Seed of Titan-Chapter 128: The Survivor’s Regret

Drai’s jaw dropped as he looked at the unkempt man in disbelief. The legendary president, who was presumed to have perished during his solo venture, was standing right before him.

Though Drai knew that Auri’s great-uncle had last been seen entering Siyeun Mountains in search of Siyeun Comets, he didn’t suspect one bit that the cave owner was the same man, not even after Drai was told to call him "Max". After all, more than two decades had passed since the incident, creating a blind spot in Drai’s reasoning.

Seeing that Drai went stiff again, Max furrowed his brows.

"Hey, what’s up with you? Is the soup’s smell too strong?"

He sniffed at the steaming pot but quickly became confused—it smelled a lot milder than usual.

Drai finally snapped out of his shock. He leaned forward abruptly and grabbed Max’s hands, shaking them fervently.

"President Max! You’re actually alive!" Drai exclaimed, his eyes beaming with excitement.

Max was taken aback by Drai’s sudden enthusiasm, but he still replied, "Yeah, I’m alive. So you really do know me after all."

"Of course! I’m also a member of VV, and the seniors showed your final speech during our first gathering. I admire your courage and decisiveness a lot!"

Behind his thick beard, Max’s face was blushing. He instinctively pulled his hands free and scratched his head in embarrassment.

"I don’t think there’s much to admire," he muttered. "I was young, reckless, and also overconfident."

"But still," Drai insisted, "very few people would dare to venture alone into Siyeun Mountains for the sake of others. That alone is worth admiration."

Max showed a rueful smile. "Truth be told, I really regretted my actions. If I could go back in time, I’d definitely stay in the academy and let the government handle the pandemic."

Max wasn’t kidding. He had lost count how many times he had cursed himself for voluntarily getting into this otherwise avoidable predicament, especially during his bed rests after getting badly injured, which always provided lengthy downtimes for his depression to set in.

And unbeknownst to Drai, years of isolation had made Max develop a habit of thinking out loud or talking to himself to cope with his solitude. And during his gloomiest days, Max often shifted his perspective, voicing his actions and feelings from a third-person point of view as if he were narrating a wildlife documentary.

Therefore, Max felt that Drai’s admiration was misplaced.

But Drai shook his head, unconvinced. "You may see it as mistake, President Max, but it doesn’t change the fact that your decision had spurred the people and the government into action. If you hadn’t made such a ’mistake’, who knows how many more lives would’ve been lost before the scientists could find a cure on their own?

"And it isn’t just me who admires you. Everyone in VV also thinks highly of you. That’s why they always show your message every year to the new members. Even my friend Auri cried when she watched the recording—though that might just be because she’s your family."

Hearing Drai’s words, Max fell into a daze, his mind ruminating the past.

Recognizing the pensive look that often appeared on Christo’s face, Drai decided to leave the old man to his thoughts and looked at the simmering pot instead. He grabbed a wooden spoon from the ground and wiped it on his clothes before dunking it into the soup.

Sipping the warm soup, Drai felt a rich yet bland mixture flowing down his throat.

"Huh... this isn’t that bad," he commented before gulping down the rest.

Drai scooped another spoonful, this time with chunks of meat and vegetables, and found them surprisingly palatable.

At this moment, Max’s gruff voice uttered, "Thank you, Drai."

Drai looked at the man and saw that his expression had turned brighter.

With a shrug, Drai replied, "I was just conveying my thoughts, President Max."

"Regardless, I’m thankful for your words. But please, could you drop the title? Just call me Max."

"Alright... Max. By the way, sorry for eating without permission."

"Bah, we’re in the wilderness. To hell with formalities," Max replied as he took a spoonful of soup for himself. After tasting it, he asked, "So, what do you think of the food? Can you stomach it?"

"Yeah, it actually tastes better than it smells, although it could use some salt."

"I can get you some if you want," Max suggested.

"Thanks. That would be great," Drai replied before gulping down another spoonful.

"Sorry for not having it in stock. It takes too much time to filter and dry it, that’s why I rarely salt my food."

Drai raised a brow. "Filter and dry? Do you need to go through all of that just to get some salt?"

"Of course. How else am I going to purify salt from pee?"

Drai instantly froze.

"...Pee?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Yep. Wildebeest pee to be precise. There’s an area no too far from here where they usually sleep in a herd. If you gather the stinky wet soil there, add a lot of water to it, filter it until it’s clear, and let it evaporate under the sun, you’ll get a bit of salt. Depending on the sun’s intensity, it can take anywhere from a few hours to a whole day, or even longer."

"...Actually, never mind. This soup’s perfect as it is. Salting it will just ruin the taste," Drai said with a deadpan face.

"Well, if you say so," Max replied with a shrug. "Now, tell me in detail how the pandemic went and also VV’s situation."

Following this, Drai informed Max about the Velles Family’s reaction to his "death" and how the scientists eventually synthesized the cure using Siyeun Comet, which finally ended the pandemic. He also gave an update of the present day’s situation, including the fact that he was close friends with Max’s grand-niece.

"Ho... Little Irina is a dean now? Fred must be really pleased. He used to worry a lot because Irina hated her tutoring sessions. And how on earth did that timid Rudiger manage to find himself a wife?"

Drai didn’t comment on this because he hadn’t gotten the chance to meet Auri’s family yet.

"So, do you like her?" Max suddenly asked, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Huh?"

"My grand-niece, Auri. Are you sure you’re not harboring any romantic feelings toward her?"

Realizing what Max was thinking about, Drai replied unhesitatingly, "Don’t worry. I only see her as a friend. She’s too skinny."

Max grinned and asked further, "So you like your girls thick, huh?"

"Not just thick. Buff," Drai corrected him.

"B-buff?" Max muttered, visibly baffled.

"Yeah. Like you, but preferably more ripped. And it’s best if she’s also strong and not just all show."

Max stared speechlessly at Drai in disbelief, wondering what had happened to the outside world for its beauty standards to have strayed so far.