The girl with white hair and red eyes is serious about revenge

"I don't deserve it. If Miss Perlis hadn't shown mercy, I would have died in the wilderness with the wolf pack," Grace said with a wry smile. "I was stupid when I was young... I always felt that the concepts of 'serving the Federation' and 'doing the right thing' were conflicting. But now it seems... that decision was too hasty."

Grace recalled the day he left the Federation. What made him choose to defect from the Academy? Was it really just because of the atrocities of the Federation? Or was he just trying to escape the fact that his talent was actually mediocre?

Perhaps it was the latter. Grace lowered his head, suddenly feeling a little powerless.

"Actually, it's not that bad," Carly suddenly said, "Your experience."

"Hmm?" Grace raised his head. "Really?"

"Yes," Carly stroked her chin thoughtfully, "You are so young, but you have already been exposed to two completely different sides of the world. The confusion brought about by the contrast is inevitable, but if you can try to think and find some common rules, you can do a lot."

"If you think about it... I think so," Grace sighed. This was the umpteenth time he sighed today. "But no matter how much you think about it, it's still hard to change the reality."

"Then take your time. There's always room for a fool like you in this world."

Having said this, Carly suddenly stood up, moved her shoulders, and stretched comfortably.

"What's your next plan?"

"Planning? I think I should stay in La Vatino," Grace looked at Carly tentatively, "I have some ideas that I want to put into practice."

"Why don't you tell me about it?" Carly blinked gently, "Let your smart senior Carly give you some advice?"

"Actually, there is nothing special about it..." Grace said softly, "Think about it, after Her Highness Aesiliya stabilizes La Watino's situation, she will definitely start to collect and pay the kingdom's territory. At that time, she will face the scavenger tribes in the wasteland. Those guys who make a living by nomadic and looting are difficult to deal with. If you want to complete the collection and payment with high efficiency and low loss, you will definitely need a certain degree of technological support..."

After Grace finished speaking, he hesitated for a moment. Carly gave him an encouraging look, and he continued:

"Then... I think that not all scavengers are brutal looters. Many of them entered the wasteland by accident, just like me back then..." Grace paused for a moment, "The population of La Watino is obviously smaller than that of the kingdom at that time. If we can make those people helpers of the kingdom and mobilize power from the masses, maybe... there will be some wonderful chemical reaction?"

After Grace finished speaking, he quickly realized something was wrong, and hurriedly added:

"But! But this is just an idea! Maybe there are too many factors to consider in reality. Maybe I——"

"This is the way students at Bang Da University should think..."

Carly suddenly nodded, which surprised Grace.

"Eh?"

"It's a very realistic idea. I don't praise you in vain~" Carly gave a thumbs up, "But there is still a long way to go."

As she was talking, Carly waved her hand, and a bottle of red wine appeared from nowhere. She waved her hand again and two cups appeared. She filled both cups and handed one to Grace:

"Since you have this idea, I'm relieved," Carly shook her glass, "Will you take care of me in the future?"

Looking at the glass of wine that Carly handed him, Grace was slightly stunned. He didn't expect that his childish idea would be accepted by the senior. After all, for more than ten years, scavengers have always been synonymous with bullies and have always been like rats crossing the street.

Carly Fellowes, she might really be different.

Grace took the wine from Carly, clinked glasses with her, and drank it all in one gulp. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he took out an object from his waist and handed it to Carly.

"Here you go, Senior. You will need it more than I will, right?"

Carly took a closer look at the object that Grace had given her: it was a small revolver with a gear structure exposed on the outside of the pistol, a very obvious I-Tran style creation.

Carly took the revolver and examined it carefully. Judging from the engraved patterns and the structure of the gears, it was an ESTA-9 custom-made steam revolver, made in the northern port city of Hillster, Carly's hometown.

And it is obvious that this revolver is the sidearm of the Great Prophet.

"Where did you get it from?" Carly gently stroked the surface of the revolver. Although it was not exposed, she was still amazed. "Speaking of which, where was the Great Prophet thrown away after his death?"

"A crematorium, burned together with the [Black Boxer]," Grace chuckled softly, "I was in charge of collecting the spoils at the time. This was supposed to be given to Leon, but apparently, he has no idea what to do with these things now, right?"

"Well, I really don't have any clues." Carly turned the revolver skillfully and tried to aim. "Are you sure you want to give it to me? This thing is usually a sidearm only for I-Tlan nobles. It's quite rare, isn't it?"

