A Little Treat for the Readers / Mizuki's Reputation Takes a Turn for the Worse

Mizuki didn't understand at first, but he soon did.

Chapter 218: Giving readers some treats

That's enough for today. Let's call it a day.

The sword tip was pressed against Nearl's throat. Fortunately, Surtr did not allow Laevatain to enter the Blazing Demon Sword state, otherwise Nearl would have been seriously injured at this distance.

"It's still that sharp sword; I've only ever seen it on my father and uncle."

"I only know how to use a sword. If I can't even beat you at that, that would be truly shameful. You should switch to a spear."

Surtr withdrew her hand. After all, this wasn't a fight to the death, and it was just a sword fight. Nearl was, of course, best at using Nearl spear. Most of the knights in Kazimierz were Kuranta, but the Doctor preferred to call them horse girls.

Due to the physical prowess of the Kuranta, their combat effectiveness as cavalry is undoubtedly high. The Silverlance Knights of Kazimierz can even march 600 kilometers in two days and still maintain a high level of combat capability. Their speed is faster than most vehicles today.

As a descendant of the strongest knight in Kazimierz, Nearl's spear skills are naturally superior to her sword skills; after all, she is a veteran operator certified by Rhodes Island in terms of combat prowess.

"If it really is a fight to the death, I might not be able to beat you."

That's the truth. It wasn't until she came to Rhodes Island and witnessed the power of Surtr and Ace that she understood what her uncle and father had told her. Although she was undoubtedly excellent as a knight, there was so much she needed to learn: tactics and strategy, swordsmanship, spearmanship, archery, and so on. She also needed to become a qualified tactical commander.

But Surtr is different. She only cares about fighting, so she has mastered swordsmanship to an exceptional level. Combined with the greatsword in her hand that can melt steel into molten iron, most of her opponents will have a very difficult time.

Most importantly, when wielding the greatsword, Surtr herself and her clothing are immune to all high temperatures. She can even walk on lava without any problem, and her strength becomes greater than that of most Vouivre, as if she has absorbed everything about that Magma Giant into her own body.

"If this were a battlefield, you would be the winner."

A great opponent. Although she doesn't like fighting, Surtr rarely fights this comfortably. Neither of them uses anything other than technique, and their strength is kept at an equal level. Apart from eating ice cream, the only time she can be so focused and undisturbed is during a fight.

However, in a battlefield, in a vast area, Surtr would find it difficult to defeat Nearl without unleashing his power.

"Then let's stop flattering each other and come on, it's my treat this time. I heard there's a really nice new dessert shop on Rhodes Island, and the ice cream is delicious too."

Upon hearing this, Surtr immediately became interested, and his arrogant expression instantly became a bit more endearing. He casually tossed his sword aside and followed Nearl towards the newly opened ice cream shop.

Rhodes Island wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either. It took the two of them several minutes to finally reach the "Radiant Sunshine Waterflower" dessert shop, where they happened to see Mizuki and Exusiai coming out, seemingly discussing something.

"Ah, Miss Nearl, Surtr, you're here too, perfect timing."

When Mizuki looked up in her direction, Surtr saw something in his eyes that resembled her own. For a fleeting moment, she was certain she wouldn't mistake him.

"Is there something you need, Mizuki?"

"Yes, Eyjafjalla is going to Siesta for a volcanic expedition in a while. I hope Surtr can go with her and protect her. Xiao Le will be going too."

Exusiai naturally buy a house in Siesta first, but Eyjafjalla will have to wait at least half a month before setting off, so there's no rush. On the other hand, Nearl's departure may need to be postponed.

"Her? Okay."

Surtr merely glanced at Exusiai, showing little dissatisfaction, but Mizuki felt somewhat pressured. Why did he have to be caught in this situation again, with his ex-girlfriend and current fiancée? Fortunately, Surtr wasn't as temperamental as Muelsyse; when those sisters got angry, they usually just grabbed their greatswords and started hacking people to pieces.

"Then there's Miss Nearl. We'll be departing in fifteen days. The Knight Tournament in Kazimierz starts today, but Miss Maria beat that Plastic Knight and is still resting."

How did you know?

"I have special intelligence sources." Now, nothing that happens in most of Terra's cities can escape Mizuki's eyes; the Sea Siren occasionally tell him some interesting things.

For example, the weapons secretly manufactured by Columbia, the Great Yan's preparation to take action against an ancient god while fighting against the northern threat, and the irreconcilable conflict between the old and new nobles of Ursus.

