Chapter 46: Some Gossip

“I don’t.” Although Ayen did not know what it was, he still answered without asking for its meaning to stop the conversation about it.

Since he was not truly interested, even if he knew.

Nolan expressed his regret but did not pursue the matter. Lucian’s phone began to receive an alert, and so he had to leave. And once again, they went to their work.

Again, just like Ayen, Nolan had not been alerted once. If it were others, they had long asked him about it, but not Ayen. He was not one to pry into others’ business, just as he did not want others to pry into his.

The snowstorm lasted for two days. The most dangerous cold beast had been dealt with by Renji before disappearing once more. He did not appear after that as though he had already left.

However, the fight continued fiercely. As soon as the snowstorm subsided, the cold beast gradually retreated, leaving the corpses of many of their kind behind.

Finally, the stronghold could take a deep breath. They survive one of the most intense cold beast tides in the Red Zone 21’s history.

That did not mean they could finally rest; the cleanup of the aftermath had only started. Corpses of the monsters, harvesting of mana cores, and tallying the injured and death toll… There were a lot of things to do.

Ayen had also helped organize the overall damage of the snowstorm and beast tide as part of his expertise. He could also be considered a longtime employee, and so his help was more than welcome.

Looking at the data, the damage was more serious than expected. The death toll had increased over a hundred. Most of them were civilians who died because of the cold rather than the espers and soldiers on the field.

It was already considerable for a stronghold that had over ten thousand total population. However, death was a normal sight in the red zone.

And just like the cold, it also numbed most of their feelings unless it was someone close to them. Some of the association staff called for a celebration, as it was considered a win.

Despite the intense cold beast tide and the half S-class cold beast that arrived, the stronghold remained standing, and the casualties were not so catastrophic.

Ayen also agreed to this point.

When he returned to the room after his shift, he happened to also meet Nolan, who had the same intention, on the elevator. Just like him, the other worked behind the desk rather than guiding espers on the field.

“Yo,” Nolan greeted, eyes about to close, and leaned his head on the wall.

Ayen had noticed that Nolan was not very used to administrative work. It was as though he was more of a field guide and spent more time guiding espers than someone like Ayen, stuck working on papers rather than doing his actual job.

Ayen acknowledged his greeting, and then they fell silent until they entered their room.

“Have you had dinner yet?” Nolan asked, lifting the paper bag in his hand. “If not, you can eat with me. I ordered a lot.”

Ayen removed his outer coat, leaving one, and answered.

“Sure.” He found it more comfortable to eat with others lately than to eat by himself.

Nolan put down the paper bag on a small table beside the window. The room was small, and beside the shared cabinet, beds, a small coat rack, and a small table, there was no other furniture inside.

Most of their things were only stored in their luggage or bags.

“Is it okay for me to wash up first?”

Nolan asked, getting his clothes from the cabinet. Although it was one shared cabinet, it had three big compartments that they managed to divide among themselves. It was not like Ayen needed it.

“You can go first.” Seeing Nolan looked too sleepy, and he might pass out before he managed to wash himself, Ayen agreed.

Nolan still gave a smile, opening the door of the bathroom. He suddenly stopped. “Ah, right. Lucian’s about to be discharged today.”

Hearing him, Ayen also remembered Lucian. It has been three days since the snowstorm ended. Lucian, like the other Guides, had exhibited their backlash symptoms by the end of it and had been admitted to the institute three days ago.

Unlike Ayen, who had unpredictable backlash, normal Guides actually knew their backlash unless it was from extreme cases that could threaten a Guide’s life.

Ayen was about to answer when the door opened. Speaking of the devil, Lucian had entered the room. The two glanced at him, and he was also taken aback by such a greeting.

“What?” Lucian removed his scarf and placed it on the coat rack at the side.

“We’re only talking about you,” Ayen answered.

“Eh? Gossiping about my absence?”

“Yeah. Glad you’re better now.” Nolan chuckled and entered the bathroom.

Ayen was actually worried that he might fall asleep there, so he stared at the bathroom door for a few moments before his gaze shifted back to Lucian.

“What are you talking about me?” Lucian asked, sitting on his bed. Most of the time, they only sat on their beds since nothing could be used otherwise.

“Nothing.” What could he say? Since there was indeed nothing.

Lucian stared at him, suspicious. And Ayen directly met his eyes.

“If it’s nothing, then it’s nothing.” Lucian gave in, as pressing Ayen would lead to nowhere.

They only knew each other for days, but seeing through each other’s personalities was not too hard.

“But, I have a gossip. Something I heard.”

This, too, Lucian did not look like it. However, he loves to gossip so much. He was not one to be a chatterbox, but he did become the loudest when he heard some news or rumors.

“What is it?” Nolan had already finished, not even three minutes inside the bathroom. He was already tightly clothed when he walked out.

He directly sat at the edge of his bed, facing Lucian.

Ayen was not too curious, but he still listened.

“I heard, Renji Kanzaki met the higher-ups here.”

Lucian was truly one who could hear things as important as that. Nolan and Ayen listened intently. Anything that was related to an S-class esper and a higher-up meeting always brought a certain amount of change.

At least, for this red zone.

Fortunately, Lucian was not one to talk about something and then tease the next events. He directly continued, looking eager even.

“They said it’s Renji who reached out to them.”

“Really?” Nolan intercepted, surprised. Ayen was also slightly surprised.

Lucian shrugged. “That I don’t know. But he seemed to be staying in this zone for a while. I don’t know how long. I also heard…” His voice lowered, as though afraid the man himself could hear. “He’s here, probably because of someone.”

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