The Friendship They Once Shared

"Pei Xi, what brings you here? Didn't I tell you we'd go up for dinner after the experiment? You're pregnant, after all." Norman said gently upon seeing his lover.

In fact, from beginning to end, there was a hint of arrogance in Norman's eyes, a pride that transcended this world. Norman himself might not have been aware of this arrogance, but in the eyes of his childhood best friend Ebson, this arrogance was like a god looking down on mortals, causing ripples in Ebson's heart.

Norman's arrogance may be related to his inner secret, because he does not belong to this world; he came into this world to change it!

But when facing Pei Xi, all the arrogance in Norman's eyes would instantly turn into tenderness. Only when facing Pei Xi would the sense of superiority hidden deep in Norman's heart disappear. This beautiful Eldia girl used her gentleness to bring the gods down to earth.

Norman, Ebson, and Bill took off their lab coats and went together to the rest room next to the Laboratory.

"It'll be dark by the time you finish your experiments, so hurry up and eat. I made your favorite cheese patties, and oh yes, Little Ai, I also made your favorite beef brisket noodles." Pei Xi opened the bamboo basket on her arm and took out a series of fragrant lunches.

Ebson, his mouth watering at the beef brisket noodles piled high with chunks of meat in front of him, exclaimed, "Pei Xi's cooking is truly excellent, Norman. You're so lucky to have met Pei Xi!"

Norman smiled smugly. "Of course, do you need to say more?"

On the other side, Bill looked at Pei Xi expectantly and muttered, "Younger Sister, what about mine? You haven't forgotten about your Older Brother, have you?"

Pei Xi glared at him, annoyed. "Didn't you start smoking? Why are you even eating? Here, have two packs of cigarettes to smoke your fill, okay?"

Bill chuckled awkwardly, "Two packs of cigarettes? That's not impossible."

Peggy was speechless at her brother's behavior, but although she disliked his smoking, she wouldn't let him go hungry, so she angrily pushed the prepared food to Bill.

Pei Xi watched the group devour their steaming lunch, a smile spreading across her pretty face. Her pale hand gently stroked her slightly protruding belly. "If only all Eldians could live so peacefully with other peoples of the world," she thought.

Thinking of the lives of his fellow inmates in the Internment Zone, a hint of worry crept into Pei Xi's brow.

A pair of larger, more caring hands covered Pei Xi's lower abdomen. Norman looked at the fruit of his and Pei Xi's love, his eyes almost overflowing with tenderness. Seemingly sensing Pei Xi's worry, Norman comforted her, "Don't worry, Pei Xi, I promised you I would help the Eldians break free of their shackles and gain Eldians from the whole world. Believe me, I can do it!"

Seeing Norman's confident demeanor, Pei Xi nodded. "I believe in you!"

Soon, the three of them had eaten their fill. Norman told Bill to take Pei Xi home first, since Pei Xi was pregnant and couldn't stay in the Underground Laboratory any longer. Besides, only Norman and Ebson knew that Bill and Pei Xi Eldians, so there was no need to worry about them running into trouble.

After seeing Pei Xi and Bill off, Norman and Ebson immediately got to work, especially Norman. For the sake of his unborn child, he was determined to put in extra effort. He was also confident that he could change the future of the Eldians, as he possessed wisdom far surpassing that of this world.

"The Eldians possess incredible and powerful Titan Power. Research suggests that if either parent is Eldians, their children will inherit this magical bloodline." Norman dropped a drop of Potion into a test tube.

Ebson helped record the changes in another row of test tubes.

Norman placed a ball of scarlet liquid under a microscope—a treasure beyond the reach of ordinary people—and continued, "Ebson, you know the story of the Eldians, right? Legend has it that Ymir, the ancestor of the Eldians, obtained the power of the Devil of All Earth, the Titan Power. With the Titan Power Ymir helped the Eldians conquer the world and establish the Eldia Empire."

Ebson replied, "I know. Then Ymir was assassinated in the Palace while trying to save King Fritz. Her child and King Fritz's child ate her body, and her Titan Power was inherited by her children, eventually becoming the Intelligent Titan Power!"

Norman's lips curled into a smile as he swirled the liquid in his hand. "Yes, slowly, from then on, the Eldians had the Titan Power Eldians in their blood. But, Ebson, aren't you curious? How exactly did this Titan Power spread to all the Eldians? Could it be that all the Eldians are descendants of Ymir?"

Ebson was equally puzzled. "That is strange, but why are you asking?"

Norman laughed and said, "This is my ultimate goal. Once we figure out the secret of the Titan Power, the whole world will go crazy for it. To put it in a more dramatic way, the power within the Eldians can be described as the power of gods."

"The power of a god?" Ebson was stunned by Norman's words, but Norman knew very well that this was no exaggeration. In his memory, the star-studded Paths, the Founding Titan that had existed for thousands of years, and that mysterious, Hallucigenia —weren't they all worthy of being called the power of a god?

Having lived here for over a decade, Norman, though arrogant, knew that this world wasn't the fantastical comic book story of his memories, but a real, flesh-and-blood world. Since he had come to this world, he was determined to do his best to change it.

"The blood of the Intelligent Titan is not easy to obtain. Although they are both in the military, the Warrior Unit is not under the command of our Marley Legion, but is directly under the command of the Ministry of Defense. So, I'll have to ask you for help, Ebson," Norman said without turning his head.

Ebson nodded. Obtaining the blood of the Titan Warriors through his father wasn't difficult; perhaps it was because he was used to following Norman around since childhood.

Although Ebson had been helping Norman with various experiments all along, he himself was unclear about Norman's true motives.

However, Norman's mention of divine power had caught his attention, so Ebson asked, "Norman, could I take a look at your lab notes?"

Norman, his mind preoccupied with a crucial experimental change, said absentmindedly, "Look around casually. Oh, and don't look at that atlas next to my notes yet; I'll give it to you when I'm done."

"Hmm." Ebson responded, then reached for Norman's lab notebook. At that moment, Ebson's blue eyes were filled with utter innocence.