Needless to say, Kazimierz Siren No. 12345, out of boredom, even signed up for some kind of Knight Tournament, taking the opportunity to advertise his seafood shop and attract customers.

And now, Mizuki was sharing half of her vision and hearing. He could hear the irrational shouts of the spectators in the Kazimierz arena and see the dark red bloodstains on the axes swung by the enemy.

Compared to the battle between Surtr and Nearl, this bloodshed certainly seemed more real, yet it also felt ridiculous; at least Siren No. 12345 genuinely found it hilarious.

"Die!"

With a single swing of his axe, the Rusted Copper Knight's eyes were filled with disdain. He assumed the Sea Siren's inaction was simply due to being paralyzed with fear. Not even wearing armor or carrying a weapon—she thought she could participate in a knightly tournament like this? Did she really think this was some kind of children's game?

(Ugh, so boring. Why are these humans yelling so loudly? Does this kind of thing excite them that much? I'd rather have a private photo of Izumik that would make the Sea Siren happy.)

Miss Sea Siren only felt the noise around her. She disliked people's shouts because the only emotion in those shouts was a thirst for violence. Everyone seemed to have their brains invaded by some kind of instinct.

(If I had known, I would have gone to Sami's place to be with my sisters.)

Raising his head, the Sea Siren's icy eyes caused the Rusted Copper Knight to slow his movements for a moment, because what he read in those eyes was not the fear he loved most, nor indifference or some kind of passion, but disregard.

Sea Siren 12345 completely ignored the impending danger and everyone around her, muttering something to herself.

"So utterly useless..."

The hand axe instantly swung down from the side. After all, this was a formal competition, and the opponent wasn't Infected. If someone killed someone on the field, it would be difficult for the others to clean up the mess.

But just one strike like this, a sharp blow to the head with the side of a hatchet, would ensure that this ungrateful little girl wouldn't die on the spot, but would leave her with serious, permanent aftereffects.

If the person in front of you is really just an ordinary young girl.

With a clang, the hand axe did not knock the opponent to the ground as expected, but instead made a crisp sound like steel clashing.

"The Kazimierz people are really pathetic that they can treat something so boring as a form of entertainment."

She reached out and gently tapped the battle axe on her head with her fingers. Sea Siren 12345 knew that Mizuki was watching her through her eyes, and she didn't want to embarrass Mizuki.

The Sea Siren's voice echoed through the microphone in her collar, instantly chilling the previously boisterous arena. Clearly, the audience hadn't expected to be described this way, and Miss Sea Siren seemed rather arrogant.

"So, I can... oh, but not kill people, okay then."

Having received Mizuki's request, Sea Siren 12345 had no choice but to spare the life of the man before her. She reached out and slapped the Rusted Copper Knight, who weighed at least 100 kilograms, sending him flying far away and crashing off the arena.

The result was so unexpected and swift that no one had time to react, not even the well-informed host.

But Sea Siren 12345 still walked off the stage on her own, not worried about being judged to have lost. The task Mizuki had given her was to protect Maria as much as possible, and she could also protect other people. Izumik cherished all life, except for those who were just being unreasonable.

"This is so... boring, I want a refund!"

"Damn you, give us our money back! Have you no conscience?!"

What the audience wanted to see wasn't a match so simple it was almost boring. They craved bloodshed and violence; they'd be happy even if Sea Siren 12345 kicked the enemy a couple more times. But this result seemed particularly absurd, and coupled with Sea Siren 12345's words, it made them look like clowns giving away money for nothing.

Mizuki on Rhodes Island was completely unfazed by this, nor did he think Miss Sea Siren had said anything wrong. Relying on such competitions as a means of entertainment to stimulate consumption and drive a series of industries to promote economic development, Kazimierz has become distorted.

As for preventing the Sea Siren from killing people, it was simply because they were worried about potential trouble later.

"Mizuki?"

Exusiai reached out and brought him back to his senses. Mizuki realized that he might have been a little distracted to the others.

"It's nothing, that's all. If you need a practice opponent, I should be able to do that too. I'll leave Siesta to you as well."

The first part was obviously addressed to Nearl, who hoped to improve further, while the second part was addressed to Exusiai and Surtr.

Mizuki Exusiai n't hide her past with Surtr from Surtr. Even if he didn't remember, Cecilia's account could still be used as a reference. Exusiai only bit him, clearly not wanting to dwell on such matters.

