In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
During these two days, Mebius kept her promise. Aside from occasional experiments and blood draws, she made no further moves against Reunion.
As a result, although she still harbored some unease, Talulah gradually began to act as if Mebius and An Xora didn't exist, instead returning her attention to Reunion's most pressing issue—supplies.
"How much food and cold-weather clothing do we have left?"
Standing outside Reunion's supply warehouse, Talulah asked the member in charge of inventory.
"Altogether, there are thirty jin of food left. As for winter clothing… we're completely out."
Hearing this, Talulah's expression darkened.
Food and warm clothing—these two things were absolutely essential if they were to survive the harsh winter of the Ursus tundra.
Yet now, clothing was already gone, and no matter how frugally they rationed the food, it would last at most three more days.
After all, even though Reunion wasn't large, they still had over a hundred people. Dividing thirty jin of food among that many mouths and lasting three days already meant distributing the bare minimum.
The supply-hunting squad had returned yesterday. Unsurprisingly, they came back empty-handed.
That was Ursus for you. Anyone who knew the situation understood—aside from nobles, even ordinary civilians had no surplus food, let alone anything to be found in the wilderness.
The problem was obvious.
Without food, how was Reunion supposed to survive the winter?
"It seems our little lab rat is troubled. Would you like me to offer a bit of help?"
At that moment, Mebius's relaxed voice drifted over.
"Are you willing to provide supplies for Reunion?"
Talulah immediately turned around, looking seriously at Mebius as she approached from a distance.
Although this woman had invaded Reunion not long ago and used some unknown method to control her, FrostNova, and Patriot, if she was truly willing to help Reunion, Talulah was still prepared to regard her as a benefactor.
Motives didn't matter.
What mattered was that if they couldn't find food soon, Reunion really would starve or freeze to death on the tundra.
"Come find me alone tonight."
Unfortunately, Mebius showed no intention of answering directly. She merely left behind that cryptic sentence and turned to leave.
That evening, as instructed, Talulah went alone to the room where Mebius usually stayed.
What surprised her was that, aside from Mebius, An Xora was also there—along with a red-haired woman she had never seen before.
An Xora being present was understandable; he was usually with Mebius anyway. But this unfamiliar red-haired woman—when had she arrived in Reunion? And how had no one noticed?
Sensing Talulah's gaze, Makima nodded politely, as if greeting her.
"You're finally here. We've been waiting quite a while."
Seeing Talulah arrive, Mebius lazily stretched and spoke unhurriedly.
"Let's continue our discussion from earlier. You want me to provide material aid to Reunion. That's not a problem for me at all. Food and warm clothing—if I wish, I can easily ensure that every member of Reunion eats well and stays warm throughout the entire winter."
"But before that, I have a question."
"You founded Reunion to help the Infected, didn't you?"
Talulah nodded without hesitation.
"That's right. I've seen far too much oppression of the Infected by the Empire. That's why I founded Reunion—to help the Infected escape Ursus's enslavement and persecution, and to fight for the rights they deserve."
Across Terra, almost every nation discriminated against the Infected to some extent, but Ursus was undoubtedly among the worst.
Other countries might strip the Infected of their rights and drive them away. Ursus, on the other hand, treated the Infected like free slaves—once discovered, they were sent straight to mines or factories to work until death.
In theory, such near-slavery shouldn't exist in a modern industrial nation. But Ursus had its "national circumstances." Oppressing the Infected was politically correct in Terra; at most, other nations were simply less blatant about it.
"Mhm. A great and noble ideal," Mebius sneered. "And an incredibly naïve one. On this cruel land, people who cling to such unrealistic dreams usually end up drowning in them."
"Are you saying that the Infected are destined to never be treated equally? That they can never live like ordinary people in this world?"
Talulah's expression turned ugly, yet she didn't lash out. She knew all too well how difficult her goal was, and she'd heard similar denials countless times before. Even so, she didn't want to give up.
But to her surprise, Mebius didn't continue mocking her. Instead, she shook her head.
"No. Absolute equality is nearly impossible, but if the goal is simply to let the Infected live like ordinary people, that is not unattainable."
"The reason I say your ideal is unrealistic is very simple."
"It's because you are not capable enough."
The ideal wasn't the problem—I am?
Talulah froze.
"Isn't that the case?" Mebius continued. "You talk about fighting for the Infected, about shielding them from imperial oppression. But in practice? After founding Reunion, what have you really done besides leading them in guerrilla warfare, freezing and starving on the tundra every day?"
"B-But… I couldn't think of any other way…"
For once, the leader of Reunion—who should never show weakness—looked genuinely lost.
"That's exactly it. You have no idea how to realize your ideal. You're just leading a group of Infected, barely surviving day by day under pursuit by imperial patrols, never once considering a real future."
"In that case, even if I provide supplies to Reunion, it would be meaningless, wouldn't it? After all, this is an organization that literally cannot see a future—one that, under your leadership, is destined to fail."
"Reunion… under my leadership… is destined to fail?"
Under Mebius's cold, methodical analysis, Reunion's grim future was laid bare before Talulah.
The white-haired Draco stood there, stunned, unable to speak.
"But now things are different," Mebius said calmly. "Because of us, you now have another choice."
"Are you interested in building a brand-new nation for us?"
"A nation willing to abandon the oppression of the Infected."
"Me… build a new nation for you?"
Staggered by Mebius's outrageous words, Talulah barely managed to regain her composure—only to see the red-haired woman standing to the side raise her hand slightly.
In the next instant, golden chains shot out and bound Talulah's body tightly.
"Wait—what are you doing?!"
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