Everyone played in Siesta for a few more days before leaving.
As for the many media outlets that had come to Siesta to broadcast the Obsidian Festival, this whole incident in Siesta could be described as a massive event. Many in the media, upon leaving Siesta, rushed back to their companies to prepare the frontline reports.
For media personnel.
This kind of huge news meant popularity, and popularity was linked to money.
As for whether their reports would affect Siesta or the god-like people who had saved them, these media outlets didn't care.
However.
Several days passed.
On the internet and in the news, there wasn't a single related report. Many media outlets that had just posted the news online found it taken down instantly. As for any media that dared to publish it in print, their editors-in-chief were taken away to be 'educated' on the grounds of spreading rumors.
Columbia, on the other hand, was comparatively more 'free'. Under normal circumstances, even the Columbian government wouldn't actively interfere with the media, letting them report freely to reflect Columbia's 'freedom'.
But...
Even if the Columbian parliament didn't intervene.
Raythean Industries took action immediately. Using near-forceful methods, they acquired several large media companies in a row, cutting off the spread of this news at the source.
If it was just Siesta's 'tea', the reports would have been everywhere by now. But this time, besides Siesta's drama, it also involved two other world secrets that ordinary people had no idea about: the Seaborn and Gods...
Forget ordinary people.
Even the higher-ups in many countries didn't know about the existence of the Seaborn and Gods.
Gods were one thing, but creatures of the sea like the Seaborn were only known to countries with territory bordering the ocean, like Iberia, Yan, and Sargon. Columbia, for instance, had no idea the Seaborn even existed.
Therefore, these unseen deep-sea monsters piqued the interest of many nations.
However, it was unknown whether this interest was a good or bad thing.
Knowing about the Seaborn in advance and preparing for them was a good thing, but the fear was... that a group of arrogant leaders, completely unaware of the dangers of the Seaborn, would act like Iberia of the past, arrogantly believing they had conquered the sea, and thus invite a near-devastating counterattack from the Seaborn. Pride can blind a person's eyes. Only by living longer does one realize just how big this world truly is.
However, although the governments of various countries controlled the media's mouths.
One had to remember.
It wasn't just media who returned from Siesta, but also hundreds of thousands of ordinary tourists. The governments couldn't seal the mouths of these ordinary tourists. One person told ten, ten told a hundred. 'Theism' gradually grew stronger on the internet.
The people who could afford to travel to Siesta were almost all social elites, and almost all atheists. After returning from Siesta, every single one of them, as if a new world had opened up to them, became theists. They firmly believed that gods truly existed, because they had seen them with their own eyes. The gods had even saved them.
But, after all, word of mouth wasn't proof.
As time passed, coupled with the fact that the governments of Terra never officially debunked the rumors, the legends of Siesta that were hotly debated gradually had fewer and fewer people discussing them. Many netizens who didn't know the truth basically wouldn't take it seriously, at most treating it as a story or an urban legend.
Moreover...
Because of this incident, coupled with the fact that the governments of Terra never officially debunked the rumors, the Siesta incident gradually became an unsolved mystery and an urban legend circulating throughout Terra. Of course, Siesta, by a strange twist of fate, also welcomed many adventurers and internet bloggers from all over Terra. They all wanted to dig up the truth buried in Siesta. Some bloggers even regretted not coming to Siesta for vacation, thinking that, as eyewitnesses, they might have over a million online followers by now.
As for what was circulating in the outside world.
Lucas Reeve had no interest in it. Someone would naturally take care of it.
The group played in Siesta for several more days. After all, the hotel was booked for twenty days; it would be a bit of a waste not to stay the full time. Although Jessica wasn't short on money, it was like using a five-dollar coupon for a sports car just because it was about to expire. Save what should be saved, spend what should be spent.
When it was time to leave, Jessica and the others left via [Stardust]. Lucas Reeve, along with Amiya and the Rhodes Island Operators, left Siesta on a Land-runner to return to Rhodes Island. This trip to Siesta, while a bit thrilling, was quite exciting. After all, not everyone gets to experience a 'world-ending' event on their vacation.
In situations like this.
Surviving it is called 'exciting'; only dying is called 'dangerous'.
Because of the need to revitalize Siesta and find a new path, Mayor Herman was in meetings almost day and night. With Cronin out of the picture, Mayor Herman promoted one of his trusted confidants to be his assistant mayor. Originally, Mayor Herman wanted to make Schwarz his assistant, but after some thought, he decided to leave Schwarz with Ceylon.
After all.
He had no time to accompany his daughter, so he could only have Schwarz do it for him.
Ceylon had already spoken to her father. After getting his permission, she left Siesta with Jessica, preparing to go to Columbia together to check out the new environment where she would be interning.
Back at Rhodes Island.
Amiya, ACE, Scout, and the other Elite Operators who knew Lucas Reeve's secret chose to help him keep it. To them, the Doctor was still the Doctor.
After returning to Rhodes Island.
The work that had piled up for over half a month nearly made the Operators who went on vacation faint. The more relaxed they had been, the busier they were upon returning from break, just like returning to school after a few days off to find a thick pile of test papers on the desk.
