Chapter 79: Leave Tianqin
"You are here for Clerk No. 44, right?"
When Gerard heard these words from Carol, his whole body stiffened and his eyes were full of disbelief.
He really knew it, he really knew it!
Gerard subconsciously took a step towards Carol: "Carol, you..."
Carol raised her hand to stop Jellal from going forward. Jellal saw a hint of hesitation in Carol's eyes, but he did not explain anything immediately. Instead, he raised his hand to signal the customers who were still queuing behind Jellal: "Sorry, Sir Jellal, I'm still working."
Carol's reaction made Gerard feel a little uneasy again, but when he looked back, he saw that there were indeed quite a few guests behind him, and most of them were the ones who had just given up their seats to him, and were now looking at him with curiosity and dissatisfaction.
Gerald could only nod, "Okay, I'll wait for you here."
Carol hesitated for a moment at this request, but did not refuse. She just nodded and looked behind Gerald: "Next."
Gerard waited on the side.
After that, Carol was as focused on her work as before, and didn't even look at Jellal, as if Jellal didn't exist.
"Obviously, he knows something." Bai Wei's slow voice sounded in Gerard's mind, "But he is still hesitating, wondering whether to tell you."
Gerard naturally sensed it, and looking at Carol who was deliberately ignoring him, he whispered, "I know."
"But if he is unwilling to tell you the truth, what will you do?"
Gerald was silent.
"Jerard," Bai Wei said slowly, "Have you thought it through? How much are you willing to pay for the truth?"
Gerald still didn't speak.
He stood in the corner like a sculpture for the whole afternoon.
During this time, Carol really didn't look at him again, just focusing on the work in his hands, giving daily advice to young people who wanted to replace larger prostheses one by one, and then replacing them one by one. From noon to sunset, when the sunset dyed the entire shop light golden, Carol finally sent away the last customer.
His colleagues also finished their work earlier, greeted him and left laughing.
In the end, there were only two people left in the store.
A former knight, a former mechanic.
Gerard walked out from the corner and looked at Carol standing under the sunset. His eyes, which were originally a little hesitant, had become calm.
"It's been a long time, Mr. Gerard." Carol said to Gerard, "Of course you may not know who I am. A long time ago, I was one of the many people who looked up at you."
"Carol." Gerald stood in front of Carol and said softly, "You know why I am here."
"I knew it when you showed up," Carol said. "Clerk No. 44, right?"
Hearing Carol mention Clerk No. 44 again, Gerard paused, then subconsciously quickened his pace: "You really do know something..."
"No, Sir Gerard." Carol interrupted Gerard calmly, "You and I both know that Clerk No. 44 does not exist."
Jellal's body froze.
"We all know that you are looking for Clerk No. 44, but she does not exist. The most clerks are No. 43," Carol said. "Even if you come to me, I can only tell you this answer: Clerk No. 44 does not exist."
Gerard had completely stood still. He looked into Carol's eyes, trying to read something different from those calm pupils: "Number 44, she is really important to me."
Carol lowered her head and stopped looking at Jellal: "I'm sorry, Sir Jellal."
"You know me, so you must know Eve Star." Gerard did not give up. This was the first time he found a clue in the past ten years. How could he give up? "That was my team, those were my brothers. They died in the polluted land and were forever marked..."
"The label of a rebel." Carol said softly, "But Sir Gerard, if I also answer some questions that I shouldn't answer, then I am also a rebel."
The second half of Gerard's sentence, which had not yet been uttered, was suddenly stuck in his throat.
He looked at Carol who refused to look up, and a deep sense of powerlessness and fatigue surged into his heart. After a long silence, he said softly: "Ah, yes, if you answer me, you are also a rebel."
Carol lowered her head and said nothing.
Gerard looked at Carol and asked with a last glimmer of hope: "Can I understand your answer just now as that Clerk No. 44 does exist, but you can't tell me what happened to her, right?"
"No, Sir Gerard, I did not say that." Carol replied in a serious tone, "Clerk No. 44 does not exist."
There was another long silence.
Gerard raised his head, looked at the setting sun, and said softly, "Is that so? I understand."
Then he turned around and walked out of the store.
"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble, Carol. Just regard everything that happened today as the last whisper and obsession of a madman."
Carol raised her head and looked at Gerard's old back, and the creaking sound of the old metal parts when he walked, and suddenly she felt a little dazed.
Just as Gerard was about to walk out of the store, Carol stopped him.
"Sir Gerard."
Jellal looked back at Carol.
