1

The Source of Danger

  This was the truth, and it was also something Cattleya was reluctant to mention. Alice saw that Cattleya's fists clenched suddenly.

The experience of the "Admiral of the Stars" was no secret on the sea. "The Hanged Man" Alger had once told relevant stories when he introduced the four kings and seven generals on the sea.

The "Admiral of the Stars" once followed the mysterious queen, but later angered the "mysterious queen" because he joined the "Moss Ascetic Order", and the two sides almost broke up.

Alice glanced at Cattleya's clenched fist thoughtfully. As if to cover up, Cattleya relaxed her posture and said as if nothing had happened:

"You guessed right.

"This sea is so vast that no one knows where it ends.

"Do you know what's the most dangerous thing here?"

Alice looked at Klein, and Klein seemed to have a telepathic connection with her. Then, Alice saw Klein turn to Cattleya and say:

"destiny."

...Is he talking about me?

Alice looked at Klein suspiciously, then frowned and asked Cattleya for confirmation,

"Is he scolding me?"

This, it seems that this is not entirely wrong... Cattleya turned her eyes away from Alice without leaving a trace, and answered calmly:

"Destiny is very dangerous for anyone, anywhere."

...He was just scolding me!

Alice opened her eyes wide and gave Cattleya sincere praise:

"You're really good at talking.

"Unlike some people... why do they have a mouth?"

Alice glared at Klein fiercely.

Klein, who opened his mouth, ignored her gaze and asked Cattleya,

"So what is the most dangerous thing here?"

Cattleya was silent for a moment and replied:

"There are many floating ruins here, with all kinds of mutated monsters, including many out-of-control demigods and ancient evil creatures.

"This is not the most dangerous thing. If there were only these, this ocean would become the hunting ground of the seven major churches and a treasure trove for them to harvest high-sequence materials or items.

"Of course, there are many monsters here, many out-of-control evil things, which are not necessarily real. They can really kill us, but nothing will be left after being killed."

"It sounds like a copy that was abandoned because it exceeded the strength limit..." Alice complained quietly.

The description sounds a bit like "Dragon of Imagination"... huh???

Klein, who was thinking seriously about the problem, couldn't help but glance at Alice, as she led him astray.

That shouldn't exist... It should be a copy that was abandoned after the game was launched due to criticism, so the code is still there... Even the connection interface hasn't been deleted.

Klein sighed, "If the program works, don't tamper with it."

Cattleya didn't understand what Alice said, nor did she know what Klein was thinking. She habitually ignored the terms Alice didn't understand and continued:

"Here, you can never guess what danger you will encounter next. Maybe if you get close to a relic, you will melt and become a candle-like monster. Maybe if you stray from the explored route, you will turn into stone in the storm and be smashed to pieces.

"For mid- and low-sequence Beyonders, this is the greatest danger."

Klein tilted his head slightly, glanced at Alice worriedly, and asked sharply,

"What about the demigods?"

Cattleya also looked at Alice and whispered,

"This sea is filled with sounds that should not be heard.

"The higher the sequence, the easier it is to hear. Therefore, most of the demigods who dared to explore this place had problems. They either went crazy or lost control and were lost here forever."

Meeting Cattleya's gaze, Alice shook her head and said:

"Fate has determined my fate.

"Until the time comes for something to happen to me... nothing will happen to me."

And, to me, something else might be more dangerous...

Alice looked at the direction where the attraction came from with some uneasiness. She could feel that she was getting closer and closer to the source of the attraction.

Then, what about when something bad happens...?

No one asked this question at this time, and of course, they didn't have time to ask.

As they were talking, they were getting closer and closer to the ruins, and suddenly, a panting sound rang in everyone's ears.

Huge and clear gasps came in slowly and regularly. The pirates either turned their heads or picked up their weapons, all showing a highly alert posture.

Alice closed her eyes, and a golden ocean appeared in front of her. A corpse lay quietly on the sea among the ruins, floating up and down with the sound of gasping.

"There's a body over there!" She opened her eyes.

"There's a body over there!" The figure of Heath Doyle, the "Bloodless Man", emerged from the shadows. He covered his head and squatted on the ground in pain.

