Talulah, I'm still a child.

In Cecilia's memory, her mother had told her not to open the door to strangers, but Mostima knew Mei Xue, and she knew Mei Xue too, so Mostima was not a stranger. Well, it was definitely not because she was craving the cake in Mostima's hand.

Upon entering Cecilia's home, Mostima's first impression was that it was sparsely furnished, but surprisingly, it had a warm and homey feel. Although small, it was clean and tidy, and the hostess must have cleaned it carefully. If I'm not mistaken, Cecilia prefers watching TV, because there was a small blanket for her to use next to the sofa.

"This is a gift, please accept it."

With a smile, Mostima placed the cake on the table and removed her hat, revealing a dim halo and Sarkaz horns. Her tail extended, and her wings, which had lost their luster, reappeared behind her. The fallen angel Mostima made no attempt to conceal her appearance.

Of course, this was to prevent Cecilia's mother from having any misunderstandings when she saw her later. She didn't want her situation to affect Mei Xue and Cecilia's friendship.

"Cecilia, is that Mei Xue?"

Felia came out of the kitchen carrying two plates of food with a smile on her face, but she froze when she saw Mostima, and the plates in her hands fell to the ground.

A glint of light flashed from Mostima's staff, and a ripple of time spread out, immediately slowing the plates' descent to a feather-like pace, giving Mostima ample time to reach Felia and catch them.

"Don't be so surprised, madam. I'm just worried about Mei Xue visiting a stranger's house alone. Besides, your daughter and I are similar in some ways, so don't worry that I will do you any harm."

Felia didn't answer. She opened her mouth slightly but said nothing. She glanced at Meixue and Cecilia over there. To be honest, when she saw Meixue, a negative darkness flashed in her eyes unconsciously.

"Who are you……"

“Didn’t Andorn and Oren introduce me to you? My name is Mostima.”

Mostima smiled as she carried the dishes with remarkable composure. When she uttered the name, Felia's expression changed again, showing a mixture of helplessness and relief. It seemed she didn't intend to side with Andorn.

Where should we put this?

"That table will do."

Felia pointed to the table next to the living room, which was just big enough for four people to sit.

Mei Xue and Cecilia did not notice anything amiss with the two people over there. While cutting a cake for Cecilia, the little fox took out a fluffy bracelet from its tail and handed it to her.

"This is a gift for you; I plucked this fur from your tail."

"Thank you, Brother Meixue. Ah, I..."

Cecilia remembered her mother saying that you shouldn't accept things from strangers, and if it's a gift from a friend, you should always reciprocate.

But Cecilia had nothing to give. The storybook in her arms was a gift from her father, and she didn't want to give it to Meixue. After thinking it over, she could only take the blanket from the sofa and hand it to Meixue.

"This is for my brother~"

"Thank you."

Mei Xue didn't stand on ceremony and solemnly put the blanket into her tail. Then she took out the game console and played with Cecilia.

Mostima and Felia were busy in the kitchen. While working, Felia couldn't help but sized up Mostima. The dark halo and dull wings were characteristics of fallen angels. Unlike Cecilia, who was a hybrid, Mostima was undoubtedly a fallen being. In other words... she was dangerous.

"Why did you come here? What is your purpose?"

“It’s very simple. Someone requested a request from Rhodes Island, and the highest-ranking official in Rhodes Island’s Lateran district agreed.”

"What do you mean?"

Felia was somewhat confused. Who would ask Rhodes Island for help? She remembered that Andrew wasn't some high-ranking official. According to Andrew himself, he was just an ordinary Rhodes Island operator stationed there.

"Simply put, your daughter wants to cure your illness, and Mei Xue has accepted."

"...Just because of that?"

This answer was quite unexpected for Felia. She thought Mostima must have some kind of conspiracy, and even thought that Meixue was deliberately arranged to get close to Meixue.

"What else could there be, madam? Your daughter is indeed a rather special case, but she will not be the first, nor will she be the last."

Seeing that Felia still refused to believe it, Mostima helplessly continued chopping vegetables.

