(Chapter 16)

"... Move away."

A simple but yet a very authoritative voice came out from the forest, that they both soon see her appearance.

Which is for Han Sen that she is familiar with, and thinking about how his friend charmed this woman to this extent...

"Yang Manli..."

But for Shyrveen, his thinking that he will sure lash out to the woman the moment he heard that the kind of voice if he still has emotion but can only open his mouth said normally.

"Woman... Isn't it a common courtesy of the admirer to talk politely or civilized manner to her admired's friend?..."

"... And why you could say that, do I look I'm not now?... Aren't you not from this shelter? How come you're too much innocent and naive to all of these things, events, or so on in this shelter?... How I will be polite to the person who stabs my friend's behind out nowhere?..."

She said and tilted her head for a confusion for why the person she admired the most, for the first time in her life, looks like a newborn baby and needs protection and teach the common sense of the sanctuary and the Alliance too. That she is glad to do that, of course.

'... Maybe he was living on one of those poor planets and recently got access and use the public teleportation device?...'

Han Sen felt embarrassed after mentioning how stupid he was in the past while scratching his head.

Shyrveen can only stare at the woman while thinking but didn't voice it out.

'I'm not talking about that... I'm talking about this authoritative thing in your voice... Does everyone in this universe already forgot what is courtesy? And only respect the strong?... Isn't this much worst compare to the people of Earth then?...'

"..."

"Now, Han Sen, even though I'm already a civilized person compared to others, you can go away now, right?..."

"Of course... I'll take my leave first, brother Shyr."

Han Sen smiled bitterly and gestured for Shyrveen that he is sorry, and only to get a reply.

"... Make sure what you said is true or else..."

"100% true, brother. Bye, have fun~"

Han Sen was glad that his friend is still remembered and now curious about the thing and ran away from the place without forgetting to check the damage on the rock... He massages his neck and clenches his fist at the end.

'Too deep for a mere silent slash... It's good that brother Shyr pulled me away or I'll be forced to summon the Sacred-Blood Armor that will be known that I'm Dollar... I need to get stronger... I'm tired of being trampled like this... Jadeskin... I might never have the opportunity to practice a Premium Hyper Geno Art if I keep thinking the danger once I'm exposed that I'm practicing it...'

Yang Manli stared at Han Sen and once he is far enough, she looks back at Shyrveen that still restricted on the ground, and squat down to get too close to see his face.

"Haa!~ I'm alone with you now, darling~ But Han Sen used that restriction technique to you, he harmed you, should I injure him too? No, I'll let this pass since it's for my sake~ And I bet that you will get angry at me too much once I do that..."

"Darling agad, isn't that too fast? And better don't do that woman or you will never have a chance to touch me..."

"... Agad? What's that?... And don't forget that I can do what I want with you now, so it's useless to threaten me like that, darling..."

"..."

'Hmmm... I used Filipino language out of habit... Wait... How come I can understand and speak their language?... Fourth ability? Language comprehension?... Stop, better think this later, I'm still in a pinch since Han Sen used acupuncture technique to restrict me... Isn't that a Chinese culture?...'

"What are you thinking, darling?... No, don't answer that. Let me wash your body since you're hugging the ground too much that soon I'll get jealous of it."

Yang Manli picks up Shyrveen from the ground as if he's like a mere backpack that has only a piece of a ballpen and one notebook inside. And lay him down in the water stream while licking her lips.

'... Isn't this woman too strong?... So, It's really all about Genes, huh? And shit... I'm in the worst situation, even from the past, I can still hide and ran away but now I can't move even just a single finger... How long this restriction will wear off?... Fuck... Better talk to her to keep her mind busy.'

"Woman-"

"Call me Manli and not 'woman', darling."

Yang Manli interrupted him after hearing him calling her like that. She felt disturbed by it and there's a pain added in her heart after seeing his body up close.

'... Am I really madly in love with this man?... And how tragic this man could be to have this kind of damages?...'

As she continues to caress each scar on Shyrveen's body while some of the tears dropping from her eyes.

"How poor thing you are, darling..."

"..."

Shyrveen stared at her and thought that.

'She wasn't that bad compared to the others though... But... I don't have time for this...'

"Okay... So, Manli... Can I know why you are people are so snobby?"

"Do we?... Hmmm... Now, that you asked. It is really like that... But because there were two types of titles in Levo Interstellar Alliance. One was "Distinguished", once you became a Surpasser, you will be certified as Distinguished. The other was an "Aristocratic." If one could evolve with 100 Mutant or Sacred-Blood Geno Points, one could be certified as an Aristocrat.

Either title involved a lot of benefits in the Alliance, and most importantly they were a symbol of social status. Today in the Alliance, people were more and more snobby. That even the people from the upper class wouldn't even talk to someone without a title, even when doing business.

So, you can say that 'me', is already normal among the family in the upper class. And advanced titles like Sacred-Blood Aristocrat is the dream of many... How come you don't know even this thing, darling?..."

Yang Manli stops her hand on his chest and took her time to think about it. If another person asked her like this, she already ignored him. And she's so very curious about how innocent this man could be in this era.

'... Wait... He didn't take even a compulsory education?'

But she can't stop being not her and will do anything if she's facing this man.

