In the cemetery's office building, on the third-floor corridor.
Upon seeing Echidna, Luo Shu heard her slightly frivolous voice.
"I never thought I would be graced by your visit. This is truly surprising."
"I should be the one who's surprised," Luo Shu glanced at Echidna and let out a short laugh. "Using a fake body to meet me? Where is your real body hiding?"
"My main body is still inside the library."
Facing Luo Shu, Echidna's projection did not hide anything; instead, explaining with a smile, "I have been waiting for you here for several days."
"Oh?" Luo Shu was surprised to hear this. Echidna had been waiting for him for days? She had guessed he would come?
Thinking of this, Luo Shu turned his head and said to Lacus with a smile:
"It looks like you won't be getting anything out of this trip."
The implication was that Echidna was prepared, so even if Lacus wanted to search for something, she probably wouldn't find anything.
However, Lacus had the opposite idea to Luo Shu:
"On the contrary, I think we're bound to have some unexpected gains this time."
As she spoke, Lacus sized up the Echidna before her, her gaze then passing over the other woman to look deep into the corridor.
"I'm very curious. What could possibly have Miss Echidna so engrossed for days that she would even report it to the Familia?"
Hearing this, Echidna offered a false smile and said to the two of them:
"The directive my original self left me was simply to await your arrival and guide you to the library's secret room. So, if you want to know the details, you'll only find out after you meet my original self."
After saying this, Echidna turned around, her back to them.
"Please follow me."
At her words, Luo Shu and Lacus followed in Echidna's footsteps, heading down the corridor.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a corner at the end of the corridor and saw a huge oil painting hanging on the wall.
The painting depicted a field of sunflowers in full bloom at dawn.
Echidna walked up to the oil painting and touched the frame. An invisible Spiritual Power spread out, causing Luo Shu's brows to twitch.
Just then, Echidna turned around and said, "Please, come with me."
As she spoke, she took a step forward and entered the oil painting.
Seeing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but glance at the painting, remarking with great interest, "A separate dimension within the oil painting? No, it's just using the painting as a medium to build a passageway."
As he spoke, Luo Shu followed the spreading ripples with his Spiritual Power perception and quickly discovered a space nearly a hundred acres in area and about a hundred metres high, five hundred metres beneath the cemetery.
Gazing at the sunflowers that covered the hills and plains in that space, then at the false sun constructed with a technique on the space's dome, and the lone castle on that land, Luo Shu simply raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "There's no danger. Let's go."
With that, Luo Shu took Lacus's hand, and together they walked towards the oil painting.
The two of them passed through the painting, and what met their eyes were endless, enormous bookshelves.
The bookshelves were over twenty metres high, and every row and column was crammed with all sorts of books. Below the books were small characters that looked like Latin, seemingly exclusive codes for the books.
Luo Shu now found himself in a passageway between two bookshelves, treading on a red carpet of just the right softness.
"Is this the library?"
Luo Shu gazed at the endless bookshelves and said with a hint of emotion, "It's not too different from what I imagined."
Just as Luo Shu was observing his surroundings, Lacus, who was beside him, showed surprise at an empty spot nearby.
"Ah, what an adorable little lady~"
She took two steps forward, bent her knees to lower herself, and asked in a gentle tone, "Were you sent by Miss Echidna to welcome us?"
Hearing this, the girl, realising her invisibility had been seen through, cancelled the visual interference and revealed herself.
Her light golden hair, the texture of cream, was styled into twin pigtails. She wore a princess dress with a red base and white accents.
The girl, as cute as a pixie, glanced at Lacus before saying in an impatient tone, "Betty's orders were to welcome Mother's master, so could you please move aside?"
"You're kind of blocking my way."
Looking at the childish face of Beatrice, who called herself Betty, and hearing her words, Lacus instead gave a faint smile.
"It seems we have a very strong-willed, good child here."
Hearing this assessment, Beatrice couldn't help but frown, wanting to demand that Lacus take back such a description, but then felt there was no need to.
After all, she was indeed an obedient, good child!
After giving her assessment of Beatrice, Lacus stood up and smiled at Luo Shu.
"Come over, Luo Shu. It's not a good habit to keep a lady waiting."
At her words, Luo Shu turned his head, glanced at Beatrice, and noticed at once that she was not part of the Familia, yet she held the scroll for a Familia contract.
He asked, slightly curious, "It seems Echidna has already explained the situation to you?"
"Mother did indeed explain the existence of the Familia to Betty, but Betty doesn't want to sign such a contract without even having met the other party."
As Beatrice said this, she sized up Luo Shu, then frowned and said, "Besides, Betty has a feeling that Mother has been very strange ever since she signed the contract."
Hearing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but laugh. "Are you suspecting I did something to Echidna?"
"No. After seeing you in person, I understand that Mother's strangeness is not something you would have actively caused."
Beatrice shook her head, tilted her head back, and looked directly at Luo Shu. "Betty doesn't think you're a bad person, but Mother's state is indeed very strange."
After speaking, Beatrice's little face fell. "In that case, the problem lies with Mother herself."
Seeing that Beatrice had actually given him a 'good person' evaluation, Luo Shu was surprised and asked curiously, "What's wrong with Echidna?"
Meanwhile, Lacus said with some astonishment, "Could it be that Miss Echidna has gotten into trouble because of her own insatiable thirst for knowledge?"
Hearing this, Beatrice glanced at Lacus, seemingly surprised by the accuracy of her intuition.
"Mother has been immersed in her research lab for over fifty hours..."
At this point, Beatrice turned her head and glanced at the phantom of Echidna beside her.
"Oh my, has my original self locked herself away again?"
The consciousness separated from Echidna chuckled, seemingly unsurprised by this phenomenon. "However, since little Betty wants to take our master to the laboratory, it seems Mummy has no other opinion but to allow it."
Seeing Echidna's phantom say this, Beatrice's expression relaxed slightly. She then said to Luo Shu, "Please come with me..."
After a moment's hesitation, Beatrice called out in a small voice, "...Father."