The next day, the eighth day of the harvest celebration of Jestal, the day before the knock of doom.

When Rika Fujimaru opens the door to her room when she wakes up, it's hard not to notice Conrad Cotz, who is crouching on a hill not far from the hallway.

This behavior confuses Rika, but there are many deceptive behaviors made by Coetze, and this one is not on the list. So she just walked out of the room as usual, let the door close automatically under the smooth mechanical operation, and greeted the other party: "...... Early? Don't you have much to rest? ”

Kotz looked disgusted.

He was the original, a dead soul, and even though the shell had been reforged by Rika Fujimaru's hand, she should have fully understood the nature of this body—in some ways, Coetze's new body was even stronger than his original. Therefore, he thinks that this is a knowingly asked nonsense.

"I didn't need much rest in the first place, and now I don't need it at all. You know that. He said, "It's you, I didn't expect you to really sleep." ”

"My experience is to sleep as much as you can." Fujimaru Rika shrugged, "I'm not Superman, and I will die suddenly in a high-intensity streak for a maximum of twelve hours." It was still necessary for me to rest as efficiently as possible before the big war. ”

Coates didn't speak, but carefully examined Tachika's condition and demeanor in a subtle and indistinguishable manner, which made people a little hairy.

“…… How? Any questions? ”

"You're really...... Very well rested. "I've never seen a mortal like this who can sleep without a bad tooth when a catastrophe is coming, but you seem to be the exception." ”

"It may also be that Ling, as a primordial, is too far away from mortals. People like me are not uncommon among mortals, but you haven't paid much attention to them before. Lixiang, who thought she was an ordinary person, waved her hand indifferently and asked, "I'm going to eat in the cafeteria, are you coming?" ”

“…… I didn't expect you to still have an appetite. ”

"Eat as much as you can. I'm small in size and weight, and my energy reserves are just like that. Isn't it glorious to be starved halfway through a battle? ”

Rika Fujimaru stood in place for a moment, seeing that Coates had no intention of responding to her courtesy invitation, and decided to let this go, turning around and walking in the direction of the cafeteria.

"You knew the prophecy, and you decided to believe it." Coetzes was silently behind her, gliding like a vast shadow, "You even want to disobey it and change it. ”

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I have to be so nervous that I can't think about it." Fujimaru Rika said nonchalantly, "Compared to the future that has not yet come, I think that now we are obviously two people walking in the hallway, but the footsteps of only me - this makes me feel more nervous in comparison." ”

There was no response.

Rika turned back a little confused, the huge body of the original body should not be ignored, but she only saw an empty corridor behind her. Outside the massive portholes of the Storm Boundary were Jestal's white clouds, and the slight vibration from the mechanical operation of the ship's hull indicated that they were floating in the air.

It was a decision they made last night. The appropriate height allows the Sheba lens to have a better viewing angle. All this was normal, Ritsuka inexplicably turned her head back forward, only to find herself facing Conrad Coz's gloomy, pale, ghostly face at a very close distance.

"-Wow!" She was so frightened by this sudden sight that she took three steps back and rebuked loudly, "How can you be like this! The sense of distance is a little too bad, isn't it?! ”

Coetze, who had to squat on the ground to match her height, didn't show a smug look, but thought about it: "So it seems that your sensitivity to fear is indeed still functioning normally. ”

"......" Rika Fujimaru probably understood what he was studying.

"I remember we talked about it before." She stood still, untirelessly repeating, "Humans are creatures living in linear time that develops in one direction, and to put it more concretely, 'if it doesn't pass today, it won't come tomorrow.'" So prioritizing 'today' is much higher for me than worrying about what will happen 'tomorrow'. ”

"But when 'tomorrow' is already predestined, does it still make sense to live 'today'?"

"Even if 'tomorrow' is already predestined, you have to consider the 'day after tomorrow'......" Fujimaru Rika sighed, "Have we already debated this philosophical issue...... It must have been ten times, right? ”

"This is the thirteenth time, to be exact."