"Okay." Although she didn't know Mizuki's strength, Nearl had heard the Doctor say that Mizuki could probably easily kick the Grand Knight Territory like a ball. "Then tomorrow afternoon?"

"Next week, I guess. I have things to do tomorrow too. I am, after all, a member of Penguin Logistics, and I need to take care of my own work."

If Exusiai hadn't reminded him, Mizuki would have almost forgotten that he was still an employee at Penguin Logistics; he hadn't done a proper job in a long time.

It just so happens that he's going back to Lungmen this time, and it's just the girls from Penguin Logistics. He... well, his life will probably be even harder. If there are outsiders around Exusiai and the others will be more restrained, but if it's just his own people, Mizuki can only hope that these girls won't lose their temper on the way.

"Relax a little. The Doctor complained to me that you always push yourself to the limit."

"She doesn't even consider whose problem it is."

Mizuki rolled her eyes, then thought about the things she still had to do today. First, there was Hai Mo's accommodation, then Irene's arrangements, the Abyssal Hunters and Aegir, and then she needed to start actively contacting Sami. It was really... more and more troublesome. Who remembered that he started out as a deliveryman?

But ultimately, the main problem is that the Doctor is too lazy. Whenever she cries, Mizuki has no choice but to help with things, and now she's gotten used to it and is busier than Amiya and Kal'tsit.

Achoo!

The Doctor student sitting in the office couldn't help but sneeze. She picked up her tea, took a sip, rinsed her mouth with it, and then spat it out, her expression a little strange.

"I didn't expect it to taste so good, just like Exusiai said, but it still feels so strange... Ugh, I need to go back and take a shower right away, my chest feels sticky, thankfully I didn't get it on my clothes."

This was an extremely novel experience for Miss Doctor. Although everyone could see that the relationship between Mizuki and Doctor was far more than just ordinary love, their most intimate act until today was a kiss, because Miss Doctor was afraid of pain and had never dared to do it with Mizuki.

Today was an experiment; she wanted to see if Mizuki could gradually create a greater deviation from other parallel worlds through these events. As long as the memories of this world became unique enough, Mizuki would always be able to leave a deeper impression on it and capture its existence in an instant.

But the Doctor actually quite liked this feeling; it was very comfortable. Unfortunately, she was still afraid of pain, so she inevitably needed some help to push her and Mizuki to take that step in their relationship.

Before that, she hadn't been in a high position in her plans.

"Hmm~ The Abyssal Hunters are still Gladiia, and Rosemary is definitely not a problem. Liz has already been taken, so next... Closure would be more suitable, right?"

The Doctor's eyes flashed with complex calculations. She often delegated her work to Mizuki, but that didn't mean she wasn't smart. She simply disliked thinking about complicated and meaningless things.

But if it involves Mizuki, or things she cares about, then the Doctor will show her true wisdom, even though... it seems like she's using that wisdom in the wrong place.

Chapter 219 Mizuki's Gradually Deviating Public Opinion

"Become an operator at Rhodes Island?"

Hai Mo put down the noodles in her hand, blinked at Mizuki, and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Although Mizuki prevented her from becoming Seaborn being, her body tissues were still inevitably assimilated and eroded in the direction of the Seaborn. Many parts of her internal structure are now different from those of humans. Although she is not as strong as Mizuki before she underwent the evolution of Heart of Deep Blue, she is still stronger than many Rhodes Island operators.

"Um."

Mizuki sat opposite Hai Mo with her dinner in hand. Because she didn't like interacting with people, this spot was the most secluded corner of the cafeteria. However, because of Mizuki, many people turned their attention to this side.

To many, the new, aloof Miss Hai Mo and Mizuki are complete opposites. Haimo is unwilling to interact with people and won't even say a few words, while Mizuki is very enthusiastic. However, just looking at their appearances... they seem more like siblings. Of course, they can't compare to Mizuki and Goldenglow when they're together.

Don't you want me anymore?

Hai Mo's words made Mizuki feel a sharpness in the gazes of those around her; Hai Mo's words were indeed easy to misunderstand.

"You can't say that. It makes it sound like I'm some kind of heartless man."

"But Grandpa Cicero once told me that he wanted me to be your bride someday."

"I already have someone I like."

"I don't mind at all."

