Kevin didn't speak immediately, but Lynelle could've sworn the corners of his mouth lifted by a few pixels.
"Mm, that puts me at ease."
A moment later, Kevin's voice came, calm and measured. "Let's talk about your situation now."
"Grey Serpent has given me a fairly thorough and factual report. Still, there are some things I'd prefer to hear directly from you."
"Ehh~ It's not some super-secret topic, is it? Prying so bluntly into a girl's secrets isn't very nice, you know!"
"...That wasn't my intention."
Kevin seemed momentarily thrown.
Had this been his earlier self from the Previous Era, he would've handled such banter with unshakable composure.
But in reality… it had been a long time since he'd encountered this kind of casual back-and-forth.
"The rest can be set aside. But Grey Serpent told me you are Mobius's daughter… Is that true?"
"Uh…"
Lynelle guiltily averted her eyes. "Well… maybe it's true?"
"Maybe?" Kevin sounded puzzled.
"If we're just talking about this body, then probably, yes. After all, she's the one who crafted it for me."
"But, well… she probably… um… doesn't really think of me as…"
"Ah, no need to elaborate."
Kevin instantly grasped her meaning.
How to put it? Though often described as an ice block, Kevin wasn't that old back in the Previous Era. He was still familiar with the kind of gossip young people engaged in.
Knowing Mobius's particular… inclinations, if she went to the trouble of creating a daughter—one who looked exactly like Elysia—and claimed to have no ulterior motives?
Not a single member of the Flame-Chasers would buy it. Mobius herself probably wouldn't believe it either.
That was precisely why everyone in the Flame-Chasers had accepted Lynelle's identity so readily… The snake's infamy was just too well-established.
"If something's gone wrong, it must be Mobius's doing"—this golden rule held true even in the current era.
"Then…" Kevin paused. "Among your abilities, those connected to the Previous Era's power… did they also come from your mother, the original Mobius?"
Lynelle shook her head decisively.
"I really don't know about that… If Grey Serpent reported my background to you, you'd know I just woke up inside Babylon Labs. A lot of what I've learned since came from my own deductions, plus what Mobius and Elysia in the Flame-Chasers told me. The origin of these abilities… I truly have no idea."
"I see." Kevin's expression seemed tinged with disappointment. "Then there's nothing for it…"
"So, Kevin, what are you trying to find out?" Lynelle asked curiously.
"I don't know why you're so fixated on whether I came from the real Mobius, but if you're looking for information, maybe I can help?"
"Because, even though I don't have many memories of her, my mind is still full of all sorts of scattered bits and pieces… Maybe the answer you're looking for is in there?"
"Very well. As Mobius's daughter, it's only right you should know about this…"
Kevin gathered his thoughts for a moment before speaking. "You… are familiar with Griseo, correct?"
"Mm, Griseo in the Flame-Chasers is such a sweet little girl. Though, for some reason, she seems to like calling me 'Mama Lynelle'? Even though by seniority, I should be calling her big sister…"
"Ahem—" Kevin nearly choked. "That… probably has something to do with Elysia. She once taught Griseo to call her 'Little Sister Elysia,' while Mobius was to be called 'Grandma Mobius.'"
"But, since you know Griseo, you should be aware that her final mission in the Previous Era was a solitary one—Project Ark. It required her to board a starship and venture into deep space, searching for a new home for humanity."
"However, you might not know that after the Previous Era ended and we awoke from our cryo-sleep, Griseo actually returned to Earth for a time. We spent quite a long period together."
"But later… she chose to restart Project Ark and set off into the stars once more. And this time… our connection with her was severed."
"I'm certain that during Griseo's time back on Earth, no one else made contact with her. The transformative ability you possess carries a side effect similar to a 'dyeing' or 'staining' effect—almost identical to the characteristics of Griseo's power."
"Which means, if Mobius truly created you, she likely knows Griseo's whereabouts… whether she's alive or not."
"This…"
Contrary to Kevin's expectations, after hearing his words, Lynelle didn't show surprise or thoughtful contemplation. Instead, her expression became somewhat… troubled.
"That's strange… After you said that, some memories about Sister Griseo really did surface in my mind…"
"Perhaps Mobius tampered with your memories, setting triggers so you'd only recall them at the right moment or in the right context."
Kevin said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"But, Kevin…" Lynelle furrowed her brow slightly. "What these memories imply… might be a little… hard to describe. Are you really sure you want to know? From what I'm reading right now, this doesn't seem like a message intended for you. It feels more like a mission… for me."
"It's fine." Kevin took a deep breath. "Tell me. Don't doubt my resolve."
"Alright…"
Lynelle gently bit her lip, then spoke slowly. "Sister Griseo… she's still alive. But her condition… might not be great."
Kevin didn't move a muscle, yet he seemed to exhale a breath he'd been holding. He gave a slight nod, urging her to continue.
"After leaving Earth and reaching the edge of the solar system back then, she was blocked by the interstellar tides of the Imaginary energy. Then… she was captured by an entity that had been observing her for a long time—one called 'Sa.'"
Lynelle stole a glance at Kevin's expression and whispered, "After Sa captured Sister Griseo, it immediately began studying her and the data carried by the Ark. And while she was in a coma… it… had seven children with her."
Crack.
A crisp sound came from beside Lynelle.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw what appeared to be a shard of crystal condensing out of thin air. Clearly, this ice had formed from the moisture suspended in the air.
Crack, crack, crack…
More and more crystalline shards began to fall around them as the temperature plummeted. A visible mist of cold rose around the two.
Yet, perhaps due to Kevin's deliberate control, this environmental shift didn't seem to affect Lynelle.
"Sa…"Kevin's voice came softly after a moment, laced with an eerie calm.
"Is that the bloated, patchwork imitation hiding in the depths of the Sea of Quanta… the one that apes the Cocoon?"
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T/N: Sa you are cooked, fried, boiled
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.