The Savior Says She's Having a Breakdown - Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Compassion (Part 1)
Seeing Maggie storm out the door in a huff, Hena, who was hiding in the corner, secretly let out a sigh of relief—the fact that their Highness was upset meant that the spark of their hope—Feng Qingyu—had not been extinguished.
Waving her hand to signal a few guards to follow Maggie, Hena sighed and said, “It seems…”
“Seems what? To me, this Earth person is utterly ungrateful!” Seeing Maggie get upset and Hena showing no reaction, Fiona, filled with both anger and disappointment, grabbed her sword, ready to charge into Feng Qingyu’s room and have a good kill.
However, she was stopped a few steps later by Yuna, and quite thoroughly—Fiona could not break free from Yuna’s restraint at all.
“Fiona! If you go in now, all of Her Highness’s efforts over the past three years will be ruined!”
“Hena! What are you thinking? For this one tiny, slim hope, is it acceptable for Her Highness to endure that Earth person’s temper?” Fiona struggled and shouted, “This Earth person is a liar! She can’t possibly help us! She simply can’t help us! No one can help us…”
Towards the end, Fiona actually burst into tears.
Yuna awkwardly looked at Hena. Seeing the latter nod, she released her grip.
As soon as Fiona was free from Yuna’s restraint, she slumped to the ground, sobbing, “There’s no hope… The Spirit Spring has completely dried up. No more humans will ever be born on Planet Alpha…”
“Fiona, get up!” Hena saw her suddenly collapse. She stepped forward, discarding her usual smiling demeanor, frowning, and sternly said, “You are the Captain of Her Highness Maggie, Planet Alpha’s strongest War God, Guard Team! How can you give up like this! Her Highness hasn’t given up yet, what right do you have to give up for Her Highness! Yuna!”
“Yes!” Yuna, intimidated by Hena’s imposing manner, forgot that they were of equal rank and instinctively stood at attention and answered.
“You keep an eye on Fiona. Don’t let her run around, and absolutely do not let Her Highness know what just happened! I’m going to talk to that Earth person now. As long as that energy is still within her, we will surely find a way to perpetuate human reproduction!”
“Good, I will keep it from Her Highness.” Yuna nodded. Maggie hated it the most when her subordinates lost their fighting spirit. If she found out what Fiona had just said—although she had always disliked Fiona—they had served Maggie together for so many years after all. She couldn’t let her be dismissed just like that.
Feng Qingyu felt her mood was rare to be slightly better after having angered Maggie away. She struggled to push and pull the enormous chair over to the floor-to-ceiling window and began to sit and admire the flowers in the courtyard.
Planet Alpha was different from Earth—although the sky was blue and the grass was green, the flowers here were blue, purple, black, and crimson. She didn’t know if it was Maggie’s unique preference, but looking across the vast garden, she couldn’t find a single light-colored flower.
“Enjoying the flowers?”
Hena’s voice suddenly came from behind, and Feng Qingyu’s mood instantly plummeted. She jumped off the chair—the chair was a bit too large for her; when fully seated, her feet were off the ground—and scoffed, “No, they’re not as beautiful as the ones on our Earth!”
“I bet you’re thinking of a way to return to Earth right now, aren’t you?”
Feng Qingyu couldn’t bring herself to be angry at the squinting-eyed woman who had previously spoken up for her, but she couldn’t generate any good feelings either. She pouted and said, “Even if I figure out a way, would it work? I don’t even know where Earth is relative to your planet, let alone how to pilot a spaceship. Oh right, I can’t even get my hands on a spaceship.”
“What if I told you I could help you return to Earth?”
“You?” Feng Qingyu looked at her suspiciously. “Why would you help me? Aren’t you Maggie’s Guard Team Captain?”
“How do you know I’m not helping you under Her Highness’s instruction?”
“That redhead is capable of being that kind-hearted?” Feng Qingyu rolled her eyes at her. “If she were that kind-hearted, I wouldn’t have been ‘kidnapped’ in my sleep.”
“I deeply apologize for your kidnapping. Her Highness is a military leader, and her actions are indeed… a bit ‘arbitrary’,” Hena said, standing up and bowing to Feng Qingyu, then sitting down again. “I wasn’t present at the time. Otherwise, I would definitely have consulted with you beforehand and then issued an invitation.”
“So, no matter what, I had no choice but to accept, huh?”
“I think if you give me a chance to have a proper conversation with you about this, you won’t refuse me.”
Three days later, sitting in the spaceship returning to Earth, Feng Qingyu finally understood why she wouldn’t refuse her—Hena was simply a perfect negotiator, expertly poking at her vulnerabilities.
“Although we are requesting your help to save our planet from peril, completing this matter will be a win-win situation for both of us.”
Feng Qingyu felt she had been exposed to many salesman pitches since childhood and had watched many skits by Uncle Benshan. She had been inoculated repeatedly and was sure she wouldn’t be persuaded by this military-oriented person now. So, filled with curiosity, she asked, “Besides giving me gold and silver jewelry, how else can you make me ‘win’?”
“Because Her Highness found you on Earth, I have also been studying your Earth culture recently to better communicate with you. In your Earth culture, Gods are beings with longer lifespans than humans—the average human lifespan on Earth is 71 years, and in your home country, the average human lifespan is 73 years. In your culture, even the emperors of all ages pursued longer life. I imagine this would tempt you too, wouldn’t it?”
She had to admit, the alien in front of her was right. Whether good or bad, as long as one has desires and attachments in their heart, it’s hard to escape the temptation of “longevity.” Feng Qingyu was just a mortal with emotions and desires, so she was naturally no exception.
Seeing a slight change in Feng Qingyu’s expression, Hena struck while the iron was hot: “I know you are still worried about your parents. If you agree to help us, Her Highness will personally step in and resolve all your worries.”
Feng Qingyu was alarmed when she heard this. “What does she want to do to my parents?”
Realizing that her words had led to a misunderstanding due to cultural differences, Hena said gently, “Please calm down. I didn’t make myself clear. Her Highness originally planned to bring your parents to our planet as well, but your adverse reactions these past few days indicate that Planet Alpha is not suitable for Earth people to live in. Therefore, Her Highness has decided that during your time cooperating with us, she will arrange for you to return home according to your country’s legal holidays. Furthermore, we will pay you your due compensation monthly according to your Earth’s standards. You can convert it into Earth currency and deliver it to your parents. Of course, all your expenses on Planet Alpha will be covered by us.”
This sounded like finding a high-paying job with statutory holidays, all-inclusive room and board, which was not much different from her original plan, except the workplace was a bit further, the food conditions were a bit worse, and the colleagues were a bit more volatile—the conditions were tempting, but her rational mind reminded her how miserable her life in captivity had been these past few days. That was something no amount of money could compensate for.
“I refuse.”
Hena didn’t show the slightest dissatisfaction or disappointment at Feng Qingyu’s negative answer. She said, “Are you worried about your freedom? As long as you agree to cooperate, your degree of freedom and status on Planet Alpha will only be second to Her Highness Maggie. If you wish, you can appear in any corner of this planet. Of course, you can also command every attendant here. During the cooperation, you will be the most honored guest on Planet Alpha.”
Feng Qingyu didn’t know how Hena guessed her concerns. At this moment, she only felt her firm resolve being shaken step by step.
“I know that although your temper is a bit volatile, you are essentially a very kind person. In your Earth’s words, this is called ‘a sharp tongue but a soft heart,’ right? Although we were not born on the same planet as you, as fellow humans, you surely cannot bear to watch us head towards extinction.”