"The decomposition speed of human tissue is very fast," Shiller said. "It's no different from the not-so-fresh fish and shrimp at the market. Now that the weather is not cold enough, tissues piled together will start to smell in less than a day. Today is not the day when the garbage truck collects trash uniformly. If we wait until tomorrow, not only might the putrid smell draw the garbage truck driver's attention, but it will also linger in the house."
"We should hurry up then," Raven immediately frowned and said. "The house is being used for a party, we can't leave any smell behind."
They rushed to the nearby fresh market at top speed. The market was very large, encompassing daily necessities, fresh food, furniture, appliances, and more. The parking lot outside was bustling with cars, nearly full.
"There are a lot of people moving recently," Shiller said after getting out of the car. Instead of going straight for the boxes, he casually tightened his clothes and walked briskly toward the main entrance.
Blinded momentarily by the glaring sunlight, Raven felt somewhat uneasy as she glanced back at the trunk, but she quickly caught up with Shiller.
"Is the market so crowded because everyone is having parties?" Raven murmured softly. "Will there still be enough fresh goods discarded?"
"The more stock they have, the more they have left over," Shiller looked up at the gate and nodded at the security guard who opened it for them. Raven, like a quail, followed close behind him, squeezing through the quickly closing gap.
"But where is their garbage disposal area?" Raven couldn't wait to start looking around.
Seeing Shiller march off in a certain direction, she thought he had found it, only to watch him disappear around a corner and come back with a shopping cart.
Raven gasped in shock as she stared at Shiller and said, "You don't mean to go shopping, do you? That...that..."
"Relax," Shiller comforted, although he seemed to observe Raven with appreciation for several moments, mainly for her genuine, unmistakable nervousness, which was far more attractive to him than any physical appearance.
Being disconnected from the emotional pathways of the outside world had one advantage: Shiller seldom felt truly nervous.
When ordinary people did something bad, they would feel as though everyone was staring at them, as though everyone could see the clues on their person. This was a side effect of being accustomed to social interaction and to discerning the emotions of others.
In social interactions, people make the assumption that all reactions from others are because of themselves, always being ready to respond. This kind of stress response-like emotional reaction can lead to extra nervousness, like a soldier always prepared to charge into battle.
But if one is completely unable to feel the emotions of others, the interpretative judgment of their behavior and words becomes clearer. Shiller's gaze swept over everyone nearby, clearly understanding that those occasional glances at him were only out of curiosity about why he was wearing a suit in a supermarket, not because they knew what was in the trunk of his car.
But Raven could barely stand those looks. She gripped the handle of the shopping cart so tightly she was close to crying, but restrained by Shiller's easy-going demeanor, she kept her abundance of unspoken words to herself.
Shiller strolled leisurely through the supermarket, first visiting the fresh food section to pick out some cured meats like bacon and ham, which were to be used for cold dishes.
About to enter the vegetable section, Shiller tugged at the distracted Raven and told her to go in and buy a few vegetables. Raven nodded as if in a trance.
Then she seemed to snap back to reality and said to Shiller, "Broccoli doesn't transmit through the air, are you that afraid?"
"If you don't go, then just sit in the car."
Raven immediately set off.
Soon, Raven returned with two bags of vegetables. Shiller checked the freshness of the vegetables, while Raven seemed to suddenly come to her senses. She said, "Don't worry, I also manage two vegetable gardens in Azarath, I know best if the vegetables are fresh or not."
"It seems you miss life back in your hometown quite a bit."
At this, Raven sighed deeply and said, "Yes, my life there was wonderful. But alas, if I had continued to stay there, they would all be in danger, and so would Earth."
"Do you think that by not staying there, they won't be in danger? Do you believe your father hasn't noticed them?"
Raven tensed up again, pursing her lips and looking away as she said, "I don't know."
"What will you do if your father threatens you with them?"
"...I don't know." Raven shook her head vigorously, not so much as saying she didn't know, but rather denying the possibility.
"Maybe you could have them move. After all, the Divine Realm is just a vague notion, isn't it the same wherever you go?"
Raven began to zone out again, and seeing this, Shiller dropped the subject. They continued shopping, picking up some barbecue accessories like skewers, grills, basting brushes, as well as some paper napkins and disposable tablecloths.
Last, Shiller led Raven to the clothing section. Raven stood at the entrance to the clothing area, staring blankly at the sign. Shiller said, "Didn't you want to shop?"
"But we..." Raven was on the verge of a meltdown. She really wanted to grab Shiller by the collar and ask if he remembered that there was a whole person in pieces in their car trunk!
"We're already here," Shiller said, and then he took the lead into the clothing area.