Chapter 135: A False Peace
The maid lady was cooking. Ade looked at the happy family at the table and felt that he was most likely dreaming.
"… It's so awesome, I can't stand it." Lacus said with a slight blush, "I wonder what Lilith was thinking when she created him, do you guys think we should go ask Lilith?"
"Lilith is a beautiful woman in his eyes." C.C. squinted at Ade, "Besides, he was not like this before. At that time, even a casual touch would let him surrender. Luckily, his 'battery life' is still good, otherwise, I'm afraid that we had to divide the first experience into several times to complete."
"Mineva is there, what are you guys talking about!" Ange pouted in dissatisfaction and protested loudly, "Besides, he's just like that now, his stamina often can't keep up."
Lacus hid her mouth and laughed lightly as C.C. tsked in displeasure.
"I can't understand what you're talking about, please continue with your adult's topic." Mineva was held by Ade and sat on his lap, raising her head affectionately to rub his cheek, "Uncle Ade, it's time for you to shave!"
Lacus, Ange and C.C. were thus talking and laughing, occasionally teasing Mineva — even the harem ending of the gal game won't be better than that, right?
"Yet it's all an illusion." Ade thought sadly, "Everyone, including me, is acting."
C.C. said that these short-lived people would pass away soon or later, so she would reluctantly get along with them. Ange said she didn't want to embarrass Ade, so she would try hard to get along with everyone by restraining her disgust. As for Mineva, Ade could clearly sense her hostility towards everyone in her mind space.
As for Lacus, she was already in full actor mode, refusing to communicate with him on any deeper level of thought.
"The first time I had girls I liked, the first time I brought everyone together in harmony, it was clearly a double joy, so why did it turn out like this?" Ade rubbed Mineva's little head and tried to look happy, "It hurts my stomach."
After a while, Momoka finished making dinner and habitually stood behind Ange, and Ade habitually said to her, "Sit down and eat together."
"Your Highness Angelise." Momoka looked over at Ange out of habit, "May I?"
"Ade has said so, sit down together." Ange looked up in thought, "Why do I feel like this conversation happens every day."
Momoka did have to wait until Ade invited her to sit down before she would sit down, never on her own initiative. Ade has never seen anyone else do this either, as if everyone takes it for granted that the maids don't eat with their masters.
"Momoka, I say you might as well just sit down and eat with everyone every day." Ade suggested, "There's no need for me to say it over and over again every day."
"Is that an instruction?" Momoka cocked her head, "I'll carry it out if it is."
Ade sighed, "Forget it, it's nothing."
He probably understood Momoka's thinking. The existing instructions were to stand, and Ade's daily behavior was an invitation for her to disobey them. If it became a matter of making her sit down every day, it would be overwriting the old with new instructions. Although the behavior looks the same, the connotation is completely different.
There is a premise here that Momoka refuses to exercise her own subjective will.
Thanks to Lacus, Ade was able to understand this, because Lacus's behavior pattern had become the same as Momoka's these days — refusing to exercise her own subjective will. As long as he asked for or hinted something to Lacus, she would immediately respond according to his ideas, but never show her real ideas.
"Does she give up, does she refuse to believe anything I say?" He stole a glance at Lacus, who noticed his eyes and gave him an impeccable smile, "How am I going to show my true heart when the other person doubts my motives for everything I do?"
…
Stella jumped out of the cockpit of the Banshee Gundam and flew into Emma's arms, happily shouting her name, "Emma, Emma~"
As Scirocco said before, Stella can be used again after a few days of repair, and without the use of NT-D, there is no side effect of coma. Due to the active Banshee Gundam, TITANS has achieved quite pleasing results in the past few days. And as a great credit to TITANS, she was registered as a strategic material rather than a soldier.
Emma hugged the young girl hard with a complicated look. Stella actually had no special feelings for her, and this sense of closeness and trust was the result of a mental adjustment for easier control.
