"…"
They still didn't know the full picture, but at least the situation was clear now. Annie, Reiner—the Armored Titan—and that Colossal Titan were all on the same side.
They were Marleyans, people from beyond the Walls.
Ymir immediately turned her suspicion toward Tatsuki and Tingyun. "If they're Marleyans, then what about you two? Who the hell are you?"
Tingyun raised her fan with a calm smile. "This humble lady is Tingyun, chief representative of the Sky-Faring Commission's trade fleet from the Xianzhou Luofu."
Tatsuki simply pointed at Mikasa. "I'm Tatsuki—a friend of Mikasa's."
"…"
Ymir's mouth twitched. What kind of introduction was that?
"Xianzhou what? Sky… what? I've never heard of any of that!" And Tatsuki's explanation? Just 'Mikasa's friend'? That told her nothing!
Tatsuki clapped his hands lightly. "Well, that's the situation for now. Mikasa, we'll be heading out. As for this Annie—my people are quite interested in Titan biology, so I'll be taking her with me."
Mikasa glanced at Annie and nodded. "Alright."
She wasn't particularly attached to Annie, and being taken by Tatsuki didn't necessarily mean death.
With that, Tatsuki and Tingyun vanished—literally, in a blink, along with Annie.
Ymir stomped the ground where they had stood, trying to find any hidden mechanism. Nothing. Not a trace.
Frustrated, she turned to Mikasa. "Who are those two?! How do you know that guy? Time-stop, mind control—are you sure he's even human? He could be a Titan himself!"
Ymir's mind refused to accept that someone human could do what she had witnessed. Even as a Titan herself, she couldn't perform such feats!
After a moment of thought, Mikasa nodded seriously. "Tatsuki is human."
"…" Ymir's face went blank. Talking to Mikasa was always exhausting.
Christa gently patted Ymir's shoulder, smiling. "Don't think too much. At least we're alive—and Tatsuki saved me."
"…Fine, fine," Ymir sighed. She worried too much—especially about Christa getting tangled up in dangerous things.
Giants were already enough trouble. Now there were people with superpowers stronger than Titans? That was insane.
Even that 60-meter Colossal Titan hadn't resisted before disappearing. Tatsuki said it was dead—and she believed him.
Suddenly, Ymir gripped Christa's shoulders, panic flashing in her eyes. "You're not gonna thank that guy by offering yourself to him, right?!"
"Huh?" Christa blinked, startled by the question. Brushing her hair aside, she gave a teasing smile. "Well, who knows? The whole 'hero saves the damsel' thing is kind of romantic, don't you think?"
"No! Absolutely not!" Ymir shook her head so hard it was a blur.
Mikasa tilted her head. "Tatsuki's a good person."
"…"
Ymir glared at her. Big sis, seriously? You're not helping here!
Ymir stomped her foot. "Christa's supposed to marry me!"
Mikasa replied flatly, "You're both women. You can't have children."
"!!!"
The line hit Ymir like a thunderbolt —a fatal strike straight to the soul.
"Pfft…" Christa covered her mouth, laughing softly. Her mind drifted back to the moment Tatsuki had held her—that strange warmth she couldn't explain.
She had already made peace with dying, yet she'd been saved. She couldn't quite name the feeling in her heart.
…
Furina: "What?! The play's already over? I still don't understand the plot!"
Nami: "Girl, that's because it's not a play! Stop treating the stream like a theater show."
Tingyun: "What a fascinating experience… I must retract my earlier doubts."
Kiana: "Right?! Crossing worlds is just too cool!"
Tingyun: "Not only that, but I calculated that although I spent around ten minutes in another world, no time passed here at all."
Saint: "Indeed. When one travels to another world, time in the original world halts completely."
Silver Wolf: "So that's why my body didn't move—only my thoughts were active."
March 7th: "Same here! I couldn't even blink, but I could still think inside the chat."
Bronya: "It was the same for me as well."
Furina: "Time stop, world travel… I'm getting more and more excited for my turn!"
Aqua: "You're supposed to be the Water God! How does this amaze you?!"
Furina: "…"
"Wahh! Don't remind me of that again!" The thought of someone exposing her identity terrified Furina. If she failed to deceive Celestia, all her centuries of effort would go to waste!
March 7th: "Tingyun, I heard you say you're from the Xianzhou Luofu, right?"
Tingyun: "Yes. This humble lady serves as a Ferry Emissary of the Sky-Faring Commission."
Hai Xiaomei: "Wait, isn't that the same place March 7 and the others are heading to next?"
Exusiai: "Oho, what a coincidence~."
Furina: "I smell drama brewing!"
Aqua: "Ehhh, you're not a dog, Water God! And I still won't accept your title!"
Furina: "I am Focalors, the true Hydro Archon! I need no one's approval to exist!"
Shinobu Kocho: "Ara~ let's not fight. Perhaps we should focus on Miss Tingyun's situation for now."
Tingyun: "I'm afraid I don't quite understand. The Astral Express heading to the Luofu? Has something happened there?"
Back in his home, Tatsuki didn't rush to deal with the subdued Annie.
Tatsuki: "Tingyun, are you currently on the Luofu?"
Tingyun: "Not yet, my lord. This humble lady is currently returning aboard the merchant fleet."
Nami: "No wonder you don't know yet."
Nami: "March, Silver Wolf—tell her."
March 7th: "Ahem! Leave it to me—"
Silver Wolf: "The Luofu's Stellaron is about to erupt. The Astral Express is heading there."
March 7th: "…"
March 7th: "Hey! I was supposed to say that!!"
Silver Wolf: "Yeah, but you'd have taken ten minutes telling a bedtime story."
Kisara Tendo: "He's got a point, though."
March 7th: "…"
Tingyun: "A Stellaron crisis? How could such a thing occur?"
She was shocked, though not panicked.
Tingyun: "Still, the Luofu should be able to handle it."
March 7th: "We thought so too, but the Stellaron Hunters said it's not that simple this time."
Tingyun: "The Stellaron Hunters… are involved?"
March 7th: "Ask Silver Wolf—her teammate got caught by your people."
Silver Wolf: "Yeah, you mean Blade? He's still in custody."
Tingyun: "…"
....
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