After who knows how long, Bai Ling slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a small, slightly bobbing head—belonging to a horned girl with a lovely, youthful face.
Her eyes were closed. There was fatigue on her features, yet she still held the person in her arms as if guarding him.
Feeling the soft, delicate fabric against the back of his head—and seeing the scene in front of him—Bai Ling instantly understood what position he was in, and what state things were in right now.
Maybe he really had been too tired. He'd actually fallen asleep like that… and Eyldera had borne the burden, letting him rest on her lap for so long.
The moment he lifted his head slightly, Eyldera's drowsy eyes quietly opened too.
For a beat, their gazes met.
Both looked at the other with complicated emotions in their eyes—then, as if by silent agreement, both turned their faces away, refusing to keep staring.
"Senior Bai Ling… did you rest well?"
"Mm… a lot better than before."
Maybe it was the blessing of a beautiful girl's lap pillow—either way, Bai Ling genuinely felt less drained, and his mind felt clearer too.
"How long was I out?"
"Not even three hours."
"…You've really worked hard, Eyldera."
"…No. It wasn't hard."
She gave an embarrassed little smile, rubbed her leg—only slightly numb—and rose naturally from the bedside.
"The Administrator's group already reached the Power Highlands. No idea how things are now. Just like we said back in the hub zone—once they entered the Power Highlands, all communication methods failed completely."
"If that's the case, then we'll just go to the Power Highlands too."
The moment Bai Ling said it, the door suddenly flew open with a slap.
A little wolf pup in a red hood charged into the room, beelining straight for Eyldera, voice full of grievance.
"…Eyldera!"
"Hmm? What's wrong, Miss Rosi?"
"That Catlo guy secretly ran off to the Power Highlands and left me here on guard! And he said he's going to apologize to the Administrator for me! He said I came over without permission! I think he's the one who doesn't follow rules at all!"
As she spoke, the little wolf pup threw her arms around Eyldera, burying her face right into Eyldera's waist.
"Mr. Catlo is probably worried that Miss Rosi's trip might add uncertainty, so he—"
"If that idiot big brother were really that nice, I wouldn't have come looking for you!"
Watching a wolf pup coquettishly cling to a little lamb, Bai Ling genuinely didn't know what to say for a moment.
…As long as they were happy.
Then the wolf pup sniffed lightly twice, finally separating one male scent from the room's lingering mix of smells.
She turned her head.
Bai Ling was standing there calmly, watching her performance with a mild, gentle look. No awkwardness—only the distinct expression of "this is kind of amusing."
Instantly, the wolf pup's pale face flushed red. She quickly turned away, staring hard at Eyldera—who was acting like nothing happened.
That scorching gaze made Eyldera turn her head aside in embarrassment… and the room's atmosphere only kept heating up.
"Miss Rosi is certainly adorable," Bai Ling said, smoothly steering the topic back, "but Eyldera—if we head for the Power Highlands right now, can we still catch up to the Administrator and the others?"
Even after defeating that unknown Angel, the trans-domain rift in the sky hadn't changed at all.
That Angel had been terrifyingly strong—almost worthy of being compared to the "Angels" of legend.
If Eyjafjalla hadn't released her Noble Phantasm and defeated it inside a bounded field… then fighting in the Cradle of Generations directly might have erased the Cradle from history entirely.
If the energy inside that Angel had fully detonated, it could have blasted the entire No. 4 Valley into the sky—maybe even scour the land three times over with shockwaves. It was absurd.
Right then, Eyldera's communicator suddenly rang, and a bright, energetic girl's voice came through.
"Finally—someone I can actually reach."
It was Yvonne. That little dragon girl's voice was unmistakable.
"…Hello? Miss Eyldera, are you with the Administrator right now?"
"Not at the moment. The Administrator, Perlica, and Chen Qianyu already headed into the Power Highlands."
"So that's why I couldn't reach them… The corruption in the Power Highlands is severe. It's completely interfering with all communication methods. Unless the power station's corruption is fully cleared out, signal propagation will stay restricted."
Yvonne spoke quickly, explaining—until Bai Ling cut in at the key moment.
"Did something happen?"
"After I studied Tatta's condition, the trans-domain rift in the sky is already completely beyond what Tatta can parse. Tatta needs another upgrade—and I've got a new idea for how to upgrade her."
That was good news.
…And also not good news.
Because after the crisis at the Cradle of Generations ended, Tatta went with the trio into the Power Highlands. Where exactly she was now was anyone's guess.
"…We don't know their exact position yet. We're preparing to head for the Power Highlands."
"So fast? In that case, I'll prep some parts—I'm hoping I can do an on-site retrofit."
With that, Yvonne ended the call.
Looking at the pile of logs beside her—and a spread of components so finely measured they went past the decimal point—she let out a slow breath.
That contact method was basically useless.
Who would've thought he didn't carry any communications device at all?
The only way to reach him was through whoever happened to be with him.
How does someone not carry a communicator?
Still—everything had to come after what mattered most. If she used her precious little cart in this situation, there was a high chance her beloved cart wouldn't survive.
For her beloved cart—and for the data inside it—Yvonne decided to gamble.
She packed up all the parts, then stepped out of the Originium research institute.
The sunlight outside was a little harsh today.
But that was a small problem.
....
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