I Can't Be Your Brother-in-Law Anymore

"Yes, I just found out. I'm sorry to tell you this... but he probably won't be coming back."

Mizuki closed her eyes, listening to the thunder and wind around her, feeling the thrill of freefalling from Michael. Drop after drop of rain hit the ground, washing away the loose soil and revealing the undecayed corpses beneath.

Viviana was somewhat stunned, momentarily not understanding what Mizuki meant. He said Mackey wouldn't be coming back... but even Viviana and the other spokespeople for the Knight Tournament didn't know where Mackey had gone, so how did Mizuki know?

Ignoring Viviana's complicated thoughts and questioning gaze, Mizuki sensed everything within the rain's range.

There were no traces of the Warp, nor any remnants of M3's molten energy. Was it because Amash, the fusion of Kal'tsit and M3, was no longer there? However, there were traces of Originium energy remaining... Did Mr. K use Originium Arts? It seems her condition is more serious than expected. She doesn't dare to use the power of the Warp. Having lost Kal'tsit, her most important anchor for stabilizing herself, she has become precarious.

To use a vivid analogy, it's like building with blocks. The blocks that were barely able to support themselves became shaky and unstable after losing their core support. Kal'tsit... or rather, Amash is the most crucial part of Mr. K's personality.

Kal'tsit's lingering resentment and obsession became Amash then used the Black Crown to gather many fragmented consciousnesses. This put her at risk of being corrupted, just like Mizuki. Different people, different memories, different identities and life experiences, the same despair, her personality and cognition have been corrupted. Not to mention that she actively accepted fragments of the Warp Demons in order to travel through the Warp, coupled with the corruption of the Warp... Now, Mr. K is an absolute monster, both physically and mentally.

Even under these circumstances, he could still maintain his human consciousness and nonchalantly pretend to be Viviana at the meeting. Mizuki couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. This guy's unwillingness and obsession had become a kind of shackle, or perhaps an illness.

What makes Mizuki even more uneasy is that, among all the known memories in the Sea of Life, only his timeline has encountered Mr. K. Although this means that Amash, brought by Mr. K, can also become an anchor point for him to stabilize his memories, the most crucial thing is that Amash said that Mr. K has been to many parallel worlds of Terra.

As the two most unpredictable elements in Terra, Mizuki and the Doctor are the two most vulnerable points. Mr. K must eliminate one of them. The best-case scenario is that Mr. K's actions have successfully preserved the Terra, preventing it from reaching the point of destruction and despair. The Sea of Life will not actively contact Mizuki or establish a connection with her.

But Mizuki had to admit that this was a highly unlikely thing. He had a vague idea of what the worlds Mr. K had passed through were like. After all, even if he didn't get any evidence to prove it, and Amash didn't remember, he understood... the Warp was chasing him, chasing the individual named Mizuki.

"Mizuki... you... no, thank you for telling me this news."

Mizuki had no reason to harm Mackey, and Viviana had no evidence. It's wrong to assume the worst of others out of thin air.

"You should be the first to know about this in Kazimierz ..." Mizuki looked at the bar owner, Martin, then remembered him, "You're the second."

It was still a coincidence. If it weren't for Nearl's special visit to this bar, Mizuki wouldn't have discovered that the Viviana in Lungmen was an imposter. Mr. K's disguise was far better than it appeared. It wasn't just a change in appearance; everything about him was exactly the same as Viviana herself.

If you were to put both Viviana in front of Mizuki, he wouldn't be able to tell them apart. In terms of assassination, Mr. K undoubtedly has an absolute advantage; she can even fool herself.

"Speaking of which, the meeting over there is almost over... Miss Viviana, could you please pass on some information to the Kazimierz Oversight Committee and the Commercial Union?"

Regardless of the circumstances, Kazimierz did send someone to the meeting. Although it's unknown what Mr. K's intentions were in replacing Mackey at the meeting, it was most likely a conspiracy. No matter the outcome, they would definitely turn against each other. However, Kazimierz cannot be said to have not Terra's alliance because of this.

Let Viviana put in a good word. With some technology from Gladiia, Kazimierz has no reason to refuse. However, we need to carefully consider which technologies to give. Mizuki doesn't want this hard-won relationship to become short-sighted because of the benefits these technologies bring.

"First, there's comprehensive communication technology. This technology is essential. Terra's communication technology is limited by the Originium crystal dust in the atmosphere, so the range of wireless communication is not very large, and it can't even span the entire country. If it weren't for the fact that Kjerag had a backup plan and Bolivar hadn't taken the opportunity to launch an attack, this meeting would have been delayed for at least a week because of this issue."