"Even if we all gave corresponding examples, neither of us ever succeeded in convincing the other."

"Definitely. Let me remind you that the example you have given is completely an isolated case that cannot be replicated, and there is no universality in any sense. ”

Rika Fujimaru thought for a moment, then resolutely bypassed Coz and continued in the direction of the cafeteria:

"Then I don't think there will be any breakthrough this time, I still insist on the view that the future is made up of countless presents, so the choices made now will affect the future, and then I chose to abandon the debate and go to the whole point of tamagoyaki. and—"

She took a few steps out, and suddenly, with her heel as the axis, turned smoothly, and pointed at Coetze's chest as if threateningly:

"Even if you only consider that the 'lone example' I gave is performing the function of a heart in your chest, you better treat it with a little respect."

After throwing down these words, she didn't stop, turned back to her original direction, and continued to move forward briskly. It was as if this was just the beginning of a very ordinary day, and they were not facing a catastrophe where the world was about to be destroyed.

For a moment, Coetzes tried to retort that "your theory is based entirely on fictional events that didn't actually happen," but he just slowly touched his heart with his hand. Even through the pure gold skeleton carved on the breastplate of the "Nightmare Cloak", as long as he concentrated, he could clearly feel the operation of the "heart".

"It seems to me that the world has gone mad." The last time he retorted with a similar sentence, Rika Fujimaru once said to him, "In a world so crazy, the line between 'real' and 'ethereal' has become very blurred—isn't you standing there the best evidence?" ”

The dead soul stands in place in an imaginary shell woven by ether, represented by the "life force of the planet" (the magic of the Great Source), so that the subspace energy that can circulate in the material world provides the necessary raw materials and driving force for the action of this body. And the "hearth of the heart" that accomplished all this, as one of his "hearts", was quietly suspended in his chest, which could hardly be regarded as having any serious physiological structure:

- It was a peaceful and tranquil "Nostramo".

In the trial of Fujimaru Rika, the only one who was finally successfully "saved" was Nostramo in the dream.

-----------------

After breakfast, Rika Fujimaru flashed into the main control room with a plate of small biscuits, and the figure of the golden giant was still poked in front of the console as she had left the night before, and I am afraid that it had not changed even a single cent.

"Good work, Somny," she shoved the plate of cookies under the other man's nose, ignoring the latter's puzzled look as he looked at the food inexplicably, and quickly got into work in front of the various displays, "Five hours have passed, and the corresponding calculations should have been mostly completed, right?" ”

"Exactly." Somny seemed to have given up on understanding the meaning of the little cookie in front of him, "In addition, I think it must be reminded that according to the relevant information collected before and the latest data observed by Sheba, Trismegistes has updated the calculation results of the planet's environment and subspace energy levels, and judged that there is a possibility that the foundation value of human reason will fall sharply in a short period of time. In addition, fitting deductions for the imaginary sea have confirmed that a subspace vortex is currently forming rapidly behind the curtain with Jestal as the center, and even though the Storm Boundary is far more flexible in subspace navigation than most Imperial ships, the window to leave safely is only expected to be three hours. ”

"Thank you for the reminder, but I'm not leaving." Rika first turned over the deduction part of the subspace environment, and the fitting model constructed for ease of understanding looked like a huge funnel-shaped spider web, and Jestal was glued to the center point at the bottom, "I think I will do my best to do everything I can, although the current situation is critical, but we still have hole cards that have not been opened." ”

“…… IMHO, but from a purely utilitarian point of view, such a decision is very irrational. Somney said in a flat tone – or, rather, without mercy, that "Jestal is only an unimportant agricultural world on the edge of the Empire, and even if we only 'open the cards' for it, the price we pay in this matter is far greater than the production capacity it can provide for the Empire in a thousand years." What's more, there is a high probability that carrying out such a rescue operation will bring you danger. ”

"But now the problem is not just with Jaystar, I have estimated with you the scope of influence of the grain and possible subspace rifts."

