Chapter 296: Wise: Fairy, You'd Better Be Prepared
"Phew—!"
The sigh was perfectly synchronized, a shared exhalation of pure exhaustion. Almost as one, the brother and sister collapsed onto the comfortable-looking old sofa in their living room.
Their bodies sank deep into the plush cushions, the tension that had been coiled in their muscles for what felt like an eternity finally, completely, releasing its grip. From the moment they accepted the world commission and rushed to Teyvat, through the fierce, desperate battle against the Abyss, and resulting in a grand, nation-wide celebration that lasted for hours on end—it had been a relentless gauntlet.
For Wise and Belle, who were accustomed to the relatively routine life of New Eridu, punctuated only by the occasional Hollow disaster and proxy commission, the intensity had been staggering. It was more than a test of their physical limits; it was an extreme trial of their mental endurance. The continuous high-intensity combat, the ever-present sense of crisis, and the emotional drain of the final, jubilant revelry had left their energy reserves scraped clean.
Belle felt as if her eyelids weighed a thousand pounds each, lacking even the strength to twitch a finger.
Wise, being the older brother, possessed slightly better stamina. After slumping on the sofa for a good ten minutes, he felt a sliver of his lost strength return, his mind no longer a complete blank. He habitually started to reach for his phone, intending to check the news from New Eridu during their absence, but his arm lifted halfway and then fell limply back to his side.
"Forget it…" he mumbled, the thought of even looking at an electronic screen feeling like a monumental effort.
Using the armrest for support, he propped himself up and rose, somewhat unsteadily, to his feet. He padded over to their home AI.
"Fairy, has anything major happened in the city while we were away?" Wise's voice was still raspy with fatigue.
The screen lit up, and Fairy's voice—electronically synthesized yet possessing a distinct, human-like warmth—flowed smoothly from the speakers. "Welcome back, Master."
"According to public information channels, the most significant recent development in New Eridu is that the election campaign for the latest round of key municipal positions has entered its most heated phase. The final results are expected to be announced soon."
Fairy's tone was as level as ever, but the information it provided made Wise raise an eyebrow. A changeover in key city roles was a big deal in New Eridu, often heralding a reshuffling of the city's power structure and the policy shifts that inevitably followed.
"During the election period, various factions are highly active," Fairy added. "It is expected that social security management will be strengthened, with increased street patrol frequency and higher security check levels."
"It is recommended that you and Mistress Belle minimize nighttime outings in the near future to avoid involvement in unnecessary trouble."
"Got it. Thanks for the reminder, Fairy," Wise nodded, committing the information to memory. During election season, the waters of New Eridu always grew murkier than usual.
After reporting the main points, Fairy's tone seemed to adopt a touch of human-like curiosity. "Additionally, according to my records, your offline time for this trip has exceeded conventional patterns. Can you share your whereabouts and activities during this period? This would help me update my behavioral pattern database for you."
Wise rubbed his still-throbbing temples. A tired, mischievous smile touched his lips as he looked at the AI's screen. He had no intention of hiding anything, partly because he trusted Fairy implicitly, and partly because he knew the unvarnished truth would be so outlandish the AI wouldn't believe it anyway.
So, in a deliberately casual tone, Wise began, "Us? Oh, we went to save another world that was about to be swallowed by something like the Hollows."
"They have a thing called the 'Abyss' over there, which is way more troublesome than our Hollows. There were also super-sized monsters, hundreds of meters tall. Fortunately, we also had a Giant of Light representing hope on our side, and that's how we managed to beat the monster."
"Afterward," he concluded with a flourish, "we even had a massive celebration banquet with the locals of that world."
He delivered the summary simply and directly, with just a hint of theatrical exaggeration.
As expected, Fairy's processor seemed to stutter. The data stream flowing across its screen flickered in brief disarray.
"...Database has no relevant matches. Master, based on existing model analysis, there is a 99.7% probability that your current statement is a joke or a new type of metaphor."
The AI's logic circuits whirred, trying to make sense of an experience so far beyond its comprehension. "Are you implying that you have mastered more stable and controllable temporary Hollow-traversal technology and conducted relevant tests during this long offline period?"
Fairy had finally arrived at what it considered the most "reasonable" conclusion—that Wise was, once again, teasing it with his unique brand of deadpan humor.
Wise just smiled, not bothering to explain further. He simply waved a hand. "I'm not joking, Fairy. You'd better be prepared. Maybe there'll be a chance to use the Chat Group to give you an upgrade later."
Feeling sufficiently rested, he turned and called towards the sofa. "Belle! Let's go! Time to head upstairs and rest! I'm completely wiped!"
He waited a few seconds, but the usual energetic response from his sister never came.
Puzzled, Wise walked back over to the sofa. The sight that greeted him made him chuckle softly.
Belle was curled up in the corner, her head resting against the armrest. Her eyes were shut tight, her breathing even and deep. She was sound asleep. A trace of lingering fatigue still shadowed her features, but her expression was utterly peaceful, as if she had finally returned to the one place in the universe where she felt completely at ease.
Looking at his sister's sleeping face, Wise felt another powerful wave of his own exhaustion wash over him.
He sighed, a mixture of helplessness and affection in the sound. Forcing himself to muster his last reserves of energy, he carefully bent down, sliding his arms beneath Belle and lifting her gently.
In her sleep, Belle mumbled something incoherent and snuggled into a more comfortable position against his chest, but she didn't wake.
Wise carried her, his steps a little unsteady as he made his way up the stairs. He took her to her room, gently placed her on the bed, and pulled the blanket over her.
After all that, he felt his last ounce of strength drain away. He practically dragged his feet back to his own room, too tired to even change his clothes. The moment his head hit the pillow, he collapsed into unconsciousness, falling instantly into a deep sleep.
...
Meanwhile, the Astral Express crew had also completed their return.
The figures of Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng re-materialized within Amphoreus's private bathhouse. For them, whose physical conditioning far surpassed that of ordinary people, the intense experience in Natlan was hardly enough to force them into immediate sleep.
More, the moment they returned, the flow of time in their own world resumed its normal operation. It was as if their entire adventure in another world had been neatly excised from the timeline, having no effect on the continuity of their own spacetime.
Except for certain existences that transcended common sense and could perceive the very fabric of the universe—such as the Aeons—who might have detected a slight, almost negligible ripple in the river of time, no one knew that this star system had "paused" for a moment for the sake of a nation's survival in another world.
The instant his feet touched the floor, Dan Heng's gaze shot to a clock he had specifically placed on a table before their departure. Just as he suspected, during their entire absence, time here had been frozen solid. It was difficult to even imagine what kind of immense power was required to achieve such a feat.
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