System Space
At the same time, Madam Herta stood before a massive device where countless lines of code continuously flowed.
"System, initiate link," Madam Herta's voice was calm and unwavering.
"Command confirmed," the system puppet respectfully responded.
As she spoke, several purple data streams, like living tentacles, extended from the void, precisely connecting to the Elysian Realm.
In an instant, the entire pure white space trembled slightly, and the core's light suddenly intensified, as if a long-dormant heart had been re-energized.
Countless fragments of Remembrance from the previous civilization, the imprints of the Flame-Chasers, and vast amounts of Imaginary energy began to flow steadily and efficiently into Madam Herta's own system along this newly established link.
[Core repair progress increased: 1%.]
[Current total repair progress: 38.5%.]
The system's prompt tone announced the results in a cold, objective manner.
Inside the Elysian Realm, in a repair node room composed of countless platforms and pipelines flowing with green data codes, a petite figure was busy at work.
She had slightly messy green short hair, her right eye was meticulously covered by a small, clean white gauze, and she wore researcher-style clothing. This was Klein, the puppet responsible for maintaining the Paradise's operation.
Just a short while ago, she had keenly detected a brief fluctuation in the Paradise's overall data flow, like some external "wash," causing slight data corruption in several non-core Remembrance Corridors.
She immediately immersed herself in urgent inspection work, trying to find the source of the fluctuation and a repair solution. The continuous high-intensity work left an undeniable fatigue on her face, but her exposed left eye still stared intently and focused at the operating interface.
However, just as she had pinpointed several data blockage points and was about to start clearing them—
"Eh?"
Klein let out a soft sound.
On the operating interface, the red warning signs indicating poor data flow, without any intervention from her, were swiftly erased as if by an invisible hand, turning into a serene blue, representing smooth operation.
On the Paradise's data transmission rate monitoring chart, the curve steadily climbed to an... unprecedented ideal height?
Not only had the Paradise's operation returned to normal, but it had become... even smoother and more efficient than before?
Klein stopped her movements, tilting her head slightly, a pensive expression on the part of her face not covered by gauze.
She checked the logs and found no records of internal upgrades or maintenance.
This was definitely not an effect achievable by conventional system self-repair or periodic optimization.
(Is it Gray Serpent... finally taking the previous report seriously and upgrading the Paradise's infrastructure?)
Klein couldn't figure it out.
She simply silently recorded the data from this abnormal recovery, categorizing it as "Unsolved Mystery - To Be Observed."
For a diligent repair puppet, a better functioning system was certainly a good thing.
She shook her head, deciding to temporarily set aside these perplexing matters and continue with her daily maintenance work.
After all, as long as the Paradise could operate stably, allowing visitors to safely trace the imprints of the past, that was her most important duty.
Perspective shift.
Raven, or rather, Natasha, was walking through the familiar corridor leading to the Elysian Realm.
Her short gray hair under her hood cast some shadows on her forehead, and her rose-red eyes held a hint of obvious resignation.
She had just received an order from Gray Serpent, instructing her to enter the Paradise again for a trial, to "consolidate her understanding and adaptability to the Flame-Chasers' power."
(Another trial...)
Raven sighed inwardly, (I guess I'll have to fight that irritable old man, Kalpas, again.)
The image of that figure wearing a pitch-black mask and burning with raging fury instantly appeared in her mind; every "spar" with him was like walking on a razor's edge.
In contrast, if she could meet a Flame-Chaser like Griseo, listen to her paint, or just quietly stay for a while, then her luck today might still be pretty good.
With this hopeful mindset, Raven arrived before the large door inscribed with complex patterns.
She habitually reached out and pushed the heavy, cold metal door—
The door slid open silently.
However, what appeared behind the door was not the entrance to the vast Elysian Realm she had anticipated.
Instead... it was so clean.
As if something had gnawed it away.
Raven froze at the doorway, her rose-red eyes instantly widening, filled with bewilderment and helplessness.
She even subconsciously took a few steps back, blinked hard, and then turned to look at the unmistakable markings and energy pipelines on both sides of the corridor.
(That's right... there's no mistake, this is the entrance to the Elysian Realm!)
She hesitantly stepped into the vast space that should have been occupied by massive facilities, but was now empty.
The floor beneath her feet was cold and smooth, reflecting the base's eerie blue lights, and the surroundings were so empty that she could hear her own heart beating faster.
Then, her gaze was drawn to something unusual suspended in the center of the space.
It was a line of purplish-red glowing text, like a ghostly message, abruptly frozen there.
The style of the writing carried a mischievousness she had never seen before:
[Accepted with pleasure! —A benevolent alien ^_^]
...
Raven looked at the words, feeling as if all her strength had been instantly drained, her body involuntarily softened, almost collapsing onto the ground.
She wasn't shocked by the term "alien," but rather clearly realized—big trouble!
Huge trouble!
A complete and utter disaster, enough to draw the entire World Serpent into the eye of the storm!
World Serpent · A certain meeting room filled with low pressure
The air was so heavy it could almost drip.
Only a few people sat around the long conference table.
Gray Serpent, at the head of the table, his iconic mechanical body was now motionless, and the light from his crimson electronic eyes had dimmed considerably, as if all computational resources were concentrated on some internal brink of collapse.
Unnatural wisps of black smoke stubbornly seeped from the seams of his casing.
He seemed to be frantically communicating with countless "selves" through an internal network, trying to find even the slightest clue.
"So..."
Jackal's voice broke the silence, a hint of schadenfreude in her tone at Gray Serpent's appearance, "Who has such great ability? To completely move such a large Elysian Realm, root and all... no, not even a speck of dust left?"
As she spoke, she cautiously glanced at the smoking Gray Serpent, not daring to make her words too harsh.
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