It hovered quietly for a moment, as if it had exhausted all its strength.
Then it drifted down.
Softly.
It landed on the dry cave floor with a faint tap that was almost impossible to hear.
The tiny crystal lay there in silence, refracting a weak glimmer of light in the dim cave.
Then it began to melt.
Shrinking rapidly.
Fading into a nearly invisible damp mark before slowly seeping into the ground and disappearing completely.
Reid almost burst out laughing.
The girl looked up at him.
The whole process had been brief and uneventful.
Reid cleared his throat, forcing his expression back into something serious.
Good. Very good. Keep it together.
The girl turned her head back toward the spot where the crystal had vanished, staring at it in confusion. Then she lowered her gaze to her empty palm, as if she couldn't quite understand what had just happened.
Reid didn't say anything.
He simply reached out and gently ruffled her hair.
The days passed.
The tribe was busy building a new ship, while Reid picked up bits of information from casual conversations with the old chief.
He learned that between nearby islands, people sometimes used a special kind of hard white shell as currency. It held recognized trade value.
Reid rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"This is basically… a primitive form of Berries."
A hint of interest flickered in his eyes.
"So… should I go collect some 'ancient currency'?"
Mainly because he currently had no money.
No money meant no hunting, no trading, no convenience.
Naturally, he extended his hand to the side.
A small, slightly cool hand slipped quietly into his palm.
Reid clasped it and turned toward the edge of the tribe.
The girl looked up and spoke softly.
This was one of the most complete and主动 sentences she had managed in days.
"Where are you going?"
Reid grinned, flashing bright teeth as if the answer were obvious.
"To take it."
Before his words fully settled, crimson mist surged around him.
In an instant, it wrapped the girl into his arms.
He pushed off the ground and shot into the sky, racing toward the distant sea.
His speed was so fast that only a faint streak of red lingered behind him.
They arrived above a small island.
From a distance, it looked peaceful.
Quiet.
Almost harmonious.
But that illusion shattered the moment you looked closer.
It was a quarry.
The sharp clang of tools striking stone echoed through the air.
So did something else.
The crack of whips.
Reid hovered high above, looking down at the workers below.
"Oh… what a hardworking group," he thought, watching as "exhausted" bodies were dragged away.
"And what a kind group of masters."
His gaze shifted across the scene.
Stone roads.
Crude buildings.
Supervisors with cold expressions.
At first glance, something about them felt familiar.
Reid narrowed his eyes.
"Celestial Dragons?"
He muttered to himself.
But almost immediately, he shook his head.
"No. Something's off."
Even if the real Celestial Dragons were weak, their physical traits were… different.
To put it simply, their bodies were inherently valuable.
Enhanced.
Privileged by blood.
These people?
They looked like hollow imitations.
Someone might ask him, "Reid, how can you be so sure?"
His answer would be simple.
"Do they look like they've been raised for a hundred years?"
Reid snorted.
"No chance."
"I've seen the real thing."
"In the end, this world runs on bloodlines."
Even in a world of monsters, lineage still mattered.
The gap between individuals could be absurdly large.
Some people trained endlessly and still fell short.
Others stood at the top with ease.
So he was certain.
These weren't nobles.
At best, they were clumsy imitators.
In midair, the girl remained in his arms, quietly observing everything below.
Her eyes moved slowly across the quarry.
Workers swinging heavy tools.
Bodies bent under exhaustion.
The crack of whips driving them forward.
Rough stone huts.
Mud-covered paths.
Her gaze filled with confusion.
This world was completely different from what she remembered.
In Piruka, everything had been smooth.
Silent.
Efficient.
Highly automated.
Compared to that, this place felt primitive.
Almost unreal.
Like an entirely different world.
Reid noticed her expression.
That pure, puzzled look.
He nearly laughed.
But he held it back and deliberately exaggerated his tone.
"Wow. You've never seen something like this before?"
"Kid… you're such a country bumpkin."
The girl turned her head toward him.
Her eyes were clear.
And completely confused.
She didn't understand the phrase.
Reid met her gaze and explained patiently, though a hint of teasing still lingered in his voice.
"It means… someone who hasn't seen much of the world."
Then his tone shifted.
He gestured toward the harsh reality below.
"But I don't blame you."
"The world you knew was like Piruka."
"Clean. Advanced. Efficient."
"But also cold."
"A massive cage."
"And stupid enough to treat people like you as fuel."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But look down there."
"This is what much of the world actually looks like."
"Backward."
"Cruel."
"Where the strong devour the weak."
"And peace barely exists."
"Piruka?" He scoffed.
"That's not some paradise."
"It's a beautiful monster built on exploitation."
"It doesn't represent the world."
"It feeds on it."
"And what you're seeing now…"
He finished quietly.
"This is the reality most people live in."
The girl listened.
Not fully understanding.
But not completely lost either.
Her gaze drifted back down to the dusty, painful world below.
Somewhere deep inside her, a realization began to form.
What she once thought was "normal"…
Might actually have been the most abnormal thing of all.
Reid looked at her thoughtful, confused expression.
For once, even he seemed slightly unsure.
"…Probably," he added casually.
The girl paused.
She seemed to notice that rare hint of hesitation in his voice.
Then, shifting slightly in his arms, she tilted her head up.
Her clear eyes locked onto his face.
Unblinking.
As if trying to see straight through him.
Reid fell silent.
"…Hey. Don't look at me like that."