Simulating Again (Continued)

It's best to acquire this kind of thing as soon as possible.

The Doll was prepared for this decision.

She certainly knew what kind of person Maria was, but that didn't stop her from giving the best result she could think of.

However... compared to the Doll's idea of continuing to let the Umbilical Cord cause trouble, not caring how many people it killed, and only thinking about the final result, Maria clearly cared more about life.

"If that's the case... then I understand."

The Doll didn't ask Maria why she insisted on going to Siracusa first before transferring to Ursus; she simply carried out the good Hunter's orders quietly.

Meanwhile, Little Regret, who had been playing the role of a background character for a long time, cautiously stepped forward when he saw that the two had finally finished talking.

She looked at Maria timidly, hesitated for a long time, and then cautiously observed the Doll's expression before speaking hesitantly.

"Um... time travel... is it possible now..."

Maria initially resisted the idea of Little Regret, but after discovering that this thing would help her find the Umbilical Cord, Maria became less resistant.

So when Little Regret said that she could time travel again, she nodded in agreement.

After another period of calm darkness, Maria began the process of time travel.

But this time, Maria noticed something was wrong...

"This darkness... has lasted a bit too long..."

Maria frowned.

But even faster, a flurry of whispered words rushed into Maria's ears!

"What... what's going on?"

Maria looked around.

These strange, restless sounds seemed to possess a certain magic, causing people's emotions to fluctuate dramatically.

Although this ability does not harm Maria herself.

But she still felt a sense of oppression.

Even faster, this darkness was torn apart...

Right above Maria's head...

The moon is slowly rising...

A pale blue moon...

The attack happened so suddenly that Maria didn't even have time to think before launching her attack.

But when she actually opened her eyes, she realized that it all seemed to be a dream...

Before him... was only a quiet, empty room.

"Dream?"

Maria got up from the soft bed and looked around.

I'm probably in some kind of mobile platform room right now, with the bright city light faintly visible through the glass window.

The scenery outside was beautiful, and the sun was shining brightly, but Maria didn't want to think about such things at that moment.

Her entire attention was focused on the newly risen moon.

Do I dream?

At her level, dreams are no longer the uncontrollable hallucinations that occur after a period of heightened mental activity.

Therefore, when Maria sensed something was wrong, she immediately felt that something was amiss.

But clearly, the appearance of that thing was too sudden, so much so that Maria was completely clueless.

But she didn't think it was anything unexpected.

It's like some kind of ancient, primitive witchcraft. Although it seems ridiculous, Maria is certain that there's a deeper meaning behind it!

However, I don't yet know what this thing means.

After hesitating for a long time, Maria composed herself and slowly walked out of the room.

She walked through the narrow corridor and arrived at the plank floor.

There were many people on the deck, gathered together, looking at the town in the distance.

According to the just-confirmed announcement, they will conclude their nearly week-long trip in one hour.

Then they can once again stand on that reassuring ground... Many people showed expressions of eager anticipation.

By this time, dusk was approaching.

Above the sky, the sun and the moon coexist.

Maria looked up and gazed intently at the sky.

But a moment later, the moving ship jolted violently, as if it had bumped into something.

A tiny shadow passing by Maria gasped and instinctively rushed to Maria side.

"Um?"

Upon seeing this, Maria paused for a few moments, then reached out and gently lifted it up.

After the tremors subsided, many people were somewhat panicked, and some even cursed and swore.

But none of this mattered to Maria; she simply looked at the girl in front of her with indifference.

This must be a Lupo girl, with brown-gray hair, wide eyes, and a hint of disbelief.

She had just braced herself for falling to the ground, her hands protectively covering her chest, clutching a book that seemed somewhat mismatched with her body.

"Are you alright?"

"Ah... thank you!"

Maria's cool voice quickly snapped the girl out of her confusion and astonishment. She hurriedly got off Maria and kept nodding her thanks.

Maria simply knelt in front of the little girl.

Where are your parents?

The little girl in front of me is only a few years old. Children this age should be accompanied by their parents.

But Maria looked around and didn't see anyone frantically searching for their child.

"..."

Upon hearing Maria mention her parents, the girl's eyes instantly dimmed.

But she still shook her head.

I came alone.

"One person?"

"Um."

The girl nodded seriously.

She looked at Maria for a moment, then, as if she had thought of something, her expression changed slightly, but she still asked uncertainly.

"Are you... here in Siracusa?"

"... Yes."

Maria noticed the change in the girl's expression, but she was still somewhat puzzled.

But the girl seemed to have confirmed something, and after hesitating for a while, she extended an invitation to Maria with great restraint.

"Could you... talk to me?"

"... Can."

Maria didn't refuse the girl's small request; instead, she became somewhat curious about her.

The girl was very young, but even so, she was already very polite in her words.

This attitude implies a lot.

At the very least, Maria didn't think a normal family would allow a girl under ten years old to ride such a vehicle alone.

"Mmm!" After receiving Maria's affirmation, the girl's mood improved considerably.

After hesitating for a moment, she looked at Maria again.

"Where... are you from?"

"... Victoria."

"Victoria?" The little girl frowned, thought carefully about the name of the place, and then turned to look at Maria.

"So... what is Victoria like?"

"Hmm?" Maria paused.

The girl, however, seemed a little nervous.

She was a little scared, afraid that Maria would say that her claim of being from Victoria was just a lie, and that her questioning would make her seem like she had 'exposed' the other woman's lie.

Although she is still very young, the girl has already mastered many survival skills.

"... I can't describe that place to you." But fortunately, although she had, in a sense, exposed Maria's pretense, Maria didn't do much more.

"Victoria encompasses many things: lifestyle, art, style, rhythm, and more... Your question is a bit too general."

Maria's voice was calm, even a little cold, but the girl could still sense its delicate gentleness.

This strange older sister had tried her best to soften her tone, but... she really didn't know how to communicate with children.

Sensing this, the little girl's emotions calmed down considerably.

She then asked another question.

"What's life like where you are over there?"

"Life?"

Maria hesitated when asked such a question for the first time.

Faced with the girl's innocent gaze, Maria hesitated for a long time before silently shaking her head.

I cannot answer your question...

"Huh?"

"Although I'm in Victoria, the place I live in... isn't very good." Maria didn't know how to describe her life in Yharnam to the girl.

Although she wasn't born in Yharnam, all her memories are from Yharnam.

And Yharnam...

It's definitely not a good place.

"Is that so..."

Not getting the answer she wanted, the girl seemed somewhat disappointed.

But after a moment, she raised her head and expressed her gratitude to Maria.

"Thank you, big sister..."

The girl hesitated for a few moments after saying this.

She seemed to want to say something.

But before she could finish speaking, a child's voice came from the side.

The two people looked in the direction of the sound.

It was a tiny little boy, running excitedly this way.

Behind the boy were several people who looked like they were not to be trifled with.

Maria noticed that with the boy's arrival, she was also surrounded by strange stares.