Mrs. Dalia

A few days later, when Hesta was taken away from the base again, Mr. Elu did not appear. Chiba was alone, waiting in the parking lot, driving as usual.

As Hesta approached, Chiba, in the driver's seat, waved hello as if nothing had happened. Hesta was stunned at first, then her eyes widened—

The last time they met, Chiba's empty left sleeve had now regrown a solid arm.

Even more incredible was that this severed left arm was not a prosthetic made of steel or wood. Hesta watched as Chiba nimbly pulled a cigarette from her pocket, then cupped her fist to shield the lighter from the wind... it was just like a normal person's five fingers.

"What are you standing there for? Get in the car," Chiba called out again.

Hesta snapped back to attention, walked over, and opened the car door. As she sat down, her gaze swept over Chiba's right leg—good grief, her right leg had grown back too.

Hesta's throat bobbed. "Chiba... Miss?"

"Hm?"

"Can I... touch your hand?"

Chiba didn't understand, but she still offered her right hand.

"No, your left hand."

Chiba switched hands, and Hesta, frowning, gently grasped the lifelike left hand.

Looking at it again now, although this hand also had slightly pale bones and slightly protruding blue veins, appearing just like an ordinary person's, it wasn't difficult to discern the difference from real flesh and blood if one looked closely.

Memories suddenly flashed through Hesta's mind. She recalled that as early as their first meeting and handshake, she had already sensed that Chiba's hand had a very peculiar texture.

It was just that the contact time was very short then, and she hadn't thought about it much.

Chiba pulled her hand back. "The old one broke, so I got a new one."

Hesta couldn't describe her shock. This scene was no less than a miracle to her. She believed that if Sister Gurdin were present, she would surely exclaim in surprise and angrily point out that this was blasphemy.

However, Chiba's tone made it sound as if she were talking about an umbrella, a clock, or a pair of glasses—perhaps in Miss Chiba's eyes, the human body was not much different from these objects.

Hesta's brow furrowed. "How... how did you manage this?"

Chiba, with the cigarette between her lips and her hand on the steering wheel, skillfully reversed the car. "Ancient technology."

"...Miss Chiba means the Golden Age?"

"Mm-hmm."

The car sped towards the city center.

It was Sunday, and the entire city was exceptionally quiet. Most shops were closed, and there were few pedestrians on the streets. Only the church doors were open, and people could be seen entering and exiting occasionally.

Hesta gazed out the window. "No parades today."

"There are rarely parades on weekends; weekends are for resting," Chiba said softly. "Unless they're protesting their own salaries, don't expect to get a crowd out on the streets on a Sunday."

As usual, Chiba parked the car on the street where the "White Ship" was located.

Apart from the "White Ship," no other shop on this street was open. Rusty roller shutters covered the colorful wooden and glass doors, but these tin sheets were covered in all sorts of graffiti and spray paint, looking like an extended painted wall from afar.

"My favorite thing about the 'White Ship' is that it's open on Sundays," Chiba said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Come on, let's grab something to eat."

The two pushed the door open, and Hesta quickly noticed that the person standing at the cash register today was a stout woman she had never seen before. She wasn't tall, was very plump, and might have been around Mrs. Lavette's age.

"Chiba?" the stout woman recognized her immediately. "You're back?"

"I came back last month," Chiba replied. "I've been to your place several times, but you were never here."

The other woman let out a hearty laugh. "I'm planning to open a branch in the new Askia City to the south. I've been looking at suitable storefronts there lately, so I haven't been coming around here much."

The stout woman walked out from behind the counter. She wore a green and white plaid dress and a light green silk scarf tied around her head. Her waist-length black hair was braided into a thick plait and coiled at the back, making her look very capable.

At first glance, the stout woman's black hair and brown eyes reminded Hesta of Boheng, and she couldn't help but wonder if this woman also came from District 14.

But her accent had some similarities to Liz's.

The stout woman chatted with Chiba for a bit, and the three of them sat down by the window while talking.

Chiba leaned back in her chair, one hand behind her head, playing with her ponytail. "Trust me, now isn't a good time to open a branch."

The stout woman frowned. "I've got everything ready, so why isn't it?"

"In any case, you'd better slow down." Chiba clearly didn't want to explain further. She turned to Hesta. "This is Mrs. Dalia, the owner of the White Ship."

Then, she pointed to Hesta and said to Dalia, "This is a distant relative of Elu's. She's been staying with me for the past two months, her name is—" Chiba paused slightly, "Alice."

"Hello, Alice," Mrs. Dalia said, extending her hand towards Hesta. "Your hair is so beautiful, like ivory silk."

Upon realizing that Chiba had given a false name, Hesta became a little nervous. She unconsciously shifted away from Mrs. Dalia to prevent her from getting too close and discovering that she was wearing a wig.

"Thank you," Hesta said, lightly shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Dalia."

"Where are you from, little girl? Is it like Mr. Elu?"

"Yes."

Hesta didn't know where Mr. Elu's hometown was, but at that moment, she had no better response than to nod.

Dalia laughed. "That's very close to where we're from. Have you been to Vilyuchinsk?"

"Where?"

"The Vilyuchinsk Wilds," Mrs. Dalia said. "I used to live there. I haven't been back in over ten years since I came to Tanyi—it's too far, and it's inconvenient to go back."

Hesta didn't know how to answer. She looked at Chiba, who showed no intention of jumping in to help her.

So Hesta thought for a moment. "I haven't had many chances to go out before. It's not safe out there."

This answer seemed to convince Mrs. Dalia. The way she looked at Hesta was suddenly filled with more pity. "That's true. Living in the wilds isn't exactly secure. You know, just a few years ago, who would have thought Askia would have trouble too? Such a prosperous place... I almost settled there myself."

Hesta tilted her head up. "You've been to Askia?"

"Of course, I have. Most of the earliest residents of the Vilyuchinsk wilds actually moved over from Askia."

Mrs. Dalia was quite talkative. She chattered on about her life in Tanyi over the past decade and a bit, her greatest lament being the unimaginable laziness of the people there.

"When I first arrived, an elderly couple living across from me ran a tavern. I figured Sunday would be their busiest day—but then one Sunday morning, I saw them both out weeding their yard! I was stunned. By noon, I saw them still dawdling in the yard, so I couldn't help but go over and ask, 'Good neighbors, why are you still home at this hour?'

"At first, they thought I was reprimanding them for not going to church and seemed a bit embarrassed. Once they realized I was talking about business at their tavern, they burst out laughing and told me, 'Sunday is a day of rest ordained by God, there's no reason to work!'

"I was truly baffled. If the tavern wasn't open on Sundays, when would Tanyi's drunks come out to get their fix? Guess what they told me?"

"What did they say?"

Mrs. Dalia, mimicking her neighbor's tone, spoke slowly, "'You can come any evening from Monday to Saturday!'"

After saying this, Mrs. Dalia slapped her thigh.

"They really thought of that. If someone gets wasted on a Monday night, won't they have to go to work with a foggy head on Tuesday? Back when I was in Vilyuchinsk, I thought the people there were lazy enough, but I never imagined Tanyi would be even worse."

Upon hearing this, Chiba let out a laugh.

"I know the women of Vilyuchinsk would never succumb to the laziness and wild habits of District 3," she said, raising her teacup and gently tapping Mrs. Dalia's. "You are forever industrious!"

Thanks to He Yao and Yu Qi for the rewards and monthly passes~