"Is there something I can help you with?" Lin pulled the marriage requirements out from under her hand. "Vil-V is out for a bit."
"Vil-V? Who?"
She blinked her deep blue eyes, repeating the name in confusion.
Lin movements halted. He observed the unfamiliar young woman. The hand at his side began to move toward his gun holster.
He had never seen this person before.
Deep blue long hair, similar in color to her pupils, fell behind her head. She was not wearing the Fire Moth uniform but a strangely styled outfit: sheer fabric, a long dress, a crystal crown... Her eyes were filled with a sense of ignorance and curiosity, yet showed no timidity toward a stranger.
It was understandable that she didn't know Vil-V, as Vil-V spent much more time hiding away tinkering with her gadgets than showing her face. Most old soldiers might not even recognize her, so the general assumption would be that this unfamiliar-faced young woman was a new recruit.
But this outfit reminded him of some... unpleasant memories.
"Who are you? What is your identification number?" Lin finger was already on the holster. He questioned the ethereal young woman with a cold voice.
"Who are you? What is your identification number?"
However, to Lin surprise, the young woman tilted her head and asked Lin the same question in return.
"...ID MSA-079, Lin." Lin cautiously guarded against the young woman. She gave Lin a strange feeling... an inexplicable sense of familiarity. He didn't know where this feeling came from, or even how to articulate it.
But it was precisely this strange feeling that made Lin even more vigilant.
Lin took out his Fire Moth emblem, which had his number to prove his identity. This action was meant to prompt the young woman to also produce her emblem. If she couldn't produce anything to prove her identity, Lin would subdue her right there.
But as Lin focused on the expression on the young woman's face, she withdrew her gaze from his emblem, fumbled inside the collar of her princess-like dress, and pulled out an... emblem.
Lin was startled, but the young woman simply extended the emblem forward, indicating that Lin could check it.
Lin didn't reach out to take it. He merely observed the number from a distance.
MSA... 970?
It was exactly the reverse of Lin number.
But this was undoubtedly a Fire Moth emblem; the material and style were unique and unmistakable.
"I am... MSA-970." The young woman introduced herself, mimicking Lin tone.
"A new recruit?" The number was very high, suggesting she might have joined the Fire Moth recently. After observing her closely for a few more moments, Lin put his hand back down.
The young woman nodded: "New recruit."
"...What's with that outfit?"
"My... interest."
"Fire Moth soldiers are generally required to wear uniforms. You can make certain modifications, but you cannot dress however you please based on your own interests." Lin finally relaxed, seeing that the young woman was truly a new recruit who didn't understand anything.
And for newcomers, for various reasons, Lin didn't mind taking a little time to guide them now.
"Oh..." The young woman nodded, seemingly half-understanding. Her naturally innocent face didn't betray whether she truly understood or was just humoring Lin.
Lin asked: "What is your name?"
"Hmm... 970."
"..."
She doesn't want to say it?
"What are you here for? Vil-V is the Head of the Engineering Department and the owner of the Spiral Contraption. She had to leave for something else, so if you're looking for the Head of the Engineering Department, come back tomorrow."
"I'm not looking for the Head of the Department." The young woman seemed to be scrutinizing Lin thoroughly. Her eyes, as clear as the blue sky, looked at Lin. "That... marriage seeking... aren't the conditions for both sexes unequal on the sign?"
"..."
So she was focused on the marriage requirements?
"Most of what was written on there was fake." Lin shook his head, crumpling the Vil-V-directed marriage requirement into a ball of waste paper and tossing it into the trash can.
"It's not fake," the young woman repeated what she had said before.
Lin said nothing. She could think whatever she wanted; this farcical marriage seeking was over anyway.
"The marriage seeking is finished. You don't need to worry about what was written on there."
"Hmm... What does marriage feel like?"
"I don't know either."
If Lin really knew what marriage felt like, he wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of seeking a marriage partner.
"Oh~ You don't know either. Then let's try it."
"..."
To reiterate, Lin considered himself the most abnormal of the abnormal in the Fire Moth.
But the words spoken by this young woman, delivered with a clueless expression, were quite astonishing.
"If we try it, won't we know what it feels like?"
Lin was silent for a moment, then once again surveyed the young woman.
After a long pause, she slowly showed a rather unnatural, stiff smile.
Like a muscle movement copied crudely from a model.
...
"Doctor, the Soul Steel and the Herrscher Core have been safely transported to the Headquarters. There were no issues."
Einstein sipped her hot coffee and gave a silent nod to her tense assistant who was reporting.
After a while, she looked up and said to the assistant: "You're new here, aren't you?"
"Y-yes, I am!" The assistant was flattered by Einstein's smiling gaze. "I just joined the Fire Moth recently!"
"Heh, don't be nervous. Have a piece of chocolate. Phenethylamine can make people a little happier and ease tension." Einstein pointed to the small snacks on the table. This was a small habit of hers; she always carried some high-calorie snacks wherever she went.
"C-can I?"
"Of course."
The assistant took the chocolate, blushing: "Okay, thank you."
This was Einstein, a renowned scientist even outside the Fire Moth. She had read Einstein's Theory of Relativity and later sought out more academic papers published by Einstein. Since then, she had idolized Einstein immensely, and at this moment, she was face-to-face with her idol.
Einstein's calm demeanor did indeed soothe her nerves considerably, making her less anxious.
"Don't worry. Although things like the Soul Steel and the Herrscher Core are outside the plan, the usual archaeological work is relatively relaxed and easy, not difficult for a newcomer."
"Phew, that's good. It's my first time seeing a legendary Herrscher Core."
"Haha, that thing doesn't look as intimidating, does it?" A subtle shadow flashed across Einstein's eyes. "At least not when it's not residing inside a human body..."
"What?"
"Nothing, just talking to myself. Right, what is your identification number?"
The assistant nervously took off the emblem on her chest and showed the number on the back to Einstein.
"MSA-970."