Talulah, I'm still a child.

"So, what's been wrong with him lately?"

"For example, a sudden change in mood."

Chapter 81 Rivals Meet with Extraordinary Hatred

"Welcome, welcome to Laterano! You must be tired from your long journey."

The convening of the first Terran Union Conference was a significant event, but for the optimistic Lateranos, it seemed to be simply understood as a grander festival, and they were especially welcoming to the guests who had come from afar.

"This is Lateran... no wonder it's called a paradise on earth."

This was Ning Ciqiu and Liang Xun's first time visiting Lateran. Although they had heard that Lateran was a paradise, seeing it with their own eyes still made them exclaim: There is such a place on this land!

If Great Flame is one of the few truly kind places in Terra, then Laterano is completely different from the rest of the world. The people here are incredibly optimistic, sunny, and positive, but they're just a little too... free.

Is this a local custom in Laterano?

Looking at the passersby preparing to carry out the demolition, Holhaya touched her chin with some curiosity. She had actually been to Lateran before, but back then it had just been built and the atmosphere wasn't this cheerful. Now it seemed she was indeed a bit behind the times.

"Welcome, His Holiness the Pope has been waiting for a long time. Please follow me."

Forced into service, Oren wore a standard business smile, though he was somewhat helpless. He hadn't expected to be dragged into this by Violet as a laborer, and now he was responsible for receiving envoys from various countries. The pressure was quite immense.

It was quite a coincidence, though, that the envoys from various countries arrived at roughly the same time, which saved a lot of trouble.

Hello everyone.

Amiya felt somewhat uneasy upon arriving in Laterano and facing so many representatives from various countries. She knew she still had the identity of the Sarkaz Demon Lord, and if that were discovered, would the meeting still be able to continue?

"I see, you're Amiya."

Facing the representative sent by Rhodes Island, Holhaya and the others did not seem surprised. In fact, most of those present were their own people. Mei Xue and the Doctor had told them about Amiya before, not to mention Ning Ciqiu and Liang Xun. When they came this time, the Grand Tutor had instructed them that although the meeting was ostensibly a joint meeting of various countries, in order to avoid some unnecessary trouble, while choosing Laterano as the chief councilor, it would be best to take good care of Amiya.

"Oh, ma'am, do you recognize me?"

"Hehe, this is our first meeting, but I think most of you here already know you."

As she spoke, Holhaya ignored Oren's somewhat bewildered reaction and began introducing the people attending the meeting to Amiya.

"This is Count Utica from Letania, over here are Mr. Liang Xun and Miss Ning Ciqiu from the Great Yan Dynasty, and Miss Elene and Mr. Carmen from Iberia, and over there are Ms. Giovanna and Ms. Lavinia from Syracuse..."

Holhaia introduced all the attendees she knew to Amiya one by one. Holhaia had assumed that either Kal'tsit or the Doctor would be coming, but to her surprise, the person accompanying Amiya and responsible for her protection was an Agor, who seemed to have some connection with the gentleman representing Iberia.

Seeing Ulpian here was somewhat unexpected for Goredia. She had already learned from Specter that he was still alive, but she didn't expect to run into him at this time.

"What are you here for?"

"...to represent Agor."

Goredia's reply was very cold. Although Agor's current technological level is much higher than that of Terra, there are spies both inside and outside the Sea Legion. If she doesn't do something, it might be too late.

"Me too."

Ulbian glanced at Gatanothor and Amaya, who were looking on curiously. They seemed to be doing as usual. As an independent force under Mei Xue, such a meeting was worth watching.

Of course, Ulpian felt that the two of them were simply curious about what Cecilia's hometown was like.

"Strange, hasn't Sami's representative arrived yet?"

Looking around, Amaya noticed that there were no Sami people here. Kazimierz and Rembito had both requested to participate, so they would probably arrive in the afternoon. Those present were mostly forces gathered because of Meixue.

“I think they must have gotten lost. The Sami people have very little contact with the outside world. Although Colombia has been exploring and providing medical equipment there for a long time, it turns out that our Sami friends really need more time to get used to the modern world.”

Holhaya shrugged slightly, but this was to be expected. In any case, Sami's opinion was not important at this meeting, and it didn't matter whether Rembitox and Kazimierz attended or not.

