209. Lemuen: Call Me Mom
Late at night.
Under Talulah's watchful eye, Xiling created a house directly on the ground. It had little furniture and just three rooms.
Originally, each person had their own room.
But under Talulah's watchful eye, Xiling was pulled directly into one of the rooms by Lemuen.
They have a really good relationship.
With this in mind, Talulah chose one of the remaining two rooms.
Talulah couldn't fall asleep in bed that night, as she recalled what Lemuen had said to her earlier that day.
"To become king...?"
This word, to her, was as distant as a star in the sky, a shackle, the center of a power vortex, and the object of rebellion for her former rebellious self.
She never imagined that she would one day be associated with this word, let alone be put in that position.
Fighting for those who are infected?
Yes, she burned herself for it.
But to become the monarch of Victoria? What would that mean?
Is it a larger battlefield, or another form of bondage? Is it the power to perpetuate suffering, or the key to end the cycle of suffering?
She was enveloped in confusion and a sense of unreality.
Is this path a path of salvation, or a more elaborate trap?
Lemuen's vision of the future is too grand, so grand that it is both unsettling and instinctively repulsive.
"Let's see what happens next..." Talulah muttered to herself, as if trying to convince herself, or perhaps trying to escape this too difficult decision.
Meanwhile, in the other room...
"You seemed to enjoy your revenge today, didn't you?" Lemuen's voice whispered close to Xiling's ear, carrying a dangerous sweetness.
She was embracing Xiling from behind; her jade-like feet, encased in black stockings, were together, moving up and down rhythmically.
Xiling felt she could give himself a try.
"Lemuel asked me to help her!"
"Actually, I refused at the time! You have to believe me, and I'm safe!" He tried to raise his hand to swear, but the embrace behind him held him even tighter.
"Oh? Is that so?" Lemuen tilted her head, the moonlight outlining a hazy halo around her pink pupils.
"But I clearly heard someone say something... Lemuen, repent? Or am I hallucinating about it?" With that question, her movements suddenly became more forceful and faster, carrying a clear sense of revenge.
"It's all just acting!" Xiling said hurriedly.
"You don't seem to be acting at all at that time; you seem really into it." Lemuen chuckled, her warm breath brushing against his neck.
"Alright, don't be nervous. I'm not some unreasonable bad person; I won't do anything to you..."
Her voice suddenly lowered, brushing against Xiling's sensitive earlobe, "But, I'm really angry right now, extremely angry. So..."
Lemuen leaned closer, almost biting his earlobe: "...You know what to do, right?"
Can I say I don't know?
Seeing the pink light in the other person's pupils, Xiling knew it was too late.
He felt that ever since that first time, neither Kiana nor Lemuen seemed to get tired of it.
He even felt it was happening more and more frequently.
What exactly went wrong?
Just as Xiling was pondering this question, a cool hand gently cupped his cheek, tenderly yet irresistibly guiding his head back until it rested on a soft, full bosom. Lemuen's chest rose and fell rhythmically, a comforting sensation.
"You were distracted during the punishment time? What were you thinking about just now?" Lemuen gently pinched Xiling's cheek.
After hesitating for a moment, Xiling decided to be honest: "...It's nothing, I was just thinking, are you...a little too horny?"
The expected rebuttal or embarrassment did not occur. Lemuen was silent for a few seconds, seemingly seriously considering the assessment. Then, she readily admitted: "Hmm...it seems it is indeed so, a little bit."
But who cares?
She was not unaware that something was amiss.
After each intimate encounter, her body seemed to absorb something; an extremely subtle and indescribable sense of energy flowed through her limbs and bones, bringing about a barely perceptible change, like a gentle breeze blowing across a lake, the ripples small but real.
But the feeling was too subtle for her to describe or confirm precisely.
Banishing these distracting thoughts, Lemuen lowered her head, her long pink hair cascading down and brushing against Xiling's forehead. A mischievous glint shone in her eyes, and a sly smile curved her lips.
"Call me Mom."
Xiling: "...?!"
Something's wrong with you! There's definitely something wrong! Xiling instantly bristled, struggling to get up and resist. However, his resistance only ignited Lemuen's even more burning desire to conquer and...excitement.
The more intense the struggle, the brighter the pink light in Lemuen's eyes became, and the more profound and moving the smile on her lips grew.
Suppression, entanglement, whispered with a smile... Finally, under Lemuen's patient coaxing, Xiling squeezed out those two words from deep in her throat...
As a reward, he ate lightning all night.
When Talulah woke up in the morning, she saw Lemuen looking all smiles and Xiling looking aggrieved.
Talulah, the seemingly clueless and straightforward woman, was completely oblivious to this. She only noticed the stark contrast in the two people's demeanor today, but that was all.
She calmly greeted them with good morning and finished her breakfast.
The three then quickly packed up and resumed their journey.
As the car headed towards Victoria, the invisible tension in the air grew ever stronger. Along the roadside, scattered civilians fleeing the disaster could be seen occasionally; on the horizon, unusual plumes of smoke rose faintly; the muffled sounds from afar were no longer just thunder, but more like…
The drumbeats of war.
Victoria is getting closer.
And the war has already begun.
"Are you sure you don't need my help?" Xiling asked from outside the car.
Lemuen turned her head, a gentle smile curving her lips: "When I need your help, I won't hesitate to ask."
She paused, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, "What, do you always feel like I'm some little kid who can't get by without you?"
Xiling's lips twitched slightly: "...Don't give me that."
"My dear Xiling," Lemuen smiled even more deeply, deliberately dragging out the last syllable.
Xiling stiffly raised a middle finger.
Seeing this, Lemuen smiled even more brightly.
"Go do what you want to do. As for the path I will take, the storms I will stir up, and the thorns I will cut down... I will handle them myself and do them myself."
As soon as she finished speaking, the engine let out a low growl, the tires rolled over the gravel, and the vehicle shot off like an arrow toward Victoria—the heart of struggle and suffering.
Xiling stood there watching the other person leave and smiled silently.
"Keep going, Lemuen."
"I need to step up my efforts, too."
Xiling is going to solve the problem of Oripathy in this world.
Lemuen, however, is tasked with addressing the suffering of this continent, a long and arduous task, for changing the world is never a short-term endeavor.
Just like The City.
Even if an absolute order exists.
Many things still happen, but it is up to people in The City to overcome them.
Time changes everything. If this generation can't do it, the next generation will. If the next generation can't do it, the next generation after them will.
The seeds of order have been sown; what kind of tree it grows into depends on its environment.
Although Terra is not as bustling as The City, it is still a very chaotic world. Countries, races, patients, and non-patients, all kinds of problems, big and small, have gathered on this continent.
But all of this is something Lemuen needs to worry about, and among these problems, he needs to solve one: Oripathy.