The Jealous Kitten / A Harmonious Family of Three

"But I remember Rhodes Island's security facilities couldn't possibly fail to detect Shapeshifter, so how did he get in?"

PRTS is a technology from Old Civilization, and many core technologies on Rhodes Island also originated from Old Civilization. Even if Shapeshifter can disguise themselves as...

"He was very well hidden, always staying in the bottom warehouse, and he must have arrived recently; we almost missed him."

After thinking it over, Mizuki decided to go see the other party herself and have the Doctor take Amash for a check-up. She wasn't worried that Amash would do anything to the Doctor, because the restrictions had always been in place.

"I'll go meet with them first. Doctor, you go and make the arrangements, and also explain Amash's identity to Amiya."

Amash's name comes from Kal'tsit's designation AMa-10, and like Seaborn, he is part of the Civilization Survival Project.

As for the Shapeshifter, Mizuki pondered that Rhodes Island and the Sarkaz would settle scores sooner or later, so it would be good to meet them in advance; some things needed to be clarified.

On the other side, Kal'tsit stepped out of the underground facility and paused, looking at the blooming flowers and plants in the wilderness. Although she had only been inside for less than an hour, it felt as if at least a hundred years had passed in the outside world. She knew this must be the work of Mizuki. Those white vines and fruits growing everywhere were simply fulfilling their original purpose: to transform the ecological environment of this planet.

This is a good thing. At least fewer people will starve to death in the future. It's really... Kal'tsit herself finds it laughable. Terra has been developing for so many years, yet so many people still die of hunger every year.

As Friston said, Terra's civilization is deformed and distorted, yet it has a certain rationality. She even subconsciously hoped that if Terra's world had not developed in such a distorted way, after tens of millions of years of changes, new humans would have evolved and new civilizations would have been born. Would Terra then be in a different form?

But compared to all that, Kal'tsit is now only worried about one thing, though Friston is hinting at it without saying it outright.

When he first came into contact with the Sea of Life, Mizuki absorbed memories from hundreds of parallel worlds, which led to a series of cognitive errors and memory confusion. Like the operator Surtr, he couldn't even distinguish which worlds were real, and had to die once to reshape himself.

Now that Mizuki has completely mastered the Sea of Life, has his memory and cognition truly remained completely unaffected?

Kal'tsit dared not gamble, so she needed to hurry back to make sure that Mizuki's physical and mental condition was fine. Then she also needed to create as many anchor points as possible for Mizuki, anchor points for human cognition, so as not to let him be influenced by the memories of his other selves from other worlds and lose himself.

Exusiai is the anchor point, the Doctor is the anchor point, and Kal'tsit herself is also an anchor point. And then... we don't know what kind of person Mizuki is in other worlds, but we should try our best to make the Mizuki in this world different from the Mizuki in other worlds.

The more different they are, the less they will be misled by memories. Between the anchor point of a person and the anchor point of an event, the anchor point of a person is easier to shape, because Mizuki's speed in winning over others is simply flat.

"After we get back... I think it's best not to stop Rosemary."

Kal'tsit sighed softly. Not only could she not stop it, she might even have to give it a hand, as did the others.

Thankfully, she wasn't the official wife, otherwise she would have been furious.

Chapter 204 The Jealous Kitten

Rhodes Island's lower warehouse, usually used for storing items, has almost everything. Mizuki even saw several old-fashioned game consoles and couldn't resist going over to pick them up and wiping off the dust.

"I didn't expect to still have game consoles from ten years ago. I should have come here earlier. But this is the Victoria version; I wonder if it supports cartridges from Higashi."

Muttering to herself, Mizuki summoned a stream of clean water and washed the entire warehouse without making it damp.

Thank you.

"..."

The warehouse remained quiet and still, but soon a figure emerged from a corner.

How did you find me?

"Your vital signs are stronger than anyone else's; you just need to pay a little more attention."

Mizuki checked the two old-fashioned game consoles in her hands and, after confirming that they were still working properly, seemed to feel much better, even her hair seemed to unfurl like a flower.

