Chapter 28.4 – With Fall Comes Impending Winter
Ocean waves took form from the far-reaching ocean and lazily moved onto the shore. It battered against the damaged embankment, creating layers after layers of green suds on its surface. After being battered against for tens of years, the concrete embankment had become largely damaged, intertwining with the rugged ocean reef below. However, there was still a path one could walk through that was peaceful and desolate. While walking on this road, to the right was a dark blue sea that stretched into the horizon. On the left were ruins, and from the half scorched ancient constructs, one could vaguely see the style of the olden era's 19th century. The steel bars that extended outwards were like the exposed ribs of an enormous beast corpse, struggling to maintain signs of times past on its broken-down body.
When walking on this road, one would always feel a myriad of feelings. Between the ruins and the great sea, under the gray sky, and faced with tens of years flying past one's eyes, even the most powerful individuals would feel insignificant.
This road wasn't easy to travel through. No sea shells could be seen, and no seabirds flew past. Each time the ocean waves surged, fatal levels of radiation would always surge. Even with the radiation resistance capabilities of the Black Dragonrider uniform, faced against the degree of radiation here, those defenses would still be extremely weak. However, for the senior military officers of the Black Dragonriders, this wasn't an issue that couldn't be dealt with.
This time, Persephone and Su walked shoulder to shoulder.
"Are you preparing to go out for a mission?" Persephone's left hand held her high-heels. Her shining white feet either walked on the sharp ocean rocks or jumped about from sharp tips of steel bars one after another.
"That's right." Even though Su knew clearly that those sharp rocks and broken steel bars couldn't harm Persephone, whenever those soft little feet stepped on them, he couldn't help but feel nervous inwardly, especially since he could vaguely sense that Persephone's vitality wasn't that great. When he saw that Persephone was actually jumping towards a sharp metal bar that seemed to be angled almost straight up, Su finally couldn't hold back his nervousness anymore and subconsciously reached out his hand to support her.
Persephone's legs slightly separated in an incomparably precise manner to land on the sharp spike. This little bit of force was already enough for her to stabilize her entire body. However, when she saw Su reach out his hand to support her, the tip of her toes lightly tapped on the steel bar, and her body then collapsed, holding onto Su's hand in a somewhat panicked manner and used this strength to gently fall onto the ground.
Su immediately understood that he had overthought things. However, he held onto Persephone's hand without any intentions of letting go.
The two of them walked slowly along the shore hand in hand, as if what lied underneath their feet weren't deadly ruins, but instead the fine sand of the olden era. In the distance, strands of golden sunlight quietly seeped through the clouds and illuminated the ocean surface, as if a crack was opened in the kingdom of heaven's great gates.
"Are these missions just to earn some start-up funds? What are you planning to do after?" Persephone asked.
"I have to find some way of obtaining subordinates, start up N957, and explore the northwestern unknown regions to see if there are any valuable resources. Afterwards, I have to establish a supply base and continue the exploration of the northwestern region and declare a formal range of power. From there on, I will have to continuously conquer new unknown regions." Su's plan was simple and massive.
Persephone seemed to disapprove of his words. Following a snort, she said, "I could tell immediately that this wasn't your plan. It must be something that black piece of metal thought up. That fellow always thinks about stealing money, stealing food, and stealing women. He doesn't think of anything innovative."
"This is the fastest way of earning money, so it has also become my way of thinking." Su said.
"You want to settle my debt in my place?" Persephone suddenly looked at Su and asked.
Under the gaze of her eyes that contained wisps of green light, Su felt a bit nervous. He indiscreetly blurted out, "Yes."
Persephone released a snort and stood in front of Su. Pointing her left hand to forcefully press into Su's chest, she said in a rather dissatisfied manner, "Hey, let's get something straight! That was all debt owed for your sake, so it was your debt to begin with. You were just paying back your own debt, yet you want me to be grateful towards you, are you harboring some type of evil intentions? For example, seducing me into bed?"
Su did not become as nervous as he expected. He tightened his hand around hers and actually smiled while saying, "That was exactly what I was thinking."
This was a reply that completely exceeded Persephone's expectations. She was originally hoping for Su's embarrassed expression. When the topic reached this point, it became a bit dangerous, to the point where her heart rate quietly doubled.
"Ah, this… uh…" Persephone put some distance between herself and Su, and her brain quickly searched for a suitable reply. Suddenly, she changed the topic and asked, "Su, you originally entered the Black Dragonriders for that little girl. Why do you care so much about her? What if you meet her again one day? What would you do then?"
"I will protect her, and will also look after her." Su's reply was as clear as water. There was no need for him to think anything else about this, nor was there any hesitation. His green left eye was clear and translucent. "She is my daughter, so I am willing to pay any price for her. Just like a rotting wolf in the wilderness, for the sake of the young, they would fight the most ferocious creatures."
"Ah, so it was like that?" Persephone's eyes suddenly lit up with a brilliant expression! She was on the tip of her toes, as if she would jump up at any time.
Su was stunned. He truly didn't understand why she would suddenly become so happy, as if she was glowing from the inside. However, right now, Persephone was beautiful to the point of being almost irresistible. Su truly wanted to grab her into his arms, even though he knew deep inside that this was something he should only think about after settling all debts first.
Just when their two leaping hearts were about to collide, Su's consciousness suddenly detected a flash of extreme danger, as if he was being pricked by thorns! That type of feeling was just like a frog that was targeted by a serpent.
A flash of paleness simultaneously appeared on Persephone's face. He turned around and gazed into the distance. Hundreds of meters out, an enormous ocean rock that was over ten meters in height was split into two pieces, and the top part of the rock slowly slid down from the slanted cut. With a great rumbling sound, it fell into the great sea, and only the remaining half stood alone by the shore.
The cut was as flat and smooth as a mirror.
Town of trials.
The chapel at the center suddenly blew with cold winds. Madeline's figure slowly appeared in the previously empty high back chair.
Peperus who received an urgent notification walked in from the side door and brought the computer to Madeline's view, revealing pictures that were just taken. Almost all of the pictures had Persephone and Su playing the lead roles.
Madeline watched silently and suddenly reached out with a pale finger. She lightly tapped it, and a strange layer of dark gray color covered the computer. Then, under Peperus' shocked gaze, the computer turned into ashes.
The church's doors weren't closed firmly, so the whistling wind continuously surged inward.
The wind was extremely cold.
For Madeline, fall had already passed.