"Well, that's true... You should take care of the person you brought back yourself~"
Seeing that Lu Tianming didn't object much, Mu smiled and unceremoniously handed over the responsibility of caring for Lacus entirely to Lu Tianming before making a smooth exit.
Watching Mu leave first, Murrue and Badgiruel sighed helplessly, but they indeed needed to return to restart the resource exploration work. They really had no choice but to leave Lu Tianming to deal with Lacus.
After the three left, only Lu Tianming and Lacus remained alone in the room. Lu Tianming let out a light sigh, pulled up a chair and sat down, looking at Lacus with some confusion:
"Why did you want to chat with me specifically? Couldn't it be someone else?"
"Because from what you said earlier, I could sense that as a Natural, you don't seem to hold any particularly special views about Coordinators."
Lacus spoke her mind frankly. Currently, whether it was Coordinators looking at Naturals or Naturals looking at Coordinators, there was more or less some prejudice in their eyes.
It was as if the two groups were fundamentally not the same race.
"People like you are rare, so I want to know why you think this way."
Holding Haro in her arms, Lacus looked at Lu Tianming with clear, expectant eyes and a gentle smile.
Lu Tianming glanced at Lacus, seeing that she genuinely didn't seem to have any ulterior motives, then turned to face her directly and continued along the topic:
"Perhaps the question should be, why wouldn't I think this way?"
"To put it bluntly, Coordinators are just humans with higher talent and better basic capabilities. But like I said... they're not superhumans, all their abilities still fall within the human range."
"Moreover, Coordinators aren't without drawbacks - the fertility issues with their descendants are a fatal flaw they have to face. Trading reproductive capability for improved personal qualities is just mortgaging the future for temporary prosperity. From the perspective of species development, this can hardly be called evolution."In my view, those Naturals who demonize Coordinators just because they have a higher starting point, and those who belittle Naturals as an inferior race - they're either foolish or malicious, with the latter being more common. Essentially, they're all warmongers who incite racial tensions for their own benefit."
"...The scary thing is, it seems like these warmongers are becoming more numerous in both the Earth Alliance and PLANT."
Lu Tianming's tone was serious, ending with a light, mocking laugh as he shook his head.
The Earth Alliance has Blue Cosmos, PLANT has Patrick's faction... Both groups are determined to exterminate the other race, treating human lives like stones to be thrown at each other by the handful.
They shout about justice and righteousness, but they don't spare a single glance for the soldiers and civilians who die because of them.
Listening to Lu Tianming's words, Lacus raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. She had never heard anyone use such a critical tone to attack both the Earth Alliance and PLANT impartially.
What she had heard before were always one-sided criticisms from either side attacking the other - aside from some reasonable points, most of it consisted of smear campaigns and slander.
Or perhaps like Mentor Malchio's side—while his analysis is reasonable, it often carries a tone of "there's nothing to be done about it anyway."
Someone like Lu Tianming, who combines calmness with passion, rationality with incisive criticism, was truly someone she had never encountered before.
Moreover, the issues he raised were undeniably real and pressing.
The fertility problem among Coordinators was indeed a major social concern within PLANT. She had heard her father and his friends discuss it many times—with the reproductive capacity of Coordinators, if the war continued like this, PLANT would eventually run out of soldiers.
If she remembered correctly, Patrick had been present during one of those discussions, and his response was...
"Precisely because of this, we must spare no effort to eliminate the Naturals as quickly as possible and end this war."
Thinking of this, Lacus felt her interest in Lu Tianming grow even stronger. She was curious how this young man, barely in his twenties, could see things more rationally and profoundly than some politicians in PLANT.
And recalling Patrick's response, she couldn't help but wonder—what would Lu Tianming have said if he had been there back then?
After pondering for a moment, she looked up and pressed further:
"Then, in your opinion... how should this war end? Would you side with the Federation Army or PLANT?"
Instead of immediately thinking it over, Lu Tianming first glanced around cautiously... making sure there were no recording devices nearby and no one eavesdropping outside. Only then did he relax, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips as he replied:
"My answer might be a bit dangerous... Can you promise not to reveal it to anyone? Not to the Earth Alliance, nor to PLANT."
"Of course."
Lacus nodded solemnly, and the Haro in her arms chimed in as well:
"We'll keep it secret, don't worry! We'll keep it secret, don't worry!"
Watching the Haro squirm as if eager to jump out of her arms... it seemed the little guy couldn't wait to hear what Lu Tianming had to say.
Seeing the Haro's amusing antics, both Lu Tianming and Lacus were momentarily taken aback, then shared a knowing smile.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you."
Lu Tianming chuckled and patted the Haro, calming it down before settling back into his seat, his tone turning serious again.
"The Federation Army or PLANT... I won't choose either."
Lacus wasn't surprised by his answer... From his earlier criticism of warmongers, she had already sensed his disdain for both sides.
Seeing that Lacus could accept his somewhat unconventional views, Lu Tianming didn't keep her in suspense any longer and continued:
"What can truly end the war is a force composed of people who genuinely desire peace. Only they can guide this world toward true peace. Relying on either the Federation Army or PLANT would only lead to victory for one side."
"The other side may be defeated, but the hatred and will to fight in their hearts won't disappear. This would inevitably plant the seeds for future conflicts, trapping us once again in the Mobius ring of war—a cycle fueled by an unbroken chain of hatred."
Lacus nodded thoughtfully. If Naturals and Coordinators could not reach a consensus, true peace would be impossible to achieve.
But...
"Does such power truly exist?" Lacus asked doubtfully. Currently, apart from the Alliance and PLANT, there were neutral nations like ORB, but none possessed the strength to sway the overall situation.
Lu Tianming nodded and said:
"There are, my friend. There are indeed many."
"Within ZAFT and the Alliance alone, there are plenty. They do not profit from the war; they participate only because they have no choice. Some may have been deployed for years without returning home, while others have lost any place to return to because of the war."
"Who are they? They are the lowest-ranking soldiers, the most overlooked civilians, all the unfortunate souls unwillingly dragged into the conflict. Having personally experienced the pain of war, they yearn for peace more than anyone, longing to break free from this endless cycle of killing and being killed."
"They are not mere numbers in politicians' reports, nor disposable pawns on a chessboard. They are living beings, sources of strength. Individually, their power may be faint, like a lone star in the vast universe, but when united..."
At this point, Lu Tianming took a deep breath, the passion and idealism in his eyes blazing like fire. Even his voice trembled slightly with emotion:
"These scattered sparks, when united, will converge into a blazing sun capable of illuminating the entire cosmos."