Alice's reaction was quite intense... She blinked and turned to Cattleya.
Cattleya swallowed nervously—despite there being nothing to swallow—and cautiously asked, "Why do you ask that?"
Alice tilted her head in confusion. "Why do you always need a reason for everything you do?"
Cattleya was momentarily stunned. She found herself unable to refute the question. But the good news was that the topic had been successfully diverted—at least for now.
"Why must every action have a purpose?" Alice muttered to herself. "Hmm… or rather, isn't 'because it's fun' a valid reason?"
Cattleya tried to ground the conversation with logic. "Perhaps… for most people, 'because it's fun' isn't a strong enough reason?"
Alice nodded thoughtfully, then asked again, "So why did you react so strongly just now?"
The color that had just returned to Cattleya's face drained away once more.
Alice studied her, puzzled. "Is it something terrifying?"
After staring at Alice for a few seconds, Cattleya finally composed herself and smiled.
"I know an beyonder member of the Earth Mother Church.
"His greatest passion is studying soil, crops, and hybridization techniques."
"That sounds like a good thing," Alice mused. "Maybe he can develop higher-yield crops so that everyone has enough to eat..."
As she spoke, she furrowed her brows slightly, a question forming in her mind—if an organization like the Earth Mother Church existed, then why were people still going hungry?
Listening to Alice's words, Klein nodded inwardly. She sounded like an beyonder scientist.
Derrick, on the other hand, felt a pang of sadness. If only Silver City could grow crops...
Cattleya was briefly taken aback. She hadn't expected Alice's first reaction to be this—despite her reputation for being reckless, the so-called "Lady of Fate" had instinctively thought about feeding people first?
She wasn't the only one surprised. Alger and Audrey shared the sentiment. Audrey even felt a bit ashamed.
Even the most charitable nobles rarely cared whether the poor had enough to eat… Audrey sighed inwardly.
Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, Cattleya continued, her expression unchanged:
"Yes, at first, the Earth Mother Church greatly appreciated his talent.
"That was until he attempted to crossbreed bulls, cows, and wheat—so that calves could grow like plants. At that point, the Church deemed him guilty of blasphemy and sent him to trial."
Klein fell silent, regretting his earlier comparison.
Emlyn and Fors were both stunned into silence, their expressions frozen in shock.
Alger and Audrey were calmer, though their astonishment was still evident.
Alice's mouth dropped open. After about ten seconds, she reached up to push her jaw back into place. After testing it with a few movements, she sighed weakly:
"I think... I kind of understand how Amon felt back then.
"On one hand, he wasn't creative enough—he only thought to hybridize cows and wheat? There are so many other possibilities...
"On the other hand, the Earth Mother Church was far too merciful. They merely put him on trial? If it were me, I would've tied him to a stake."
Cattleya wasn't sure whether to be relieved or more alarmed. After some thought, she cautiously asked, "But didn't you just say—"
Alice raised a hand to cut her off, sighing.
"I only care about the result. But the process you described... Just imagining it is horrifying.
"I can't even fathom how many bizarre creatures he must have created in his experiments...
"And that's just cows and wheat. If he got curious and started hybridizing other things, and one of his creations escaped..."
"That would be... truly terrifying."
Not out of ethical concerns, but because of the potential consequences… No, she was just worried about the result negatively affecting her.
Cattleya suddenly realized something—perhaps there was a way to convince Alice after all.
"Exactly. If you really want the result you're after, some things might spiral out of control..."
Alice paused for a moment before looking at Cattleya with an amused glint in her eyes.
"But I am 'Fate.'"
Cattleya was at a loss for words. Silence filled the room.
Klein, seizing the moment, directed "The World" to ask Fors to check out Williams Street in Backlund. Then he turned to Alger.
"I've received word that the Church of Storms has taken action. The situation in Bansy Harbor has been dealt with."
Alice blinked, then turned to the actual member of the Church of Storms—Alger.
Having spent the entire week drifting at sea, Alger didn't sense anything off about the statement and simply asked, "What was the outcome?"
"For the foreseeable future, there will be no Bansy Harbor." "The World" replied with a smile.
Alice considered this for a few seconds before turning to Alger. "Mr. 'Hanged Man,' did the Church of Storms inform you about this? Do you know the details?"
Alice's words felt like an invisible blade piercing Alger's chest.
"The World" cast a brief glance at him before adding, "I imagine only the higher-ups in the Church of Storms have that information."
Alice sighed in disappointment.
Alger suddenly felt the urge to clutch his chest.
After concluding their discussion about Bansy Harbor, Emlyn—who had been waiting for his turn—cleared his throat.
"Mr. 'Hanged Man,' thank you for your assistance. I am now officially a Baron.
"I have a question. As a Blood Clan member, after ascending to Baron, do I need to follow the same 'acting method' as humans to digest my Beyonder characteristics more effectively?"
Alice's gaze landed on his perfectly straight posture and proudly raised chin. Suddenly, she broke into an exaggerated, theatrical tone:
"Oh, my! Mr. 'Moon,' you are truly remarkable—ascending to Baron at such a young age!
"You must be the most outstanding Blood Cl—no, Blood Kin I've ever seen!
"Your parents, your elders—they must be bursting with pride to have such a prodigious child. You are—ah, forget it, I can't keep this up."
"Pfft." Fors couldn't hold back her laughter. Realizing the stares directed at her, she quickly covered her mouth.
Of course, she wasn't the only one struggling to contain their amusement—everyone else was just better at hiding it.
Only Emlyn was left suffering in silence.