Thanks for the invitation. I am a parasite in Terra.

Laurentina is really...

Is she too dependent on me? This won't be a good thing.

Laurentina was so anxious and panicked when she thought about not being able to see herself when she woke up...

Her dependence is undoubtedly abnormal and pathological... Logically speaking, from the time they spent together, Zuo Jian felt that Laurentina was not someone who lacked independence so seriously.

The necessary qualities that a deep-sea hunter should possess should also include strong independent judgment and adaptability.

[Is it... at the beginning? Laurentina was already in an extremely unstable state at that time. My appearance did not completely heal her mental trauma, but instead led to a different direction.]

[I really need to find a way to solve this problem——]

While he was thinking silently, a sound suddenly came from outside the dilapidated house.

pat.

The corner of Zuo Jian's mouth suddenly curled up.

[“He” is back.]

[Laurentina's matter cannot be rushed. This kind of thing needs to be adjusted and changed step by step. At least... before that, I should really stay with her.]

Briefly returning to Laurentina's mind, she looked at the little shark sleeping soundly on the bed.

He stepped forward and gently touched her head with his hand.

[But now, we have to get down to business.]

The strip of cloth of the clothing extended and eyes grew on the front end. It stretched out of the window and looked at the wooden box on the ground outside the door.

And the kneeling figure standing next to it.

“Ugh—Ahhh—Kill…Kill me…Kill me…”

The figure growled incoherently, and he crawled to the corner of the wall, pleading with a pleading look, as humble as a dog.

"Please.....Kill me....Kill me!!!"

"Let me die...let me die..."

[Bishop Quintus, I didn't expect your will to be stronger than I thought.]

"Quintus...I...Yes...I am Quintus...No...I...I don't want it...Please...Please! Let me go! I will repent, please! I don't want to--"

The figure fell to his knees and struggled on the ground, his face wriggling wildly like a twisted piece of meat.

Will change

She became the gentle nun, and then turned into the numb one-eyed middle-aged man.

He kept changing his face, trying to use them to piece together the face in his memory... that originally belonged to him...

However, the more they did this, the more distorted and weird the part of the head called the face became.

[What's wrong with that, Bishop Quintus? Compared to Bishop Leco, at least your memory can be preserved by us.]

[Your consciousness is also being torn apart bit by bit, stripping away your true self. At the same time, the stripped parts are also being reshaped by me into a brand new... independent consciousness driven by me.]

[Look, you can even watch the baby grow—isn’t that great?]

Zuo Jian stepped forward and touched Quintus with his pedipalps.

The flesh quickly split apart from the neck at this moment, and the flesh and blood that was pushed out formed a new head.

It was the face of the nun, but it had been slightly adjusted from before.

The slight similarities with Laurentina were erased to make it no longer too perfect, less like a doll, and more like an everyday living person.

The girl's face was next to Quintus's terrified head, whose face at this moment could not even be considered human.

The lips were placed on the forehead, the eyes were placed on the ears, and the rest was just a wriggling mass of flesh that could not even maintain its basic shape.

[Behold, every part of you, from body to soul, is atoning for what you have done.]

[Watching my consciousness being used as nutrients to nurture a new, purer individual, don’t I think this is also a kind of——]

[Transformation and rebirth?]

"Ah——wo....hhaa....riaa...."

[Can't even talk? It doesn't matter. I look forward to talking to you again after your transformation.]

[But before that, I need you to help me with something.]

Zuo Jian opened his mouth on the tentacle and showed a devilish smile.

.........

.....

"what--"

Laurentina opened her eyes.

The morning sun has already shone through the window onto my bed.

I don’t know why, but I slept very peacefully last night.

Is it because of the left room?

"Zajian, did you have a good rest?"

She lowered her head and glanced at the brooch on her chest.

"Left room?"

[Good morning, Laurentina, it looks like you slept well last night.]

The eyes on the brooch opened and looked at the former helplessly.

"Hehe, because I can feel inexplicably at ease when I lock someone up by my side. I don't have to wake up in the morning to find that someone ran away overnight and left me in a corner without caring about me."

After saying that, Laurentina raised her neck, and there seemed to be some... excitement in her words.

