manynovel Page 33
Page 33
Once you're dead... you have nothing left...
Robin...she will lose her mother forever...
The truth about O'Hara will be buried once again with their deaths...
What was the meaning of her persistence and her willingness to die?
Is it just to... find a way to end things with a clear conscience?
Seeing the intense struggle and wavering in her eyes, Liu Jiu knew that his words had had an effect.
He stopped pressuring her, simply maintaining the confined position to give her time to process it.
The room fell silent again.
The only sounds were their intertwined breaths and the pounding of Olvia's heart.
The chaos and struggle in Olvia's eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a bottomless weariness and... a hint of resigned compromise.
She slowly closed her eyes.
Her long eyelashes trembled fragilely, like a butterfly with broken wings.
A single, scalding tear finally slid down from the corner of her eye, following the path his fingertips had just traced, and dripped onto her clothes, spreading a small patch of dark color.
She took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes again, although pain still lingered in them, the resolute will to die had vanished.
She looked at Liu Jiu, her voice hoarse, carrying a sense of utter exhaustion:
"……I see."
She didn't say "stay," but those three words already represented her choice.
Seeing her finally soften, Liu Jiu slowly lowered his hand that had been supporting him against the wall.
The suffocating sense of oppression dissipated.
He took a step back, widening the distance between them again, and resumed his aloof and indifferent demeanor, as if the person who had just forcefully pinned her against the wall, stroked her cheek, and uttered words of "appreciation" was not him.
"As long as you know."
He said something casually, then turned around, walked back to the old chair, sat down, picked up his knife again, and continued wiping it.
It was as if everything that had just happened was just an insignificant interlude.
Olvia leaned against the cold wall, her body slid slightly, almost unable to stand.
She raised her hand and gently touched the cheek that he had just stroked; a slight coolness seemed to linger there.
My feelings were extremely complicated.
She slowly turned her head and looked at the door to the inner room.
Through the crack in the door, the faint breathing of her daughter, sounding peacefully asleep, could be heard.
she said to herself.
The days that followed seemed to flow slowly in the humid air of the island.
Olvia never mentioned returning to Ohara again. The struggle, despair, and Liu Jiu's cold yet scorching words from that night were etched deeply into her heart like a brand.
Once the choice is made, there's no going back.
Chapter 34 Robin's Request
The afternoon sun shone through the window lattice, casting quiet beams of light into the dusty air.
Robin closed a thick notebook in his hand, filled with speculations about ancient weapons, which he had secretly copied while in Ohara.
She looked up, her gaze first falling on Olvia, who was staring intently at a scroll of ancient text rubbings, before turning to Liu Jiu, who was sitting by the door, wiping the knife that seemed to never be finished.
She pursed her lips, as if she had made up her mind, put down her notebook, stood up, and walked to Liu Jiu.
Liu Jiu didn't stop wiping, but he raised his eyes and looked at her.
Robin tilted her little face up, her eyes filled with a cautious anticipation and a barely perceptible nervousness.
“Uncle,” she said softly, her voice unusually clear in the quiet room, “I…I want to go back to Ohara.”
As soon as he finished speaking, it seemed as if even the sound of dust settling could be clearly heard in the room.
Liu Jiu paused almost imperceptibly as he wiped the blade.
Olvia, sitting opposite him, froze, nearly dropping the rubbing in her hand. She abruptly looked up at Robin in disbelief, her heart gripping as if by an invisible hand, her face turning deathly pale.
Back to Ohara?!
She almost blurted out words of protest, but her throat seemed to be blocked, and she could only look at Liu Jiu anxiously, with a hint of pleading.
Liu Jiu put down the knife and coarse cloth in his hand.
He looked into Robin's clear yet resolute eyes and remained silent for a moment.
Then, he stretched out his large palm and gently placed it on Robin's head, stroking her soft black hair.
"Want to go back?" he asked, his voice still flat, revealing no emotion.
Robin felt the reassuring warmth and strength emanating from above his head and nodded vigorously.
"Hmm," she replied softly but clearly, "I want to... go back and take a look. There are some books... I haven't finished reading them yet. And there are some questions I'd like to ask the professors."
Her reason was simple: it was purely the yearning and longing of a child thirsting for knowledge for the sacred land of learning.
