Seele's inner voice was answered with silence. Mei, crouching beside her, glanced at Seele, then at the pitch-black cave entrance.
"Seele, are we not going in?" she asked softly.
Seele had brought her here, saying their help was inside, but she hadn't specified who the help was.
Mei could tell that Seele knew who the help was, but for some reason, Seele had to keep their identity hidden from her.
And since Seele still hadn't revealed the helper's identity by now, should they really go in?
Seele hesitated for only a moment, then stood up from the bushes. "Let's go, Big Sister Mei. We're going in..."
"No need to come in..." A somewhat weak voice came from the cave entrance. Seele was taken aback. Mei's eyes lit up, and she quickly stood up.
"Dr. Schrodinger! So you're here!" Mei exclaimed, a delighted smile spreading across her face as she saw Schrodinger slowly walk out of the cave.
"It's so good that you're okay!" Mei quickly went forward and took Schrodinger's hand, her eyes scanning her up and down.
Only after confirming that Schrodinger was indeed mostly unharmed did Mei let out a sigh of relief.
"Dr. Schrodinger... wasn't the cave..." Seele walked over, confused. Her face also showed a hint of surprise. The voice in her head hadn't told her that Dr. Schrodinger was here.
"'How should I know?!'" Just as the doubt formed in her mind, Seele heard a voice that sounded like it had been pushed over the edge. "'That thing didn't tell me, okay! What does it have to do with me?!'"
"'Alright, alright, I know. I'm not blaming you either,'" Seele could only laugh to herself, softly comforting the voice in her mind. "'After all, you've already helped us so much. Thank you so much.'"
With one hand held by Mei, Schrodinger could only raise the other to make a hushing gesture. Seele immediately shut her mouth.
"There is indeed help inside, but please, try not to overthink it, and don't try to guess their identities. Please trust them. When the time comes, they will act.
"For now, I will be the one sharing all the plans and intelligence," Schrodinger said, then tapped her wrist guard.
Some nanobots floated out from the wrist guard, forming a small projection device.
"First, I need to explain the Herrscher's power..."
---||---
About half an hour later, Seele and Mei left, feeling a little dizzy. Even though Schrodinger had explained it concisely, often clarifying complex situations with a single sentence, it was still a lot to take in.
The two listeners weren't slow, but Schrodinger was used to communicating with people like Isaac and Tesla, so she would subconsciously sprinkle in some technical terms.
Even though Schrodinger herself was aware of this, it was a habit, and every now and then, a word or two that Mei and Seele couldn't quite understand would pop up.
But at least the explanation was clear. In the end, Schrodinger gave each of them a timer, on which a two-hour countdown had already begun.
"This is the only chance we have to synchronize our time. From now on, the moment the timer hits zero, we must complete our tasks. Not earlier, not later.
"According to my analysis, after two hours, the probability of the domain anchor left by Shu being destroyed will increase significantly. At that time, we will lose the protection of Shu's domain, and who knows what will happen.
"But there's a silver lining. At that two-hour mark, the Herrscher will experience a 'just-miss' effect. It's our best chance..." Schrodinger paused, then explained.
"It means the Herrscher will be on the verge of breaking the anchor, so it won't just let go. Instead, it will choose to finish what it's doing as quickly as possible and try to out-speed us."
In short, it would get tunnel vision.
The two nodded seriously, then turned and left the cave entrance, quickly heading off in different directions.
After they had both left, the three inside the cave slowly walked out.
"Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Schrodinger," Cocolia said, looking in the direction Seele had left.
Schrodinger held the projection device made of nanobots, her eyes downcast. "Don't thank me... This is the last thing I can do now."
The projection device in her hand did not decompose back into nanobots. She waved it, but it wouldn't start up again.
All her nanobots had been destroyed... Now, she was just a scientist without any power. Integrating all the information and then relaying it to others was the best she could do.
Severing the connecting threads was definitely not as simple as Shu had planned. Because the person controlled by the Herrscher could use a part of the Herrscher's power. This was a piece of intelligence Schrodinger had obtained at the cost of almost all her nanobots.
Frélle herself definitely didn't have that kind of strength, but she could still shatter her nano-armor with a single blow.
And after obtaining information about the Herrscher's power, Schrodinger immediately understood that her own cautious association had done more harm than good.
Because she didn't know the opponent's strength and speed, she had tried to consider the intensity they might display as much as possible, including them defeating her with a single punch.
It seems Shu's domain weakened the opponent's power a little, which is how I survived...
This kind of opponent was quite effective against people like them who were used to analyzing things at all times. They thought too much and always tended to imagine the worst-case scenario.
I hope everyone's actions go smoothly...
Cocolia's group of three also split up. Kai headed in Frélle's direction, preparing to support Sirin and Sin Mal.
Cocolia followed behind Seele, responsible for creating an opportunity for Seele to use the Key of Remembrance.
And Noah went after Mei. If Kiana was really being controlled as Schrodinger imagined, then only Noah, as a Herrscher, could hold Kiana off.
---||---
At the same time, outside the canopy, Shu, who didn't even dare to extend his perception due to the canopy, stood quietly, waiting for the answer.
Trust them, he told himself in his heart.
---||---
Inside the canopy, the Herrscher stood before a room, looking at the familiar room with some hesitation.
He raised his hand and slowly pushed the door open, seeing the familiar layout inside.
The yellowed leaves of the plant on the windowsill, the familiar objects on the desk, and...
In the center of the room, the scepter that was emitting a dream-like glow.
"Found you..." he laughed, reaching out his hand to the scepter.