The night deepened.
Candlelight flickered gently across Luna's face as she sat quietly.
Elias was astonished; usually, any expression of such thoughts would enrage Luna, leading to a deadly outcome. But this time, under the influence of [Negotiation/Pacification (Master)], Luna's mood remained stable, truly listening to his explanations.
It felt miraculous.
Relieved, Elias looked at her and said warmly, "Who doesn't miss the liveliness? Even I, your bro, feel lonely when alone."
"Lonely..." Luna murmured softly. Loneliness was something she knew all too well.
Before meeting Elias, she had always been alone, hiding, seen as a monster by everyone.
"Do you remember when we first met?" Elias asked.
Luna nodded.
"You were curled up in an alley, surrounded by crows and stray dogs, and you said..."
"I'm so hungry..."
Recalling the past, Luna's eyes twinkled. "Brother actually remembers that day?"
"Of course, I remember." Elias ruffled her hair. "That was the first time I saw Luna. It's a significant memory."
Hearing that Elias remembered their meeting so vividly made Luna finally smile. It seemed he really did care about her.
She reminisced, "Back then, Luna had just fought those agents trying to capture her. I killed them all. But afterwards, I was so exhausted..."
"The winters in Saint Rose City were so cold..."
She still felt the bone-chilling cold and hunger. As she reminisced, Elias was struck by the transformation in Luna.
She had never been so docile before. It was as if they had returned to their earlier days.
[Pollution Level: 65 ↓]
Seeing the decrease in pollution level, Elias suppressed his excitement. The [Negotiation/Pacification] effect was evident, just a calm conversation had significantly lowered Luna's pollution level.
Elias smiled faintly, continuing to stroke Luna's hair, his eyes deep with thought.
He was still strategizing. The cooldown for [Negotiation/Pacification] was 24 hours. If he could use it again tomorrow at the same time...
Luna could meet the containment criteria, completing the conquest.
"What are you smiling about, bro?" Luna asked, her eyes opening slightly.
"I'm smiling because..." Elias gently tapped her nose. "You little sleepyhead, if you're tired, go to bed. Why are you clinging to me?"
He scooped her up in a princess carry. "Go to sleep. I'll clean up the dining room."
Luna beamed, her eyes curved like crescents. "Bro is so nice!"
She wrapped her arms tightly around Elias's neck, letting him carry her back to her room.
In the deep quiet of the night, Elias, fighting sleepiness and yawning, returned to his room. By the dim moonlight, he glanced at the wall clock.
12:06 AM. Despite spending the entire day playing along with Luna, his mind relentlessly active, Elias was utterly exhausted.
Yet, seeing the time, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
"I finally made it through the day! I'll actually see tomorrow's sunrise!!"
Though it was pitch black outside, Elias felt as if he could already see the dawn's light. This fleeting emotion was quickly reined in. Caution was key.
With hopes for the next day, Elias lay down on his bed. Overcome with fatigue, he soon fell into a deep sleep.
The night in Saint Rose City was cool, and Elias slept restlessly, tossing and turning.
In his dreams, he was haunted by visions of being repeatedly killed by Luna and of her cold gaze upon him.
Waking up abruptly, soaked in sweat, Elias looked around his dark room and let out a wry laugh. "It's all because of Luna. Even my sleep isn't peaceful."
As he closed his eyes to try to sleep again, an eerie feeling crept over him.
It felt as though something in the darkness was watching him, sending chills down his spine.
Straining his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he was suddenly shocked to find someone else in his room.
Widening his eyes in fright, Elias saw a pair of eerie blue eyes staring intently at him from the darkness.
Startled, he quickly turned on the light. The warm glow revealed Luna sitting on a chair by his desk, motionless, her gaze fixed on him.
"Bro, are you not sleeping well?"
"Why do you look so scared seeing Luna? Are you afraid of me?"
She flashed a peculiar smile.