"Come on, I'm just a researcher, how can I use this?" Grace scratched his head and smiled, "This was probably stolen by the Great Prophet from his former slave owner. If you are going to the Federation next, this will be perfect for you."

"Then I will accept it without hesitation," Carly said, grabbing the revolver and putting it in her waist bag, "You are really a filial junior."

Carly grabbed another glass of red wine and filled both Grace's and her own glasses. Under the light of the sentry tower's control room, her cheeks were already faintly flushed by the wine, which made Grace slightly stunned.

"Another drink?"

Facing Carly's invitation, Grace nervously took the wine glass. Looking at the wine that was most likely from Leon's cellar, Grace smiled helplessly and raised the glass.

"cheers!"

......

10) Hiplanda, New Life (Part 5)

Finally, the day of separation arrived.

The steam-powered train on the [Wasteland Line] would not arrive until the afternoon. So, at noon on the day of departure, Ashlia held a banquet for the group in the [Lion's Nest] in the former upper city.

Of course, "Lion's Nest" is still just a tentative name, and Ashlia has not yet figured out how to give a new name to this huge house that cost a lot of money and covers a huge area.

However, she thought it would be great to turn the house into a school.

The atmosphere at the banquet was joyful. Ryan and Pace began to talk about their experiences in the past while drinking. Grace was pulled aside by Carly to share his views on the future development of the factor energy technology tree. Ashlia poured herself a glass of red wine with a smile, and then poured a glass of strawberry yogurt for the teetotaler, Perlis.

Looking at the wine glasses on the table in front of her, and then at the strawberry yogurt in front of her, Perlis sighed helplessly and vowed to improve her drinking capacity someday.

"Next time you come back, I will treat you as a VIP."

Ashlia raised her glass to Perlis and winked gently.

“So be sure to stay safe and come back.”

Perlis raised the strawberry yogurt and stared at the cup for a while. The glass wall beside the cup reflected the arc light of the chandelier, causing a dull pain in Perlis's retina.

Can she come back? Perlis didn't know. Going to the Akademi Federation, going to the [Competition], and fighting Ivar Sekepas. For her, if she had any of these three things, it would be a life-or-death mission. Unfortunately, she had all three things.

Knowing that there is a tiger in the mountain, is it okay to go there?

Perlis silently raised her cup, clinked it with Eshilia's, and then took a sip of the strawberry yogurt. The strawberry yogurt was very sweet, and was obviously made from the natural variety native to La Vatino. Perlis tasted a wild beauty in the juice that grew wildly without the help of chemical fertilizers.

Suddenly, Perlis recalled the note Ivar sent her:

"He told me... he was waiting for me at the Tower of Babel," Perlis said softly, looking at Eshilia, "so I have to go."

"Is there no other place to resolve this matter?" Ashilia was a little worried. "I mean... outside of the [competition]? Must I resolve the feud with him in the competition?"

"Yes, only there," Perlis said softly, "because that's where he designated it."

Perlis recalled Ivar Sekepas's green eyes. His eyes were sometimes clear, and sometimes dark as ink, as if two completely opposite things were constantly intertwined and colliding in him.

That man, what exactly did he want to say? From the countless messages emitted by Ivar's behavior, Perlis vaguely saw a fragmented picture made up of countless puzzle pieces. He didn't seem to be loyal to his own behavior. He was very fragmented and didn't seem like a complete person at all.

Perlis recalled a lot of things. She remembered the hand that stretched out from behind the curtain of icy rain, she remembered the figure that repelled the malice for her in the alley, she even remembered the bullet that pierced through the wind and snow and pierced the executioner's head.

The remaining consciousness told Perlis a fact that she could not deny: even on the Wanren Mountain, she would not have been able to get to where she is now without Ivar Sekpas.

Ivar, trying to send some kind of message to himself.

Until now, Perlis didn't know what kind of emotion drove her to get closer to the signal sent by the murderer of her father.

"I'm stupid," Perlis smiled bitterly and shook her head, "very stupid."

"You're not stupid," Ashlia said. "You're actually quite smart."

"No, it's still too stupid..."

"Okay, then be stupid!"

Ashlia clapped her hands and filled Perlis's glass with strawberry yogurt.

"If there is anything I can do to help you, please tell me at any time," Ashilia said, looking at Perlis's profile. "You are my benefactor, and even more so the benefactor of the kingdom. If you are in trouble, the kingdom will definitely use all its national strength to help you."

