Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

"In the 31st year of the Terran calendar, the Eagle Empire was officially renamed the Ursus Empire... Scholars generally believe that the Eagle lost its right to be a monarch because of the corruption and incompetence of its ruling class, as well as the rise of Ursus, which represented the main productive forces of society."

"This war has been described as an uprising in Ursus... If the Eagles, as the rulers, had not upheld their policy of racial discrimination, had ceased seizing Ursus's property, and had given Ursus equal opportunities for advancement..."

A gentle female voice emanated from the classroom and echoed through the corridors of the teaching building, recounting a piece of history in a clear and organized manner, prompting the reader to reflect on the experience as if they were there.

Just like the woman giving the lecture, who had personally experienced that history from a thousand years ago and was recounting it from the perspective of an observer.

Talulah stood outside the classroom in the hallway, listening to the lecture.

A passing student noticed that she wasn't a student at this school and kindly reminded her that the teacher, Kashina, was very kind and wouldn't mind people who weren't students coming into the classroom to listen in.

Talulah simply shook her head in refusal and then silently waited for the bell to ring.

The students filed out of the classroom, many of them still discussing the lessons with great interest.

After all the students had left, Talulah finally stepped into the classroom and closed the door behind her, leaving only herself and the white-haired, black-feathered, voluptuous, and elegant Liberi female teacher in the classroom.

Or perhaps... she is a female teacher at Junying.

Upon seeing Talulah, the eagle named Kashena smiled slightly:

Do you have any questions, classmate?

“…I’ve found you.” Talulah said calmly.

Kashená: "..."

For a moment, the atmosphere between the two became tense.

But soon, Kasheena smiled again and said kindly to Talulah:

“I thought I would see you sooner, Talulah.”

“It could have been done. Qi Yan has already told me your location, but I chose to go back to your old lair first and find the letter you sent ten years ago.”

Talulah's expression remained indifferent: "I don't know whether to admire your foresight or be glad that the channel was indeed sealed for ten years. Your snake scales have long since decayed into dust, Koschche."

Kashina's upturned lips remained perfectly placed, enhancing her elegance and concealing her venomous coldness.

"It seems you're still as rebellious as ever. Whether it's Qi Yan or me, you always try to use some trivial acts of resistance to highlight your independence," Kasheena commented.

“But you are different from Qi Yan.” Talulah did not refute anything. “You always have an attitude of having everything under control. You don’t like to resist, but Qi Yan doesn’t mind. On the contrary, he is happy to see people’s choices.”

This is the insurmountable gap between you and him.

Kasena wasn't annoyed; instead, she asked, "Is there a difference?"

No matter how nonchalant Qi Yan appears, he, like me, holds everything in his own hands. I've been watching him closely; his plans are far more magnificent and grand than mine.

Talulah shook her head: "I didn't come here to discuss Qi Yan with you."

"Yes Yes."

Kashina covered her mouth and chuckled, exuding elegance and charm: "I know why you came to me."

You want to judge yourself by judging me; you want to hear my confession so you can begin your own.

All you want is a pitiful bit of psychological comfort.

“…Go on.”

Talulah's urging startled Kassina.

Kashina's smile finally faded, and she said softly, "You want me to continue? I thought..."

“You think I’d let you see my wrath?” Talulah said expressionlessly. “No, Koschei, you’re not worthy.”

So far, every word you've said has been rehearsed in my mind. The time I've been locked up on Rhodes Island hasn't been short, and I really have nothing to do except for the pen Qi Yan gave me.

It has led me through countless revisits of my life, and it has shown me countless possibilities for the future.

Kasya fell silent.

Talulah, however, did not stop talking. She took out a brocade pouch and held it up to Kashena's eyes:

"Koschche, before I came to you, I thought that if I couldn't get a satisfactory answer from you, I would kill you."

But in the end, it was Qi Yan who reminded me that the answer I was looking for had already been obtained the moment I met you and we started talking.

Hatred, anger, murderous intent—none of these matter… My flames are not meant to ignite hatred; anger is my right; fighting is merely resistance, not catharsis. These are what truly matter to me.

Kasena looked at the brocade pouch in Talulah's hand, but she did not refute Talulah's words.

She chose to focus on this tip:

"Compared to my control over you, Qi Yan's seems to be more comprehensive and thorough. He even dictates when you should make what decisions."

"Compared to your description, I prefer to call it...gentle and thoughtful."

Talulah smiled for the first time in front of Kashena: "This secret bag helped me through the most confused time after leaving Rhodes Island. You call it a kind of control?"

I prefer to see it as companionship. Qi Yan has his own things to do, so he takes care of me in this way.

I knew Qi Yan had a plan that required my help. This wasn't just my deduction; he made it clear when he gave me the pen. He didn't want my gratitude, but rather something in return.

Kashina's smile vanished completely, and a venomous glint flashed deep within her gray eyes.

Talulah looked at her with a smile, as if deliberately contradicting her previous remarks, and said calmly and directly:

"There's one last note in this brocade pouch. It's Qi Yan's final arrangement for me. Can you take a look at it for me?"

I will meticulously complete Qi Yan's instructions in front of you.

Kashená: "..."

