Chapter 1216

NO. 120: Different Paths, Same Destination

Eight minutes later, at the base gate of the Kazidaer Military Committee.

The youth who had picked up his girlfriend waved goodbye and saw off the demon girl whose smile always seemed somewhat ill‑intentioned, then, in a rather fortunate posture, caught a taxi that pulled up immediately.

"Are you bored?" he asked while fastening his girlfriend's seatbelt, then fastening his own.

"Isn't it unnecessary in the back seat?"

Although she had this doubt, she still didn't ask, didn't resist, and merely answered on that topic.

"No."

"Really?" the youth lifted his hand to smooth the girl's slightly messy hair ends, then, after sitting upright again, frowned slightly at the air before him.

The girl glanced at him, but merely continued: "She took me around a few commercial streets; the style of the Demon Realm District is quite interesting."

"Sounds really good."

In fact, in less than a second, the youth, whose composure had restored, raised his hand and, as if performing a trick, produced a chocolate‑bar snack and handed it to the girl.

"I was still worried that young lady might lose her temper."

"Hmm, she really does care about Telixiya's attitude," the girl said, opening the wrapper, pinching out two sticks, handing one to him, and asked, "Did you say something nice for her?"

"Although the chance was slim, I did mention it a couple of times," he said, taking the stick and placing it in his mouth, crossed his fingers on his knee and smiled, "That young lady looked pleased, like a parent."

"That's enough," the girl said, nodding, leaning sideways on the youth's shoulder, pulling out her phone, the same‑style chocolate bar swaying as she spoke, "Later Telixiya should praise her."

"You also know quite a bit about her?"

Catching a flash of red light sweeping past the window, he instinctively put his arm around the girl's shoulder, and the youth inevitably had to ask the driver amid the vehicle's violent shaking: "What level is this?"

"Level three, no problem— the magic energy tide level has been low these past few days, so you two can relax."

Having already twisted the tendril reins in his hand, the driver made the vehicle extend its wings and lift off, proving his words with action: "If you two had come half an hour earlier, you could even have avoided this much impact."

"But if you did that, you'd miss out on this business."

"Haha, exactly!" the driver's cheerful mouthparts opened and closed, "Customer, you know your stuff— for the magic energy tide zone you need to pick our vehicle type to be cost‑effective; others either fail inspection or charge too much. All right, I'm about to lower down— watch for bumps, I don't recommend eating right now, after all you have tongues."

"We're fine, go ahead."

"Good," the driver who respected the passengers' wishes immediately pressed the tendril reins in his hand, "Right, there should still be three ridge sections ahead, and I also don't recommend sleeping through them."

"Should we be redeveloping?" the youth asked.

"That's about right too— this year's number of companies has peaked, and everyone's been protesting."

"?"

"The Demon Realm District has a tradition of periodically redeveloping the city; if you look down from a high enough point, you'll see that the entire city is made up of a complete composite magic array." The youth, whose chin was itched by the trembling wolf ears, rubbed those ears.

Although it looked as if the landing vehicle's shaking had startled it, he knew this reaction was an outward sign of doubt.

Just as the little movements of a horse girl's ears and tail can reveal her mood, according to Aomo's observation, Qiena, Lapulande, Kesong, and even Miss Kong— these penguin logistics coworkers' animal traits truly reflect their owners' attitudes.

Likewise, the tails of Ling, Xi, Miss Shu, and others carry similar meaning.

By contrast, Lei Miule, Mositima, Yisi, and the Great Emperor are rather exceptional.

Setting aside True Angel, Helmet Man, and the Wicked Beast, Mositima, as a fallen angel with horns and more tail, can largely use her tail as a standard for judging emotion.

Unfortunately, it's unclear whether she's been trained for this or her emotions simply don't fluctuate much, but Aomo has never seen her tail swing.

By contrast, Aomo can definitely tell that Qiena has trained.

Her special origin and particular experiences let her intentionally control the state of her ears and tail, which showed in her actions when she first met Aomo, but in private she is evidently in another mode.

This lets Aomo explain things ahead of time without waiting for her to speak.

"Its function is very simple."

"Gather magic power, still magic power."

He waved the chocolate bar he was holding back and forth in front of Qielinena's raised eyes.

The next second, she snapped it off with a crack and shoved it into her mouth, and he didn't mind.

Such food‑snatching behavior is usually a polite exchange between them day‑to‑day; more aggressive than a straight break, and there are also pink‑tinged ways, but they're hard to replicate now.

Thus he continued: "In the Demon Realm District's air, demonic power constantly drifts; it's extremely dilute, and if left untreated it dissipates over time, only to be replenished by the overflow when other demons unleash their power, maintaining a waste‑and‑replenish cycle."

"And the Demon Realm District's array captures them, compresses them."

"With this array's intervention, magic power concentrates and settles in the urban area, even reaching the density of the age of gods; then, even if city residents don't deliberately cultivate, their physiques and magic power will rise toward the demonic standard."