Cattleya subconsciously took off her heavy glasses and stared at the ruins, then put them back on. Without thinking, she turned around and shouted to the pirates in the restaurant:

"Quick!

"Speed ​​up and go around there, don't get close!"

Her voice was somewhat magnetic and it woke everyone up immediately. The sailors picked up their weapons and ran out of the restaurant and rushed to their posts.

Under the command of the navigator Ottolov and the boatswain Nina, they adjusted the sails and bypassed the ruins from a distance.

It was not until the peak of the stone pillars disappeared below the horizon that Heath Doyle the Bloodless put down his hands, his expression no longer so painful.

Alice frowned and looked at the "Rose Bishop", the second mate of the "Future".

Judging from the scene just now, Heath Doyle's ability from the "Listener" seems to bring him great danger even if he does not actively use it.

He will become the biggest hidden danger of this voyage, and correspondingly, he will be able to obtain more information - the more he knows, the faster he will die.

Klein didn't want to cause any trouble... Alice glanced at Heath Doyle and tried to determine how dangerous he was.

The future scene did include a disgusting scene of Heath Doyle collapsing into a pool of flesh and blood, but what Alice saw in the end was the bright starlight surrounding him.

The starlight was very similar to the starlight that Cattleya had shown several times, dreamy and beautiful, with a beauty like a conversation.

Alice suddenly thought of her room and Bernadette, who always appeared with the pea vine.

Their abilities are so fairy-tale-like... Are all "secret peepers" like this?

—— Considering that Cattleya is only Sequence 5, Alice believes that the starlight is pointing to Bernadette.

Just as Alice was about to ask Cattleya about her ability as a "secret peeper", she heard Klein's rude question:

"Can you restore the restaurant to its original state?

" "I haven't had breakfast yet." (End of this chapter)

The Sun, the Moon and the Stars

  Don't I have any dignity? Alice turned to Klein expressionlessly and said coldly:

"That's good, you can squirm with your gloves."

Cattleya couldn't stand it any longer. She glanced at the dirty and messy food on the ground and told the chef,

"Prepare breakfast for the rest of the people.

"Give these to Frank. Maybe, maybe he can use them."

…?

Alice began to seriously consider the possibility of restoring the restaurant to its original state.

She didn't do it in the end, but after a while, she stood on the deck with a smoked fish in her hands.

This sea area seemed to be always shrouded in the midday sun. Alice looked at the golden sea, nibbling on smoked fish, and squinting at an inconspicuous light in the distance.

A vivid picture emerged before my eyes. It was two golden horses pulling a golden chariot galloping past. Behind the chariot was a sun.

The dazzling sunlight made Alice feel like crying. She looked away, searching for Klein.

He was walking on the deck, where there were a few other pirates besides him.

Alice trotted over, stretched out her hand and tugged at Klein's sleeve, and when he looked over, she said to him,

"Don't look.

"There's the sun."

Alice didn't deliberately raise her voice, but she didn't deliberately lower it either, so her voice rang out on the empty deck, and her unclear words attracted puzzled gazes.

The joke about the Blessed, the Sealed Object, and the Lover was spread by Nina the night before. Combined with the events of last night and this morning, most of the pirates and sailors realized that Alice, who looked underage, seemed to be a young demigod.

It's not that no one has speculated that she is an angel on earth, but this is too unbelievable and is not yet a mainstream view - I have never heard of any angel like this.

Alice probably only looks like an angel when she's telling riddles.

During this process, the light spots gradually revealed their true appearance: four pillars carved from pure diamond.

They are like giant sea-supporting towers in myths and legends, extending downwards, standing firmly, and holding up a large floating island.

The soil on the floating island was charred black, without a single bit of green. Deep within it, the light was exceptionally bright, brighter than the midday sky.

Suddenly, a long hiss came from there.

The sound was loud and unbridled, but it did not carry a chilling sense of danger.

Not long after, the sound of horses galloping was heard, and two horses that seemed to be made of gold rushed out of the floating island, pulling a gorgeous chariot that was also golden behind them.

