"What does it matter! Those Blue Cosmos bastards deserved to be called out long ago!"
Heather shot George a glare and spoke with clear irritation.
"Uh..."
Faced with Heather's words, what could he say? George could only helplessly scratch his nose and reply dryly.
"I'm just worried about Fred's safety..."
Hearing this, Fred chuckled along.
"We'll be leaving soon anyway, it's fine. Besides, if I hadn't said those things, the subsequent attack wouldn't have made sense."
"If anything, the plan still ended up going unexpectedly. I'm sorry."
Fred looked at his parents before him and spoke helplessly.
According to his original plan, without having become the Child of the Atlantic, he wouldn't have attracted so much attention—at most, he'd just be considered a genius.
Under those circumstances, his faked death wouldn't have caused much of a stir among the Atlantic Federation's upper echelons.
But now things were different.
His reputation was too significant. If he faked his death, regardless of whether it was real or not—Heather would be fine, but according to George himself—staying in the Foreign Ministry would lead to investigation, or even control, by Blue Cosmos.
"It's not little Fred's fault! It's those Blue Cosmos' problem!"
Heather spoke while glaring fiercely at George.
"It's all you! Why bring this up!"
"Wait... I didn't mean to..."
Suddenly being targeted, George looked even more exasperated, but he still turned to Fred and said.
"Anyway, we can't stay in the Atlantic Federation any longer. Your dad doesn't have many friends there anyway, so leaving is leaving."
"It's just... will there be any issues if we make contact with the moderates over there?"
As George spoke, his expression gradually turned serious.
Their identities would of course need to remain confidential, but some people would inevitably find out—such as Clyne.
Given Fred's current abilities and stance, the other side would likely initiate contact themselves.
"There won't be any problems at all."
When it came to the moderates, the first person Fred thought of was Lacus.
But the thought quickly faded.
After all, he had never met her. Not all of PLANT's moderates were necessarily good people, but both his parents were seasoned veterans—they'd be better judges of character than him.
There wasn't much to worry about.
"Hmm."
Hearing this, George also breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been afraid that his son might be controlled by the radicals if he went there, but now it seemed there weren't many issues to worry about.
"Don't worry about our situation either. I've already discussed it with Lenore—Julius' reconstruction project still needs a lot of manpower anyway."
"What I'm more concerned about is if Blue Cosmos discovers your existence in the future—I'm afraid they'll hunt you down like madmen."
Heather took over the conversation.
Julius' reconstruction didn't just require research talent—it needed coordination and management too. Her skills were a perfect match, and she could work anywhere.
After Fred's speech, Clyne's faction would probably initiate contact as well.
They didn't have to worry about discrimination—strong connections were what truly mattered.
With Fred backed by those two people, he could essentially go anywhere in PLANT regardless of his identity.
In comparison, what worried her was how far Fred had gone with his speech to make the attack seem justified.
"I understand."
Facing their concerns, Fred wasn't particularly afraid.
"In a few years, they won't even have the capacity to worry about me."
Fred said with a laugh.
Of course, he would also grow stronger.
By then, with enhanced abilities and MS technology in hand, he would naturally hold more cards to play.
According to his probing over the past few days, Creuset shouldn't have risen to power yet—there was no trace of him—so taking the initiative by going over there would work in his favor.
In any case, no matter where he went, it wouldn't hinder his goals.
Grow stronger, achieve peace, then retire.
"I still need to become stronger."
Fred clenched his fist tightly.
This departure, this temporary retreat, was all part of the plan.
He needed to continue growing stronger to protect his family.
The next time they met, it would be time to take the offensive.
...
As the sunset faded, the post-award ceremony banquet officially began.
The banquet hall was filled with clinking glasses and lively chatter. Among the attendees were wealthy merchants from Copernicus and mechanics who had just received their medals, creating a bustling scene.
However, this liveliness was clearly divided by an invisible boundary.
The wealthy merchants and the powerful elite of Copernicus naturally gathered together, while the newly decorated mechanics congregated on the other side.
"This is so uncomfortable. Did you see the looks those people are giving us? I shouldn't have come," one mechanic grumbled between bites, his hands and mouth greasy.
"Put down that goose leg first before you talk," his coworker retorted impatiently.
"Pah! It's free food—why wouldn't I eat it?" the burly man said boisterously.
"Those people are already looking down on us. I'm just living up to their expectations."
"Besides, since we're already here, we might as well eat our fill!"
Hearing the big man's words, the others who had been feeling sullen and ready to leave couldn't help but laugh.
They sat back down.
"Qiangzi's right. Damn it, free food is free food."
"Speaking of which, where's Fred? What he said earlier today was so damn satisfying!"
As they spoke, they exchanged glances, a shared confusion evident in their eyes.
"You know, now that you mention it, none of us have seen him, right?" the big man who spoke first broke the somewhat eerie silence.
"Seems like it."
"Could something have happened to him...?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than he was kicked under the table.
"Fred's a hero. Who would target a hero?"
"Blue Cosmos...?" the kicked man said pitifully.
His words plunged the group into complete silence.
After all, even they understood that Fred's earlier speech had undoubtedly offended Blue Cosmos.
"Enough of that. Blue Cosmos has been driven away, and there's no way anything happened to Fred just like that. Stop overthinking it—he probably just didn't feel like coming," the big man said irritably.
As he spoke, he took another big bite of the goose leg.
His hearty appetite lightened the heavy atmosphere a little.
"Those laborers have such terrible table manners," someone from the wealthy merchants' side remarked scornfully, casting a disdainful glance their way.
"Don't look too long—it might rub off on you."
"They're all manual workers, uneducated. This is probably the best meal they'll ever have in their lives. Cut them some slack."
As they spoke, they covered their mouths and chuckled softly, their tones dripping with condescension.
"Dad, where's Fred?"
A crisp, somewhat spoiled voice from a young girl with orange hair interrupted the conversation among the adults.
She looked to be only eight or nine years old, with delicate features. Her exquisite dress shimmered under the lights, clearly expensive.
"I'm not sure, probably got held up by something."
The girl's father gave a gentle smile.
Meanwhile, someone else picked up the conversation.
"Speaking of which, Fred must have gone crazy with today's speech."
As the person's words fell, everyone nodded in tacit agreement.
He had indeed gone mad. Ptolemy was right next door to them, and as everyone knew, Ptolemy equaled the Atlantic, which equaled Blue Cosmos.
In their view, Fred's actions were a provocation against Blue Cosmos - nothing short of reckless suicide.
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