Afternoon.
Sacred Flame Arena.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating a woman with slightly tanned skin.
She had long, wavy pale-gold hair. Her eyelashes trembled slightly before she slowly opened her eyes.
"Haah~"
"That was such a comfortable sleep…"
Xilonen stretched lazily.
After Caelus told her she could use the Pyro Archon's authority to silence other commissions, she felt at ease resting in the Sacred Flame Arena.
The rooms there were originally prepared for participants of the Holy Night of Returning Flame and spectators attending the matches.
Recently, the Holy Night of Returning Flame had been suspended, so many rooms were vacant.
Xilonen randomly chose one and fell asleep almost instantly.
"I wonder how long I've slept."
She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the sunlight outside.
"The sun hasn't set yet… maybe only a few hours?"
Strange.
While building the defense installations, she hadn't slept more than five hours per night for days.
Could she really feel this energetic after just a short nap?
"Anyway… I'm starving."
She patted her stomach.
Fortunately, chefs were still stationed at the Sacred Flame Arena. Otherwise, she would have had to return to her Tribe for food.
"Hmm? There are actually plants growing in this room?"
Before leaving, Xilonen noticed several green plants placed near the window.
She wasn't planning to eat them.
"They look healthy. They shouldn't be that easy to kill, right?"
She poured a cup of water into the soil and smiled.
"Even if I didn't care for them long, they're mine now."
"At least I didn't kill them."
Afterward, she headed to the arena's restaurant.
While eating, someone approached her and informed her that Lord Pyro Archon wanted to see her once she finished.
Xilonen immediately understood.
Back to work.
"Time to clock in," she sighed.
Even though she loved her craft, she wasn't some endlessly energetic cartoon sponge working at a fast-food restaurant.
After finishing her meal, she went to the Affairs Office and found Caelus working.
Unexpectedly, instead of assigning new tasks, he asked how she had rested and whether her workload was exhausting.
"I rested very well," she replied. "The physical work isn't hard. It's the mental strain that's troublesome."
Understanding clients' needs. Translating vague ideas into practical designs. Convincing them to abandon impossible requests.
Still, while creating the defense installations, she had genuinely enjoyed herself.
It was exhausting, but fulfilling.
"As long as you're not overworking yourself."
Caelus smiled faintly.
"You slept for two full days. If I hadn't confirmed you were still breathing and even asked Granny Citlali to check on you, I might've thought you'd passed out permanently."
Xilonen froze.
"Two days?"
No wonder she felt so refreshed.
Caelus nodded.
"I wondered if I'd pushed you too hard. I even considered recruiting additional artisans to reduce your workload."
He wasn't interested in squeezing every drop of productivity from Natlan's greatest artisan. Xilonen was an irreplaceable talent, not disposable labor.
"Thank you, Lord Pyro Archon, but that won't help."
She shook her head.
"Other artisans think differently than I do. If they haven't fully understood the underlying mechanisms, collaboration will only slow progress."
In short, the technical gap was too large.
It was better for her to master the designs first, then teach others how to replicate them.
"Very well."
Before she left, Caelus handed her several potions.
"Take these back with you."
Xilonen examined one curiously.
After Caelus explained that the potion could cleanse Abyssal corruption and restore bodily damage caused by the Abyss, her eyes brightened.
"Lord Pyro Archon… can this restore someone's lost memories if they were affected by the Abyss?"
"Logically, yes," Caelus replied.
"That's wonderful."
Relief flooded her expression.
"My aunt's daughter lost all her memories after an Abyss attack a few years ago. My aunt has been devastated ever since. She even abandoned her career."
"If this potion can restore her memories, my aunt will finally find peace."
At that moment, Caelus recalled the Tribal Chronicles of the "Children of Echoes," essentially Xilonen's Story Quest.
Years ago, when the Abyss attacked the Children of Echoes, Xilonen's aunt joined the Tribe's warriors to repel the Abyss.
In the chaos, she forgot her daughter was playing outside.
By the time she found her, the girl had been gravely injured and supposedly lost her memories due to Abyssal corruption.
But that was the story told publicly.
In truth, the daughter had died.
To cope with her grief, the aunt adopted an orphan who had lost her parents during the Abyss invasion.
The orphan was the same age. Even shared the same birthday.
As the adopted girl grew up, the aunt became convinced that her real daughter should have survived.
So she began planning to gather fragments of memories from others and implant them into the adopted girl, attempting to "revive" her daughter's soul.
If the timeline aligned, that plan should already be in motion.
Meaning the adopted girl could be in danger.
"Xilonen," Caelus said cal
mly, "I'll accompany you to the Children of Echoes."
She blinked in confusion.
"Lord Pyro Archon, what would you be doing there?"
"To slack off."