At this moment, the voice of "Admiral of the Stars" Cattleya was amplified, and it echoed rapidly in every corner of the "Future":

"Lower your head!

"Don't look!"

Although Alice herself had no intention of giving warnings, the two warnings made the pirates and sailors on the deck quickly lower their heads one by one.

Alice saw the sun again.

It wouldn't really hurt her, but looking directly into the sunlight wasn't a comfortable experience either, so Alice just took a curious look and closed her eyes.

Alice waited until the sun returned to normal before she opened her eyes and whispered,

"I always feel like this place, this scene is a little familiar..."

Klein was slightly stunned. Just as he was about to say something, Alice had already looked at the four huge diamond pillars and asked thoughtfully:

"If I sell a diamond this big, I'll definitely make a lot of money."

...?

Klein suddenly felt that Alice was more like a crazy adventurer than he was.

"What would have happened if I hadn't bowed my head just now?" He glanced at the pirates and sailors on the deck who were looking at each other in bewilderment, and changed the subject.

"I don't know," Alice spread her hands. "Maybe it will be like passing by the sun..."

…?

Klein wasn't sure about the pirates and sailors on the deck, as they didn't have much knowledge. However, as he had attended college in both of his lives, he knew that in a situation like Alice's, there would probably not even be ashes left.

Fortunately, the Admiral of the Stars had been here several times before, and fortunately, Alice was there... Klein glanced at Alice and decided to thank her properly when he returned.

The feeling of being touched lasted no more than three seconds before Alice turned around and made a suggestion that almost made his heart stop:

"Let's go check out that floating island!

"Maybe I can bring back those four big diamonds!"

You are the crazy adventurer!

Klein stared at Alice. After staring at him for two seconds, Alice asked hesitantly:

"Then... can we go there on our way back?

" "But will we pass by here on our way back..."

Klein didn't know, but he reached out and held Alice down, warning her solemnly:

"During the rest of the voyage, you are not allowed to leave my sight."

Alice glared at him fiercely. After more than ten seconds, Klein relaxed a little:

"Or Cattleya's sight."

Alice turned her head away from him.

Her anger lasted until lunch was ready. The moment she smelled the fragrance coming from the restaurant, she forgot that she was still angry. She shook Klein and said,

"It's time to eat."

She still remembered Klein asking her not to leave his sight.

However, when Klein turned around and prepared to head to the restaurant, the surroundings suddenly became dark.

"The sun has gone down," Alice murmured, "and the moon has risen."

Klein was slightly startled. A burst of bright starlight enveloped the Future, and Cattleya's voice came from the captain's room:

"Go back to your room, or find a random corner, and fall asleep.

"Then wait for nature to wake you up."

Alice's dreamy words followed closely:

"No, it's the stars…

"The stars are rising."

Then, the doubtful voice of "Toxin Expert" Frank Lee came:

"What happens if I don't sleep?"

His loud voice made Klein's head buzz, and for a moment he forgot to ask Alice.

Cattleya stood behind the window of the captain's room and said,

"When we wake up, we will find that you are missing and we will never find you again."

"Can't I sleep after dinner?" Alice shouted. Klein turned his head and found that Alice's expression was no longer dazed.

"...If fate has not warned you, it should be possible." Cattleya responded calmly.

Alice lowered her trumpet-shaped hands, glanced at the pirates who were about to go to sleep, sighed, and muttered:

"Forget it... the lights are off, I'm going to sleep too."

Alice walked towards the cabin. After taking a few steps, she frowned and turned back to ask Klein who was still standing there looking at her:

"Aren't you going to sleep?" (End of this chapter)

Invitation

  Alice didn't ask strange questions like "Will I suffer from insomnia?" She already knew that Extraordinary people could fall asleep quickly through meditation. This was an important trick for her to fall asleep at the speed of light.

When Alice woke up from her dream, the first thing she saw was a city frozen in the dusk.

She sat on a towering rock. In front of the rock was a bottomless cliff. Opposite the cliff was a mountain covered with countless palaces, high towers and majestic walls.

