In a reception room aboard the Lulura, Char received Haman and her group.
To be honest, even after seeing Haman in person, Char still found it hard to believe that the person before him was truly Haman herself.
Because Char couldn't imagine that, given Haman's personality, she would have remained completely silent and hidden after surviving five years ago.
But now, Haman's behavior didn't resemble that of a hastily created clone at all. Moreover, after five years apart, her commanding presence seemed even stronger, and she no longer exuded that captivating spiritual allure.
In short, Haman now gave off a much more mature impression—the epitome of a seasoned empress.
Char was already speculating whether Haman had lost her memory over the past five years, which might explain how she successfully married and had children with someone else. With her intelligence, she might even have risen to some high-ranking position.
But now that her memories had returned, she had quickly fallen out with her husband.
Why did Char think Haman had children?
Well, it was because Loli Amelias insisted on accompanying Haman to the Lulura, and Haman believed that Loli Amelias could be deceptive enough to make Char let his guard down, so she brought her along.
Incidentally, besides Loli Amelias, Haman also brought Chang Wufei as a bodyguard and enforcer, lest Char underestimate her too much.
However, Haman didn't pilot a Mobile Suit directly to the ship; instead, she took a shuttle as a gesture of peace.
But expecting Loli Amelias not to cause trouble was impossible.
After disembarking from the shuttle, this little troublemaker saw Char for the first time. After exchanging names, she walked right up to him, tugged on his clothes, and said:
"So you're Char, huh? You seem pretty decent. How about following me from now on?"
If an adult had said this, even if Char didn't get angry, he would have rolled his eyes internally, thinking, "Who do you think you are, asking me to follow you?"
However, when the speaker was a petite, doll-like little girl barely taller than his knees, Char naturally didn't take offense.
In some ways, Char quite enjoyed taking care of children, and he assumed Loli Amelias was Haman's child.
So Char simply smiled, patted Loli Amelias's little head, and replied:
"Sure, but you'll have to grow at least as tall as my chest first."
Loli Amelias hated having her head touched, and she could tell Char's words were just meant to humor a child.
So she quickly broke free from Char's "clutches," stood beside Haman, placed her hands on her hips, and complained indignantly:
"If you don't want to join, then don't! Why touch my head?"
Char dismissed Loli Amelias's words as childish complaints and paid them no mind.
Haman, however, stopped Loli Amelias's complaints to prevent her from saying something she shouldn't and revealing too much information. She said sternly:
"Enough, Amelias. You're being rude. Commander Char and I have important matters to discuss. If you keep causing trouble, you'll delay things."
Hearing Haman say she was delaying important matters, Loli Amelias stopped making a fuss. Like a child scolded by her parents after misbehaving, she fell silent.
Seeing this, Char, as Haman had anticipated, was at least not worried that bringing Haman aboard would lead to her suddenly deciding to self-destruct with him, since she had genuinely cared for Mineva back then, and surely wouldn't treat her own flesh and blood worse.
Char wasn't foolish either; he guessed that Haman bringing her daughter along was meant to reassure him, so he proceeded to follow the normal protocol and escorted them to the meeting room.
However, Char couldn't imagine that Haman dared to stride boldly onto his ship precisely because she had the trump card of teleporting away from this world to ensure her safety. After all, if it was just about returning, Teletha and McGillis could bring New Danuu's Child back.
Thus, the main cannon of New Danuu's Child had been continuously aimed at the Rewloola, while closely monitoring the special Ahab Wave signal generator on Haman. If Char truly tried to detain Haman or intended to kill her, once Haman's signal vanished, he would have to exit the stage today.
In the meeting room, Char had his subordinates prepare small cakes and tea for Amelias, then sat down and switched to work mode, directly asking,
"Alright, Haman, there's no one else here now. Tell me, what exactly do you want to do, and where have you been these five years?"
After sitting face-to-face with Char, Haman disdainfully smiled at his question and replied,
"I don't want to talk about my experiences these five years; they were quite thrilling anyway. As for what I want to do, I haven't lied to you: defeat my husband, capture him, and hand him over to me."
