It had to be said.
The conditions Lucas Reeve offered were simply too generous.
Solving the food problem, solving the Ursus soldier problem, and even alleviating Oripathy. Putting aside the suspicion that he was exaggerating to lure them in, for the current Reunion Movement, Lucas Reeve was practically an angel sent from heaven to save them.
He brought exactly what the Reunion Movement needed most, and the payment he asked for was nothing but the ethereal concept of 'gratitude'.
What a great saint.
Talulah was a little tempted.
She wasn't very scheming by nature. As the current leader of the Reunion Movement, she was constantly worried about food and evading the pursuit of the Ursus army. Lucas Reeve's words had struck the softest spot in her heart.
*Thump~
Oh no!
I'm a little tempted.
Even though he's so suspicious!!
No, no!!
Talulah pinched her arm, forcing herself to be rational. This generous offer was definitely a trap. How could there be such a kind person in the world, with the exception of Alina.
Talulah was in a state of extreme conflict right now.
She was like a terminally ill patient who, after exhausting all other options, begins to believe in all sorts of ridiculous folk remedies. In her heart, she knew it was most likely fake, but she still held onto a sliver of hope.
What if it's real?
The Reunion Movement was already like a floating piece of duckweed on the sea, in a precarious state. A small wave could easily capsize this small boat. They... seemed to have nothing left to lose.
Huff...
Huff....
Talulah took deep breaths, trying to adjust her state of mind.
Then, she turned her gaze directly to Patriot beside her.
Although Talulah was the leader of the Reunion Movement, she was well aware of her own capabilities. In terms of experience and foresight, she was far inferior to the pure-blooded Wendigo before her, Senior Patriot.
Patriot sized up the soul before him.
It had to be said.
Although its soul strength was much stronger than an ordinary person's, it was still too weak. If Patriot hadn't caught that trace of divinity within the soul's essence, he might have just thought it was a soul that couldn't descend to the underworld for some reason.
Judging from the divinity at the soul level.
This man named Lucas Reeve was likely a former ancient god who had perhaps died later, with his remaining soul attaching to a special object to recuperate. After all, there were indeed many supreme beings who once ruled the world but were now reduced to insignificant remnant souls struggling to survive.
Gods can also die...
Each deity generally has its own characteristics.
Could it be...
The characteristic of the god before him was to absorb the faith of others?
Patriot knew a lot.
The so-called 'gratitude' after a wish is fulfilled was nothing more than the power of faith.
"Mmm..."
Patriot also fell into deep thought.
How to deal with this 'former god' became a problem.
Kill him directly?
Putting everything else aside, this deity had never done anything to harm the Reunion Movement, and had even helped them a lot. Patriot simply couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.
Trust him directly? Form a partnership?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
He didn't want to place the hopes of the Reunion Movement on the premise that someone else had no ill intentions.
Alina looked worriedly at the mountain-like Patriot before her.
She wanted to say something in Lucas Reeve's defense, but was interrupted by Talulah.
Finally.
Patriot let out a heavy sigh, like the breathing of a giant beast.
"We... cannot trust you... Your conditions... are very generous... but too selfless... which on the contrary makes it easy... to be suspicious..."
Patriot's refusal was something Lucas Reeve had long anticipated.
He didn't think Patriot would actually agree.
Forget Patriot, if it were him, he wouldn't agree either, one hundred percent.
It was like a suspicious stranger coming up and saying, I can provide you with so much stuff, no need for anything in return. Only a fool would believe that. The most expensive things are the free ones... although, Lucas Reeve really was free, but others wouldn't believe it.
Trust between people is a process that is built up slowly.
There were so many Infected in the Reunion Movement.
There would inevitably be some who were on the verge of death from an Oripathy outbreak.
With someone here who could alleviate the symptoms, would they just watch their comrades die?
At least.
Based on Lucas Reeve's understanding of Talulah over these past few days, she definitely wouldn't.
"It doesn't matter. What do you plan to do with me?"
Lucas Reeve smiled faintly, with an air of indifference.
