I'm fighting Kal'tsit? Really?

"Oh, and by the way, I have another piece of news for you. I just checked with my clone, and Rhodes Island's ships will arrive in Tremont tomorrow."

Muirsey straightened her clothes and said before leaving, "Saria, you know this company isn't an ordinary medical company. I suggest you try to have a deeper conversation with them and gauge their willingness to cooperate."

“They don’t seem to have any intention of getting involved in other countries’ affairs.” Saria frowned. “Given the potential cooperation between Ferdinand and the military, the likelihood of Rhodes Island getting directly involved is very low.”

“That’s why it’s an attempt,” Muirsey smiled. “But even if it doesn’t work out, it’s okay. I’ll try my best to find information for you. After all, you’re willing to make such a change, if I don’t put in a little more effort—”

"That doesn't quite make sense, does it?"

Then, with a slight twitch of her fingertips, the moisture in the air quietly condensed, turning into a transparent stream that enveloped her figure.

The next second, the stream of water suddenly spread out, turning into countless tiny droplets like a shattered mirror, and her figure completely disappeared at that moment.

--------

The room returned to its previous quiet.

Gerald stood there, head slightly bowed, looking at the water stains that the elf lady had haphazardly wiped onto his clothes. His eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, but in the end he simply raised his hand and casually brushed them away, letting the wind carry the dampness away.

Then, his gaze turned to Seria, who was standing to the side.

"How are you feeling?" Pegasus asked softly, his tone carrying a gentle inquiry.

Saria didn't answer immediately, but remained silent for a moment, her eyelids lowered.

After a moment, she raised her head slightly, with a hint of inexplicable hesitation: "Is it just my imagination? She seemed to be walking in a hurry, as if she had something else to do."

"...kind of."

That person was really anxious; tears were welling up in their eyes. Wiping them off on their clothes wasn't enough; they were in a hurry to get back and shed their little pearls.

Put yourself in his shoes. If he were to see a friend who used to be stubborn and single-minded, with a heart as pure as a diamond, suddenly start to change, he feels he would shed some tears... if he had to squeeze out a few.

But he wouldn't openly say it out loud, since Muirsey's image had been almost completely ruined, and he still had to save face for her.

Gerald then let out a soft breath and walked over to her side.

He didn't try to comfort Saria or preach any grand principles. Instead, he simply stood beside her, turned slightly to the side, and said softly, "You did very well. You'll gradually adapt."

"Adapt to what?" Saria's tone was slightly bewildered; she seemed unaware of what her actions just now foreshadowed.

“Connect with your heart.” His tone was calm, with a certain firmness and stability. “Once you express your thoughts without reservation, your emotions will naturally affect others and yourself. This is also how a knight opens his battle speech, a do-or-die, unreserved release. It’s a technique that is very suitable for people who are not good at expressing themselves.”

"Although you are very familiar with negotiation techniques, it is clear that you treat your friends with almost the same attitude, which needs to be changed gradually."

Saria looked at Pegasus beside her, pondering the meaning behind his words.

After a few seconds, she asked in an almost whispered voice:

"What if I want to get a positive response from the other party every time?"

Her voice was so soft, almost as if afraid of being blown away by the wind, but in the quiet room, it still reached Gerald's ears clearly.

Okay, now the boomerang has hit him on the head.

Generally speaking, when someone who is usually straightforward and always speaks bluntly starts using riddles, it usually means that something bad is about to happen. And they most likely have absolutely no desire to know what happens after they say that.

But he couldn't apply double standards to this kind of thing, and he didn't choose to find out what was wrong when he realized there was something amiss.

Gerald then turned around, sighed, and looked directly into Saria's eyes: "This isn't like you."

“I…” Saria did not expect Gerald to give such an answer. She lost her balance and took a step back, her gaze wandering away.

Speak it out.

Her inner desires overlapped with the choices Gerald had previously guided her to make, and she subconsciously said:

"I want a reward."

Chapter 86 Guardians, Bewildered Ones, Children, and Saria (4K5)

Vayvan's behavior at this moment was not without precedent.

If the joke the elf lady made earlier completely shattered her long-term self-control, then what she just said was probably a continuation of that state from yesterday.

However, this situation had been going on for more than ten days for Gerald, and Pegasus had never imagined that the situation would be so serious.

But it makes sense. If a tiny hole is punched through the dam, and it's left unattended, a collapse is only a matter of time.

Saria, who has always been a loner, unexpectedly tried to confide in her friend, revealing the softest part of her heart, along with her deepest hidden thoughts.

Nearly twenty years ago cast a glance at him, bringing the still-naive, lonely child standing before him, eyes wide open, yearning for his words.