"Do you really think you could have raised Cecilia without Lateran's knowledge during these seven years? The Pope already knew about your existence; he just tacitly approved of it."

Mostima wasn't trying to scare Felia. In fact, Ivan XI was quite aware of the situation between the mother and daughter. He even brought it up at the time to avoid putting Messy in a difficult position later.

"...Really? He actually acquiesced?"

"In fact, Mei Xue also took on a small risk for you."

In truth, Felia still didn't believe Mostima's claim. After all, even her neighbors hadn't known of Cecilia's existence for so many years, so how could the Pope know? Well, that's not impossible.

"You could call Andorn or Oren. Oh, I think Andorn might not have time right now, because a lady is catching up with him."

"you!"

Felia frowned. It seemed Mostima knew more than she had thought, which forced her to calm down and think carefully. As a mother, she needed to be rational in order to protect Cecilia.

After calming down, Felia realized that things were indeed much as Mostima had imagined. In fact, if Lateran really wanted to harm her and her daughter, they would never have sent just these two people, nor would they have chosen this time. They should have come to arrest them last night.

As long as Mostima isn't backed by Laterano, things become much easier to understand. After all, to organizations outside of Laterano, Cecilia is no different from any other Sarkaz. Only Laterano's strict laws pose the greatest threat to Cecilia.

"Then, you represent Rhodes Island. How can I trust you?"

"It's simple. You can just ask Mr. Andrew. You must have bought a lot of medicine from him."

After saying this, Mostima fell silent, knowing it was unnecessary. For the rest, Felia would have to verify things herself to get the answers she wanted to believe. Mostima didn't care about the rest; she figured her and Mei Xue's visit had already made Andorn's men anxious.

In fact, it was pretty much what Mostima had thought. Mei Xue was alright, and he didn't feel much of a threat, but Mostima was a big problem. Patia took out her communicator to make a call to Andorn, but the moment the number connected, she found someone standing next to her.

"Hey... what happened, Patia?"

"Hey, Andorn, you're something else..."

Outcast held a gun to Patia's temple with one hand and took her communicator with the other, speaking into the speakerphone.

Andorn raised an eyebrow slightly, and then the owner of that voice rang out.

"Teacher, you've returned to Laterano?"

"Yes, I arrived yesterday evening. It was a long drive. Do you have time?"

"...At the Requiem Church at three o'clock in the afternoon, I will prepare your favorite chocolate cake and black tea with evaporated milk."

"Oh, that's really good... Well, don't worry, I just knocked out a few of your men, I didn't really do anything."

After hanging up the phone, Andorn frowned. In his eyes, Outcast was far more difficult to deal with than Pope Ivan, because he was his former teacher and the one who saved him. Andorn could never forget this kindness.

In fact, it was Outcast's departure that inspired Andorn to seek answers in the outside world.

"Here you go, phew... The air in Laterano smells of cake, it can get cloying sometimes."

Outcast returned the communicator to Patia and put away his gun. Although she was furious, Patia could only endure it, because the old lady in front of her was the mentor of Avantorn. Of course, it could also be because she could take her life in an instant.

"Oh, by the way, although it may not be necessary, I still have to say that you'd better not try to make a move on Mei Xue."

After saying that, Outcast disappeared from the sight of all the monitors. She just wanted to see how her student was doing and protect Mei Xue... To be honest, with the number of tails Mei Xue has now, anyone who messes with him is doomed.

"Damn it, so what if the Sarkaz are amazing? So what if they can use guns from birth? This Laterano... it's just a Sarkaz Laterano!"

Patia cursed, her expression mirroring that of Mandela, who had just arrived near Lateran. They had endured countless hardships along the way, the worst being a minor natural disaster. Had they not been far away, they would likely have perished.

"Remember, don't make too much noise in Lateran City."

Lavshini reminded them, while also feeling fortunate that they were the only two left in the convoy. Fortunately, they still had their money on them. They looked a bit disheveled, but they could change their clothes later.