This made the few Operators who didn't go on vacation quite happy. They went to work and got off work normally every day, watching their colleagues, who had relaxed for half a month, work overtime late into the night. They felt great.
A week after the holiday ended.
Rhodes Island welcomed two new employees.
Or rather, not new employees, but two new patients.
Ninety percent of the patients at Rhodes Island were in a state of being unable to afford their medical fees. After all, Oripathy couldn't be cured, only maintained with expensive medication every day. Ordinary Infected simply couldn't afford this cost, so Rhodes Island had long ago thoughtfully introduced a method.
Work mortgage.
It was equivalent to.
Rhodes Island was willing to treat you for free, but you had to work at Rhodes Island. You could be a simple cafeteria auntie, or a combat personnel, using this to offset the medical fees. The salary... of course, wasn't much. A regular cafeteria 'auntie' Operator would only be given a small living stipend by Rhodes Island each month, while combat personnel would receive relatively more.
This seemed like a rip-off, but in reality, it was already quite conscientious.
After all, these Operators' wages were far from enough to cover their treatment costs. So, strictly speaking, for every Infected person Rhodes Island treated, they lost more money.
But the two who came this time were special.
They paid their own medical bills, which was very rare.
Lucas Reeve, who was eating lunch with Amiya in the cafeteria, happened to overhear several female Operators nearby discussing the same topic.
The new patient who arrived today... was so special!! So elegant!! Even wearing a hospital gown and lying on a hospital bed, he looked like the most exquisite statue in the world.
Elegant...
Lucas Reeve, eating off to the side, paused and asked Amiya.
"Little Amiya, did two new patients arrive today?"
"Mhm." Amiya nodded while eating her dry noodles.
Under Lucas Reeve's dietary influence, Amiya had gradually gotten used to Yanese cuisine and even learned to use chopsticks.
"One is a rather mature... somewhat flashy guy, and the other is a cute girl. They're probably talking about the mature man. Although... I don't think he's that handsome, a lot of the older sisters in the company seem to really like his type. I don't really get it."
Amiya muttered nonstop.
"But, I think... someone like the Doctor is the most handsome."
After saying this.
Amiya's face turned bright red, as if she had said the most embarrassing thing in the world. She quickly buried her head and continued eating her noodles, avoiding Lucas Reeve's eyes.
It couldn't be him, could it?
After finishing lunch with Amiya, Lucas Reeve followed her to the third-floor ward to take a look.
Sure enough!
Lying on the hospital bed was a handsome man with incredibly elegant mannerisms. This flashy face belonged to that guy from Higashi, Tsukimiyo!!
So... this was the 'meeting again' that the causal threads had indicated.
As for the new patient in the other ward, it was an adorable girl.
Kirara.
He had also met her in Higashi. It was pretty impressive that she managed to find out about Rhodes Island and successfully get here.
"Both of them were recommended by Operators on the island." Amiya explained.
Lucas Reeve didn't go say hello.
Because the Doctor's appearance was somewhat different from his soul's appearance. Even if he went to greet them, they probably wouldn't recognize him.
A few more days passed.
Life gradually settled into a peaceful routine.
Lucas Reeve gradually discovered.
He seemed to have nothing to do.
The Prayer Power supply from the Reunion Movement side was almost gone. The same went for Hellagur's side; it was basically saturated, so it was gone. And although the Sargon rainforest could still provide some, it was less and less. Sure enough, he couldn't keep relying on these three places. He had to find some new places to sustainably obtain Prayer Power.
No new soul fragments had awakened.
The Reunion Movement was quiet, Lisa's side was quiet, Ceylon was in Columbia, Zumama was in class. He, who had once been a time-management master, busy beyond belief, unexpectedly had a day of leisure. Basically, his days were a two-point line between Rhodes Island and Columbia.
He'd chat with Jessica, Alina, and the others, or go watch the upgraded version of the office chair race at Rhodes Island: the skateboard race. This wasn't the traditional skateboard you stand on, but the kind where you lie flat on the board and use your feet to push off and gain thrust.
"Hey hey hey! I'm off!"
Today, Magallan, who had been resting in Columbia for over a month, chose to leave again.
According to Magallan.
This world was huge. She was like a wanderer and couldn't possibly stay in one place forever.
To avoid a repeat of the last embarrassing incident.
Before she left.
Lucas Reeve gave her a special instruction.
"Remember to send me or Jessica a message every time you reach a new place, just say you've arrived in XX city."
Lucas Reeve's words made Magallan misunderstand.
"Don't... don't worry. As the greatest explorer, why are you worried about my safety... I'm not a child anymore."
"No..." Lucas Reeve said slowly, "I'm afraid of accidentally ending up in the same place as you again. I'm truly afraid of that."
Magallan: "...."
After Magallan left.
Nian also prepared to leave.
This surprised Lucas Reeve. He originally thought Nian was planning to return to Yan, but instead, Nian said:
"I'm going to shoot a documentary! I've pretty much finished the outline. The theme is the Infected. I remember you're familiar with the Reunion Movement, right, Lucas Reeve? I'm planning to start filming with them!!"