Novel Full Chapter 602 In Ansel's Eyes - III
The heavy knocking at the door interrupted Marlina’s words. Seraphina immediately frowned in displeasure and shouted, “Who is it? I’m busy!”
“Fe—Fenrir, big sister! It’s… it’s Faust, the legendary adventurer! He’s here to see you!”
Bang—
Seraphina instantly sprang from the chair, forgetting Marlina entirely. She leaped to the door in one bound, flung it open in a flurry, startling the lackey outside.
“Where is he? Where… where is he?”
Upon seeing that familiar face so close, the girl’s anxious voice instantly softened into compliance.
“O-okay!”
In a flash, Miss Fenrir forced herself to adopt a serious tone, shooing away her lackey while crossing her arms and raising her chin. “So, what do you want with me?” She struck a proud pose while peeking to see if her lackey had gone far. Once he disappeared at the end of the corridor, she immediately dropped her serious demeanor, grabbed Ansel’s wrist, and pulled him inside.
“Ansel, hehehe, Ansel!”
Just as she was about to leap onto Ansel for a bear hug, iron-gray particles coalesced before him, pressing Seraphina down.
“Ansel didn’t come here for you to whine,” Ravenna frowned. “Move aside.”
“Hmph, Ansel doesn’t even use that fake face with me anymore. None of your business.”
Seeing the two girls about to argue again, Ansel calmly looked over at Marlina, who stood quietly by the desk, and softly asked, “How have you been, Margarete?”
“I am well, Mr. Faust.”
“Why so much concern for your foolish sister?” Ravenna smirked. “It must be tough, right? Prison isn’t pleasant.”
“You’re joking, Miss Ravenna.”
Seraphina, puffing up indignantly, grabbed Ravenna. “Exactly, it’s not prison! I treat Marli very well! Every day I…”
“Alright, alright,” Ravenna sighed, “for Ansel’s sake, I won’t argue with you… here.”
She waved her hand, and a large iron box dropped into Seraphina’s hands.
The girl, startled by the box, looked at it suspiciously. “What’s this for?”
Ravenna’s gaze held a hint of disdain, but she explained its purpose and her intentions.
“…In short, that’s it.” After a brief explanation, she tilted her head slightly. “Should we deploy these in the lower district, according to Ansel’s wishes?”
“Yes! Absolutely, yes!”
As Marlina’s pupils slightly contracted and her gaze flickered, Seraphina’s eyes already sparkled with excitement. “Why wouldn’t we hurry up and install such wonderful things! You’re quite useful, you little runt!”
This time, since they had reached a consensus, Ravenna didn’t pay much attention to Seraphina’s words and merely said calmly, “I’ll bring all the purifiers tomorrow and show you how to install them properly.”
“Alright, alright… rest assured! Once these things are installed, I’ll make sure they’re well protected!”
Seraphina confidently patted her chest. “Anyone who dares to tamper with them, I’ll blow their head off!”
Ravenna quietly exhaled and turned to Ansel, who had remained silent. Her intuition and her rapport with Ansel told her that he still had something to say. But now, Ansel continued to smile without expressing his opinion. Was this Ansel’s tacit approval?
By now, Ravenna was sure that Ansel had no intention of deceiving her, and she felt her anxiety ease a little—
“Miss Ravenna, Miss Fenrir, could I trouble you both… to hear my thoughts?”
At that moment, Marlina, who had also remained silent, suddenly spoke up.
“…Oh? Ah! Yes, there’s Marli. She’s much smarter than I am,” Seraphina scratched her head as she realized. “Her opinions are definitely more meaningful.”
Ravenna nodded slightly. “Please, go ahead.”
“Thank you for your kindness,” Marlina said softly, bowing slightly. After a brief silence, she continued in a gentle tone, “I don’t believe the lower district of Dispute Fortress… is suitable for installing these devices.”
“…What?” “Huh?”
Although their words differed, the shock and confusion in the two girls’ voices were identical.
Only Ansel, standing quietly on one side, lightly tapped his arm, a glint of satisfaction and lament in his eyes.
Ravenna was the first to react. “Explain… why?”
Why?
Seeing Ravenna’s puzzled expression, a trace of bitterness surfaced in Marlina’s eyes.
Miss Ravenna, as brilliant a genius as you are, you can’t understand why?
Yes, after all, you are extraordinary beings.
The reason for not letting such devices appear in the lower district is quite simple.
Purifiers, unlike soil enhancers, won’t benefit one group while causing significant disruption to another. The lower district doesn’t even have sanitation workers.
But… it affects the adventurers’ entertainment, their “purification.”
The current state of the lower district is deliberately designed by Milo to be a place of misery for himself and other adventurers to rescue. This misery manifests in many ways, with the environment being just one aspect.
But even if it’s just one aspect… adventurers would not agree to have their “entertainment” tampered with.
Marlina organized her thoughts, figuring out how to explain this concretely yet subtly. She continued softly, “Taverns are incorporated into power structures, casinos fall under others’ control, and even toilets might be regulated… Miss Ravenna, the situation in the lower district is very complex.”
“Installing such a device is, of course, well-intentioned. But will you stay here indefinitely? Will Mr. Faust stay here indefinitely? After you both leave, who will manage and control these purifiers? When the residents of the lower district get used to fresh, healthy air, but the purifiers end up in the hands of dangerous rulers…
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won’t they suffer another form of control and oppression?”
“I…”
Ravenna was startled. She thought of Pelican City, the Pelican Merchant Guild, and the man who sacrificed everything for a chance to ascend to extraordinary status. A cold sweat broke out on her back.
How could she forget this? Oligarchs who monopolize new things and bring oppression and even slavery… if they can’t be restrained, they will indeed cause more destruction.
Marlina’s concerns went further. If Dispute Fortress takes control of such devices, it would make it easier for them to bestow “gifts” and manipulate the common people.
But she didn’t mention this to Ravenna and Seraphina. Saying such things to them, as extraordinary beings… would be offensive in Marlina’s eyes.
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