"You won't be able to get through."
The little wolf's voice turned serious.
"If you don't want to expose who you are, that's fine. But the road to the Cradle of Generations is locked down—three anchor points are wrapped around it. There's no way you're getting past."
Even as she spoke, irritation seeped into her tone.
Aside from the lunatics in the Bone-Crushing clan, most people instinctively opposed anything to do with the Hyperdomain and Erosion—let alone the appearance of anchor points, the advanced form of the Erosion phenomenon.
Anchor points triggered a terrifying "Angel Effect," and on top of that they were massive threat cores in their own right.
Three of them together felt like three mountains pressing down on the land, crushing everything beneath their weight.
Suddenly, Eldera's comm-bracelet lit up. The moment the channel opened, Perlica's voice spilled out.
"…Eldera—are you currently with Mr. Bai Ling?"
"Yes. We've already reached the Ore Vein Source Zone."
Hearing Eldera's reply, Perlica let out a quiet breath of relief.
"So it really was you. Those Erosion zones getting cleared—seriously, that helped a lot."
Even though Yvonne had upgraded Tata's capabilities across the board, the way these three used the little machine was still… a bit too much.
So, just like before, they'd deliberately reduced how often they relied on Tata, making sure it wouldn't run into any issues.
And honestly, it wasn't only Yvonne—being with that little car-like robot gave all of them a strange sense of reassurance.
"How are things in the Ore Vein Source Zone? That area's already very close to the Hyperdomain rift…"
"The damage here is extremely severe," Eldera answered. "Three anchor points fell here at the same time."
"Three anchor points—at once? There?"
Perlica's voice sharpened with disbelief, her speaking pace quickening.
"I'll contact the Di Jiang immediately and have it scan the Ore Vein Source Zone for angel signals. Please prioritize your safety.
We'll accelerate and head for your location. Until we arrive, please do what you can—within your limits. I'm counting on you!"
"Understood."
When the call ended, Rosina's eyes went wide.
"Was that… Perlica's comm just now?"
"It was Perlica."
"…Then does that mean I'll get to see the Administrator soon?!" Rosina practically vibrated. "I totally—uh—just happened to be passing by. I came to see the Administrator!"
A real penguin-fan, this one.
Then again…
During those days in the hub district, Bai Ling had heard plenty of bizarre Administrator rumors from the workers.
Like the Administrator shattering Tower Guard Two solo. Like the Administrator obliterating two thousand anchor points in a single strike.
Honestly—the little penguin really was extraordinary, but those stories were obviously impossible if you thought about them for even a second.
Bai Ling couldn't help imagining what her face would look like if she ever heard those rumors herself. Probably adorable.
Rosina might look small and a little simple, but she decided fast. Once she realized Bai Ling had his own plan, she pointed toward the camp.
"The camp's that way. Since you've made your choice, I won't interfere."
With that, she sprang up and bolted off toward the outskirts of the camp.
The reason didn't need explaining.
One word: the penguin.
After Rosina left, the three of them continued forward, clearing Erosion wherever it showed itself.
In the far distance, above the Cradle of Generations, the sky looked as though multicolored flames were burning—beautiful, eerie, unreal.
Along the way, Eyjafjalla slowed to a stop. Something at the roadside had caught her attention. After a long silence, she gently lifted a twig from the ground, faintly glowing with orange light.
"…Is this land… crying?"
There seemed to be many of these fragments scattered throughout the area—small, broken pieces.
Through her Originium Arts, Eyjafjalla could clearly sense that it was Originium, yet it wasn't like ordinary Originium at all.
Normal Originium carried corrosive properties; prolonged contact could easily lead to Oripathy.
But this was different.
Its nature was remarkably gentle. Even held in the hand and turned over like a trinket, it felt steady—stable—almost soothing.
In that case, even long exposure wouldn't lead to any severe symptoms.
"The land doesn't cry," Bai Ling said quietly. "Only the living things upon it do. To the land, everything is just a brief pause—a momentary breath."
Only when you witnessed it with your own eyes did you understand the gulf between data and reality.
Data could hit hard.
Reality was always crueler.
Even from several kilometers away, Bai Ling could clearly see it—beyond the edges of the Cradle of Generations, towering anchor points were repeatedly releasing wave after wave of terrifying shock pulses.
Cradle of Generations.
Cradle of Generations.
With a name like that, there had to be something big inside.
But what he knew wasn't enough. He needed more information—and if he wasn't mistaken, those three anchor points were absolutely the work of the one he'd seen down in the valley passage.
What was she trying to do?
Bai Ling had come to Valley Four intending only to see how this planet differed from the Terra he knew.
And in no time at all, it had turned into: this place is about to be destroyed, and everyone's going to die.
If anything, this was worse than Terra.
The ram-horn Command Seal on the back of his hand had only one stroke left. The eagle-horn Command Seal, on the other hand, had recovered more than half—give it a bit longer and he might be able to use it again.
…Thinking about it like that, he really did feel a little sorry toward Eyjafjalla.
Bai Ling turned his head, looking at the sweet, white-horned girl walking beside him.
"…What is it, Senpai?"
Sensing his distraction, Eyjafjalla answered softly. From the moment she'd been summoned here, she'd carried herself with that same warmth.
"I've been relying on you the whole way," Bai Ling said.
She smiled.
"No. To come here, to witness all of this… perhaps I'm the fortunate one, Senpai."
....
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