The Seven Mysteries (7)

"A serpent coiling around an apple tree...I think I heard about this somewhere..." Alexy mumbled.

"Really...you have heard about this symbol...what is it?" Paimon picked up what Alexy was saying.

"...I...can't remember..." Alexy said and shook his head.

"Do you know what this symbol means?" Chongyun showed the symbol to the ghost girl, who had calmed down after the influence of Vlad the evil spirit had worn off.

"No, I don't recognize it!" the ghost girl said and shook her head, "um...I'm calm now...so can you turn off the array around me?"

After receiving the answer, Chongyun looked at her, as if he was trying to find any trace of malice remaining in her.

"You still resent this school." he said

"Yes...but I won't harm people here. The people I resent were in my generation, right now they were either dead or old now. I don't have any malice feeling towards the principal, or teachers, or students, or anyone who work at this school now."

After the ghost girl said that, the talisman array around her disappeared.

"Thank you!"

"You don't need to thank me." Chongyun said as he turned around and threw a lot of talismans into the air. The talisman then flied to many locations of the school.

"These will serve at my eyes and ears in this school...If you commit any evil act, I will know right away and come to eradicate you."

"I understand." the ghost girl said.

<<7/7>>

<<Quest completed>>

<<Obtained: 1000 EXP, 200 primogems, 200 friendship EXP, 10,625 Moras>>

"But...but...she's still here!" Alexy said.

"I believe that she is no longer a threat."

"Paimon thinks so too. After all, the quest is "get rid of the danger", not eradicate the good-turned-evil spirit, right?" Paimon chimed in and smiled.

"Hmm...make sense."

Suddenly, Alexy felt someone pulling the sleeve of the hoodie he was wearing. He turned around and saw Klee with a sad face.

"Can we leave here now, Klee is not feeling good." Klee said.

"What's the matter?" Alexy crouched down and asked Klee.

"Klee does not feel good...the sickness comes from there." Klee said and pointed at the garbage heap.

"Oh yeah, Klee is an elf, so of course she does not feel good standing near trash...Alexy, you should have notice it sooner."

"Ah, sorry! Klee, let me return you to the system's dimension, ok?"

Klee nodded.

<<Klee is unsummoned>>

"Alright, let's leave here, I don't think we have any business to dally here any longer...YAWN..."

"YAWN...yes, let's return, I need to catch up with my sleep...let's have tea together next time in your leisure time, Cutie Pie!" said Lisa.

<<Lisa is unsummoned>>

"Good night, Alexy...ah, by the way, when you're free, I will teach you how to glide, ok?"

<<Amber is unsummoned>>

"Good night! If you need anything, please call me!"

<<Noelle is unsummoned>>

"I know you want to laugh, Kaeya!" Alexy said as he returned Cloud Retainer to the system's dimension.

"Hahaha...sorry, sorry, I envy you, Alexy!"

"Shut up, it's your turn now!"

"Wait a minute!"

"What is it?"

"I have something to ask the young miss here." Kaeya said pointed at the ghost girl.

"Really? What business do you have with her? I don't think you know her before!" Alexy looked at Kaeya with a suspicious look.

"Well, I just want to ask something related to your country."

"I can answer that."

"No, I want to know something before you were born."

"I learn history."

"It's about something beyond your current knowledge."

"Do you imply that I'm stupid?"

"Ahaha...that's not what I mean."

"Fine, you can ask her!" Alexy finally gave in and authorized Kaeya to speak with the ghost girl.

"What do you want to know?" the ghost girl asked Kaeya.

"When you told us your story, you said 'back in the '50 and '60', how many years ago was that?"

"Uh...let me see...my memory is a bit bad since I died, but that was probably...60 to 70 years ago." the ghost girl answered after thinking for some time.

"...Who is the President of the country back then?"

Hearing the question, Alexy began to listen to their conversation with more attentiveness, and was looking forward to the ghost girl's answer.

"...I did meet him a few times when he invited my father and me to a dinner at Griffin Palace...his name was Calvin...President Calvin..."

Hearing that, Alexy sighed with relief.

(Yeah, there is nothing wrong.) he thought.

"...But that name was in the past...I believe he now calls himself Dukakis...President Dukakis."

Hearing that, Alexy's heart nearly skipped a beat.

After getting the answer, Kaeya just smiled.

===

West Wing of the Griffin Palace

President Dukakis was sitting in front of a large screen, on which the faces of many world leaders were presented.

"President Dukakis, what the hell was that?" said the man in the center of the screen - the President of the United States.

"What is 'that', President Kirkman?"

"Don't feign ignorance, President Dukakis! You know what we are asking about. That freaking yellow cube appeared on the main street of your capital the other day, the thing that appeared after the mutated crocodile!!!

"We feel grateful that you told us about the mutated crocodile, we all are. But what is that cube, Mr. Dukakis? We demand to know, many of our citizens are living in your country and their lives were, or maybe are at risk." a woman in blue dress said in French voice.

"Sorry, everyone here, I can't say, it's our national security issue."

Before anyone could say more, Dukakis turned off the screen.

"My midnight snack ready?" Dukakis turned around and asked his secretary.

"Yes, Mr. President!"

"Then let's go eat!" Dukakis said and left the room, slamming the door behind him, before the secretary could follow him out.

The poor secretary could not do anything but sigh.

===

The White House

"Son of a b**ch!" said President Kirkman as he slammed his hand on the table.

===

Despite the dire situation between the most powerful men and women of the world, Alexy climbed on the tree and got back to his bedroom through the window.

"Phew, ~save~" Alexy was relief.

"Help me~"

Alexy turned around and saw Chongyun hanging between the tree's branch and the window.

"Wait, didn't you get back into the system's dimension?" Alexy said as he helped Chongyun get in.

"...Well, the trial time had ended and I joined your party..." Chongyun looked a little hurt because somehow, Alexy totally forgot him.

"But?"

"But, you, as the team leader, haven't given me the invitation so I can't return to the system's dimension because I'm neither a trial character nor one of your teammates." Chongyun said and scratched his head.

"Wait, the system didn't add you to my team automatically?"

"Yeah, because the system respects your final say, leader!" Paimon chimed in.

"You were beside me the whole time and you didn't say anything to me!!!"

"Well, but you kept spacing out, you must have something to worry, so Paimon did not want to disturb you."

"Hmm...fine..."

Alexy stopped paying attention to Paimon and turned to Chongyun.

"Chongyun, would you like to join my team?"

"Of course...but why are you holding out your hand?"

"Give me your hand!"

"Ok...woah...what are you doing?"

"This is called a handshake..."

Then Alexy went on to explain what a handshake is to Chongyun, while Paimon looked at them, smiling.

***

AR: 6 (1025/1500 EXP)

Primogem count: 510

Mora count: 40,300