"Doctor, do you know what this is?"
Hearing Hao Fan's murmured words, Qin Jiangchi looked surprised.
"Something like this—an ancient object resembling a crown—does occasionally turn up on Talos-II within the Civilization Belt. But no one knows where it came from, or what it does… 'Trace of Continuance'—you know its name?"
"More or less. I just… somehow know."
Hao Fan sounded a little dazed. He couldn't give a concrete explanation.
It was just that, through his "I-think-so-it-happens" Originium Arts, he'd received a few fragmented information packets.
And he'd concluded this jet-black crown was probably related to Amiya's Black Crown.
Continuance of civilization.
A trace of continuance.
Similar names, similar appearance—if someone told him they were unrelated, he wouldn't buy it.
But that was all.
"Amiya… right. Thanks. I'll take it."
Hao Fan lifted the Trace of Continuance and felt his Originium Arts become… more active, as if some sealed potential had been loosened.
And the increase felt permanent.
The price, however, was that the Trace itself began to slowly consume its own substance—as though it were being spent.
An equivalent exchange.
Or perhaps… a gift from the distant past.
He didn't examine it closely. He simply stored it inside his Contract Originium, then fell into a long silence, clearly not intending to say more—no one knew what he was thinking.
Seeing this, Qin Jiangchi didn't press further. Instead, she smoothly changed the subject.
"When the Anchor fell, I put on a calm face… but inside I was a complete mess."
"But with your help, we not only got through the crisis—we started repairs faster than expected."
"I really want to formally thank you, on behalf of the Nexus Base."
"And—of course—the reception we'd planned got shelved. Once everything's back to normal, you have to let me make it up to you."
"Administrator. Supervisor Perica. Operator Chen Qianyu. And Doctor…"
"No matter what, don't push yourselves."
"You've already done so much. Don't chase a cornered enemy. Too much becomes too much."
"There are still people here waiting for you to come back."
Qin Jiangchi's gratitude was sincere.
Nearby operators—busy as they were—paused to wave and greet them.
To the people of the Nexus Base, the four-person crisis team were genuine comrades now, even ignoring the weight of their respective titles.
"…Yes. We understand."
Perica nodded firmly.
Chen Qianyu stayed upbeat as ever.
"Hehe—don't worry!"
She didn't believe a bunch of Groundsplitters could threaten the two swords in her hands.
The Administrator clearly felt the same.
"Groundsplitters are nothing. We'll uncover the truth… right, Doctor?"
She lightly jabbed an elbow into the hooded man's side—an ambush to his ribs with absolutely no warning.
It was meant as familiarity, but Hao Fan's expression almost cracked on the spot.
"Ahem… yeah. Also—wait—where's the Valley Fortress again?"
Only now did Hao Fan realize he had no clue.
So far, as an outsider, he'd only been to the Nexus sector of Valley Four—
The Nexus Base, the Construction Pending Zone, the Integrated Core Area, the Nexus Power Station, the Originium Byproduct Center, the Southern Meadow.
Those six areas were all within the Nexus sector, and they still weren't the whole thing.
A place called "Valley Fortress" clearly wasn't inside the Nexus sector—it had to be elsewhere in Valley Four.
"The Valley Fortress is in the Valley Corridor, northwest of the Nexus sector… it's the shortest route to the power-supply highlands."
Perica opened the map function on her Contract Synchronizer and pointed out the route:
Base Entrance → Construction Pending Zone → Nexus Power Station → Bridgehead Fortifications.
Follow the asphalt-concrete roadway west, cross the bridge spanning the canyon, and you'd reach the Valley Corridor region.
Hao Fan finally understood the direction they'd be heading.
"Bridgehead Fortifications… west of the Integrated Core Area? That's pretty close. I didn't even notice it before."
He stared at the Nexus map, enlightened.
Perica, however, turned to the Administrator—worry in her eyes.
"The links behind the Groundsplitters' behavior… they all seem to point to Andre's prototype, Endfield Industries…"
"And even… you, Administrator."
She fell silent for a beat, then her expression hardened with resolve.
"Let's go. It's time we personally peel back the truth."
At that, Qin Jiangchi understood the crisis team was setting out again.
"During the communications blackout, such severe attacks happened… the Valley Fortress situation won't be good."
"Please make absolutely sure you're fully prepared."
Her gaze swept across them—then stopped on the least physically formidable among them: the Doctor.
"Doctor. Is there anything you still want? I'll do what I can to help."
Hao Fan paused—then didn't refuse.
"Do you have any ice cream?"
"…Ice cream?"
"Yeah. I found that food stored inside Contract Originium doesn't spoil. So I want to prepare an ice cream in advance—so I can give it to a friend later."
Hao Fan said it plainly.
That "friend," of course, was the red-haired girl who had saved his life.
He didn't even know what kind of person she was yet, but if she was a "retraveler" of Surtr, then she definitely liked ice cream.
So he wanted to prepare one, specifically for her.
"…Sorry. I don't think the Nexus Base has ice cream."
Qin Jiangchi looked genuinely troubled.
If it were anything else—even something expensive—she would've handed it over without hesitation.
But ice cream? If there wasn't any, there wasn't any. At most they had coffee…
Oh—right.
"Wait—I just remembered. Supervisor Perica should still have ice cream."
Qin Jiangchi suddenly recalled seeing it.
Last night, while Perica was helping with paperwork, she'd apparently secretly pulled out an ice cream and eaten it, blissfully.
Her expression had been as delighted as Chen Qianyu's—IQ visibly dropping.
"Eh? Me?"
Perica froze.
In that instant, all her usual composed, calm, gentle, reliable virtues seemed to blink out—leaving behind a wronged, snack-loving young woman on the verge of tears.
"Th-this is the last one. My best one. The one I've been saving… Please—please treasure it!"
With extreme reluctance, Perica produced a vividly blue sea-salt ice cream.
It was the kind that used a touch of sea salt to bring out the sweetness—so good it could practically restore your sanity.
"Thanks. I'll keep it safe."
Under Perica's tragic stare, Hao Fan snatched the sea-salt ice cream with zero hesitation.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he stored it inside Contract Originium—his shamelessness on the level of a bandit.
Qin Jiangchi couldn't help the corner of her mouth lifting.
"Then… I wish you all the best."
....
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