"Your body hasn't been maintained or repaired for a long time, right?" Carol asked. "Can I help you?"
Gerald was slightly startled.
Carol bowed slightly, the golden sunset glowed on his body, and the mark of Lyra shone brightly in the sunset.
"Mechanic Carol, at your service."
…
"I can see that you haven't done any maintenance for a long time." Carol took off the steel plate on Gerard's chest and took a look inside. He couldn't help but make a "tsk tsk" sound. "The corruption inside is too serious. If it continues, it will spread to the heart sooner or later... Besides, you poured too much lubricant into it. That thing doesn't work that well most of the time."
Gerald nodded, "I know, but I tried my best."
"Well, you're not an orthodox mechanic. It's really not easy for you to maintain this body without any major problems until now." Carol asked with a smile, "When was the last time you performed system maintenance? I mean, not the kind that you tinkered with yourself."
Jellal shrugged. "Ten years ago, the night before the mission...
"…I'm sorry, Master Gerard."
"Why are you apologizing?" Gerard showed a rare relaxed smile, "I also want to thank you."
"Thank you. May I defend you? It's my pleasure."
"Thank you for still thinking so." Gerard said softly, "It has been a long time since anyone called me Your Excellency, and it has also been a long time since anyone has treated me as a sinner."
Carol fell silent again, but this time he didn't remain silent for too long. While helping Gerald replace the corrupted parts, he said, "When I was very young, Yuxing was a hero because you went deep into that horrible polluted land again and again. It seemed really... cool to me."
He maintained the chest part, screwed it in, and then tapped it twice lightly, making a dull sound. Then he sat on the other side and began to disassemble Gerard's thigh part.
"After I grew up and became a maintenance worker, Xiaoxing was still a hero. Because I know that you went deep into the polluted land not because it's cool, but for the vitality of this city. You exchanged your lives for the energy that can only be produced in the polluted land. I finally realized that you are not as glorious as you seem. You face the most severe environment and do the most important things. Everyone in this city is benefiting from you. It is you who make this city full of vitality...ah, the auxiliary prosthesis of the Dark III, the most classic model."
Gerard lowered his head, looking at Carol who was busy on his thigh, and whispered: "It's very classic, but it should be outdated, right?"
"No, classics never go out of style." Carol said without looking up, "Even now, it is still the best auxiliary prosthesis. Young people nowadays prefer a whole replacement prosthesis and no longer have a good impression of these auxiliary prostheses, but they will never be able to understand such beauty, and they will never be able to understand a truth."
"What truth?"
"Machinery is only auxiliary, not everything." Carol tightened the last screw and stood up. "Okay, Sir Gerard, although I can't restore your prosthesis to the state it was when it left the factory, I have at least restored 50% to 60% of its functions, and added some new functions."
"New features?"
Carol shrugged. "Like, it should drain automatically, so you don't have to worry about it becoming inert when it rains."
"That's a great help." Gerard hesitated, "But I don't have that much money."
"What are you talking about, Master Gerard?" Carol said calmly, "According to the laws of Lyra, all mechanics are obliged to provide free maintenance for the Knights of Evening Star. I am just fulfilling my duty."
Hearing Carol say this, Gerald nodded: "Thank you."
Carol was silent for a while, then continued, "A long time ago, I also wanted to participate in the selection of Eve Star and become someone like you."
Jellal looked at Carol.
"But at that time, I already had someone to worry about." Carol said as he lifted up his clothes to show Jellal a photo lining his clothes. The photo showed a family of three, including him. "Just like now, I am no longer single. I can't do crazy things like before, and I shouldn't even think about it. So... I'm sorry, Sir Jellal."
Gerard looked at the photo and understood what Carol meant. He was silent for a while and nodded gently: "I understand, you don't need to blame yourself."
"Thank you for your understanding." Carol looked away again.
Gerald stood up and patted Carol on the shoulder: "Don't let your son become like me."
These words made Carol's body tremble slightly.
At this time, Gerard was ready to leave, but as soon as he turned around, Carol's voice rang out again.
"I just said that no matter when I was a child or after I started working, I always felt that Evening Star was a hero, and even... it's the same now." Carol seemed to have finally made up his mind. He looked at Jellal's back and said word by word, "Sir Jellal, don't investigate the matter of Clerk No. 44 anymore. If possible, leave Tianqin as soon as possible."
Gerard was stunned. He turned around suddenly, but Carol had already taken two steps back, with half of her body in the shadows.
"That's all I can say," Carol said softly, "Leave Tianqin."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