His light green hair was casually draped behind his head, and his matching eyes were fixed on Mizuki with curiosity. He could feel a great resemblance between himself and Mizuki. The indescribable vitality emanating from her almost made him gasp in surprise. It was because of this feeling between them that he chose to confront her directly.

"We are very similar."

"They are very similar in their form of expression; they are both formed from countless aggregates into one large life form. Did you bring these?"

Rhodes Island doesn't have these old-fashioned game consoles. Mizuki once asked Closure, and she said she would try to find him two. Most of the Shapeshifter probably came to Rhodes Island with this batch of cargo, but because of PRTS and Rhodes Island's security systems, he can't infiltrate various parts of Rhodes Island's main ship and can only stay here and try to observe.

"I overheard that people from Rhodes Island were buying up these old game consoles, and since I happened to have some, I figured I'd see what kind of people would be interested in these old things."

The Shapeshifter walked up to Mizuki, seemingly unconcerned about being attacked, which could perhaps be considered a tacit understanding between their kind.

"Old objects, they are part of history, and I really enjoy playing games, whether they are new or old. I never had many opportunities to play them when I was a kid."

Mizuki glanced around and finally found a power outlet. She pulled out an old monitor, plugged it in, and connected the cables with practiced ease.

After doing all this, Mizuki reached out to the Shapeshifter, who immediately understood what he meant. He walked to the other end of the pile of junk, rummaged through it, and finally found two cartridges.

These items were originally collected by Closure for Mizuki, but the sorting staff may not have noticed and arbitrarily classified them as miscellaneous items. However, if it weren't for that, the Shapeshifter would have had no way to enter Rhodes Island.

"That's great. I thought no one but me would like these old things. I even helped design this game console, but unfortunately it didn't sell very well."

"Because they're too expensive, most people struggle to even afford food and clothing, let alone these things."

Mizuki was clearly in a good mood, swaying slightly as she opened the game and handed a game controller to the Shapeshifter.

This was an unexpected scene, but it felt quite nice. The Shapeshifter hadn't imagined that he would get along so harmoniously with a stranger. He didn't think he wouldn't be discovered, but logically speaking, even if it wasn't an old acquaintance from the royal court or Kal'tsit, it should have been some kind of assassin coming to see him.

But it's all for the best. Mizuki can make the Shapeshifter feel a terrifying pressure, a pressure that comes from instinct, biological instinct. He finds that the person in front of him is very different from what he thought. At least he is far more terrifying than he appears. His smile and kindness are the best disguise on top of this terror, but they are also his true nature.

"Did Theresis send you?"

"No, I'm just curious. I don't have the stubbornness of someone with red eyes, whether it's about an old friend or that heir from another race."

The Shapeshifter had indeed played these games before, so he sat down with Mizuki and skillfully selected characters, as if he were just visiting a friend's house.

This is a fighting game, very old, but a classic; however, it was just something that the Shapeshifter made out of boredom.

"After all, like the Corpse Eater King, for us, the object of our loyalty has never been that Black Crown."

Perhaps sensing Mizuki's special nature, the Shapeshifter felt that Shuiyue should be considered a core member of Rhodes Island. If so, he should know about Rhodes Island's past, its ties to the Sarkaz, and Amiya's true identity.

Of course, Mizuki did know these things, but they weren't told to her by Kal'tsit or the Doctor. Many of the things the Doctor mentioned were things that would happen in the future, or things that were more important than the Sarkaz problem.

Mizuki's understanding of Rhodes Island's past entanglements with the Sarkaz is mostly derived from parallel worlds. At least in the parallel worlds he has observed so far, Rhodes Island's predecessor Babel, is loyal to Theresa, the former Demon King of the Sarkaz. Theresa's death ended the Sarkaz civil war, but it failed to end the tragic history of the Sarkaz race.

"Black Crown, or a white one?"

"White..."

The Shapeshifter looked at Mizuki, who adjusted the white crown floating above her head and gave him a sly smile.

Taking advantage of the Shapeshifter's momentary lapse in concentration, Mizuki unleashed a series of combos that knocked down his character. You can't blame him for being despicable.

