Larwen took Shi Li to her study, leaving Liansisi behind to tidy up the kitchen.
"I heard from Liansisi that you have many questions about the Federation."
"And that you're also very interested in the Insect Race."
"It's remarkable for someone so young to be concerned with such matters." Larwen seemed to believe in encouraging education, starting right off with praise that completely flustered Shi Li.
No one had ever praised her so bluntly before.
She blushed shyly before getting into the zone.
"It's just that my home planet was attacked by monsters that crawled out of the Quicksand Cave, but the Federation never sent reinforcements. That's what made me think about this," Shi Li said. Her hands moved quickly as she first wrote out the meaning of the few words Larwen had marked in red, using the script of this world.
Then, she began to summarize the full sentences, bit by bit.
She pretended she was figuring it out through analysis, rather than being able to read it directly.
