Lucian proved himself quickly.
He borrowed the Cafeteria, nabbed Exusiai and Texas while they were slacking on the deck, then dragged Croissant away from the hallway where she'd set up shop.
Right now, they weren't Penguin Logistics. They were the full staff of Lucian Sinclair's Soy Milk.
Rhodes Island truly lived up to being a Landship that could house thousands—the Kitchen was huge, the supplies plentiful, and it was more than enough for Lucian to work his magic.
So he used the Crimson King to prepare a variety of snacks, loaded everything onto a Food Cart, and headed for the residential area where the Infected lived.
According to Kal'tsit, medical Operators had already gone on rounds there today—Lucian only needed to find them.
Walking down the corridor, he sighed from the heart:
"It's amazing this organization even functions. Where does all the funding come from?"
This mobile carrier alone, capable of hosting thousands, had astronomical maintenance costs.
Not to mention food and supplies for Operators and patients, plus salaries.
Yes, Lucian was the only one truly capable of treating Oripathy, but Rhodes Island at least provided excellent control and care.
Families of wealthy Infected would absolutely pay large sums to send their sick relatives here.
But Lucian doubted that alone could keep Rhodes Island afloat.
And where did they get all their connections?
How many nations did Rhodes Island have people embedded in?
What kind of relationships did they maintain with those political bodies?
All mysteries. This mysterious organization was truly mysterious.
But Lucian wasn't the type to overthink things. He focused on the job in front of him.
He entered the residential zone where the Infected gathered—just like visiting the Slums in Lungmen—to deliver food.
Some Infected hesitated to approach him. But seeing the Rhodes Island armband on his sleeve, a few cautiously stepped forward.
Kindness spread that way.
Once one person trusted, others followed. In the end, those who remained completely shut-in were the minority.
Lucian was already a veteran at this. Winning people over with food couldn't be simpler.
While he was chatting away, a little girl tugged on his coat.
She stared up at him timidly and pointed ahead.
"A big sister... she fell down."
"I'm on it." Lucian moved immediately.
He left the cart behind and ran in the direction the girl indicated.
In an inconspicuous corner—a cramped little gap in the wall—
A woman with blonde hair and a white dress was sitting with her eyes closed, slumped in the shadows like a porcelain doll.
Lucian didn't have time to think. He crouched and waved in front of her.
"Hey, are you okay? Can you hear me—ah."
It took him a second to notice the black horns atop her head.
Terra had plenty of horned races—Oni like Hoshiguma, for example.
But these horns were rare. Or rather, Lucian rarely saw them.
And he recognized them immediately: the demonic horns of a Sarkaz.
Sarkaz were widely discriminated against. Even in a city as diverse as Lungmen, very few appeared in public. Lucian had barely interacted with any before.
Before he could think further, the doll-like girl let out a tiny groan.
"Mmh... what time... is it...?"
Still half-asleep, she rubbed at tearful eyes. Only after a moment did she fully see Lucian in front of her.
Her reaction was... unexpected.
She blinked her long lashes—not even surprised to see a strange man the moment she woke—and said immediately:
"Please don't be afraid of me. I won't hurt you. Absolutely."
"Uh... thanks?"
Lucian felt awkward. Very awkward.
He wanted to interact normally with Sarkaz, but now that he actually was—he was way more nervous than he thought he'd be.
He'd been mentally preparing for hostility. Wondering what he'd do if a Sarkaz hated him on sight.
But the first thing this girl did upon opening her eyes... was reassure him not to be scared.
He didn't know whether to laugh or feel exposed.
(Wait—am I scared of Sarkaz? Seriously?)
He hadn't felt this way with Warfarin.
He'd even held her while she was completely naked—no problem. All thanks to Croissant. Croissant was amazing.
But this girl was different.
Pure white dress, soft golden hair, crystalline eyes that seemed to see right through him.
She was like an actual Sankta from a fairy tale—pure, beautiful, untouchable.
Yet she was a Sarkaz "devil," those black horns openly mocking the stereotype.
Lucian hadn't expected his composure to crumble this easily—getting flustered over meeting a girl for the first time.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself back on track.
"Why are you here? Is no one with you?"
The pure-white devil blinked. "Friend. She's with me. She's busy, so she told me to rest."
Then she added, "It's nice here. Small, warm—like a birdcage."
"You're a cat?!" Lucian blurted.
He could understand the sentiment, though.
Small, enclosed spaces gave some people a sense of safety. Curling up felt comforting.
But that was for cats.
Humans got claustrophobic! Go outside and get some sunlight!
Seeing that she wasn't in danger, Lucian relaxed. He patted his legs and stood.
"You'll get your dress dirty like that. Come on, get up. Is your friend nearby? Want me to take you to her?"
She shook her head. "It's fine... ah!"
She grabbed the black staff beside her and tried to push herself upright.
But she moved too fast—lost her balance—and let out a small yelp as she toppled.
Lucian caught her immediately.
She was even lighter than he expected, like he was holding a feather.
He frowned. "You okay? Can you stand?"
"Yes. I'm sorry."
The pure-white devil apologized earnestly, trying her best to support herself with her staff.
"I'm bad at walking. I fall a lot. My friend usually helps me."
Her clear eyes looked straight into his. "You're very similar to her."
Lucian scratched his cheek. "I remind you of your friend? I'll take that as a compliment."
This girl mentioned her friend every other sentence. Even Lucian felt a little sour.
And he had to admit—this girl's beauty could easily rank in the top three of everyone he knew.
But even more striking was her aura.
Those pure, innocent eyes made him afraid to meet her gaze—like looking too long would dirty her.
For the first time, Lucian truly understood the meaning of "delicate and pitiful."
Who in their right mind would dare hurt this angelic girl? That wouldn't even make you human!
Watching her struggle to stand made Lucian panic. He quickly stepped in.
"Alright, I'll help you. ...By the way, are you Infected?"
"Yes." She nodded gently.
Lucian didn't see any Originium Crystals on her exposed skin.
But ninety-nine percent of Sarkaz were Infected. Hers was probably internal—either on her torso or within her organs.
Lucian carefully supported her, worried he might break her somehow.
She, on the other hand, leaned into him like she'd done it a thousand times, trusting completely. Her big, clear eyes stared at him.
"You're the same height. And just like her... you're very gentle."
"All right, all right, I get it. Your friend is amazing and wonderful and perfect. You win, okay?"
Lucian's reply was pure lemon-flavored jealousy.