"......"
After a moment.
Under Alina's reluctant gaze, Patriot placed Lucas Reeve in a separate, empty hut, and even instructed Shieldguards to stand watch near the hut. Generally speaking, a remnant soul's means of attack were limited, relying mostly on mental deception. But these Shieldguards had gone through life and death with Patriot, experiencing countless major events. The resilience of their souls was comparable to steel, completely unlike those ordinary Infected Pickets.
Given Lucas Reeve's current soul strength.
It was completely impossible for him to influence them without being noticed. And... Patriot was nearby, so there was no need to worry.
Lucas Reeve, on the other hand, didn't care.
At most, he'd be locked up for half a month. Over on Jessica's side, his soul would reawaken, and he could go for a stroll in Columbia again.
Late at night.
Talulah was sleeping in the room with Alina.
"Sigh... Talu, do you think Mr. Reeve will blame me... It's all my fault that Mr. Reeve was... by Senior Patriot....."
Alina was extremely dejected. She had even specially pleaded with Patriot when Lucas Reeve was locked up, but Patriot had politely declined.
Talulah felt a little sour.
"The main reason is that we don't know his purpose. To be honest, would you believe someone who is so selflessly devoted? Moreover, we can't tell if he's telling the truth or lying. We don't even know if he might be taking something from us without our knowledge while helping us."
"But...."
Alina sighed.
Her black and gray deer ears drooped limply, her expression somewhat dim.
"But Mr. Reeve really is a good person. You've spent less time with him. I was suspicious of Mr. Reeve at first too, but after getting to know him for half a month, he really is a very good person... And... if Mr. Reeve hadn't helped in time, you might not have been able to see me anymore, Talu. Or we would have been forced to move again and live a life on the run.."
Talulah teased her speechlessly.
"You're defending that Mr. Reeve so much, Alina, could it be that you...?"
"Talu, don't talk nonsense!!"
Alina quickly covered Talulah's mouth, her pretty face flushed red, while a strange look flashed in Talulah's eyes.
"Wait... according to you, that Mr. Reeve lives in the bracelet every day. Doesn't that mean when you're sleeping or bathing, he's..."
Alina's beautiful face instantly became flustered.
She had none of her usual composure now, seeming to have reverted to the personality of a young girl.
"No! Mr. Reeve always goes back into the bracelet when I'm bathing, so... he probably doesn't..."
"....."
"Then the last time I slept with you, Alina, does that mean he was there too?"
"Uh.... yes...."
"..."
Outside, the moon had risen to its highest point. The north wind howled, carrying cold snowflakes. Talulah rested her head next to Alina and said slowly.
"To be honest, just thinking about it now gives me goosebumps... The bracelet I've worn since I was a child actually housed a soul... Hiss... Looking back on it, that feeling is quite disgusting..."
In the camp.
Lucas Reeve slowly floated out of the bracelet. Being a spirit, he passed directly through the wooden hut. The wind and snow outside had stopped, and the fire burned brightly. However, in such an icy and snowy landscape, it couldn't provide much warmth.
Patriot's tall figure sat on a rock, his incredibly broad back like that of a giant bear, even larger than a giant bear. His astonishing presence was enough to intimidate people even without being deliberately released. This man was probably a true top-tier existence.
"Mr. Patriot, not sleeping at this hour?"
Patriot held a cup of hot tea in his right hand. It was clearly a giant mug, but in Patriot's hand, it looked as small as a teacup.
"Not for long..."
As it was late, the Shieldguards had already gone to rest. Here, there was only Patriot and Lucas Reeve, one man and one soul.
Patriot naturally didn't mind Lucas Reeve floating out.
The man and the soul remained silent for a long time under the icy sky.
Finally.
Patriot was the first to ask.
"Do... you... feel..."
"Not at all."
Lucas Reeve answered directly.
Patriot: "...."
"Mr. Patriot, your actions are perfectly normal. If it were me, I wouldn't trust a strange soul either."
