"Yeah, yeah! You’re so amazing, miss! You killed the bad guys and saved us. You’re a great hero!"
The little girl said happily, tears from her earlier fear still streaking her face.
But now, her smile was completely genuine.
Stella Sterling paused, then burst out laughing. Those two words, "great hero," felt so out of place when applied to her.
After all, she was used to being cursed. Back at the Orilon Complex, people had called her a devil to her face, and even more had cursed her behind her back.
This was the first ti anyone had ever called her a good person.
’A good person...’ That word felt so foreign.
Seeing Stella Sterling laughing so heartily, the others around her began to smile as well.
In their hearts, Sterling was a true hero.
The hero who had saved them.
In the apocalypse, people were accustod to life and death. Many had grown numb, most just looked out for themselves, and no one went looking for trouble.
Even those with the power to help wouldn’t risk it.
Before they were saved, so others had already fallen victim to those brutes.
It wasn’t that others hadn’t passed by before.
But most had chosen to look the other way.
The few who couldn’t bear to watch and wanted to help either gave up, fearing the perpetrators’ backers, or they weren’t strong enough and ended up suffering the sa fate at the hands of those brutes.
Soone like Sterling, who was both powerful and willing to intervene, was a rare sight indeed.
They were all deeply grateful to Sterling.
After she finished laughing, Stella Sterling patted the little girl’s head again, a smile on her face. "I’m no good person, you know."
The little girl didn’t understand. All she saw was the gentle smile on the woman’s face. In her heart, she secretly vowed to one day beco soone just like her.
Soone who wouldn’t be bullied and could also help others.
Stella Sterling ruffled the girl’s hair. It had been a long ti since she’d seen such innocent eyes, so she chatted with the girl for a while.
All the while, the little boy watched nervously. He was worried, and a look of conflict flickered in his eyes, but in the end, he held his tongue and said nothing.
After chatting with the little girl for a bit, Stella Sterling returned her to her brother. "She’s adorable, but in this apocalypse, being too innocent and naive isn’t a good thing. You can’t protect her forever."
You won’t last long in the apocalypse if you’re too naive and innocent. That was Stella Sterling’s warning.
She believed the nine-year-old boy in front of her could understand. He had proven himself to be both smart and brave.
Without waiting for his reaction, Stella Sterling found a spot to rest.
Then she noticed Professor Lawrence, who had been quiet since they’d boarded, staring at the old man she had just brought on board.
As if sensing her gaze, Professor Lawrence looked over at her.
He gave Stella Sterling a nod.
Then his gaze returned to the old man, a puzzled look on his face.
But the old man—perhaps due to his age, poor health, and the recent shock—had fallen asleep shortly after boarding and didn’t notice the professor’s strange behavior.
Stella Sterling considered for a mont, then walked over and sat down beside Professor Lawrence. "Do you know him?"
Professor Lawrence nodded, then shook his head. "He looks a lot like an old friend of mine, but there are so big differences. I can’t be sure."
Then he looked at Stella Sterling. "Do you know what he did for a living?"
’This girl brought him along, so he must be useful to her. She probably knows who he was before all this.’
"An educator. A teacher, I’d guess."
Stella Sterling replied casually.
Hearing her answer, Professor Lawrence’s eyes flickered. Seeing his reaction, Stella Sterling asked with a smile, "So you really do know him?"
’If so, this old man’s identity probably isn’t so simple. How could an acquaintance of Professor Lawrence be an ordinary educator?’
"I’m still not sure. We’ll have to wait until he wakes up and ask him. But if he really is my old friend, then my dear girl, you’ve found yourself another treasure."
He said, looking at her with a hint of envy.
’This girl really is lucky. She just casually recruits a few people, and so many of them turn out to be talented.’
Stella Sterling didn’t seem surprised or particularly impressed. She simply said, "Even if he is, I’ve earned it. If I hadn’t been kind enough to save him, he’d be dead, no matter what kind of treasure he is."
"That’s true."
Professor Lawrence said with a smile and a nod.
He was now even more glad he had accepted Stella Sterling’s invitation to join her base.
’Her thods might be a bit unorthodox, but at least she has principles.’
’And principles are what matter...’
Stella Sterling added, "Besides, they’re the lucky ones for getting to join my base."
She was as confident and audacious as ever. But by now, Professor Lawrence had grown accustod to her way of speaking and remained calm. He just chid in, "Yes, yes. We’re the lucky ones."
The rest of the journey was smooth. Before long, they were back within the Mirefall Region, not far from Mount Caeluna.
Stella’s confidence had made Professor Lawrence incredibly curious about Caeluna the whole way.
They were almost there when, unexpectedly, they were set upon by robbers on the lake.
Tattered inflatable rafts blocked their path. Over twenty of them were lined up across the water, cutting off any way forward.
Each raft held two or three people, all of them brandishing large blades, forming a veritable wall of steel!
"Stop where you are! This is our territory! If you want to pass, leave your food behind!"
The speaker was a man on the only speedboat among the flotilla of rafts.
He stood at the prow of the speedboat, hands clasped behind his back, staring straight ahead.
He might have looked impressive, if you ignored the way his body wobbled unsteadily.
"Lake pirates? Seriously?"
Stella Sterling’s tone was mocking. She went out to assess the situation, followed by Shane Lawrence, a now-awake Paige Bell, and one other person.
Seeing people erge, the pirates grew bolder. "If you know what’s good for you, hand over your food and supplies! Otherwise, the blades in our hands aren’t just for show!"
As they shouted, they brandished their blades more fiercely, as if trying to intimidate them through sheer force.
"Trying to rob us, from Caeluna? They must have a death wish."
Shane Lawrence scoffed, looking at the n ahead as if they were a bunch of idiots.
Stella Sterling looked at them with a benevolent smile. "I’ll leave these guys to you. Any problem with that?"
"No problem, Sterling!"
The few people behind her replied in unison, their voices full of respect.
These pirates had just tried to rob them. They had picked the wrong target.
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