Upon hearing this, Char inwardly sighed once more, "Being your husband is truly unfortunate," then continued asking seriously,
"Alright, then first tell me who your husband is. Which brave... or foolish man could abandon such a capable woman like you and even hunt you down instead. Speaking of which, since he can hunt you down, your husband must have considerable influence."
To this question, Haman proudly smiled and straightforwardly stated,
"His influence is indeed considerable, and he's not a fool either; a fool couldn't catch my eye. But you've interacted with him; he should have left a deep impression on you."
With Haman saying this, Char instantly began brainstorming, recalling all the people from major Earth Sphere factions he had met since childhood, guessing who could have taken Haman.
However, Char racked his brains but couldn't figure out who could subdue Haman, and those people were either old enough to be Haman's father or were former enemies of Haman.
It couldn't be that Haman got together with Amuro or Kamille, could it?
Thus, after exhausting a large number of brain cells, Char could only give up and ask,
"Unfortunately, Haman, I really can't think of anyone I know who could be your husband."
Haman wasn't surprised at all by this and directly clarified,
"Can't think of it? It's just that you can't imagine it; you just encountered him today."
Upon hearing this, Char inwardly exclaimed, "Wow."
Amuro, you philandering scoundrel, you even dared to touch Haman? Is this "dying under the peony, a ghost still romantic"? Completely reckless!
Then Char looked at Amelias, thinking this child didn't resemble Amuro either. Could it be she simply looks like her mother? No, she doesn't seem to resemble Haman either.
At this moment, Char's complex emotions were clearly perceived by Haman sitting opposite him.
Although Haman didn't know exactly what Char was thinking, she was certain he had misunderstood. After all, at most, he had only fought Reid today—where would such complicated emotions come from?
Thus, Haman spoke up again to clarify.
"Did you sense a Super Newtype today? That's my husband. By the way, your New Human Ability has fully Awakened, so don't tell me you didn't sense him."
Hearing this, Char felt a wave of relief, thinking to himself that at least Amuro hadn't been tainted by Haman.
His expression visibly relaxed as he replied,
"So it was him. I was wondering where this Super Newtype came from, bringing so many unfamiliar Mobile Suits and such powerful subordinates. Speaking of which, who exactly is he? I only sensed him—we didn't actually fight."
Char's claim that he hadn't fought Reid surprised Haman.
Based on her analysis of Reid's behavior in the other world, he always clashed with powerful opponents. In this world, Char was undeniably one of the top figures—how could Reid have no interest in him?
Sensing Haman's surprise, Char frowned slightly and asked,
"So, that man was actually targeting me? Today, he just sent his subordinates to test the waters while he went looking for Amuro."
When Char mentioned that Reid had gone after Amuro, Haman immediately felt it made sense.
Although Haman had learned about the Second Zeon War through records, she didn't know the details, so she hadn't realized Amuro was also present today.
Without hesitation, Haman delivered the prepared explanation she had rehearsed in advance.
"He's targeting all of you—Neo Zeon, the Earth Federation, everyone is his goal.
However, he doesn't have any grand ambitions. He isn't after power or wealth; he probably just wants you and Amuro dead. Perhaps he enjoys battling the strong and takes pleasure in seeing powerful figures fall."
Upon hearing this, Char thought to himself, "Is Haman's husband a madman?" But then again, anyone daring enough to marry Haman was bound to be a little crazy.
So, instead of questioning Haman's words, Char asked again,
"Haman, you still haven't told me your husband's name, nor how you fell out with him, or why he's hunting you down."
Haman felt the act had gone on long enough, so she stopped evading Char's questions and answered with a mix of truth and lies.
"His name is Reid Isaac. As for how we fell out... it's probably because I tried to kill his wife. Naturally, he's hunting me down because he doesn't want me to succeed."
With this explanation, Char immediately understood.
At that moment, Char couldn't help but think, "Haman, you've finally met your match."
Based on what Haman had just said, Char pieced together a story in his mind: a married man had saved Haman after her defeat, taking advantage of her vulnerability to deceive her both physically and emotionally.
