Stray

Nemo shuddered.

He still remembered the appearance of Vincent Town— The soft-toned houses, the carefully tended flower beds, and the atmosphere of life that permeated every corner of the town. Although the clothes of the people who come and go aren’t bright, they were mostly neat and tidy. They talk in a lingua franca with a strong accent and kept their voices down when they were close. The town was indeed clearly marked on every map with ink.

“This is impossible,” he murmured. “Melody mentioned that people can’t hear the Bluebird song… Vincent Town is a town recognized by Willard, and they are legal citizens of Willard.” This text is hosted at novel·fire.net

“Just like the opening remarks of a fairytale, this is a story a long time ago— A long time ago. But I don’t like telling stories and you’re not children with insomnia.” Jesse dragged his tone as is bored. “I only need one answer. Do you want to help? Don’t be nervous. I don’t need you to crush any earth-shattering conspiracy, and of course I won’t ask you to save everyone. It’s enough that these little birds do not go extinct— That is, as long as one male and one female are guaranteed to live. Isn’t this a very low requirement? Of course, if you want to give up, I won’t stop you.”

“Three days.” Oliver pondered for a moment. “Give us three days. We need to make sure you’re not lying. Before that, let’s… maintain a cooperative relationship.”

“Then I’ll take it as your consent.” Jesse glanced at their faces and gave each of them a triumphant smile, then turned his back contentedly and swayed towards the direction of the tree hole. “I believe you need some time to digest… When you want to see Pasototu, just come directly to the tree hole to find me. The weather is so fine today that I want to take a nap.”

The Bluebirds looked at them from a distance and whispered like soft choruses. Nemo was almost distracted by the wonderful music again. He tried his best to turn his attention back to his companions.

“You’re going to wade in muddy waters again,” Ann said quietly. Unlike last time, there was no dissatisfaction in her tone now.

“We can’t believe everything Jesse Dylan says.” Oliver shook his head. “But one thing is true… at least Melody is still our mission target right now, and she may want to know the truth. As Nemo said, we’re likely to fail this mission, and staying a few more days won’t affect anything.”