Those buildings are magnificent and gorgeous, stacked up and surrounded. Each one is extremely huge, not like a place where humans live. When combined together, there is an indescribable sense of epic, miracle and myth.

The sun hung far in the distance, casting the color of dusk on the city, and the light seemed frozen.

Beside her, Cattleya sat with her knees hugged, her tone sounding as if she were dreaming:

"This is a dream shared by all of us..."

The dream shared by everyone... Alice blinked and looked at the magnificent city in a daze.

She had seen that city, in the key in the hands of Admiral Iceberg Edwina.

She remembered that "Sun" Derrick called this city...

Giant King's Court.

…

When he woke up from his dream, Klein looked around blankly, searching for the force that invaded his dream.

"Would you like to go and take a look together?" "Bloodless" Heath Doyle landed from the shadows and invited him who was obviously sober and capable of action.

How come he was in my dream... He invaded my dream? Klein was stunned for a moment and did not respond. Instead, he observed the surrounding situation first.

He was at the top of a mountain, with black monastery-like buildings behind him and on his left and right, and a withered tree and a huge protruding rock in front of him.

At the top of the boulder, "Admiral of the Stars" Cattleya and Alice sat side by side, gazing at the opposite mountain together. The scene was inexplicably harmonious.

...Why is everyone here?

Although Klein didn't show any clues, Heath Doyle gave a considerate explanation:

"This is a dream shared by all of us.

"Let's go, go up and say hello."

Heath Doyle moved toward the boulder, and Klein followed him subconsciously.

…

As Alice was staring at the phantom of the Giant King's courtyard in the distance, an invitation suddenly sounded in her ears:

"Want to join us?"

Alice turned her head and saw Klein, who still maintained the appearance of Gehrman Sparrow, and Heath Doyle, who looked pale.

It was Heath Doyle who invited her to explore together. Alice stared at the two of them and frowned little by little. Finally, she asked Heath Doyle:

"How did you stay awake?"

Alice knew early on that Klein could stay awake in an invaded dream.

No matter whether this is Klein's own peculiarity or the goddess's protection, this is the fact anyway.

So... on what basis did Heath Doyle have?

Alice glanced at the "Admiral of the Stars" Cattleya next to her, and then looked back at Heath Doyle. Her meaning was very clear - even your captain was still half asleep, so on what basis did you have to stay awake?

Alice's question was like a thunderclap that woke Klein up. He suddenly realized that he had never thought about why Heath Doyle could stay awake in his dream.

Heath Doyle did not directly answer Alice's question:

"Since you said I'm like a 'protagonist', then you have to accept that... as a 'protagonist', I'm a little special, right?"

Alice was not needed this time. Klein frowned and looked at Heath Doyle, subconsciously moving a little further away from him.

Heath Doyle may have realized that it would be difficult to convince Alice and Klein without some reliable reasons. He thought for a moment and replied:

"This is actually a little adventure of mine. My luck became particularly good, and at the same time, I gained the ability to stay awake in dreams, hypnosis, and similar scenes..."

Klein looked at Alice.

This was barely a qualified reason, but given his previous attitude, Alice was skeptical about its authenticity.

"What do you want to do?" Alice asked with a frown.

Heath Doyle did not hesitate to answer this question:

"I want to explore this dream, but it's too dangerous to explore alone. I need a companion."

"What do you understand by this dream?" Alice continued.

"This is a dream we all share," Heath Doyle replied. "It contains both danger and opportunity."

…It's all nonsense.

When Alice realized that this was a dream shared by everyone, she knew there must be something wrong with this dream.

After all, the outside world is full of dangers. Is the dreamland a safe place? How can such a good thing come from?

For those who are truly "asleep", dreams may be safe, but for those who are still awake in dreams, it is probably true that the more you know, the more dangerous it is.

Alice didn't know if there were any opportunities in exploring dreams, but exploring dreams was definitely more dangerous than exploring outside. After all, dreams were more easily polluted than the outside world.

If Heath Doyle hadn't invited her, Alice would have originally planned to try to see if she could sleep in her dreams...

Now it seems that she has to give up this plan for the time being.