"I know, tsk... Once I find that guy, I'm definitely going to torture him first!"

Mandra was getting angrier and angrier. If it weren't for this damn mission, she would definitely still be on the other side of the deep pool with the leader, instead of following that idiot Raphsini.

"You'd better be careful. I have a feeling we've been incredibly unlucky ever since we took on that mission."

Raphsini, of course, had no idea that her luck as a Draco had been counteracting Mei Xue's unconscious curse. If it weren't for her, Mandra would have died several times over.

"You don't mean to say..."

"I suspect that guy named Therese is up to no good."

Actually, if you think about it carefully, you'll understand why. If it were just about eliminating an ordinary person, how difficult could it be for Theresis? I thought this guy was testing our sincerity, but now it seems like it was all a trap.

No, this is an abyss!

Chapter 236 Mei Xue's Identity Gradually Emerges

This was definitely the happiest day Cecilia had ever had, because her mental age was no different from that of an ordinary child. So Mei Xue and she got along very well. The little fox had seen a lot of things and read a lot of books. He would even teach Cecilia to read while telling her stories.

"My brother knows so much..."

Cecilia sat in Mei Xue's lap, holding the game console he had given her, awkwardly pressing the unfamiliar buttons.

This was, after all, her first time trying something like this, and it was easy for her to make mistakes. However, Mei Xue would always make mistakes with her, and Cecilia gained a lot of joy despite feeling embarrassed.

"Of course, my teacher is also a very capable person~"

The little fox proudly raised his head, his tail practically pointing to the sky. He still liked Miss Black Snake quite a bit, even though there had been some unpleasantness at the beginning, but that was all in the past.

"Hey bro, your character got killed!"

“Don’t talk about me, Cecilia, you’re the same.”

So the two friends, who had only known each other for a day, smiled at each other again. Mostima, who had finished cooking, couldn't help but sigh as she watched this scene. Indeed, the friendship between children of this age is much purer. There is no scheming or backstabbing, and they don't talk badly about each other behind each other's backs. They are happy just playing games and chatting.

However, the one with the most complicated feelings was Felia. She really couldn't understand why Mostima and Meixue chose to help her. Was it just because of Cecilia's words? No, she knew that her daughter didn't have that much ability, and Mostima and the others probably didn't know who her husband was.

Still hesitating?

"Because I can't get a convincing answer from my own perspective."

"Only at times like this do I realize that Sakta's aura is a good thing; it's so nice to be able to empathize."

Mostima could understand Felia's concerns. In fact, she herself found it troublesome, but what could she do? Her boyfriend was just like that; he would try his best to save those who deserved it, just like always.

If empathy were possible, Mostima's helplessness would surely be conveyed to Felia, and she would certainly understand that the attitude here was not a conspiracy or trick.

"You came too directly."

“This is much simpler. I can’t exactly ask Meixue and me to go through all that trouble. Madam, you know your physical condition better than anyone. Look at your daughter. If you die… where will she go?”

Mostima's words touched Felia's heart. Yes, it didn't matter that she herself died. She already had a lovely daughter and a lover. Life had few regrets for her. But the only thing she couldn't let go of was Cecilia.

Her husband has many affairs to attend to, and since they are both Sarkaz, they can't possibly survive there. But after her death, who should Cecilia be entrusted to? Felia doesn't want her to be dragged down by Patia and the others and grow up full of hatred for the world.

"What about the costs?"

Upon hearing this answer, Mostima knew that things were probably settled. Indeed, children are the weakness of most mothers. Even if Felia could face death calmly, she couldn't help but consider Cecilia's future.

"Don't worry about that. You can choose to become an operator on Rhodes Island or open your own small cake shop on the ship. There are still many people who like to eat pastries there, but the canteen's cakes are limited."

It's not uncommon for operators to open shops within Rhodes Island; Kroos is a prime example, as she'd love for all of Rhodes Island's money to end up in her own pocket.

"Never mind, now is not the time to talk about this. Mei Xue, dinner is ready."