"It is no longer safe for the ethnic Neptunians to keep staying in Pluto. All ethnic Neptunians are afraid that the Sapphire genocide can also hit them, so they all flee to other countries. I know nothing, I just follow anyone because I have no family. Then, most of my fellows go to Jupiter. Somebody has acquaintances and they are the residents of Emerald. So, I go to Jupiter. And here I am."
"So... there are many ethnic Neptunians in here?!?"
Damien nods firmly. "Do you want to make acquaintance with them?"
"Yes, of course! Please introduce us to them. I'm delighted to hear that there are many people from my hometown in this very strange place!"
"You are here, just with your mother?"
"Yes."
"But why do you flee to Emerald if you don't have any acquaintances in here?"
"That's... errr..." Daphne tries her best to seek an excuse. But the time is too short for her to come up with the best excuse. "I... you know... I really like Jupiter movies... so when they asked about my preferable country... I just said I want to go to Jupiter!..."
Damien narrows his eyes. Daphne is very worried that Damien won't believe her since the reason indeed sounds so cliché.
"You like Jupiter?"
"Yeah... uh... yes...."
"After everything they've done to us?"
"Uh? Errr...."
"Don't say that you know nothing about everything the devil has done to destroy our country!"
"Eh?... It is Neptune who invades our country, then how can you say that?..."
"Because our country is allied with Jupiter. That's the reason why Neptune attacks Pluto!" Damien turns fiery. "You should know everything about it. Jupiter says they support us, that's a big lie. In fact, they fuel the war by inflaming our country's higher-ups who have a traitorous mentality, and send racist people from their country to satisfy their murderous desires by slaughtering us! Jupiter gives no help! If they really had such a benevolent heart as they lie in the Chronicle, a lot of Plutonians would surely live here? But the reality? Only rich people can live here!"
"But... you say, many ethnic Neptunians live here?..."
"They are here, is not because they are accepted here. No Jupiterians accept Pluto refugees because of purely feeling compassionate. They must have relatives or acquaintances here, they don't, because the other Neptunian fellow helps them, like me. Then they still struggle with the shelter problem."
"Eh? Then, do you struggle with the shelter problem? Are you sleeping on the street?!"
"No, my friends and I have a place to live."
"Thank goodness. I am just worried."
"Because we are all united to do something great."
"Huh?"
"Yes!" Damien stops his talk. He looks left and right first.
"What's wrong?!..." Since Daphne is also in a bad mood, her tension quickly escalates due to the strangeness of Damien's sudden act.
"It's not safe to talk here. We'll only talk about it through the ultra-cyber minipad."
"Don't worry. Here is Obsidian, most of them don't understand Jupiterian language, let alone Neptunian?..."
"Still... it's a dangerous topic. Who knows, the person standing next to us is a Jupiter cop, or even Chrono."
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"Ah, they're all Lismesan people, how come..." Yet Daphne can't help but agreed with Damien's fear. Stairmount is a member of Chrono, after all, and he is of ethnic Saturnian.
"Give me your ultra-cyber minipad number. I'll give you my ultra-cyber minipad number later. We'll communicate via MessageGroup after this. There, I'll tell you everything." Damien looks at Daphne and Mrs. Yalle, eyes sparking with seriousness.
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Daphne takes her ultra-cyber minipad. "My ultra-cyber number is still the same, Damien. You must still save it, right? I'll call you later..."
"No, my ultra-cyber minipad number is different. I'm now using Callisto's ultra-cyber minipad number. So, write down my number. And may I give you a suggestion. Both of you, change your current ultra-cyber minipad number, and if possible, change it with another country's number. Just in case Nature Continent or its cronies make trouble with us."
Daphne thinks for a while. That's not a bad idea at all, moreover Stairmount also says that they should not do direct contacts which can be traced by bad parties. "I want another country's ultra-cyber number minipad. But how do I buy it?"
"Then I will ask the fellowmen in the community to help you in buying it. Okay, so use your old number for the time being. Please transfer it to me once again, to make sure that your number saved in my phone book is correct."