Although this meeting is ostensibly a meeting, it is actually just a way to put some things on the table, such as alliances between countries. Regardless of whether others oppose it, those standing here basically agree with this idea, especially since the series of changes recently have prompted everyone to speed up their pace.

"This is Cecilia's house. It looks pretty nice."

Compared to the representatives who each had their own ideas, Amaya and Gatanjah really came with a tourist mentality. They didn't care what the outcome or situation of this meeting would be, because besides the two of them, there were three Sirens in Lateran. With this lineup, people would believe they were there to demolish the city, let alone hold a meeting.

"Is Mei Xue not here?"

As the representative of Syracuse, Lavinia looked around but did not see the little fox, which was somewhat disappointing. However, she was attending the meeting as the "representative of the Lady of Sicily," not in the name of Sicily II, so she needed to be more discreet. Giovanna, on the other hand, represented the large family of Syracuse.

"Brother Meixue is quite busy, he might be..."

Amiya found it difficult to continue. Most of the people present were acquaintances of the little fox, so how many of them couldn't guess what he was doing? He was either being bothered by someone or slacking off and taking a nap.

"Unfortunately, some people were unable to attend this meeting."

Holhaia shook her head helplessly. The civil war in the East was not over yet, Ursus had been abandoned, and the situation in Victoria was turbulent. However, most of the forces in Terra were still gathered here, including Sherag, who was of great value.

"Let's go, don't keep them waiting."

It was a bit cold around Frostnova. She glanced at Oren, who was struggling to get a word in edgewise, and shook her head helplessly. The Reunion Movement had originally planned for her and Talulah to come, but now that the battle was tense, Talulah, as the leader, couldn't leave at will. Instead, they sent Alina, the political commissar.

It's said that rivals in love are especially hostile when they meet. Apart from a few individuals, Lavinia, Frostnova, Horhythia, and others all showed some disdain for each other. Clearly, even if they had reached a consensus on their goals, there was still some competition in their hearts.

As the group walked out of the reception room, those forces that had not received an invitation were all watching the commotion, especially the Grand Dukes of Victoria.

It is indeed somewhat unexpected that Victoria, one of the former rulers of Terra, did not receive an invitation. Although the current situation in Victoria is somewhat chaotic, with conflicts between the Sarkaz and the various Grand Dukes, the war has not yet begun, and it would be appropriate to invite at least one Grand Duke.

As for choosing Laterano as the venue, it's unclear whether this could be seen as a polite way of declining the Sarkaz, but Theresis doesn't have time to think about that now.

The reason is simple: Damn it, Mei Xue is coming!

Therese was terrified of Mei Xue. Back when this little fox had only four tails, she could curse people so easily with just a few words. Now that she probably has nine tails, Mei Xue could easily crush anyone she fought.

"He came alone, how much does he look down on us?"

The Blood Demon Lord frowned, feeling extremely displeased with Mei Xue's solo trip to the meeting; it was practically a provocation.

"What can you do if someone looks down on you? Can you beat them in a fight?"

The shapeshifter rolled his eyes at the Blood Lord. He didn't know who had been blown into the sky by a Destruction Mushroom and had been bedridden for half a month. Besides, just as Theresis had worried, the little fox was now a nine-tailed fox, and if she was unhappy, she could tear the whole of Londinium apart.

"Fate... cannot be defied."

The King of Carrion shook his head. If Mei Xue only had three tails, that would be fine, but if she had nine tails and was also malicious, then he could only raise his hands in welcome.

"I don't think there's any need to be so nervous. Maybe he's just here for tourism."

Theresa was playing a little joke, and the situation wasn't actually that tense, because Mei Xue wasn't heading directly for Lontinim; according to Sarkaz's intelligence, he had run to Little Hill County.

This casual joke was actually true; Mei Xue really did come to Victoria with a semi-tourist mentality, and he even brought along the little angel Cecilia.

Mei Xue hadn't originally planned to bring Cecilia along, since Victoria was still quite dangerous, but he had promised Cecilia that he would take her to see a wider world, so after thinking about it, he decided to bring the little angel along.

Moreover, for safety reasons, Mei Xue also asked Mandela to protect her. Since a cat and a little girl shouldn't be considered much of a fighting force, it was seen by Theresis and the others as a solo mission.