"Even the memories with lovers have been stripped away, just to become a better weapon to use." She thought indignantly, "And what am I considered? An accomplice?"
However, as long as she remained a part of TITANS, she could not disobey the military order. The next thing she had to do, although she was reluctant to do it, she could only do it.
"Stella, it's time for the treatment." Emma tried to make a pleasant face, "Shall we go?"
"Treatment …" Hearing these two words, Stella's pupils suddenly dilated, "Emma, I'm afraid …"
The terrified expression appeared on the young girl's face. She nervously grabbed Emma's arm, her body slightly trembled because of fear. But even so, the young girl still honestly followed Emma without resistance — this was the benefit of the mental adjustment.
"Captain Ray used his NT ability to help himself fight, and Dr. Lingus used his NT ability to push away the satellite to save the earth." Emma chanted silently as she walked, "In the hands of Colonel Scirocco, the NT ability becomes a medieval evil sorcery that plays with the mind."
She couldn't stop the mental damage Scirocco caused to Stella, but at least, she could protect Stella's safety as a woman, which is why she still insisted on this mission until now.
When she arrived at the treatment room, Scirocco was already waiting. The researcher skillfully strapped the girl to the restraint apparatus, then fed the drugs, injected and turned off the lights in one go, and in just a few minutes, Stella had begun to blur under the dual ravages of drugs and environment. The last would be done by Scirocco personally, using his strong NT ability to break through the girl's psychological defenses.
"This is the last time, Stella." Scirocco said in a good-natured manner, "Just say it all, and then you won't have to bear this kind of thing, and you will be free forever."
He needed both Stella to forget about the past, but also needed her to recall the past to provide useful information, the completely contradictory purpose led to the entire inquiry process being split into many small segments, otherwise, Stella would be in danger of a mental breakdown.
"The last … time?" Stella's eyes drooped listlessly, her tone dripping with a sense of anticipation, "No need… for treatment?"
"Yes, no need for treatment, as long as you tell me all this time." Scirocco's voice was like a demonic whisper, "Stella, tell me, who are the people who didn't get on board?"
"Didn't get on board… what board…" Stella's brow furrowed as she desperately searched inside a memory that shouldn't exist, "Dr… Lacus… Audrey… Cagalli… and, and …"
Generally, sticking like this means that she couldn't provide any useful information anymore. The current answer is enough, so Scirocco resolutely changed the question, "Does Shinn Asuka and Lingus have a good relationship?"
"Shinn… Asuka…?" Stella suddenly struggled fiercely, "Shinn, Shinn! Shinn!"
This issue is very important and can not be skipped. Even if it will cause some damage, it doesn't matter now. Scirocco directly attacked Stella with his mental power, and the girl let out a scream and fell silent. Then the researcher gave Stella a shot under the instructions of Scirocco, and the girl woke up in a daze after tens of seconds.
Emma peeked at the expressionless Scirocco and turned her head away.
"I'll ask again, this may be the last question, after answering it, there will be no more treatment." Scirocco took out that baiting accent again, "Does Shinn Asuka have a good relationship with Adrien Lingus?"
Stella looked like her soul was out of the body for a while before she slowly replied, "The Doctor and Shinn have a good relationship, Mayu said that Shinn was like a personal disciple of the Doctor… What does personal disciple mean?"
Scirocco smiled in satisfaction at the words. He gestured to the doctor and Emma to take care of the aftermath, and left the room with a big stride. He had an appointment with TITANS's biggest sponsor, Guin Sard Rhineford, and he couldn't be late as the one who asked for it.
The Earth Federation was in the driver's seat, and he had even contacted Schneizel privately. Schneizel hinted that he himself did not want to go to war, and that this was all the result of the old Charles' insistence. According to Scirocco's analysis, the internal situation in Britannia had almost reached an irreconcilable stage, and Schneizel was likely to make a coup because of his attitude toward the war.
