"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Little March 7th seemed to have noticed something.
She slowly scanned the people who had shaken hands with Zeig earlier, recalling what they had said.
Began to piece together the connections among them.
Rocky aside, Lamina's leader, isn't it Capote?
In other words, Lamina herself ran off to report Capote.
That clerk named Eikura Shuu, his research topic seems to be studying the strange object "Wuwu Bo".
He said that his superior, who had been suppressing his paper and not letting it pass, finally got reported, so he's extremely happy.
His superior, it couldn't be Capote as well, right?
"..."
March 7th's gaze fell on Capote.
Indeed.
At this moment, although our Young Master Bo was also clapping in celebration, the smile on his face had become much more haggard.
Like he had aged several years.
Full of world-weariness.
The radiant and heroic bearing that March 7th had seen that day was gone forever.
"What on earth did He go through?"
While March 7th was puzzled, she suddenly saw that Zeig's handshakes had already reached the little kids' side.
At this time, Wen Shiling, wearing a shirt printed with Zeig's portrait, was cheering and jumping for joy.
Seeing Zeig come over, she excitedly stretched out her hand:
"Young Master Zeig, do you still recognize me?"
Zeig heard this form of address and was stunned for a moment, but he still politely extended his hand and shook hers:
"I remember, I remember. You really have good taste. Young Master Bo is indeed a talented man of striking appearance."
"Uh..." Wen Shiling was stunned upon hearing this, then let out a few awkward laughs.
Her face even turned red.
Actually, Young Master Bo had already collapsed under Lamina's exposé.
But Zeig didn't know yet.
Because Capote had once hyped him up, his impression of Capote was still pretty good.
At this moment, he just thought Wen Shiling was acting a bit strange, and nothing else.
"Wait, what's printed on your shirt?" Zeig raised an eyebrow.
Only after looking closely did he realize that the face on Wen Shiling's shirt was so familiar.
"It's you, Mr. Zeig!"
"Ah???" Zeig was puzzled.
What did that mean? Why print his own face on it? Was it some new curse ritual?
"This photo isn't good. Go get a new one from March later. The ones she took look better."
"Okay!"
Wen Shiling was overjoyed and nodded vigorously.
March 7th, standing to the side, was utterly speechless.
She felt like she had walked into a large cult organization's proselytizing scene, even though there was no evidence.
These people were really deranged. It was clearly just testing a project, yet they made it like a massive fan meet-and-greet.
Zeig too.
He was clearly already late, yet he was still shaking hands one by one, inquiring after the cold and warmth of every single clerk.
He was really out here preaching.
The atmosphere around them remained enthusiastic, drawing even Himeko and Welt from the Astral Express to the observation window, silently watching the scene below.
"Welt, Zeig turns out to be so popular in these clerks' eyes." Himeko smiled with gratification.
In the process of getting along with Zeig, she had gradually come to understand his personality.
Although he seemed carefree on the surface, his inner self was actually extremely perceptive and delicate.
"Mm, he had this kind of personality before."
Welt had his hands crossed over his chest, also gazing at the scene below.
"When he was captain, the enemies he faced were innumerable. Although the companions on his warship at the time never said anything, the high-intensity combat left everyone's moods extremely on edge."
"These were all things I saw back when I cooperated with them."
Himeko raised an eyebrow and asked curiously:
"So that means, Mr. Welt's former organization was quite formidable."
Welt smiled awkwardly:
"That's all ancient history now. My companions these days are just everyone on the train."
Himeko nodded.
In her eyes, Zeig and March 7th were actually the same type of person.
They would hide their inner unease, doing their best to appear lively, to the point that many people thought they were heartless.
But it was precisely people like this who were worth befriending deeply.
It didn't surprise Himeko at all that the two of them got along so well.
On the contrary, she thought it was a good thing.
After all, on the train, both she and Welt were quite busy, and Dan Heng wasn't much of a talker.
Even Pom-Pom sometimes couldn't stand March 7th's superstitious mutterings.
With Zeig here, at least March 7th had found a companion.
"Welt, did the Zeig from before also possess power like he has now?"
Welt shook his head and said softly:
"No, as far as I remember, he was always just an ordinary person. Back when the war situation was dire, at night he would always be full of melancholy because he couldn't provide much help."
"Every time he saw his companions return covered in wounds and scars, he would blame himself endlessly, wishing it had been him who got hurt instead."
"He regarded his own life as very expendable."
"Then, whose life did he regard as precious?" Himeko asked curiously.
"If it's now, it would probably be March 7th and the rest of us ahead of him. He'd put himself last."
Himeko fell silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to Welt with a meaningful smile:
"You seem to understand him pretty well."
Welt sighed and smiled:
"I remember many people—some left forever, while others could become companions again in another universe. Seeing him like this now, I'm sincerely happy for him from the bottom of my heart."
As the two chatted, the lively voices below continued to rise and fall.
Zeig seemed to have changed many things, yet also not.
However, today, because of him, everyone got a day off.
So the clerks were all in very high spirits.
Although Herta was also an Emanator, she wasn't anywhere near as approachable as Zeig. Many clerks hadn't even seen her true body.
Even her puppet rarely spoke to these clerks in everyday interactions.
She would generally assign tasks and then log off in a hurry.
Not like Zeig, who was willing to console every single one of them, even if it meant arriving late.
Support Cabin Segment.
Platform.
Amid the boisterous crowding of the clerks, Zeig finally entered the space station.
Having received accolades from so many people in a single day, even though he was wearing sunglasses, he still couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.
The corners of his mouth curved upward wildly.
Yet he still feigned humility:
"Alright, everyone, enough with the praise, enough."
He shoved his hands into his pockets, flicked his trench coat, looked up toward the sky, and said dashingly:
"I'm just an ordinary person too. Bathed too long in glory that doesn't belong to me, even I would start to feel disoriented."
"I've always thought." Zeig swept his gaze across the crowd: "Everyone here is amazing."
"That all of you came here to cheer me, Zeig, on—I feel immensely honored."
"I've already felt the enthusiasm. Everyone, let's get down to business first."
With that, he beckoned to March 7th behind him. Under the send-off gazes of all the clerks, the two entered the elevator.
"Mr. Zeig, I'll be cheering for you on the screen!"
"Zeig Bro, catch you on the public screen later!"
"Master Zeig, your fly is open. Remember to zip it up."
"Even someone as strong as Master Zeig has to use the toi—" Before this guy could finish, he was beaten to the ground.
"Motherfucker, it's you again, huh? Everyone, beat his ass! Haven't you had enough?"
Outside the elevator, chaos suddenly erupted.
Leaving Zeig somewhat baffled.
But once the elevator doors closed, it became much quieter.
As the elevator slowly ascended, the still exhilarated Zeig suddenly heard a long-forgotten electronic tone in his mind.
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained the phased slacking reward: Divine Key—Judgment of Shamash]
"Hm?!" Zeig's eyes lit up.