The Shapeshifter, of course, couldn't afford to dwell on the outcome at this point. His worldview had almost been shattered by Mizuki. Although he never believed that whoever wore the crown was the Demon King of the Sarkaz race, could someone explain why the crown was on Mizuki's head, and why it was even white—had it been repainted?!

"Don't be so surprised, this isn't your... well, it's more like the crown of the Sarkaz Demon King, just a different one."

Mizuki suddenly realized that it was unnecessary to discuss certain topics with the person in front of her. The other person would probably have a hard time understanding these things. For the Terra, who didn't even know what lay behind the stars, another world was something that only existed in novels.

"I have traversed thousands of years of Sarkaz history and never knew that another crown existed."

But the Shapeshifter could also sense that the white crown floating on Mizuki's head was no fake. As the oldest member of the Sarkaz Royal Court, he had once worn that crown on his own head, experiencing its power and bearing the responsibilities it brought.

Based on this experience, the Shapeshifter could recognize that even though the color was different and it was slightly larger, the one on Mizuki's head was the real thing, possessing the same power as the Demon King's crown.

"That's normal. You Sarkaz only know where it can be used, but you haven't thought about its origin. Kal'tsit would be very surprised when she sees it."

Unfortunately, this crown is bound to the user's spirit and is not limited to the material world. When Mr. K committed suicide, he took it to another body. Otherwise, if he had left it to Amash, Rhodes Island would have three crowns and could have directly claimed them from the Sarkaz.

Mizuki had no interest in ruling Sarkaz. The Sea Siren and so many Seaborn under his command were already enough of a headache for him. The Seaborn were fine; they would never do anything Mizuki forbade. But the others were different. They would do anything Mizuki hadn't explicitly forbidden.

During this time, these girls, relying on their special infiltration methods, have stolen an unknown amount of things from Aegir. Mizuki feels that the Aegir themselves should be traumatized by the theft.

"So... it's never unique?"

"At least it used to be unique. DWDB-221E isn't something that can be easily replicated. However, the Doctor and the others really don't like its behavior in the Material Realm. The Black Crown... it really does resemble an utterly boring historical drama."

DWDB-221E, as the initial designation for the Continuance of Civilization, was not created to maintain any power; it was merely a means for the continuation of civilization. The Sea of Life is currently reading the information stored in the crown on Mizuki's head, attempting to reconstruct a complete history.

However, because of its crown-like appearance, it was regarded as a symbol of power by the Sarkaz. It was already a favor that Doctor managed to hold back her laughter.

The string of numbers Mizuki mentioned vaguely hinted at something, but the Shapeshifter chose not to ask further. He had his own guesses, but he devoted most of his attention to playing games with Mizuki, and used the rest of his time to think and ask questions.

"If you want to see your old friends and Amiya, I can get PRTS to grant you temporary access. I still have some influence on Rhodes Island."

Currently, Mizuki's authority on Rhodes Island is only slightly lower Kal'tsit's. He can basically come and go freely throughout Rhodes Island, and it's not a problem for Shapeshifter to legitimately roam around Rhodes Island.

"Aren't you afraid I'm here to cause trouble?"

"Don't worry, firstly, I don't sense any malice from you," Mizuki shook her head, "And secondly, you can't beat me."

If it were someone else, Mizuki would have to worry about the potential negative impact on Rhodes Island's infrastructure, but if it were Shapeshifter, then there would be no problem.

The Shapeshifter's life form bears a striking resemblance to Seaborn, and it seems to have been created specifically to restrain Seaborn. However, for Mizuki now, this restraint is also reflected in his treatment of the Shapeshifter.

Whether it's a disguise or a split, the Shapeshifter cannot hide it from Mizuki, and he himself understands this.

"I do want to see old friends, but it's a bit inconvenient to walk around Rhodes Island looking like this."

Under Mizuki's gaze, green substances, whether water or something else, kept emerging around the Shapeshifter, enveloping it before dissipating. Finally, a completely different face appeared before Mizuki.

A woman with a stunning figure that made Irene want to bang her head on the ground in shock appeared. She looked like Lupo from Texas, with long silver hair and a gentle demeanor, a stark contrast to her previous appearance.

