A Few Things (Continued)

Maria squinted and looked to the side.

A small note was tucked inside the documents Heratia had given her.

Above, an address was written in elegant handwriting.

[Mandiast]

The day passed quickly.

Maria kept her word and went to the address as promised to meet with Heratia and gain a deeper understanding of the entire Aegir system.

When Maria arrived, the underwater lights of the entire Jiake Nanle were still a warm yellow.

But when its light dimmed, or even became faint, Maria could no longer see Heratia.

This puzzled her.

"Miss..."

Just as Maria was pondering whether she should continue waiting, a woman dressed as a waitress gently approached Maria side...

"Your meal has gotten cold again. Would you like us to reheat it?"

"... No need."

Maria shook her head, her gaze somewhat puzzled.

She didn't think this was Heratia deliberately playing a trick on her... Her reasoning was the same as before: she believed there was nothing wrong with the accommodation Heratia provided; the two of them had no conflicts or disputes, and there was absolutely no need for them to make things difficult for each other.

So... what happened to Heratia that prevented her from keeping her appointment, or even sending someone to inform Maria?

Simply forgotten?

Maria felt that things might not be that simple.

Meanwhile, the maidservant, watching Maria deep in thought, felt a pang of emotion.

After hesitating for a moment, she broke her usual habit of not asking too many questions as a waitress and cautiously spoke up.

"Although I don't know who you've made this appointment with, you've already waited for them for a full six natural hours... I think you've done more than enough."

As the other person spoke, their words subtly implied that Maria shouldn't get hung up on one person.

What a beautiful young woman... How could anyone stand her up?

"Thank you for your kindness, but things aren't as you think."

Maria understood what the other person meant, but she simply shook her head slightly.

She wasn't waiting for any lover or sweetheart.

"You..."

The girl's expression changed slightly, and after a moment, she shook her head helplessly.

As a waitress in the restaurant, she had seen far too many similar scenarios. She only spoke up to dissuade Maria because she saw that Maria truly had an air of sophistication and didn't seem like an ordinary person.

Don't get too caught up in anything because of any particular person.

But seeing Maria refuse, she could only shake her head and return to being a silent waitress...

Just as Maria got up, preparing to leave...

In the distance from the restaurant, a sudden argument erupted.

"That's reasonable! Any research should be based on people! Research and treatment will come sooner or later, but every individual's talent cannot be simply measured by numbers!"

"So you think the relics of Precursor Civilization can be measured by numbers? That's blasphemy against civilization!"

"These are two different things!"

"You..."

The argument didn't stop; in fact, it intensified over time.

Even Aunt Mary...

Maria looked at her in confusion.

The maid beside them explained in a low voice.

"They must be arguing about what just happened."

"What just happened?"

"Don't you know?"

The maid blinked, then looked at Maria with a puzzled expression.

"That Lady Heratia has been arrested..."

"Um?!"

A quiet night, inside a room.

The blonde Heratia slowly emerged from the bathroom.

The rising heat slowly emanated from her body, colliding with the cool air to create a hazy mist.

"Huff huff..."

She exhaled a satisfied sigh, draped in a white bath towel, and slowly dried her hair.

She then casually tossed it aside.

She herself went to the dressing table.

Of course, having just finished showering, she wasn't there to do her bedtime makeup. She simply picked up the stamped letter beside her and shook her head slightly.

"As expected... they still came?"

She shook her head, her face showing little surprise.

Only...

"I didn't even have time to send someone to tell her I couldn't come... This is really troublesome. Will she wait there all day?"

Heratia, deep in thought, sat at her dressing table, resting her chin on her hand.

Beside her, the 'Little Helper' she had spent a fortune modifying was displaying the surrounding situation.

Inside the room, there was only one heartbeat, while outside, more than a dozen heartbeats surrounded it.

Their positions were well-organized, and each gap in their movements was kept to a mere few seconds, making it virtually impossible for anyone to break in without triggering their alarms... This also eliminated any possibility of Heratia escaping.

Of course, Heratia never intended to escape.

She simply propped her head up with one hand, gazing at herself in the mirror with a somewhat dazed look in her eyes.

Clearly, even for her, the things she is about to face are not easy.

More importantly, upon her return, she was immediately called upon to report, and after completing the report, she was immediately thrown back into custody.

There wasn't even a moment to catch my breath, let alone contact others or find help.

This made her gaze wander uncontrollably.

After a moment, she frowned, went to her 'Little Helper', and restarted the device on it.

After still not seeing what she wanted to see, she couldn't help but frown.

Am I wrong?

She pondered, her words tinged with uncertainty.

But...

As if in response to her question, a cool voice came from behind her.

"That's amazing... You actually managed to sneak past those guards... You knocked them all out?"

Hearing that familiar voice, Heratia was certain that her guess was correct, and her expression immediately softened.

He might even deliberately praise Maria.

Unfortunately, just as Maria had said before, Heratia was indeed not very good at disguising herself.

"You're not surprised by this... are you?"

As Maria spoke, she slowly approached Heratia.

Meanwhile, the prop called 'Little Helper' seemed completely oblivious to Maria, continuing to do its job.

This surprised Heratia.

Was it because of the different physiological characteristics of Land-Dweller and Aegir that it wasn't detected?

Or is it simply because Maria is special?

After thinking for a few more moments, Heratia looked at Maria's silent face and chuckled softly.

"I guess so... After all, one should always have backup plans, right?"

As she spoke, the smile on her face remained unchanged.

But Maria didn't ask too many questions; instead, she simply asked her own.

"I saw on the news that a Court of Minds is about to begin against you. What's going on?"

"Hmm... In short, the Court of Minds is an ancient exchange ceremony, where chosen Aegir other Aegir?"

Heratia smiled, but Maria clearly didn't believe it.

"I don't think the word 'judgment' would be used in this kind of setting..."

"You're quite perceptive."

Heratia didn't hide anything. She simply sat down slowly on the sofa next to her, her smooth skin directly touching the sofa, her legs slightly crossed, revealing a beautiful curve.

The ambiguous actions showed no desire in Heratia.

Her calm and indifferent expression suggested that she had no other thoughts about the matter.

Yes, it is, but it is simply a display of physical beauty.

"To be specific, it's still because of Malitus."

Heratia propped her head up with her hand, her tone remaining largely unchanged.

"Malitus?"

"Yes..."

Heratia knew Maria might be confused, so she continued to explain.

"As mentioned before, the fundamental purpose of our ship is to investigate the ruins of Precursor Ruins in the deep sea."

"After a brief investigation, we decided to retreat..."

"But... that retreat was against the rules!"

Heratia spoke, her gaze slightly cold.

"That order was given by me as Heratia to retreat. I felt it was my duty to protect all my members."

"But for the commander-in-chief of this operation, such an order was clearly unacceptable."

"Although we encountered danger, the danger from the Cavalry Fish has temporarily subsided, there are no other potential enemies around, and our troops have sufficient supplies. We should continue exploring to maximize our gains."

"Looking back from that perspective, I made an almost completely opposite wrong decision at the time."

"While I still don't think my choice was wrong, Aegir's trial also has its own agenda."

"But don't worry about me. The worst-case scenario is that I'll be dismissed from all my positions and have to start from scratch."

Heratia spoke, her smile unchanging, seemingly utterly unafraid of the verdict.

This made Maria glance at her.

"You seem quite optimistic..."

"Because I made my choice."

Heratia smiled. "I know perfectly well that under those circumstances, Heratia made a choice... It was a decision made entirely from Heratia herself."