"Shun-oniichan, where are we going?" After following Shun for about ten minutes, Seele couldn't hold back any longer and asked. Kids her age generally didn't have much patience especially since Seele was a bit shy around strangers. The kidnapping incident back then had left her with quite a lot of psychological trauma.
"No idea." Shun answered honestly. This was his first time in the Sea of Quanta, and his experience here was probably less than Seele's, who had been here much longer. Right now he was just wandering around hoping to get lucky.
"Emmm…" Seele suddenly felt that Shun wasn't all that reliable. Though she still followed behind him, she was already frantically calling out to the other her in her heart.
"The other me, the other me, are you there?" Seele quickly used her signature jester opener on the other her. But unlike a simp and a goddess dynamic, in a way, it was the dark Seele who was the one simping.
"I'm here, I'm here don't call so many times. Just say what you want." The other her replied impatiently.
Seele didn't know what was going on. She felt like the other her was in a bad mood today. Normally she was very patient with her, but today her attitude was unusually irritable.
"The other me, are you in a bad mood today?" Seele decided to set aside the matter with Shun for now. Though he seemed a bit unreliable, just having someone to accompany her even if only walking behind was already good.
"Tch!" Hearing Seele's question, dark Seele unconsciously clicked her tongue. "Anyway, that's not something you need to worry about. I just remembered some things. Just keep following him."
Seele keenly noticed that the other her seemed to be changing the subject. But from the looks of it, the other her's off behavior today had something to do with Shun.
Seele jogged a few steps to catch up with Shun on a flat area and tugged at his sleeve.
Feeling his sleeve being pulled, Shun looked down at Seele. "What's wrong? Oh, still not reassured, huh? Don't worry we'll find one person first. He should be pretty easy to find here. Once we find him, we should be able to leave."
"Oh…" Seele had originally wanted to ask if Shun knew the other her, but hearing him say this, she suddenly didn't dare speak up. She was afraid of troubling him.
But could they really leave the Sea of Quanta? Hearing Shun's words, Seele temporarily set aside her earlier doubts, replaced instead by joy and anticipation.
As for who the person Shun wanted to find was? That went without saying it was naturally Kevin, who had been thrown into the Sea of Quanta over a thousand years ago by Su. Though it was more accurate to say it was Kevin's self-exile, a compromise he made to Su.
Because Project MANTIS failed and Project Stigma offered no hope, Kevin had considered starting the Stigmata Project ahead of schedule. But Su stopped him with his life, ultimately delaying the Stigmata Project until just before Finality.
Why did Shun want to find Kevin? The main reason was that he now counted as part of World Serpent. Finding Kevin meant finding a powerful shield. The waters of the Sea of Quanta ran too deep he needed the sense of security that came from being near the Emperor who had reigned alone for eternity.
Secondly, he wanted Kevin to send them back. Though Kevin appeared unable to return to the real world, with Kevin's power, tearing open a door back to the real world should be simple enough. As for the missing coordinates Shun had just come from the real world, so following the direction should work.
Finally, because both Gray Serpent and Hare had successively shown signs of already knowing him, Shun was extremely curious. How had he a guy who had only just transmigrated gotten connected to them? Perhaps finding Kevin would provide the answer.
But given Kevin's riddle-speaking nature, Shun didn't hold too much hope.
"Seele, did you know? Beasts have territorial awareness. Generally, weaker animals don't dare approach the territory of top predators like lions or tigers." While walking through the Sea of Quanta, Shun suddenly turned back to give Seele a little science lesson.
"Hm? Mm." Seele nodded. Though she didn't know why Shun was telling her this, she had actually read about this knowledge in books at the orphanage. She could at least play along as an attentive listener.
Shun continued: "And this can also apply to the Quantum Shadows that inhabit the Sea of Quanta. Seele, haven't you noticed? From earlier, the Quantum Shadows we've encountered have been getting fewer and fewer. That's the mark of a top predator nearby so most Quantum Shadows don't dare come close to this area."
"Eh, you're right." Seele thought about it and realized it was true. At the beginning, she and Shun had basically encountered a Quantum Shadow every half-minute or less. But now, it had been at least two and a half minutes without any.
"Also, I feel like the environment is getting colder." Seele was wearing a short skirt, with large areas of skin exposed to the air. If she hadn't grown up in Siberia with high cold resistance, she would probably be shivering by now. As for Shun, since he had been staying in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau area before, his clothes were all thick and warm.
Shun thought for a moment, took off his thick coat, and put it on Seele. Honestly, if Seele hadn't mentioned feeling cold, he wouldn't have thought of it. Was this what being a straight man was like? Unfortunately, having been single for twenty years, Shun hadn't had much practice but at least he wasn't completely oblivious. Better late than never.
Once Seele put on Shun's thick coat, she immediately felt much warmer. Her slender, soft hand silently reached out and took hold of the sturdy, heavy hand swinging in front of her.
Bronya: "Holy crap, there's a cow! I'm being NTR'd!"
Shun glanced at Seele in surprise, wanting to pat her head, but since his hand was being held by hers, he had to give up.
He continued explaining: "Don't worry the cold is normal. Cold means we're heading in the right direction."
At this point, someone might ask: Why was Shun so certain that the one they would find was Kevin and not some other Quantum Shadow comparable to Emperor-class or even Judgment-class?
First, in the plot, Seele did indeed encounter Kevin. If they could meet, it meant Seele and Kevin's distance couldn't be too great. And if the distance to Kevin wasn't too far, then there definitely wouldn't be any very strong Quantum Shadows nearby Kevin wouldn't allow anything that powerful to exist in his vicinity.
Therefore, the only being capable of giving off such an imposing aura had to be Kevin. And right now, they should have entered Kevin's domain. It wouldn't be long before they met him.
And Shun's guess was correct. Not far from them, a snake-like black shadow was watching him and Seele.
On a throne condensed from black profound ice, Kevin gazed at the pair walking together and fell into deep thought.
"Shun… Seele…"