An inexplicable irritation rose in her heart.
She took a deep breath and looked toward the next name on the list—Haiseyin.
Another doorway opened.
This time, a sea breeze rushed toward her.
Before her was an endless expanse of blue ocean, also shrouded in darkness. Only the cold light cast by the two distant bright moons paved a path of shattered silver across the sea surface.
And on this tranquil sea surface, one figure was particularly striking—
Keluida.
The Golden Descendants, who should have been floating in her own space, appeared here instead!
She maintained her tragically beautiful posture, floating on the sea surface, her chest pierced by an invisible blade. Golden-yellow blood continuously gushed out, spreading beneath her into a shocking expanse of golden water, like a wound that would never heal.
Black Herta's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
(What is going on? Did she crash the party?)
She immediately brought up the control panel to confirm—the coordinates were correct; this was indeed Haiseyin's confinement space.
(Where is Haiseyin?)
Suppressing the urge to complain, her sharp gaze swept across the sea surface.
Aside from Keluida and the spreading golden color, there was nothing.
(Could she be... in the sea?)
Without hesitation, a faint glow appeared around Black Herta. As if merging with the water, she silently sank into the cold, deep sea.
The light on the seabed was dim, but relying on her extraordinary vision, she quickly spotted her target.
On a patch of white sand not too far down on the seabed, a massive spherical barrier formed by coalesced golden blood was strikingly conspicuous.
The source of that blood was precisely the wound on Keluida on the sea surface!
Like a river of life, the blood flowed continuously from above, pouring into the spherical barrier and tightly encasing it.
At the center of the barrier, a figure was curled up, eyes tightly shut, as if in the deepest sleep.
It was Haiseyin.
She looked like an elf sleeping inside golden amber.
That flowing golden blood was both a protective barrier and seemingly some kind of... link sustaining her existence?
Black Herta quietly watched the scene, complex emotions swirling in her purplish-black eyes.
She did not try to break the blood barrier, nor did she attempt to wake Haiseyin.
She merely watched silently for a moment in the dim seabed, sensing this heavy and bizarre connection.
Then, just as silently as she had arrived, she left the seabed, returned to the surface, and finally went back to the pure white System Space.
Standing within the empty white space, Black Herta fell silent for a rare moment.
Feelings of frustration and helplessness lingered in her heart.
(Next one...)
She shook her head, suppressing those weak emotions, and her gaze became calm again.
She swiped open the light screen again and looked at the remaining names.
(I hope the next one is at least someone I can communicate with.)
[Belobog · Lower District · Natasha's Clinic]
Damn it!
Sampo, the self-proclaimed "local tyrant" who thrived in the Lower District, was currently leaning against the clinic's cold doorframe, gasping for breath, feeling like his lungs were about to explode.
He had never run so wretchedly in his life!
Was that gray-haired person in front a monster?!
Carrying three people through the complex alleyways of the Lower District, she ran faster than him, the designated guide!
That speed, that stamina—it was simply inhuman!
What made his mouth twitch even more was that the few wandering Rift creatures they encountered along the way hadn't even fully materialized before that "heroine" simply swung the seemingly ordinary baseball bat with one hand.
"Bang!"
"Smack!"
"Whoosh—!"
Clean and decisive, like playing Whack-a-Mole: one monster, one swing, never a second hit.
Those monsters that gave ordinary miners and vagrants endless headaches were as fragile as paper before her!
(Is there any justice left?! With that combat power, why do I even need to guide her)?!
Sampo was wailing internally.
Moreover, the paths she chose were incredibly tricky; some were secret passages even he, an old hand, didn't know about!
(Wait! How is she more familiar with this place than I am)?!
When he saw Jack dive headfirst into the familiar curtain of Natasha's Clinic without hesitation and with clear intent, Sampo was completely numb.
(She knows this location perfectly too...)
Dragging his leaden legs, he followed her inside, utterly resigned.
Inside the clinic, Doctor Natasha, whose gentle demeanor was mixed with resilience, was about to question the newcomers when she was stunned by the sight before her.
She saw an unfamiliar gray-haired girl expressionlessly place the three people she was carrying on her shoulder—one after another, like unloading cargo—onto the empty hospital beds with crisp movements.
Natasha: "..."
Her pink eyes were filled with bewilderment. She subconsciously looked at Sampo, who entered afterward looking utterly resigned, and conveyed a silent question with her eyes:
"What... what is going on? Is this your doing?"
Meeting Natasha's gaze, Sampo could only manage an awkward smile uglier than a cry. He spread his hands, indicating, "It's a long story—no, I can't explain it at all!" He felt that today was definitely an unlucky day, as he had run into his nemesis.
Seeing that his role here was finished, Sampo gave Natasha a "please take care of this" gesture, then slipped out of the clinic like grease underfoot, disappearing quickly into the dark alleyways, terrified that if he delayed, he would be dragged back to do manual labor.
Natasha watched Sampo's fleeing back, shook her head helplessly, and turned her attention back to the instigator inside the clinic.
She saw that the unfamiliar gray-haired girl, having "unloaded her cargo," showed no sign of nervousness or intention to explain; instead, she began curiously examining the clinic's interior environment.
Natasha frowned slightly. This girl... gave her a very peculiar feeling.
"Child,"
Natasha stepped forward, her tone as gentle as possible. "Can you tell me what happened? What... what is wrong with them?" She pointed to the three unconscious people on the beds.
Jack withdrew her gaze from the corner, looked at Natasha, and blinked, seemingly organizing her thoughts. Then she replied in a clear but emotionally flat tone:
"Smoke. Sleeping. Place, safe."
Natasha: "..."
That explanation was certainly... concise.
She looked at Jack's excessively calm face, then at the three people sleeping soundly (?) on the beds, especially the young woman whose identity seemed highly sensitive, and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
[Hyacine Space]
Madam Herta stood on the newly generated data platform, and for the first time, obvious astonishment appeared in her purplish-black eyes.
The platform floated high in the sky, surrounded by rolling, flowing seas of dim yellow clouds that seemed close enough to touch.
The sky was not pure darkness but a chaotic hue suggesting an imminent sunset, mysterious yet oppressive.
It was silent here; only an invisible wind occasionally brushed against her skirt and hair.
In the center of the platform, a figure was kneeling.
She had her head bowed, her hands folded in front of her, in a posture that was devout yet sorrowful, as if engaged in an endless prayer.
It was one of the Golden Descendants—Hyacine.
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