She is a natural disaster.

Chapter 50 A Moment of Leisure

The next day, the weather was fine, the sun was shining brightly, and the apartment was warm and cozy.

Anastasia squinted and stretched. Although the old town was only separated by a river, it rarely had such good weather.

Mike sat at the dinner table with a gloomy expression, a stark contrast to the bright sunshine. He didn't know how to face his father. Had he really misunderstood him?

Last night, Mike suffered from insomnia again, tossing and turning in bed, his body tossing and turning like a pancake.

Mike, who suffers from insomnia, keeps thinking about what Blatt said and sometimes wonders what Blatt has been busy with all these years. Does "Montague" have some secrets that he doesn't know about?

Mike wasn't the only one who had insomnia last night; Jolena also couldn't fall asleep, and she thought about many things.

Unlike Mike, Jolena was not gloomy and depressed. Instead, she was radiant and full of energy.

Jolina has always resisted pollution and her own mutated power; her unfortunate childhood experiences haunt her like a nightmare.

Even though Jolena Joyce knew very well that the power of mutation was a double-edged sword, capable of harming or protecting people, the key lay in how to use this double-edged sword.

However, Jolina never managed to overcome that mental hurdle; she kept avoiding it like a coward, unwilling to face it.

Last night, Anastasia fought five opponents single-handedly, and Iniz Blatt also battled his enemies for a long time. However, Jolina, who was also a Transcendent, could only hide in the underground space and wait for rescue like an ordinary person.

This incident deeply affected Jolene Joyce, and for the first time in many years, she had the courage to actively confront the power of mutation and no longer thought about avoiding her own uniqueness.

Jolena wants to become stronger. She wants to protect Mike, who is in danger, and she also wants to protect more people who are in danger.

Jolene naturally thought of Father Lawrence and wanted to ask him for help.

"I was in the living room the whole night. How did you two manage to sneak away together without me noticing?"

Anastasia walked back to the dining table and teased the two who were having trouble sleeping. She knew very well that the two of them hadn't done anything last night; they had just been tossing and turning in their respective beds, unable to fall asleep.

Upon hearing Anastasia's playful teasing, Jolina's face flushed bright red, resembling a fresh, juicy peach.

"Please don't make such vulgar jokes, Anastasia," Mike said listlessly. "I'm in a really bad mood right now."

"What's so bad about your mood right now?" Anastasia said dismissively. "Old Mr. Montague is your father. You're both men, so why don't you just talk things out?"

Even so, Anastasia felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"If only it were that simple!" Mike said. "If I really misunderstood him, and for so many years, how am I supposed to face him in the future?"

“Dear Mike, wouldn’t it be worse if you hadn’t misunderstood old Mr. Montague?” Anastasia retorted. “Come on, he’s your father, not your father’s killer.”

Hearing this, Mike's gloomy expression eased considerably. Anastasia was right; a misunderstanding was better than no misunderstanding at all.

Thinking of this, Mike began to hurry up and eat, wishing he could sprout wings and fly back to Montagu Manor immediately.

Jolina, standing to the side, slowed down her eating pace and didn't seem as energetic as before.

Last night, another event spurred Jolene Joyce, giving her the courage to confront the forces of mutation.

That was the conversation that took place in the reception room last night. Jolina participated in the entire conversation, but she was as inconspicuous as a dish placed on a table.

Although Jolina participated in the entire conversation, she couldn't get a word in edgewise. It was as if a barrier separated her from everyone else, a feeling she found extremely unpleasant and one she didn't want to experience again.

"The newspapers didn't mention last night," Anastasia said, flipping through this morning's paper.

This morning's newspapers made no mention of what happened last night. Perhaps there wasn't enough time for the newspapers to make changes, or perhaps the police and relevant departments intervened and suppressed the reports.

"This kind of thing can't be kept secret," Mike said vaguely. "They'll probably just make up some excuse like last time."

Following the initial attack, the police department's official statement was that a street shootout between gang members resulted in two deaths.

Last night's attack was far more serious than the first attack, and it's impossible to cover it up. The relevant departments will definitely find a plausible reason to give the public a satisfactory explanation.

"A gas explosion?" Anastasia thought for a moment; she had already come up with a reason for the relevant departments.

Anastasia and Mike then chatted casually, from the gas explosion to the horse races, and from the horse races to the increasingly enlightened social atmosphere.

Mike Montagu may say that people's hearts are no longer what they used to be and that the world is cold and indifferent, but when he talks about women's skirts getting shorter and shorter, he becomes very animated.