Daphne passes her ultra-cyber minipad number to Damien's new number. The young man nods. "Later, I will get you in our community in the MessageGroup."
Tensed, Daphne bites her lip.
Damien's ultra-cyber minipad beeps. He picks it up. "Hello?... Alright. I'll be right there." He closes the ultra-cyber minipad. "I take my leave. I am here because I have an appointment. Just do any contact via MessageGroup." He nods respectfully to Mrs. Yalle. "See you later, Auntie."
"See you later." Daphne and Mrs. Yalle reply.
Damien quickly goes away, and soon disappears from view. Meanwhile, Mrs. Yalle asks her daughter, "When he asked you about acquaintances, why didn't you say you knew Mr. Rivers?"
"I don't know... it's just that, I had a sudden feeling that Damien wouldn't like Mr. Rivers... And he must be. He was really scared of Jupiter's authority, and did he say Chrono just now?" Daphne is stunned. "What actually do he and his community want to do to the extent that he must feel afraid? And more, he said that he is going to get us into his community? Actually, what kind of community is he going to get us in?..."
Mrs. Yalle replies, "I think we should tell Mr. Rivers about this."
"Is it a bad idea? This will make things worse, won't it? After all, Mr. Rivers is a member of Chrono."
Mrs. Yalle takes a deep breath. "Actually I don't like your fellow's community. What do they want to do, to be precise? If they are afraid of the Jupiter cops or Chrono organization, then they will do something that will lead to resistance to the Jupiter authority. And, by taking participating in their activities, it'll get Mr. Rivers into trouble. That's why I say we'd better tell Mr. Rivers about this. Mr. Rivers himself doesn't like Chrono, otherwise, how come Chrono now takes his parents as the captives? He won't do anything to harm you. Instead, by telling him, he will be able to protect you."
"Well..." Daphne purses her lips.
Her ultra-cyber minipad suddenly beeps. Daphne takes it, and reads the message. "Mr. Rivers has been back!" She exclaims slowly.
"Ah, really?! That's good!"
They immediately find Stairmount, who is now in his original disguise, standing a few dozen meters in front of them. Stairmount nods slowly, then he turns around. Daphne and Mrs. Yalle follow behind him.
Actually, Daphne really wants to run towards Stairmount and hold his hands tightly, even hugging him passionately. However she knows, she can't do it. Besides Stairmount's instructions to avoid direct contact, something has also emerged in Stairmount's facial expression which prevents her from doing that. Stairmount looks pale, and very depressed. As if he has been drowning in big trouble. Does... anything bad happen to Mr. Rivers' parents?!...
Stairmount takes them back to his house. Daphne realizes another weird thing from him. Stairmount's stride when he walks is similar to that of a severely depressed person who has great difficulty in moving his feet. And his back is stooped, like a very old man who is carrying a big burden.
Suddenly Stairmount lifts his body into straightened position; he looks left and right, and even up and down for a few times. The expression on his face becomes tensed, and his facial expression shows that he is scared to death. He seems to be afraid that someone is stalking them right at this moment.
Daphne can't restrain her tension any longer. "Um... Mr. Rivers..."
Stairmount makes no reply; he is done with his earlier strange activity, and now, he approaches the doorbell, thus presses it.
The door creaks open. A moment later, a middle-aged Lismesan woman appears from behind it. "Hello? Who are you?..."
"Mom, it's me, Schynn."
"Schy... nn...?..." The woman stares at Stairmount's face in Neptunian-like makeup, her eyes blinking in confusion.
"I'm in disguise, Mom."
"Ah! Oh, okay! Okay! You just startled Mom, Schynn! Come in!..." The woman who turns out to be Stairmount's mother is now staring at Daphne and Mrs. Yalle. "And... who are they, Schynn?"
"This is my friends. Mom, please go inside first. I'll explain everything after we are inside."
"Yes... yes... alright..." Completely confused, Stairmount's mother has no other choice but to follow her son. She also invites them into her house, and then closes the door.
Copyright © by boundless_universe