Meanwhile, Elysia had found the Scholar in the aircraft's research lab. She was studying a research report, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"The Ghosts in this world are quite different from those in our own," the Scholar said. "Give me some time. Using the special artifacts provided by those people, I should be able to create an improved version of our Anti-Ghost Weapon."
In other words, a weapon specifically designed to eliminate Ghosts from this world.
But Elysia couldn't help but wonder if this was overkill. After all, they would only be staying here for a maximum of seven days before leaving. By the time the Scholar finished modifying the weapon, wouldn't their time be up?
Moreover, the Scholar's ordinary weapon—the one that had blown up an entire house—had already proven effective against Ghosts. Was there really a need for modifications?
Elysia scratched her head, feeling the soft, fluffy strands of her pink hair slide through her fingers. She could sense the Scholar's complete absorption in her research.
She's probably not doing this for the final weapon itself, but because she's genuinely fascinated by the research process, Elysia thought. The Scholar isn't stupid. She must have considered the same questions I did, yet she's still pursuing this.
Elysia chimed in, "Good luck with your research!~"
The Scholar paused, startled, and turned around. "Elysia? When did you get here?"
Elysia blinked, utterly bewildered. "???"
So you weren't talking to me just now? You were just talking to yourself?
She immediately feigned a wounded expression. "I've been here for ages! Even I get hurt when people ignore me, you know?~"
The Scholar remained unmoved, bluntly asking, "So, what do you need?"
"Honestly, Scholar, you're so adorable! Can't I just come to see you for no reason?~"
"If that's all, I'll get back to my research."
"E-eh, wait..." Finally, Elysia revealed the purpose of her visit. She asked if the Scholar had any tracking devices, explaining that she planned to disembark and grind for points. While getting down was easy, returning to the aircraft hovering a thousand meters above the ground would be a significant challenge.
"Just a moment," the Scholar said, opening her briefcase and rapidly typing in a "cheat code." A palm-sized locator quickly appeared in her hand.
"Thank you~" Elysia had barely taken the locator when the Scholar continued typing, soon piling more devices into her arms.
"This is an automatic Protective Field. It generates a shield right before an attack hits you. This is a motion scanner that detects all nearby moving entities. And these are nanotherapeutic injectors—they can forcefully sustain someone's life for a limited time, as long as they haven't completely died."
"Your strength might be considerable, but it's best to carry these utility items just in case," the Scholar said, finally handing Elysia a communicator. "You can contact me anytime if anything happens."
Staring at the array of advanced equipment in her hands, Elysia paused momentarily before a playful smile curved her lips. "Scholar, are you perhaps... a tsundere~?"
The Scholar tilted his head slightly. "Tsundere? What's that?"
Well, this girl really doesn't know anything about anime culture, Elysia thought, smiling. "Scholar, you're so adorable! I'm just teasing you. Anyway, thanks for the gadgets~"
After equipping all the devices, Elysia approached the aircraft's hatch.
Since the aircraft was hovering stationary in the air, there was little wind. Elysia peered outside into the pitch-black darkness, unable to make out anything.
Truthfully, she used to be afraid of heights, but not anymore. What heights hadn't Firefly conquered?
However, leaping from a great height is a completely different sensation than jumping into an unfathomable abyss of darkness. It's like jumping down three or four steps blindfolded. With your eyes open, you wouldn't hesitate, but closing them brings a sudden surge of fear.
"Forget it, no more thinking! I'm jumping!"
Hesitation leads to defeat. Elysia took a deep breath and hurled herself from the plane without looking back.
Just then, the streamer, Shi Jun, and two new recruits emerged from the infirmary and happened to pass by. One of the new soldiers stared in disbelief. "Wait, why did that pink-haired lady just jump? And doesn't she have a parachute?!"
Shi Jun paused, surprised. "She should be fine... she's not exactly ordinary, after all."
The streamer chimed in confidently, "Of course she's fine! It's only a few thousand meters. At worst, she'll break a leg. But I'm a former athlete—ten minutes of rest and I'd be good as new!"
The athletic recruit beside him gaped at the streamer. "No, no, no! Even athletes can't pull off stunts like that!"
The perspective shifted back to Elysia. The wind howled in her ears as her long pink hair danced in the gale. She extended her right hand, and in an instant, a beautiful pink staff materialized in her grasp.
Her clothes gradually transformed into the white, wedding-dress-like attire of her Herrscher state. Yes, she had fully activated her Herrscher powers.
Elysia positioned the staff horizontally beneath her and casually sat astride it, her descent slowing to a gentle glide.
Technically, flight was a fundamental skill in her Herrscher state, but perching sideways on the staff simply felt more dramatic.
As she descended, an ancient, rustic village slowly came into view.
Well, this clearly wasn't the place where she had boarded the plane. Even though the aircraft had ascended straight upward and Elysia had plummeted straight down, the slightest deviation during their journeys could have thrown her miles off course.