There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 587 - 581. Inquiries

Chapter 587: Chapter 581. Inquiries

Bassena’s retelling went over the cooking time and spilled during dinner as they ate with the others at what the personnel called the ’executive table’. Perhaps because Tian Yu suddenly gushed about robots and mobile suits nostalgically, and the youngsters had no heart to stop him.

"Didn’t you say you’re just trying to take a look?" Zein narrowed his eyes. Why did it turn into a cleaning operation instead?

"Well, yeah...but Grandpa needs to take a look at the island to swap the bridge later," Bassena shrugged in defense, totally omitting the part where he was laughing happily inside the deadly rollercoaster. "It wasn’t like we could drop undetected like Joon, so we might as well cause confusion and do some cleaning," he added quickly for good measure. "Isn’t it better for us if the Fallen Star uses more of Its power to spawn more beasts by generating mass dungeons again?"

"Well..."

That was true. Since the last attempt proved to be futile, the Fallen Star would probably only summon the dungeons around the lake to generate more minions. But even if dungeons were to spawn around their camp again, they had enough manpower to handle it aside from the ones still on their way.

"And we need to test the reaction," Bassena snapped his fingers and pulled a screen connected to the watchtower’s surveillance camera that showed nothing in the canyon but rocks. "See; now we know they really aren’t chasing us past some point."

"Even though you basically annihilate the ground troops?"

"But we’re only two people," Bassena smirked. "Not really a siege battle, isn’t it?"

Although the two people were definitely almost comparable to the whole troops. But it was probably too confusing for the enemies with just two humans in the middle of a chaotic battle.

"We also deliberately avoided touching the lake," Bassena added.

"I see..." Zein nodded. The Fallen Star probably thought the outer ring of defense was easily replaceable anyway. "Did you get anything else?"

Bassena smirked and made a gun with his fingers. "We get an energy beam--pew, pew!"

"Oh! And? And?" Han Shin suddenly got excited.

"Do you even need to ask?" Bassena spread his arms. "Do we look like half-cooked squid?"

"Hey!" Zein slapped the back of the platinum head, prompting a chuckle from the rest of the table.

"Hehe...I’m sorry," Bassena grinned. It seemed like the dopamine rush from the evening adventure persisted. "Anyway, what do you think, Gramps? Haven’t got the time to ask earlier."

The attention shifted to the old man, who took his time to finish his last bite before replying. He put his chopsticks down and stroked his bearded chin solemnly, prompting the others to focus even more.

"Hmm...when I heard about it from Zein, it was hard to believe, but..." the black eyes grew deeper as he recalled the event when a shot of energy came out without warning from the island. "It really came in a split second. How did you even detect it before?"

Tian Yu looked at Zein in a mix of intrigue and amazement. Even for him, it would be hard to detect the attack if it wasn’t for his almost passive warning system that automatically detected abnormal readings in the environment. He knew now why no one could react to it in a timely manner during the desert battle.

Which made what Zein did even more incredible.

But the guide himself didn’t seem to think what he did was any special, judging from the nonchalant reply. "The Fallen Star used corrupted energy, but the root of the power is still the same cosmic energy as the one used by the shards."

The others nodded as if it was the most reasonable answer and Tian Yu looked at Zein with narrowed eyes. He chose to swallow his inquiries for now, however.

"Anyway, it means Grandpa’s shield can defend against the beam fine, right?" Han Shin asked with sparkling eyes.

Tian Yu blinked at the contagious calling--since when did he gain so many grandchildren? Not that it felt unpleasant. He cleared his throat and replied with a strange proud sensation. "Ahem--of course."

"The important thing is that Grandpa can detect it right on time," Bassena raised his index finger.

"Nice, nice," Han Shin nodded and drummed softly on the dining table. "What about the swap thingy? Is the distance okay, Grandpa?"

"Uhh...yeah..."

"Yaay!" Han Shin raised his arms in the air joyfully--perhaps because he was the one who threw the idea of using a swap on a bridge to cross the lake. "Ah, the materials for the bridge are on its way."

"Good,"

A series of satisfied and relieved exclaims could be heard around the table. They continued to talk about the plan forward while finishing their meal. At the end of the dinner, however, Tian Yu softly asked for Zein’s personal time.

"Zein, let’s have some tea," the old man asked dryly, gesturing toward the direction of his tent.

