"Nice to meet you, Mentor Marzio."
Their voices sounded one after the other.
Hearing them, the mentor turned his gaze toward the two.
"So you are Mr. Freed."
Though the mentor's eyes were closed, his calm words seemed to penetrate through his mask.
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
As the mentor fell into thought, even Lacus grew somewhat nervous.
After all, she had no idea what the mentor truly thought of Fred.
Moreover, the mentor himself was famously perceptive.
If he were to say that Fred was truly a bad person...
Compared to Lacus's tension, Flay was more curious. Sensing the slightly odd atmosphere in the room, she blinked but hesitated to ask Lacus.
She had heard of the mentor's reputation but didn't know what made him so remarkable that both Lacus and her brother seemed to treat him with such seriousness.
The silence among them lingered for a moment before the mentor finally spoke.
"Very good."
Faced with such a simple remark, Lacus opened her mouth slightly.
Whether it was someone who would destroy the world or save it, she had expected to hear an answer from the mentor's lips—
something like what he had said about her, declaring her as someone destined to bring peace in the future.
But for Fred, it was just "very good"?
What did "very good" even mean?
A very good person?
Or very capable?
Thinking this, even Lacus's typically composed expression showed a hint of bewilderment.
However, Lacus did not know that even Marzio himself was uncertain about the young man before him.
This young man didn't strike him as a cunning schemer, nor did he seem like a hero, yet he couldn't possibly be an ordinary person either.
Moreover, in his "view," the young man should possess the talent to awaken the seed, or perhaps had already awakened it.
But try as he might, he couldn't reconcile the impressions he sensed.
The young man gave off a rather calm and peaceful aura, yet lacked the profound sense of striving for the world's betterment.
After much contemplation, all that remained was the phrase "very good."
"Thank you."
Hearing this, Fred also found it a bit strange.
After all, in Fred's impression, this mentor was always fond of mysteriously bestowing nicknames on people.
For instance, he called Mu's Replica the "Child of Destiny."
He had also assigned roles to Lacus and Kira, among others.
But when it came to him, it was just "very good"? Really?
Could it be that his script hadn't been written, so there was nothing to say?
But Fred didn't mind.
Even if the mentor said he was cut out to save the world, he wouldn't devote his entire life to such a cause.
Whatever Marzio said was Marzio's own business; only he could decide his own path.
After speaking, Marzio chuckled wryly at his own words and turned toward Flay.
He focused intently for a moment, and then the mentor froze.
If Fred had seemed like an ordinary person, then Flay before him also gave off the impression of an ordinary person.
These two siblings appearing here felt somewhat...
"Strange..."
"Strange?"
Lacus repeated after the mentor, feeling somewhat speechless.
What was strange?
Flay also pointed at herself in confusion, as if asking what was strange about her.
Lacus pondered for a moment, her surprised expression fading as a faint smile returned to her face.
"Please have a seat, Mentor."
Lacus's words broke the slightly awkward atmosphere in the room.
"Hmm."
After saying these two things in a row, the mentor also felt a bit awkward, and a faint smile appeared on his otherwise calm face.
The four of them naturally began to chat.
The topics of conversation were quite broad.
From the global situation to the internal factions within PLANT and various Earth nations.
The earlier scene, which had seemed almost farcical, was now set aside by Fred.
As a mentor highly respected across various circles, his insights were exactly what Fred wanted.
Subtly, after discussing the increasingly uncontrollable Blue Cosmos within the Atlantic Federation, Fred steered the conversation in another direction.
"What are your thoughts on East Asia?"
Most of what the mentor said about the Atlantic Federation was already known to Fred. Unable to glean any other desired information, Fred asked directly.
"East Asia?"
Hearing Fred's sudden question, the mentor was momentarily taken aback.
After all, East Asia was truly low-key here.
Compared to the liveliness of the Atlantic and Eurasian Federations, it seemed more like a backdrop.
Few people actively inquired about it.
Beside them, Lacus looked curiously in Fred's direction upon hearing this.
Fred's words were certainly not spoken without reason.
Why did he suddenly bring this up?
Lacus couldn't quite figure it out at the moment.
She turned her gaze back to the mentor, curious about his response.
"I don't know much about it."
The mentor snapped back to reality and shook his head.
"However, I once attended a conference in East Asia. It's relatively stable there and seems uninterested in external affairs."
"Hmm... Even if they're not involved, do you think they might still desire peace?"
Fred pondered for a moment before following up.
From his previous interactions with General Chen, it seemed the other party wanted to maintain balance.
He just wasn't sure whether it was the higher-ups' intention or General Chen's own.
"I suppose they do."
Marshall nodded but soon shook his head again.
"I don't think they would directly intervene."
"Is that so?"
According to the original plot, they indeed had no role to play.
But the plot had already been altered by him.
The only thing to fear was uncertainty.
He still needed to focus on Lacus's side while continuing to probe the other side.
As Fred was lost in thought, Lacus spoke up.
"Mentor, do you know about The Clan?"
"The Clan? Where did you hear about that?"
Hearing the name "The Clan," the mentor's eyebrows subtly furrowed.
"Well... I read about it in a book."
Lacus glanced at Fred but didn't mention that Fred had disguised himself as someone else.
"The Clan... does exist, but their influence overlaps with that of large corporations. I'm not clear on their specific situation."
The mentor, as a symbol of world peace, was privy to many pieces of information, even knowing about the mysterious existence of The Clan, which made Fred pay a bit more attention.
Although The Clan has always been a peripheral force with little known about them, their strength remains an unknown variable.
Taking them down would clearly not be so simple.
However, according to his mentor, if he were to confront Blue Cosmos in the future, he would inevitably clash with The Clan.
With this thought, Fred's resolve grew firmer once again—he needed more power.
Whether it was knowledge, MS capabilities, or personal strength, all were equally essential.
Having made up his mind, Fred asked no further questions, and Lacus soon shifted the topic, moving on to discuss other matters.