Hai Mo shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth, speaking casually, but Mizuki sensed that Goldenglow's gaze towards her carried the sorrow of "my brother is hopeless." She regretted not going to find Hai Mo when she was alone in the dormitory. No, that would have meant the girl would have attacked him directly; she wouldn't have been polite at all.

"In short, just treat it as the task I've given you. Go back to the people, try to experience a different world. At least I think Rhodes Island is a great place."

The current Hai Mo can no longer be considered Seaborn, nor can she be called human. Like Mizuki back then, she has become some kind of new creature. However, Mizuki was able to complete her transformation by relying on the Heart of Deep Blue, while Hai Mo is stuck at this stage. She originally intended to evolve her into a member of the Sea Siren, but Mizuki felt that it would be very difficult.

He summarized all the individuals who successfully transformed into Sea Siren, read their data from the time of the Seaborn, and discovered that whether Seaborn could be transformed into Sea Siren was not related to whether their original physical strength was strong, but rather to a change in their mind.

Those Seaborn that successfully transformed into Sea Siren did not approach the evolution with a resolute mindset. Instead, they anticipated the transformation as if welcoming a new life. The Seaborn that failed, on the other hand, had no thoughts of their own from beginning to end. They simply regarded it as something that would benefit the Brood and did not think about anything else.

Hai Mo longed for the Sea Siren. After witnessing Sea Siren existence and understanding their social structure, she realized that this was what she truly desired. However, even if Mizuki saw through her thoughts, he couldn't rashly allow Hai Mo to transform into Sea Siren.

Sea Siren are a race with almost no negative emotions, and even if they do, they disappear at an extremely fast pace. It can only be said that the student surpasses the master; if one cannot overcome inner fear, then Hai Mo cannot become a true Sea Siren.

"... Since it's your mission, fine then, I'll become an operator of Rhodes Island."

For Hai Mo, she could obey any order from Mizuki unconditionally. Firstly, because Mizuki would not harm her, and secondly, because Mizuki had saved her life. Therefore, she would not object to whatever Mizuki wanted to do to her, and even wanted to do something proactively.

"In short, while not everyone on Rhodes Island is kind, they are all good people."

Mizuki reached out and ruffled Hai Mo's hair before sitting back down to eat his dinner. He had to go back to Lungmen with Exusiai and the others early the next morning to transport some things back.

(By the way, didn't anyone from the Reunion come?)

Mizuki bit into a piece of rib, Amash told him about Mr. K's Chernobog and his discovery by the Red Knife Squad. There should be someone in the Reunion organization who knows Kal'tsit, so the Reunion should send someone to inquire about him.

But there's been no news since then. Could something have happened to the Reunion?

However, Alina's reaction was calm, suggesting it was just a troublesome matter, not too dangerous.

Are you going to Lungmen?

"Hmm, is there anything you want?"

"Buy me a dress. Rhodes Island doesn't have the style I want. Can you pick one out for me? It's the one you tore before, remember?"

Hai Mo's eyes were very innocent, but Mizuki was certain that the girl was saying this on purpose. There weren't many people in the cafeteria at this time, but they were all people he knew, such as Huang, Gavial, and FrostNova Mudrock. Lappland was also there, but she was still the same as before, just treating it as a pastime. She found Mizuki's embarrassed look rather cute.

Upon hearing that Mizuki was going to Lungmen, Lappland seemed to realize something, and her smile gradually turned malicious. She remembered that Texas didn't know she was on Rhodes Island yet. A reunion with an old friend would surely be a touching scene. And if she were still on top of Mizuki then... would Texas blush with excitement on the spot?

"Elder brother."

Goldenglow put down her knife and fork, picked up her plate, and sat down next to Mizuki. Although everyone around her was staring at them, she still felt it was necessary to protect Mizuki's reputation, if she could.

"That's the one..."

He leaned close to Mizuki's ear and whispered something for a while. Goldenglow's face visibly turned red, and Mizuki's expression gradually became awkward. Her eyes darted left and right, unsure of what to do, before she finally covered her face.

"I'm stuffed."

Holding his half-eaten meal, Mizuki planned to finish it back at his dorm. He thought about the past, about the future, and then... he couldn't understand why his sister, who wasn't related to him by blood, would have such feelings for him. What did she mean by saying that if he couldn't hold back, he could come to her for help? Goldenglow, that girl, didn't she even consider how many sisters-in-law she already had?

If he really wanted to do it, he Exusiai and Mostima. Could it be that his memory is playing tricks on him? Didn't he raise Goldenglow as a little sister back then?