After crunching through that half‑stick of Pocky with crack after crack, the girl lifted her head: "But I haven't seen it in the travel guide catalog."

"Because it's hard to advertise, its actual effect weakens year by year," he said, tightening his arms slightly as another jolt hit, glancing out the window at the red light spreading again like a substantive shockwave, "A large composite array must be sufficiently exquisite and precise to maintain its effect, and the ever‑increasing buildings are precisely what undermine that precision."

"It not only worsens the compression effect but also weakens the capture strength, and at this point—"

Aomo pulled out a pocky stick and held it horizontally before Qielienina's eyes.

"Encountering high-energy experiments at some corporate factories, or being disturbed and interfered with by magic released from powerful spellcasters."

"Don't play with food."

Before the magical energy could infuse and break it, Dekesas had already plucked it out and shoved it into his mouth, saying, "This is the magic energy tide, right?"

Even though her position is that of a vanguard, a melee fighter, she follows the path of the source-energy dual swordsman, so she naturally knows several basic phenomena of the energy flow process.

Having heard this far, how could she still not understand?

"Mm, that's right."

Aomo chewed on the pocky stick; although he wanted to pat her head in praise, Qiena was not Xi, so he not only shouldn't make such a slightly childish approving gesture, but he also loosened his grip after the vehicle landed again, allowing her to sit upright as they neared the destination.

After all, the district-level checkpoint was approaching, meaning there would be more outsiders.

Dekesas was usually not timid around people, but that didn't mean she was calm; on the contrary, in this regard she was among those with thin skin.

Especially when outsiders were present.

Although Xi was no better off, it was obvious that Miss Xi had abundant impulsive experience, and her thick-skinned aspect had been slowly strengthening.

By comparison, Miss Qielienina lagged far behind.

Only when the driver up front pretended not to see or hear did she, held in Aomo's arms, feel her heart racing—as if even more nervous than when she was in the bedroom being open with Aomo and Qian.

It was precisely because of this nervousness that she couldn't stay quiet and listen; not only did she frequently respond, but she also repeatedly made small movements to divert her attention.

Aomo, of course, couldn't help but notice.

Rather, his tail had unconsciously tapped his waist so many times, and he wasn't paralyzed—how could he not feel it?

One could only say he was a bit mischievous, enjoying seeing her act calm while actually tense; as their destination drew near, he felt a hint of reluctance to let go.

Just as Texas's face had stayed calm up to now, he too remained composed, giving a thoughtful explanation as if nothing were wrong:

«Since a hundred years ago, this phenomenon has already been defined as a type of meteorological disaster, with a dedicated observation department for forecasts and broadcasts. »

«In this observation, the higher the frequency, the more it can be seen as a sign. »

«What about the renovation? »

She asked while pulling another stick from the box in her hand and holding it in her mouth, presenting her usual calm and taciturn demeanor.

Seeing this, Aomo almost felt like launching a sudden attack.

But for now, he decided against it.

Do not act improperly!

Moreover, the other person is likely to get angry; even if they become boyfriend and girlfriend, that doesn't mean one can ignore the other's wishes and do as one pleases—what often looks like tacit approval merely raises the tolerance threshold.

But that threshold isn't for you to repeatedly test, like a great peng spreading its wings.

In short, let's talk after we get back home!

But before that, I'll probably have to walk a stretch with Yachen and the others… Aomo thought, while still answering: «Yes, rebuilding the city, re‑planning the magic circles—this is also why the cities in the Bode Demon Realm District often change. »

«Just like splitting the plots of a moving city…» Qielienna sighed, then suddenly recalled something and said: «Rhodes Island's predecessor was the Babel Tower; Telixiya was the founder of the Babel Tower. When I joined Rhodes Island, she was already one of the speakers of the Terra council over there, and she often appeared on Rhodes Island. I've spoken with her a few times—or rather, she came to find me—and she seems to enjoy the process of chatting with others. »

…This must be the earlier interrupted topic, Aomo took two seconds to realize why she was going on like this: earlier he had asked whether she knew Telixiya well.

«It's not strange that she enjoys it. »

«Chatting with different people, or rather the joy of communication, demons have many feelings about this. »

«So does she also chat with you? Is it work that's inconvenient to mention, or like me at first, being asked about everyday topics by her. »

«There's a bit of both, but only a bit. »

«Huh? Why…»

«Ah, thanks for the hard work, give me the magic rune code. » The driver's sudden call came together with the vehicle's silence.

«Ah, okay…… huh? Sir? »

«What a perceptive extra reward—goodbye, driver. »

«Dear customer, thank you for your generosity—I've always thought your soul is incredibly cool. »

«…Is this also why you've been unwilling to look? »

«Sorry, customer, my strength doesn't allow me to look directly at you. »

«No problem, no need to apologize. »

«…»

Qielienna, standing aside, eyed Aomo dubiously; seeing him bid farewell to the driver and turn back, she remarked with a subtle expression:

«The reason Telixiya and I only chatted a bit is pretty much the same. »

The reason Tè Lěi Xī Yā and I only chatted a little is about the same as this.