"Big Sis, were you calling for me!"
Before long, a purple portal appeared out of thin air, and Bartholos flew out from within.
Cipher looked at the coffee it was holding with a strange expression and asked doubtfully, "What have you been up to lately? And what's with that coffee?"
"I've been looking around this place recently, and while I was at it, I swiped the Terminals from some wealthy-looking folks."
At this point, Bartholos downed the coffee in one gulp and said indignantly, "But this place is so poor! I've been wandering for so long and haven't even run into ten rich people! What kind of place is this anyway?!"
"As for this coffee, I just happened to pass by the hospital where that Lin Zhiyuan guy is staying. I saw this freshly brewed cup sitting on his table, so Yours Truly just picked it up on the way, jie-jie-jie-jie!"
Listening to Bartholos's description, Cipher facepalmed, speechless.
"This is essentially the slums of this country; finding any rich people at all is a testament to your skills."
"Also, stop constantly pranking that Lin Zhiyuan fellow. Give the coffee back. If something goes wrong with him, I won't get to see his face when he runs into me again."
"Oh, alright." Bartholos looked a bit dejected but quickly cheered up. "I'll stop messing with him for now. But as for returning the coffee... I already drank it all. How am I supposed to give it back?"
It stared at the empty coffee cup in its hands, falling into deep thought. Seeing this, Cipher stroked her chin, considering the matter. Soon, she hit upon a solution.
"Since the coffee he brewed is gone, just use this coffee as a replacement."
As she spoke, a cup of steaming coffee appeared in Cipher's hand. (A new day had passed; this was a fresh cup, not the one Hyacine had tasted yesterday.) She handed the cup to Bartholos.
"Bartholos, just pour this coffee in. It's all coffee anyway... he shouldn't mind, right?"
"Got it!" Receiving the instruction, Bartholos immediately took the coffee. "Big Sis, why do you have a cup of coffee on you anyway?"
"Um... don't ask about that. Just put the coffee back; I still need your help with something."
"Oh."
Seeing that Cipher was unwilling to elaborate, Bartholos didn't press further. After pouring the liquid into Lin Zhiyuan's cup, it turned and flew back into the portal. Moments later, Bartholos flew back again, this time empty-handed. It seemed the cup had been returned.
"Alright, Big Sis, what's next?"
"Same as before. I'll put you 'over there' first, and then I'll trouble you to open a portal to bring me across."
"Oh, are we going to see that friend of yours called Firefly again?"
Upon hearing Cipher's description, Bartholos immediately recalled the figure in the silver-white armor. But Cipher shook her head, negating Bartholos's guess.
"Not Firefly, but an acquaintance. You should know her."
With that, Cipher grabbed Bartholos and tucked it into her System Inventory. At the same instant, far away in the City of Chaos, Hyacine seamlessly retrieved Bartholos.
Bartholos let out an incredulous shout: "Eh-eh-eh! Are you that Chrysos Heir who inherited the Sky Titan, the little girl Hyacine?!"
"Yawn~"
Lin Zhiyuan let out a yawn, his eyes squinting. He was currently sitting on his hospital bed, and in front of him was a portable Terminal supported by a specialized table.
Feeling drowsy, Lin Zhiyuan reached toward the nightstand to pick up his coffee, but after fumbling for a bit, he felt nothing. He turned his head in confusion, only to find the nightstand completely bare.
"What's going on? Where's the coffee I brewed?"
Finding his coffee gone without a trace, Lin Zhiyuan began scanning the room. Finally, he spotted his coffee cup next to the coffee machine table.
Seeing this, Lin Zhiyuan got out of bed, took the cup in his hand, and headed back toward the bed. As he walked, he rubbed his temples in confusion, muttering to himself, "Did I not bring it to the nightstand? Did I remember wrong?"
"Yawn~ forget it. One sip to wake me up."
Lin Zhiyuan yawned again, lifted the coffee, and swallowed about a quarter of it in one go. The moment the coffee entered his mouth, Lin Zhiyuan's eyes widened.
This taste... is wrong!
By the time that absurd bitterness spread through his mouth, he knew it was too late to spit it out.
Thump.
Accompanied by a dull sound, Lin Zhiyuan collapsed straight onto the floor, entering a peaceful sleep. The coffee in his hand spilled everywhere, emitting an ominous aura.
In a small room, Hyacine, Cipher, and Bartholos were each seated on a side.
"Big Sis, do you think the other Chrysos Heirs of Amphoreus have all come to this world?"
"I'm not sure. So far, I've only found Senior Cipher. As for the others, I haven't located them yet."
Hyacine shook her head, indicating her uncertainty, and Cipher gave a similar answer.
"It doesn't matter. Since we found one, the others might just be in places we haven't discovered yet."
Bartholos didn't seem to care much about their answers. To it, as long as Big Sis Cipher was around, it was fine; it wasn't very close to the other Chrysos Heirs anyway.
After the three chatted for a while, Cipher was the first to speak. "Well, since there's nothing else, I'm going out for a stroll. I only came here because I was a bit too bored."
"Alright, goodbye Senior Cipher."
After bidding farewell, Cipher and Bartholos vanished into thin air. Hyacine, left alone in the room, thought for a moment before taking out her Terminal to send a message to Song Lin.
"Since I'm free right now, I'll talk to Song Lin about the clinic."
"Big Sis Cipher, so why are we staring at this little girl?"
"This girl has a secret. She wanted to observe Hyacine quietly before, but she got caught."
"So, now it's our turn to observe her quietly. This is called giving her a taste of her own medicine~"
At this moment, Cipher was leisurely sitting on a chair in the lobby with Bartholos, both of them shrouded in a purple glow. Cipher's gaze was fixed with interest on Hong Guoguo, who was currently eavesdropping outside the door.