Mike even proposed a theory that sounded rather strange: the shorter the skirt, the more prosperous the economy.

"I believe there is a negative correlation between women's skirt length and economic development," Mike said confidently. "The shorter the skirt, the more prosperous the economy; the longer the skirt, the more depressed the economy."

As expected of someone who got into the Gloria School of Municipal Economics based on their own merit, they have a unique perspective on things.

"Believe me, one day, women's skirts will be shorter than you can imagine," Mike continued. "If long skirts were ever in the streets, Gloria's economy would be doomed."

Although it sounded a little unserious, Anastasia thought Mike made a lot of sense, because the street scene in Gloria was indeed as Mike described.

From the crinoline with a petticoat to the barse, then from the simple long barse skirt, it gradually evolved into a nine-quarter skirt that reveals the ankle, and then a seven-eighths skirt that reveals a section of the calf. Who knows, one day the skirt hem will be shorter and shorter and reveal the knee.

"Mr. Mike Montague, this is the first time I've ever felt such charm from you," Anastasia exclaimed sincerely. "Really."

"You didn't actually have to say that last sentence," Mike said. "If you say 'really,' I'll feel like your praise is insincere and you're just placating me."

"However, I think your theory has limitations," Anastasia said. "I think the length of a skirt is not entirely determined by economics, but by social attitudes, fashion cycles, and trends."

Mike stroked his chin and thought for a while before saying, "What you said makes a lot of sense. People in the past wouldn't go out wearing skirts that showed their calves."

As they chatted, Anastasia and Mike's conversation started to veer off course again. Although the topics were getting further and further away, the two of them were still having a great time talking.

This really surprised Jolina, who found herself unable to get a word in edgewise; her experience from the previous night was repeating itself.

Although Anastasia would sometimes bring up topics for Jolina, she didn't know much about economics or fashion and didn't dare to speak rashly.

Gradually, Anastasia stopped trying to bring up topics with Jolina, leaving Jolina to eat her bread in silence.

After a long while, the grueling breakfast that had been a torment for Jolina finally came to an end.

"Miss Joyce, are you going to Montague Manor with me later?"

While Mike went inside to change, Anastasia started talking to the sullen Jolina.

"No, I need to go to church," Jolina said. She really wanted to go to Montague Manor, but she was afraid she wouldn't be able to keep up with the conversation. Besides, she really needed to go to church.

"Are you going to see Father Lawrence?" Anastasia asked, she could probably guess what Jolina was thinking.

"Yes, I think the priest can help me improve my abilities," Jolina said, though her expression didn't look good, her eyes were resolute.

"Indeed, this is one of the advantages of elemental transcendents," Anastasia said. "You can follow in the footsteps of your predecessors, grow step by step, and then forge your own path."

It may sound unbelievable, but elemental transcendents have a lineage of masters.

How to make better use of elemental power, and how to use elemental power to fight enemies—these are all things we can learn from our predecessors.

This is why there are so many experts among elementalists. By learning from the techniques of their predecessors, they can avoid many detours, quickly build up their combat power, and get through the weak initial stage.

Of course, sadistic transcendents can also have mentors, and their power generation techniques can be learned.

In this respect, the other three types of transcendents are at a disadvantage, as they find it difficult to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and mostly have to figure things out on their own.

Take Anastasia for example. She still hasn't figured out which type of Transcendent she belongs to. She's dabbled in all of them: sadism, precision, and mystery.

"Miss Joyce, you and Mike grew up together and know each other's past very well, right?"

"Yes," Jolina said, somewhat puzzled. Didn't Anastasia already know about this? Why ask again?

"Miss Joyce, no one stays in the same place forever," Anastasia said.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Lina was stunned for a moment. Her ability to be promoted to detective in a short period of time was not only due to the help of others, but also to her own strength.

"I understand." Jolina nodded. "Thank you, Anastasia."

"Then I wish you all the best in achieving your goal," Anastasia said. "By the way, you're very beautiful, and beautiful women can be a little fierce when appropriate."

As she spoke, Anastasia winked mischievously, causing Jolina to blush instantly.

At that moment, Mike, having changed his clothes, came out.

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked, noticing the shyness on Jolena's face.

"It's nothing," Anastasia said. "I just felt that Miss Joyce was too lenient with you, so I offered a few words of advice."

Mike Montagu suddenly felt unwell, and a sense of crisis arose within him. He felt that he was losing something in his life, and that some wonderful things were slipping away from him.

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Note: The skirt length theory is an economic observation theory proposed by American economist George Taylor in 1920.