Second Sister was very quiet. She looked around and noticed a pile of coils, forming a nest-like structure. She walked over, curled up, and slept inside. Then, she gently stroked her abdomen, and a tender expression appeared in her pale eyes, a look that moved the heart.
"You were right..." Edmund walked up to me. I looked at him with some confusion. What was I right about? He gazed gently at Second Sister, and a touch of emotion appeared in his gray-blue eyes. "She's a person. She wants to protect her child... Oh! I understand!" Suddenly, he became excited again, his eyes gleaming as he looked ahead. "It's because she's pregnant! So, her maternal instincts have increased, and she is protecting you. It must be like this. Therefore, my theory of reversal is feasible! I can definitely turn them back into humans! But... the evolved parts might be irreversible. Will their wings continue to be preserved?" He started questioning himself, seeming troubled by many aspects of his experiment. "Gurgle~~" My stomach growled, and only when I calmed down did I realize how hungry I was. From last night until now, everything felt like an everlasting nightmare, a dream from which I could never wake up.
"Here." A dark bread was handed to me. It was Edmund, but he still turned his face away and extended his arm to pass the bread to me. The dark bread looked more like a piece of charcoal, making his hand appear even paler.
I stared at the dark bread, feeling apologetic for my earlier outburst. "I'm sorry for losing control just now." I took the bread, but he still kept his distance. "It's okay. If it were me, losing my memory and getting injured, I probably wouldn't survive half a minute in this world..." He spoke with a hint of sadness towards the end, as if recalling some dark memories.
"Gurgle~~" My stomach was really hungry. I immediately started biting into the bread. It was hard! It stuck to my teeth, and there was no taste! No sweetness of sugar, no wheat flavor, and not even a hint of the natural saltiness that bread usually has. What exactly was I eating?
I noticed Second Sister looking at me, so I broke off a portion and handed it to her. Second Sister also started eating in big bites. She was now two people, so she needed to eat more. In this broken world, even the food tasted as if it had been irradiated and was unappetizing.
Then, I suddenly saw Edmund staring blankly at us. He was looking at the remaining bread in my hand, swallowed hard, and his Adam's apple moved up and down as he gulped. "What's wrong?" I asked him while eating. He smacked his lips, blinked, and lowered his face. "Nothing," he mumbled, suddenly looking dejected.
"You've eaten a day's worth of rations." Suddenly, Instructor Celeste's voice came. I was shocked and almost choked. What? A day's worth of rations, just this... this piece of bread! No wonder Edmund looked at me eating the bread with that expression.Instructor Celeste walked in with a smile, holding a clothing set that resembled Amanda's and a pair of clean linen shoes.
She approached us and looked at Edmund. "Edmund, you ate Emery's portion today, right?"
"But what about Emery?" Edmund looked worriedly at Instructor Celeste.
Instructor Celeste's face immediately darkened. "This is his punishment! At least starve him for three days!"
I tensed up all over. That was harsh. My face turned red. "Instructor Celeste..."
"Call me Sister Celeste." Sister Celeste showed a gentle smile towards me. I quickly said, "Actually, Emery didn't do anything to me. He's not the type to either lie on top of me or..."
"Lie on top of you!" Edmund's face turned red in surprise. Why was he blushing? It's not like he was the one being lied on. Edmund shook his head incredulously. "Emery doesn't seem like someone who would do that..."
"Something like that!" I roughly demonstrated, and Edmund widened his eyes, his face even redder, resembling a ripe red apple.
Sister Celeste immediately frowned. "That's not allowed either! In Noah City, boys are not allowed to get too close to girls without permission! Of course, except for Edmund." Sister Celeste suddenly smirked, reaching over to hook her arm around Edmund's shoulder and lift his chin. "He's the mascot of our Noah City, looks like a cute little rabbit. Girls like him a lot."
"Pfft." I couldn't help but laugh. Edmund looked thoroughly distressed. He struggled out of Sister Celeste's grasp as if trying to defend himself, but in the end, he turned away with a flushed face, seemingly angered.
"Hahaha." Sister Celeste laughed heartily, handing the dress she held to me. "Change into this." After that, she hooked Edmund's neck and led him outside. "Let me go... Sister Celeste... I'm not a mascot!" Edmund, who was with Sister Celeste, seemed like a bullied young wife.
"Hahaha..."
On the other side of the chamber, there was another door. Sister Celeste, while seemingly "bullying" Edmund, led him out like this.
After they left, I changed into their clothes. There was also a pair of pants in the dress, similar to the robe Amanda wore. There was also a hood. I picked up the colorful cloth belt inside and tied it around my waist like they did, accentuating my waist. No longer the loose-fitting school uniform that even a beauty queen could turn into casual wear. Apart from the Hanfu culture organized by the school, I had never worn clothes that required a waistband. On my feet were the straw shoes that Edmund had brought for me.I immediately took off the straw shoes and threw them away harshly. I didn't want to see anything related to Edmond anymore! I would burn it when I had the chance!
I put on the cloth shoes, which fit well and were comfortable. Every stitch and seam showed the meticulousness and care of the maker. I had never worn cloth shoes before, but suddenly, I found them quite comfortable.
I covered Second sister with the large school uniform I had taken off, using it as a makeshift blanket. I folded her other clothes into a makeshift pillow, placing it under her neck. She comfortably nestled in the coil, seemingly tired, and closed her eyes. Had she been guarding me all night? I noticed that the coil seemed to be connected, emitting warmth. It was quite cozy.
"I'll go outside for a bit." I said softly. Second sister's breathing became steady.
I left her with peace of mind and walked to the door. I saw the button beside the door, copied Edmund's gesture, and pressed it. The door opened with a "whoosh," and Celeste sister and Edmund were standing right in front of me, both looking momentarily stunned.
Celeste sister began to admire me, while Edmund stood there in a daze, as if he had seen a stranger.
"Hmm! Not bad!" Celeste sister looked me up and down, smiling. "My son indeed has good taste. Hmm... something seems to be missing?"
"Uh, can I?" Edmund said with his head lowered, holding a clean handkerchief with a small floral pattern in his hand.
"Yes! That's it! Wrap it around her." Celeste sister smiled and Edmund walked behind me with his head down. He gently wrapped the folded handkerchief around my head, revealing the short hair around my temples.
"Now you look more like a girl from our Noah City. So cute." Celeste sister pinched my face and said, "Come on! Walk out confidently. We don't want anyone from Silvermoon City to suspect anything." After speaking, Celeste sister turned around and led the way. I hurriedly followed, and Edmund closed the door behind us, following us.
At this moment, my mood had already calmed down. Perhaps, as Celeste sister said, since they abandoned me, they wouldn't come looking for me again. What they cared about was the lost escape pod, which was the property of their Silvermoon City. It contained their highest technology and the blue crystal energy that Edmund cherished.
Although I was a girl, I knew that in any world, energy was a coveted target—the ruler of everything.
Under Celeste sister's guidance, we quickly walked out of this passage. I saw a different place than last night, and indeed, this underground city was quite large.