Alice frowned and looked at him. After thinking for a moment, she pointed at the magnificent buildings frozen in the dusk and asked him:

"Have you seen that building?"

Heath Doyle did not seem to be stingy with his understanding of dreams. He gave a clear yet vague answer:

"It is there. Everyone who enters the dream can see it, but can never get close to it."

Alice glanced meaningfully at Heath Doyle.

She was not familiar with Heath Doyle outside the dream, and they had never even spoken to each other, so Alice was not sure whether Heath Doyle's personality at this moment had changed from before.

But Alice was sure of one thing - Heath Doyle, who became the "Rose Bishop" because of "luck" and joined the "Admiral of the Stars" pirate group, should not have such a rich knowledge of the Sea of ​​Ruins.

Moreover, information about dreams should be more difficult to obtain... After all, if someone you were traveling with died in a dream, you would most likely not know what happened.

Thinking of this, Alice squatted down and asked Admiral of the Stars Cattleya, who was still sitting there with her knees hugged:

"Before today, did you know that your second mate had an adventure that allowed him to stay awake in his dream?"

"I don't know." Cattleya stared at the city and gave an answer. (End of this chapter)

Key

  Alice silently turned her head to look at Heath Doyle.

He finally revealed a little panic. Alice watched him move his body a few times and stand in the shadows.

This seemed to give Heath Doyle a sense of security, and he replied in a calm tone:

"I only discovered this later, and I haven't found a suitable opportunity to tell the captain yet."

His credibility with Alice was almost zero. Alice just smiled at his words, then stood up and said,

"Where are you trying to trick us?"

No way, so direct... Klein looked at Alice hesitantly.

Heath Doyle was also shocked by Alice's frankness. He hurriedly organized his words:

"No, no, I just want to invite someone to explore the dream with me..."

Heath Doyle raised his head and met Ellie's eyes that showed no trust at all. After a few seconds, he gritted his teeth and said as if he had finally made up his mind:

"Okay, I admit it. I was trying to find something in my dream...but I don't know where it is."

"Then how are you going to find it?" Alice looked confused.

Heath Doyle didn't say anything. Alice stood up from the ground and watched him think for a few seconds. Then she turned to Klein and asked:

"Are we joining him?"

Klein, who thought Alice would make her own decision, looked at Alice with emotion.

First of all, it is certain that Heath Doyle is definitely hiding something. It is hard to say how credible his previous words are, but he definitely did not call us for a simple reason of finding two companions. He must have other purposes... Wait, is he really Heath Doyle?

Klein suddenly remembered this crucial question, and he turned his head to look at Alice.

"Don't ask me," Alice spread her hands, "I came here with you. If you don't plan to explore the dream world, I'll go to sleep."

Okay, that makes sense... Klein looked at Alice with mixed feelings.

However, I was planning to walk around in this dream. Maybe I could see what Heath Doyle wanted to do first? After all, he was only Sequence 6...

As if she had guessed what Klein was thinking, Alice glanced at him and reminded him,

"Well...if something really happens, I may not be able to save you in time.

"The dream world is definitely more dangerous than the outside world."

Klein's overwhelmed mind became hesitant again.

Heath Doyle finally couldn't stand it anymore, and he said in a self-destructive manner:

"I'm looking for a key!

"A key that can open all the treasures!"

"Huh?" Alice stared at him.

"When I entered the dream, I saw the key..." Heath Doyle showed a dazed look, "It was so dazzling, so warm, and so bright..."

That makes her look like a swindler... Alice inexplicably thought of Sylvia.

"As long as I get it, as long as I own it, I can get everything I desire, and I can redeem the regrets of the past..." Heath Doyle said enthusiastically, "It will only reveal itself to the person who is truly destined to be with it!"

…?

Alice's expression became more complicated. She exchanged glances with Klein and confirmed that Klein felt the same way as she did that Heath Doyle had been deceived. She immediately felt relieved.

Heath Doyle continued his impassioned speech:

"Like you said, I am the 'protagonist', so I deserve it!

" "And you, the special beings who can stay awake in dreams! You will be my most powerful helper! You will be my right-hand man on the road to success! You will be..."

