"Zz~"
Hmm?
Halfway through my sleep, a somewhat familiar noise suddenly sounded in my ears, faintly reminiscent of the commotion when receiving a badge. Leon instinctively woke up from his dream, but even after sitting up and lifting the eye mask, he still didn't get the notification for a new badge.
Strange, if it's not the badge, then what is it?
Glancing at the pitch-black sky outside the window and the dim night lights inside the Sky Clipper, Leon couldn't help but frown slightly, starting to doubt whether he just heard things, however…
"Zz~"
Leon followed the faint noise and saw the female cleaner's clothes on her chest strangely bulge a little.
?!!!
No… What does that mean? Your chest got something to say to me?
"Uh…"
Seemingly feeling the movement in front of her, the female cleaner, sleeping with a blanket over her and drooling, mumbled a few words, then, under Leon's speechless gaze, reached into her bosom, rummaged around, and took out a small, round-backed mirror.
"Uncle Grandpa?"
Rubbing her drowsy eyes and looking into the small mirror at the Aquarius Director, the half-awake female cleaner asked with a dazed look:
"What's... *yawn*... what's the matter? Why reach me so late?"
"Melly! Wake up!"
Surveying the female cleaner who was curled up on the chair, clearly a bit muddled from sleep, the Aquarius Director in the mirror frowned, then seriously announced:
"There's a disturbance underground at Rehe City!"
?!
Upon hearing the Aquarius Director's words, Leon's eyes immediately narrowed, and the female cleaner's eyes widened suddenly, as she threw off the blanket and sat up swiftly, grabbing the small mirror to ask:
"Uncle Grandpa? What's happening underground in Rehe City? Are you in danger?"
"What danger could I be in?"
Seeing his grandniece's anxious look, the Aquarius Director in the mirror relaxed his expression slightly and then replied in a warm tone:
"Although I'm old now, I'm still the Director of the Zodiac Branch Office. What danger could possibly occur on my turf?"
"…"
Indeed, since Rehe City is within the protection range of the Aquarius Astropalace, there's not much below the Pillar God level that could threaten Uncle Grandpa if he's at full capacity. There doesn't seem to be much need for worry about his safety.
After assessing the current situation, the female cleaner couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. But looking at the steam-filled underground river of Rehe displayed in the mirror and the slightly hunched back of the Aquarius Director, she couldn't help worrying again:
"Uncle Grandpa, didn't Central Office notify that there's a molten path leading to the Geocentric within our underground river in Rehe City? If the Geocentric natives come through the Stone…"
"Wait a second."
Leon interrupted the female cleaner and took the small mirror she was holding, turning it to face him directly, and then fixed his gaze on the Aquarius Director within, squinting slightly as he said:
"Director Baltro, this is Leon, Leon Laine."
"Oh, I know you!"
Peering through the steam-covered mirror, examining Leon's features, the Aquarius Director's figure, blurred by the thick steam rising from the underground river, smiled:
"Melly's been pampered by her family since she was little, and my busyness leaves little time to teach her, making her helpless when seeing delicious food... hehe, she must have caused you a lot of trouble these days, didn't she?"
"Uncle Grandpa!"
Not expecting the Aquarius Director to spill her embarrassing secrets, the female cleaner blushed, then couldn't help but complain:
"Don't talk nonsense! I'm very ladylike after I'm full!"
"…"
Hearing her words, the Aquarius Director in the small mirror couldn't help but sigh, while Leon outside the mirror also couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.
Well, it's not a lie; after you're bursting with food, the 'Calm' bloodline does take the upper hand, and your demeanor is indeed very ladylike... However, given your monstrous appetite, how many times a year can you get full?
"Baltro Your Excellency!"
Taking a couple of deep breaths to hold back from making a sarcastic comment, Leon looked at the small, steam-covered mirror and requested in a deep voice:
"The steam over there is too dense for me to see your figure clearly. If possible, could you please wipe the mirror on your side?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing Leon's request, the Aquarius Director was slightly taken aback at first, but soon came to his senses and used his sleeve, dampened by the steam, to wipe the blurred mirror, apologizing with a slight hint of remorse:
"Before sharing such important information, confirming identity is definitely necessary... hehe, I'm getting old and didn't think of it, plus I see you very clearly from my side, so I didn't think to wipe it. My apologies."
Even after wiping, the mirror was still a bit blurry, but it was far better than before where the figure was so vague it was barely recognizable as human.
Through the female cleaner's small mirror, Leon examined the Aquarius Director's attire and appearance closely. Finding no significant issues, he couldn't help but let go a bit of the doubt in his heart and nodded slightly in apology:
"There's no need for apology; it's me who should apologize for being overly cautious earlier."
"No, no, being cautious is a virtue!"
The Aquarius Director in the small mirror seemed to highly appreciate Leon's actions, smiling and praising:
"To be an excellent Cleaner, talent isn't enough. You also need to learn to think a lot, and act with utmost caution.
Although little Melly has outstanding talent and reached the level of a Level 3 Cleaner by the age of just five or six, she's significantly lacking in this aspect, so I've always been hesitant to let her take on missions…"
"Uncle Grandpa!"
"Alright, alright, I'll stop!
Ahh… you've always been stubborn! Ever since you were little, you've been so stubborn. I told you not to eat scented candles, you insisted that since they smell sweet, they must taste sweet too, and then you forcefully unscrewed the candlestick, pulling out the candle inside…"
"Ahhh! Stop talking!"
"Huh? Can't mention that either?"
"Of course not!!!"
…
Perhaps I've been overthinking… have I?
Watching the blue-haired old man in the mirror getting scolded by Melly for speaking indiscreetly, Leon's suspicions eased slightly.
When the female cleaner got thoroughly upset and stopped speaking, pouting at the small mirror, temporarily putting aside his suspicion, Leon looked at the blue-haired old man in the mirror and directly prompted:
"Baltro Your Excellency, shouldn't you be discussing the issue with the underground hot river?"
"Oh, oh, sorry, after growing old, one develops a fondness for reminiscing about the past."
Laughing a bit awkwardly, the Aquarius Director in the mirror took on a slightly solemn expression and continued:
"What I wanted to inform you about is actually pretty similar to what the Central Office wants to inform you.
I've discovered that beneath Rehe City, within the hot river, a molten path leading to the Geocentric is hidden, and it seems that the Slaughter King Association has discovered this path before us. They appear to be planning to use this molten path to reach the Stone Marrow Realm located at the Geocentric!"