"Little Qiu County, it's been so many years since I've been back."

Mei Xue held Cecilia's hand and stood on the street. It was much quieter than he remembered. Little Hill County used to be very lively, but now there were hardly any people on the streets.

"Has Brother Meixue been here before?"

When they're out and about, the little fox is Cecilia's only protector, so these past few days she hasn't left Mei Xue's side even when she sleeps, hugging his tail and snuggling into his arms, never letting go of his hand.

"I've been here before. I also know someone who lives here."

"She must be a very beautiful older sister who really likes her brother."

Despite being only eight years old, Cecilia was quite knowledgeable. In the little angel's mind, almost everyone associated with Meixue was female, and most likely an older sister.

"Hmm~ But we're not in a hurry to see her yet. Rhodes Island has a base here, let's go check it out first."

"Meow~"

Mandra on Mei Xue's shoulder meowed in agreement, while casually glancing at a passerby who kept looking in their direction. Although a pair like Mei Xue and Cecilia was rare here, there was no need for him to keep staring. Was it Deep Pool or someone from the Sarkaz?

Inside the Rhodes Island office in Hillshire, the Rhodes Island operators, having nothing much to do, were playing cards. Incidentally, they were playing Dou Dizhu, a form of entertainment that the Doctor had introduced during the Tower of Babel era.

"Three against three."

"Five."

"Bomb, um, you two, don't even think about cheating."

Glancing at his colleague Oliver and another blonde Vyvan girl in front of him, the operator codenamed Shredder was a little nervous. If he lost this round, he would be out of money for drinks tonight. His luck was really bad today.

In comparison, Jenny on the other side was incredibly lucky. She had won several times already. If she hadn't refused to participate in the betting, Oliver and the operator shredder wouldn't have been able to keep the change they had on them.

"We won't cheat, but you're going to lose again, Paper Shredder Bro, with two Kings."

"...Should I find some time to pay my respects to Mei Xue?"

Seeing itself defeated once again, the paper shredder began to doubt its existence.

Jenny wasn't surprised that he mentioned Mei Xue. She had already learned from Talulah and Bagpipe that Mei Xue was on Rhodes Island, so she promptly returned to the military and applied for a long leave to visit her family. She came here specifically to inquire about Rhodes Island, such as whether Rhodes Island was still recruiting.

"Hey, Paper Shredder Bro, have you met Mei Xue?"

"Ah, no, I haven't. I've been with Rhodes Island for a while now, but I've only been to the main ship once. I've only heard that he's a very cute kid, and that if you can get his blessing, you'll have good luck."

As they talked, the paper shredder noticed something amiss: Jenny's tone. She didn't seem surprised that Mei Xue was who she was.

"I heard he's really good... Wait a minute, Jenny, do you know Mei Xue?"

Oliver realized that Jenny's tone was off.

“I know him. Actually, you know Uncle Oliver too. It was several years ago when Mei Xue lived with me and often went to your house to buy groceries.”

Jenny answered honestly that Oliver was originally from Little Hill County and was a vegetable shop owner a few years ago. He joined Rhode Island because his wife was ill, so he had actually met Mei Xue, but he didn't remember her.

"...You mean that little kid?"

After Jenny's reminder, Oliver suddenly remembered that he had actually met Mei Xue. At the time, he thought that the little fox was quite nice and that it wouldn't be a bad idea to marry his daughter to her in the future. But time passed so quickly that he had almost forgotten about her.

Just as everyone was completely bewildered, the office door rang.

Is anyone home?

That was the voice Jenny knew all too well.

Chapter 82 The Jealous Little Angel

For Mei Xue, Xiaoqiu County was a familiar place to revisit. He had overexerted himself in order to save all the Steam Knights, which caused him to lose his memory for a time. If it weren't for having a backup plan, the Doctor would probably be really worried to death.

However, that month was a very happy and relaxing time for Mei Xue, and the memories it left behind were also very beautiful. He felt that even if he continued to live such a life in the future, he would not get tired of it. The time he spent with Jenny always made him smile when he thought about it.

Is anyone home?

He knocked on the door, the little fox wagging its tail as it waited for a response. It planned to visit Jenny's house after collecting the intelligence data Rhodes Island needed, as it wasn't too far away.