Olvia's heart clenched even tighter. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but when she met Liu Jiu's calm, unwavering eyes, she swallowed the words back. She could only grip her clothes tightly, her nails digging into her flesh.
Liu Jiu's gaze lingered on Robin's face for a few seconds, as if he were weighing something.
Robin looked at him nervously, waiting for his answer.
Finally, Liu Jiu slowly nodded.
Only one word.
Decisive and efficient.
Robin's eyes lit up instantly, and a surprised smile bloomed on his little face: "Thank you, Uncle!"
Olvia, on the other hand, was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning.
He... he actually agreed?!
He knew perfectly well what Ohara was about to face! He had so forcefully stopped him from going back that night! Why... why did he agree to Robin's request so easily now?!
The immense shock and bewilderment left her almost unable to think.
Liu Jiu didn't look at Olvia, but said to Robin, "Go pack your things."
"Mmm!" Robin responded happily, then turned and ran back to the inner room to pack up her precious books and notes.
Outside, only Liu Jiu and the stunned Olvia remained.
Olvia jumped to her feet and walked up to Liu Jiu, her voice trembling with excitement and fear: "Mr. Liu Jiu! How...how could you agree to her?! You know perfectly well that O'Hara is now..."
Liu Jiu raised his hand, interrupting her.
His gaze calmly fell upon the busy little figure in the inner room, his tone flat and even:
"She just wanted to go and look at some books and ask some questions."
“And,” he paused, turning his gaze to Olvia, his eyes deep, “I’m here.”
It was understated, yet it carried an undeniable and absolute confidence.
Therefore, there is no danger.
So she can do what she wants.
All of Olvia's questions and panicked words were abruptly shut down by these three words.
Looking at Liu Jiu's calm, almost indifferent face, she suddenly seemed to understand something.
He stopped himself from going back because going back would be suicide, a meaningless sacrifice.
He agreed to Robin's return because he could ensure her safety, and... this might be the last chance to fulfill a child's simple wish.
In his logic, purpose and result are far more important than process and form.
He didn't care about O'Hara's fate, or the lives or deaths of those scholars.
What he cares about is perhaps only Robin's wishes and safety.
Having figured this out, Olvia turned to look at Robin, who was excitedly packing his bags in the inner room, and felt a mix of emotions.
There was worry about her daughter's impending danger, fear of Liu Jiu's cold logic, and a hint of... envy that she herself was unwilling to admit.
Liu Jiu picked up his knife again and continued wiping it.
It was as if the decision just now was as ordinary as deciding whether to have fish or meat for dinner.
Soon, Robin came running out, carrying her bulging cloth bag.
"Uncle, Auntie, I'm all packed!"
Her face showed excitement and anticipation at the prospect of returning to the island.
Looking at her daughter's innocent smile, Olvia gradually felt relieved. Whatever the truth was, it was something she had to face.
Liu Jiu stood up and slung the knife behind his back.
Inside the Omniscient Tree Library, the atmosphere was as heavy as the deathly stillness before a storm.
Several elderly doctors, including Dr. Croba, are confronting a group of world government officials dressed in white suits and with blank expressions.
An invisible smoke of gunpowder filled the air.
"Stop your dangerous research immediately!" The lead CP official's voice was icy, carrying an unquestionable tone. "The Poneglyphs are taboo! Touching them is a challenge to the authority of the World Government!"
Dr. Croba stepped forward, his aged face filled with stubbornness and scholarly pride. He waved his arms excitedly: "Knowledge should not be buried! That hundred-year gap is a historical omission! We have a responsibility..."
"Shut up!" The official's expression changed drastically as he interrupted him sharply, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes. "Don't mention that blank century again! Your research has crossed the line! This is the final warning! Cease all operations and hand over all relevant documents!"
“Impossible!” another doctor retorted excitedly. “This is the culmination of our life’s work! It’s the path to the truth…”
"Shut up. I'm not asking for your opinions, I'm informing you. I'm having you taken away right now, and you can forget about mentioning that history again..."
Perhaps due to excessive tension, or perhaps because Dr. Croba's excited gesture was too close, the CP official in charge of communication suddenly trembled as his hand rested on the special communicator at his waist!