"Golding, one of our friends, doesn't know us yet, but we've been observing her for a long time. In fact, we're with every Grand Duke's spy in Victoria, except for her, who's from Rhodes Island."

Her voice became soft and melodious, and even her eyes softened. The Shapeshifter's disguise was not simply putting on an outer layer.

They can read the emotions, memories, and personality of the person they are impersonating, and then get close to that person to achieve a truly perfect imitation.

"Hmm, so you don't have a fixed gender?"

"We can be any gender, or normally we have no gender, like just now, but right now I am indeed a woman."

The Shapeshifter transformed into Golding, who indeed looked impeccable. Mizuki searched her memories from the parallel world and found that there was indeed a person named Golding.

She had died and been reborn. The Shapeshifter inherited her, including her name. She had also spoken with Mizuki out of curiosity, discussing the similarities and differences between the Shapeshifter race and the Seaborn.

Of course, those are all things in parallel worlds. But for Mizuki now, there's no need to separate herself from her parallel world self so much. He and they are all individuals named Mizuki.

That's why seeing Golding evokes a sense of nostalgia.

The Shapeshifter sensed this longing, and she was somewhat surprised, but she couldn't recall where she and Golding had first met Mizuki.

"Have we met before?"

"I would say I know them; I know more people than I've ever met."

Mizuki couldn't help but sigh, then packed everything away. He also planned to go check on how Doctor and Amash were doing.

Besides gaining complete mastery of the Sea of Life, my biggest takeaway today was probably these two game consoles.

"Let's go meet your friends. I should also get to know more Rhodes Island operators."

Mizuki hasn't been with Rhodes Island for very long; at least compared to most of the Rhodes Island operators in this world, he's quite new.

Golding (the Shapeshifter) nodded slightly and walked to Mizuki's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him like a female companion, but she was taller than Mizuki, making them seem more like siblings.

If Skadi saw this, Mizuki felt she probably wouldn't get a good night's sleep again. No, even if Skadi didn't come, Warfarin would definitely come, not to mention Lemuen and Mostima, who had been holding back for half a month.

Thinking about it this way, I suddenly felt that I should find a place to hide tonight, at least take it slow, he can't handle so many people coming at once.

If only Kal'tsit were still here.

Thinking this, Mizuki led Golding toward the upper levels of Rhodes Island, and then, unsurprisingly, an accident occurred.

"Mizuki, who is this woman?"

Rosemary frowned, sensing a dangerous atmosphere, an intuition that her position was being challenged, because Golding looked exactly like her grown-up self.

You could even say that if you put Golding and Rosemary together and ignore the tails, they're practically mother and daughter.

Kittens are indeed a real headache.

Chapter 205 A Harmonious Family of Three

What's it like to have a jealous cat at home? It's probably quite painful, with headaches and hand pain. I've personally experienced the pain firsthand with Rosemary's fanged cat, Mizuki.

(Luckily, I'm not afraid of pain anymore.)

Seeing Rosemary biting her hand, Mizuki reached out and gently poked the kitten's cheek, finally having no choice but to hug her tightly.

"Sorry, she's too clingy."

"It's okay, being trusted by a child is something to be proud of."

Since Golding herself is a teacher, the Shapeshifter's personality and habits tend to be more like hers after she becomes her. She really likes Rosemary and has a good first impression of her. Moreover, not only Mizuki, but Golding herself feels that she and Rosemary have a mother-daughter-like similarity.

"Mizuki, who is this woman?"

Despite their different races, the woman before her shared white hair, pointed animal ears, and a figure far superior to her own. Rosemary sensed a sense of crisis; this woman was undoubtedly her greatest enemy!

"She's someone Kal'tsit knows."

When Rosemary joined Rhodes Island, the Babel incident had already passed for some time. Moreover, until she met Mizuki, Kitty was suffering from severe amnesia due to the aftereffects of the experiments from that year, so it was impossible for her to know about the existence of Shapeshifter.

"Oh, okay then."

She would definitely have to give Kal'tsit face. Rosemary nestled in Mizuki's arms, then suddenly remembered something and wrapped her tail around his wrist.

"Then you need to explain to me about that Sankta thing!"