Mantel took the two of them to get a wheelchair. When they passed by the corridor, it started to rain, and Mantel closed a window in the corridor.
"What are so many people doing down there?" She looked at the dozen or so open black umbrellas on the open deck.
"Didn't you hear the explosion? It was probably more than half an hour ago."
Mantel's expression changed: "Is there another explosion?"
"And there's another dead man, one of the Thorn Monks."
Mantle sighed and murmured a prayer.
"Did you really not hear it? The incident occurred quite close to where we met."
"Really, I don't need to lie to you. I went to visit Ms. Anna's museum after breakfast - have you been there?"
"She has been there." Rico looked at Jane, "It seems quite interesting, right?"
"...Well," Hesta replied absently, she spoke thoughtfully, "Is this the first time you have met Anna, Ms. Mantel?"
"Yes," Mantel replied, "I was on vacation in a small town in the south of the Third District once before. At that time, I heard that Anna lived in a manor there. I originally wanted to visit, but it turned out that I didn't I know they have been gone for more than a week."
"What a pity, then you-"
"Isn't it! But who would have thought that we would meet today. The difference between her real person and the photo is so big - oh, don't tell her this, it doesn't feel good for me to talk behind her back like this -"
"No." Hesta adjusted her sitting position, "But I'm curious, since you've never seen her before, why do you like her so much?"
"I read her books," Mantel said, walking slower. "Have you two ever lived in the forest?"
"I've lived there, but not for long. I can't even call it 'living'." Rico replied.
"Where?"
"The Yalina Rainforest in the east of District 7, the Central Forest in District 9, and the North Cape Snowfield in District 5 -"
"Have you ever been to the North Cape!?" Mantel opened his eyes wide, "I am from there! Have you all been there? When did you go?"
"I don't," Hesta replied. "I rarely go to District 5."
"My words... it must have been a few years ago," Rico recalled. "There was an area there that was designated as an isolation zone a long time ago. When the critical period came a few years ago, I was responsible for protecting a group of scientific researchers to inspect the area. The concentration of chelating bacteria - it should have returned to a habitable place by now."
"Yes, yes," Mantel's eyes brightened, "I haven't been back for a long time. I grew up there until I was twelve years old. As a result, our entire town was moved elsewhere because someone was infected with chelation disease... "She let out a sigh of relief, "...I will always miss the forest."
Hesta lowered her gaze, "So, is it because she wrote a book about the forest?"
"Many people have written about forests, but no one has ever written as well as she did." Mantel looked at Rico, "When did you go to North Point?"
"Early summer."
Mantel's expression became a little regretful, "That was not a good time."
"It's also very beautiful, but there are a lot of mud pits, and you'll fall into them if you're not careful."
Mantel laughed, "Yes, because part of the glacier will melt in the summer... When I was a child, I often took my dog on mountain patrols to see if any travelers had fallen into this kind of trouble. Some people are inexperienced and it is quite dangerous to fall. .”
"are you alone?"
"And my dogs," Mantel replied. "If I have a problem, I send one of them home to my aunt, and she comes with a shovel and a rope. Some of them fall very deep, She has to shovel the surrounding soil first before she can start rescuing her...Have you ever shoveled soil in the forest?"
Rico shook his head, "We usually live in ready-made workstations and don't really need to do this."
"...Then you missed a lot," Mantel said with a smile. "You don't need to dig very deep, you will see the root system underground. They are intertwined and have a lot of white mycelium. If you dig deeper, you will see Mineral soil, big trees will send their roots deep, deep.”
Mantel stopped in front of an iron gate, "Just wait for me here for a while, I'll go in and get the book."
Hestad and Rico raised their heads and found that they had arrived at the crew rest area on the third deck. The two watched Mantel disappear into the corridor behind the iron door. Hestad turned his head and said, "Lego."
"Um?"
"If there is a person who has left a very good impression on many people, but you find that this person is very bad - or in other words, she wants to do something bad to you, what would be the reason?"
"Are you talking about Anna?" Rico tilted his head, "Who else besides Mantel said she was fine?"
"Si Lei." Hesta leaned on the wheelchair. "She also didn't recognize Anna before boarding the ship, but after hearing Anna's name, she went over to say hello, yelling like this."
"...Uh," Rico fell into deep thought, "Does that mean...she hates you?"
"I've never provoked her, why should she hate me?"
"That's hard to say. Sometimes people just have some intuitions about other people." Rico frowned and thought for a moment, "Isn't Anna being mean to you? Didn't she invite you to visit her collection before? Lend you a book..."
"but she--"
Thinking of the conversation with Anna last night, Hesta stopped mid-sentence.
She couldn't tell Rico what happened last night, because once she spoke, it would be equivalent to telling Rico that Miss Chiba deliberately let her out last night.
"I agree with you," Rico continued, "She is quite annoying sometimes, but maybe she is just like this and is not targeting you?"
"...She is targeting me." Hesta replied decisively, "I know."
Footsteps sounded again, and Mantel walked out with a book wrapped in cowhide, "Here."
Hesta took it with both hands, "Thank you, when will I pay you back?"
"About a week. This is a combined volume of two volumes. Although it is well written, it still takes some time to finish reading it."
Mantel closed the door behind him, "Then you go back. It's time for me to go take a look at the kitchen warehouse."
"Are you going out next?"
"Of course, it's my working time now."
Hesta lowered her head and flipped through the book, "Aren't you worried about the 'chelate' on the ship?"
Mantel's expression stiffened for a moment, but neither Rico nor Hestad saw it.
"...How could I not be worried?" Mantel quickly regained his composure, "But it is a chelate. If you are targeted, there is no point in taking precautions. It is better not to think about these things." No."
"Good attitude." Hesta raised her head, "Thank you."
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