Chapter 179: Our Future Is Thriving (Patreon)

When Saito and Theresa returned to the office, both wore smiles — their conversation had clearly gone well.

The scene in the office, however, was the exact opposite.

A piercing stare—

"..."

The gaze from across the room left the Administrator fidgeting, but since they were all waiting for the other two to come back with news, she couldn't very well slip away now.

She snuck a glance in that direction and found herself looking straight into Kal'tsit's eyes.

"Hsss..."

The Administrator sucked in a sharp breath and quickly turned her head aside. She might have lost every memory of this Kal'tsit woman, but faced with that stare, she couldn't shake the feeling of a chill crawling up her neck.

W, seated to the Administrator's left, caught the exchange of glances with sharp instincts. She frowned, dragged her chair over, and planted herself squarely between Kal'tsit and the Administrator — then shot Kal'tsit a fierce glare for good measure.

Then she turned to the Administrator with a look that said, don't worry, I've got this.

With the teacher away, it's up to me to guard the Administrator's safety!

"..."

W, please, don't make things worse!!!

The Administrator could only feel the air in the office growing colder.

The happiest person in the room was probably Laqeramaline. She had no idea what history lay between the two of them, but Kal'tsit's current state was a rare sight indeed.

Only when the door creaked open again did everyone's expressions smooth over, all eyes turning at once toward the pair who walked in.

Theresa returned to her seat at the head of the table, a lingering smile still on her lips. Reading her expression, Kal'tsit could more or less guess how the conversation had ended, and some of the tension in her chest eased.

"Kal'tsit, have some people clear out that open lot to the south." That was the first thing Theresa said, and it was immediately followed by the announcement of what had been decided. "From now on, Endfield Tech will be a steadfast ally of Babel."

"Understood."

Kal'tsit nodded. This was likely the best outcome they could have hoped for.

"Saito, I'll do everything I can to help you find what you're looking for, but I can't promise we'll succeed."

"Of course."

That was enough. Saito gave a small nod — there was no rushing the search for the Primordial Originium. Using Originium's power to save Talos II would have to wait until after they'd finished researching the Cosmic Gate, at the very earliest.

Until then, they needed to keep building up their foothold on this land.

And starting today, Endfield had put down roots in a second nation beyond Ursus.

Not that this nation was exactly peaceful, either...

The thought drew a sigh out of Saito.

In Ursus it had just been aiding the vulnerable — helping the Infected fight for their rights and a normal life. Here in Kazdel, they were already tangled up in a civil war...

At this rate, next they'd probably be fending off invaders from outer space.

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"The specifics of our cooperation can be worked out between the Administrator and your people. Beyond that, pick out some quick learners from among your own — I'll have someone teach them about the Integrated Industries System and farming."

Saito produced a thick textbook from who-knows-where. Part of it covered the basics of the Integrated Industries System's various production facilities, while the rest had been compiled by that Acting Manager Zhuang — a Hongshan Academy of Sciences compendium of agricultural knowledge (Dummy's Edition).

As members of the Hongshan Academy of Sciences hailing from Great Yan, these people alone had once fed the entire Civilization Band. Kazdel's soil might be barren, but for agricultural grandmasters who could grow crops even on Erosion-blighted ground, that was hardly a problem at all.

Never mind solving Kazdel's entire food crisis — just keeping Babel's people fed would be simple enough.

"All right."

Theresa nodded, and the warmth in her gaze as she looked at the Endfield pair grew even more pronounced.

Perhaps fate really did favor the kind-hearted. With Endfield now in the picture, Babel's most pressing supply problems had been completely resolved — and that alone might be enough to turn the tide of this war.

"Our future — maybe it really is looking brighter."

...

...

"Alina, how do I look right now?"

"Do you want the truth?"

"Of course."

"You look just like some village elder about to slaughter his first boar-beast — nerves written all over your face."

In a brightly lit sitting room, the two girls sat facing each other on the sofa. Talulah was tense from head to toe, her expression no exception — she had only a few hours left before she was due at the palace to meet the Emperor.

She felt utterly numb, and could only keep talking to the friend beside her, trying to ease the tension knotting inside her.

"Your Grace, please stop fidgeting, or your dress will wrinkle again."

Alina reached out and smoothed the wrinkles in Talulah's dress, looking at the red dragon girl before her with a mix of exasperation and amusement.

"This is just a private meeting. You can relax a little."

"Easy for you to say. That's the Emperor of Ursus we're talking about..."

Talulah sighed again. Three days had passed since she'd arrived at Deity Grypherburg, and in that time, in her new capacity as Duke and representative of the Ursus Workers' Syndicate, she had received a stream of nobles who'd traveled from all over to attend her succession ceremony.

Old nobility, new nobility, royalists — right now, she was the hottest commodity on this land. Koschei's legacy gave her enough leverage to protect herself in this flood of attention, but she wasn't Koschei. The nobles might be wary of her, but greed outweighed their caution more often than not.

"That bastard Koschei..."

The thought made Talulah grit her teeth. That mongrel had dumped the title on her and then vanished off the face of the earth, leaving her to clean up the mess.

If it weren't for the future of the Union and Endfield, who'd even want his stupid title!

All Talulah could say was: Koschei had better hope she never got her hands on him.

But no sooner had the thought crossed her mind than a knock sounded at the door.

Talulah and Alina broke off their conversation. Light on her feet, she rose and went to answer the door, and there stood a familiar face — a white-haired gyrfalcon, smiling as she greeted the two inside.

"Teacher Kashena... no, wait, Duke Koschei — what are you doing here?"

Alina caught herself instantly, her eyes flashing wary. Kashena's true identity was no secret anymore, and inside, Talulah had already gotten a sword into her hand without anyone noticing.

"Talulah's the Duke now. I'm just an ordinary citizen of Ursus."

Kashena raised both hands with a smile, signaling the two of them not to be too on edge.

"I heard you two have been running into quite a bit of trouble lately. So I figured I'd come lend a hand~"