73 A Moment of Reflection

Without any major incidents, Linnaeus retrieved his made-to-order ring and its accompanying chain. He didn't particularly care for flair, as standing out rarely had any benefits, so the design was rather plain. Despite this, wearing the necklace stirred something inside him as, with the exception of his recently acquired Interspatial Ring; he never really owned anything like jewelry before...

As time progressively marched forward, the differences between the present Linnaeus and his past self became more extreme. His capabilities were steadily increasing and, with proper dieting, small changes had begun to occur within his body.

Though he may never become a mountain of a man like Krone, discarding the appearance of a weak and emaciated youth would save him a lot of trouble. If his looks could give his enemies a moment of pause, that was all he really needed to ensure victory or; at the very least, a slight advantage.

With his newly acquired necklace hidden behind the layers of his fur-laden clothes, Linnaeus made his way to the plaza where he had arranged to meet with everyone else. It didn't surprise him that he was the first to arrive so, with nothing better to do; he spent the interim period observing the flow of traffic and how people went about their daily lives...

If he watched closely, it was possible to distinguish between the actual residents of the Fifth Floor and those who were still aspiring to reach the top of the Crucible. There was a certain energy about the latter group, a palpable tension that created an invisible separation between them and the much happier floor residents.

Since he was considering expanding their Party into a Company, it was necessary to find people that were wholly focused on returning. His current members already lacked drive; seemingly content with staying on the Fifth Floor for the remainder of their days if it was necessary. Because of this, he really couldn't afford to scout anyone else with a lackadaisical mentality as it might be the catalyst for their Party's dissolution once they experienced a setback.

As things stood, Eliza was the main glue that held their Party together but; over time, Linnaeus felt as if he was slowly taking that position for himself. Eliza didn't care about returning to the Tower but, if he continued aiming for it, she would support him. This was the same for Emilia who, despite having the desire to return to the Tower herself; wasn't bothered by the possibility of failure.

Regardless of what happened, Emilia would continue to live life at her own pace. Though rare, there were other Vanargandr on the Fifth Floor so it wasn't impossible for her to join one of the existing tribes or, if she was confident in her own strength; build her own...

Krone was the one to care the least about reaching the top of the Crucible but, so long as Eliza had the intention of doing so, he would continue to support the Party. He was a very prideful man, one who simply couldn't part with his personal sense of honor. Thus, with Eliza supporting him, Linnaeus didn't have to worry about Krone betraying them as, before that, he would have to betray the thing that mattered the most to him...

---

About an hour before their agreed-upon meeting time, Linnaeus had the impression that someone was trying to sneak up and ambush him. Turning his head, he wasn't surprised to find Emilia trying to blend in with the flow of traffic; her ears perking up the moment he looked over.

With an expression that showed both approval and disappointment, Emilia stopped trying to mask her presence as she pranced over to Linnaeus' side. By the time she actually reached him, her usual smile had returned as she looked, sniffing the air for a brief moment before asking, "Are the others not here yet~?"

Shrugging his shoulders in response, Linnaeus followed up by answering, "It is still early. I'm certain they will be alone shortly...here."

Since Emilia was getting a mischievous glint in her eyes, Linnaeus whipped out a few interesting food items he had found during his exploration of the market. He had anticipated that Emilia would be the first to arrive so, in preparation, he prepared a fair amount of unique foodstuffs to keep her occupied.

Never one to refuse food, Emilia happily accepted the crepe-like article from Linnaeus' outstretched hand before plopping down next to him. This caused some of the males that had been eyeing her to give Linnaeus the stink eye but, after associating with Emilia for a few weeks, it no longer bothered him. Rather, it was when someone mistook him for a girl that things became truly troublesome.

Fortunately, after a haircut; giving him much shorter hair; it was a lot harder to mistake him as a female, at least compared to before. All he needed to do in order to deter most people that wanted to 'confirm' his gender was radiate a bit of bloodlust, spooking all but the most stouthearted and foolhardy individuals...

After taking a few rather sizeable bites of the meat-filled crepe, Emilia tilted her head adorably as she extended the aromatic article, asking, "Have you tried this? It is really good. You can take a bite if you want."

Since he had only purchased the goods to pacify Emilia, Linnaeus hadn't tried most of the food he had purchased. He was even content with low-quality foodstuffs but, if she was offering, he wasn't going to outright refuse. The smell attested to its rich flavor so, without hesitation, Linnaeus took a much smaller bite than the voracious Vanargandr, earing a happy smile from her in the process.

Though it was a bit greasy, the meat within the edible wrap was some of the most flavorful that he had ever experienced. It was a little spicy but, rather than being unpleasant, Linnaeus felt as if they were intended to encourage further consumption...

