Chapter 1422: Inside the Queen"s Belly
The mall was enormous. Amidst the forest formed by rows upon rows of shelves, the woman"s voice seemed like a sprout breaking through the ground from beneath the shade of some trees, standing in the depths of an endless green wilderness. It was hard to pinpoint exactly where it originated from.
Lin Sanjiu understood that this a.n.a.logy might be a bit odd. A voice is just a voice; there should be a clear direction of its origin. But she couldn"t shake off this strange feeling: the mall, the shelves, the products, and this woman seemed to belong to one harmonious system, as if she was naturally a part of this place.
The two slowly rose from the sofa, making no sound at all. Not just sounds, their postures, att.i.tudes, even their breathing and body temperatures had swiftly changed, preparing themselves for what was about to unfold.
The woman spoke again.
She neither threatened nor provoked. She seemed indifferent to whether Silvan would come forward or not. She simply read out what sounded like a verdict—it took Lin Sanjiu a few seconds to realize that.
"When the Munitions Factory"s fifth division was attacked by outsiders, you not only failed to fulfill your duty to resist the enemies and protect the organization, but you also placed the Munitions Factory, the Twelve Worlds Centrum, and even Heaven Underworld into unprecedented peril since their inception. Hence, the alliance of the Twelve Worlds Centrum has decided," she said softly, "to retrieve you unconditionally."
What did "retrieve unconditionally" mean? This was a judgment Lin Sanjiu had never heard before. She glanced at Silvan, whose profile looked like a statue carefully chiseled by an artist, showing no emotion.
What had he done? He never said.
"It seems you intend to have me come over," the woman said. "Is your companion still with you?"
Lin Sanjiu involuntarily took a deep breath.
She wasn"t surprised that the woman belonged to the Twelve Worlds Centrum. Along their journey, Silvan had never concealed his ident.i.ty or face. Anyone who saw and recognized him could potentially report back to the Twelve Worlds Centrum, possibly revealing her presence as well. d.a.m.n, thinking about it, the ones who might have reported them could be the duo who played Jetson and Marigold.
In just a month or two, they obtained Silvan"s location, dispatched elite forces capable of instant teleportation, and acquired specific location teleportation permits. Who else but the Twelve Worlds Centrum could mobilize such resources?
What shocked her was that, although Silvan already knew he was in trouble, he seemed unprepared. And despite the Twelve Worlds Centrum knowing the kind of player Silvan was, they still only sent one person.
"This has nothing to do with her," Silvan said, raising his voice. "Let her stay and partic.i.p.ate in the game. You and I can go somewhere else."
When she fell silent, it felt as if a wave had receded back into the vast ocean, leaving no trace of its existence. It was only when she spoke again that Lin Sanjiu realized the woman was getting closer.
"Change locations?" she said with a light chuckle. "You don"t know me, but your swift and accurate reaction is indeed worthy of the former senior officer of the Munitions Factory."
As the last word fell, a hand suddenly reached out from behind a display curtain nearby, gently parting it just a fraction. Lin Sanjiu was startled and quickly turned toward the curtain. Out of the shadows, a figure emerged.
Lin Sanjiu"s rational mind could see that a woman had just walked out from behind the curtain, but she had to intensely focus on the direction for several moments to distinguish the woman from the surrounding environment.
She appeared to be of considerable age. Her features were relaxed and tranquil, seemingly having found peace through many years, yet her face was plump and youthful, her lips retaining a natural rosy tint. She reminded Lin Sanjiu of a tree—just like a thousand-year-old tree that still sprouts new leaves every year. Similarly, a tree wouldn"t be surprised by the beauty of a human, even if that human was Silvan.
However, you couldn"t take your eyes off her. Lin Sanjiu realized that if she even briefly looked away, she might have trouble finding the woman again, even though she had remained standing still.
"Your name is Lin Sanjiu, right?" The woman gave a slight smile. "It"s not entirely unrelated."
Indeed. Before leaving Heaven Underworld, Lin Sanjiu had wreaked havoc in the Munitions Factory and was almost attacked by Erudite.
"Only I am being unconditionally retrieved by the Twelve Worlds Centrum," Silvan said in a firm voice.
"It"s alright," Lin Sanjiu replied, keeping her gaze on the woman. "Some things don"t change, like her unwillingness to change the location and my desire to stay."
Just a few words and an encounter had made them reach the same conclusion.
The woman must have applied some power or effect to the mall. Now, the entire building seemed like her natural environment—or rather, she had become part of the surroundings. In this situation, she obviously wouldn"t change locations and start over.
"I don"t understand," the woman said unhurriedly. She looked around Silvan, as if searching for something. Honestly, she didn"t look like someone who would engage in a fight; if pacifists had a representative face, it would be hers. "Why are you standing here empty-handed? Where did you leave the Munitions Factory?"
Lin Sanjiu didn"t immediately grasp the meaning of the question and even let out a puzzled "Huh?"
Silvan lifted his hand to brush back his slipping golden hair, a hint of amus.e.m.e.nt evident in his demeanor. He chuckled lightly, the sound slightly nasal, and turned to Lin Sanjiu. "I think I forgot to tell you. There"s now a ma.s.sive hole on the surface of Heaven Underworld."
What? Wasn"t the Munitions Factory inside a building?—No, wait, the real question is, where was the Munitions Factory?
"So, you weren"t aware." The woman, with the demeanor of a gentle elder, gave Lin Sanjiu a small smile. "Let me tell you, he carved out a chunk from the planet of Heaven Underworld."
Seeing Lin Sanjiu"s wide-eyed expression, the woman nodded with an understanding look. "The then-under-attack Munitions Factory was too preoccupied to defend itself, and as a result, the most crucial part was sliced away, vanis.h.i.+ng along with that piece of the celestial body. It was a ma.s.sive disaster, or so I"ve heard."
If it were someone else, they might argue how such a vast steel city, such a huge planet, could be cut like a piece of cake. But Lin Sanjiu just opened her mouth, unable to voice this sentiment—because now she understood.
She finally realized why the Queen Mother had quickly evolved into the size of a small asteroid.
It encompa.s.sed a piece of Heaven Underworld within it.