Thanks for the Invite, I'm on Terra, and I'm a Parasite

"Out of curiosity, my dear little adjudicator, where are you planning to go?"

"Saltwind City."

(Sob, sob, stop scolding me, stop scolding me, it's my fault. I don't dare slack off again, I won't—I'm sliding into the station here—)

(I'll make it up, I'll make it up! Please don't leave! It's all my fault, sob sob sob sob, I shouldn't have been so careless, sob sob sob?????)

Chapter 15: The External Brain, Officially Online!

With excessive nourishment and a relatively comfortable environment, most living creatures could not resist a pleasant sleep.

Especially when their minds had, in fact, reached a state of extreme exhaustion.

Ever since waking up for the first time, Zuo Jian had never truly entered what could be called "sleep."

Almost every moment, he had been sensing the various conditions outside in order to prevent anything unexpected from happening.

His body could endure the side effects of fatigue, but his energy was constantly being drained.

Thankfully, he had once gone through the hellish experience of working intense overtime at his job. Otherwise, he probably would have collapsed long ago.

Still, no matter how powerful his mental strength was—almost to the point of cultivating immortality—it had its limits.

What surprised him even more was that, judging by the metabolic activity in his body, he seemed to have slept for only two days.

Hoo—

Laurentina and Irene walked together toward the small city in the distance.

She had originally wanted to talk more with this little adjudicator while they were on land, since she needed to learn all kinds of information about the surface.

However, Irene's expression of "I'm very serious" made Laurentina feel she was somewhat hard to approach.

She seemed like someone difficult to get along with?

But at that moment, Irene, beneath her tense expression, was not feeling much better.

Ahhh, why is she going to Saltwind City too?!

Come to think of it, I'm clearly an adjudicator, yet I couldn't fight back at all when facing the Seaborn! That alone would've been bad enough, but I even nearly got... got...

And after being rescued, I actually fell asleep with my head resting on her lap!

Did I make any strange noises while sleeping? Did she see everything?

Ahhh! How could she not have seen?! I slept on her lap for who knew how long!!!

If word gets out, my career as an adjudicator will be over, won't it?!

And she's a bounty hunter, too...

In Irene's impression, bounty hunters were usually the sort of troublesome people who spent their free time soaking in taverns, gulping down liquor, then brazenly bragging to their colleagues about everything they had seen.

Just thinking about that woman spreading her business in a tavern...

"Let me tell you, that newly appointed adjudicator was pretty interesting. She fainted the moment the Seaborn attacked her, and while she slept, she occasionally made some [censored content] noises..."

"Um, my dear little adjudicator, how much longer until we—"

Laurentina patted Irene on the shoulder, and the latter shouted as though she had been electrocuted.

"Don't do that!!!!"

Ugh! Damn it, I said it out loud?!

She turned her head, her face flushed crimson. The wall of severity and aloofness she had just built crumbled in an instant.

"That sort of thing? What sort of thing?"

Laurentina froze at Irene's flustered reaction.

Then, seeing the color in her face and the way she kept waving her hands in an attempt to conceal her panic—

Oh my—

She wasn't that hard

to get along with after all.

[Good morning... What are you doing?]

The blue eye disguised as a gemstone at Laurentina's collar opened, then noticed Irene frantically trying to hide something nearby.

[And who's this?]

...You don't remember her?

[Huh? Am I supposed to?]

[Besides, from the first time I opened my eyes until now, the only living people I've seen were you and that Deepsea Bishop who ran away.]

Mm, fine.

[Anyway, who is she...?]

[Wait.]

The gemstone on Laurentina's chest flashed faintly.

It focused its gaze on Irene, staring at her as though scanning her.

Irene even felt the hairs on her body stand on end, but when she looked up, all she saw was Laurentina's "gentle smile."

[Have you come into contact with someone from a military organization?]

Laurentina was startled. Zuo Jian had reached a conclusion after just one glance? How had he done that?

How could you tell?