As if he knew it would happen already, Zein nodded and replied calmly. "Sure," he glanced at Bassena and waved his hand to let the esper know he would be away for a bit.

Unlike the youngsters who cared deeply about how fast they could reach the food ahead of the others, the old man preferred a place similar to his house; away from the crowd and in a higher ground. A small hill where he could see the auditorium clearly was perfect, although it took a bit more walking--perfect for digestion and a small chat.

"Did you have fun?" Zein asked to break the silence as they climbed the hill. He knew Bassena was having fun, but who knew if it catered to the older generation’s taste?

"I did," the old man replied with an amused smile. Glancing at the smirking guide, he added softly. "You chose well."

That wasn’t something Zein expected to hear from the old man, so a brief chuckle escaped his lips. It made him strangely happy that someone had approved of his boyfriend. "I need someone strong," he said with curled lips.

"That’s the right way to go," Tian Yu nodded.

"And cute."

"...it’s debatable, but I respect your vision."

"Pfft--" Zein muffled his laugh at the delayed answer while entering the old man’s tent.

He had no idea how, but Radia had managed to provide a tent with a similar aesthetic to the old man’s house. Although it was called a ’tent’, it looked like a log cabin on the inside, complete with a raised platform with a low table and sitting cushions. A shelf with a tray of tea sets as well as a traditional stove with a kettle on top, which the old man immediately used to brew some water.

Oh, they really were going to have some tea--Zein chuckled inwardly as he took a seat on one side of the table. It reminded him of the first time he met the old man on that mountain. Somehow, it brought the same sense of peace at that time, as if they were cut off from the rest of the world.

Perhaps he should visit the old man’s tent more often in the future.

But he only let himself drown in the momentary peace for a minute, lest there would be an esper sulking for waiting too long. As the water was boiled, he struck the point without hesitation. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"You should at least let me brew it..." Tian Yu sighed.

"I’m asking because of the brewing time."

"This cheeky kid..."

The old man took the kettle off the stove and poured the hot water into the teapot. As the leaves danced around the pot and slowly steeping, the old man finally opened his mouth.

"I’ve been meaning to ask, but I haven’t got the right time before," Tian Yu poured the remaining hot water into the empty cups to rinse and warm them. "The way you converse with the shards and all about this cosmic energy...it’s something that only you are able to do."

Placing the kettle back into the turned-off stove, Tian Yu looked at Zein solemnly. "What exactly are you?"

Zein smiled inwardly. He had already expected such a question to come out sooner or later. If anything, it was weirder that no one had asked him openly about it before, as if there was a tacit agreement that they should never bring the topic in front of Zein.

He wondered about it for a few seconds, but his silence seemed to be interpreted differently by the old man.

"Well, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, it’s just..." Tian Yu pondered for the right words while watching the dancing tea leaves. "Let’s just say that it’s an old man’s curiosity."

Zein chuckled at how the old man seemed to be dancing with his tongue just like those tea leaves. "There’s nothing complicated about it," Zein shrugged. "I can converse with the shard because I’m the same as them."

"...what?"

Tian Yu frowned. He almost thought that Zein was just being roundabout in his rejection of answering the inquiry, but then the guide tapped the back of his neck. "Did you see the mark on my nape?"

It wasn’t very visible due to the mask’s strap and the uniform’s collar, but sometimes people could see the sneaking image peeking out when Zein took off his mask or only wearing a workout shirt.

Tian Yu himself had seen it during their first meeting, so he nodded. "Yes."

"What do you think it is?"

"Tattoo?" the old man muttered while stroking his beard. He knew people in the red-zone got tattoos all the time as a guild’s brand, but...when he looked at Zein, the guide didn’t seem to be the kind who wanted to be associated with a guild. "No...a deity brand? A stigma?"

When he raised his head, the old man saw the subtle smile on Zein’s face. But a deity brand on a guide, not esper? Tian Yu frowned and asked after preparing his heart. "Who?"

Zein felt the answer came out easier this time. "Setnath."

Tian Yu had expected the answer to be one of the Goddess overseeing the Temples. He thought it might be Frejya, who went as far as sending Her templars to fetch Zein while in his territory.

But who was it now? Setnath?

The core of every Towers and Temples? That Setnath?

"I am the same as those shards," Zein smiled with his lips, but the blue eyes were as deep as ever. "I am a fragment of Setnath."

The old man blinked; his hand paused in the air, neglecting his beard. Neglecting his overly steeped tea.