Chapter 205 (1/2)
Upon listening to Hilda’s question, Hao Ren smiled and answered, “You mean Becky? She’s considered our partner, but just a partner in ‘this world’. She isn’t really familiar with us or our background, so it was inconvenient for us to tell you something directly when we met in the afternoon.
As he spoke, he stood up, reached out to Hilda in a friendly manner and said, “Let me reintroduce myself. I’m Hao Ren, an inspector from the Space Administration, responsible for all kinds of unusual time-traveling cases.”
As usual, Hilda clumsily grabbed Hao Ren’s wrist and shook it. She then asked curiously, “Space Administration? What’s that? Is it the name of your research organization?”
Hao Ren was a little embarrassed. He thought of telling Hilda about their background to surprise her. However, he forgot about the cultural differences. It seemed that empiricism really killed. He laughed awkwardly and explained, “Actually, I’m the same as you. I’m not from this world. But unlike you, I’m not trapped here accidentally. I’m here for a purpose, to deal with people like you who have accidentally lost their way. And, the so-called Space Administration is…”
Hao Ren tried to explain the Space Administration and the concept of the Macro World to her as simply and clearly as possible. The more Hilda knew, the more surprised she was. When Hao Ren was finished talking, she could not help but stand up and exclaim, “For real?”
Vivian had her hands outstretched, and said, “There’s no need for us to lie to you.”
Hilda was a little confused. Although she had just gone through a time-travel event, she totally did not expect there to be such a department responsible for time-traveling. She looked at Hao Ren, bewildered. Obviously, she was in doubt. She was not quick to believe Hao Ren no matter how well he explained things. Of course, Hao Ren knew that the credibility of his words was very limited. He was just doing what the job manual said: when facing a concerned party, identification and follow-up requirements should be identified as soon as conditions were appropriate to ensure that follow-ups were conducted with the knowledge of both parties. And, it was up to the client to believe it or not. It was just a part of the workflow.
“So, that’s the situation.” After Hao Ren disclosed his identity, he sat down opposite Hilda and continued to explain, “You probably won’t believe me right away, but you just need to know this: we’re not enemies, neither relatives nor friends, so we don’t need to make up such a big lie to cheat you. We’re here to carry out a task. We met you by accident, however once we get back, we’ll take you to the administration’s office, where there are professional equipment to send you home… Well, if my boss isn’t bluffing, the office should be well-equipped.”
Hilda was still confused, but at least, she knew it was not the time to look into details. At that moment, it was better to cooperate with these strangers, who were somewhat trustworthy than be suspicious. She nodded and said, “I still don’t know what you’re talking about, but I would like to believe in your kindness. As long as you can send me back, I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
“There’s nothing much to do. It’s my job,” Hao Ren said and waved his hand. “But, if there’s something you need to do… You can open up and tell me how you got here. At least, I’ll know how to write this report.”
Hilda hesitated but, she soon realised that there was no need to keep the secret here. Nobody in this world knew her. Thinking of it, Hilda slowly took off her hood, revealing dazzling blonde, wavy hair and two pointy long ears. “I’m Hilda Vader, from a world called Aerym. I am its queen.”
Hao Ren was so surprised to see her pointy ears that he was not listening carefully when she mentioned her identity. ” An elf? Uh… What did you say again, a queen?” Hao Ren asked.
Hilda looked suspiciously at Hao Ren and asked, “The inspector of the Space Administration seems to be a big shot. Do you really have to get so excited over this? You jumped so high just now.”
Hao Ren immediately sat back down in embarrassment. He thought to himself, not everybody could have accepted her being so frank. He touched the tip of his nose and explained awkwardly, “Ehem, the elf is quite rare. We are divided into different districts. The place I’m in charge of really has no elves…”
He was really embarrassed to admit that he was just an ignorant apprentice…
Soon, Hilda was mobbed by the rest of them. Lily asked eagerly, “Wait a minute, you just said you’re the queen! Really? Really?”
“I don’t need a fake queen identity in this world,” said Hilda, a tiny radian forming in the corners of her mouth. “Especially when this identity can’t even bring me a piece of food.”
Lily thought to herself for a bit. Then, all of a sudden, she lifted her tail and said, “You’re a big shot!”