Looking at the tiny, palm-sized Mizuki standing on her table, Gladiia's expression was incredibly conflicted. After all, being seen halfway through changing clothes was indeed embarrassing, but she couldn't blame Mizuki, since Specter had dragged her over.

If you say Specter didn't do it on purpose, Gladiia doesn't believe it. She's certain the girl did it intentionally; she's known about Specter's little schemes all along... The question is, is this how you use a three-on-one tactic?

Fortunately, Gladiia had no aversion to this mini version of Mizuki. The other party had no aura of Seaborn and was as clean as water.

As for what happened earlier, Mizuki said she had deleted the memory, so she could only pretend nothing had happened. She would deal with Specter later; that girl really is unruly if you don't discipline her for three days.

"Then, long-distance communication needs to cover at least the entirety of Terra. With Aegir's technology, achieving this shouldn't be a problem, but it will be quite difficult."

"I know, after all, Originium crystallization is a problem that cannot be ignored, and so is signal transmission. The environment is even harsher than in Aegir."

During this time, the Sea Siren have Aegir Agor quite a bit to steal things. In order to figure out what the so-called Matrix is all about, they also obtained some technical information. Since there are no Originium crystals in the ocean, the construction of the communication network is naturally simpler.

While in Terra, although Mizuki suppressed the activity of Originium and eliminated a lot of Originium dust in the atmosphere, the problem still existed.

"Can't we launch a satellite?"

"No, you Aegir should also know about the existence of the Barrier Layer. Although I can open it, I don't know what the owner of the eyes behind the starry sky is thinking. I can only hope that they don't harbor the greatest malice."

Before fully understanding the Observers's thoughts behind the starry sky, rash action would only bring unexpected variables, Mizuki dared not take that risk.

"That thing..."

As one of the high-ranking members of Aegir, Gladiia had some understanding of what lay behind the stars. After all, Aegir inherited a great deal of legacy from Old Civilization, so it was only natural that she knew this.

However, the truth about the starry sky has never been revealed, and Gladiia knows very little about it.

"And what are your thoughts?"

Since Mizuki chose to come to her, she must have her own reasons, Gladiia wanted to see them.

"Let's see if we can use the Sea of Life as a relay and route. That way, we only need to assume the sending and receiving ends, ensuring security while saving time and resources spent on building the facilities."

"... Heh, but won't that mean all the information in Terra will flow to your side? Is that alright?"

Mizuki is their only trump card right now, and nothing can happen to him. Gladiia already knows from the Doctor and Kal'tsit that he faces the risk of having his memories corrupted. If he also has to endure the information exchange of the entire Terra, it's hard to say whether it will bring additional burdens to Mizuki.

Compared to that, the fact that all information could be accessed, seen, and even modified by Mizuki is a minor matter; entrusting this kind of information control to Mizuki is actually reassuring.

"It's alright, this level of burden is far below my tolerance."

The Sea of Life continues to grow, absorbing the destructive timelines to strengthen itself, using all destruction as nourishment to evolve. Compared to this potential, the risk of contamination from mastering the Sea of Life is entirely acceptable.

"Then let's start by working on the technical improvements to sending and receiving emails; this will require your cooperation."

"No problem, I'm available anytime. Actually, I'm also very curious about how the Sea of Life transmits information, but I'm not a professional scientist, so it's better to leave this to you."

As Mizuki spoke, she also transmitted information to herself in various places such as Lungmen, Kazimierz, and Sargon, keeping them synchronized and connecting them into a unified whole at the level of consciousness to ensure her stability.

Having discussed this issue, it's about time to call it a day. Maintaining so many threads to handle the problem simultaneously is indeed quite difficult. It's not that the burden is too great, but rather that Mizuki's information processing speed is too fast, making everything seem slow to him and causing a sense of fatigue.

Besides, he hadn't completely erased the memory from his mind, so he was still a little embarrassed. He was also certain that Specter had deliberately chosen this time to bring him in, probably wanting to see how embarrassed Gladiia be. He hadn't expected her to calmly put her clothes back on without even getting angry. She really had extraordinary composure.

It felt a bit awkward to stay any longer. Mizuki looked around and finally jumped towards Skadi. It had been a long time since she had chatted with Skadi, and she also needed to check on Ishar-mla's condition.

With a "po," Skadi failed to catch the miniature version of Mizuki, probably because Mizuki was not used to this size. As a result, Mizuki bumped into her chest and then bounced away.

So Mizuki finally had an accurate understanding of Skadi's figure, which was just too good to be true!