"I insist that your life is far more important than all of the above, and that you can even give up several galaxies if necessary."

“…… You can't just arbitrarily sentence several galaxies to death. That's not how it works. Humans are social creatures and must help each other to survive in such a universe. Reaching out to others shouldn't be so utilitarian, especially when it's a whole world. Rika Fujimaru sighed, "It's like...... You know that old story, right? 'Does this fish care'? ”

Somney paused for two seconds, then replied, "The description has been successfully searched in the database." But the basic condition for the story to be true is that the very act of 'throwing the fish back into the sea' does not have any serious negative impact on the little boy. ”

“…… Well, I told Alita that she would treat me to a round wheat next time we met. Fujimaru Rika began to talk nonsense in a serious manner, "The things agreed upon by each other must be counted, and breaking the contract will have quite serious consequences for a summoner like me who eats on contracts. ”

"Denied." Somny didn't stop for even a second this time, "According to the relevant records in the database, even the Chaos Spell Texts don't say that. ”

"No, generally speaking, you should have been fooled by me after saying that...... Isn't your knowledge a little too broad to be abnormal? ”

"Please don't change the subject." "We are still discussing the need to rescue Jestal and the possibility that this act will pose a threat to your safety. If you are unable to provide a definite and workable rescue plan with a clear process, I will have to carry out my duties by coercion. ”

"Plan...... How to say it. Rikka showed the tangled expression when facing a difficult problem, "I do have a general idea, which is almost equivalent to turning a calculation problem into a proof problem, but the problem lies in the 'proof' part." We have been on this planet for too short a time, our observations are too sketchy, and the foundation of human philosophy here has not been high. Now there is no 'Chaldeia' to refer to, if in this case rashly transfer to the past Son of Spirit...... Somny, are you listening? ”

“…… Ships were detected approaching Jestal. Somny stared at a holographic light curtain suspended beside him, "After comparison, its identification code and related serial number are recorded in the database, which is the flagship of the 44th detachment of the First Army, the battle barge 'Lionmane'. ”

"......" Fujimaru Rika couldn't help but be silent for a few seconds, and then sighed: "What should come is always coming......"

After all, Conrad had predicted a scenario related to such a ship......

"Also, I have to warn you: the 'Lionmane' doesn't look friendly." The light screen projected by Somny's side was clearly extinguished, "This ship is sailing in complete silence, and all weapons that can still be used are in a state of storage. Judging from the direction of the ship's voyage, they undoubtedly wanted to bypass the Jestal air port and the high-altitude bird trap array and approach the planet's orbit in a secret way. Given the meagre air defense of Jestal, the success rate of this is high. ”

"But thankfully, they didn't get past your remote sensing." Fujimaru Rika held her forehead in annoyance, "Mr. Leon's heir...... It's a hassle to trust these mystics, and we probably don't have that much time to talk to them......"

Somny turned his head and stared at Rika Fujimaru silently, until the latter's aimless flying eyes managed to meet him.

“…… Okay. Fujimaru Rika covered her face, "Send them a contact signal, press them with your identity, but don't mention anything like taking over command, just say that you want to communicate with their person in charge." Anyway, you have to talk to them successfully......"

Somney nodded yes, and the gesture somehow showed an unprovoked sense of satisfaction. Immediately, a communication message was quickly written on Somny's servo system at a speed that made one wonder if it had been prepared, and then encoded and encrypted in a way common to Imperial military forces, and with electromagnetic waves, it aimed at the "Lion's Mane" in the distance, and shot away into the vast void:

"In the name of 'The Emperor's Choice, Envoy of the Throne, Child of Hope, Star of the Long Night, Sin Drinker, The Grand Master,' Rika Fujimaru, we ask you to remove your combat posture and meet with us before you reach the orbit of the target planet Jestal.

—Source: Imperator Somnium"