everyone she met.

Upon hearing Suika's words, John paused for a moment, then looked embarrassed.

"Sorry, I did talk a bit too much..."

Because this town is not located on a major transportation route, few people come here.

"Speaking of which, you're the first stranger to come here in the past six months, and I'm quite excited."

After listening to what the other person said, Suika recalled the map.

Logically speaking, this town shouldn't be as he described, because it's the closest place to Iberia, and if someone were traveling from Rim Billiton to Iberia, this should be their final rest stop.

However, they ran into Iberia.

After the Great Silence, Iberia closed itself off from the world, almost completely severing its ties with other Terra countries.

So this town, which could have been bustling with activity because of its connection to Iberia, instead became an isolated island.

Because its route south only leads to Iberia, and while it connects to the left and right, these routes are all long distances. People going to neighboring Siracusa or Laterano would never take this route. Therefore, with the Iberia route blocked, the town's location became extremely awkward.

Suika sighed. Generally speaking, the main task of a sheriff is to be responsible for local defense, and one major category is outsiders.

But this town has almost no "outsiders," so as the sheriff, he mainly deals with the trivial matters of the town on a daily basis.

What's even more frightening is that these seemingly trivial matters might all originate from relatives...

Thinking of this, Suika looked at John with a hint of pity in her eyes.

No wonder he was so happy to see a stranger; he's probably driven crazy by all the mess he's got at home.

Soon, the other party placed a piece of toast with a thin layer of butter, a fried egg, and a cup of hot milk in front of Suika.

Suika didn't mind. Although there was no meat, it was already quite good that they could provide so much food in a place that had just survived Catastrophe.

She's not overly particular about things.

Seeing that Suika was enjoying her meal, John smiled.

"My cooking skills are actually no worse than my dad's. He's said that I'm more than capable of opening a restaurant. It's just that this town isn't very big, and there are only so many people coming and going. I can't possibly compete with my dad for customers, and besides, I wouldn't be able to win."

"Have you considered opening a shop in other places?" Suika swallowed the fried egg in one bite, then took a delicious sip of her hot milk before asking.

"But every town in Rim Billiton is a family business; it's too difficult for an outsider like me to squeeze in," John said helplessly.

"So here's the question: why do you limit your vision to a small town?"

"Why not Steel Carrot City? Or maybe we could go further afield to the capital, the Ultimate Big Iron Town."

Since your passion is being a chef and you don't enjoy your current job, why not consider stepping outside your comfort zone and exploring other places?

John's eyes lit up after Suika finished speaking.

"You're absolutely right! How come I never thought of that!"

After saying that, he jumped up and prepared to leave.

"Hey, where are you going?" Suika asked, stopping him as she saw his hurried manner.

"You're right to quit my job. I love cooking and I don't want to deal with all this messy little stuff in town every day. I want to get out of here!"

John said excitedly.

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush!"

Just as the other person was about to leave again, Suika flicked her head, and the hair tie at the tip of her hair transformed into an iron chain that wrapped around the other person's waist, pulling them back. Then she pointed north.

"I won't stop you from resigning, but not now."

Firstly, the north side has just suffered a disaster, and the town must be filled with fear and anxiety.

As a sheriff, you bear a heavy responsibility. Resigning now will not only make others think you are an irresponsible person and bring shame to your family, but it will also embarrass the mayor and those above you.