Vol-2: 089. The Children of Aether (Part 2)

089. The Children of Aether (Part 2)

"…Same answer as always."

Gretorvo thought to himself and said:

"Where exactly are you from? You say we are the same kind, so are you also a revolutionary?"

"Revolution? That's an irreconcilable conflict within a backward and inferior civilization. In the society I belong to, such a sorrowful and inefficient thing would never occur."

"Looks like you're not from Tianhuan." Gretorvo shrugged.

"This is meaningless, Black Whale. We are all offspring of the same mother, that noble, kind, and beautiful mother, who will one day step into the Star Abyss with her hidden radiance. It is only a matter of time. And you, I, all citizens, exist to clear the way for her arrival."

White Shark spoke arrogantly, uttering incomprehensible words, making Gretorvo even more frustrated.

"In that case, tell me." Gretorvo carefully considered his words and asked, "At least tell me the name of this mother?"

"You are not yet worthy of knowing Mother's name because you are merely qualified. You haven't truly become one of us."

"I don't understand. What is your goal? If you want me to fight you, at least get me out of here. I'll take the fight seriously. But you say we are the children of the same mother—whether this refers to a family, a group, or a nation, I don't know. But if you need something from me, at least tell me what kind of group we belong to as siblings."

Gretorvo pressed for answers.

However, White Shark deliberately avoided the topic. After a moment of silence, as if seeing through Gretorvo's intentions, he sneered disdainfully and said:

"Aether."

"What?"

"Can't you feel it? The difference between you and those ordinary beings around you." White Shark tugged at the bronze collar around his neck mockingly, "You and those humans aren't even the same species. They are a bunch of hairless apes evolved from monkeys, while you are nourished by Aether, a transcendent race born from the cosmos. From the moment you were born, you were destined to be one of us."

"So you're saying I'm not human?" Gretorvo retorted unhappily. "What my race is, isn't for you to decide."

"Black Whale, you don't understand. You don't understand anything."

White Shark gritted his teeth and suddenly appeared behind Gretorvo, his sharp blade-like fingers resting on his shoulder:

"Consume Aether, heed the call, and you will understand everything."

"Then just explain it to me here, and I'll understand right now."

"That's why I say you don't get it. You don't get it at all." White Shark continued his taunts. "This planet is already fated to die, and you are completely unaware. That entity buried deep within the planet's core blocks the sun and clouds, obscuring your understanding. I can't tell you too much, Black Whale, but I do value the time I spend communicating with you. After all, aside from you, there are very few others on this planet suitable to become citizens of society."

"You're bringing up that citizen nonsense again—I'm a citizen of Tianhuan, was, am, and always will be."

Gretorvo hated this cryptic, vague existence, but he had a feeling that White Shark wasn't doing this out of some malicious enjoyment.

This arrogant [White Knight] seemed to have ulterior motives. He may be mad, but he was certainly not stupid.

"Society is a living civilization."

White Shark crossed his arms, speaking loftily:

"And citizens are the cells of that society. The Jury is society's stem cells, the senators are the organ cells, and the Speaker is the brain cell. You and I are the same—at least, we will be the same in the future, becoming the most important stem cells."

"…Forget it."

Gretorvo gave up on trying to make sense of the conversation.

Though he had managed to extract a lot of information today, White Shark's cryptic way of speaking made it impossible to decipher his words.

At the very least, it helped pass the time.

"White Shark, how did you find me?"

Leaning against the wall, he asked casually.

White Shark replied coldly, "You should ask your [Thief] girlfriend—that woman with a man's soul in her body. Quite odd."

"You mean Jing?" Gretorvo glanced at White Shark in surprise. "Jing never saw herself as a woman. Her parents passed away early, and in order to survive, she had to hide her gender. Over time, she became this way."

He sighed and added:

"I never thought Jing would reach Gamma-tier before me. Now I'm falling behind—hopefully, they're all doing well and staying safe."

"The abilities and potential of a [Thief] are far inferior to yours."

White Shark stated coldly:

"This planet is pitiful. A C3-Luca-type cosmic humanoid race, and there are only four of us."

"C3-Luca-type cosmic humanoid race? Four?" Gretorvo was curious to learn of such a thing for the first time.

"As the [Black Knight], you, that androgynous [Thief] named Jing, the [Bellringer], and me, a total of four."

Suddenly, White Shark paused and said:

"No, maybe there will be a fifth."

"You're so inconsistent. Just a moment ago, you mocked me, and now there's a fifth? At least get your story straight if you're going to lie."

"I'm not lying to you, Black Whale. Like you, [White Knights] do not stoop to lying."

White Shark seemed to turn his head, his gaze seemingly passing through the cell as he looked toward the western sky:

"The [Bellringer] seems to have encountered an interesting child. She will become a new citizen."

White Shark stared out, muttering to himself:

"I can feel it—her Aether blood is boiling. Her potential is immense… She might even be a genius of Jury-level potential."

Gretorvo bowed slightly, sensing something strange.

White Shark seemed to be communicating with someone else.

"[Bellringer], tell me, who is she? This powerful Aether blood resonance is enough to stir even someone as powerful as me."

Gretorvo was confused. Then, he heard White Shark speak again:

"She's not part of the Jury? Are you joking? This stirring resonance—how could she not be part of the Jury?"

"What do you mean 'there's more to society than just the Jury'—this powerful Aether resonance, what else could it be but the Jury?"

"—Are you sure?"

White Shark took two steps back, his tone turning serious as he questioned:

"Are you certain that girl is one of the thirteen senators, the [Seamstress]?"

"Tell me her name. I'll come to you soon to support."

"…Yavanna Huskisin, is it? I'll remember that."