On the Ark.

After that, he left the building in the ranger's car.

Once outside, he realized just how heavy the rain was. The ranger had to turn the windshield wipers up to the highest setting just to barely see the road. The wind was strong too, and many trees on both sides of the road had been blown down. In his previous life, a storm of this magnitude would probably have triggered a disaster warning, but in Terra, where natural disasters were rampant, it wasn't that serious. There were still quite a few pedestrians on both sides of the road carrying only umbrellas.

The ranger parked the car at the Penguin Logistics branch they had visited a few days ago, and then asked Lin Ye, "Did you ask them if they were there before you came?"

Lin Ye unbuckled his seatbelt and said, "I asked, and Exusiai said she's here."

"Where is the Emperor?"

"The Emperor isn't here, so it's just Exusiai. She said everyone else went to work." Lin Ye thought to himself, "Truly worthy of Penguin Logistics. They're still delivering packages in this weather, no less than the yellow and blue delivery riders of my previous life."

After bidding farewell to the ranger, Lin Ye entered the bar—no, the Penguin Logistics branch—alone. Just like last time, they hadn't locked the door; he didn't know if they were waiting for him or if they simply never had the habit of locking the door. However, unlike last time, this time Lin Ye saw someone as soon as he entered, and even heard someone humming a song.

"Exusiai?" Lin Ye looked at the red-haired girl sitting behind the counter and asked, "May I come in?"

"Of course, and you're already inside, aren't you?" Exusiai flipped over the counter, beaming. "Hello, good afternoon, customer. What would you like to order?"

"If possible, could I have a hot coffee?" Lin Ye and Exusiai were fairly familiar with each other, so there was no need for formalities. "I'm freezing to death."

No.

"Hot tea will do too."

No.

"...Is there anything wrong with that?"

Exusiai smiled and said, "Iced beer and apple pie."

What the hell is this combination?

Lin Ye was speechless: "Forget it, I don't want it."

"Just kidding, coffee and stuff are definitely available," Exusiai said. "Wait a minute."

Lin Ye hummed in agreement, then watched Exusiai go to boil water. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Exusiai seemed to be in a very good mood. Although she had seemed happy before, she seemed even happier today than usual. He had sensed it when he called her earlier, and he felt it again when he came into the room.

So when Exusiai brought him the coffee, he couldn't help but ask, "Did something good happen to you?"

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

You seem very happy.

Exusiai said with a smile, "I'm happy every day."

"You seem happier today." Seeing Exusiai's smile, Lin Ye suddenly thought of someone else, then clapped his hands. "Oh yeah, is it because Mostima is back?"

Exusiai looked surprised: "How did you know? Was I that obvious?"

“Because I’ve already been in contact with Mostima,” Lin Ye said with a smile.

Exusiai suddenly remembered: "Now that you mention it, I almost forgot. You met Mostima after you escaped from the bar that day, right?"

"That's exactly when I met her," Lin Ye said. "Don't mention the bar. You guys abandoned me and ran away, leaving me to be chased by a bunch of people."

“We’re all being chased,” Exusiai said. “And we even threw away our boss, so what about you?”

Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly: "I really have no way to refute what you're saying."

"Really? Really? So there's no need to worry about it." Exusiai's lips curled into a beautiful smile. "Anyway, it's good that everyone is safe and sound. Besides, you were saved by Mostima, right? Mostima is also one of our Penguin Logistics employees, so in a way, Penguin Logistics didn't abandon you."

Lin Ye couldn't help but give Exusiai a thumbs up: "Well-reasoned and irrefutable."

Lin Ye paused for a moment before continuing.

"You and Mostima are very close. Is she family to you?"

“Not family,” Exusiai shook her head, “but no worse than family.”

"Is that so?" Lin Ye nodded and said, "Mostima is very nice and friendly."

Exusiai sat down opposite Lin Ye and said with a smile, "That's just on the surface."

"surface?"

“Hmm, Mostima, although she always has a smile on her face,” Exusiai said softly, “that’s just a formality, it’s her habit. She’s actually a very cold person.”

"Really? I think it's fine."

"That's because you don't know her well enough," Exusiai said with a smile. "Once you understand her, you won't say things like that."

"I see?" Lin Ye nodded thoughtfully, then, as if remembering something, suddenly unpacked his backpack. "Oh right, Mostima gave me her Guardian Gun, but not the bullets, so I wanted to ask..."

As Exusiai saw the "competitor" that Lin Ye took out of his backpack, her smile gradually disappeared.

……

……

Author's Note: +0 chapters owed, -1 chapters owed, still owes fourteen chapters.

Chapter 444 Exusiai: "Nothing special"

Lin Ye didn't know why, but Exusiai's smile suddenly disappeared.

He had never seen Exusiai with such an expression before. Although he wasn't particularly close to Exusiai, he had seen her quite a few times, and in his memory, Exusiai always had a vibrant smile on her face. But now, the smile was gone, replaced by a... very complex emotion that Lin Ye couldn't quite decipher.

Why is this happening?

Lin Ye was somewhat puzzled.

Did he say something wrong?

No, isn't everyone talking about Mostima? It's nice to have everyone chiming in, isn't it?

Lin Ye couldn't quite understand. Seeing Exusiai's expression, he didn't dare speak and remained silent. After what seemed like an eternity, Exusiai broke the silence with a slightly trembling voice: "You...why...she...how could it be?"

Short sentences whose meaning is completely incomprehensible.

What do you want to ask?