While Linnaeus was focused on the flavor and composition of the meat, Emilia had very different intentions. The flavor of what she ate didn't matter as much as the energy contained within so, while it tasted quite good, it didn't leave much of an impression. Rather, she had seen through Linnaeus' intentions from the start so; after he took a bite of her food, Emilia made a show of licking the area with her tongue, her scarlet eyes focused on him throughout the entire process.

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Understanding what she was trying to do, Linnaeus felt slightly exasperated but, as usual, it didn't really show on his face. He just stared back at her with a calm expression on his face, casually pulling out an apple from his Interspatial Ring to make it clear he hand no intention of taking a second bite.

With her ears drooping somewhat pathetically, Emilia finished up the remnants of her meal before turning her attention to their surroundings and asking, "Do you think people can really be happy to live in a place like this? I've never seen so many people living so close together, content with staying in one place for their entire lives. It is kind of weird..."

Linnaeus felt he wasn't the best person to ask about society at large but, with nothing better to do, conversing with Emilia didn't seem like a bad idea.

After ruminating over her words for a few moments, Linnaeus ultimately shrugged his shoulders and said, "I think they live like this in order to make their lives more convenient. It probably makes them feel safer as well; since they are less likely to be attacked if a lot of people stay in one place..."

Hearing Linnaeus' rather brief explanation, Emilia nodded her head in agreement as it wasn't all that different from her tribe. A large tribe was a status symbol and, as Linnaeus suggested, it became a lot easier to protect the younglings and pups when there were more people. Though the demand for resources increased exponentially, it was possible to maintain balance by sending off virile males to form new tribes with those who have returned victoriously from the Tower.

Though Linnaeus' words seemed to strike out the heart of the matter, Emilia still felt it was strange to stay in one place. If you experienced similar stimuli every day, life would become very boring and, if you never knew adventure and hardship, complacency would become your default state.

Emilia could see with her own eyes that the people around them were slightly plump and, judging by how they carried themselves, they were wholly unprepared for an attack. They also seemed to make compromises in order to maintain their convenient lives; leading to the very corruption that Linnaeus seemed so afraid of.

Back in the seemingly endless plains and expansive jungles, you would never have to worry about anything like a criminal organization or corrupt governors. The only thing anyone really cared about was the success of the tribe as a whole. While status and prestige were important, the best way to gain these things was to contribute to the tribe directly. Stockpiling wealth and suppressing others was a completely nonsensical idea as it seemed to invite trouble rather than promote unity.

After observing these things for herself, Emilia understood why her Ancestors had turned away from the Tower while nearly every other race congregated toward it. They lived fulfilling lives as explorers, hunters, and gourmands. This didn't seem to be the case within the megacity and, with what she had learned about the Slums, Emilia was absolutely certain that building a society that never moved only invited rot and stagnation...

If she didn't know they were separated by several hundred generations of distance, Emilia would have invited Linnaeus to come and join her tribe when they finally escaped the Tower. Now, part of her humored the idea of just forming a new tribe with him inside the Tower but, unless his sister and lover were in agreement, this would probably be very difficult.

Still, it was something to consider as, while Linnaeus may not see her in the same way; Emilia already treated him as a part of her family. Just as she would back in her own tribe, Emilia would protect him and do everything in her power to make sure they are successful. Since Linnaeus wholehearted put his all into protecting the things he cared about, she believed he would do the same for her...

With this thought crossing her mind, Emilia unashamedly leaned against Linnaeus, the side of her head resting against his. Though this clearly bothered him, Linnaeus was an inordinately tolerant person. So long as it didn't cross the line, he allowed them to behave as they please; just like how the more mature members of her tribe behaved towards those still learning.

This was another thing that Emilia had come to appreciate about Linnaeus as, instead of pushing others away, he was willing to suffer a bit of discomfort to strengthen the unity of the Party. If he really wanted to, Linnaeus would be able to scout other Vanargandr without too many issues. Once they realized the kind of person he was, they would naturally gravitate towards him as Vanargandr were a very communal species; one that relied on skinship and physical intimacy to strengthen their bonds...

---

Feeling Emilia lean against him, Linnaeus withheld a sigh, unaware of the thoughts running through her mind. She had a habit of sticking to Eliza as well so he knew it was largely due to her nature as a Vanargandr that compelled her to behave like this. So long as she didn't cross the line like before, he didn't really have the heart to push her away. Rather, the more time he spent with her and Eliza, the calmer he felt. It was like their presence filled a void within his heart, slowly turning him into a more complete person...