She Is a Pitiful Child （2）

Linden understood. He kissed her forehead, and Seraphina continued, "Let's just live like this, getting by. Living with me must be boring, right? What was your life like before?"

"I mostly worked on the second underground level," Linden said. "It was chaotic there, with a lot of dirty dealings. I used to think living on the upper levels would be much better, but now I'm not so sure."

"In your heart, do you think I live in pain?" Seraphina asked, giving a self-deprecating smile.

"At least... you're not happy," Linden said carefully.

"Happiness is not a necessity for high-level humans," Seraphina said, looking up. "We just need to do our jobs well."

High-level humans' happiness is still very animalistic, driven by desires like food and sex. Mentally, these people have fully studied human history, including multiple world wars and near-extinction events. Many know a lot, but it all seems meaningless now.