This sudden turn of events made Skadi blush slightly. Under normal circumstances, she would have been happy for Mizuki to do this, but the problem was that not only Specter, but Gladiia was also watching from the sidelines.

Skadi picked up the Mizuki from the ground and held it in her hands. She carefully brushed off the dust, hesitated for a moment, and then decided not to stuff it into her chest, as it was too tight there.

"Then I'll go eat with Mizuki first, Captain, goodbye."

Gladiia was in a bad mood, and her intuition told Skadi that it would be best to leave first. Specter originally wanted to leave with the two of them, but Gladiia held her hand.

"Laurentina, I think we need to have a serious talk."

Gladiia, with her cold expression, seemed no different from usual, but Specter, as a teammate, could feel the oppressive aura emanating from her, which was very unpleasant.

"Captain... would you believe me if I said it was a misunderstanding?"

What do you think?

Gladiia smiled and raised her fist, which could swing at supersonic speeds.

Chapter 243 I Can't Be a Brother-in-Law Anymore

"This is where Mizuki lives... Penguin Logistics, how did he get involved with this group of people?"

Ernesto must have heard of the famous Penguin Logistics, but he really didn't expect that Mizuki would be involved with this group. In his memory, Mizuki was the kind of person who was very well-behaved and never caused trouble, and of course, she would not tolerate the existence of bad people.

But are Penguin Logistics really any good people? Ernesto pondered for a while and felt that the possibility was not very high. If Penguin Logistics could abide by the law, even he, a Bolivar, would know about their reputation.

"Brother, is Mizuki inside?"

The La Pluma looked on curiously. Penguin Logistics was closed, but the lights were still on, indicating that there were still people there.

She was somewhat impatient; it was only after more than a year that they met again, and she was bound to be excited, especially since Mizuki was someone she liked.

"We'll find out by asking, but you should stay calm then."

The La Pluma is usually quite obedient, but it can be a bit willful when it comes to things like Mizuki, and sometimes it might even lose its temper.

According to Ernesto's investigation, Penguin Logistics doesn't have any boys besides Mizuki, which speaks volumes about what might be going on there.

"Okay, I'll try my best not to pounce on Mizuki!"

(I hope you won't turn into a completely different person by then.)

Fortunately, La Pluma didn't bring any weapons, otherwise Ernesto suspected that a fight might break out here tonight. He took La Pluma and walked to the entrance of Penguin Logistics' base, then reached out and knocked on the door.

"Ah, we have guests. Xiao Le, go open the door. It should be the friend Mizuki mentioned earlier."

"Okay." Putting down the controller, Exusiai straightened her loose clothes and walked towards the door.

Exusiai pondered for a moment, then remembered that Mizuki had mentioned that Ernesto and his sister might come to visit. Hmm, siblings... It's hard to say about the brother, but the sister must have some ambiguous relationship with Mizuki, or at least it's one-sided affection!

Since Mizuki never mentioned any romantic entanglement with the La Pluma, then it must be the latter—a one-sided crush. Mizuki can also be considered her savior.

So Exusiai went to open the door, and unsurprisingly, La Pluma and Ernesto were standing at the door.

"Is there anything I can help you with? If you need a delivery service, please come back tomorrow, we're closed."

"Miss Exusiai, right? We are Mizuki's friends from Bolivar. We haven't seen each other for many years. We recently found out that he is here, so we came to see if we could meet up with our old friend."

It seems they really are siblings. Hmm, just like Mizuki said, they're not blood-related siblings. The brother is Perro and the sister is Liberi. Looking closely, this sister is also the kind of naturally innocent, cute, Little Bird type... the kind that Mizuki easily softens at, but definitely not Mizuki's favorite type.

As her nominal wife, Exusiai quite familiar with Mizuki's preferences. Even though outsiders might think that Mizuki could be paired with anyone, Exusiai her!

"You're here to see Mizuki, right? He is indeed here, but he's washing dishes. Please come in."

Exusiai wasn't worried at all that the two had ulterior motives. She swaggered in and let them in, then called out towards the kitchen.

"Honey! Your old friend has found you!"

As soon as he said that, Ernesto realized something was wrong; Exusiai n't addressed Mizuki correctly!

Even though she was as naturally oblivious as La Pluma, she realized what Exusiai's words meant. A huge stone was thrown into a lake, and her mood became as unsettled as the surface of the lake.

"Oh, you're here!" Mizuki poked her head out from the kitchen. "Please have a seat, I'm going to wash my hands."

