The mere fact that SAM was a fan of Robin dashed Miss Maid's plan to leverage Robin's influence and recruit him to the Dragon Nation.
After learning about SAM's background and experiences, it became clear that tying such an individual to a single nation was fundamentally unrealistic.
The most obvious reason was his prior service as a soldier in a Cosmic Civilization. How could he possibly join a terrestrial nation that hadn't even ventured beyond its own home planet?
This was precisely what Robin intended. She had no desire for SAM to align with any nation or faction.
Joining a nation certainly had its advantages. As Robin herself, she enjoyed numerous benefits provided by the government.
When she first arrived in this unfamiliar world, lacking connections and combat skills, joining an official organization had been an excellent choice.
But SAM's situation was different. His overwhelming strength—enough to overturn the table at will—meant he feared no one. Joining a nation would offer him few advantages; on the contrary, being tied to a single faction would likely bring more disadvantages than benefits.
Therefore, it would be best for SAM to remain officially unaligned, maintaining friendly relations with all nations. Given his terrifying power, most countries would likely welcome such an arrangement, allowing him free access to vast swathes of the globe.
"Sigh..." Miss Maid sighed softly. "Robin, if SAM truly isn't a villain as you claim, then our only course of action is to cultivate a strong friendship with him."
As she spoke, Miss Maid suddenly realized something. SAM originated from a Cosmic Civilization, and so did Robin, who stood before her. Yet Robin had chosen to remain peacefully in the Dragon Nation.
Of course, their circumstances were entirely different. SAM was a warrior, while Robin was a kind-hearted and beautiful singer. Looking at the girl's gentle and lovely face, Miss Maid found it perfectly understandable that Robin would align herself with a nation.
Thinking it through, Robin probably didn't harbor any "national preferences" either. Her continued presence in the Dragon Nation was likely due to the Dimensional Rift that had brought her there. Miss Maid couldn't help but silently marvel at the Dragon Nation's incredible luck.
Robin, oblivious to the maid's inner turmoil, only noticed her staring intently, sighing and muttering to herself.
The meeting had lasted over an hour. Miss Maid felt as though she had been listening to an outlandish science fiction story, except the terrifying part was that it was all true, and the characters from the story were now standing right in front of her.
Finally, looking exhausted, she said, "I've noted down everything about SAM. Thank you so much for your help, Robin."
"It's nothing," Robin replied. "It's not exactly top-secret information. In my world, anyone with even a basic understanding of history knows about it."
When Robin left the Director's office, the sky outside had already darkened. The same agent from the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations who had escorted her earlier was still there to take her back.
"It's getting late," the agent said. "Why don't you stay overnight here and head back tomorrow? I can arrange a hotel for you."
Robin nodded. "That sounds fine with me."
As Robin and her companion left the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations, a young male agent in uniform appeared to have just returned from a mission. His hair was disheveled, and his clothes were rumpled, as if he had been in a fight. When he spotted Robin, he froze momentarily before rushing over, his face lit up with excitement.
"Robin?! Are you really Robin?! I'm a huge fan! Can I get your autograph?!"
Robin was currently disguised; as her fame grew, she couldn't afford to walk around in public without taking precautions.
The fact that this agent recognized her at first glance spoke to his keen eye.
Robin smiled naturally, accepted the book and pen he offered, and signed her name.
"Thank you so much! I used to bury myself in work, ignoring everything else—just like a robot. But recently, a colleague recommended your songs, and they helped me rediscover the joy in life!"
"No, it's not that serious," Robin said awkwardly, noticing the man's fervent expression. "But I appreciate your support!"
After that little episode, the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations agent drove Robin to a nearby hotel.
As they drove, Robin rested her chin on her hand, watching the scenery blur past. "That Deputy Director... she's really young," she remarked.
"Young?" The agent behind the wheel blinked, startled. "The Deputy Director isn't young at all. She's probably older than you. I think the Director's daughter is in her mid-twenties."
"Ah?" Robin was genuinely stunned.
Wait, did you just drop a bombshell?
The agent continued, "The Deputy Director and the Director are married. They've been together for decades. She's actually a Transformer who only assumed this form about three or four years ago."
Robin raised an eyebrow, unsure how to react.
Holy crap! For a moment there, I thought the Director of the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations was some depraved old man with a fetish for young maids. Turns out they're just a long-married couple.
After a while, the agent dropped Robin off at the nearest hotel and helped her check in.
-
Meanwhile, Firefly from the European Union had already rested for a while in her hotel room. Without hesitation, she simultaneously controlled both her bodies to sleep.
The next day, Robin from the Dragon Nation boarded a plane back to Longcheng, while Firefly from the European Union headed to the beach early in the morning, ready to continue clearing the unattended Dimensional Rifts in international waters.
This time, her destination was the Indian Ocean. Ironically, though the sea still bore India's name, India itself had long ceased to exist, having become part of the Great British Empire Federation.
Her method remained unchanged: she first mingled with the crowd, then slipped into the water, dove to a depth of fifty meters, and transformed into SAM for underwater travel.
The only difference was that a straight course from this beach would almost lead directly to the Arctic Ocean, while reaching the Indian Ocean meant taking a long detour. Navigating underwater also proved challenging, making it difficult to pinpoint her exact location.