"To be honest, even if you hadn't discovered the anomaly with the bracelet today, I was planning to confess to you in a few days. The reason I didn't confess before was purely because I was afraid you, Mr. Patriot, would tear me to pieces without a second word. But through my observations these past few days, I've seen that you're not that kind of person. You're a good person."
"Hmph..."
Patriot seemed to snort in derision. "Killed countless people... yet I've become a good person... Ironic..."
"I don't know your past, but I know that you protect the Infected. I've heard your story from Alina. In Alina's heart, you are a very great and kind senior. That's why I chose to trust you and confess everything to you."
"Phew~~"
Patriot took a large gulp of the scalding tea. The temperature, which would have been enough to send an ordinary person to the hospital, only felt average to Patriot. He let out a heavy sigh of relief.
It had been a very, very long time since he had chatted with someone.
In the Guerrilla Squad, he was the stern and taciturn Captain. In the Reunion Movement, he was also the silent and reserved senior, a reliable father figure, but he had no one to talk to.
A Wendigo's intuition is never wrong.
In fact.
He had believed from the very beginning that everything Lucas Reeve said was true.
However.
His position was different now.
He had to consider the entire Reunion Movement and could not allow any personal, subjective judgments to interfere.
"Mr. Patriot, you must be a lonely person too, right?"
Seeing Patriot's silence, Lucas Reeve said slowly.
"Wandering this land, yet as far as the eye can see, there are few old acquaintances. Everything from the past is like a dream."
Patriot remained silent, listening intently.
Until the change of shift at dawn.
Lucas Reeve returned to the bracelet to rest, and Patriot also went back to his own quarters.
For several days in a row.
Lucas Reeve would always slip out when it was late and quiet, with no one else around, to talk with Patriot. Although most of the time it was Lucas Reeve talking to himself, with Patriot listening silently.
Lucas Reeve could see through a person's soul.
From the very beginning, Lucas Reeve had seen the loneliness in Patriot's soul.
As strong as he was, he still felt lonely. If one had to speak of attachments, perhaps only the Shieldguards, the Infected, and his daughter, FrostNova, remained.
Patriot was lonely.
Lucas Reeve had been lonely too.
He didn't know how many years he had been trapped in the statue. Decades, centuries? He himself didn't know.
He understood Patriot's psyche, like a close friend on the same level. Every conversation struck a chord in Patriot's heart.
So much so that in the following days.
Patriot had gotten into the habit of taking the night shift, sending all the Shieldguards away, and then waiting quietly until late at night when no one was around, for Lucas Reeve to float out of the wooden hut.
Of course.
Lucas Reeve also learned a little about his past from Patriot.
Buldrokkas'tee, a taboo name sealed in the official archives of Ursus.
He once led an army to fight for the glory of Ursus, but that glory had now become a lingering pain in Patriot's heart. The pain of losing his wife made him once again disappointed in the empire he had once served.
Finally.
On the seventh day of his 'confinement'.
A member of the Reunion Movement suffered a sudden, acute Oripathy attack and was in critical condition. And just as Lucas Reeve had predicted, the door to his 'prison' was opened. A very anxious Alina came to Lucas Reeve and asked him to help their comrade who had suddenly fallen ill.
Fortunately.
Lucas Reeve did not disappoint them.
Under Lucas Reeve's power, the Infected's condition stabilized, and the restless Originium in their body was temporarily suppressed.
The fact that Lucas Reeve could really suppress Oripathy surprised Talulah and FrostNova, who had witnessed everything firsthand. As for Patriot, he had already anticipated all of this and slowly turned to leave.
Alina was overjoyed. She really hoped that Mr. Reeve could be accepted by Talu and Senior Patriot.
She thought.
Now that Lucas Reeve had really alleviated someone's Oripathy, they would definitely accept Mr. Reeve!!
Alina was even imagining that with Mr. Reeve around, the Reunion Movement could finally start to develop in a better direction!!
However, the soul that had been lurking deep within Talulah's own soul for who knows how long, as if a beast that had scented something different, slowly awakened after Lucas Reeve suppressed the first Infected's condition.