Chapter 447: 2.2 Main·Pinokangni (118)

"Zhigengniao shook his head with a solemn expression: 'I've also heard of what happened to the Astral Express Alliance. But as far as I know, there is no external interference in the family's affairs. Perhaps I've been away from home too long, and there are many things I cannot see. But no matter what, I cannot accept my hometown marching toward the opposite of Harmony under the banner of Harmony.'"

"To find out why the Clockmaker Mikhail broke with the family, and who exactly made the decision to betray… Mika, do you still remember our deal? Now is the time for me to give my answer——"

"The girl lifted her face; in her usually gentle eyes now flickered the reflection of blazing flames."

"——I am willing to give up, and no longer step onto the stage of the Harmony Grand Ceremony."

"——"

"Twin Cities War."

"In a newly built micro-light workshop in Zaun, Jin Keshi swung her legs as she sat on a rusted pipe. Seeing the usually well-behaved Zhigengniao make such a bold decision, she immediately took a keen interest in this young lady of a prestigious family."

"Whoa——!!" She dragged out her tone, the corners of her mouth stretching into an exaggerated arc: "This girl is really something! You say if her brother couldn't see her at the Harmony Grand Ceremony and knew she had let loose the whole family's doves…… hehe, what expression would Sunday's face show? hahahaha!"

"The fact is, there will be no expression——because Sunday would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen."

"Xieke sat not far from her, his remaining eye slightly narrowed. Zhigengniao's choice sent a very clear signal——she no longer wanted to be a pawn manipulated by others, but to become a player who could sway the situation of this game of Pinokangni."

"From pawn to player——Xieke, over the years he had managed Zaun, had witnessed countless people trying to make this kind of leap——most of them failed, and the reason was simple……because they could not see themselves clearly."

'"A canary raised by the family—what makes her think she can control her own fate?" Xieke's low voice carried a hint of amusement; he was pleased that Zhigengniao had this idea, and he also wanted to witness her clash with Sunday.'

"A fratricidal spectacle of siblings—no matter how many times he watched it, he never grew tired of it."

"Jin Keshi giggled, resting her chin on one hand as she looked down at Xieke: 'You say, will Sunday perhaps put some kind of 'shackle' on Zhigengniao, forcing her to perform on stage? And then the fireworks will 'boom——' and detonate Pinokangni's bombs!! Adding fuel to the fire for this sibling duo's performance!'"

'"That shouldn't happen—Zhigengniao is just a singer; her power isn't enough to oppose the family, so no extreme measures are needed. But this Sunday……" Xieke gave a low chuckle, "I'm afraid he'll go straight to settle accounts with the person who led his sister astray."'

"——"

'"At the other side of Liúmèng Jiāo, 11 system cycles before the opening of the Harmony Grand Ceremony."'

""……""

'"A little girl crouched in the shade, sunlight filtering through the leaves casting tiny specks of light on her palm. She held her breath, cupping her hands into a soft nest—inside curled a clump of grayish fluff, rising and falling faintly with each breath."'

'""Brother, look! There's a little bird here." She lowered her voice, afraid to disturb the little creature in her hands—the chick's feathers not yet full, as fragile and lively as leaf veins."'

'""Looks like a little Harmony Dove." The boy scratched his head, looking puzzled: "It's not near any Harmony Dove habitat—why is it alone here? Was it abandoned by its parents?"'"

'"It seems to have no strength at all… Let's find a soft pad and make a nest for it."'

'"The boy shook his head: "This place is too dangerous. Let's take it back first and put it on the wooden rack by your window."'

'"Sure, its song must be lovely. But where should it live?"'

'"I'll go ask the Family Head to build a cage for it."'

'"A cage…" the girl's voice fell a little, "…then it wouldn't be able to fly freely, would it?"'

'"At that moment, a gentle voice came from behind, interrupting the siblings' conversation: "Let me see… what could make the two finest interpreters of the God Lord so curious that they even forgot to taste the dessert after the meal?"'

'"After looking at the little bird in Zhigengniao's hands, the person let out a regretful sigh: "Oh… poor little thing, the situation looks grim. Do you want to save it?"'

'"The girl nodded: "I want to… but I think we shouldn't lock it up."'

'"Why?"'

'"Although it's still small, its feathers aren't fully grown and it can't sing… but it didn't break out of its shell to live in a cage. A bird… belongs to the sky from birth."'

"——"

"Labyrinth Meal."

'"But if we don't put it in a cage, won't it just fly away soon?"'

"By the campfire, Qierchake was chewing on a piece of sizzling, oily roasted meat, looking up at the white little bird as he ate and said: '…Compared to freedom, isn't life obviously more important? If it flies away, we might not be lucky enough to meet the Zhigengniao siblings again.'"

'"Baah baah! Totally wrong!" Malusier quickly retorted, "If we put the little bird in a cage, how is that any different from death? Wings that will never be used, a boring bird life you can see the end of at a glance!"'

'"Please, Malusier, you're not a bird—how can you impose human notions on birds?" Qierchake snorted, "Besides, how do you know the little bird doesn't like that cage life? A cage is safe and full of food; maybe this is a life many wild birds would die for."'

'"They have wings! Qierchake, if they can't fly all the time they'll surely become depressed!"'

'"Why not just build a bigger cage?" Qierchake sighed helplessly, pointing a finger at the ceiling of the labyrinth above: "Actually, the labyrinth is just a bigger cage, Malusier…… do you usually notice whether the monsters inside the labyrinth get depressed?"'

'"I……" Malusier was at a loss for words, her mouth open like a beached fish.'

'"Well… uh…" she stammered, her forehead almost steaming, "The monsters in the labyrinth and the little bird are different! They… they…" Suddenly her eyes lit up, "They're actually part of the labyrinth itself! Just like… just like fish don't think of leaving water! This is… ecology!"'

"At the crucial moment, she finally recalled the word Senxi often had on his lips."

"Seeing the two unable to agree, Leo suddenly interjected: "If we don't know whether the little bird should be caged, we could just eat it——"

'"Shut up!!"'

"Their simultaneous outburst startled Leo so much he nearly dropped his wooden bowl; seeing their opposition, he could only bury his face in the bowl again, muttering under his breath."

'"You're really that opposed to it……"