Chapter 376: Excuse Me, What?!
Compared to Yelena's somewhat… fragrant farewell, the parting between Talulah and Alina was much simpler.
After learning that Steven could pop back anytime he wanted, their longing and reluctance to part naturally faded quite a bit.
And besides, since Steven had promised to call them every now and then, it wasn't like they wouldn't hear from him.
Talulah understood, too—just as Steven hadn't stopped her from forming the current Reunion Movement, she couldn't selfishly demand that he give up his travels either.
So, after leaving a light kiss—an imprint of a girl's affection—on his cheek, Steven said his goodbyes to the two and returned to his little cabin.
After casually tidying up his backpack, Steven didn't even bother checking if there was anything left behind in the room.
Instead, his gaze fell on the red-haired girl who was still fast asleep, having stayed up far too late the night before.
All he had to do now was wait for her to wake up, then take her straight to Kazimierz via teleportation.
Her journey in Kazimierz was only just beginning.
As for his own? It was already drawing to a close.
If possible, Steven hoped his next stop would be somewhere a bit more interesting.
Come to think of it, that little white horse, Centaurea, had once mentioned wanting to visit the so-called "Lungmen" in Yan.
Maybe he could go there next.
Of course, that didn't mean he could leave just yet.
There were still a few things in Kazimierz that required his personal attention—like dealing with some of the affairs of his Block Consortium, and fulfilling his promise to Margaret about treating her Sarkaz companion.
And, most importantly, he had to bring those two Abyssal Hunters back.
After all, he was the one who had "borrowed" them from Rhodes Island… it'd be rude not to return them properly, wouldn't it?
Just as he was thinking that, a familiar call came through—and Steven's expression instantly turned a shade of awkward.
"Hello? You actually had the time to call me? I hope you're not here to scold me or something."
He quickly answered, holding the phone a little away from his ear, just in case a barrage of sharp words came flying out.
Fortunately, though the person on the other end was an old lady, she was at least a civilized old lady—and yelling profanities wasn't her style.
If anything, that cat—Kal'tsit—just had this annoying habit of speaking in riddles.
Still, whether it was scolding or riddles, both were things Steven really could live without.
"Do I look like someone who'd dare do that? You're the almighty president of the Block Consortium now—your assets and influence far surpass Rhodes Island's. How could I possibly speak to you in such a tone?"
Kal'tsit's voice came through, dripping with sarcasm so thick you could pour it into a glass.
If he hadn't known this line was coming straight from her private communicator, Steven might've suspected that troublemaker Warfarin was pranking him, pretending to be Kal'tsit instead.
Still… being able to make the great Doctor Kal'tsit this sarcastic?
That was probably an achievement in itself.
Steven chuckled softly, showing no intention of taking the bait.
"Don't tease me like that—it doesn't suit you. Just tell me, what did you call for?"
No matter how you looked at it, Kal'tsit was one of the key figures running Rhodes Island.
Given her personality, there was no way she'd call him just to chat like Talulah and the others did.
And Steven knew perfectly well that his relationship with her wasn't nearly close enough for that.
If his dynamic with Talulah could be described as a pair of bickering lovers, then his connection with Kal'tsit was the complete opposite: two people whose personalities clashed so hard that just being in the same room could cause static sparks to fly.
He really couldn't stand her cryptic, riddle-speaking way of talking.
"You've made quite the scene in Kazimierz," Kal'tsit said dryly.
"Nearl has already reported part of what happened, but according to some of my… sources, it seems this entire incident was nothing more than a little play you directed and starred in yourself, wasn't it?"
Because Rhodes Island was quite some distance from the Grand Knight Territory, Kal'tsit had only just learned the full story of what Steven had done there.
But unlike Nearl's report—which painted him as something of a half-hero of Kazimierz—Kal'tsit, shrewd as ever, had already pieced together the truth.
That so-called Demon King? Most likely… was none other than this black-haired trickster herself.
After all, who else could cause such chaos using powers so strange and unfathomable that even she had never seen their like before?
Steven coughed twice, feigning innocence.
"Hey now, that's a serious accusation. You can't just throw dirt on my good name like that! Got any proof? Because if not, I might have to sue you for slander, Doctor."
He hadn't expected the first person to figure it out would be this old lynx of all people—but on second thought, it did fit her image perfectly: calm, calculating, always three steps ahead.
Besides, it wasn't like he'd gone out of his way to hide it.
If she'd guessed, she'd guessed—no big deal.
Even if she did tell someone, who would believe her?
"Calm down," she sighed, "I'm not planning to expose you. But playtime or not, keep an eye on Specter and Skadi."
"Those two Abyssal Hunters can cause as much trouble on land as they do in the ocean."
Kal'tsit shook her head. Whatever mischief Steven got up to was his business—as long as it didn't drag Rhodes Island into it, she wouldn't interfere.
What she was concerned about, however, were the two Abyssal Hunters currently traveling with him.
"Are they with you right now?" she asked casually.
But to her surprise, the ever-chatty Steven suddenly went silent.
"Why aren't you answering?" Kal'tsit pressed, her tone turning wary.
"Where are you right now? You're still in Kazimierz, aren't you?"
There was a brief pause. Then, Steven's voice came back—light, almost teasing, but with a strange edge to it.
"I'm in the Ursus snowfields."
Kal'tsit froze.
"...Excuse me, what?!"
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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