"It's nothing, just forget about it."

Saria regretted her words the moment they left her mouth. She stood still, intending to turn and leave as if nothing had happened.

However, she was locked in place before she could take more than a few steps. The wind gripped her ankles tightly, preventing her from escaping so easily.

Unlike elves, Vayvan has a strong resistance to magic, and it will take some effort for him to pull this stubborn Vayvan back.

“Come on, explain yourself.” Gerald sighed and forcibly moved Saria back to her original spot, placing her on the sofa. He then moved a chair and sat down in front of her. “You’re not allowed to leave until you explain yourself.”

"..."

Saria looked away, never intending to meet Gerald's gaze, and once again entered her negative mode of feeling guilty.

“It’s alright, it’s fine if you don’t say anything. I know how to deal with a kid like you.” Gerald shrugged, stood up from his chair, and walked into the room. “I can spend the whole day here with you.”

Under Saria's questioning gaze, he walked into her room without any hesitation and took out the first-aid kit.

Gerald took out the treatment medicine from inside, came to Saria's side, and grabbed her hand, which had been hitting the sandbag all night.

Unwrap the bandages layer by layer to reveal the back of the hand, which has been ravaged to the point of being almost completely broken.

Then he pressed his finger directly on it to check the condition of the injury.

"Well."

Saria frowned and spoke her first words after a period of silence: "It's best not to do that. My bones aren't damaged, and the soft tissue is only slightly abraded. This could cause unnecessary damage and increase the risk of infection."

“You’re not going to be mute anymore.” Gerald looked up and slowly and carefully wiped the wound on her knuckles with an alcohol swab. “You were so enthusiastic when you were biting my neck, but now you don’t like to talk?”

She couldn't argue her way out of it.

Her interactions over the past few days have made her believe that the other person might actually be serious, and if she continues to remain silent... she lacks confidence in herself.

“I… didn’t mean to,” Saria shook her head gently, then hesitated before meeting Pegasus’s gaze: “How much do you know about the Vaiva race?”

"Their overall qualities are very strong. Female Vaivaans generally have a physical strength far exceeding the average level of Terra, as can be seen from the fact that I couldn't counter your strength."

Gerald said with a hint of resentment, “They mainly live in the areas controlled by the Sargon and Vaivan alliance. Every crown prince wants a Vaivan bodyguard. This has been the case since the time of Luca Sargus. I have heard that one of his confidants is a Vaivan general.”

"You also know so much about Sargon?" Seria seemed somewhat surprised.

“Anthony told me while he was in prison that the young master traveled frequently and had seen a lot.” Gerald’s thoughts drifted for a moment before returning to the present: “So, what are you trying to say?”

"...I have no connection with Sargon. I have never been there, nor have I had much interaction with any of my own kind."

Saria lowered her eyes, watching Gerald wipe his fingers on the back of her hand: "[Horde], just hearing this name tells you about the nature of Vayvan's past."

“The best fighters are labeled, their fate is sealed, so my father left there and came to Colombia, and then I came along.”

"He despised everything primitive and believed that only knowledge and progress could make people grow. Therefore, since I was born, he has demanded that I do everything in an extremely strict manner. He believed that people must be responsible for their own cowardice. If they are bullied, they must fight back. If a toy is broken, they must fix it themselves."

“This is a very correct line of reasoning,” Gerald nodded. “It is also a line of reasoning that causes many problems, narrows the field of vision, and overemphasizes individual power and autonomy.”

He took Saria's wrist again, gently rubbing the skin of her palm with his fingertips, then took out the ointment and applied it evenly to the back of her hand and knuckles.

This is the first hand; there's another one.

There is still plenty of time, enough for him to resolve Saria's problems.

"Although he was strict with me, he was even stricter with himself. My father earned enough money in Colombia to provide me with a comfortable life, and even after I turned fifteen, I was cut off from all financial support from him."

Saria was manipulated by him like a puppet. After a moment of silence, she continued, "But in the end, I am different from my kin. I did not become a soldier or a mercenary. I chose Trimont Institute of Technology as my study option, rather than the Royal Guard Academy in Victoria."

“Then I should thank your father,” Gerald smiled. “Without him, I wouldn’t have you as my teacher.”

He was very close to Saria at that moment.

The chair was placed in front of the sofa. When Gerald was bandaging his wounds, he was almost touching Saria, so much so that Saria could see the wound on his lips and the bite marks on his neck.

“But just now, I started to doubt something.” Saria clenched her other hand into a fist, her nails digging deep into her flesh. “Now, how am I any different from my fellow tribesmen?”