[It sounds like a child who can't sleep without his parents is celebrating his right to sleep with his parents in the middle of the night.]

Zuo Jian sighed, feeling somewhat helpless about what to do with Laurentina.

.....Well, there really is nothing we can do.

"What's the problem? In that case, I'd be like a child, the kind that needs someone to keep me company every night."

[Why are you admitting it again... Didn't you tell me not to treat you as a child before? And even if you say so, I'm not your father.]

The hem of her skirt swayed slightly, as if to express her protest.

Laurentina disagreed. She lifted her skirt and smiled.

"Since Zuo Jian doesn't want to be a father... then, Zuo Jian——Mom?"

[Then please don't call me that. I'd rather be your temporary father.]

"Oh? Is this what a certain writer from Yan Country said, that people always compromise?"

If you call Zuo Jian "dad" directly, he will definitely not agree.

But if you call him mom.

Then he will feel that it’s not wrong to be a father due to his own preferences.

[You can even quote stories from other countries.... From which travel guide did you read this?]

"Hmmmm~"

Laurentina put her hands on her hips and turned up her nose.

"How about it? Isn't it great? I can even use it in practice."

[It’s really amazing... But my dear Ms. Laurentina, please don’t use your excellent learning talent in such a strange place, okay? !]

The hem of the skirt swayed again, expressing Zuo Jian's protest with words.

"It's just a joke, don't be angry~"

She patted her left side to calm her skirt.

"and....."

Laurentina lowered her head and whispered softly.

"I actually prefer to think of you as..."

[By the way, we still have things to do later. We need to gather all the villagers together first. What did you say?]

The tentacles of the skirt extended out and glanced at the box placed outside the door. It was filled with rice seeds imported from Yan Country that had flown all the way back to Iberia from the seed station at Victoria Port.

Because these coins were dug out from under the church of the Deep Sea.

In order to avoid being targeted or causing unnecessary trouble.

Zuo Jian specifically reminded the tortured man who was mentally ill at the time

Quintus of the Qing Dynasty tried to stay away from Iberia and act as an errand boy.

The latter was still somewhat conscious at the time, able to execute simple commands, and could move remotely by staying in that part of flesh and blood.

Although Zuo Jian still doesn't trust him, so he has to slowly... turn him into someone he can trust.

Become... someone who can be trusted 100%.

[Laurentina? Did you say anything just now?]

The tentacle picked up the box, then turned its eyes and asked Laurentina.

"I said--"

"Zajian, no matter how long it takes, you will stay with me, right?"

As she spoke, she suddenly walked forward with a happy smile and hugged Zuo Jian's tentacle.

[Ouch! Don't move suddenly, the box is going to fall!]

[Just hold me for a bit, let go now—I can’t carry the box like this!]

"No, I just want to hold you for a while longer—"

But the next moment, the door suddenly opened.

"Painter, painter, the nuns are going to distribute things in the church again! I heard that this time they will teach us new things..."

Little Anita pushed open the shabby wooden door and shouted excitedly to Laurentina.

"Hey? Painter, why are you holding your skirt and rubbing it with your face?"

Laurentina's movements suddenly froze in place.

Chapter 11, Laurentina: What? My child already knows how to farm? (Part 2)

puff-

"Zuojian...what's going on here?"

Laurentina put down the hoe and looked at the field in front of her, which could not be described as neat and tidy, but was a mess.

[As you can see, it is in the cultivated land.]

"No - I mean..."

She looked up and saw Anita, who was holding a small hoe and turning the soil with the child-sized tool.

In the distance, there are more residents of Yanfeng City. The young and middle-aged people who are still able to move freely are all carrying uniform-looking farm tools and cultivating the land.

And on the surface of those iron farm tools, there seemed to be some fine, red blood vessel lines flowing.

"Those...are made by you, right?"

Laurentina could feel a similar aura to her own on it...

[It was separated from the nun's body. Although this would temporarily weaken her abilities, there was no other way. In an area like Saltwind City, it was almost impossible to find usable farm tools in the ruins.]

[The best I could find were some rusty iron anchors or fishing gear. I had no choice but to make this for now.]

"That's not the point! So, you have no problem with using your own creations...?"

[Opinion? What opinion?]

"That's right, that's right... um..."