Chapter 690: Chapter 67 Day 3
Inside Fire Island.
Squad Leader, Mia, and Miel, had already been missing for nearly three days.
The daily routine plans of the team had basically come to a halt: morning classes and training, inspirations and learning about the Law, and the affairs of Sicily, all had been temporarily stopped.
It was as if a train rushing on the tracks had, due to a fracture in its core bearing, immediately derailed from its original course.
“Peggy went out again?” Nora rubbed her forehead with annoyance.
“Yes, she said she was going to find Aske,” Thira said helplessly.
“Where is she going to find Aske?” Eleanor was also speechless, “Does she know how to enter the Abyss? With all the matters we already have on hand, now we have to pacify her as well, really…”
The blonde Knight stood up: “I’ll go find her and bring her back.”
“I know where she is,” Medea spoke indifferently, “I have tampered with her Mind Body.”
“When did you…” Eleanor, pulling her along, teleported away from Fire Island, “Let’s go.”
Thus, only Sigrdrifa, Nora, and Thira remained on Fire Island.
“So, how do we enter the Abyss?” Sigrdrifa asked.
“Entering the Abyss is a complex matter,” Thira replied, “The Abyss is not located on the Main Plane, a place that can be reached by plane, ship, car, or even on foot.”
“If we use Space Series abilities, like Black Hole, then it’s relatively easy to get there; without them, we need to find the points where the Abyss and the Main Plane are closest.”
“So, without Mia, it would be quite difficult for us to find the entrance to the Abyss,” Nora sighed, “However, speaking of Black Hole Law… When we helped the Empire’s coalition forces to seek aid from Venice, I remember there was a city councilor who seemed to be a Demigod of Black Hole Law?”
“Can we invite them over?” Sigrdrifa asked.
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Nora said, “Nowadays in Italy, there are few Demigods who wouldn’t give face to our family… I’ll contact the family.”
In the Main Plane, residences near Palermo Palace, several gazes were secretly fixed on Eleanor and Medea as they left the palace.
“Two more have left.”
“How many are left in the palace now? Three, or five?”
“It doesn’t matter. The focus is on those two Demigods of theirs. As long as we can suppress the Demigods, the rest are no match for us, and we can easily trap and kill them inside the palace.”
“When are the three Demigods promised by the Pure Blood Monastery likely to come?”
“They didn’t say. They might also be watching to see whether the two Demigods in the palace will leave the Main Plane for the Abyss.”
“If so, our reconquest of Sicily will face no obstacles at all.”
…
Walking on the street, Medea suddenly said in a low voice:
“There’s malice.”
“Malice?” Eleanor also lowered her voice, “Is it directed at us?”
“Of course,” Medea rolled her eyes, “Presumably due to Aske’s disappearance, the panic and urgency we have displayed must have been noticed by some who are eager to make their move.”
“You mean… Sigrdrifa’s family?” Eleanor was somewhat astonished.
“Hard to understand?” Medea glanced at her sidelong.
“No, I just…” Eleanor said gravely, “I just feel a bit sad for her.”
“After all, it’s not easy to find a family with shared bloodlines, only to be treated as an enemy by your own clan. That’s not the treatment Sigrdrifa deserves.”
“Status is something one fights for,” Medea coldly stated, “not something acquired by begging others for kind treatment.”
“It sounds like something Sigrdrifa would say.” Eleanor gave a bitter smile, “Medea, you indeed have a good relationship with Sigrdrifa.”
“Just like you and Nora?”
“Uh… yes,” Eleanor replied, “just like Nora and me.”
“Speaking of which, I do have a question.” Medea suddenly said, “If Nora knew you also liked Squad Leader, how would you two handle this? Give way to each other? Compete? Or decide who steps back with a game of rock-paper-scissors?”
“What are you talking about, Medea?” Eleanor forced herself to remain calm and said, “I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Even if you play dumb and refuse to outright deny it, I think you understand me very well.” Medea’s lips curved slightly, speaking with a somewhat malicious tone, “Never mind, you don’t have to answer my question.”
“But you should know that avoiding a problem doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, right?”
Eleanor: …
She didn’t speak and was expressionless, just staring at the ground as if dazed, silently biting her lower lip.
In the Abyss Lower Level, at Research Institute No. 710.
The gap in the wall, originally broken by the Shadow Demon, had now been repaired with quick-drying cement by engineering robots, and the corresponding damaged light bulbs were also replaced with new ones.
“It’s surprising.” As he watched the robots begin to clear the corrosive remnants left by the Shadow Demon, Kapei said with an astonished tone, “You three are actually professional elite mercenaries. Your combat power is indeed stronger than any security firm I’ve seen.”
“Flattering,” Aske replied as he fumbled in his bag, pulling out a rolled-up standard contract, “How about considering our partnership for the future?”
“What is this?” Kapei was puzzled.
“A commission employment agreement.” Aske answered, “You hire us to help guard the Research Institute, eliminating any Abyssal creatures that intrude. Compensation would be settled with our lodging and supplies consumed here, a mutual benefit for both parties, how does that sound?”
“Uh.” Kapei pondered briefly and realized it was indeed a good idea. The key was that once a contract was signed and an agreement reached, both parties would have a cooperation based on mutual interests, allowing for reciprocal trust and minimizing unnecessary risks.
“Alright, let me have a look.” He took the contract and scanned the main text quickly with his visual sensors, then inquired, “What does this ‘pound’ mean?”
“A unit of currency,” Aske said, “our era’s currency.”
“I thought ‘pound’ was a unit of weight… never mind.” Kapei continued, “Then let’s talk about your daily mercenary wage and the pricing of the supplies and services that the Research Institute can provide you.”
And so the two began their business negotiation. Mia, who was listening on the side, called out in a low voice after getting bored:
“Miel.”
Miel: ???
“I want to go practice the Ripple Sword,” Mia said.
“Alright, I’ll accompany you.” Miel smiled faintly, knowing little Mia was restless.
Back at the testing grounds, little Mia began her practice again, while Miel dragged out a future Mia, who had already mastered the Ripple Sword, to train alongside the current Mia.
It had to be said, the Fate Law was indeed a rather useful ability. One could review the past, predict the future, and even pull things from parallel worlds that didn’t exist in this one.
The only issue might be that if one relied too much on the Fate Law’s ability to peek into fate, they could be caught off guard by the occasional appearance of a black swan event.
For example, this time, she had not anticipated the low probability event of “Mia’s first use of the Ripple Sword failing, leading to falling into the Abyss.”
If only it were possible to investigate more world lines in a short period… Miel sighed lightly, then felt a sense of loss and frustration.
You still need to get stronger, Miel!