A quiet, clean room.
This was one of the few places on the second floor of the Hub Center that could actually be used for rest.
Bai Ling and the two little sheep were resting here.
Because of the Groundbreaker cleanup they'd done earlier—and because the Administrator had eliminated the anchor point—the Hub Center had, for the moment, settled down.
Originally, the three of them had planned to do more, but Qin Jiangchi had strongly recommended they rest—and in this situation, she'd even arranged a room for them. Refusing would've been impolite.
And frankly, the three of them did need rest.
They'd been running on fumes all day.
From the moment they finished eating on the Di Jiang until now, they'd barely had a proper break.
No one even knew how much time had passed.
The first to fall asleep was Eyjafjalla, already lying quietly on the bed.
Even with the Command Seals linking them, using a Noble Phantasm was still mentally exhausting. Once there was a place to rest, Eyjafjalla naturally drifted off—trusting Bai Ling and Eldera completely.
Sitting on the bed closest to where Eyjafjalla was sleeping, Bai Ling stared at that cute, serene face in slumber and couldn't help smiling.
"…Eldera."
As he spoke, Bai Ling lifted his head and naturally looked toward Eldera, who was seated on the other bed.
"How do you see Eyjafjalla?"
Although they'd gotten along smoothly on the road—and the atmosphere between them had even become a little… special—Bai Ling still wanted an answer from Eldera herself.
"…Even though I have memories of the past, I don't have the experiences of the past. So I think… I should experience the future. And Eyjafjalla—Senior Eyjafjalla—is different from me."
"Mm. Eyjafjalla… she is the 'you' who has a past."
A Traveler was not Terra's original self. They were an existence awakened from Originium space in response to a wish. They were independent individuals and couldn't be confused with the original body.
That was why every time Bai Ling saw Eldera, he only thought she resembled Eyjafjalla—he never thought Eldera was Eyjafjalla.
That made Bai Ling fundamentally different from certain other people in how he saw things.
There was no doubt about it: Eldera was a good girl, a good kid—an operator worth trusting and believing in.
That was enough.
She inherited Eyjafjalla's memories—and she also inherited Eyjafjalla's craft and wishes.
But she wasn't Eyjafjalla.
She was Eldera.
"…Senior Eyjafjalla's experiences weren't all beautiful. And after living through so much, she still holds love for Terra. Even when that land is riddled with holes… if it were me, I might not be able to do it."
"No. You've already done it."
Bai Ling smiled—just as Eyjafjalla slowly opened her eyes, turning her face to look at Eldera sitting obediently on the other bed.
"If my future is you… that's not bad at all… but I want to know—what was my final ending?"
As she spoke, Eyjafjalla suddenly asked that question.
The existence of Travelers already confirmed the death of Terra's original body. So as an "ancient" who had come from Terra a hundred years ago to the present… there should be answers here.
"… "
Eldera thought for a moment before she replied.
"I don't have any memory of the ending, Senior Eyjafjalla."
"…No memory of the ending? Then maybe… it's because the ending hasn't been decided yet."
Eyjafjalla accepted Eldera's words naturally, then spoke softly to Bai Ling.
"Senior… I don't know how you did it, but… being able to come here really did make me happy."
"My link with you is still there, you know. Don't say things like that—like we're about to part."
Bai Ling turned his head away a little awkwardly, and the atmosphere in the room quietly shifted.
"…Senior, you're already out of strength, aren't you? I can feel it."
Eyjafjalla didn't know why she was here, but from the moment she appeared on the Di Jiang, she could sense a faint link between herself and Bai Ling.
And that link could become a compulsory command at any moment.
But Senior was a very gentle person—he'd never used a forced order.
Even though they'd only been together a short while, it was obvious: Senior carried many, many things in his heart.
He was a very heavy person.
"…I just burned it all dealing with that guy earlier, that's all."
He said it casually, but his gaze never left Eyjafjalla.
As her Master, he could sense it too: the link between Eyjafjalla and himself had grown dim.
"Get some good rest, Senior. Maybe later there will still be something we need to do. And Eldera too…"
Even though Eyjafjalla wasn't very old, what she said was remarkably mature.
Perhaps that was the steadiness of a field researcher.
"Mm, Senior Eyjafjalla."
Meanwhile, outside.
Along the way, Perlica and the little penguin moved unimpeded.
Forget Groundbreakers—there were barely even any infected animals.
At most, there were a few unconscious guild members lying on the ground.
All the way until they set down the protocol core and printed some basic industrial equipment, they encountered nothing that could be called danger.
"…I didn't expect those three to have done so much…"
By their own account, the route from the valley fortress to the Power Highlands had already collapsed. They'd forced a drop from the Power Highlands and rushed to support the Hub District.
In fact, less than two days had passed since Perlica and the Administrator arrived in Valley No. 4.
In those two days, the Groundbreakers who had seized the place had been cleared out—completely.
And as they themselves said, the Groundbreaker nest-condors at the valley fortress side had also been cleaned up to some extent.
That strength. That efficiency…
No wonder they were an "old acquaintance" even Warfarin cared about.
But beyond all that, there was one more thing Perlica couldn't stop thinking about.
"Operator Chen Qianyu."
"Mm?"
"…Earlier, you called Mr. Bai Ling 'Teacher'?"
"Yes."
Perlica's ear-feathers trembled slightly as she voiced her confusion.
From the standpoint of strength, Chen Qianyu was a rather proud person. She could acknowledge someone being stronger than her—but to make her truly and completely convinced, sheer real skill was mandatory.
Bai Ling hadn't been on the Di Jiang for very long.
So how, exactly, had he subdued a true dragon like Chen Qianyu?
"Although Mr. Bai Ling has never sparred with me, any sword technique I use in front of Teacher Bai Ling seems to have so many flaws. Every time I discuss swordplay with Teacher Bai Ling, I always feel… refreshed."
"… "
For some reason, listening to that, Perlica felt like something about it was… a little odd.
But if she had to say what was wrong…
It also didn't seem wrong?
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (123 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (72 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (92 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (93 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (75 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (115 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (105 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (105 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (42 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty…then Who Am I? (56 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (54Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (80 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (68 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (65 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (41 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail — After I Die, I Forge Their Madness (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Last Zeus Familia (50 Chapter)
Endfield: Arknights Heroic Spirit Summoning (60 Chapter)
Toyokawa Family Finances (110 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it