“I mean…” Exusiai took a deep breath and said, “Why do you have Mostima’s Guardian Gun?”

"Didn't I just say? This is a gift from her."

"How is that possible!" Exusiai nearly jumped off the sofa. "How could she possibly give you the Guardian Gun?!"

“But she really gave this to me,” Lin Ye said. “She said she didn’t need this gun anymore.”

"How could she not need it!" Exusiai raised her voice. "Even if she doesn't use it anymore, she would never just give it away casually! Absolutely not! Do you know what the significance of giving away a Guardian Gun is in Laterano?!"

Lin Ye originally wanted to say that Mostima was given to him quite casually, but he was startled by the second half of Exusiai's sentence: "W-what, what's the point of this?"

"Of course!" Exusiai exclaimed excitedly. "How could you accept it without knowing anything? Wait, why would she give you the Guardian Gun?!"

So, has the problem come full circle?

Lin Ye didn't know how to explain it to Exusiai. He couldn't very well say that he had given her the Guardian Gun less than three hours after Mostima met him, could he? That might provoke Exusiai even more, especially since he didn't know what giving a Guardian Gun in Laterano meant. So he thought for a moment and cautiously said, "Actually, it wasn't exactly a gift. Strictly speaking, she and I exchanged Guardian Guns."

"They...swapped their Guardian Guns?" Exusiai's eyes widened.

"Yes."

What was Mostima's reaction?

Lin Ye answered honestly, "She was quite happy."

"You're...you're actually quite happy?" The light in Exusiai's eyes dimmed instantly. Lin Ye wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but she seemed to have a fainter glow. Then, she slumped back onto the sofa, looked up, stared blankly at the ceiling, and murmured, "How...how could this be? Why is this happening?"

Looking at Exusiai, who had suddenly transformed into "Uncle Ge," Lin Ye couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Although he didn't know why he felt guilty, he really didn't have anything to say at the moment.

Forget it, I'd better have a cup of coffee to calm down first.

Just as Lin Ye was about to pick up the coffee that Exusiai had just made for him, Exusiai suddenly sat up, grabbed the coffee before Lin Ye could, and then drank it all in one gulp.

"You..." Lin Ye looked at Exia in great surprise.

Exusiai's eyes narrowed, and tears seemed to well up inside: "Ugh...it's so hot...it tastes so bitter..."

Lin Ye: "..."

Is it really necessary?

“Although I don’t know exactly what happened, and Mostima probably won’t tell me, but…” Exusiai rubbed her eyes, forcing a smile, “If she really did choose you, then that would be a good thing. Ever since she left Laterano, it’s been like this, I want to help her, but I can’t, she won’t tell me anything…”

Lin Ye hadn't expected that his casual remark would lead to so many stories, and he couldn't help but ask, "Why did Mostima leave Laterano?"

Exusiai shook her head: "She didn't tell me."

"Is that so? Then what's the special significance of exchanging Guardian Guns in Laterano?"

Exusiai stared at Lin Ye: "Don't you know? Didn't Mostima tell you?"

Lin Ye shook his head: "She didn't say anything. She just said that she no longer needed the gun and that it would be better to keep it with me."

“Hmm…that does seem like her way.” Exusiai nodded and said, “She’s always been like this. There are very few people in this world who truly understand her, very few who know what she’s really thinking. For other angels, the Guardian Gun is indeed a very important thing, something that should accompany them throughout their lives, but for Mostima, it might not mean that much. That’s probably why she doesn’t want to tell you…In that case, I won’t say anything more, lest you misunderstand.”

Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly: "Is this even possible?"

Do you angels really like to keep things a secret?!

"That's how it is. If Mostima didn't tell you personally, then don't overthink it. It's just an ordinary Guardian Gun." Exusiai curled her lip and said, "Don't be too smug. It's just a Guardian Gun. Mostima doesn't use it anymore. It's nothing special."

Is that all there is to it...? Well, women's minds are still too hard to fathom, even angels'. Since Exusiai has said so, he shouldn't overthink it, lest he misunderstand and make things awkward.

"Let's get down to business," Lin Ye said. "When I came here last time..."

"You can only talk to our boss about that," Exusiai said, her energy restored, spreading her hands. "There's nothing I can do about it."

"I'm not talking about purchasing ships, I'm talking about the secret medicine from the Eastern Kingdom," Lin Ye said. "Didn't you say last time that there was some in Lungmen? You told me to come and pick it up this time."

"Oh, I almost forgot." Exusiai stood up. "Yes, I do. I'll go get it for you. Wait a minute... Um, I accidentally drank the coffee I gave you earlier. Would you like another one?"

Lin Ye thought for a moment and said, "Do you have milk tea?"

"Tsk, you really have a lot on your plate. Don't worry, as long as you pay, we'll have anything you need." With that, Exusiai went to pour the milk tea. Watching Exusiai's retreating figure, Lin Ye couldn't help but think to himself, "It's so good to be young. You can adjust your mood in the blink of an eye."

Speaking of which, I always feel that Exusiai and Mostima look quite alike, even though their personalities are completely different. Is it because they are both angels?

By the way, since we're both angels, it wouldn't hurt to ask Exia about the questions you want to ask Mostima, right?

Thinking of this, Lin Ye called out, "Exusiai, can I ask you a question?"

Exusiai, who was making milk tea, replied, "Go ahead and say it."

"Oh, Mostima taught me a spell a few days ago, and I wanted to ask about it..."