Alice couldn't bear it anymore and chose to attack his mind.

The spiritual harm seemed to wake him up, like a basin of cold water poured on a raging fire. After the spiritual shock subsided, Heath Doyle instinctively wanted to escape into the shadows.

After experiencing an endless cycle of going into the shadows → coming out → going into the shadows → coming out → going into the shadows → coming out, Heath Doyle finally realized that it was irrational to run away from a demigod.

"I'm sorry," he said, a blush on his pale face, "I didn't know... I just felt like I was having a seizure..."

"I kind of regret this..." Alice held her forehead with her hand and looked at Heath Doyle hesitantly, "Can you still find the key now?"

Heath Doyle shook his head in embarrassment.

"I should have waited until you led us to find the key before I started..." Alice murmured, "Tell me..."

She was just about to ask Heathrow to tell her what had happened when a blinding ray of sunlight shone from the sky, and everything turned bright white before disappearing.

She woke up.

Alice opened her eyes and everything returned to noon. She opened her pocket watch to check the time and found that only half an hour had passed since she fell asleep.

The day is too short...

Alice glanced at the ceiling with mixed feelings, then jumped out of bed and rushed out to find Cattleya, or Klein, or Heath Doyle, in short, any one of them would do.

She wanted to continue asking what had just happened.

The easiest person to find was of course Cattleya. Alice ran to the captain's room, then stopped suddenly at the door and knocked twice.

Cattleya opened the door soon, wearing a pair of thick glasses on her face.

Cattleya seemed to know why Alice came. She stepped aside to let her in and said to her,

"Do you need me to call Heath over?"

"Wait a minute," Alice shook her head. "You didn't know that he could stay awake in his dreams, did you?"

"To be precise," Cattleya replied as she walked into the house, "Heath couldn't stay awake in his dreams before."

Alice looked over in surprise. Cattleya had already walked to the window of the captain's room and raised her voice:

"Heath, come to the captain's room."

Before Alice could continue speaking, there was another knock on the door. She looked towards the door and saw Klein.

"Is it convenient for me to come in?" Klein asked them.

Alice looked at Cattleya, who nodded, and Klein walked in.

None of them spoke until Heath Doyle walked into the captain's room. Alice couldn't wait to ask,

"About that key, and what about that strange encounter you mentioned?"

Heath Doyle's face was still pale, his nose hanging incongruously on his face. Alice saw an embarrassed red flush on his face, and his expression was none of the arrogance he had at some point in the dream just now.

"I don't know," Heath Doyle hid most of his body in the shadows, and then answered as if he had gained a sense of security, "Before today, I couldn't stay awake in my dreams." (End of this chapter)

Equality

  Alice waited patiently for Heath Doyle to continue.

This answer is not surprising. It only means that there are indeed unknown dangers in this dream - or it may be known, for example, she actually did it.

After all, Heath Doyle's description easily reminds people of the "Key of Light" far away in the western continent.

No, actually it's not very far. After all, this is the ocean of ruins of the war between gods. Judging from the Giant King's Court that appeared in the dream, this place might be connected to the "Land Forsaken by the Gods".

And the "Forsaken Land of God" is connected to the Western Continent...

Thinking of this, Alice began to listen attentively to Heath Doyle's speech.

This is not a very long story. It is not true that your luck gets better because of a chance encounter, but it is true that you gain the ability to stay awake in dreams because of it.

Night and light together found Heath Doyle in the shadows, so when the common dream came, the only thing Heath Doyle could do was to look for the key in the dream while seemingly awake.

But when Alice asked what the key looked like, Heath Doyle was hesitant to give an answer.

He just remembered wanting it badly.

In fact, Heath Doyle, who had regained consciousness, couldn't even explain how to find it. It all seemed like a mystery. Alice couldn't help but sigh and shook her head,

"I should have waited until he found the key before waking him up... Uh, was it too late by then?"

It's probably too late.

No one spoke at the scene. Only Heath Doyle, after a few seconds of silence, bowed solemnly to Alice and said:

"Thank you, uh..."

He subconsciously tried to find a title that would show respect, but was stuck.

