67 67 301 A crisp voice brought Bianca back. It was different from the sounds made by the terminal.
68 68 301 She opened her eyes. Toniris had already come down from above, landing next to her.
69 69 301 Toniris peeked at Bianca in curiosity, then suddenly pecked at her terminal.
70 70 301 Tweet—! Whoop—Eeek—
71 71 301 The bird noises have come to an end, followed by Asimov's voice.
72 72 202 1 1
73 73 301 Asimov Most animals, after hearing the sound of their kin, would want to take a closer look provided they are in a safe environment.
74 74 201 1 500312
75 75 301 1 Toniris suddenly poked Bianca hard as if it had realized what really happened. She gently deflected its long bill away.
76 76 202 1 1
77 77 301 Asimov But cranes are more than that. They are extremely upright and cannot accept the fact that they were fooled.
78 78 301 Asimov That's why this file is a one-off. If used properly, it should be able to buy you an opportunity for an equal talk with Toniris.
79 79 201 1 500128
80 80 301 1 Bianca quickly recalled the information about cranes in her M.I.N.D.
81 81 301 She dodges Toniris' attack three times in a slow but unpredictable way, then rests her hand on its head.
82 82 301 To her surprise, Toniris does not avoid her hand but briefly rubs its head against her palm after a short hesitation.
83 83 301 This Combat Unit Booster really saw itself as a crane. It might be a meaningless design, but such design now opened a new direction of approach for Bianca.
84 84 301 Cranes do not want other creatures to invade their space, but are willing to accept their invitations.
85 85 301 Before sending an invitation, one must understand the recipient first.
86 86 301 1 Bianca ...HQ, do you copy? This is Bianca. I need detailed information about prototype Toniris. 1
87 87 202 1 1
88 88 301 Comms Copy that... Um, according to the protocol, please provide a reason.
89 89 301 Comms I'm just going by the book, you know... Definitely not trying to make things difficult for you...
90 90 201 1 500128
91 91 301 1 Bianca Let me think... I believe this is conducive to calming the Combat Unit Booster. 1
92 92 202 1 1
93 93 301 Comms Ah, okay. Copy that. Please bear with me for a second. I need to prepare it for you...
94 94 201 1 500128
95 95 301 1 Bianca ...Thanks for your assistance, Fanli. 1
96 96 301 Comms Huh? No way! Did you just say my name?! It can't be...
97 97 201 1 500128
98 98 301 1 Bianca goes silent. Who would have thought remembering a person's name could cause so much fear?
99 99 301 In the past, she would carefully consider the choice of word and limit the conversation to avoid the awkward situation, when just a little courtesy would cause panic.
100 100 301 But looking at Toniris, she wanted to try something that made less sense.
101 101 301 Bianca Calm down, Fanli. You are the coordinator of my mission. All your details were written in the instructions. 1
102 102 301 Bianca No matter what you know about the Purifying Force, for now, we are allies. There is no need to be overly defensive and alerted. 1
103 103 204 1 1
104 104 301 Bianca I was only sending you... a friendly greeting. 1
105 105 202 1 1
106 106 301 Comms Eh? R-really...?
107 107 201 1 500128
108 108 301 1 Bianca I can assure you that. 1
109 109 301 The Purifying Force could take away the life of any ally at any time. An assurance from her seemed meaningless, and would only make the possible termination mission in the future harder to accept.
110 110 301 Still, Bianca wanted to give it a try.
111 111 301 Bianca ...Feeling better? Can you send me the data of that Combat Unit Booster? 1
112 112 301 The terminal made a sound, displaying the data received in front of Bianca.
113 113 301 "Toniris was based on an aves bionic machine that was created for preservation purposes in the Golden Age. The machine's main features included the ability to detect climate and environmental changes. Thanks to the Science Council's modifications, Toniris's probing function reached a more sophisticated level..."
114 114 301 Bianca ...No, I need more than that. 1
115 115 301 Bianca I want to see Toniris' past as a bionic machine. 1
116 116 401 2 1515
117 117 301 Bianca keys in a few commands. Lots of information flood the terminal's screen.
119 119 301 The data and information flickered as she spoke. A new digital scene was being constructed under her feet.
120 120 301 1 AniZhuanchangBegin Soon, the sounds of wind, sand, and the scraping noises between building remains all disappeared. The abandoned church was covered in green moss.