Haman had likely thought she could leave her ambitions behind and settle into the role of a devoted wife, only to discover after five years that her husband already had a family. Enraged, she decided to kill his original wife, which led to her being hunted down.
Having imagined the whole scenario, Char began to believe that Haman had truly come seeking help.
Although he felt some sympathy for Haman's plight, he still didn't fully understand the situation with this Reid Isaac, so he asked once more,
"I have a general understanding of the situation, but I've never heard of this Reid Isaac. Where did the Mobile Suits under his command come from? Also, what do I gain from helping you?"
Although Haman didn't know what Char had imagined, since he had already convinced himself, she didn't need to waste any more words.
So, Haman proceeded to the next step of her persuasion and replied:
"I can't disclose their origins, as I still wish to return to his side.
As for the help, I can use his technology to upgrade your Mobile Suit. You must have had a tough fight today, didn't you?"
At Haman's words, Char immediately grew serious and asked:
"Haman, are you saying you're willing to trade me the technology you obtained from your husband?"
Haman merely shook her head slightly and replied:
"It's not about trading technology, but about helping you modify your Mobile Suit to enhance its output. You should know, based on the Mobile Suits I saw in the Hangar, that small Funnels like these would likely be ignored by Reid's forces. You need to switch to high-powered Funnel Weapons, and I'll handle the related designs for you.
However, as I mentioned earlier, you must promise to help me capture Reid and hand him over to me."
This time, Char was genuinely starting to believe Haman's words. If Haman had offered to provide the technology outright, Char would have been on high alert, knowing that Haman never acted without self-interest and wouldn't give away technology just for something as minor as capturing someone.
Now, offering only modifications seemed much more reasonable. Moreover, as long as he supervised the entire modification process, he couldn't possibly lose out.
As for Reid Isaac's true identity, it didn't really matter. Even if he were the son of the Earth Federation's chairman, Char would still capture him without hesitation, given that he was already part of an anti-Earth Federation organization.
Thus, Char extended his hand very seriously and responded:
"If that's the case, then it's a deal. However, I'll have people oversee the modification process. Also, after today, you can no longer appear in public."
Haman nodded, reached out, and shook Char's hand lightly before saying:
"Then we are allies, Char. You have connections at Anaheim Electronics on the moon, don't you? Help me get someone in there. Your Mobile Suit needs an upgrade, and so does Amuro's. We need to increase the difficulty for Reid to force him to divide his forces.
As for appearing in public, don't worry. I have no interest in competing with you for power in Neo Zeon. After five years under your management, there are hardly any people left in Neo Zeon who are truly loyal to me.
Besides, my husband is probably doing everything he can to find me right now, so I can't move around freely anyway.
However, if the opportunity arises, I will still act privately. That's something you can't control."
Char readily agreed to Haman's request to place someone in Anaheim Electronics to enhance Amuro's combat capabilities.
After all, Char had originally intended to settle his grudge with Amuro during this war. He had already revealed the Psychoframe to strengthen Amuro's capabilities, and now that he was upgrading himself, it was only fair to give Amuro another boost.
As for Haman's promise not to appear in public but still act privately, Char decided after some thought not to restrict her activities.
Because if he insisted on limiting Haman's movements now, the two of them would likely turn against each other immediately.
Today's battle with Haman's husband's team showed that even a subordinate of Reid Isaac could force me into a disadvantage. It would be unwise to turn against Haman now.
As for whether Haman might be playing tricks—pretending on the surface to be pursued by her husband while actually scheming with him to help her reclaim power in Neo Zeon—Char decided to remain suspicious for now.
He would keep a close watch on Haman's movements. If there were any signs of her secretly contacting those Neo Zeon veterans, he would eliminate her.
Thus, their subsequent conversation proceeded amicably. Haman would stay with Char for a while, accompanied by Amelias, while the New Danuu's Child would remain hidden and follow Char's movements.
As for the modifications to the Sazabi, Teletha would prepare the plans later, and Neo Zeon personnel would carry out the work.
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