"Who said that?" Rico rolled up his sleeves. "If anyone really thinks so, let him try it himself."
Si Lei laughed.
She took off her brooch and put it in her hand to stare at it. The facets of the gemstone shone a warm light blue on her fingertips. At this moment, she suddenly remembered the conversation she had with Anna when they first met. On that groggy afternoon, the swaying train cabin.
"...You have a good mentality," Si Lei raised his head, "You are much better than I was back then."
Rico didn't know what Si Lei was referring to, but he didn't ask further.
The young man who was walking with them finally caught up. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat down on the sofa opposite the two of them.
"Why did you just walk away without saying a word? I've been looking for you for a long time -"
"Guide me a way," Si Lei stood up, "I want to meet someone."
"who?"
"The organizer of your party," Si Lei looked at him, "Is Mr. Robbeglier here tonight?"
…
"What's your expression, Ms. Hesta? You seem to be disapproving of our 'trial'."
"No offense." Hesta whispered, "But there seems to be no need to care about a test that even someone like Bree can pass...According to what you just said, Bree did pass the test. Bar?"
"Yes, not only Bree, but most of the passengers you saw on this ship performed well in the trial."
"Including those who died?"
"certainly."
Hesta raised her eyebrows, "Are you kidding me..."
Rob couldn't hold back his smile and seemed to be very satisfied with Hesta's reaction at the moment. He deliberately dragged his smile and paced slowly in front of Hesta. Until he felt that he was showing off enough, he whispered, "Hesta Madam, you understand the concept of 'justice and equal rights', but do you know why 'justice' is emphasized here?"
"Please advise."
"There is a mountain in front of you. Whoever can climb over it will pass the test. Rules like this are clear and cannot be violated. They will never favor anyone. This is called fairness.
"It's fair to let you and Bree take part in the same trial, but it's definitely not justice, because for you Mercury Needles, climbing over mountains and ridges is just a normal activity..."
"so?"
"Therefore, a trial that combines fairness and justice should allow the subject to reach his limit just right. A silver coin donated by a person who is poor and sick is far better than a building donated by the rich. Gold Mountain—and only through such trials can we see who are the truly loyal followers.”
"That's a lot of talk," Hesta said in a low voice, "Perhaps you still remember the name 'Rene'?"
"Rene?" Rob thought for a long time, "It's a bit familiar."
"This man is a loser. In the past few days when Your Excellency has not shown up, he has been forming gangs outside. I don't understand your test, but if even such a person can pass your loyalty test -"
"The trial is not a loyalty test," Rob replied with a straight face, "Although I don't quite remember what this person does, but if he does get on the ship, then he is the chosen one, and there must be something in him A certain dimension—perhaps the character, perhaps the intellect... deeply moved 'that adult'."
...In the final analysis, it is just based on the preference of "that lord", first shoot the arrow and then draw the target.
Hesta thought so, but tried her best to hold back and did not speak.
"What kind of trial it is, I'm already eager to try it," Hesta said softly, "Can I participate in advance?"
"This kind of trial is very magical. There are no such conditions on the ship."
"Do we have to wait for the ship to dock?"
"It doesn't necessarily matter if it's docked. It also depends on which region you enter." Rob's eyes were a little complacent. "You have to enter the core city before you can make arrangements."
"Core City... I've been there twice, and it doesn't feel like a place where people live." Hesta raised his head slightly, "Does 'that adult' usually stay in Core City?"
"Don't ask about these, it's useless." Rob sat down again with a smile, "But since we have talked about this step, there are some topics that we can really talk about... Do you really think Mr. Robbeglier is in Gold? Are all the rules set by the times that should not be violated? Don’t you think that the excessive pursuit of once and for all is often the beginning of another enslavement?”
Hesta narrowed her eyes slightly, "...What do you want to say?"
"You should know that in the golden age, the continuation of human species no longer requires the participation of women, so Mr. Robbeglier tried to completely erase women. However, I must point out that this is completely unnecessary and also Impossible things.”
"...I can't believe these words are coming out of your mouth."
"Do you like sweets, Ms. Hesta? Do the various desserts in District 3 appeal to you?"
"Why do you suddenly mention this nutritious thing again——"
"At least after becoming a mercury needle, you will no longer suffer from cold and hunger. However, you are probably still addicted to sweets - of course this is just my guess. Maybe you don't like sweets, but what about other high-calorie foods?"
"What do you want to say?"
"Instinct, Ms. Hesta, men's instinct to court is just like their sweet taste. Maybe there are some people who are as determined as him, but most people's ideas are not so easy to change... He He was a true fighter, but I think this fighter was so beguiled by a pure ideal that he forgot about the reality of most people."
"It's a very interesting topic, please continue." Hesta crossed her legs, "What is the reality in your opinion?"
…
The young man led the way, Si Lei and Li Ge climbed up the stairs. They looked at the group photos hanging on the corridor, including some young and pretty faces.
Si Lei stopped in front of an ambiguous group photo.
"What's wrong?" Li Ge bumped into Si Lei's back.
"They are a couple, right..." Si Lei whispered.
Rico turned his head. On the screen, a man was sitting at the table and another man was standing behind him. The two were smiling and looking at the camera. Their four hands were clasped together on the table in a very intimate manner.
"It looks similar." Li Ge nodded, "What's wrong with these two people?"
"Don't you think it's strange," Si Lei whispered, "seeing such a group photo in a place like this."
"You mean this photo is too personal and shouldn't be shown in public?"
"No, most organizations like the Thorn Monks should have a strong hatred for homosexuals, right?" Si Lei frowned, "Maybe I'm stereotyping?"