[Her clothing is highly uniform from head to toe. The hem bears insignias and lettering, while crosses and double-winged motifs cover her entire outfit.]

[The weapon has attachments designed for rapid removal and reloading. If I'm not mistaken, it has a quick-release design that allows the ammunition belt to be removed and replaced.]

[Firearms... Wait, there are guns here too? Both the gun and sword bear inscriptions and serial numbers.]

[Those are traits found only on standardized weapons. The crosses all over her body are emphasizing authority... or perhaps the scope within which violence may be exercised.]

[But there's one more crucial point.]

[Her body has undergone years of systematic training... Huh? How do I know the condition of her body?]

All right, all right. Thank you for your analysis, dear Detective Left-Hand, but I already knew all that.

[Then what are you doing now?]

Teasing her.

[?]

Ahem, I mean, I'm trying to gather information, so I have to build a good relationship with her first, right?

"Oh my, my dear little bird, what are you panicking about? Are you thinking about something related to me?"

"Dear... little bird?! What kind of form of address is that?! I-I'm an adjudicator—"

"So adjudicators make such cute expressions when they sleep too?"

"W-What?! Ngh..."

Oh? So she cared about how she looked while asleep? She had found the key.

Laurentina still wore that gentle smile before Irene, but in the latter's eyes, she had practically become the embodiment of evil!

[Hiss, how are you so good at this?]

Practice makes perfect? Besides, teasing people who look very serious but are actually kind of cute is fun.

"What do you want... Don't think you can threaten me with something like this. The position of adjudicator is sacred and inviolable!"

"Threaten you? How could I? How could I do something like that?"

Laurentina stepped lightly forward and leaned close to Irene's face.

"I just think sleeping little birds are too cute, so I couldn't help wanting to look a little longer. What's wrong? Are you embarrassed?"

"N-No! I told you, how could I possibly care about something like that!"

"Is that so?"

Laurentina's smile deepened as she silently stared at Irene.

Just stared at her.

"W-What are you doing?! I said I don't care..."

Stare.

"Just say it if you want, I don't care! Adjudicators have nothing to hide!"

Stare...

"Ngh... At least, at least don't tell my teacher... Please..."

Laurentina used Soften! It was super effective!

Seeing Irene's appearance, she patted her head and said,

"Don't worry, don't worry. I'm not that boring. Why would I go around telling everyone something like this?"

"Really?!"

Irene turned around hopefully.

"Nope."

Laurentina smiled in satisfaction.

"!!!"

Did you figure anything out?

["Sacred and inviolable," a law enforcement institution, armed, an apparatus of violence capable of skipping the trial phase and carrying out executions directly?]

[She seems to regard this position called "adjudicator" as highly honorable. She said not to tell her teacher... Is it possible that we'll encounter her superior next?]

Wow, as expected of you! My external brain!

Laurentina praised him directly.

[? Didn't you think of any of that at all? Then what were you trying to get out of her just now?]

Her expression was cute, so I couldn't help teasing her a little longer.

Chapter 16: Grand Adjudicator Dario

"So this is Saltwind City."

Laurentina looked up at the somewhat desolate streets before her.

Everything here differed from the "cities" she knew.

The cities of the land-dwellers were even more... desolate than she had imagined.

Yes, desolate. Laurentina tried to use the most tactful word she could to describe her first impression of this city.

There were few people on the streets, almost no shops with open doors, and the faces of the occasional passersby dressed in burlap clothing were filled only with numbness.

[Someone's coming, Laurentina.]

"What, someone?"

[To your left

ahead, at the street corner—slow your pace by half a beat.]

Zuo Jian reminded her, and Laurentina began slowing her steps according to his instructions.

"What's wrong?"

Irene turned her head and looked at Laurentina, whose pace had slowed.

"This place is more desolate than I imagined."

Faced with her question, Laurentina answered naturally.

"...Yes, it's very desolate."

Clearly, Irene was equally disappointed by the state of this place.