Vill-V adjusted the cryopod for a moment. The hatch slowly rose, and the white mist that supplied the body's needs spilled out, but Adult Griseo still showed no sign of waking up.
"That shouldn't be right."
There was a kind of inducer inside this cryopod that guided the person inside into hibernation. It could keep someone asleep for a very long time. After all, no matter how capable a person was of sleeping, they could not sleep for that long on their own.
Now that the cryopod had been opened, Griseo should have awakened.
"Hua, come over and use Fenghuang Down to check on Griseo," Mebius called to Hua, who was still standing there in a gloomy daze.
Koji did not intervene. This was something Fenghuang Down could resolve.
"Oh, right."
When Hua heard that something was wrong with Griseo, she put all those messy thoughts aside and came to Adult Griseo.
Hua took out a red feather and placed it against Adult Griseo's forehead.
Although Divine Keys were powerful weapons or tools, if one's compatibility with them was insufficient, they could not display their true power. Hua's compatibility with Fenghuang Down was extremely high.
She closed her eyes, and through Fenghuang Down, her consciousness entered Adult Griseo's body.
This operation carried danger. If she could not control it perfectly, it would harm not only herself, but also the other person.
No one grew impatient during the process. They simply waited for Hua to finish.
…
After some time, Hua opened her eyes and slowly nodded to everyone watching her.
"Mm…"
Adult Griseo let out a soft murmur. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Mama Aponia, little sister Elysia… everyone… It's so good to see you all again."
Her vision gradually became clear. Adult Griseo's eyes reddened slightly, and tears slid down her cheeks. She was smiling as she cried.
Just now, when Hua's consciousness entered her body, she had learned that the heroes had come. An incomparable joy filled her chest.
"Hehe, Griseo still remembers. Now I really am the little sister."
Elysia spoke with a giggling smile. Adult Griseo's figure and height were both outstanding enough that she could completely pass as Elysia's older sister.
"You really have no shame. You don't even think about your actual age before pretending to be young."
Mebius complained. Elysia's skin was truly thick.
"Grandma Mebius…"
Mebius: "…"
Hearing that extremely familiar form of address, Mebius could no longer smile. Elysia was called "little sister," but she herself was called "grandma."
Then she noticed the slightly mischievous look in Adult Griseo's eyes, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
It seemed that after all these years, even Griseo, who had once been as pure as a blank sheet of paper, had changed a little.
"Griseo, you're being a little naughty now," Mebius said faintly.
Little Griseo was still cuter.
Adult Griseo playfully stuck out her tongue. It had been so long since she had seen everyone, so she wanted to make a little joke.
Elysia secretly laughed. She had not expected Griseo to still remember the way of addressing people she had taught her back then. At the time, Elysia had said that if Griseo called Mebius "Grandma," Mebius would be very happy.
"Elysia, what are you laughing for? This is all because of you."
When Mebius saw Elysia secretly laughing, her irritation rose even higher. It was all because this pink fatty had led the innocent and adorable Griseo astray.
"Ehehe~?"
"Kosma, why are you so short now?"
Adult Griseo walked up to Kosma and compared their heights with her hand. Now that she had grown into a mature woman, she was actually a little taller than Kosma.
Kosma: "…"
Even someone like him found it hard to keep his expression steady after hearing that teasing, but he had no words to refute her. Griseo really had grown very tall.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Kosma remained silent. This version of Griseo seemed even harder to deal with.
Adult Griseo smiled. Kosma was still the same. He had not changed much at all. Then she crouched down and touched Little Griseo's cheek.
She had to admit, touching her own head felt rather peculiar.
"Hello, grown-up me. What color do you like?" Griseo asked curiously.
"The color I like…"
Adult Griseo froze slightly. She had not expected to be asked this question by herself. After thinking for a moment, she smiled and answered, "Any color is fine. Rich colors can make a painting come alive."
"Grown-up Griseo, do you know Vita?"
"A woman who looks a bit like Su," Koji added.
Su froze slightly. A woman who looked a lot like him? Surely not…
Kevin, rarely, became interested. After all, this was a woman who looked like Su. He was a little curious what she would be like.
"I've met her. Now that you mention it, she really does resemble Uncle Su a little."
Adult Griseo thought about it. Vita's appearance was somewhat similar to Su's, but Vita's colors made her a little displeased. After all, they were the colors of someone who lived purely for amusement.
"Su, if you could change your gender, no, wait, you wouldn't even need to. You'd look very pretty if you just put on women's clothing," Elysia said with a smile.
"Elysia, please don't make jokes like that," Su said helplessly.
Wearing women's clothing was absolutely impossible.
In the shadows, Vita sized Su up and revealed a strange smile. This long-haired, closed-eyed man really did look a little like her.
However, they were not the same kind of person. After all, Su did not have the attributes of someone who lived purely for amusement.
"Griseo, how did you spend all these years?" Aponia asked softly.
Adult Griseo thought for a moment and sighed. "It was truly very long. When I was awake, I painted. That let me temporarily forget the existence of loneliness."
Only when she was painting, when she poured her whole heart into it, could she feel a little less lonely and bored.
Aside from painting, she read the navigation logs. It was always just those few things. That kind of life was truly monotonous and dull.
"I'm sorry."
Kosma apologized. It was all because of him. Otherwise, Griseo could have been like Kevin and the others, arriving in the present fifty thousand years later. She would at least have had a few familiar people by her side, and would not have been as lonely as she was during that interstellar voyage.
"You don't need to apologize. I knew what you wanted to do, Kosma. If you had truly carried out the Ark Plan, you definitely would have been left with regrets."
Adult Griseo shook her head.
Kosma was a warrior. He would become a hero. Someone like that was not suited to carrying out the Ark Plan.
Adult Griseo's understanding made Kosma feel embarrassed.
In his view, the Ark Plan carried a sense of running away, so he had not wanted to execute it. Instead, he had wanted to join the battle, even while knowing that he would very likely die on the battlefield against the Herrscher of Finality.
And in the end, Griseo had gone in his place to carry out the Ark Plan, while his original body died in battle on the Moon.
(End of Chapter)
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