"Yeah...I will..."

“Oh, you’re welcome now?” Ashlia was as excited as a kitten that caught a ball of wool. After realizing her loss of composure, she cleared her throat awkwardly, “Ahem… Anyway, you must come back safely. I want to show you a new kingdom, for sure!”

Under the light of the crystal chandelier, Ashilia raised the wine glass in her hand and raised it to Perlis once again. The slight intoxication brought by the red wine dyed the princess's cheeks a light red, and she looked a bit confused.

In such an atmosphere, even Perlis, who never drinks, felt a little intoxicated.

In silence, Perlis raised her glass and clinked it gently with Ashilia's.

The party was still going on, and Perlis knew that they were about to separate, but eventually, there would be a day when they would meet again.

I hope that one day, they can overlook the world together from the top of the mountains.

......

The hub station of the [Wasteland Line] is located in the northwest of La Vatino. When approaching this area, Perlis felt the wild wind from the Grau Yad Wasteland again. The wind mixed with a faint Mars seemed to come from the Aston Plain fourteen years ago, singing the popular horror ballad:

"We grew up within the range of the Tower of Babel."

At the platform, Perlis and her group, along with Ashilia and her group who came to see them off, waited silently. Countless royal guards were stationed beside them, protecting them.

Everything that needed to be said had already been said, and before leaving, all that was left was endless silence.

Finally, the roar of the tracks came from afar, a big door slowly opened at the gap in the high wall, and a bronze train slowly drove into the platform. Steam overflowed, the whistle roared, and the giant beast in the desert finally returned to its homeland again.

After the train stopped, Perlis and her group waved to Ashlia and then walked towards the door of the train. Pace and Carly got into the train first, while Perlis took a deep breath and looked up at the sky again.

Finally, it’s about to begin.

Perlis calmed her somewhat panicked heart and walked towards the stairs of the train.

But before she entered the door, a voice called out to Perlis from behind:

"Perlis, wait!"

Perlis turned her head and found that Ashlia looked a little hesitant. Under the blowing of the wild wind, the princess sighed softly, as if she had made up her mind. She pulled off the bow at her collar and handed the light yellow scarf to Perlis.

"Bury this...in the soil of Aston Plains."

There were some barely perceptible tears in Ashlia's eyes. She seemed very reluctant to let go of this last lingering love. The little hand holding the scarf was trembling slightly.

Perlis took the silk scarf from Ashilia. She just glanced at it, then walked to Ashilia again and stretched out her hand.

"Eh?"

Before Ashilia could come to her senses, Perlis tied the scarf around the princess' collar again.

This time, it’s still a bow.

"Actually, I only know how to tie a bow."

Perlis smiled gently at Ashlia, then turned around and walked towards the train door.

Before closing the train door, she heard the princess sobbing softly.

What we use to commemorate the deceased should not be the nostalgia of the living, but the bright stars in the sky behind the dark clouds.

......

Entering the carriage, Perlis found that Carly and Pace were both frozen in the aisle.

"What's going on?" Perlis muttered, squeezing through the gap between them, "What on earth..."

However, when Perlis saw the person sitting behind the dining table at the end of the corridor, she instantly pointed the blade with a red glow forward.

"It's been a long time since we last met, don't be so surprised (Wilkin's words)..."

Aloi Aziz lightly shook the glass of white cocktail in his hand, his red-gold eyes narrowed slightly, like a poisonous snake eyeing its prey.

"Ms. Pollis..."

The blood-red eyes and the golden eyes stared at each other as they crossed the long corridor that was like a snake's belly.

...END...

Down to the Dust

"Its grave is made of dust and earth."

——"Forbidden Words: The Old Testament"

......

The wild wind from the Aston Plains blew across the ruined fortress. The steam-powered train lay across the wasteland like a long dragon. Speckles of wind and sand hit the body of the train, creating a slightly anxious atmosphere.

It was almost dusk, and the tiny halos of light before night fell through the sky, which had been dyed yellow by the sand and dust, struggling to shine through, barely illuminating the damaged fortress.

Freedom Attack Fortress. Fourteen years ago, [Attack King] Rosedes Ad Pershipens launched a great offensive here and eventually died here.

The train door slowly opened, and the crew began to rush out. They were going to refuel the train here, and before that, they needed to stay overnight.

"..."

At the end of the crowd, Perlis jumped off the train lightly. When she touched the wasteland, a strange melancholy flashed through her heart.