Looking at Talulah's confident face, Kasheena let out a sigh:

"No need, the note in the brocade pouch wasn't for you."

"Huh?" Talulah was taken aback.

"This is a prophecy left to me by Qi Yan."

Kashina didn't need to touch the brocade pouch to easily know the contents of the single slip of paper inside: "Everything is constantly developing and changing; development is the emergence of new things and the demise of old things, therefore..."

New things inevitably replace old things.

Talulah smiled again and denied it:

"Please don't overestimate yourself. This is not a prophecy from Qi Yan for you. You are not worthy of being equal to this statement, Immortal Black Serpent."

Qi Yan disliked so-called prophecies, so this statement wasn't a prophecy; it was...the truth.

Chapter 626 If you have to blame someone, blame yourself, Li Boli.

Kasena stared intently at Talulah in front of her.

She suddenly realized that damn familiar feeling was playing out before her eyes once again.

The last time was in Chernobog. Qi Yan didn't show up at all. He just presented her with a rabbit wearing a black crown. But even that weak Sarkaz demon king revealed Qi Yan's shadow in every way.

This time was no different. Qi Yan did not appear at all, but instead turned her guidance to Talulah into Talulah's own choice, and made Talulah's words and actions reflect Qi Yan's influence.

Kasyapa is somewhat withdrawn.

She felt like she was always living in Qi Yan's shadow.

Talulah carefully put away the brocade pouch in front of Kasena, even though there were no new instructions inside.

She then looked at Kashená.

Meeting Talulah's gaze, Kasena sensed something, and she was somewhat puzzled:

"You still want to fight me?"

"If possible, I hope you will not resist; your new body is very fragile."

"...I don't understand."

Kasena was truly confused this time. She frowned and said, "You weren't lying before. Now you just retain the right to be angry, but you won't make a choice because of hatred."

And you must know that killing me here will have no effect. I am Ursus. I am not dead, not because I have a will to survive, but because Ursus must live.

Even Qi Yan would need to expend immeasurable effort and time to kill me.

Talulah shook her head: "You've misunderstood. I don't mean to kill you."

"So you just want to teach me a lesson?" she asked, puzzled.

Talulah shook her head again: "I won't do something meaningless."

Kashina: ?

“Then you should understand that fighting me will only make leaving this city more difficult,” she warned.

Talulah continued to shake her head: "I can overcome these little troubles for Qi Yan's sake."

Kashina: ? ? ?

"Wait! Did Qi Yan tell you to do this?" Her gaze sharpened. "What's his plan?"

Talulah shook her head again: "It's not a plan, just some personal hobbies."

"If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for choosing a Liberi body."

Kasena: ?!

Before she could react, Talulah had already pounced on her, kicked her to the ground, and then straddled her.

As Kashina's eyes grew increasingly terrified, Talulah pressed one hand against her head and the other touched the beautiful black feathers on her head...

Jiu rubbed his cold hands together, then breathed on his palms and continued rubbing them.

It was fine for others to lie in wait on the ice field for half an hour, but she was just a poor Fydia, a little snake that would get sleepy when the environment got cold.

Nine secretly made up her mind that when Talulah returned, she must remove part of the device that restricted Originium Arts on her body so that Talulah could light a fire for her to warm herself up.

"The time is almost up."

The Integration Movement members in charge of timing were getting anxious.

Jiu gritted her teeth and decided, "If she hasn't returned by the agreed time, you guys retreat as planned, and I'll go alone to arrest her."

"Then you can save your time."

Talulah jogged back from a distance, a faint, relaxed smile on her face.

"You weren't a minute late," Jiu couldn't help but tease. "You seem to have experienced something happy."

Upon hearing this, Talulah subconsciously touched her pocket, and the smile on her lips widened even further.

Nine's eyelids twitched, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Talulah did not take out the brocade pouch.

"Don't worry, I won't take out that brocade pouch so often anymore."

Talulah offered a word of comfort, then took out a beautiful black feather: "This is extra, you can have it."

Taking the black feather, Jiu was somewhat dumbfounded:

"This is an ear feather from a certain Liberi. Why give it to me? Feathers are very important gifts to Liberi, aren't they?"

“This isn’t a gift, it’s spoils of war.” Talulah patted her pocket. “She’ll grow more later. If you like, I can help you pluck some more when I have the chance.”

Nine:"……"

She vaguely realized who the feather in her hand came from.

Upon realizing this answer, Jiu suddenly felt a nauseous sensation, like throwing away a feather:

"That evil god, you killed her? And then plucked all the feathers from her ears?"

Talulah pursed her lips and said helplessly:

“I’m not that perverted… I pulled it out while she was still alive.”

Jiu felt even more disgusted.

"This thing is very effective. If you don't want it, you can give it to someone else. When necessary, it can exert unimaginable power."

To prevent Jiu from secretly throwing away the feather, Talulah had no choice but to remind her, "With this, you can make Qi Yan happily grant you a request."

She instantly stopped feeling disgusted; in fact, the more she looked at the feather, the more she liked it.

"That evil god... how powerful is she?" Jiu Zhui asked. "How long will it take for her feathers to grow back next time?"

Tallulah: “…”