It was indeed Mizuki. That familiar smile was the most familiar to the La Pluma. If the Exusiai hadn't said those words just now, she would have wanted to run straight to Mizuki's side. But now she only regretted that her great scythe was not in her hand.

Ernesto subtly kicked her shin with his foot just in time, finally bringing the La Pluma back to its senses.

"Um... Miss Exusiai, why do you call Mizuki 'darling'?"

The sound of the La Pluma Exusiai's pride and smugness were soaring. Ah, this is it! This is the expression she wanted to see on others!

Unfortunately, both Rhodes Island's colleagues and Penguin Logistics' sisters had already accepted the fact that Exusiai and Mizuki would get married sooner or later. At most, they were a little surprised and envious of the two getting their marriage certificate, but not to the point of jealousy or hatred.

But the La Pluma didn't know that. In her eyes, Mizuki had been stolen away by a woman who suddenly appeared. The last thing she wanted to hear was that answer, the answer that she was supposed to give to others.

"Ah, because he was my boyfriend... Oh no, he's not my boyfriend anymore."

Exusiai immediately corrected the mistake. It wasn't that she said it on purpose, but rather that it came out naturally, which relieved La Pluma.

"You two broke up?"

"No, that's not it. We're married, so I didn't realize I'd misspoke."

She waved her hand gently. If Exusiai's earlier shout of "darling" to Mizuki had only left La Pluma a little confused, then this sentence was practically a declaration of "Go ahead and hit me if you dare."

"After all, we just got our marriage certificate today, so we're still not quite used to it."

"Today..."

Ernesto suddenly sensed a hint of murderous intent in his sister's gaze. It seemed he was indeed to blame for this, because last night, when he found out where Mizuki was, La Pluma couldn't wait to find her and said he wanted to see Mizuki. However, because he was worried about some unexpected events, and also because he was preparing to deal with Candela, the matter was postponed until today.

This is terrible! If the La Pluma had arrived a day earlier, it might have had a chance of winning, and at least it wouldn't be so dissatisfied. But Mizuki and Exusiai are getting married today. This is awful!

Let alone Exusiai, Ernesto felt like he could be cleaved in two by his sister's scythe in the middle of the night while he was sleeping. He could only hope that Mizuki would save his life!

"Hmm, what are you standing there for? Sit down, don't be so polite."

After washing his hands and handing the dishwashing to Tentacles, Mizuki came over with some fruit and snacks. Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the smug expression on Exusiai's face, the gloomy look on La Pluma's face, and Ernesto's pleading eyes, he immediately understood what was going on.

Most likely, Xiao Le said something unintentionally again... No, given her personality, she might have done it on purpose, after all, Xiao Le can be mischievous at times.

"Raffaella, don't make that face after all this time. You're much prettier when you smile."

Mizuki reached out and gently scratched the nose of the La Pluma with her index finger. She sat down calmly, completely ignoring the La Pluma's terrifying aura.

(As expected of Mizuki, she can still remain calm and composed in this situation. Really... can't this guy even consider Raffaella's feelings?)

Because they were unaware of Mizuki's amnesia, the most unexpected thing for the siblings was that Mizuki suddenly disappeared and then reappeared, and even got married.

"Mizuki, you... got married?"

Upon seeing Mizuki, La Pluma surprisingly became quiet, sitting somewhat reserved beside Mizuki —something Ernesto envied most about Mizuki.

Despite having only known each other for a month, La Pluma Pen was able to remain calmer by Shuiyue's side. It seems that being around Mizuki really does give one a sense of security.

"Well, it can't really be considered a wedding yet, we've just registered our marriage. If we're really going to get married, it might be a long time from now."

For Mizuki and Exusiai, getting a marriage certificate and getting married are different. Getting a marriage certificate means that their relationship has been officially recognized, but getting married means that they have both made up their minds to give each other a future together.

Actually, there's something that Mizuki has never told Exusiai. On their wedding day, Exusiai said that if she were to grow old and die in the future, Mizuki should find someone else. But Mizuki had never even considered that possibility.

With him around, Exusiai will not die.

Normal aging and death can be explained from various perspectives, but in Mizuki's case, it can all be attributed to the weakening of vitality.

As vitality weakens to a certain extent, the body's cells and organs will gradually develop problems, and a person will gradually age.

Normal human vitality will weaken. The food we ingest and a series of life activities are all trying to maintain our vitality as much as possible. However, the process of converting vitality will consume some of it, and the weakening of vitality will lead to the weakening of the body. Once the body weakens, the loss of vitality will accelerate and the upper limit will be lowered. Therefore, normal human bodies will begin to decline after reaching a certain level.