The captain seemed to call this lady Alice, which should be her name, but calling her by her name is not enough to show respect...

Heath Doyle was troubled.

"Miss Fate." Gehrman Sparrow gave the most appropriate answer.

Destiny…?

To the mid- and low-sequence Beyonders, this word was filled with a mysterious and powerful flavor—after all, when people faced an absurd reality, they would blame it on fate.

Just as Frank Lee praised Heath Doyle's good luck.

"Miss Fortune?" Heath Doyle called out tentatively.

"Well... you can call me that." Alice accepted the name.

After a pause, she seemed to remember something and said,

"Thanks is not something you can just say. If you really want to thank me... then help me preach!

"That's right, I remember you were a 'Rose Bishop'!"

"Preaching..." Heath Doyle realized belatedly that something was wrong.

Cattleya looked at Alice hesitantly, wanting to ask if this was okay.

Alice blinked her eyes, reached out and patted Cattleya on the shoulder, and said to her solemnly:

"This great mission is now entrusted to you, Your Excellency, 'Admiral of the Stars'!"

With that, Alice turned and walked towards the captain's room.

"What are you going to do?" Klein pulled Alice back.

"Eat," Alice answered as a matter of course, "We should prepare for lunch before night falls..."

Klein didn't know what to say. After a few seconds of silence, he turned to Cattleya and asked the last question he wanted to ask:

"Did you encounter anything similar the last time you came here?"

"No." Cattleya shook her head affirmatively.

Klein only had time to ask this one question because Alice dragged him to eat. Although she didn't use too much force, Klein could feel her patience gradually disappearing.

"Why don't you go by yourself?" After walking out of the captain's room, Klein asked Alice who was jumping up and down.

"Didn't you tell me to stay in your sight?" Alice turned her head and glared at him, "Don't let me leave your sight next time…"

Klein stood there, looking at Alice in surprise. After noticing that Alice took a few steps forward and turned back impatiently, he quickened his pace and followed her.

I always feel like she's been so well behaved lately… Even when he stepped into the restaurant, Klein still felt like he was walking on clouds.

What brought him back to the ground was Frank Lee, who came over with milk:

"Would you like some milk?"

Thinking of the complex flavors of the food in the restaurant, Klein asked cautiously about the milk that Frank Lee took over:

"What is this...Alice!"

Alice licked the milk that accidentally stained her lips and looked back at him in confusion. She had already taken a big sip when Klein was struggling with the origin of the milk.

"It tastes good." She persuaded sincerely while holding half a cup of milk.

Frank Lee said kindly:

"If you like to drink, there will be plenty in the future.

"I have some little things that need to rest in the soil for a while before they can grow and reproduce.

"These are some bacteria that can allow organisms to produce milk even when they are not lactating. Whether female or male, they will produce milk as long as they take the bacteria, and will return to normal if they stop taking the bacteria.

"In this way, the poor cows won't have to suffer those tortures. In this way, men and women can raise children more fairly, and it will be more conducive to women's employment outside the home..."

Alice put down the half cup of milk in her hand, took another cup of milk and placed it in front of Klein, saying with a fake smile:

"Great! I didn't expect you to have such a great ideal. I thought you just...just loved researching hybridization technology."

Frank Lee seemed happy to share his ideals with others:

"Oh, that's certainly part of my vision.

"My dream has never changed.

"I want to be able to study soils, crops and hybridization techniques without restrictions.

"I hope that there will be no more famine among mankind.

"I hope that people can become equal. What you can do, I can do too. What you can grow, I can grow too..."

...ah?

It's not... it's not so equal, right?!

Alice was shocked. She closed her eyes and struggled to organize her words:

"Great, I never thought that gender equality could be solved in this way...

"Haha, you're right, as long as men have uteruses and women have... Anyway, this will indeed achieve gender equality, haha."

Klein glanced at the incoherent Alice and spoke with a hoarse voice,

"I haven't thought about it... Well, since your ideal is that humans will no longer suffer from famine, have you ever considered...

"Make some crops that can be grown in extreme environments. For example, crops that can grow normally in complete darkness and in an environment full of monsters..." (End of this chapter)