“Whether it’s Mansfield, Beach Umbrella, or Tower Mountain Technology, I have witnessed the disasters and misfortunes brought about by technology, and I want to protect technology within its boundaries.” She continued, “But putting aside the idealistic appearance, I seem to be more like a mercenary than a researcher.”

How long has it been since she last touched anything related to Originium? How long has it been since she opened a new paper on an academic website and started thinking about the feasibility of a certain method?

After just one minor loss of control, hundreds and thousands of things that she had previously ignored flooded into her heart in an instant, breaking through her thoughts.

"Have I truly escaped the madness of the Vyvan race? Or have I never truly left?"

For the first time, Saria genuinely expressed her confusion as she questioned Pegasus, who was far more powerful than her, hoping to gain his understanding and response: "Calcification is not a technique born for combat. It was originally created for experimentation and research, but now it has become my weapon and shield."

"Even if it's for protecting others, I will inevitably be drawn into the battle, and while protecting them, I will also bring an equal amount of destruction, more variables, and a more unpredictable future."

Gerald stopped what he was doing and looked at the person in front of him seriously: "But you have saved countless people, so you can be more confident in yourself. This is the opposite of destruction and madness; you have never been bound by race."

“But I don’t understand where this loss of control comes from, Gerald. I want to continue to achieve my goals, and I still believe that now, even if I were burned to ashes, that idea would not change.”

Her breathing became heavy, and her eyes were filled with confusion.

"Because... it is extremely foolish to lose judgment due to emotions."

……

The trouble is big.

Gerald thought so.

Although it's hard to understand why everyone who meets him starts confiding in him, it's certainly a great help at this moment.

He had never realized so profoundly how serious Seria's problems were.

It's not just because she's forcibly brainwashing herself and instilling certain ideas; she's rebelling against her basic nature while also rebelling against her own bloodline.

With hundreds of debuffs stacked up, he really wanted to ask how the program even ran.

The other Vaivas didn't share Saria's current anxieties, which is easy to understand. They were able to alleviate their emotions by going to the battlefield and fighting.

They occasionally settle down and have enough entertainment and leisure, and sometimes they will fight in accordance with their bloodline, so their madness will be temporarily suppressed, just enough to keep them within a range that neither goes too far nor suppresses themselves too much.

Saria is such a genius.

Not only does she force herself to do a certain amount of work every day, squeezing herself out until the very last minute, but she is also very stubborn. Apart from some makeup, she doesn't touch any other forms of entertainment. Occasionally, she has to bear the pressure herself when she encounters some unpleasant things, and she has to deal with some messes and troubles caused by others from time to time.

From other people's perspective, it certainly looks very glamorous: decisive and efficient, solving problems wherever she goes, isn't she someone everyone can rely on and favor?

But when the doctor himself falls ill, who will treat him?

He suddenly felt that Saria was a bit like a mine that no one had ever explored.

Everyone had heard of her existence and went there with pickaxes, only to find that she had left all the most precious things on the surface—valuable and easily accessible ores that could be seen with just a touch.

So almost everyone rushed forward to seize the dazzling brilliance of the diamond, leaving the innermost empty, desolate heart for others to despise.

"I roughly know how to solve your problem."

Gerald gently wrapped the bandage around Saria's hand. This was perhaps the first time in his life that he had bandaged someone so carefully, as if he were handling porcelain.

He then gazed at her silently, saying nothing more.

Vayvan's gaze was drawn to him, and his breathing gradually slowed down. In the space, there was only the two of them looking at each other, nothing else.

A few seconds later, Pegasus suddenly reached out and grabbed her. Before Saria could react, he gently pulled her onto the sofa.

Her chest rested in his soft embrace, and Gerald took the opportunity to wrap her in his arms, letting her fall against his chest in a completely relaxed position.

Saria blinked blankly, about to say something, when she felt a hand land on her head.

Gerald gently patted her head: "How was your day, Seria?"

She instinctively wanted to resist, but her body went limp involuntarily, gradually turning into a puddle of mud as she fell into Pegasus's arms.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe it’s a good thing, because Mansfield has lost its owner, and many people will be saved because of it. The beach umbrellas and the people behind them have come to the surface, and there will be more opportunities to expose them.”

“I wasn’t asking about that ‘Saria’,” Gerald said, bringing his right hand close to the huge tail behind Vayvan and gently stroking it as if he were rubbing his own tail. “I was asking about the Saria outside of work, how her day was?”

“Not very good,” she said.

"Why?" Gerald asked.

"Because of the injury on my hand, it will be a little inconvenient for me to move around in the future." She paused, "This is my own problem, and I shouldn't let my emotions control me."

"Why not?" he continued to ask.