After all, this is her first time having this feeling and wants to submerge and be drunk in it even if she knows that this is only temporary, a limited time...

'Before that day come... I'll do what I want...'

Shyrveen thought the thing about the nobility in this universe and can only shake his head for it. And he can feel the sudden switch in Yang Manli's emotions...

"... Well, I recently got access to the teleportation device with the help of someone... And can you lift off the restriction on me? It's already ten minutes passed and I can't still move a finger..."

"... It will be gone in another one or two minutes so... Can I kiss you? No, I'll kiss you."

"Wai-wait! Isn't this too fas-"

Shyrveen can't do anything and helplessly received the inexperience tongue moving in his mouth, playing with his tongue, and soon his eyes got wider and wider and choose to bit her tongue softly that made her released his lips and they both took a deep breath.

"Are you gone nuts? Do you want us to be first in humanity to be killed by lack of oxygen from kissing?..."

"... Isn't that nice if that happened?"

"You're a nutcase, Manli... And... Stop... That hand of yours."

Shyrveen can finally move and grasp the wrist of Yang Manli in time that moving downwards to hold his junior.

"You're so pushy that you even didn't care about my feelings?"

'Not that I do have those now.'

"..."

Shyrveen sighed in relief in his mind after seeing her, stunned like that.

'It's good that I sink some words now in her head and to make this woman back to a rational one...'

"But..."

"We need to take our time to know each other and to realize that if we're meant to each other, okay?"

Shyrveen said the safest answer to dodge her.

Yang Manli was lost after hearing that words from Shyrveen and sighed while some tears are coming out of her eyes.

'That's the wrong here... I only have a few years of freedom left...'

"Even you, will deny my feelings, darling?..."

"I'm not. I'm just stating the fact here that this is too fast. Even though I'll be glad to accept a beauty like you, but this is really too fast for me, okay?... Fine, since I can feel that you're having problems. Why don't you tell me about it first? First step to know each other while lessening those heavy feelings of yours... It really makes me unease to see a woman like this..."

'Not that I'm always like this to any woman... But I think, for the time being, I can save her from the obsession path with this approach to lessen my worries in the future...'

Shyrveen thought, and calculated again for the things to get easier since he can't respond with her feelings towards him in the right manner.

'Well, once she got to know my past and get used to my lack of emotions. She will get tired of me soon...'

"... Maybe someday..."

Yang Manli wipe out her eyes with her left and replied while being sad but her right hand is still caressing Shyrveen's chest slowly.

"So, what now?"

"... Qin Xuan, my friend, wants to meet you. Normally, she will just send someone to warn those people that will get close to Han Sen because she can't take it to her heart that someone will be involved by the brutality of Son of Heaven... Why can't you leave Han Sen for the sake of your safety?"

Yang Manli told him simply and didn't elaborate more on why she was assigned to observe Shyrveen and tried to convince him to cut ties with Han Sen because they can't touch Son of Heaven if he made a move to a stranger without ties with them, which that stranger is her love now.

But only to be asked in return with a tricky question.

"... What will you do once Qin Xuan is in Han Sen's shoe and you in mine?"

She thought about it and somehow found an answer that can dodge it and have a chance to counter him.

"... I won't let that thing happen and will stubbornly keep being friends with Qin Xuan after all she's my childhood friend... But you and Han Sen are strangers."

"That helped me without expecting to receive rewards from me, for the moment when I got here first, with no knowledge in my pockets... And that's a fact."

She received a stare with a lack of emotions for the first time in close manners. That she can't read him even with a single thing, and even thinking that he is joking with her with that kind of stare.

"You think I'm just joking because of the lack of my feelings in my eyes, right?... But that's my very own flaw and nothing to do with the friendship of mine and Han Sen..."

She felt embarrassed after being read by him so simply like that and decided to let the topic be gone at this time.

"... This time, it's your win, darling... Hmmph... Now, let's go. Qin Xuan is waiting."

Yang Manli pulled Shyrveen while grasping his hand and soon was lost in her fantasy again.

Shyrveen can only sigh and let her be to pull him like that straight back to the shelter to place where their gang is stationed.

'Such strength... But I think Sung Jin-Woo can overwhelm these peoples in First Sanctuary like a father spanking his babies' butts...'

While at one of the rooms in the shelter.

Han Sen was writing down notes of the Jadeskin, a Hyper Geno Art, to share with Shyrveen. Since he needs to go back to his home to start to practice again the Geno Art.

'... Done. And I need to destroy this memory chips completely before this could become a pitfall in the future... What brother Shyr will do, once he realized that practicing this Geno Art, he will become fitter and his skin will be smoother than the baby... Wait... With this thing will turn his body back from the past, out of those scars?...'

Han Sen tried to imagine Shyrveen's body and his natural face out of disguise after practicing the Jadeskin as he drinks water, but only to spurt his water out from his mouth.

'Terrifying... So, that was the reason why he was trying his best to be an average man, a mob... Fuck. What a lucky bastard to have such face and add the Jadeskin after effect... Bullshit! Better keep my distance from him for I might switch path unexpectedly and unwantedly... Whew.'

He thought and shivered from thinking like that and decided to teleport back to Roca to let the idea out of his mind...