"As long as we can support until Schneizel launches a rebellion… the problem is that TITANS's financials couldn't last so long. Then it will become the losers of the Federation army who pick the fruits of victory." Scirocco grunted in displeasure, "This kind of thing can not be allowed to happen in any case, how can a genius like me be subject to mediocrities?"
He flew to Rhineford's mansion in a private craft, entered the parlor alone, guided by a servant, and waited a while longer for Rhineford to arrive. The two men exchanged pleasantries with a leathery smile, and Scirocco could tell that the other man's attention was not actually here.
"Sir Rhineford, you don't seem too optimistic about the current state of TITANS." Scirocco opened the door and said, "I hope that our cooperation will still be as close as before."
"Since you say so, colonel, I'll be straightforward." Rhineford relaxed and sat down, finding a comfortable position, "I don't want to invest money in a project that I know will lose money."
"Oh?" Scirocco made an interested look, "Care to elaborate?"
"For the sake of all the years we've worked together, I can reveal something that I shouldn't have said." Rhineford looked at Scirocco regretfully, "Bright Noa's rise has been unstoppable, there are people in the civil society giving Londo Bell all the momentum, Quattro Bajeena in the council and the military ministry has done a tandem of forces you can't imagine, and most importantly, his battle record from the One Year War to now is overwhelming. Even Celestial Being, which TITANS can't do anything about, he's repelled them several times."
"Repelled them?" Scirocco let out a loud laugh as if he had heard something comical, "Lingus is worthy of being a genius, his self-directed script is seamless. The Council's losers all think it's a repel?"
"Celestial Being was self-directed by Lingus? To prop up Bright Noa to the top?" Rhineford immediately understood the subtext inside, "True or false is meaningless. With Lingus's status, even if you have evidence, he can deny all of them. You have no chance."
"Time will prove if I still have a chance. You just need to provide funds as usual." Scirocco calmly stopped Rhineford's question with a look, "You give me the money, I give you Loran Cehack."
Rhineford sat on the couch and froze for five seconds, then stood up haughtily and looked at Scirocco incredulously, "What did you say?!"
"You've always wanted Prince Loran, am I right?" Scirocco looked smugly at the other party, "You can simply understand that I am going to kidnap Loran Cehack, and how much you are willing to pay to ransom him back?"
"You are not to hurt him!" Rhineford shouted excitedly.
"I'll just trade him with you for money, and I can guarantee his safety." Scirocco laughed derisively, "It's up to you if you want to hurt him, don't you? Do you want to hurt him?"
"But, but …" Rhineford's face turned red, "What about the Lunar government's retaliation? What's going to happen to Lingus' revenge?"
"Moonlight Butterfly has been scrapped as far as I can surmise. They may have other superweapons, but won't be at the same level with Moonlight Butterfly." Scirocco snorted disdainfully, "As for Lingus, huh, would I leave room for him to fight back?"
Rhineford gulped and paced in place, whispering "Laura" over and over again. Scirocco just looked at him in silence. After a few minutes, Rhineford finally stopped. He walked up to Scirocco and stared him in the eyes, "How much?"
Scirocco grinned, "How much do you think Loran Cehack is worth?"
"Deal!" Rhineford took a few deep breaths to calm his body, which was shaking a bit from excitement, and asked with great interest, "Can I do anything for you? You can use the power of the Rhineford family."
"That's a great coincidence, there's just something I need your help with." A winning smile appeared on Scirocco's face, he was waiting for this, "Among the significant shareholders of Anaheim, who are distant from TITANS? Is there anyone you know better?"
"No one I really know very much, but there is a staff member who can be used." Rhineford thought for a moment and replied, "One of Corner's favored staff took advantage of the war and was very active in private, and made a lot of information transactions with me."
"The handlers are better than the rightful owner. They don't worry too much when doing deals." Scirocco nodded with great satisfaction, "Betrayal for profit is always the choice of the wise."
"Speaking of which, this man looks very similar to Amuro Ray, I remember that his full name was called—" Rhineford recalled, "Ribbons Almark."
